JP2007029635A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine capable of preventing a plurality of game balls from being locally held in one ball holding part when the storage amount of game balls is small and improving the discharge efficiency of a ball discharge unit. <P>SOLUTION: A ball flow-down blocking part 61 projected toward the side of a ball holding part 26 is provided on the inner wall surface of a sprocket housing part 21, the ball flow-down blocking part 61 is arranged at the upper part of a discharge port 30 at a distance almost the same as the diameter of the game ball from the discharge port 30, and the flow-down to the discharge port 30 of the game ball above the game ball held on the side of the discharge port 30 among the game balls inside the ball holding part 26 is blocked. Section projections 55 respectively project from the outer peripheral side end part of respective holding section wall parts 54, a guide side wall part 23 facing the section projections 55 is provided on the opposite side of the sprocket housing part 21 in a ball guide path 22, and the guide side wall part 23 positioned on the upstream side in a forward rotation direction R of the ball flow-down blocking part 61 is arranged at a distance shorter than the diameter of the game ball from the section projection 55. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine such as a pachinko gaming machine including a ball storage tank that stores game balls and a ball discharge unit that discharges the game balls stored in the ball storage tank.

There is a pachinko game machine as a typical game machine that uses a game ball to play a game. In the upper part on the back side of this pachinko machine, a ball storage tank for storing game balls is provided, and when a game ball wins a prize opening, the ball discharge unit is activated and the game stored in the ball storage tank The ball is discharged as a prize ball to the upper plate of the front surface of the pachinko machine. In addition, when a ball lending operation is performed, the ball discharge unit operates to discharge the game balls in the ball storage tank to the upper plate. The ball discharge unit is generally provided on the downstream side of the ball aligning cage extending below the ball storage tank, but the number of parts is reduced to reduce the arrangement space and cost. Therefore, for example, what is directly attached to the sphere storage tank without using the sphere alignment rod has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).
JP-A-8-141175

  By the way, the pachinko gaming machine described in the above-mentioned patent document includes a rotating body in which a plurality of ball holding portions (holding holes) are formed at the periphery of the ball discharge unit, and the rotating body is inclined at the lower end of the bottom of the ball storage tank. It is located below the ball entrance opened in Then, the rotating body is rotated in a state where the game ball flowing down from the ball storage tank is held in the ball holding section, and the game ball is guided to the discharge port opened below the rotating body to move below the ball storage tank. It is configured to discharge.

  However, when the amount of game balls stored in the ball storage tank is small, it becomes difficult to hold the game balls in the ball holding unit, and even if the rotating body is rotated, the game balls are held in the ball holding unit. Without it, the game balls cannot be discharged quickly. Therefore, by configuring the rotating body to be thick and forming the ball holding portion vertically long, it is possible to hold a plurality of game balls on one ball holding portion, and to easily hold the game balls on the ball holding portion It is possible to do. Furthermore, a stopper capable of locking the game ball is provided in the ball holding portion, and a plurality of game balls stacked in the ball holding portion are caused to flow down one by one, and the plurality of game balls positioned immediately above the discharge port It is conceivable that the ball is prevented from flowing down at a time so that the game ball is not sandwiched between the rotating ball holding portion and the discharge port.

  However, if a plurality of game balls can be held in the ball holding portion, there is a possibility that the plurality of game balls are biased and held by one ball holding portion. In order to discharge a plurality of game balls held by this one ball holding portion, the game body is discharged one by one each time the rotating body is rotated a plurality of times to connect the ball holding portion and the discharge port. There must be. For this reason, it takes time to discharge the game balls, and it is difficult to expect improvement in the discharge efficiency of the ball discharge unit.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to prevent a plurality of game balls from being held by one ball holding portion when the amount of game balls stored is small. An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine that can improve the discharge efficiency of the ball discharge unit.

The present invention has been proposed in order to achieve the above object, and the one according to claim 1 is a ball storage tank for storing game balls supplied from the outside, and the ball storage tank stored in the ball storage tank. A gaming machine equipped with a ball discharge unit capable of discharging a game ball in a directly connected state,
The ball discharge unit has a rotary shaft arranged in a vertical direction, a holding rotary body provided with a plurality of ball holding parts on the outer peripheral edge, and a state in which any of the ball holding parts can communicate with the lower part of the holding rotary body With a discharge port that can discharge the game ball in the ball holding section,
In the holding rotating body, a ball holding portion is formed vertically along the rotation axis direction of the holding rotating body, and a plurality of game balls can be held in a state of being arranged along the rotation axis direction of the holding rotating body. Place the holding partition wall between the matching ball holding parts,
The ball storage tank is provided at the bottom of the ball storage tank, and is disposed on the outer periphery of the rotating body accommodating portion that can accommodate the holding rotating body, and on the outer periphery of the rotating body accommodating portion. A ball guide path that guides to the holding unit, and the ball guide path is set to a state in which the ball guide path is inclined downward along the discharge rotation direction of the holding rotating body and is inclined downward toward the ball holding part side,
Among the rotating body housing parts, a ball flow blocking part that protrudes toward the ball holding part on the inner wall surface facing the ball holding part of the holding rotating body and can prevent the flow of game balls in the ball holding part. With
The ball flow down prevention portion is disposed above the discharge port at a distance substantially the same as the diameter of the game ball from the discharge port, and out of the game balls held in the ball holding unit on the discharge port side. Configured to prevent the upper game ball from flowing down to the outlet,
Partition projections project from the outer peripheral side end of each holding partition wall described above toward the upper side of the ball guide path,
Provided on the opposite side of the spherical guide path to the rotating body accommodating portion is a guide side wall portion that faces the partition projection,
The gaming machine is characterized in that a guide side wall portion located on the upstream side in the discharge rotation direction with respect to the ball flow down prevention portion is arranged at a distance narrower than the diameter of the game ball from the partition projection.

