JP2002306779A - Ball-putting out device for game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify and miniaturize the structure around a sprocket, and increase the detecting precision of a ball-detector. SOLUTION: The sprocket 6 rotates by the weight of a ball 4 when a claw 24 is separated from a ratchet 28 by the operation of an electromagnetic solenoid 15 during a ball putting-out. In this case, during the ball putting-out, the speed of the rotation of the sprocket 6 becomes higher accompanying the passing of the ball putting-out period of time. Then, the ball 4 is pinched by a braking protuberance 38, which protrudes into a ball passage 1 from a passage formed body 3, and the opening of a recess 8, which takes in the ball 4 into the sprocket 6, for a moment by the centrifugal force from the sprocket 6. Then, the ball 4 brakes the rotation of the sprocket 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ball payout 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 sprocket around a conventional ball dispensing apparatus. In FIG. 4, 101 is a ball passage, 1
02 is a sprocket, 103 is a ball detector, and 104 is a ball. Since the sprocket 102 is forcibly stopped by a driving source such as an electromagnetic solenoid (not shown),
In this embodiment, the ball is prevented from being dispensed while the ball 04 is kept in the ball passage 101. In this state, the sprocket 102 is rotated in one direction by the weight of the ball 104 when the forced stop by the driving source is released. The sphere 104 released from the sprocket 102 and falling under its own weight is detected by the sphere detector 103.
The ball detector 103 outputs an electric signal to a control device (not shown) each time the ball 104 is detected one by one. The control device counts the ball detection signals of the ball detector 103 to generate the number of detected ball payouts.

[0003]

However, the prior art has a structure in which the sprocket 102 is rotated by the weight of the ball 104, so that the rotation of the sprocket 102 becomes faster as the time for discharging the ball 104 elapses. . Ball 1 to be paid out
Since the number of balls 04 is large, the rotation speed of the sprocket 102 may be too high if the ball payout permission is continuously performed for a long time. When the rotation speed of the sprocket 102 becomes too high, the balls 104 released by the sprocket 102 and falling under their own weight collide with each other, or a smooth movement from the ball dispensing device to the plate device for receiving the ball 104 dispensed from the ball dispensing device. If the flow of the sphere 104 is interrupted, the backflow of the sphere 104 may occur. This sphere 104
Occurs around the sphere detector 103, the sphere detector 103 detects the same sphere 104 twice. This one ball 1
When the detection of 04 is performed twice, a discrepancy occurs between the number of balls actually paid out and the number of balls that are electrically detected, and it is undeniable that the counting accuracy of the number of balls becomes inaccurate. Also, Shoko 6
The ball dispensing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 0-20281 discloses an iron ring attached to a sprocket and an electromagnet attached to the device fixing portion with the iron ring sandwiched therebetween, thereby rotating the sprocket by a magnetic force acting between the iron ring and the electromagnet. It is a structure that decelerates. The decelerating means using the magnet is difficult to adopt at a glance because it complicates and enlarges the structure around the sprocket.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a ball dispensing device that allows a ball detector to accurately detect a ball while providing a projection in a passage to simplify and reduce the size of the structure around the sprocket. Things.

[0005]

According to the present invention, during the operation of dispensing a ball by rotating the sprocket by the weight of the ball, the sprocket rotates at a high speed as the ball dispensing time elapses, Is momentarily sandwiched between the braking projection protruding into the ball passage from the passage forming body due to the centrifugal force from the sprocket and the opening of the concave portion of the sprocket that takes in the ball. The pinch can brake the rotation of the sprocket. Since the passage forming body has a structure in which the braking protrusion is provided, the braking means can be accommodated in the spherical passage, and the structure around the sprocket can be simplified and downsized compared to the speed reducing means using magnets. Can be planned. Further, in the present invention, if the braking projections are arranged vertically, the braking can be distributed at a plurality of locations. Further, in the present invention, when the braking projection is provided upstream of the position where the ball retained in the sprocket dispensing prevention form comes into contact with the passage forming body, when switching from ball dispensing to ball dispensing prevention. The weight of the ball retained by the sprocket and the weight of the subsequent upstream ball do not impact the braking projection as an impact, and the durability of the braking projection can be improved.

