JP2002263318A - Ball put-out device for game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restart the put-out of the correct number of balls after the recovery from a power failure by accurately memorizing the number of balls put-out even when the power failure occurs during the put-out of the balls. SOLUTION: A cam 114b of the ball put-out device put out balls at a time of every rotation thereof by 60 deg.. A motor for driving the cam 114b is driven by 1-2 phase excitation in a normal state. When the power failure occurs during the putting out of the balls, in one ball put-out operation, the motor is driven by 2 phase excitation for the first half thereof and by the 1-2 phase excitation for the second half thereof. The speed of carrying out balls is made faster than that in the normal operation in case of the power failure, thereby shortening the time required for the memory.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ball discharge device provided in a ball-and-ball game machine and other game machines for carrying out balls such as lending game balls and paying out prize balls.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The payout of prize balls in conventional ball game machines, for example, has been performed as follows. Various winning ports are provided in the game area on the game board of the ball game machine. Each winning opening is provided with a sensor for determining whether or not a game ball has won. Then, among the game balls fired into the game area from the firing device, the game balls that have entered each winning opening are collected in one discharging device and arranged one by one, and detected by a sensor provided in the discharging device. Is done.

A predetermined number of prize balls are paid out by driving a prize ball payout device based on a detection result of a sensor of the discharge device and a detection result of a winning port sensor. Further, based on the result of the payout, the discharging device discharges the game balls one by one. As a result, even if a power cut (power cut-off) occurs during the game, the payout of the prize balls is guaranteed.

However, in this method, at the time of a power failure, the detection result of the winning port sensor (winning data such as how many winning balls are won in the winning port) disappears, and the return after the power failure occurs. In the prize ball payout operation which is sometimes restarted, there is a possibility that the payout of the number of prize balls corresponding to the actually won game balls may not be performed accurately. Therefore, in recent years, the detection results of the sensors at each winning opening have been set so that they do not disappear even when a power interruption occurs.
One that backs up the detection result is known.

[0005]

Even in the above-mentioned conventional technique, when a power failure occurs while the payout ball payout operation is not performed, it is possible to accurately pay out the prize ball when returning after the power failure. it can. However, if a power interruption occurs during the payout of the prize ball by the prize ball payout device and the reference voltage of the prize ball sensor for detecting the number of paid prize balls cannot be maintained, the correct detection result of the prize ball sensor is backed up. There was a problem that sometimes it was not possible.

Generally, when paying out a prize ball, the motor for paying out is driven to drop the prize ball,
When the dropped prize ball passes through a prize ball sensor provided downstream, the paid out prize ball is detected. Here, just before the supply voltage to the prize ball sensor becomes lower than the reference voltage (operating voltage) due to the power interruption and the paid out prize ball cannot be detected, the prize ball is paid out by driving the motor. In this case, when the prize ball reaches the prize ball sensor, the prize ball sensor cannot detect the prize ball already.

In such a case, although the prize ball is actually paid out, the prize ball sent out from the motor is not detected by the prize ball sensor, so that the payout result is counted. The data is not backed up. Therefore, when the payout of the prize ball is restarted based on the detection result backed up at the time of the return after the power interruption, the prize ball already paid out is paid out again, and the extra prize ball is paid out. Was. As a result, there is a problem that the game store is disadvantaged.

[0008] By the way, in a ball game machine, a method of lending game balls from a ball game machine by a prepaid card unit connected to the ball game machine is known as a method of lending game balls.

In this method, when a prepaid card purchased by a player is inserted into a prepaid card unit and a game ball lending switch provided on a front portion of a ball game machine or the like is operated, the signal is received. A game ball lending device having the same structure as described above, or a ball discharge device serving as the game ball lending device and the prize ball payout device described above, discharges the game balls to a tray of a ball game machine, and The game ball is lent out. When the game ball rental device of this method is used, the same problem as the above-described prize ball payment device occurs at the time of power interruption.

[0010] Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to accurately back up the number of balls carried out even when a power failure occurs while the balls are being carried out (lending game balls or paying out prize balls). And to allow the correct number of balls to be carried out again when returning after a power failure.

[0011]

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by the following means. (Claim 1) The invention according to claim 1 is a ball discharging device for a gaming machine for renting out a game ball and paying out a prize ball in a gaming machine, wherein power is cut off when power is not supplied to the gaming machine for a predetermined time. Power-off detection means for detecting that a game ball has been hit, winning game ball detection and counting means for detecting and counting a winning game ball, game ball lending request signal receiving means for receiving a game ball lending request signal, and lending of game balls. Ball discharge means for paying out prize balls, discharge ball detection / counting means for detecting and counting game balls lent out by the ball discharge means and paid out prize balls, and disconnection of power by the power interruption detection means When the detected ball is detected, the carried-out ball information backup means for backing up the game ball lending information and the prize ball payout information at the time of power-off based on the detection / counting result of the carried-out ball detection / counting means, Controls the driving of the ball out means based on the detection and the counting result of the sphere detection counting means,
When the supply of power to the gaming machine is resumed after the power-off detection means detects that the power has been cut off, the information backed up by the carry-out ball information backup means is read, and the ball carry-out means Ball discharge control means for controlling driving, wherein the ball discharge control means controls the drive of the ball discharge means so that the discharge rate of the ball becomes a first speed; A second drive pattern for controlling the driving of the ball discharge means so that the speed becomes a second speed faster than the first speed, and when the power-off detection means does not detect a power-off. Controls the driving of the ball discharging means by the first driving pattern, and when the power-off detecting means detects the disconnection of the power supply during the driving of the ball discharging means, the control of the ball driving means is performed by the second driving pattern. And controlling the drive of the sphere unloading means.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the power of the gaming machine is turned off, the power-off detecting means detects the power-off. When the power-off is detected, the ball carry-out information backup means backs up game ball lending information and prize ball payout information at the time of power-off. Then, when the supply of power is restarted, the ball discharge control means reads the backed up information and controls the driving of the ball discharge means based on the information.