  The discharge rotation direction means the rotation direction (forward rotation direction) of the holding rotating body when the ball holding unit is communicated with the discharge port, in other words, when the game ball is guided to the discharge port.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the state in which the guide side wall portion gradually narrows the distance from the rotating body accommodating portion along the discharge rotation direction from a location located upstream of the ball flow down prevention portion in the discharge rotation direction. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the gaming machine is extended.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the gaming machine according to the first or second aspect, wherein the ball storage tank has a bottom portion inclined downward toward the upstream portion of the ball guide path.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the holding rotating body includes a ball guiding portion that is inclined downward from the rotating shaft side toward the ball holding portion side, and an inclined surface that is inclined upward to the upper edge portion of the partitioning projection. The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the upper surface of the holding partition wall portion is inclined downward from the partition protrusion toward the lower end portion of the ball guiding portion.

According to the present invention, the following excellent effects can be obtained.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the ball discharge unit includes a holding rotary body in which the rotation shaft is arranged vertically and a plurality of ball holding parts are provided on the outer peripheral edge, and a lower part of the holding rotary body. And a discharge port through which the game balls in the ball holding portion can be discharged. The holding rotating body is vertically long along the rotation axis direction of the holding rotating body. The plurality of game balls can be held in a state of being arranged along the rotation axis direction of the holding rotating body, a holding partition wall portion is disposed between adjacent ball holding portions, and the ball storage tank A rotating body housing part that is provided at the bottom of the storage tank and can accommodate a holding rotating body, and a ball guide path that is arranged on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body housing part and guides a game ball in the ball storage tank to the ball holding part The ball guide path is inclined downward along the discharge rotation direction of the holding rotating body, and the ball holding A game in the sphere holding portion is set so as to incline downward toward the side, projecting toward the sphere holding portion side on the inner wall surface of the rotator housing portion facing the sphere holding portion of the holding rotator. A ball flow-inhibiting portion capable of preventing the ball from flowing down, the ball-flow-inhibiting portion being disposed above the discharge port at a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the game ball from the discharge port; Among them, since it is configured to prevent the game ball above the game ball held on the discharge port side from flowing down to the discharge port, the storage amount of the game ball is large, and each ball holding unit has a plurality of When the game balls are held, the game balls can be discharged one by one from the discharge port, and a plurality of game balls held in one ball holding part flow down at a time, and the game balls are held with the discharge port. It is possible to suppress the problem of clogging with the rotating body.

  In addition, since the partition protrusions project from the outer peripheral side end portions of the respective holding partition wall portions to the upper side of the ball guide path, the game balls are placed on the plurality of ball holding portions when the storage amount of the game balls is small. Can be received one by one, and a plurality of game balls flowing down the ball guide path can be prevented from being held by one ball holding portion. Therefore, a plurality of game balls can be quickly discharged while the holding rotating body makes one rotation.

  Furthermore, a guide side wall portion that opposes the partition projection is provided on the opposite side of the spherical guide path from the rotating body housing portion, and the guide side wall portion that is positioned upstream in the discharge rotation direction with respect to the ball flow down prevention portion Since the ball is arranged at a distance narrower than the diameter of the game ball from the projection, it is possible to hold the game balls one by one between the division projections before the ball flow prevention unit prevents the game ball from flowing down in the ball holding unit. The game ball can be received by the ball holding unit. Therefore, a plurality of game balls can be prevented from being held by one ball holding portion, and the discharge efficiency of the ball discharge unit can be improved.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the guide side wall portion gradually narrows the distance from the rotating body housing portion along the discharge rotation direction from a location located upstream of the ball flow down prevention portion in the discharge rotation direction. Thus, it is possible to easily guide the game ball that has entered between the partition projections to the ball holding portion. Therefore, a game ball can be quickly received in the ball holding unit.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, since the bottom of the ball storage tank is inclined downward toward the upstream portion of the ball guide path, the game balls in the ball storage tank can be efficiently guided to the ball holding section. The game ball discharge efficiency can be further improved.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the holding rotating body includes the ball guiding portion that is inclined downward from the rotation shaft side toward the ball holding portion side, and the inclination that is upwardly inclined to the upper edge portion of the partition protrusion. Since the surface is formed and the upper surface of the holding partition wall portion is inclined downward from the partition protrusion toward the lower end portion of the ball guiding portion, it is easy to guide the game ball riding on the upper portion of the holding rotating body to the ball holding portion. Moreover, it is easy to guide the game ball riding on the upper part of the partition protrusion to the ball holding part via the ball guide part. Therefore, the discharge efficiency of game balls can be further improved.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking a pachinko gaming machine as a typical gaming machine as an example. FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a pachinko gaming machine.
The pachinko gaming machine 1 is attached to an outer frame (machine frame or main body frame) 2 so that one side of a frame-shaped front frame (inner frame) 3 having a large opening can be opened and closed, and the back side of the front frame 3 The back mechanism unit 4 is attached to the front. The back mechanism unit 4 is fitted with a display device (not shown) such as a liquid crystal display device from the front, and the front side of this display device is exposed to the front (player side) from the opening opened in the game board (not shown). Not. Also, below the back mechanism unit 4, a game control device 7, a discharge control device 8, a power supply device 9, a relay board 10, and the like that control the game in an integrated manner are arranged. Further, a ball storage tank 15 for storing game balls is disposed above the back mechanism unit 4, and a ball discharge unit 16 is attached to the ball storage tank 15 and integrated, and the side portion of the back mechanism unit 4 (in FIG. 1). On the right side), a ball flow path for guiding a game ball discharged from the ball storage tank 15 (specifically, a ball flow for guiding the game ball to the upper plate (not shown) of the front surface of the pachinko gaming machine 1). A path 17 and a ball outlet channel 18 for guiding the game balls in the ball storage tank 15 to a lower ball collection basket (not shown) in the gaming machine island facility are provided. A replenishing device (not shown) is provided above the ball storage tank 15 in the game machine installation island facility to replenish game balls from the game machine installation island facility to the ball storage tank 15 of the pachinko gaming machine 1. ) Is arranged.

