JP2007044127A - Game ball passage detector, game machine and game information management system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game ball passage detector which enables the acquisition of a data for the index of the number of shots and their speeds and a data of variations in the index of the number of shots and their speeds. <P>SOLUTION: The game ball passage detector 10 which detects the passage of the game balls 2 near the final end of a guide rail 5 for guiding the game balls 2 shot with a shootor 4 of a game machine 1 to a playing area 6 detects the passage of the game balls 2 near the final end of the guide rail 5 to output a passage signal of the game balls 2 outside while the index related to the passage speed of the game balls 2 is calculated to output a speed index signal of the game balls 2 outside. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides, for example, a game ball passing state detecting device for detecting a passing state of a game ball in the vicinity of a terminal end of a guide rail provided in a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine, a gaming machine provided with the passing state detecting device, and the above-mentioned The present invention relates to a game information management system that manages game information based on a signal from a passing state detection device.

  In the pachinko machine, first, the game ball is rented, the game ball is transferred to the game ball supply tray, and then the launching device is rotated to adjust the launch strength of the game ball. Thereby, a game ball is launched, and the launched game ball passes through the guide rail and is driven into a game area provided with a winning opening or the like. When a game ball that has been driven into the game area wins a winning opening, a predetermined number of prize balls are paid out.

By the way, the adjustment of the launch strength of the game ball is an indication of the skill of the player, and the player adjusts the launch strength of the game ball by rotating the launch device, and the game ball is called the “heaven” of the game area. Concentrate the hit ball at the upper center.
In addition, since the launch strength of the game ball has a large effect on the winning rate at the prize opening, for example, among high-skilled players, for example, the launch device is fixed and the game ball is fired for a suitable time with a certain strength. Then, after grasping the winning rate in the meantime, change the firing strength and repeat the work of firing the game ball again for an appropriate time several times, so as to find the optimal firing strength with the highest winning rate Have

However, while repeating such operations, the player must remember how much the winning rate is for each firing strength, so it is very difficult to test the winning rate with a large number of firing strengths.
Therefore, in the past, by collecting the relationship between the launch intensity of the game ball and the winning rate for each fixed driving time according to the rotation angle of the launching device as data and displaying it on the display unit, by comparing the displayed data In order to find an optimal launch intensity with a high winning rate, a proposal has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In addition, a device has been proposed in which a sensor is attached to each of a plurality of winning holes of a pachinko machine, and the number of winning balls that fall and win at each winning hole is detected and output as game data. Patent Document 2).

JP 2005-065938 A JP 2005-111064 A

However, in Patent Document 1, even when the rotation angle of the launching device is set to a constant value with the optimum launching intensity, deviation or variation in hitting speed occurs due to friction, wear, drive variation, etc. due to the launching device mechanism. To do.
Also, with certain gaming machines, if a big hit occurs, the firing strength will be strengthened and biased to the right and will return to the normal way after the big hit, but the delicate launch intensity at this time can not be adjusted , It may take some time to return to normal playing.
In addition, the device proposed in Patent Document 2 is intended to be used for nail adjustment performed on the game hall side by detecting and aggregating the number of winning balls in units of each winning mouth, and data is provided to the player side. As a result, the above-described variation in the launch strength of the game balls could not be eliminated.

On the other hand, there is a problem that the game hall is not suitable for the player because the variation in the hitting speed of the installed gaming machine is not preferable for the player.
In addition, the number of hits per minute is determined to be 100 per rule, but this number is not actual data. Therefore, if the number of hits is less than the number of installed gaming machines, the operating efficiency of the gaming machine Will fall.

  Here, in order to solve these problems, as a result of intensive studies by the present inventors, using a compact detection device, so as not to disturb the player, and not to impair the appearance design of the gaming machine, By detecting the passing speed of the hit ball and the speed of jumping to the game area and effectively utilizing the detection signal, it is possible to obtain the data of the hit ball number, the hit ball speed data, the fluctuation of the hit ball number, and the fluctuation data of the hit ball speed. We found out that it was possible to manage information related to the performance of the gaming machine and the player's hit ball based on these data.