The ball discharge control means has a first drive pattern in which the ball is discharged by the ball discharge means at a first speed and a second drive pattern in which the ball is discharged at a second speed higher than the first speed. ing. The ball discharge control means controls the driving of the ball discharge means so as to discharge the ball by the first drive pattern when the disconnection of the power supply is not detected. On the other hand, if the disconnection of the power supply is detected during the operation of the ball discharging means, the second
The driving of the ball discharging means is controlled so as to discharge the ball according to the driving pattern.

Therefore, when the power is cut off while the ball is being carried out by the ball carrying-out means, the speed at which the ball is carried out is increased.
As a result, it is possible to complete the necessary ball carry-out operation when the power is turned off, faster than usual. Furthermore, if the speed of unloading the ball is higher than usual, after the ball is unloaded,
The time required for the ball to reach the carried-out ball detection and counting means is shorter than usual.

Therefore, as a result, it is possible to shorten the time from when the ball is carried out to when it is detected and counted by the carried-out ball detection and counting means. Therefore, after the power is cut off and before the supply of power to the ball discharge means and the ball discharge control means is interrupted, the necessary ball discharge operation and backup can be performed correctly.

(Claim 2) The invention of claim 2 is based on claim 1.
In the ball discharge device for a game machine described in the above, the ball discharge means includes a stepping motor, the first drive pattern of the ball discharge control means, the stepping motor is 1
The stepping motor is a pattern driven by two-phase excitation, and the second drive pattern is a pattern that drives at least a part of the stepping motor by two-phase excitation.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the power supply is not cut off, the stepping motor of the ball discharge means is driven by the 1-2 phase excitation, and the cutoff of the power supply is detected during the driving of the stepping motor. In this case, at least part of the driving of the stepping motor is performed by two-phase excitation. When the stepping motor is driven by two-phase excitation, the rotation speed increases. Therefore, it is possible to increase the driving speed of the stepping motor, and complete the necessary ball carrying-out operation when the power is turned off, faster than usual.

(Claim 3) The invention of claim 3 is based on claim 2
In the ball discharge device of a gaming machine described in the above, the second drive pattern of the ball discharge control means, in the ball discharge operation of one unit of the ball discharge means, in the first half, the stepping motor is driven by two-phase excitation The latter half is characterized by a pattern in which the stepping motor is driven by 1-2 phase excitation.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the power is turned off, the stepping motor is driven by two-phase excitation in the first half of the operation of discharging one unit of the ball by the ball discharging means. In the latter half, the stepping motor is driven by 1-2 phase excitation. Therefore, by increasing the rotation speed in the first half of the stepping motor, it is possible to increase the initial speed when the ball is carried out. As a result, the operation of unloading the sphere required when the power is turned off can be completed faster than usual.

[0020]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external front view showing an embodiment of a ball game machine to which a ball discharge device according to the present invention is applied. In the present embodiment, the ball discharge device also serves as a game ball rental device for renting out game balls and a prize ball payout device for paying out prize balls. In FIG. 1, the ball game machine 1 includes a game board 2 and a frame 3 that supports the game board 2. Although not shown, the game board 2 is provided with a game area surrounded by guide rails.

An upper tray 4 is provided below the game board 2, and a lower tray 5 is provided below the upper tray 4. The upper saucer 4 is for supplying game balls to be launched into the game area to the launch device 6,
The game balls lent from the ball discharge device and the paid prize balls are stored. When the upper tray 4 is filled with a predetermined amount of balls, the lent game balls and the paid out prize balls are sent to the lower tray 5.

The firing device 6 is provided on the right side of the lower tray 5, and is operated by a player when shooting a game ball into the game area. A prepaid card unit 10 is provided on the left side of the ball-and-ball game machine 1. Further, an operation panel section 20 is provided in a portion located below the game board 2 and on the upper right side of the upper tray 4.

The prepaid card unit 10 has an insertion slot 11 for inserting a prepaid card.
The operation panel unit 20 includes a game ball lending switch 2.
1 and a return switch 22. The game ball lending switch 21 is a switch operated by the player when lending game balls based on the prepaid card inserted from the insertion slot 11 of the prepaid card unit 10. The return switch 22 is a switch operated by the player when returning the inserted prepaid card.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the back side of the ball game machine 1 of FIG. In FIG. 2, a prize ball tank 31 is provided at an upper portion on the back side of the ball game machine 1 and stores prize balls to be paid out and game balls to be lent out.
A ball flow path portion 32 is provided between the lower side of the prize ball tank 31 and the ball discharge ports of the upper tray 4 and the lower tray 5, respectively. Further, a ball discharge means 110 is provided in the middle of the ball flow path portion 32 (the central portion on the right side in FIG. 2).
The ball carrying-out means 110 carries out the prize balls to be paid out and the game balls to be lent out by driving.