Next, the ball storage tank 15 and the ball discharge unit 16 will be described.
The ball storage tank 15 is for storing game balls supplied (supplemented) from the outside of the pachinko gaming machine 1, specifically, from the replenishing device of the gaming machine installation island facility. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the sphere storage tank 15 is formed in a horizontally long bottomed box shape having an upper opening, and is arranged below the replenishing device with the upper opening as a sphere receiving port. Further, the bottom 15a of the sphere storage tank 15 is inclined downward from one side in the longitudinal direction (left side in FIG. 2) toward the other side (right side in FIG. 2). A substantially cylindrical sprocket accommodating portion 21 (corresponding to a rotating body accommodating portion in the present invention) capable of accommodating a sprocket 20 (corresponding to a holding rotating body in the present invention) of a ball discharge unit 16 to be described later is projected downward. is doing. Further, an annular ball guide path 22 is arranged on the outer peripheral edge of the sprocket housing portion 21 to connect between the ball storage tank 15 and the sprocket housing portion 21 (see FIG. 5). Then, the other side wall of the ball storage tank 15 is formed in an arc shape in plan view along the outer peripheral edge of the ball guide path 22, and this arc-shaped side wall guides the game ball along the ball guide path 22. The side wall portion 23 is used. That is, the guide side wall portion 23 is disposed on the opposite side of the ball guide path 22 from the sprocket housing portion 21. Further, the upper end portion of the guide side wall portion 23 is set to a height lower than the upstream side wall of the ball storage tank 15.
The configuration of the ball guide path 22, the configuration of the bottom 15a of the ball storage tank 15 in consideration of the ease of rolling of the game ball to the ball guide path 22, and the configuration of the guide side wall 23 will be described in detail later. explain.

  The ball discharge unit 16 is a unit that is directly connected (arranged) to the other side of the ball storage tank 15, that is, the inclined lower end side of the bottom 15 a of the ball storage tank 15, and can discharge the game balls stored in the ball storage tank 15. . As shown in FIG. 4, the ball discharge unit 16 is housed in a state in which the discharge stage member 25 disposed below the sprocket housing portion 21 and the sprocket housing portion 21 can be rotated. A sprocket 20 provided with a sphere holder 26, a discharge drive motor 27 connected to the top of the sprocket 20 to rotate the sprocket 20, and disposed above the other side of the sphere storage tank 15 so as to cover the sprocket 20, A motor base 28 to which the discharge drive motor 27 is attached is provided on the upper surface.

  The discharge stage member 25 is a member in which a discharge port 30 and a ball extraction port 31 that are connected to one of the ball holding portions 26 and can discharge a game ball are opened below the sprocket 20 (see FIG. 3). The stage main body 32 is formed in a shape, a lid member 33 that closes the upper opening of the stage main body 32, and a passage sensor 34 that can detect one game ball passing through the discharge port 30.

  The stage main body 32 has a support portion 36 that protrudes from a substantially central portion of the bottom portion to support the central portion of the lid member 33, and the outer peripheral side of the support portion 36 communicates with the ball flow down passage 17 and the discharge port 30. A discharge opening 37 serving as a downstream opening and a sphere extraction opening 38 communicating with the sphere extraction channel 18 and serving as a downstream opening of the sphere extraction opening 31 are provided. In addition, a surrounding wall that surrounds the discharge opening 37 is provided around the discharge opening 37 to form a sensor housing portion 39. When the passage sensor 34 is housed inside the sensor housing portion 39, The opened through hole 34a and the discharge opening 37 are configured to communicate with each other. The passage sensor 34 is configured to output a detection signal when the game ball passes through the through hole 34 a and detect the game ball passing through the discharge port 30.

