JP2008036172A - Shooting mechanism control system and automatic operation auxiliary device of game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology by which the control of a shooting mechanism when carrying out the test of a pachinko game machine can be carried out with no man. <P>SOLUTION: A test machine has a handle making the shooting mechanism ON condition when the handle is rotated by a predetermined angle or more from the standard position and an electrode of the handle is earthed. An automatic operation auxiliary device of the game machine has a handle fixing tool 390 having a fixing belt 391 for fixing the handle with the handle rotated by the predetermined angle or more from the standard position. The handle fixing tool 390 has a connecting line 392 whose distal end contacts with the electrode and an earth line 394 in continuity with the connecting line 392 and can earth the electrode with the rotated handle set in continuity by the fixing belt 391. Further the handle fixing tool 390 has a switching portion 393 and cuts the earth when receiving a signal indicating that the predetermined number of balls are supplied to the game machine. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for testing a pachinko gaming machine.

Before a pachinko gaming machine (hereinafter referred to simply as “gaming machine” in the present specification) is used in a general store, it is necessary to test what characteristics it has. There are cases.
The purpose of this test is to obtain various data such as sales per hour, number of balls per hour, and number of missed balls per hour when a user uses a certain gaming machine.
Such data is useful for checking the unit price of a gaming machine developed by a manufacturer that manufactures gaming machines and other operating data, and general stores such as pachinko halls that purchase gaming machines are available. The present invention can be applied to the determination of the purchase of a gaming machine, the quality control of a gaming machine, or the determination of a business guideline. Such data can be used as a reference when a manufacturer develops a gaming machine. Therefore, the above-described data is very useful for various purposes.

Such a test naturally requires high data accuracy.
Therefore, it is not preferable that the gaming machine to be tested has a different specification from that used in general stores. In fact, game machines placed in general stores are strictly restricted from being modified as required by law, so the gaming machines to be tested should remain as they are in general stores. The request is even stronger.

For these reasons, in the gaming machine test, a gaming machine that is actually placed in a general store is arranged so that it can be placed in a general store, and a lot of people who are regarded as general users can play games with those gaming machines. This method is implemented by collecting data as described above.
One of the reasons why such a technique is necessary is that in order to test a gaming machine, it is necessary to operate the gaming machine and actually play a game on the gaming machine. In order to operate a gaming machine, for example, it is necessary to operate a launching mechanism provided in the gaming machine. To operate the firing mechanism, it is necessary to operate the handle provided on the gaming machine, and when the number of balls required for the test is fired from the firing mechanism, the operation of the firing mechanism should be stopped. It is necessary to operate the handle again, but these are difficult to automate.
However, in the conventional method that needs to rely on human beings, since it is human beings that perform games, there is a risk of errors in data, and since a certain amount of time is required for testing gaming machines, The labor cost tends to increase by restraining many people.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for performing an unmanned test of a pachinko gaming machine, particularly a technique capable of controlling a ball launching mechanism.

  The present inventor proposes the following invention in order to solve the above-described problems.