[0006]

1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a ball discharging device, FIG. 2 shows a periphery of a sprocket 6, and FIG. In FIG. 1, a ball passage 1 is surrounded and formed by a passage forming body 3 fixed to a device base 2 so as to cause balls 4 to flow down in a line, and a number of balls 4 are arranged below the line in an aligned state. The sprocket is provided with a sprocket receiving portion 5 bulging to one side from an intermediate portion, and a sprocket 6 having a disk shape is rotatably provided in the sprocket receiving portion 5. The sprocket 6 is provided with a plurality of recesses 8 formed in a semicircular arc at equal intervals on a peripheral portion rotating about a sprocket shaft 7 supported on both sides of the sprocket receiving portion 5 in a state of being prevented from falling off. The upper sphere 4 and the lower sphere 4 flowing down to the joint are taken into the recess 8 so as to be separated so as not to come into contact with each other and to be released in the direction of the sphere detector 9.

[0007] The sprocket 6 is rotated and stopped by an electromagnetic solenoid 15 as a drive source fixed to the apparatus base 2. The electromagnetic solenoid 15 connects a connecting body 17 to a lower end of a plunger 16 by a coupling 18. The coupling body 17 protruding below the coupling 18 penetrates a coupling receiving portion 20 protruding from the frame 19 of the electromagnetic solenoid 15. A lower end of the connecting body 17 protruding below the coupling receiving portion 20 is rotatably connected to a drive lever 22 rotatably mounted on the device base 2 by a lever shaft 21 with a pin 23. In a state where the plunger 16 can drop under its own weight due to the demagnetization of the electromagnetic solenoid 15, the coupling 18 is received by the coupling receiving portion 20, so that the lowering of the plunger 16 thereafter is stopped. A pawl 24 is rotatably connected to the lever shaft 21.

[0008] Both ends of a claw spring 25 such as a spiral spring fitted around the lever shaft 21 are outwardly formed on a lever receiving portion 26 provided on the claw 24 and a claw receiving portion 27 provided on the drive lever 22. Moored in a cross-hung shape, claw spring 2
5 applies a spring force to the lever receiving portion 26 and the claw receiving portion 27 in the direction of approaching each other to the drive lever 22 and the claw 24, thereby causing the claw 24 to jump when engaged with the ratchet wheel 28. The claw spring 25 functions so as not to be present. A return spring 29, such as a coil spring, bridged between an intermediate portion of the drive lever 22 and the device base 2 is a spring in a direction for engaging a ratchet 28 provided to rotate the pawl 24 together with the sprocket 6. A force is applied to the drive lever 22.

The ball detector 9 is formed by a light-passing type detector mounted on the passage forming body 3 downstream of the sprocket housing 5 and is released from the sprocket 6 to detect the passage forming body 3. Each time a ball 4 passing through the hole 30 under its own weight is detected, a ball detection signal is output to the control device 31 as a ball counting signal.

In the above-described structure, when the ball 4 is supplied from the replenishing device in the island equipment (not shown) to the ball passage 1 of the ball dispensing device, the electromagnetic solenoid 15 is demagnetized, and as shown in FIG. 24 is engaged with the ratchet wheel 28 to stop the sprocket 6. The stopped sprocket 6 retains the supplied ball 4 in the ball passage 1 in cooperation with the step portion 37 of the ball passage 1. The state in which the ball 4 is retained in the ball passage 1 is a form for preventing the sprocket 6 from discharging the ball.

Then, the electromagnetic solenoid 15 is excited by a ball payout start signal from the control device 31 by a control process such as a prize ball payout accompanying the progress of the game in the game machine or a ball loan payout accompanying the ball lending operation by the player, and the plunger. When the hook 16 is sucked upward, the pawl 24 moves together with the drive lever 22 by the spring force of the pawl spring 25, and the engagement between the pawl 24 and the ratchet wheel 28 is released, so that the ball can be paid out. The ball 4 released from the sprocket 6 and falling under its own weight is a ball detector 9
Is paid out to a ball receiving part such as an upper plate device provided on the front side of the gaming machine from the ball passage 1 after the detection.