The lid member 33 is provided with a bearing hole 41 substantially at the center of the upper surface thereof, and a rotation shaft protrusion 42 protruding from below the sprocket 20 is inserted into the bearing hole 41 to support the sprocket 20 in a rotatable state. Is configured to do. A flat slide stage 43 is formed around the bearing hole 41 so that the game ball held by the sprocket 20 can slide as the sprocket 20 rotates. Further, an exposure hole 44 serving as an upper opening of the discharge port 30 is provided at a peripheral portion of the sliding stage 43 and at a position corresponding to the through hole 34a of the passage sensor 34 (specifically, above the through hole 34a). The through hole 34a is opened to expose a game on both sides and the back side (opposite to the sliding stage 43 side) of the exposure hole 44 in the forward rotation direction R (clockwise direction in FIG. 6) of the sprocket 20. A regulation wall portion 45 that regulates the moving direction of the sphere is erected in a state surrounding the exposure hole 44, and a space surrounded by the regulation wall portion 45 is defined as a discharge guide passage 46, and the game passes through the discharge guide passage 46. The sphere can be guided to the discharge port 30 (the exposure hole 44, the through hole 34a, and the discharge opening 37).
The forward rotation direction R described above is determined when the game ball is discharged from the discharge port 30 by communicating the ball holding portion 26 to the discharge port 30, in other words, when the game ball is guided to the discharge port 30. It is a rotation direction and corresponds to the discharge rotation direction in the present invention.

  Further, a ball extraction hole 47 serving as an upper opening of the ball extraction port 31 is communicated with the ball extraction opening 38 at a position that is a peripheral portion of the slide stage 43 and whose phase is shifted from the exposure hole 44 in the normal rotation direction R. The sprocket 20 is held in the sprocket 20 when the sprocket 20 rotates in the reverse direction L (the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 6 and the rotation direction of the sprocket 20 when the game ball is discharged from the ball outlet 31). The game ball thus formed is configured to flow into the ball extraction opening 38 through the ball extraction hole 47. Further, above the ball extraction hole 47, a ball extraction guide portion 48 with the tip portion directed in the normal rotation direction R is extended, and the lower surface of the ball extraction guide portion 48 extends from above the ball extraction hole 47 to the ball extraction hole. It is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the edge of 47, and a game ball moving in the reverse direction L on the sliding stage 43 can be guided to the ball outlet 31 (ball hole 47, ball opening 38). It is configured.

  The discharge stage member 25 configured as described above is disposed at the lower part of the sprocket housing portion 21 with the sliding stage 43 facing upward, and a fastening piece provided on the outer peripheral portion of the stage main body 32 in this state. 49 is fixed to a stage fixing portion 50 provided on the outer periphery of the sprocket accommodating portion 21 with a fixing member (not shown) such as a screw, so that the lower opening of the sprocket accommodating portion 21 is closed and fixed. When the discharge stage member 25 is disposed below the sprocket accommodating portion 21, the sliding stage 43 faces the inside of the sprocket accommodating portion 21 and functions as the bottom portion of the sprocket accommodating portion 21. Further, the discharge port 30 is disposed on the opposite side of the bottom portion 15a of the ball storage tank 15 with the center of the sliding stage 43 (that is, the rotation center of the sprocket 20) interposed therebetween.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the sprocket 20 is accommodated in the sprocket accommodating portion 21 in a posture in which the outer diameter is set slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the sprocket accommodating portion 21 and the rotation shaft CS is arranged vertically. Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the sprocket 20 has a plurality of ball holding portions 26 (10 in this embodiment) that can receive and hold game balls, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The ball holding portions 26 are formed by arc-shaped notches that follow the outer shape of the game ball in plan view, and are formed at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the sprocket 20. In addition, the sprocket 20 is formed in a vertically long shape along the direction of the rotation axis CS, and a plurality of game balls (up to three in the present embodiment) are stacked between the ball holding portion 26 and the inner peripheral surface of the sprocket accommodating portion 21. In other words, the sprocket 20 can be held in an aligned state along the direction of the rotation axis CS of the sprocket 20. Further, in the upper part of the sprocket 20, an annular sphere inclined downward from the rotating shaft CS side to the sphere holding unit 26 side (that is, the outer peripheral side of the sprocket 20) closer to the rotating shaft CS side than the sphere holding unit 26. The guide unit 52 is provided, and is configured to guide the game ball placed on the rotating shaft CS side of the sprocket 20 to the ball holding unit 26.

  Further, a holding partition wall portion 54 extending outward from the rotation shaft CS side of the sprocket 20 is disposed between the adjacent ball holding portions 26. The holding partition wall portion 54 has a shorter protruding length in the radial direction (lateral direction in FIG. 6B) of the sprocket 20 than on the lower side (discharge port 30 side) on the upper side (ball guide path 22 side). It is configured so as not to prevent the game ball that is set and held at the lower part of the ball holding part 26 from flowing into the discharge guiding path 46. Furthermore, the upper end portion of each holding partition wall portion 54 is disposed at a position slightly lower than the inner periphery of the ball guide path 22, specifically, the ball guide path 22.

  On each holding partition wall 54, partition protrusions 55 project from the end on the spherical guide path 22 side (outer peripheral end) toward the top of the spherical guide path 22, and between adjacent partition protrusions 55. The interval X is set to a distance (inner surface interval) that is wider than the diameter of the game ball and smaller than twice the diameter of the game ball, so that only one game ball can be arranged between the partition projections 55. . Further, an inclined surface 56 that is inclined upward is formed on the upper edge of the partition projection 55, and the lower end portion of the sphere guiding portion 52 from the partition projection 55 to the upper surface of the holding partition wall portion 54, in other words, the sphere holding. An inclined portion 57 that is inclined downward toward the upper edge of the portion 26 is formed.