According to the present invention, an upper plate that receives a ball supplied from a predetermined ball supply device, is connected to the upper plate and is supplied with the ball from the upper plate so that the ball can be fired on the board surface. Pachinko gaming machine having a launch mechanism, a handle that is positioned at a launch position rotated by a predetermined angle or more from a reference position, and that the launch mechanism launches a ball when an electrode of the launch mechanism is grounded It is a launching mechanism control system used in combination.
The firing mechanism control system includes a fixing means for fixing the handle at the firing position, a contact electrode configured to come into contact with the electrode, and a predetermined number of balls from the ball supply device on the upper plate. A receiving means for receiving a stop signal indicating that it has been supplied; and a connecting wire electrically connected to the contact electrode is connected to a grounded earth wire, and the receiving means receives the stop signal from the ball supplying device. And switching means for disconnecting the connection between the connection line and the ground line when received.
Such a launch mechanism control system focuses on appropriately controlling a handle serving as a switch for driving the launch mechanism of the pachinko gaming machine.
By the way, when the handle of the conventional gaming machine is rotated by a predetermined angle or more from the reference position, the launching mechanism is driven to fire the ball. However, the handle of a recent gaming machine is rotated to prevent the game from being held in a fixed state by pushing a handle, for example, a coin into the gap between the casing of the gaming machine and the handle. In addition, the firing mechanism is improved only when the electrode provided at an appropriate position of the handle is grounded. If such a handle is adopted, when the man operates the handle with his hand, the firing mechanism can be driven only when the above-mentioned electrode touches the human hand who is the player and is grounded, It becomes impossible to play a game using coins. If it is a launching mechanism of a gaming machine equipped with such a handle, the launching mechanism is driven only by controlling the ground of the electrode provided on the handle, without performing a physical operation of rotating the handle. Can be stopped.
The present invention has focused here. An apparatus for physically rotating the handle is easily increased in size and complexity, and is likely to increase in cost.
The firing mechanism control system according to the present invention is configured to contact the above-described electrode provided on the handle while physically fixing the handle at a position where the launch mechanism launches the ball by the fixing means for fixing the handle at the launch position. Contact electrode, receiving means for receiving a stop signal indicating that a predetermined number of balls have been supplied from the ball supply device to the upper plate, and grounding the connection wire electrically connected to the contact electrode The grounding of the electrode is controlled by the switching means for cutting off the connection between the connection line and the earth line when the receiving means receives the stop signal from the ball supply device. Thereby, the launching mechanism control system of the present invention is useful for realizing an unmanned game machine test.
Note that the ball supply device may include means for generating a start signal indicating that supply of balls to the upper plate should be started. In this case, the receiving means is adapted to accept a start signal, and when the receiving means accepts the start signal, the switching means is grounded on a connection line electrically connected to the contact electrode. It may be designed to be connected to a ground wire. In this way, the launching mechanism control system of the present application can automatically control not only stopping and driving start of the launching mechanism.

As described above, the launch mechanism control system of the present invention includes receiving means for receiving a stop signal indicating that a predetermined number of balls have been supplied to the upper plate from the ball supplying device, and the receiving means is applied. When the stop signal is received, the drive of the launch mechanism is stopped. In other words, a ball supply device that supplies balls to a gaming machine used in combination with such a launch mechanism control system needs to be able to generate such a stop signal and send it to the receiving means. is there.
The ball supply device is sufficient if it is such, and does not necessarily have to be included in the firing mechanism control system. For example, as a device that can supply balls to gaming machines, it is often used between adjacent gaming machines in a hall where a lot of gaming machines are installed so that players can enjoy the game. Although a general daima ball lending machine is provided with a means capable of generating a stop signal as described above and sending it to the receiving means, it is used as a ball supply device in the present invention. It is possible. In addition, even if a general pedestrian ball lending machine is modified as described above, no changes are made to the gaming machine itself, so the results of the gaming machine test are virtually unaffected. It can be said that does not occur.

The switching means of the launching mechanism control system of the present application connects a connection line electrically connected to the contact electrode to a grounded ground line, and when the receiving means receives the stop signal from the ball supply device As long as the connection between the connection line and the ground line can be cut off, that is, as long as the above-described ground switching can be performed, the details thereof are not limited. For example, the switching means may include a contact relay. In this case, the contact relay has a first terminal connected to the connection line, a second terminal connected to the ground line, a second terminal connected to the base end thereof, and a tip thereof connected to the first terminal. A contact piece that is freely contactable with respect to the contact piece, and the contact piece has a tip that is in contact with the first terminal, and the receiving means receives the stop signal from the ball supply device. May be separated from the first terminal.
As means for performing the switching as described above, relays including a contact relay and a contactless relay are known, but from the viewpoint of preventing malfunction, the switching mechanism in the firing mechanism control system includes a contact. It is preferable to employ a relay. The contact relay has a first terminal connected to the connection wire, a second terminal connected to the ground wire, a second terminal connected to the base end thereof, and a distal end thereof connected to and separated from the first terminal. A contact piece which is made free, and the contact piece is arranged such that a tip of the contact piece which is in contact with the first terminal is separated from the first terminal when the receiving means receives a stop signal from the ball supply device. It is preferable to do this. This is also useful for preventing malfunction of the switching means.
The reason why the contact relay having the above-described configuration can prevent malfunction is that if the length of the connection line becomes long, the connection line functions as an antenna and picks up an extra signal other than the stop signal, causing malfunction. It is considered that the use of the contact relay having the above-described configuration can shorten the length of the connection line. The length of the connection line is preferably about 30 cm, preferably shorter than about 20 cm.

