JP2002143401A - Ball detecting device for game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a ball from being detected again. SOLUTION: When a ball flowing on a ball pass 24 is detected at a ball detecting position 23 of a ball detector 9 and flows down over a back flow blocking step part 44 and the relevant ball flows back to the upstream side because of collision to a ball existent on the downstream side, the back flow blocking step part 44 receives that back flowing ball before reaching the ball detecting position 23.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ball detecting device used for a game machine such as a pachinko machine or a slot machine using a ball as a game medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 shows a ball detecting device 70 of a gaming machine disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-277209. In FIG. 4, a sphere detector 73 utilizing magnetism is provided outside a sphere passage 72 for guiding one sphere 71 from above to below.
The sphere passage wall surface 74 in the sphere detection position 75 indicated by the imaginary line 3 is formed on a slope, and the backflow of the ball 71 is prevented on the slope.

[0003]

In the prior art, as shown in FIG. 3 of the publication, the most narrowed portion of the ball passage 72 is formed in the ball detection position 75 or upstream thereof. Since the vertical width of the ball passage 72 is formed to be smaller than the diameter of one ball 71, when the ball 71 that has passed the ball detection position 75 from top to bottom once again flows back from bottom to top, Since the backflowing ball 71 may reach the ball detection position 75, it cannot be denied that the ball detector 73 detects the same ball twice.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a ball detecting device capable of preventing re-detection of a ball that has flowed downstream from a ball detecting position.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a sphere detecting device including a sphere passage for guiding spheres in a row in a predetermined direction, and a sphere detector for detecting spheres flowing through the sphere passage. A backflow prevention step is provided in the passage downstream of the ball detection position of the ball detector with respect to the ball passage. Therefore, according to the present invention, even if a ball that has flowed past the ball detection position flows backward, the backflow prevention step portion receives the backflowed ball before reaching the ball detection position, thereby re-establishing the backflow ball. Detection can be appropriately prevented.

[0006]

1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a sphere detecting device in which the front and back sides of FIG. 3 are inverted and a front case is removed, and FIG. 2 is a sphere detecting device. FIG. 3 shows a ball dispensing device in which the ball detecting device is incorporated as a ball counting device. The sphere 8 in FIG. 3 and the spheres 8a and 8b in FIG. 2 are the same kind of sphere.

Referring to FIG. 3, the ball payout device 1 will be described. The ball dispensing device 1 includes an electromagnetic solenoid 3, a sprocket 4, a ball passage 5, a link mechanism 6, and a pawl 7
Etc. are provided. The sprocket 4 is a member that separates the upper sphere 8 and the lower sphere 8 that flow down from the sphere passage 5 in a daisy chain so as not to contact each other, and discharges the sphere 8 to the sphere detector 9. The ball passage 5 guides a large number of balls 8 in an aligned state like a row while meandering downward from above. The intermediate portion is not shown, but the downstream portion and the upstream portion shown in FIG. Connected through the section.

A ball dispensing direction indicated by an arrow W of the sprocket 4 engages with a ratchet wheel 10 provided so that a pawl 7 connected to the electromagnetic solenoid 3 via a link mechanism 6 can rotate together with the sprocket 4. Stop spinning to. When the rotation is stopped, the ball 8 is retained in the ball passage 5 by the cooperation of the sprocket 4 projecting into the ball passage 5 and the direction switching step 43 provided in the ball passage 5. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the ball 8 is retained by the sprocket 4 in the ball passage 5 to prevent the ball from being dispensed. In this state, the electromagnetic solenoid 3 operates in one direction in response to a ball payout start instruction from the control device 11 and the claw 7
By releasing the engagement between the hook and the ratchet wheel 10, the ball can be paid out. A spring 13, such as a coil spring, bridged between the link mechanism 6 and the apparatus main body 2 causes the pawl 7 to engage with the ratchet wheel 1.
0 is applied to the link mechanism 6 in a direction engaging with the link mechanism 6. A spring 14, such as a spiral spring, bridged between the link mechanism 6 and the pawl 7 applies a spring force to the pawl 7 in a direction to bring the stopper 15 of the pawl 7 and the stopper 16 of the link mechanism 6 closer to each other. The spring 14 also functions to prevent the claws 7 from jumping when engaging the ratchet wheel 10.

In this mode of allowing the ball to be paid out, the sprocket 4 rotates freely under the weight of the ball 8, and the ball 8 flows down the ball passage 5 as a prize ball or a lending ball. The balls 8 released from the sprocket 4 and falling under their own weight are detected one by one by a ball detector 9 such as a light-passing type using light, and are discharged from a ball discharge outlet 12 of the ball passage 5. The sphere detector 9 outputs a sphere detection signal to the control device 11 as a sphere counting signal every time the sphere 8 is detected.

The controller 11 outputs a ball payout stop instruction to the electromagnetic solenoid 3 when the ball payout number obtained by counting the ball detection signals reaches the set ball payout number corresponding to the ball payout start instruction. Thereafter, the electromagnetic solenoid 3 operates in the other direction opposite to the one direction in response to the ball payout stop instruction from the control device 11 to engage the pawl 7 with the ratchet wheel 10. As a result, the sprocket 4 is stopped, and the ball 8 is stopped in the ball passage 5 upstream of the sprocket 4 in the ball passage 5.