  Of the sprocket accommodating portion 21 in which the sprocket 20 is accommodated, a ball falling prevention portion 61 capable of preventing the flow of the game ball in the ball holding portion 26 is provided on the inner wall surface facing the ball holding portion 26. Projecting toward the 26th side. As shown in FIG. 6, the ball flow-fall prevention unit 61 is located above the discharge port 30 and the ball discharge port 31, approximately the same distance as the diameter of the game ball from the discharge port 30 and the ball discharge port 31 (or the sliding stage 43). And is formed in an arc shape along the circumferential direction of the inner wall surface of the sprocket housing portion 21. Further, the upstream end 61 a located on the upstream side in the forward rotation direction R in the ball flow lowering preventing portion 61 is disposed upstream of the discharge port 30. In other words, the end 61a on the front side (upper side in FIG. 6A) of the ball flow drop prevention unit 61 is arranged at a position whose phase is shifted in the reverse rotation direction L around the rotation axis CS from the position of the discharge port 30. . Further, the downstream end 61 b located on the downstream side in the forward rotation direction R in the ball flow lowering preventing portion 61 is disposed closer to the downstream side than the ball outlet 31. In other words, the rear end portion 61b (lower side in the figure) of the ball flow drop prevention portion 61 is disposed at a position whose phase is shifted in the forward rotation direction R around the rotation axis CS from the position of the ball outlet 31. . The operation of the ball flow down prevention unit 61 will be described in detail later.

  The discharge drive motor 27 (for example, a step motor) connects the output shaft extending downward to the upper end portion located on the rotation shaft CS of the sprocket 20. The output shaft is rotated based on the control by the discharge control device 8, and the sprocket 20 is rotated (forward or reverse) by a desired angle. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the motor base 28 is configured by a substantially semicircular plate material that follows the upper edge portion of the guide side wall portion 23, and a through hole 63 is formed at a substantially central portion. The discharge drive motor 27 is attached to the upper surface of the motor base 28 in a state where it is connected to the sprocket 20 through the output shaft of the discharge drive motor 27. Then, by fastening the fastening piece 64 protruding from the side portion of the motor base 28 to the base fastening portion 65 provided on the outer periphery of the guide side wall portion 23 by a fastening member (not shown) such as a screw, The sprocket housing part 21 is fixed in a state of covering from above.

Further, a laterally long rectangular shielding wall 66 is provided at one side edge of the motor base 28 (upstream side edge of the ball storage tank 15) along the front-rear width of the ball storage tank 15 (the front-rear direction of the pachinko gaming machine 1). A comb-shaped ball guide member 67 is disposed along the shielding wall 66 on the side surface of the lower end portion of the shielding wall 66 facing the upstream side of the ball storage tank 15. The tip of the ball guide member 67 is curved so as to incline upward toward the upstream side of the ball storage tank 15. Therefore, an introduction port 68 (see FIG. 2) for introducing a game ball into the ball guide path 22 and the ball discharge unit 16 is formed between the ball guide member 67 and the bottom 15a of the ball storage tank 15. The height of the introduction port 68 is set so as to gradually decrease toward the ball discharge unit 16 side. Thereby, it can suppress that many game balls flow into the sprocket 20 side at once, and accumulate on the sprocket 20 in the state which accumulated many times. Accordingly, the sprocket 20 can be smoothly rotated without being obstructed by the upper game ball, and as a result, the game ball can be discharged efficiently.
The entire motor base 28 (that is, the whole including the shielding wall 66 and the ball guide member 67) may be formed of metal. In this case, the motor base 28 generates heat generated from the discharge drive motor 27 in a comb shape. This is suitable because it can function as a heat radiating member that transmits heat to the sphere guide member 67 and radiates heat from the sphere guide member 67, and the discharge drive motor 27 is less likely to overheat.

Next, the configuration of the ball guide path 22 and the bottom portion 15a of the ball storage tank 15 will be described.
The annular ball guide path 22 disposed outside the sprocket housing portion 21 is inclined downward from the outer peripheral side toward the inner peripheral side, in other words, toward the ball holding portion 26 side of the sprocket 20, and the ball guide The game ball that has reached the path 22 can be guided to the ball holding unit 26 (see FIGS. 6 and 8). Furthermore, the ball guide path 22 is set to a posture in which the entire ball guide path 22 is inclined downward to the front side of the pachinko gaming machine 1 and is inclined downward to the other side of the ball storage tank 15. Accordingly, the ball guide path 22 has a portion located near the rear side (lower side in FIG. 6A) of the downstream portion of the bottom portion 15a of the ball storage tank 15 as the upstream end portion 22a, and the rotation axis CS of the sprocket 20 is The position opposite to the upstream end 22a, in other words, the position shifted in phase in the reverse direction L from above the discharge port 30 is defined as the downstream end 22b, and the sprocket 20 is moved from the downstream of the bottom 15a of the ball storage tank 15 to the normal position. It is set in a state of being inclined downward along the rolling direction R (downwardly inclined in the direction indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 6A). From this, the inner peripheral edge of the downstream end portion 22b of the ball guide path 22, that is, the lower end of the inclined surface inclined downward toward the ball holding section 26 side of the downstream end portion 22b is the lowest position in the ball guide path 22. Is set to the lowest part 22c.