A power receiving board 41 is arranged on the right side of the prize ball tank 31. In addition, a power supply unit 42 is disposed at a lower center portion on the back surface side of the ball game machine 1. Power supply (generally AC2) supplied from the outside of the ball game machine 1
4V) is supplied to the power receiving board 41 and then supplied to the power supply unit 42 via required electric components such as an overcurrent cutoff device (fuse). The power supply unit 42 supplies required power to various substrates provided in the ball game machine 1. The main control board 50 is a part that controls the progress of the game and the like, and includes a CPU that performs calculations and the like, a ROM that stores a game program, a RAM that temporarily stores data, and the like. The ball unloading control board 60 controls the driving of the ball unloading means 110, and stores a drive pattern of a CPU and a motor (stepping motor) 115 described later. And a RAM for backing up.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the flow of a sphere in the sphere flow path section 32 on the back surface of the ball game machine 1 of FIG. In FIG. 3, the flow of the sphere is indicated by arrows. In FIG. 3, illustration of the prepaid card unit 10 is omitted. The ball stored in the prize ball tank 31 flows downward and rightward along the ball flow path portion 32 by its own weight, further flows downward, and is stopped at an upper portion of the ball discharge means 110. When the ball discharging means 110 is driven, the balls are discharged by a predetermined number. The discharged ball is sent to the upper tray 4. When the upper tray 4 is full, the ball is sent to the lower tray 5.

FIG. 4 shows the ball discharge means 110 and the ball flow path 32
FIG. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the ball discharging means 110. 4 and 5, the ball discharging means 110 includes a case body 111 and a case lid 112. On the upper surface side of the case main body 111, an opening 1 for introducing a ball into the ball discharging means 110 is provided.
11a is formed. In the present embodiment, the spherical channel portion 3
The balls arranged in two rows from the middle of 2 are carried in from the opening 111a for each row.

A guide rail 113 is attached to an upper portion inside the case body 111. The guide rail 113
This is for guiding the ball to the cam portion 114 arranged below. As shown in FIG.
3, a ball passage is formed on the front side and the rear side in the figure. Opening 111a of case body 111
The balls which are carried in two rows from are passed through the flow passages on the front and rear sides of the guide rail 113 in the drawing. Further, the cam portion 114 is attached to a rotating shaft of a motor 115. Further, a sensor board 117 attached to a sensor case 116 is provided between the motor 115 and the cam portion 114.

The cam portion 114 is provided with a sensor detecting portion 114a provided at the base of the shaft (on the main body side of the motor 115).
And two cams 114b arranged at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the shaft. The sensor detection section 114a is formed in a disk shape having a side wall, and further has a notch formed in the side wall at a substantially concave shape at intervals of 60 degrees. And this notch part is the sensor board 1
The sensor 17 (photo sensor, not shown) is mounted so as to pass between the light receiving and emitting units of the sensor 17. Accordingly, when the cam portion 114 is rotated by the driving of the motor 115, the rotation of the cam portion 114 at every 60 degrees is detected by the sensor substrate 117.

The two cams 114b are arranged so as to correspond to the flow paths of the two spheres of the guide rail 113, respectively. Each cam 114b has three recesses arranged at 120 degree intervals. The outer edge of the concave portion of the cam 114b is configured to be a portion for supporting a ball. Therefore, one cam portion 114 has six concave portions. The sphere supported by the outer edge of this recess is the cam 1
It is sent in a predetermined direction by the rotation of 14.

Further, the two cams 114b are arranged at positions different by 60 degrees in the rotation direction. Therefore, every time the cam portion 114 rotates 60 degrees,
The ball is carried out (falls) downward by b. That is, each time the cam portion 114 rotates 60 degrees, one ball is carried out. This will be described later.

Further, the cam 11 is provided in the ball discharging means 110.
It has a spherical flow passage formed in a substantially inverted U shape with the center at 4b. The outer edge of the concave portion of each cam 114b is disposed so as to protrude from this flow passage. The prize ball sensor 118 and the lending ball sensor 119 are respectively disposed near the lower end of a ball passage formed in a substantially inverted U shape, and attached to the sensor support 120. Award ball sensor 118
The lending ball sensor 119 is provided with a circular opening so that the ball can pass therethrough. When the ball passes through this portion, the passage of the ball is detected.

In FIG. 4, in the spherical channel section 32,
The balls are arranged in two rows on the front side and the back side, and are sent to the ball discharging means 110, respectively. The spheres (the front spheres are indicated by spheres A in the drawing) sent into the sphere discharge means 110 pass through the front and rear guide rails 113 in the drawing, respectively, and reach the cam 114b. Hereinafter, the description will be given focusing on only the ball on the near side in FIG.

In FIG. 4, the ball passing through the guide rail 113 is in contact with the outer end surface of the cam 114b (ball B). First, when paying out a prize ball, the motor 115 is driven so that the cam 114b rotates clockwise in FIG. Then, when the cam 114b rotates in this direction, the ball that has been in contact with the outer end surface of the cam 114b becomes
14b is supported by the outer edge portion of the concave portion and the cam 1
With the rotation of 14b, it is sent clockwise in the figure along the flow path of the substantially inverted U-shaped sphere (sphere C). Further cam 1
When 14b rotates, the ball separates from the cam 114b and falls downward (ball D).