Referring to FIG. 1, a sphere detecting device 20 including the sprocket 4 and the sphere detector 9 will be described. The sphere detection device 20 has a form in which the sprocket 4 is stored in an internal space formed by combining two cases 21 divided into front and rear in a palm shape. A case 21 that rotatably supports the sprocket 4 with a sprocket shaft 22 is connected to each other with a set screw (not shown). The sphere detector 9 has a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit individually on two convex portions facing each other on both sides of the concave portion. Then, the sphere detector 9 is attached to the case 21 so that the concave portion of the sphere detector 9 is inserted into the coupled case 21. In this state, the optical path from the light emitting unit of the ball detector 9 to the light receiving unit is the ball detection position 23. Alternatively, the case to which the ball detector is attached is the device body 2 shown in FIG.
To the ball detecting device 2
0 is attached to the ball dispensing device 1. In the internal space of the case 21, a ball passage 24 for detection connected to the ball passage 5 in FIG. 1 and a ball-passing passage 25 connected to the ball passage 5 via a passage switching mechanism (not shown) are formed separately by a partition wall 26. A part of the sprocket 4 protrudes from the spherical passage 24 from a partition wall 28 that separates the spherical passage 24 and the sprocket storage portion 27. The hole 29 formed in the case 21 connects the two cases 21,
It is used for assembling the ball detector 9 to the case 21 or attaching the coupled case 21 to the apparatus main body 2 in FIG.

A ball passage 24 around the sprocket 4
Has an upstream spherical passage wall 40, a midstream spherical passage wall 41, and a downstream spherical passage wall 42. The sprocket-side spherical passage wall 30 that is the downstream portion of the partition wall 28 faces the downstream-side spherical passage wall 42. The partition wall 28 and the sprocket side ball passage wall 30 are 2
When the two cases 21 are combined, a gap that allows the sprocket 4 to pass through is formed. Upstream ball passage wall 4
The 0, the middle-side spherical passage wall 41, the downstream-side spherical passage wall 42, and the sprocket-side spherical passage wall 30 have an arc shape with a radius of curvature r2; r3; r4; r5 about the sprocket shaft 22.

The radius r1 of the sprocket 4, the radius of curvature r2 of the upstream spherical passage wall 40, the radius of curvature r3 of the midstream spherical passage wall 41, and the radius of curvature r4 of the downstream spherical passage wall 42 are r1 <r.
The dimensional relationship is set as 5 <r2 <r3 <r4. Radius r
1 and the radius of curvature r3 and the radius of curvature r3 and the radius of curvature r
The difference from 5 is set to be larger than the diameter D of one sphere 8 (r3-r1> D, r3-r5> D). The radius of curvature r3; r4 is determined by the upstream spherical passage wall 40 and the downstream spherical passage wall 4.
The shape may be an arc that gradually increases from the direction switching step 43 connecting to the ball discharge outlet 12 to the ball payout outlet 12. In short, the shape may be any shape that guides the ball 8 released from the sprocket 4 to the downstream.

The upstream spherical passage wall 40 and the midstream spherical passage wall 41
Is connected with the direction switching step portion 43, and the midstream side spherical passage wall 41
And the downstream-side spherical passage wall 42 are connected by a backflow prevention step portion 44. Therefore, in the case of this embodiment, the lower surface of the ball passage 24 that guides the balls 8 around the ball detector 9 from above to below in a row forms a surface on the upstream side of the intermediate backflow prevention step portion 44 with the midstream ball passage wall 41. The surface downstream of the backflow prevention step 44 is formed as the downstream spherical passage wall 42. Then, the notches 50 formed at equal intervals on the peripheral surface of the sprocket 4 individually take in the balls 8 one by one in cooperation with the upstream ball passage wall 40. The spheres 8 separated one by one by the rotation of the sprocket 4 flow in a predetermined direction while being in contact with the midstream spherical passage wall 41 and the downstream spherical passage wall 42.

In FIG. 2, these midstream spherical passage walls 41
The center of each of the spheres 8a and 8b flowing in a predetermined direction in contact with the downstream ball passage wall 42 draws a trajectory indicated by a dashed line L1, L2, L3. FIG. 2 shows that the sphere 8a passes through the detection position 23 and is detected by the sphere detector 9 in the process of moving from the dashed-dotted line L1 to the dashed-dotted line L2, arrives at the backflow prevention step 44, and the sphere 8b is From the detection position 23 in the process of moving from FIG. A detection window 45 is arranged around the sphere 8a in contact with both the backflow prevention step portion 44 and the downstream sphere passage wall 42. The detection window 45 is formed so as to penetrate through the front and rear walls of the case 21 forming the spherical passage 24 (walls located on the front and back sides in FIG. 1). In the detection window 45, the detection position 23 of the ball detector 9 is set.
Are arranged at the center of the detection window 45. The detection position 23 is located outside of the dashed lines L1, L2, L3 so as not to overlap with the dashed lines L1, L2, L3.

According to the structure of this embodiment, the detection position 2
The ball 8 which prompted the detection operation of the ball detector 9 by passing through
a crosses the backflow prevention step 44 and the downstream spherical passage wall 42
In the process of flowing down along, the ball 8a collides with a sphere (not shown) existing in front of the sphere 8a, and by the reaction thereof, flows backward from the downstream ball passage wall 42 to the backflow prevention step 44 side. By receiving the ball 8a, further backflow of the ball 8a can be prevented. The ball 8 whose backflow was prevented
a and the ball 8b dispensed from the upstream by the sprocket 4 contacts each other, the detection position 23 is
8b so as not to be detected so as to correspond to the gap around both spheres 8a; 8b.

Further, the present invention is applicable even if the sprocket 4 is omitted from the ball passage 24.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a sphere detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary plan view showing sphere redetection prevention according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a ball payout device of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 8; 8a; 8b sphere 9 sphere detector 20 sphere detection device 23 sphere detection position 24 sphere passage 44 backflow prevention step

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A ball detecting device comprising: a ball passage for guiding balls in a predetermined direction in a row; and a ball detector for detecting a ball flowing in the ball passage. A ball detection device for a gaming machine, wherein the ball detection device is provided downstream of a ball detection position of a ball detector.