The inventor of the present application also proposes the following invention in order to solve the above-described problems.
The present invention relates to an upper plate that receives a supply of balls, a launching mechanism that is connected to the upper plate and that is supplied with the balls from the upper plate, and is capable of firing the balls on the board surface, from a reference position. The firing mechanism is used in combination with a pachinko machine equipped with a handle that is positioned at a firing position rotated by a predetermined angle or more and that is configured so that the firing mechanism launches a ball when the electrode included in the firing position is grounded. It is an automatic operation assist device for gaming machines. This automatic operation assisting device can be used for testing of gaming machines or can be applied to testing of gaming machines.
The automatic operation assisting device of the gaming machine supplies balls to the upper plate, and has means for generating a stop signal indicating that a predetermined number of balls have been supplied to the upper plate. A ball supply mechanism; a fixing means for fixing the handle at the firing position; a contact electrode adapted to contact the electrode; a receiving means for receiving the stop signal from the ball supply mechanism; And a switching means for disconnecting the connection between the connection line and the ground line when the reception means receives the stop signal from the ball supply mechanism. The ball supply mechanism circulates balls by collecting balls generated as a result of the game from the pachinko gaming machine and supplying them to the upper plate.
Since this automatic operation assisting device can also switch the driving and stopping of the launching mechanism by controlling the ground of the electrode provided on the handle, the unattended game is similar to the launching mechanism control system described above. It will be useful to realize machine testing.
This automatic operation assisting device has a ball supply mechanism. This ball supply mechanism supplies balls to the upper plate in the same manner as the ball supply device described in the above-described launch mechanism control system, and further collects balls generated as a result of the game from the pachinko gaming machine, By supplying it to the upper plate, the balls are circulated. Such an automatic operation assisting device has such a ball supply mechanism, so that one gaming machine can be tested in a stand-alone state. In addition, it is also possible to use the ball supply mechanism in the automatic operation assistance device of the present invention as a ball supply device in the above-described firing mechanism control system.

The ball supply mechanism in the automatic operation assisting device generates a stop signal as described above to be sent to the receiving means, and sends it to the receiving means in the same manner as the ball supply device used in combination with the firing mechanism control system. It must be possible.
The ball supply mechanism may include input means for receiving an input of the number of balls to be supplied to the upper plate. By doing in this way, conditions for generating the above-mentioned stop signal (the number of balls to be supplied to the upper plate) can be arbitrarily changed.
The ball supply mechanism may include means for generating a start signal indicating that supply of balls to the upper plate should be started, and the receiving means may be adapted to receive the start signal. . In this case, the switching means may connect a connection line electrically connected to the contact electrode to a grounded earth line when the receiving means receives the start signal. In this way, the automatic operation assisting device can automate the firing mechanism including not only stopping driving but also starting driving.

The switching means in the automatic operation assisting device may include a contact relay. In this case, the contact relay has a first terminal connected to the connection line, a second terminal connected to the ground line, a second terminal connected to the base end thereof, and a tip thereof connected to the first terminal. A contact piece that is freely contactable and separable with respect to the contact piece, the tip of the contact piece being in contact with the first terminal receives the stop signal from the ball supply mechanism. The first terminal may be separated from the first terminal.
By adopting such a switching means, the automatic operation assisting device can obtain an advantage that malfunction can be prevented as in the case of the above-described launching mechanism control system.
When the ball supply mechanism is provided with means for generating a start signal and the receiving means is adapted to receive the start signal, the switching means including the contact relay is provided when the receiving means receives the start signal. It is possible to connect the connection line and the ground line.