  The present invention has been made on the basis of such knowledge, and it is possible to detect a passing signal of a game ball and a speed index signal of the game ball that are specific to the gaming machine with one device, and detect each of them. A game ball passing state detection device, a gaming machine, and a game information management system that make it possible to obtain data on the number of hit balls and the speed index of the hit ball, and data on the fluctuation of the hit ball and the speed index of the hit ball based on the signal. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a game ball for detecting a passing state of the game ball in the vicinity of a terminal end of a guide rail that guides the game ball launched by the launch device of the game machine to the game area. A passing state detecting device for detecting the passing of the game ball in the vicinity of the end of the guide rail, outputting a passing signal of the game ball to the outside, and an index related to the passing speed of the game ball And a speed index signal of the game ball is output to the outside.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to obtain data on the number of hit balls and the variation in the number of hit balls from the passing signal of the game ball near the end of the guide rail, and the hit ball speed index and hit ball from the speed indicator signal of the game ball. It is possible to obtain data on the variation of the speed index. Therefore, by using these data, it is possible to manage information related to the performance of the gaming machine and the player's hit ball.
In addition, since a single device can detect a game ball passing signal and a game ball speed index signal specific to the gaming machine, the device can be made compact, and therefore does not interfere with the player. Thus, it can be attached to the gaming machine, and further, the appearance design of the gaming machine can be prevented from being impaired.

  The invention according to claim 2 is configured to optically detect the passing state of the game ball in claim 1.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the passing state of the game ball is detected by a magnetic change of a magnetic circuit.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, a plurality of passage detection units are spaced apart at predetermined intervals along the direction of passage of the game ball in the vicinity of the terminal end of the guide rail. The index relating to the passing speed of the gaming ball is calculated based on the passing time of the gaming ball between the passing detection units.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the radio wave or the ultrasonic wave emitted toward the vicinity of the terminal end of the guide rail and the reflected wave from the game ball approaching toward the emission source. Based on this, the passing state of the game ball is detected.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is the structure according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein a display unit for displaying an index related to the passing speed of the game ball is provided integrally or separately.
According to the above configuration, since an index related to the hitting speed can be displayed to the player, the hitting speed can be kept constant by adjusting the rotation angle of the launching device while viewing the display of the speed related index. it can. Thereby, it is possible to suppress a deviation or variation in hitting speed due to friction or wear on the mechanism of the launching device, variation in driving, or the like.
Also, in the case of a specific gaming machine that increases the firing strength and strikes to the right when a big hit occurs, and returns to the normal way after the big hit, the rotation operation of the launcher can be quickly performed while viewing the speed-related indicator display. Since it can be performed, it is possible to shorten the time until returning to the normal way.

  The invention according to claim 7 is configured to be attachable to the gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

The invention according to claim 8 is a gaming machine having a guide rail for guiding the game ball launched by the launching device to the game area,
It is set as the structure provided with the passage state detection apparatus of the game ball as described in any one of Claims 1-7.

  The invention according to claim 9 is a game information management system for managing game information of a gaming machine, wherein the game ball is output from the game ball passing state detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. Based on the history stored in the storage unit, a reception unit that receives at least one of the passing signal and the speed indicator signal, a storage unit that stores a history of signals received by the reception unit, The management apparatus includes a calculation unit that calculates and stores information related to the passing state of the game ball.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the ninth aspect, when the receiving unit receives a passing signal of a game ball from the passing state detecting device, the arithmetic unit stores a history of the passing signal stored in the storage unit. The passing ball number calculating means for calculating and storing the passing ball number of the gaming ball for a certain time based on the above and the receiving unit receive the gaming ball speed index signal from the passing state detecting device, the storage unit At least one means of speed variation calculating means for calculating and storing the speed index variation of the game ball based on the stored history of the speed index signal is provided.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to obtain data on variations in the number of hits for a certain period of time and variations in hitting speed index that could not be obtained in the past, and based on these data, the performance of the gaming machine and the player It is possible to manage information related to the hit ball.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to detect a game ball passing signal and a game ball speed index signal specific to a gaming machine with a single device. Based on the speed index signal, it is possible to obtain the number of hit balls, the hit speed index data, the hit number variation, and the hit speed index variation data.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pachinko machine equipped with a game ball passing state detection device as an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the pachinko machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. When a prepaid card (not shown) is inserted into an adjacently arranged CR (card reader) machine (not shown), the pachinko machine 1 The game ball 2 is paid out directly to the game ball supply tray 3 within the remaining amount stored in the prepaid card.
Next, the launching device 4 is rotated to adjust the launching intensity of the game ball 2 so that the game ball 2 is launched, and the launched game ball 2 passes through the guide rail 5 and is provided with a winning opening or the like. The game area 6 is driven. Then, when the game ball 2 driven into the game area 6 wins a winning opening, a predetermined number of prize balls are paid out.