Thereafter, the ball falls in the ball discharge means 110, but passes through the opening of the prize ball sensor 118 at this time (ball E). The ball that has passed the prize ball sensor 118 falls further downward (ball F), and is sent to the upper tray 4 side of the ball game machine 1.

When renting a game ball, the cam 1
4 so that the motor 1b rotates counterclockwise in FIG.
15 is driven. As a result, the cam 1
The sphere is supported by the outer edge portion of the recess of 14b and the cam 1
With the rotation of 14b, it is sent counterclockwise in the figure along the flow path of the substantially inverted U-shaped sphere (sphere C '). And
When the cam 114b further rotates, the ball separates from the cam 114b and falls downward (ball D '), and the lending ball sensor 119
(The ball E '), falls further downward (the ball F'), and is sent to the upper tray 4 side of the ball-and-ball game machine 1.

The above-mentioned carry-out of the sphere is performed by the cam 114b shown in FIG.
The ball is carried out by the cam 114b similarly in the back side in FIG. 4 with an angle difference of 60 degrees in the middle and front sides. In FIG. 4, when attention is paid only to the cam 114b on the near side, one ball is carried out by one ball every 120 degrees of rotation of the cam 114b. Therefore, in FIG. 4, when the two front and rear cams 114b are combined, the cam 11
A ball is carried out one by one every time the 4b rotates by 60 degrees.

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a portion including the ball discharge device of the present embodiment. In FIG. 6, a power supply means 40 includes the above-described power receiving board 41 and a power supply unit 42. The power supply unit 42 is electrically connected to the main control board 50 and the ball discharge control board 60, respectively. The power supply unit 42 supplies power to the main control board 50 and the ball discharge control board 60, respectively, and transmits a power-off signal and a system reset signal when a power-off occurs. The main control board 50 and the ball discharge control board 60 are electrically connected, and transmit command data and the like from the main control board 50 to the ball discharge control board 60.

In the power supply unit 42, the voltage monitoring unit 4
2a is a power supply (AC24
V) is constantly monitored as to whether or not V is sent, and includes a power cutoff detection circuit. The power interruption detection circuit uses AC24
When the interruption of the V pulse is less than one cycle, a circuit (AC cycle time extension circuit) for preventing the power interruption from being detected and a power interruption signal are transmitted to the main control board 50 and the ball discharge control board 60. And the like.

The AC-DC converter 42b converts the AC power into
It converts to a C power supply (32 V DC and 24 V DC). The converted power of 32 V DC is supplied to the main control board 50 and the ball discharge control board 60. In addition,
The power of 24 V DC is supplied to a lamp control board (not shown) that controls turning on and off of the lamp of the ball game machine 1.

The DC-DC converter 42c converts the DC power converted by the AC-DC converter 42b into DC 12V,
And a DC 5V power supply, and the main control board 50
And to the ball discharge control board 60. This D
The C-DC converter 42c is provided with a circuit (power supply time extension circuit) for extending the power supply time when a power failure occurs. This power supply time extension circuit is provided with one or a plurality of capacitors in order to extend the power supply time to the main control board 50 and the ball carry-out control board 60 when a power failure occurs. When a power failure occurs due to the power supply time extension circuit, the supply of power to the main control board 50 and the ball carry-out control board 60 does not immediately stop, but after a certain time has elapsed.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a timing chart of the power supply time of this embodiment. In FIG. 7, the AC 24 V power is a power supplied from the outside to the power supply unit 42 side. The DC 32 V power supply is a power supply converted by the AC-DC conversion unit 42 b and is a power supply supplied to the main control board 50 and the ball discharge control board 60. Furthermore, the DC 12V power supply is a power supply supplied to the prize ball sensor 118 and the lending ball sensor 119.

Further, DC 5 V is applied to the ball discharge control board 60.
Power supplied to the CPU. The power interruption signal and the system reset signal are output when the power interruption occurs.
2 is a signal transmitted to the main control board 50 and the ball discharge control board 60. The power-off signal and the system reset signal are continuously transmitted when no power-off occurs, and when they are not transmitted, it indicates that each signal is valid. Note that the system reset signal is for resetting the CPU. When the system reset signal is not transmitted, that is, when the system reset signal becomes valid, all functions of the CPU are stopped.

First, at time t0, AC 24
When power of V is supplied, DC 32 V and DC 1
Power of 2 V and DC 5 V is supplied. Subsequently, a power interruption signal and a system reset signal (a signal indicating that no power interruption has occurred) are sequentially transmitted. At this time, if a power interruption of less than one cycle occurs in the AC 24 V power supply supplied from the outside, the power interruption is not detected by the above-described AC cycle time extension circuit.

When an external power interruption of 24 V AC occurs at time t 1, the power supply of 32 V DC attenuates and eventually becomes 0, and is not supplied to the main control board 50 and the ball discharge control board 60. Similarly, the power of DC12V and DC5V is also not supplied, but after the power interruption of AC24V occurs, the power of DC12V and DC5V is turned off for a certain time t2.
The power supply voltage is configured to decrease later. This is because, as described above, the power supply of the reference voltage is supplied for a certain period of time after the power interruption by the power supply time extension circuit provided in the DC-DC converter 42c.