The automatic operation assisting device is also configured to count the number of missed balls generated as a result of the game performed in the pachinko gaming machine and generate a missed ball count signal for the number of missed balls, and the pachinko game A prize counting means for counting the number of prize balls generated as a result of the game performed on the machine and generating a prize ball number signal for the number of prize balls, the outlier number signal, and the prize ball number signal externally And an output means for outputting to. Note that the loose balls may include balls that have entered a winning opening as described later.
Alternatively, out-ball counting means that counts the number of out-of-balls generated as a result of a game performed in the pachinko gaming machine and generates a out-of-ball signal for the number of out-of-balls, and a game performed in the pachinko gaming machine Based on the prize ball counting means for counting the number of prize balls resulting from the above and generating a prize ball number signal for the number of prize balls, the miss ball number signal, and the prize ball number signal, the number of miss balls And display means for displaying the number of prize balls.
The above-described automatic operation assisting device having the output means or the display means has a function useful for confirming the game result, and thus functions as a device for testing the gaming machine. Note that the configuration of the output means and the display means can be provided in the above-described launch mechanism control system.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a best embodiment for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, a gaming machine 100 used in combination with the automatic operation assisting device in this embodiment is shown in FIG. FIG. 1 is a front view including a perspective view of the gaming machine 100.

This gaming machine 100 is a commercially available pachinko gaming machine that is used in general stores, though not necessarily so.
The schematic configuration will be described.

  The gaming machine 100 has a gaming board 110. The game board 110 is a part where a pachinko game is executed, and has a glass plate and a board surface on which a large number of nails are placed behind the glass plate.

The gaming machine 100 also has an upper plate 120 and a lower plate 130.
The upper plate 120 has a recess 121. The concave portion 121 has a taper that becomes narrower toward the right side as shown in the plan view of FIG. 2, and has a downward slope from the left to the right in FIG. Moreover, the width | variety near the right end of the recessed part 121 becomes a width | variety substantially the same as the diameter of a ball.
A prize ball discharge port 122 is provided at the left end of the recess 121 so as to face the recess 121. The prize ball discharge port 122 is an opening that guides a prize ball generated as a result of the game to the upper plate 120. The prize ball is discharged from the inside of the gaming machine 100 to the upper plate 120 through the prize ball discharge port 122. Where and how the prize balls are supplied will be described later. A hole 123 is provided at the right end of the recess 121 of the upper plate 120 in FIGS. The hole 123 is continuous with the guide path 124. The guide path 124 is a vertical hole extending in the vertical direction in this embodiment having a diameter of approximately one ball.
With such a configuration of the upper plate 120, the balls discharged into the concave portion 121 of the upper plate 120 through the prize ball discharge port 122 move the interior of the concave portion 121 from the left side to the right side in FIGS. , Aligned in a line at the narrowed portion near the right end of the recess 121, and sequentially falls into the guide path 124 from the hole 123.
The guide path 124 is connected to a launch mechanism 125 built in the gaming machine 100 at the lower end thereof. The launch mechanism 125 is a device that launches a ball onto the game board 110. The launch mechanism 125 launches the ball guided from the guide path 124 to the game board 110 one by one when it is in a driving state. Note that the launch mechanism 125 of the gaming machine 100 is generally configured to launch 100 balls per minute. The firing mechanism 125 performs an ON state in which the ball guided to the firing mechanism 125 through the guide path 124 is fired by the operation of the handle 126 provided in the lower right part of the front surface of the gaming machine 100, and the ball is fired. No OFF state can be switched.

The handle 126 has a door knob-like shape and can be rotated to a certain angle in the direction R in FIG. The handle 126 includes an electrode 126A. The electrode 126A is provided on the back side of the handle 126 (near the game board 110).
When the handle 126 is rotated by a predetermined angle or more from the reference position (initial position) in the direction of R in FIG. 1 and the above-described electrode 126A is grounded, the firing mechanism 125 fires a ball. It is configured to be in a state. When either of the two conditions of rotating the handle 126 in the direction of R in FIG. 1 by a predetermined angle or more from the reference position and grounding the electrode 126A of the handle 126 is not satisfied, the firing mechanism 125 It becomes the OFF state that does not fire.