  A game ball passing state detection device 10, which is an example of an embodiment of the present invention, detects the passage of the game ball 2 near the terminal end of the guide rail 5 and outputs a pass signal of the game ball 2 to the outside. At the same time, an index related to the passing speed of the game ball 2 is calculated, and a speed index signal of the game ball 2 is output to the outside. As shown in FIGS. The pachinko machine 1 is mounted near the end of the guide rail 5 via an adhesive or the like. In addition, you may mount | wear with the attachment location of the passage state detection apparatus 10 in the pachinko machine 1 besides the glass window of the pachinko machine 1. FIG.

On the front side of the passage state detection device 10, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), a battery box 11 that houses a battery for driving the built-in electronic circuit, a display lamp 12 that notifies the battery life, and a game ball 2 Each of the display units 13 is provided for displaying an index related to the passing speed.
On the other hand, on the back side of the passing state detection device 10, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), there are two passage detection units 42 and 43 for detecting the passing of the game ball 2 near the terminal end of the guide rail 5. They are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction. Further, on both sides of the passage detection units 42 and 43, adhesive portions 14 made of double-sided tape or the like for mounting the passage state detection device 10 near the end of the guide rail 5 of the pachinko machine 1 are provided. A connector lead 15 that outputs a passing signal of the game ball 2 and a speed index signal of the game ball 2 is provided below the passing state detection device 10.

In this embodiment, each of the passage detection units 42 and 43 uses a reflection type optical sensor having a light emitting unit 16a and a light receiving unit 16b. In addition, when the passage state detection device 10 is mounted near the end of the guide rail 5, the passage detection unit 42 is disposed on the upstream side of the guide rail 5 with respect to the passage detection unit 43.
3 and 4, when the game ball 2 passes through the passage detection unit 42 in the vicinity of the terminal end of the guide rail 5, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 16 a of the passage detection unit 42 is played by the game ball 2. The light is reflected and input to the light receiving unit 16b. Thereby, the light receiving unit 16b outputs a passing signal of the game ball 2.
Further, when the game ball 2 travels downstream from the passage detection unit 42 and passes through the passage detection unit 43, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 16a of the passage detection unit 43 is reflected by the game ball 2 and is received by the light receiving unit 16b. Is input. Thereby, the light receiving unit 16b outputs a passing signal of the game ball 2.

  Here, the passing signal of the game ball 2 output from the light receiving unit 16b of the passing detecting unit 42 is output to the outside via the connector lead 15, and is also output to the speed index calculating unit 17, and the passing detecting unit The passing signal of the game ball 2 output from the 43 light receiving units 16 b is input to the speed index calculation unit 17.

As shown in FIG. 3, the speed index calculation unit 17 is supplied with driving power from the battery 18 via the power supply device 19, and includes a counter unit 20, a clock 21, and an index conversion unit 22. .
When the counter unit 20 detects the rising of the passing ball signal from the light receiving unit 16b of the passage detecting unit 42, the counter unit 20 starts counting the clock 21. When the rising of the passing ball signal from the light receiving unit 16b of the passage detecting unit 43 is detected, the count of the clock 21 is stopped, and a value related to the time during which the game ball 2 passes the distance between the passing detection units 42 and 43 is obtained. This value is output to the index conversion unit 22.