  Further, the ball storage tank 15 is not only inclined in the left-right direction but also inclined in the front-rear direction of the pachinko gaming machine 1, specifically, downwardly inclined toward the front side of the pachinko gaming machine 1. As a result, the bottom 15a of the ball storage tank 15 is inclined downward from the rear side of the upstream part toward the upstream side of the downstream end 22b of the ball guide path 22, that is, toward the upstream part of the ball guide path 22 (FIG. 5). The game ball in the ball storage tank 15 is configured to easily flow into the ball guide path 22 by being inclined downward in the direction indicated by the white arrow. Further, a stepped portion 70 that is one step higher than the other portions is provided on the rear side of the bottom portion 15a of the ball storage tank 15, and the front edge of the stepped portion 70 is directed toward the ball discharge unit 16 as shown in FIG. Accordingly, it is gradually inclined toward the front side of the ball storage tank 15.

  The ball storage tank 15 defines a guide side wall portion 23 (a guide side wall portion 23 arranged at a position shifted in the reverse rotation direction L) located on the upstream side in the forward rotation direction R with respect to the ball flow lowering prevention portion 61. A distance Y that is narrower than the diameter of the game ball is spaced from the protrusion 55. Further, the guide side wall portion 23 is located at a position where the thickness is located upstream of the ball flow drop prevention portion 61 in the forward rotation direction R (in other words, the periphery on the opposite side of the lowest portion 22c across the ball guide path 22). ) From the inner peripheral surface of the guide side wall portion 23 to the sprocket housing portion 21 (specifically, the outer peripheral edge of the sprocket housing portion 21). Has been established. In addition, the part located in the downstream of the normal rotation direction R rather than the discharge port 30 among the guide side wall parts 23 is formed in the state where the wall thickness becomes thin gradually along the normal rotation direction R.

Next, the operation of the ball storage tank 15 and the ball discharge unit 16 will be described.
When the replenishment device of the gaming machine installation island facility supplies the game balls to the ball storage tank 15, the ball storage tank 15 uses the downward force when it flows down from the replenishment device or the bottom 15 a of the ball storage tank 15 as a ball discharge unit 16. The game ball is caused to flow down to the ball guide path 22 by being inclined downward toward the side. At this time, the game ball crosses the upstream part of the ball guide path 22 or rolls on the ball guide path 22 to reach the periphery of the sprocket 20 and then flows down toward the sprocket 20 to hold each ball. Held in the section 26. Then, the game balls are sufficiently stored in the ball storage tank 15, and the sprocket 20 is stacked in a plurality of (three in this embodiment) game balls vertically on the ball holding unit 26 in front of the ball flow down prevention unit 61. (FIG. 8A).

  When the sprocket 20 is rotated in the forward rotation direction R in this state, the first and second stages of the game balls in the ball holding unit 26 are in front of the ball holding unit 26 communicating with the discharge port 30 via the discharge guide path 46. The step and above are separated from each other by a ball flow-inhibiting portion 61 (FIG. 8B). Further, when the sprocket 20 is rotated in the forward rotation direction R and the ball holding portion 26 reaches above the discharge port 30, the first-stage (lowermost) game ball flows down to the discharge port 30, but the second-stage or more A game ball (a game ball above the game ball held on the discharge port 30 side) is prevented from flowing into the discharge port 30 by the ball flow down prevention unit 61 (FIGS. 8C and 8D). Thereby, the game balls held on the ball holding portion 26 of the sprocket 20 on the sliding stage 43 can be reliably discharged to the discharge port 30 one by one. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a problem that a plurality of game balls held by one ball holding unit 26 flow down at a time and the game balls are clogged between the discharge port 30 and the holding rotating body.

  Subsequently, when the sprocket 20 is rotated in the forward rotation direction R, and the ball holding portion 26 passes through the ball outlet 31 and the downstream end portion 61b of the ball flow down prevention portion 61, the second stage game ball is placed on the sliding stage 43. It falls and the top game ball flows down to the second position. When the sprocket 20 is further rotated in the forward rotation direction R, the ball holding portion 26 rotates while maintaining the vertical position of the game ball in the ball holding portion 26 and reaches above the discharge port 30 to guide discharge. When communicating with the path 46, the second-stage game ball is engaged with the ball flow-down prevention unit 61 to prevent the flow-down, and the first-stage game ball can flow down to the discharge port 30.

  On the other hand, when the sprocket 20 rotates in the reverse direction L with the game ball held by the ball holding portion 26 (FIG. 8A), the held game ball reaches (communicates) with the ball outlet 31. Since the downstream end 61b of the ball flow prevention unit 61 is positioned in front, the first and second stages of the three game balls stacked vertically are separated by the ball flow prevention unit 61. In this state, when the ball holding unit 26 reaches above the ball outlet 31, the first-stage game ball flows down to the ball outlet 31, but the second and higher-stage game balls are extracted by the ball flow-inhibiting unit 61. It is prevented from flowing into the mouth 31. Thereby, the game balls held on the ball holding portions 26 of the sprocket 20 on the sliding stage 43 can be reliably discharged one by one from the ball outlet 31.