The lower plate 130 is formed in a box shape, in this embodiment, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape, and the upper side is an opening. The lower plate 130 is connected to the upper plate 120 and the communication path 131 described above. The communication path 131 is connected to the prize ball outlet 122 inside the gaming machine 100. When a prize ball that cannot be completely discharged from the prize ball discharge port 122 to the recess 121 of the upper dish 120 due to a large number of balls in the recess 121 of the upper dish 120 is generated, It is guided to the lower plate 130 through the passage 131.
A drop hole 132 is provided below the lower plate 130 (in this embodiment, the lower surface). The drop hole 132 is generally openable and closable by a player's operation. In this embodiment, the drop hole 132 is kept open.

At the bottom of the game board 110, there is a dislodging ball entrance 111. As a result of the game performed on the game board 110, the ball that reaches the lowermost part of the game board 110 without entering any of the winning holes becomes a detached ball, and is taken into the game board 110 from the detached ball entrance 111. . The dislodging ball inlet 111 is connected to a dislodging ball discharge port 112 (see FIG. 3) opened on the back surface of the game board 110 (the back side of the drawing in FIG. 1) by a dislodging ball transfer pipe 113. Yes. The dislodging ball transfer pipe 113 is given a slight downward inclination from the dislodging ball inlet 111 toward the dislodging ball discharge port 112, so that the dislodging ball that has entered the dislodging ball collecting port 111 is removed from the dislodging ball discharge port 112. The ball is pulled by gravity and rolls down in the ball transfer tube 113.
Although not shown in the drawing, the game board 110 has a prize opening (a ball entrance where a phenomenon advantageous to the player occurs when a ball enters the ball). Multiple cases are provided. The winning opening and the dislodging ball discharge port 112 are connected by a pipe (not shown) so that the ball that has entered the winning port also moves toward the dislodging ball discharge port 112 in the dismounting ball transfer tube 113. It has become.

  On the back side of the gaming machine 100, a prize ball supply port (not shown) is provided. The prize ball supply port is connected to the aforementioned prize ball discharge port 122 and a predetermined pipe (generally a bellows pipe). The prize ball enters the gaming machine 100 from the prize ball supply port, and exits from the prize ball discharge port 122 through a predetermined pipe.

The gaming machine 100 as described above is attached to the automatic operation assisting device. In this embodiment, the frame body 200 shown in the perspective view of FIG. 4 is used for the attachment. However, such a frame 200 is not necessarily required, and the automatic operation assisting device is provided by pressing the upper surface of the gaming machine 100 directly downward without using the frame by the attaching / detaching mechanism 370 described later. It can also be made to attach to.
The frame body 200 of this embodiment is made of metal. The frame body 200 is formed by combining four plate-like members into a rectangle. In this embodiment, the width and thickness of each of the upper, lower, left, and right members that make up the frame body 200 are equal.
The gaming machine 100 is fitted and fixed in the space inside the frame body 200. The gaming machine 100 can be fixed to the frame body 200 using an appropriate conventional technique. For example, this fixing can be performed using a nail or a bolt.

Next, the configuration of the automatic operation assistance device 300 of the gaming machine 110 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the automatic operation assisting device 300 is viewed from diagonally forward right, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the state in which the automatic operation assisting device 300 is viewed from diagonally forward left, and FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which looked at the operation assistance apparatus 300 from diagonally backward left.
5 to 7 show a state where the frame body 200 in a state where the gaming machine 100 is not attached is fixed to the automatic operation assisting device 300. In addition, the word “front” of the automatic operation assisting device 300 in this embodiment means a direction that coincides with the front of the gaming machine 100 when the gaming machine 100 is fixed to the automatic operation assisting device 300.

  The automatic operation assisting device 300 is configured by attaching various components to the main body 310.

