JP2006198006A - Game ball shooting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily adjust an initial torsional angle of a torsional coil spring without using any tool in a ball shooting device. <P>SOLUTION: This ball shooting device is provided with a ball hitting hammer fixed at one end of a rotary shaft 12 rotatably journaled to a base plate 10 and hitting a game ball to be supplied to a shooting position, the torsional coil spring 18 externally mounted to the rotary shaft 12 in an axially compressible state, a handle side cup 20 locked with one end of the spring 18, loosely fitted on the rotary shaft 12 and turned around the rotary shaft 12, a hammer side cup 22 locking the other end of the torsional coil spring 18, a cam roller stand 26 disposed to approach to/separate from the outer flat part of the cup 22 and fixed at the other end of the rotary shaft 12, and a cam 34 abutting on a cam roller 24 rotatably journaled to the cam roller stand, retreating the ball hitting hammer against the energizing force of the torsional coil sprint 18 and releasing it at a predetermined position. The hammer side cup 22 is formed with a plurality of slits 30 in its outer flat part and the cam roller stand 26 is formed with projections 32 selectively engaged with the respective slits 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a game ball launching device for launching a game ball into a game area of a gaming machine.

  In general, as shown in FIG. 6, the gaming machine hits the game ball supplied from the ball tray 91 onto the firing rail 92 by a launching device located at the lower right, thereby causing the game board 93 to play. The game area 94 is formed to fire. At that time, the firing speed of the game ball is controlled by the player adjusting the firing force of the launching device by increasing or decreasing the rotation angle of the operation handle 95 shown at the lower right in the drawing.

  As a launching device used for such a gaming machine, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a main part shown in FIGS.

  The launching device 103 is provided with a hitting ball 105, a hitting ball driving motor 106, and a rubber stopper 107 for stopping the hitting ball 105 at a shooting position on the back side of the base plate 104. The hitting ball 105 is provided with a tip portion 108 at the upper end, a cam receiving roller 109 is rotatably provided on the intermediate rear side surface, and a rotation shaft 110 is provided at the lower end.

  The rotating shaft 110 supports the hitting ball 105 so as to be swingable with respect to the base plate 104, and is rotatably supported by a bearing 113 having a shape in which a cylindrical portion 112 projects from the surface of the base plate 104.

  A cam 116 is fixed to the tip of the output shaft 115 of the hitting ball driving motor 106, and the cam 116 can come into contact with the cam receiving roller 109 of the hitting ball 105.

  On the other hand, a hitting force adjusting unit 117 for adjusting the hitting force of the hitting ball 105 is attached to the front side of the base plate 104. The unit 117 is further provided with a pulley box 119 located on the right side in FIG. And the power device 120.

  The pulley box 119 includes a case body 121 fixed to the surface of the base plate 104 with screws as shown in FIG. 9, and a driving pulley 122 and an auxiliary pulley 123 that are rotatably incorporated in the case body 121. One end of a wire 124 is locked to the driving pulley 122, and the wire 124 is wound around an auxiliary pulley 123 and pulled out to the outside.

  A handle fixing portion 210 for jointing the operation handle 95 is projected on the front surface of the case body 121 of the pulley box 119, and a shaft hole 126 reaching the driving pulley 122 is provided in the center of the handle fixing portion 210. Although not described in detail, by attaching the operation handle 95, the driving pulley 122 can be rotated by the handle 95.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the urging device 120 includes a heel side cup 136, a handle side cup 137, and a torsion coil spring 138 that connects the cups 136 and 137. The heel side cup 136 has a cup shape with a drum-like short cylindrical portion 136a projecting toward the handle side cup 137, and is fastened to the end of the rotating shaft 110 of the hitting ball heel 105 with a screw 139 so as not to move relatively. The swing ball 105 is integrated with the hitting ball 105 to perform a swinging motion.

  The handle-side cup 137 has a cup shape in which a drum-like short cylindrical portion 137 a is projected toward the heel-side cup 136, and is freely loosely fitted around the cylindrical portion 112 of the bearing 113 of the base plate 104. Yes. 7 and 9, the other end of the wire 124 is fixed to the end of the pulley groove 140 on the outer periphery. Therefore, when the player rotates the operation handle 95, the rotation operation is transmitted to the driving pulley 122 through the operation shaft (not shown), and the rotation is further transmitted to the handle-side cup 137 through the wire 124.

  The torsion coil spring 138 is incorporated in a compressed state between the handle side cup 137 and the heel side cup 136. Locking portions 138a and 138b are bent at both ends of the torsion coil spring 138. One engaging portion 138a engages with the stop hole 141 of the handle-side cup 137 and the other locking portion 138b The side cup 136 is locked in the concave stop groove 142.