Next, the holding action and discharging action of the game ball when the amount of game balls stored in the ball storage tank 15 is small will be described based on FIG.
When the game balls stored in the ball storage tank 15 are discharged by rotating the sprocket 20 in the forward rotation direction R and the storage amount decreases, the ball storage tank 15 is moved to the bottom of the ball storage tank 15. 15a is inclined downward toward the ball discharge unit 16 side, and the guidance of the stepped portion 70 causes the game ball to be positioned on the front side of the ball storage tank 15 in the ball guide path 22, that is, on the ball guide path 22. It flows down toward a position (upstream part) upstream from the downstream end 22b (see FIG. 9A). Therefore, it is possible to enter the ball guide path 22 while moving the game ball along the forward rotation direction R of the sprocket 20, and to efficiently guide the game ball in the ball storage tank 15 to the ball holding unit 26. . For this reason, it is possible to improve the discharge efficiency of game balls.

  While the game ball is flowing down the ball guide path 22, the sprocket 20 holds only one game ball between the adjacent partition projections 55 while rotating in the normal rotation direction R, and other game balls. Is prevented from entering the space between the partition projections 55 already holding the game ball. In this state, when the sprocket 20 is further rotated in the forward rotation direction R and the game ball reaches the lowest portion 22c of the ball guide path 22, the game ball gradually increases along the thick guide side wall portion 23. While being brought close to the sphere holding part 26 side, it descends to the inner peripheral side of the ball guide path 22 and flows down to the sphere holding part 26 (see FIG. 9B). In this way, one game ball can be received in each ball holding portion 26, and a plurality of game balls flowing down the ball guide path 22 can be prevented from being held in one ball holding portion 26. . Therefore, a plurality of game balls can be quickly discharged while the sprocket 20 makes one rotation. Further, by gradually bringing the game balls toward the ball holding portion 26 side by the guide side wall portion 23, it is possible to easily guide the game balls that have entered between the partition projections 55 to the ball holding portion 26. Therefore, the game ball can be quickly received in the ball holding unit 26. And since the guide side wall part 23 located in the upstream of the forward rotation direction R rather than the ball | bowl flow-fall prevention part 61 was arrange | positioned at a distance narrower than the diameter of a game ball from the division protrusion 55, the ball | bowl flow-fall prevention part 61 The game balls can be held one by one between the partition projections 55 before the flow of the game balls in the ball holding unit 26 is prevented, and the game balls can be received by the ball holding unit 26. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a plurality of game balls from being held by one ball holding unit 26, and to improve the discharge efficiency of the ball discharge unit 16.

  Further, since the sprocket 20 is formed with the ball guiding portion 52, the inclined surface 56 of the upper edge portion of the partition projection 55, and the inclined portion 57 of the holding partition wall portion 54, the adjacent partition while rotating in the normal rotation direction R. Even when the game ball rides on the top of the sprocket 20 when the game ball is held between the protrusions 55, the game ball is easily guided to the ball holding unit 26. In addition, it is easy to guide the game ball riding on the upper part of the partition projection 55 to the ball holding unit 26 via the ball guiding unit 52. Therefore, the discharge efficiency of game balls can be further improved.

In addition, the guide side wall part 23 should just be arrange | positioned at a distance narrower than the diameter of a game ball from the division protrusion 55. FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, on the other side (right side in the figure) of the ball storage tank 15, the thickness of the guide side wall 23 is set to a substantially uniform thickness, and the inner peripheral surface of the guide side wall 23 and the sprocket are set. You may set to the state which becomes fixed, without changing the distance with the accommodating part 21. FIG.
In addition, the partition projection 55 is formed with an inclined surface 56 inclined upward at the upper edge portion thereof, but the inclined surface 56 is inclined upward from the lower end portion of the partition projection 55 as shown in FIG. May be formed. If the inclined surface 56 is formed in this way, even if the game ball is likely to be sandwiched between the partition projection 55 and the ball guide path 22 or between the partition projection 55 and the guide side wall portion 23, this game It is preferable because it is easy to allow the sphere to escape above the partition projection 55 and to prevent the occurrence of clogging.

  In the above embodiment, a maximum of three game balls can be held in the ball holding unit 26. However, the present invention is not limited to this, as long as a plurality of game balls can be held in the ball holding unit 26. . For example, the ball holding unit 26 may be set to hold a maximum of two game balls. Moreover, although the spherical guide path 22 was formed in an annular shape over the entire outer peripheral edge of the sprocket accommodating portion 21, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the start end (upstream end) is disposed in the vicinity of the stepped portion 70 of the sphere storage tank 15, the sphere guide path 22 extends in an arc shape along the forward rotation direction R, and the end (downstream end) is the sphere storage tank. You may arrange | position to 15 back side. That is, a C-shaped ball guide path 22 may be formed.

  Moreover, although the ball | bowl flow-down prevention part 61 was comprised by the circular-arc-shaped rib, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the ball flow down prevention portion 61 is formed of a plate member that can partition the ball holding portion 26 vertically from the middle and extends from the inner peripheral surface of the sprocket housing portion 21, and the holding partition wall portion 54 of the sprocket 20 In addition, a slit for avoiding interference with the ball flow down prevention unit 61 may be formed.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the pachinko gaming machine 1 which is a typical gaming machine has been illustrated and described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a ball storage tank that stores game balls, and the ball storage tank. Any game machine may be used as long as it has a ball discharge unit for discharging the stored game balls, for example, an arrangement ball type game machine, a sparrow ball type game machine, etc. Also good.