The main body 310 includes two vertical members 311 extending in the vertical direction, and horizontal members 313, 314, and 315 that extend horizontally to the two vertical members 311. These horizontal members 313, 314, and 315 all have a function of connecting two vertical members 311. The horizontal members 313, 314, and 315 are all formed in a plate shape. The horizontal member 313 connecting the upper end of the vertical member 311 is connected to the horizontal member 314 connecting the middle of the vertical member 311 and the lower end of the vertical member 311 so that the wide surface is vertical. The horizontal member 315 is oriented such that its wide surface is horizontal.
The horizontal member 313 is hinge-connected to the vertical member 311 at the upper part thereof, and can be rotated upward with its lower end protruding forward with its upper end as an axis. This hinge connection lifts the front end (lower end) of the lateral member 313 while pushing it forward so that the space behind the lateral member 313 can be exposed. This is so that the mechanism can be operated. The hinge connection can be provided on the right side or the left side of the transverse member 313. In this case, the transverse member 313 is opened from the side.
At both ends of the horizontal member 315, bar-shaped leg members 315A extending in the front-rear direction of the automatic operation assisting device 300 are provided. This is for maintaining a stable upright state of the automatic operation assisting device 300. Casters 315B are provided below both ends of the two leg members 315A. This caster 315B is for facilitating the movement of the automatic operation assisting device 300 (with the gaming machine 100 attached in some cases).

In this embodiment, a plate-like table 316 is provided on the front side of the horizontal member 314 so as to be positioned slightly below the horizontal member 314 in a horizontal state. On the table 316, a ball receiver 320 formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape whose upper surface is opened is provided. The bottom surface of the ball receiver 320 is provided with a hole 321 that reaches the inside of the table 316 but does not reach the lower surface of the table 316. The hole 321 is built in the table 316 and is connected to one end of a first connection rod 322 having a substantially U-shaped cross-section and passing under the lateral member 314. The other end of the first connection rod 322 faces the upper part of a first ball reservoir 330 described later. In addition, the 1st connection rod 322 inclines so that the other end side may become low from the one end to the other end.
A small table 317 narrower than the table 316 is provided behind the horizontal member 314 and below the table 316. A first ball reservoir 330 is provided on the small table 317. The first ball reservoir 330 has a function of temporarily storing balls.
A box-shaped release ball receiver 340 having an open upper surface is provided on the rear side of the horizontal member 314 and above the first ball pool 330. When the gaming machine 100 is attached to the automatic operation assisting device 300, the falling ball receiver 340 is positioned directly below the above-described falling ball discharge port 112 provided in the gaming machine 100. A ball falling from 112 can be received. Further, a cylindrical drop cylinder 341 for dropping the balls accumulated in the release ball receiver 340 downward is provided below the release ball receiver 340. The lower end of the dropping cylinder 341 is positioned above the first ball reservoir 330 so that the balls dropped from the falling ball receiver 340 via the dropping cylinder 341 are received in the first ball reservoir 330. It has become.

A doffing mechanism 350 configured to guide balls accumulated in the first ball reservoir 330 is provided to the right of the first ball reservoir 330 as viewed from the back side of the automatic operation assisting device 300. The doffing mechanism 350 is also connected to a guide 351 constituted by four rod-like bodies 351A arranged in parallel so that the cross section thereof is positioned at the apex of the square. The four rod-shaped bodies 351A are arranged so that when the balls T are inserted into the space inside the guide 351, the balls T can be kept just circumscribed by the four rod-shaped bodies 351A (this state) Is shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, 351B is a cloth. The cloth 351B may be a non-woven fabric or a woven fabric. The cloth 351B is wound around the four rod-shaped bodies 351A, and is fixed around the four rod-shaped bodies 351A, for example, by being tied with a string. The cloth 351B enters the inside of the guide 351 from between the adjacent rod-like bodies 351A due to its flexibility. The cloth 351B is not shown in FIGS.
The doffing mechanism 350 has a function of pushing the balls received from the first ball reservoir 330 one by one into the space inside the guide 351 and pushing the balls upward. The doffing mechanism 350 includes, for example, a gear-like component (not shown) that has a plurality of recesses around the recess that can receive only one ball and is configured to rotate only in one direction. The ball receiving the ball in the recess is rotated, and the ball is released inside the guide 351, so that the balls received from the first ball reservoir 330 can be fed one by one into the space inside the guide 351. Has been. The balls are pushed into the guide 351 one by one from the lower end of the guide 351, and the spaces in the guide 351 are pushed up in a linked state. In the process of being pushed up, the balls are brought into contact with the cloth 351B and polished.