  In FIG. 7, the torsion coil spring 138 is incorporated in a pre-twisted state so as to urge the handle side cup 137 clockwise and the heel side cup 136 counterclockwise. The hitting ball 105 and the operation handle 95 are pulled together. As described above, a plurality of the retaining grooves 142 of the heel side cup 136 are formed, and by selecting one of them, the initial twist angle of the torsion coil spring 138 is changed, and the strength of the firing force is appropriately adjusted. be able to.

JP 2002-798445 A

  However, in the game ball launching device disclosed in Patent Document 1, when changing the initial twist angle of the torsion coil spring 138 and adjusting the firing force, the tool is used to disassemble the parts, It is necessary to change the position of the retaining groove 142 on which the retaining portion 138b is to be hung, and it is difficult to perform this changing work especially at a game store.

  In addition, when adjusting the firing force, it is difficult to see the position of the torsion coil spring locked in the stop groove 142 formed in the heel side cup, so that the set spring strength is difficult to understand. there were.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and it is necessary to disassemble parts using a tool when changing the initial twist angle of the torsion coil spring and adjusting the launch force of the game ball. It is another object of the present invention to provide a game ball launching device that can easily grasp the strength of the set launch force without confirming the locking position of the torsion coil spring.

  The present invention is fixed to one end of a rotating shaft that is rotatably supported by a base plate, and hits a game ball that is supplied to a launch position, and is mounted on the rotating shaft in an axially compressible state. A torsion coil spring, one end of the torsion coil spring is locked, a handle-side cup that rotates about the shaft loosely fitted to the rotating shaft, and the other end of the torsion coil spring is locked A heel side cup, a base member fixed to the other end side of the rotary shaft, and a roller rotatably supported by the base member are arranged so as to be able to contact and separate from the outer flat portion of the heel side cup. And a cam for retreating the hitting ball against the urging force of the torsion coil spring and releasing it at a predetermined position, and a plurality of engaging portions are formed on the outer flat portion of the heel side cup. And the to-be-engaged part which can selectively engage with each engaging part to the said base member is provided By you as being made, it is obtained by solving the above problems.

  According to the present invention, a plurality of engaging portions are formed on the outer flat portion of the heel-side cup to which the other end of the torsion coil spring is locked, and any one of them is selected and the table that contacts the flat portion. By engaging the engaged portion formed on the member, it can be adjusted to an arbitrary firing force. At that time, since the engagement between the engaging portion and the engaged portion can be released simply by pushing the heel side cup against the axial repulsive force of the torsion coil spring, the torsion coil spring can be used without using any tool. Since the initial torsion angle can be changed, the firing force can be easily adjusted, and the locking position of the torsion coil spring can be set at one place, so that the strength can be easily grasped.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of a game ball launching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a rear view thereof, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a mechanism portion formed on the rear side.

  The game ball launching device of the present embodiment is fixed to one end of a rotating shaft 12 that is rotatably supported on the front side (player side) of the base plate 10, and the firing rail 14 (the firing rail 94 shown in FIG. 6). A striking ball 16 for striking the game ball B supplied to the launching (striking) position is formed.

  Further, on the back side of the base plate 10, a torsion coil spring 18, which is externally compressible on the rotating shaft 12, and one end of the torsion coil spring 18 are locked and loosely fitted on the rotating shaft 12. A handle-side cup 20 that rotates about the axis is attached, and a heel-side cup 22 to which the other end of the torsion coil spring 18 is locked is attached.

  The heel side cup 22 has a cup shape having a flat portion on the outside, and a cam roller base (base member) 26 on which a cam roller 24 is rotatably supported at the tip portion with respect to the flat portion. The nut 12A is fixed to the other end portion of the rotary shaft 12 in a state in which contact and separation are possible. A cam roller base fixing collar 28 is loosely fitted to the rotary shaft 12 to which the cam roller base 26 is fixed, so that the play in the thrust direction is pressed.

  In addition, a plurality of slits (engagement portions) 30 are formed radially on the flat portion of the heel side cup 22 as shown in FIG. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 5, a protrusion (engaged portion) 32 that can be selectively fitted (engaged) is formed in any of these slits 30.

  Then, during normal operation of the gaming machine shown in FIG. 2, the cam roller base 26 is brought into contact with the flat portion, and the protrusion 32 is fitted into any one of the slits 30 so that the cam roller base 26 is It is possible to rotate together with the striking-side cup 22 together with the striking ball rod 16, and the urging force by the torsion coil spring 18 can be applied to the striking ball rod 16.

  Further, in this launching device, the hitting bar 16 is retracted against the urging force of the torsion coil spring 18 by contacting the cam roller 24 and rotating the cam roller base 26, and is released at a predetermined position. A cam 34 is installed.