When an AC 24 V power failure occurs, the delay circuit described above causes the power failure signal to be transmitted to the main control board 50 and the ball discharge control board 60 after a lapse of time t3 from the occurrence of the power failure.
Will not be sent to Further, after a lapse of time t4 from the occurrence of the power interruption, the system reset signal is not transmitted. Here, the time relationship is set such that t3 <t4 <t2. The reason for this setting is that the power interruption processing is performed immediately after the power interruption is detected, and after the processing time elapses,
This is because it is necessary to reset the CPU so as not to start the subsequent operation. Also, during the power interruption process, by supplying power to the prize ball sensor 118 and the lending ball sensor 119, the prize ball sensor 118 and the lending ball sensor 119 are supplied.
To ensure the operation.

The description returns to FIG. The main control board 50 includes a main control unit 51 and a winning game ball detection and counting unit 52. The main control means 51 controls the progress of the game of the ball game machine 1 and the like. The winning game ball detection and counting means 52 detects the output of the winning ball sensor 7 and further counts. Here, the winning ball sensor 7 is attached to each of the winning ports provided in the game area of the game board 2. The winning game ball detection and counting means 52 counts, based on the output result of the winning ball sensor 7, how many balls and how many prize balls a winning game ball has won.

The ball discharge control board 60 includes the following units. The power interruption detecting means 61 detects the occurrence of a power interruption by receiving the power interruption signal transmitted from the power supply unit 42. That is, when the power interruption has not occurred, the power interruption signal is always supplied from the power supply unit 42 side. When the power interruption signal is not transmitted, it is detected that the power interruption has occurred.

The discharge ball detection / counting means 62 includes the ball discharge means 1
The output of the ten prize ball sensors 118 and the lending ball sensors 119 is detected and counted. That is, the game balls lent by the ball discharge means 110 and the paid prize balls are detected and counted.

The game ball lending request signal receiving means 63 receives a game ball lending request signal transmitted from the prepaid card unit 10. When the player desires to rent a game ball, he turns on a game ball rental switch 21 of the operation panel unit 20. Thus, the operation signal is transmitted to the prepaid card unit 10.
The prepaid card unit 10 receives this signal,
A game ball lending request signal is transmitted to the ball discharge control board 60. Then, the game ball lending request signal receiving means 63 receives this signal.

When the power-off detecting means 61 detects a power-off, the output-ball information backup means 64 provides, based on the detection / counting result of the discharged-ball detection / counting means 62, information on the lending of game balls at the time of power-off, This is to back up prize ball payout information. As information to be backed up, in lending game balls and paying out prize balls, the ball carry-out means 1
The number of game balls to be lent and the number of prize balls to be paid out by the time drive 10 stops, and how many of the game balls have been lent out and the prize balls have been paid out are stored in a predetermined backupable RAM. I do.

The ball discharge control means 65 controls the ball discharge means 11 based on the detection / counting result of the discharge ball detection and counting means 62 and the like.
0 is controlled. For example, when the game ball lending request signal receiving means 63 receives information indicating that a predetermined number of game balls should be lent, the ball discharge control means 65
The driving of the ball discharging means 110 is started, and the lending of game balls is started. When a game ball is lent out by the ball discharge means 110, the lent game ball is output by the output ball sensor 119, and the discharged ball detection and counting means 62
Detected and counted. Based on the result, the driving of the ball discharging means 110 is controlled so as to lend a predetermined number of game balls.

When the game ball passes the prize ball sensor 7, the output signal at that time is supplied to the prize game ball detection and counting means 52.
Sent to. Based on this output signal, the winning game ball detection and counting means 52 detects and counts the winning game balls.
Then, the ball discharge control means 65 starts driving the ball discharge means 110, and starts paying out prize balls based on the detection / counting result of the winning game ball detection / counting means 52. When the prize balls are paid out by the ball discharge means 110, the discharged prize balls are detected and counted by the discharge ball detection / counting means 62 by the output signal from the prize ball sensor 118. Based on the result, the driving of the ball discharging means 110 is controlled so as to pay out a predetermined number of prize balls.

As described above, the ball discharge control means 65 controls both the payout of prize balls and the lending of game balls. As described with reference to FIG. 4, the rotation direction of the motor 115 differs between when paying out a prize ball and when renting out a game ball. Therefore,
The ball discharge control means 65 controls both the payout of prize balls and the lending of game balls by controlling the rotation direction of the motor 115.

When a power failure occurs, the ball discharge control means 65 controls the discharge of the ball as follows. When the power interruption detecting means 61 detects a power interruption, the ball discharge control means 65 determines whether the ball discharge means 110 is being driven. When the ball discharging means 110 is not being driven, no particular control is performed. On the other hand, ball discharge means 1
When the power interruption is detected during the operation of the motor 10, that is, during the rotation of the motor 115, the motor 115 is driven to a predetermined position, and the cam portion 114 is controlled to stop at the predetermined position. Here, the predetermined position is a stop position of the cam portion 114 at every 60 degrees. In other words, this is the position when the operation of the cam portion 114 to carry out one ball is finished.

As described above, when the ball is carried out after the occurrence of the power interruption, the ball is transferred to the prize ball sensor 118 or the lending ball sensor 1.
Go through 19. Then, the discharge ball detection and counting means 62
Spheres that have passed through the prize ball sensor 118 or the lending ball sensor 119 are detected and counted. Based on this information, the exported sphere information backup means 64 backs up information such as the number of spheres that were exported before the power interruption.

Further, when the supply of power to the gaming machine is resumed after the power failure is detected by the power failure detection means 61 (when the power is restored), the ball discharge control means 65 carries out the discharged ball information backup means 64. And reads the backed up information, and controls the driving of the ball discharge means 110 based on the information.