Thereafter, the control device 31 counts up the ball detection signal received from the ball detector 9, and when the counted value reaches a predetermined number corresponding to the start of the ball payout, the control device 31 issues a ball payout stop signal. Output to the electromagnetic solenoid 15,
The electromagnetic solenoid 15 is demagnetized by the ball discharge stop signal from the control device 31, the plunger 16 projects downward by the return spring 29, the pawl 24 moves together with the drive lever 22 by the spring force of the pawl spring 25, and the pawl 24 Engage with the ratchet wheel 28. At this time, the backlash of the claw 24 at the time of engaging with the ratchet wheel 28 is absorbed by the pawl 24 making another movement with the deflection of the pawl spring 25, and the pawl 24 is moved to the ratchet wheel 2.
8 properly engages the predetermined position. As a result, the sprocket 6 stops, and the ball 4 is stopped in the ball passage 1 by the sprocket 6 to prevent the ball from being dispensed.

Referring to FIG. 2, the spherical passage 1 around the sprocket 6 will be described. The wall of the passage forming body 3 facing the outer peripheral surface of the sprocket 6 is an intake passage wall 35 on the upstream side.
And a release passage wall 36 on the downstream side is connected by a stepped portion 37. The intake passage wall 35 has an arc shape drawn with one radius of curvature r2 around the sprocket shaft 7 and has a spherical shape P
3 is provided with a lower braking projection 38 protruding from the wall surface into the ball passage 1 in the middle part in the flow direction. The gap between the sprocket-side tip of the lower braking projection 38 and the bottom of the recess 46 in the sprocket 6 on the most sprocket shaft side (the bottom closest to the sprocket shaft 7 in the recess 46) is smaller than the diameter of one ball P3. Big. The radius r1 of the sprocket 6 and the radius of curvature r2 of the intake passage wall 35 are set to have a dimensional relationship of r1 <r2, and the difference between the radius r1 and the radius of curvature r2 is smaller than the diameter D of one ball P3. Is set (r2-r
1 <D).

The intake passage wall 35 has an arc portion 4 having a radius of curvature r2.
0 and a flat portion 41 linearly extending upward in a tangential direction from the arc portion 40. An upper braking projection 42 projecting into the ball passage 1 is provided above the flat portion 41. Upper braking projection 4
2 is located on the circumference of the radius of curvature r2. The gap between the sprocket-side tip of the upper braking projection 42 and the bottom sprocket shaft-side bottom 39 of the recess 46 in the sprocket 6 is larger than the diameter D of one ball P3. In the inflow wall 43 facing the upper braking protrusion 42, a connecting portion between the outer peripheral surface of the sprocket 6 and the arc wall 44 facing the sprocket receiving portion 5 is formed as an arc-shaped portion 45 bent toward the upper braking protrusion 42. Lower brake projection 3
Reference numeral 8 is located at the boundary between the arc portion 40 and the flat portion 41 in the intake passage wall 35. Lower braking projection 38 and upper braking projection 4
2 are located on the upstream side of the stepped portion 37 where the ball P3 retained in the sprocket 6 dispensing prevention form contacts the passage forming body 3, and oppose both end surfaces of the sprocket 6. It is a rod-shaped member extending toward front and rear wall surfaces (front and back sides of the paper surface of FIG. 2).

According to the structure of this embodiment, the claw 2 shown in FIG.
When the sprocket 6 rotates away from the ratchet wheel 28 and the sprocket 6 rotates in one direction due to the weight of the ball 4 and the sprocket 6 rotates faster as the ball dispensing time elapses, the ball 4 is moved to the sprocket 6. And the centrifugal force from the sprocket 6 causes the sprocket 6 to move away from the sprocket 6.
Specifically, in the process of the sphere P1 indicated by the phantom line in FIG.
The arcuate portion 45 of this guides the ball P1 in the direction in which the rotating sprocket 6 escapes. The guided sphere P1 becomes a sphere P2 indicated by a dotted line in FIG.
Collides with the opening. Due to this collision, the ball P2 is bounced off by the sprocket 6 rotating in the direction of the arrow and collides with the upper braking projection 42. While the collision of the ball P2 with the sprocket 6 and the collision with the upper braking projection 42 are repeated, the ball P2 is taken into the concave portion 46 of the sprocket 6 rotating in the direction of the arrow.