  The index conversion unit 22 calculates an index related to the passing speed of the game ball 2 by taking the reciprocal of the value obtained by the counting unit 21, outputs this to the display unit 13 as a speed index signal, and the connector lead 15 To the outside via. By outputting a speed index signal from the index conversion unit 22 to the display unit 13, an index of the passing speed of the game ball 2 near the end of the guide rail 5 is displayed on the display unit 13. Thereby, the player can rotate the launching device 4 while looking at the speed index of the game ball 2 displayed on the display unit 13.

  The passing signal of the game ball 2 output to the outside from the light receiving unit 16b of the passage detecting unit 42 via the connector lead 15 and the speed index signal of the game ball 2 output to the outside from the index converting unit 22 via the connector lead 15 As shown in FIG. 5, the identification information of the pachinko machine 1 and member identification information read by a CR (card reader) machine and the like, are sent to the management device 33 via the base computer 31 and the island computer 32 of the game information management system 30. Is transmitted.

The management device 33 includes a receiving unit 34 that receives a passing signal and a speed index signal of the game ball 2 output from the passing state detection device 10, and a storage unit 35 that stores a history of signals received by the receiving unit 34. A calculation unit 36 that calculates and stores predetermined information related to the passing state of the game ball 2 based on the signal history stored in the storage unit 35.
The calculation unit 36 includes a passing ball number calculation unit 37 and a speed variation calculation unit 38.

The passing ball number calculating means 37 calculates the passing ball number in a certain time (for example, 1 minute) based on the history of the passing signal of the game ball 2 stored in the storage unit 35, calculates the variation and the average value thereof, This is stored and output as history data for each pachinko machine 1 and displayed, for example, as shown in FIG.
The speed variation calculating means 38 stores the variation of the index relating to the speed of the game ball 2 as history data for each pachinko machine 1 and for each member based on the signal history of the speed index signal stored in the storage unit 35, and the hitting speed For example, as shown in FIG. 6A. As a display example, it is conceivable that the speed index when the game ball hits the ceiling nail is set to 100, or the median of variations in the hitting speed of the player is set to 100.

As is apparent from the above description, in this embodiment, the single passing state detection device 10 can detect the passing signal of the game ball 2 and the speed index signal of the game ball 2 that are unique to the pachinko machine 1. Therefore, the apparatus can be made compact.
Therefore, the passage state detection device 10 can be attached to the pachinko machine 1 so as not to disturb the game player, and further, the appearance design of the pachinko machine 1 can be prevented from being impaired.

In addition, since the index related to the hitting speed is displayed on the display unit 13 of the passing state detection device 10, the player can adjust the rotation angle of the launching device 4 while viewing the display of the speed-related index. Thereby, it becomes easy to keep the hitting velocity constant, and it is possible to suppress the deviation and variation in hitting velocity due to friction and wear on the mechanism of the launching device 4, variation in driving, and the like.
In addition, when a big hit occurs, a specific pachinko machine that increases the firing strength and strikes to the right and returns to the normal way after the big hit is finished. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time until returning to the normal way.

  Further, the variation in the number of hit balls for a certain time and the variation in the velocity index of the hit ball, which could not be obtained conventionally based on the pass signal and the velocity index signal of the game ball 2 output from the passing state detection device 10 to the management device 33. Therefore, based on these data, the performance of the gaming machine (for example, whether the number of hits per minute is about 100 shots) and information related to the player's hits (for example, members) Can be managed.