For example, if a power interruption occurs during the lending of game balls and the driving of the ball discharging means 110 is stopped before all the game balls are lent, the number of game balls to be lent and the driving of the ball discharging means 110 The number of game balls actually lent before the stoppage is backed up. Then, when the supply of power is restarted, the ball export control unit 65 reads the information backed up by the export ball information backup unit 64. As a result, when it is determined that the lending of all the game balls has not been completed, the driving of the ball discharging means 110 is restarted based on the backed up information so as to restart the lending of the remaining game balls.

When a power failure occurs during the payout of the prize balls, the number of prize balls to be paid out and the number of prize balls actually paid out are backed up in the same manner as described above, and the power supply is resumed. Then, the backed up information is read, and the payout of the remaining prize balls is resumed.

The ball discharge control means 65 includes a motor drive pattern storage means 65a. The motor drive pattern storage means 65a is composed of a ROM or the like. The drive pattern of the motor 115 of the ball discharge means 110 is stored in the motor drive pattern storage means 65a. The driving pattern includes a first driving pattern for controlling the driving so that the unloading speed of the ball becomes the first speed, and a driving pattern for controlling the driving so that the unloading speed of the ball becomes the second speed higher than the first speed. And a second drive pattern.

When the power failure detecting means 61 does not detect the power failure, the ball discharge control means 65 controls the driving of the motor 115 by the first drive pattern. On the other hand, when the power failure is detected by the power failure detection means 61 during driving of the motor 115, the drive of the motor 115 is controlled by the second drive pattern.

In the present embodiment, the first drive pattern is a pattern for driving the motor 115 by one-two phase excitation, and the second drive pattern is to drive at least a part of the motor 115 by two-phase excitation. It is a pattern. In particular, in the present embodiment, the second driving pattern is the ball discharging means 1
10 one-unit ball discharge operations, that is, the motor 115
In the operation of rotating the cam unit 114 by 60 degrees by rotating the cam unit 114 by 60 degrees and carrying out one ball, the motor 11 is moved in the first half.
5 is driven by two-phase excitation.
Are driven by 1-2 phase excitation.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a drive control method of the motor 115 in the first drive pattern and the second drive pattern. FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams showing the relationship between the rotation of the motor 115 and the output of the motor sensor, and FIGS.
Indicates a first drive pattern and a second drive pattern, respectively. First, in FIG. 8, in the first drive pattern, when the two phases A and B are excited, the one-phase excitation and the two-phase excitation are alternately repeated. For example, “A + B +” in the first step indicates that the A-phase and the B-phase are excited.
"B +" in the second step, which is phase excitation
Is one-phase excitation for exciting only the B phase.

In the first driving pattern, the motor 115
Rotates 60 degrees in 16 steps. When one ball is carried out, driving for eight steps is performed first. In the first drive pattern, the excitation time is 3 ms per step. Therefore, the time is 24 ms in eight steps. Next, 4m
The driving of the motor 115 is temporarily stopped for s, and it is confirmed that the motor sensor is off. Thereafter, driving for eight steps is performed again. Next, as described above, the drive of the motor 115 is stopped for 4 ms, and it is confirmed that the motor sensor is on. Here, the motor sensor is a sensor provided inside the motor 115 and used for checking the rotation operation of the motor 115. By continuously performing the above operations, the balls are continuously carried out.

On the other hand, in the second drive pattern, the two-phase excitation (the two adjacent phases (A
The motor 115 is driven by the excitation of the phase and the B phase).
As the excitation time, 3 ms and 1 ms are repeated as shown in FIG. After the eighth step, the motor 115 is driven by 1-2 phase excitation. As a result, in the first eight steps, the driving is completed in 18 ms, which is faster than in the case of the 1-2-phase excitation shown in the first driving pattern. In the second driving pattern, the output of the motor sensor is not checked during the driving of the motor 115. That is, unlike the first drive pattern, the excitation is continued without interruption even when eight steps are reached. When 16 steps are reached, 4 ms as in the first drive pattern
During this time, the excitation is interrupted to stop driving the motor 115, and it is confirmed that the motor sensor is on.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the relationship between the rotation angle of the motor 115 and time. FIGS. 10A and 10B show the first drive pattern and the second drive pattern, respectively. First, in the first drive pattern shown in FIG.
The motor 115 is rotated 30 degrees in ms. And 4m
After stopping for s, the motor 115 is again rotated 30 degrees in 24 ms. Then, the operation is stopped again for 4 ms. As a result, the total time becomes 56 ms, and one ball is carried out in this time.

On the other hand, in the second drive pattern shown in (b), the motor 115 rotates 30 degrees in the first half of 18 ms, and then the motor 115 rotates 30 degrees in the second half of 24 ms. Then, it stops for 4 ms. As a result, the total time becomes 46 ms, and one ball is carried out in this time.

As described above, when the power interruption has not occurred, the ball is carried out by driving the motor 115 according to the first drive pattern. Drives the motor 115 by switching to the second drive pattern to carry out the ball. In a stepping motor such as the motor 115, the rotation speed is slower in the 1-2-phase excitation than in the two-phase excitation, but stable rotation can be obtained. On the other hand, when driven by two-phase excitation, the torque is smaller than in the case of 1-2-phase excitation, but the rotation speed is higher. Therefore, when a power failure occurs, the motor 115 is rotated as quickly as possible before the supply of power is stopped, and the outputs of the prize ball sensor 118 and the lending ball sensor 119 are obtained.