  Further, the rotation amount of the operation handle 95 is transmitted via an operation gear 38 fixed to the operation shaft 36 of the handle 95, an intermediate gear 40, and a rotation gear 20A formed on the outer periphery of the handle side cup 20, The firing force is adjusted by rotating the handle side cup 20 in a direction in which the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 18 is increased.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 42 denotes a ball stationary device for stopping the game ball B at the launch position, 44 denotes a hitting ball stopper for stopping the hitting ball 16 during the ball launching operation, and 46 denotes an arrow on the back cam 34. 4A is a stop groove for locking the end of the torsion coil spring 18.

  In the game ball launching apparatus of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, (1) a hitting operation of a hit ball and (2) a method of adjusting a spring initial twist angle will be described.

(1) Hitting operation of hitting ball When a hitting signal generated by the player touching the operation handle 95 is received and the hitting ball driving motor 46 rotates, the cam 34 repeats rotation in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

  The rotation of the cam 34 rotates the cam roller base 26 and the heel side cup 22 through the cam rollers 24 in the direction of the arrow, thereby twisting the ball striking rod 16 fixed to the other end of the rotating shaft 12 and twisting the coil spring. The hitting ball 16 is moved backward while resisting the urging force of 18. Thus, when the hitting ball 16 is retracted to a predetermined position, the cam roller 24 is released from the maximum diameter portion of the cam 34 and is released.

  As a result, the striking force of the torsion coil spring 18 causes the striking ball 16 to pivot vigorously from the maximum retracted position, and hitting the game ball B in the launching part on the launching rail 14 with the tip 16A, The game ball B pops out and the hitting ball 16 hits the hitting ball stopper 44 and stops.

(2) Spring initial twist angle adjustment By pressing the heel side cup 22 against the axially outward repulsive force of the torsion coil spring 18 toward the base plate 10 side, the spring 18 is pushed by a compressible free height. Then, the flange-side cup 22 and the cam roller base 26 are separated from each other, and the fitting of the projection 32 to the slit 30 is released. In this state, the heel side cup 22 is rotated to increase / decrease the torsion angle, and by releasing the push-in, the protrusion 32 is fitted into the slit 30 corresponding to the desired torsion angle. Adjust the initial twist angle.

  According to the present embodiment described in detail above, the initial firing force of the game ball can be adjusted by simply pushing the heel side cup 22, so that it is not necessary to use a tool at all.

  Further, only one stop groove 22A of the heel side cup 22 for locking the torsion coil spring 18 is required, and the positional relationship with the slit 30 into which the protrusion 32 is fitted can be easily confirmed. The strength can be easily grasped.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, since the relationship between the rotation direction of the heel side cup 22 and the strength of the firing force can be visually recognized, it is possible to prevent the firing force from being adjusted in the wrong direction.

  Note that the engagement relationship between the heel side cup 22 and the cam roller base 26 is reverse to the above-described embodiment, in which a plurality of protrusions are formed on the heel side cup 22 so that the slit or recess can be fitted into the cam roller base 26. May be formed.

  Furthermore, it is needless to say that the shapes of the engaging portion and the engaged portion are not limited to the long shape such as the slit and the protrusion, but may be any shape such as a circle or a rectangle.

The front view which shows the game ball | bowl launcher of one Embodiment which concerns on this invention Rear view showing the game ball launcher The exploded perspective view which shows the principal part of the said game ball | bowl launching device The perspective view which expands and shows the characteristic of the heel side cup of this embodiment The perspective view which expands and shows the characteristic of the cam roller base of this embodiment Schematic front view showing the appearance of the game ball launcher Front view including a cross section showing a conventional game ball launcher A perspective view showing a conventional game ball launcher Exploded perspective view showing a conventional game ball launcher Rear view showing a conventional game ball launcher

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Base plate 12 ... Rotating shaft 14 ... Launch rail 16 ... Hitting ball 16A ... Tip part 18 ... Torsion coil spring 20 ... Handle side cup 20A ... Rotating gear 22 ... Side cup 24 ... Cam roller 26 ... Cam roller base 30 ... Slit (engagement part)
32. Projection (engaged part)
34 ... Cam 36 ... Operation shaft 38 ... Operation gear 40 ... Intermediate gear 42 ... Ball stationary device 44 ... Hitting ball stopper 46 ... Hitting ball driving motor

Claims (1)

A batting ball that is fixed to one end of a rotation shaft that is rotatably supported by the base plate and that hits a game ball supplied to the launch position;
A torsion coil spring sheathed in an axially compressible state on the rotating shaft;
One end of the torsion coil spring is locked, and the handle side cup that rotates around the shaft loosely fitted on the rotation shaft;
A heel side cup to which the other end of the torsion coil spring is locked;
A base member that is detachably disposed on the outer flat portion of the cup-side cup and is fixed to the other end of the rotating shaft;
A cam abutting on a roller rotatably supported by the base member, retreating the striking ball against the biasing force of the torsion coil spring, and releasing at a predetermined position;
A plurality of engaging portions are formed on an outer flat portion of the heel side cup, and an engaged portion capable of selectively engaging with each engaging portion is formed on the base member. Game ball launcher to play.

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