  In addition, the configurations of the ball storage tank 15 and the ball discharge unit 16 of the above embodiment can be used for purposes other than the use as a discharge mechanism for discharging game balls. For example, in a ball slot type gaming machine (slot machine type gaming machine using a gaming ball as a game medium), it is necessary to take in 5 gaming balls with 1 bet and 15 gaming balls with 3 bets at a high speed. It can also be used as a game ball take-in mechanism for a gaming machine that needs to take a large amount of game balls at a high speed. In particular, since stable discharge (intake) is possible without aligning game balls, it is suitable as a game ball take-in mechanism arranged on the front side of a game machine that requires space saving.

  It should be understood that the above-described embodiment is illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The present invention is not limited to the above description, but is defined by the scope of the claims, and includes all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

It is a rear perspective view of a pachinko gaming machine. It is a back perspective view of a ball storage tank. It is the perspective view seen from the downward direction of a ball storage tank. It is a disassembled perspective view of a ball storage tank. It is a top view of the ball storage tank which accommodated the sprocket. (A) is a plan enlarged view of the ball guide path and sprocket, (b) is a cross-sectional view of CS-A1 of (a), (c) is a cross-sectional view of CS-A2 of (a), and (d) is a cross-sectional view of (a). It is CS-A3 sectional drawing. (A) is a top view of a sprocket, (b) is a front view of a sprocket. It is sectional drawing in Fig.6 (a) which showed the rotation state of the ball | bowl holding | maintenance part holding three game balls, (a) is CS-C1 sectional drawing, (b) is CS-A2 sectional drawing, (c ) Is a CS-C3 cross-sectional view, and (d) is a CS-C4 cross-sectional view. It is the schematic which shows the behavior of the game ball on a ball guide path, (a) is explanatory drawing of the state in which a game ball is taken in between division protrusions, (b) is the game ball between division protrusions flow down to a ball holding part. It is explanatory drawing of a state. It is a top view of the ball storage tank and sprocket which set the wall thickness of the guide side wall part uniformly. It is the schematic of the modification of a division protrusion.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pachinko machine 4 Back mechanism unit 15 Sphere storage tank 15a Bottom part 16 Sphere discharge unit 20 Sprocket 21 Sprocket accommodating part 22 Sphere guide way 22a Upstream end part 22b Downstream end part 22c Minimum part 23 Guide side wall part 26 Sphere holding part 30 Outlet 31 Ball outlet 52 Sphere guide 54 Holding partition wall 55 Partition projection 56 Inclined surface 57 Inclined portion 61 Spherical flow drop preventing portion 61a Upstream end 61b Downstream end 70 Stepped portion

Claims (4)

A gaming machine comprising a ball storage tank for storing game balls supplied from the outside and a ball discharge unit capable of discharging the game balls stored in the ball storage tank in a directly connected state,
The ball discharge unit has a rotary shaft arranged in a vertical direction, a holding rotary body provided with a plurality of ball holding parts on the outer peripheral edge, and a state in which any of the ball holding parts can communicate with the lower part of the holding rotary body With a discharge port that can discharge the game ball in the ball holding section,
In the holding rotating body, a ball holding portion is formed vertically along the rotation axis direction of the holding rotating body, and a plurality of game balls can be held in a state of being arranged along the rotation axis direction of the holding rotating body. Place the holding partition wall between the matching ball holding parts,
The ball storage tank is provided at the bottom of the ball storage tank, and is disposed on the outer periphery of the rotating body accommodating portion that can accommodate the holding rotating body, and on the outer periphery of the rotating body accommodating portion. A ball guide path that guides to the holding unit, and the ball guide path is set to a state in which the ball guide path is inclined downward along the discharge rotation direction of the holding rotating body and is inclined downward toward the ball holding part side,
Among the rotating body housing parts, a ball flow blocking part that protrudes toward the ball holding part on the inner wall surface facing the ball holding part of the holding rotating body and can prevent the flow of game balls in the ball holding part. With
The ball flow down prevention portion is disposed above the discharge port at a distance substantially the same as the diameter of the game ball from the discharge port, and out of the game balls held in the ball holding unit on the discharge port side. Configured to prevent the upper game ball from flowing down to the outlet,
Partition projections project from the outer peripheral side end of each holding partition wall described above toward the upper side of the ball guide path,
Provided on the opposite side of the spherical guide path to the rotating body accommodating portion is a guide side wall portion that faces the partition projection,
A gaming machine characterized in that a guide side wall portion located upstream of the ball flow down prevention portion in the discharge rotation direction is arranged at a distance narrower than the diameter of the game ball from the partition projection.   The guide side wall portion is extended from a location located upstream in the discharge rotation direction with respect to the ball flow down prevention portion in a state in which the distance from the rotating body housing portion is gradually narrowed along the discharge rotation direction. Item 1. A gaming machine according to Item 1.   The gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ball storage tank has a bottom portion inclined downward toward an upstream portion of a ball guide path. The holding rotating body includes a ball guiding portion that is inclined downward from the rotating shaft side toward the sphere holding portion side, and forms an inclined surface that is inclined upward and upward on an upper edge portion of the partition projection, The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the upper surface is inclined downward from the partition protrusion toward the lower end of the ball guiding portion.

Images