In the present embodiment, in the second drive pattern, the first half is two-phase excitation, and the second half is 1-2 phase excitation. This means that if the cam part 114 rotates 30 degrees,
This is because it reaches the position where it separates from the cam 114a and falls downward, so that it is not necessary to quickly rotate the latter half. Further, the initial speed at the time of carrying out the ball can be increased only by increasing the rotation in the first half, and as a result, after the carrying out operation of the ball is performed, the prize ball sensor 118 and the lending ball sensor 119 use the ball. This is because it is possible to shorten the time until the is recognized.

When a power failure occurs while the ball is being carried out, a predetermined operation needs to be performed within the time required for the backup in order to correctly back up the ball discharge information before the power failure occurs. is there. Here, the rotation time of the motor 115 is t11, and the ball is moved from the cam 114b to the prize ball sensor 11.
8 or the time required to reach the rental ball sensor 119 is t1
2. Assuming that the measurement time of the prize ball sensor 118 or the lending ball sensor 119 is t13 and the backup time (time for writing the ball export information to the RAM) is t14, the time t10 required for the backup must be t10> t11 + t12 + t13 + t14. is there.

In order to shorten the time t12, the prize ball sensor 118 is moved from the position where the ball is separated from the cam 114b.
And, of course, shorten the distance to the lending ball sensor 119, but by increasing the rotation speed of the motor 115,
The time required for backup can be shortened. As a result, it is possible to increase the guarantee for backup in the event of a power failure.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a drive control process of the motor 115 when a power interruption occurs. In step S1 in FIG. 11, the power interruption detecting means 61 continuously detects the power interruption. When the power interruption signal is no longer transmitted from the power supply unit 42, the power interruption detecting means 61 detects the occurrence of the power interruption, and proceeds to step S2. In step S2, the ball discharge control means 65 determines whether or not the ball is being discharged by the ball discharge means 110. When the ball is not being carried out,
The processing according to this flowchart ends. In contrast,
When it is determined that the ball is being carried out, the process proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, the ball discharge control means 65
Selects the second drive pattern as the drive pattern of the motor 115. That is, the ball discharge control means 65 reads the second drive pattern stored in the motor drive pattern storage means 65a, and switches from the first drive pattern selected so far to the second drive pattern.

Next, proceeding to step S4, the ball discharge control means 65 controls the driving of the motor 115 based on the second driving pattern. That is, in the 60-degree rotation of the motor 115, the first 30-degree rotation is driven by two-phase excitation, and the second-half 30-degree rotation is driven by 1-2-phase excitation.

Next, proceeding to step S5, the ball discharge control means 65 determines whether or not the motor 115 has been driven to a predetermined stop position based on the output of the sensor mounted on the sensor board 117 of the ball discharge means 110. Is determined. When it is determined that the drive has been performed to the predetermined stop position, the process proceeds to step S6,
If it is determined that the motor has not yet been driven to the stop position, the process returns to step S4 to continue driving the motor 115. In step S6, the ball discharge control means 65 stops driving the motor 115, and ends the processing according to this flowchart.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the processing at the time of restoration after a power failure. In step S11, when the power is restored, that is, when the power supply from the power supply unit 42 is restarted, the process proceeds to step S12. Step S12
Then, the ball export control unit 65 reads the ball export information backed up by the export ball information backup unit 64 and determines whether or not there is an unexported ball.

When it is determined that there is an unexported ball, the process proceeds to step S13, and when it is determined that there is no unexported ball, the process proceeds to step S14 to shift to the main process. Step S
In 13, the ball discharge control means 65 controls the driving of the ball discharge means 110 based on the ball discharge information read in step S12, and performs the unloading ball discharge processing. After finishing this process, the process proceeds to step S14 and shifts to the main process.

While the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications as described below are possible. (1) In the present embodiment, the ball delivery device that pays out prize balls and rents game balls has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a prize ball payout device or game ball that performs only one of them is described. It may be applied to a rental device. In this case, the prize ball payout device and the game ball lending device may be separately provided in one gaming machine.

(2) The present invention can be applied not only to a ball discharge device of a ball and ball game machine but also to a game medium discharge device of various game machines such as a medal payout device or a medal lending device of a slot machine.

(3) In the present embodiment, the ball discharging means 110
A motor (stepping motor) 115 is provided as a drive unit of the motor, and two-phase excitation and 1-2-phase excitation are exemplified as the drive pattern of the motor 115. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When a driving unit other than the motor 115 is used, the first driving pattern for controlling the driving unit at the normal ball discharge speed and the ball discharging speed higher than the first driving pattern are used. What is necessary is just to provide the 2nd drive pattern which controls the drive part by speed.

(4) In the present embodiment, in the second driving pattern, in the operation of unloading a single ball, the first half is driven by two-phase excitation, and the second half is driven by 1-2-phase excitation. . However, the present invention is not limited to this, and all of them may be driven by two-phase excitation. Or 2 / including the first half
About 3 is driven by two-phase excitation, and about 1/3 is
The ratio between the two-phase excitation and the 1-2-phase excitation, such as driving by the -two-phase excitation, may be set in any manner.

(5) A game ball lending device for the ball game machine 1 is provided separately from the ball game machine 1, and when a predetermined amount of money is inserted, a game corresponding to the money is provided. A device for renting a ball is known, but the present invention can be applied to such a game ball renting device.