Note that the gaming machine, launching device, game ball, game area, guide rail, passage detection unit, display unit, management device, etc. of the present invention are not limited to those exemplified in the above embodiment, but the present invention. The present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the passage detection units 42 and 43 of the passage state detection device 10 are reflection type optical sensors has been exemplified. Instead, as shown in FIG. You may use the passage detection parts 44 and 45 which consist of a transmissive | pervious optical sensor which has the light-receiving part 46b. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the passage detection unit 47 having the core 48 and the coil 49 is used to detect the passage of the game ball 2 by the magnetic change of the magnetic circuit when the game ball 2 passes, thereby detecting the passage. The velocity index of the game ball 2 may be obtained by measuring the height (area) of the pulse output from the unit 47.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the receiving unit 52 emits a reflected wave of the game ball 2 approaching the emission source while emitting an ultrasonic wave of a predetermined output from the excitation unit 51 of the ultrasonic oscillator 50. The reflected wave and the emitted wave may be received and compared by the comparison calculation unit 53, and an index of the passing speed may be calculated and output based on the wavelength and / or frequency.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the game ball 2 falling into the game area can be detected in real time by the passing state detection device 10, and therefore, an outmeter (not shown) of the out tank is detected after a predetermined time after the fall of the game ball 5 is detected. When there is no signal, a means for detecting an abnormality such as clogging may be added to the management device 33.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a pachinko machine equipped with a game ball passing state detection device as an example of an embodiment of the present invention. It is an external view of the passing state detection device of a game ball, (a) is a perspective view seen from the front side, (b) is a perspective view seen from the back side. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the passing state detection apparatus of a game ball. It is explanatory drawing for making an example of a passage detection part. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a game information management system. It is a figure which shows the list of game information, (a) is a figure which shows the parameter dispersion | variation in a member's hitting speed, (b) is a figure which shows the number of hits for every gaming machine. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the modification of a passage detection part. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the modification of a passage detection part, (a) is the figure seen from the passage direction of a game ball, (b) is a side view of (a). It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the modification of a speed parameter | index detection part. FIG. 10 is a detailed view of FIG. 9.

Explanation of symbols

1 Pachinko machine (game machine)
2 game ball 4 launching device 5 guide rail 6 game area 10 passing state detection device 13 display unit 30 game information management system.
33 Management Device 34 Reception Unit 35 Storage Unit 36 Calculation Unit 37 Passing Ball Number Calculation Unit 38 Speed Variation Calculation Unit 42, 43 Passing Detection Unit

Claims (10)

A game ball passing state detecting device for detecting a passing state of the game ball in the vicinity of a terminal end of a guide rail for guiding a game ball launched by a launching device of the gaming machine to a game area,
Detecting the passing of the game ball in the vicinity of the terminal end of the guide rail, and outputting a passing signal of the game ball to the outside;
An apparatus for detecting a passing state of a game ball, wherein an index related to the passing speed of the game ball is calculated and a speed index signal of the game ball is output to the outside. The game ball passing state detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the game ball passing state is optically detected. The game ball passing state detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the passing state of the game ball is detected by a magnetic change of a magnetic circuit. In the vicinity of the end of the guide rail, a plurality of passage detection units are spaced apart at predetermined intervals along the direction of passage of the game ball, and the game ball is moved based on the passage time of the game ball between the passage detection units. The game ball passing state detecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an index related to the passing speed is calculated.   Detecting a passing state of the game ball based on a radio wave or ultrasonic wave emitted toward the vicinity of the end of the guide rail and a reflected wave from the game ball approaching the launch source. The game ball passage state detection device according to claim 1. The game ball passing state detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a display unit for displaying an index related to the passing speed of the game ball is provided integrally or separately. The game ball passing state detecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the game ball passing state detecting device can be mounted near a terminal end of the guide rail. A gaming machine having a guide rail for guiding a game ball launched by a launching device to a game area,
A gaming machine comprising the gaming ball passage state detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A game information management system for managing game information of a gaming machine,
A receiving unit that receives at least one of a passing signal and a velocity index signal of the gaming ball output from the gaming ball passing state detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7;
A storage unit for storing a history of signals received by the receiving unit;
A game information management system comprising: a management device including a calculation unit that calculates and stores information related to the passing state of the game ball based on the history stored in the storage unit. The computing unit is
When the receiving unit receives a game ball passing signal from the passing state detection device,
Based on the history of the passing signal stored in the storage unit, the passing ball number calculating means for calculating and storing the passing ball number of the gaming ball at a predetermined time and the receiving unit from the passing state detection device to the game ball When a speed indicator signal is received,
The apparatus includes at least one means of speed variation calculation means for calculating and storing a speed index variation of the game ball based on a history of the speed index signal stored in the storage unit. Item 10. The game information management system according to Item 9.

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