When the ball P2 is taken into the concave portion 46, the ball P2 is separated from the bottom portion 39 of the concave portion 46 on the sprocket shaft side by the centrifugal force of the sprocket 6 rotating at high speed in the direction of the arrow and collides with the upper braking projection 42. As a result of this collision, the sphere moves between the upper braking projection 42 and the recess 46 in the sprocket 6.
Between the upper braking projection 4 and the upper braking projection 4.
2 brakes so as to slightly reduce the rotation of the sprocket 6 via the ball P2. In parallel with this, the ball P2 pushed into the concave portion 46 by the sprocket 6 rotating in the direction of the arrow contacts the bottom portion 39 of the concave portion 46 closest to the sprocket shaft, is taken deep into the concave portion 46, and separates from the upper braking projection 42. The ball P2 taken in deeply becomes a ball P3 shown by a solid line by the sprocket 6 rotating in the direction of the arrow, and is sent to the lower braking projection 38 side.

Referring to FIG. 3, the operation of the lower brake projection 38 will be described. If the rotation of the sprocket 6 becomes further faster as the ball dispensing time further elapses, the ball P indicated by a solid line
4, the ball P4 is separated from the bottommost portion 39 of the concave portion 47 on the side of the most sprocket shaft and contacts the flat portion 41 toward the flat portion 41 while the ball P4 is taken in the concave portion 47 of the sprocket 6 shown by a solid line. I do. By the subsequent rotation of the sprocket 6, the sphere P4 in the concave portion 47 flows down along the flat portion 41 and collides with the lower braking projection 38, so that the sphere P5 indicated by the virtual line is indicated by the lower braking projection 38 and the imaginary line. The sprocket 6 is momentarily sandwiched between the opening of the concave portion 48 and the sprocket 6, and receives a force that suppresses the rotation from the ball P <b> 5 colliding with the lower braking projection 38.

That is, the rotation of the sprocket 6 is braked by the collision of the ball P5 with the lower braking projection 38, and the ball P6 indicated by the dotted line is separated from the flat portion 41 and at least the concave portion 49 indicated by the dotted line on the most sprocket shaft side. It contacts the bottom 39. By this contact, the ball P6 separates from the lower braking projection 38 and is deeply taken into the recess 49. This sphere P6 further passes through the gap between the lower braking projection 38, which is larger than the diameter of one sphere P6, and the bottom sprocket shaft side 39 by the rotation of the sprocket 6, and then from the sprocket 6 to the ball detector 9 side. Will be released. The spheres P1 of FIGS.
P6 corresponds to the sphere 4 shown in FIG. 1, and the concave portion 46 in FIG. 2 and the concave portions 47 to 49 in FIG. 3 correspond to the concave portion 8 in FIG.

One or both of the upper braking projection 42 and the lower braking projection 38 can be formed so as to project into the spherical passage 1 from the front and rear wall surfaces of the passage forming body 3.

If the upper braking projection 42 and the lower braking projection 38 are formed as separate members from the passage forming body 3 and are detachably formed on the passage forming body 3, the upper braking projection 42 and the lower braking projection 38 are worn. Even can be replaced. In this case, the upper braking projection 42 and the lower braking projection 38 may be formed of an elastic material such as a soft synthetic resin such as a spring or rubber.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a ball payout device according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the periphery of a sprocket according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a lower braking projection of the embodiment.

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

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ball passage 4 Ball 3 Passage forming body 6 Sprocket 37 Stepped portion 38 Lower braking projection 42 Upper braking projection

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 2C088 BA32 BA36 BA62 BC55

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A sprocket which rotates by the weight of a ball flowing in a ball passage, and a braking projection provided so as to protrude into a passage corresponding to a sprocket of a passage forming body forming the ball passage. A game machine ball payout device. 2. The ball dispensing device for a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the braking projections are arranged vertically. 3. The ball dispensing device for a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the ball whose braking projection is retained in the sprocket dispensing prevention form is provided upstream of a position where the ball contacts the passage forming body. .