[0083]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
When the power is cut off while the sphere is being carried out by the sphere carrying means, the sphere carrying speed is increased. As a result, the operation of unloading the sphere required when the power is turned off can be completed faster than usual. Furthermore, if the speed at which the ball is carried out is made faster than usual, the time from when the ball is carried out to when the ball reaches the carried-out ball detection and counting means becomes faster than usual.

Therefore, as a result, it is possible to shorten the time from when the ball is carried out to when the ball is detected and counted by the carried-out ball detection and counting means. Therefore, after the power is cut off and before the supply of power to the ball discharge means and the ball discharge control means is interrupted, the necessary ball discharge operation and backup can be performed correctly.

(Claim 2) According to the invention of claim 2, it is possible to increase the driving speed of the stepping motor and complete the necessary ball carrying-out operation when the power is turned off, faster than usual.

(Claim 3) According to the invention of claim 3, by increasing the rotation speed in the first half of the stepping motor,
It is possible to increase the initial speed when the ball is carried out. As a result, the operation of unloading the sphere required when the power is turned off can be completed faster than usual.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external front view showing an embodiment of a ball game machine to which a game medium discharging device according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the back side of the ball game machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a flow of a ball in a ball flow path section on the back surface of the ball game machine of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front view for explaining a ball discharge means and a ball flow path.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a ball discharging means.

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a portion including the ball discharge device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a timing chart of a power supply time according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a motor drive control method in a first drive pattern and a second drive pattern.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams showing the relationship between the rotation of the motor and the output of the motor sensor, wherein FIGS. 9A and 9B show a first drive pattern and a second drive pattern, respectively.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the relationship between the rotation angle of the motor and time, and FIGS. 10A and 10B show a first drive pattern and a second drive pattern, respectively.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a motor drive control process when a power interruption occurs.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a process at the time of return after a power failure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 ball game machine 2 game board 3 frame 4 upper tray 5 lower tray 6 launching device 7 winning ball sensor 10 prepaid card unit 11 insertion slot 20 operation panel section 21 game ball lending switch 22 return switch 31 prize ball tank 32 ball flow Road section 40 Power supply means 41 Power receiving board 42 Power supply unit 42a Voltage monitoring section 42b AC-DC conversion section 42c DC-DC conversion section 50 Main control board 51 Main control means 52 Winning game ball detection and counting means 60 Ball unloading control board 61 Power interruption detection means 62 Discharged ball detection and counting means 63 Game ball lending request signal receiving means 64 Discharged ball information backup means 65 Ball discharge control means 65a Motor drive pattern storage means 110 Ball discharge means 111 Case body 111a Opening 112 Case lid 113 Guide rail 114 Cam part 114 Sensor detection unit 114b cam 115 motor (stepping motor) 116 sensor case 117 sensor substrate 118 prize ball sensor 119 Holiday ball sensor 120 sensor support

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Ryuichi Shimizu 2-23-2 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo Sumie Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hayato Kawakami 13-13 Higashi-Osone-cho, Higashi-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Prefecture F-term in MRD Co., Ltd. (reference) 2C088 BA13 BA32 BC58 BC70

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A ball discharge device for a gaming machine for renting out a gaming ball and paying out a prize ball in the gaming machine, wherein when the power is not supplied to the gaming machine for a predetermined time, a power interruption for detecting that the power has been cut off. Detecting means, winning prize game ball detecting and counting means for detecting and counting prize game balls, game ball lending request signal receiving means for receiving a game ball lending request signal, lending game balls and paying out prize balls Ball discharge means, discharge ball detection and counting means for detecting and counting game balls lent by the ball discharge means and paid out prize balls, and when power cut-off is detected by the power interruption detection means,
Based on the detection and counting results of the discharge ball detection and counting means,
Outgoing ball information backup means for backing up the game ball lending information and prize ball payout information when the power is turned off, and controlling the driving of the ball discharging means based on the detection / counting result of the discharged ball detection and counting means, When the supply of power to the gaming machine is resumed after the power-off detection means detects that the power has been cut off, the information backed up by the carry-out ball information backup means is read, and the ball carry-out means Ball discharge control means for controlling driving, wherein the ball discharge control means comprises: a first drive pattern for controlling driving of the ball discharge means so that the discharge velocity of the ball becomes a first speed; A second drive pattern for controlling the driving of the ball discharge means so that the speed becomes a second speed faster than the first speed, and the power cut-off means turning off the power. When the disconnection is not detected, the driving of the ball discharging means is controlled by the first drive pattern, and when the disconnection of the power is detected by the power interruption detecting means during the driving of the ball discharging means, the second signal is outputted. A ball discharge device for a gaming machine, wherein the driving of the ball discharge means is controlled by a drive pattern. 2. The ball unloading device of a game machine according to claim 1, wherein the ball unloading means includes a stepping motor, and wherein the first drive pattern of the ball unloading control means includes the stepping motor. A ball drive device for a gaming machine, wherein the second drive pattern is a pattern driven by two-phase excitation, and the second drive pattern is a pattern driven by two-phase excitation. 3. The ball unloading device of a game machine according to claim 2, wherein the second drive pattern of the ball unloading control means includes a stepping operation in a first half of a ball unloading operation of the ball unloading means. A ball discharge device for a game machine, wherein the motor is driven by two-phase excitation, and in the latter half, the stepping motor is driven by 1-2 phase excitation.