The guide 351 is gently bent toward the front of the automatic operation assisting device 300 in the vicinity of the upper end thereof. The ball that has been pushed up the space in the guide 351 falls from the upper end of the guide 351.
A second ball reservoir 360 is provided at a portion where the ball falls from the tip of the guide 351 behind the horizontal member 313. The second ball reservoir 360 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a box shape with an upper surface opened. Two ball supply units 361 and 362 are provided behind the second ball reservoir 360.
The ball supply unit 361 is connected to one end of a first bellows tube (not shown). The ball supply unit 362 is connected to one end of the second bellows tube 362A. The first bellows tube 362A and the second bellows tube 362A can be bent freely and can maintain any shape. The inner diameters of the first bellows tube and the second bellows tube 362A are set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the ball. Both the ball supply units 361 and 362 have a function of feeding the balls accumulated in the second ball reservoir 360 to the first bellows tube or the second bellows tube 362A connected thereto. As long as the ball supply units 361 and 362 have such a function, there is no restriction on the shape and structure. The ball supply units 361 and 362 may be simple holes formed in the second ball reservoir 360 as long as the balls can be fed to the first bellows tube or the second bellows tube 362A.

The other end of the first bellows tube whose one end is connected to the ball supply unit 361 is the above-mentioned prize ball provided on the back side of the gaming machine 100 when the gaming machine 100 is attached to the automatic operation assisting device 300. Connected to the supply port. As a result, the balls accumulated in the second ball reservoir 360 are guided into the gaming machine 100.
The second bellows tube 362A having one end connected to the ball supply unit 362 is inserted into the right vertical member 311 when the automatic operation assisting device 300 is viewed from the back side through a hole (not shown), and the other end The side can be exposed from the front side of the automatic operation assisting device 300. The other end of the second bellows tube 362 </ b> A can be made to face the recess 121 in the upper plate 120 of the gaming machine 100 when the gaming machine 100 is attached to the automatic operation assisting device 300. By causing the other end of the second bellows tube 362A to face the recess 121 of the upper plate 120 of the gaming machine 100, the balls accumulated in the second ball reservoir 360 are guided to the upper plate 120 of the gaming machine 100 by gravity. It is like that. If the tip of the second bellows tube 362A is spaced from the bottom surface of the recess 121 by a distance of about 1 to 2 times the diameter of the ball, the tip of the second bellows tube 362A is directly below the second bellows tube 362A in the recess 121 of the upper plate 120. Only when there is no ball, the ball is supplied to the recess 121 from the tip of the second bellows tube 362A, and when there is a ball, the ball is not supplied to the recess 121.
In this way, the automatic operation assisting device 300 is configured to supply balls from the second bellows tube 362A to the upper plate 120. In this embodiment, such balls are automatically supplied when there is a shortage of balls in the upper plate 120.

An attachment / detachment mechanism 370 is provided on the upper part of the automatic operation assisting device 300.
The attachment / detachment mechanism 370 is for detachably fixing the frame body 200 to the main body 310.
As described above, the lateral member 313 can be lifted up to expose the back of the lateral member 313. FIG. 9 shows a state in which the horizontal member 313 is lifted and the exposed attachment / detachment mechanism 370 is viewed from the front.

The attaching / detaching mechanism 370 is formed in a U-shaped cross section, and includes a fixed main body portion 371 whose opening faces downward, and a movable member 372 attached to the fixed main body portion 371 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. ing.
Both ends of the fixed main body 371 are fixed to the vertical member 311, whereby the attachment / detachment mechanism 370 is fixed to the main body 310.
As shown in the sectional view of FIG. 10, two hollow guide members 371 </ b> A that are cylindrical in this embodiment are provided in the vicinity of both ends inside the fixed main body 371. The upper end portion of the guide member 371A is fixed to the inner surface of the upper portion of the fixed main body portion 371 so that the axis of the hole inside the guide member 371A is in the vertical direction.
Inside the fixed main body 371, a cam 371B having a shape close to one of four shapes obtained by dividing the ellipse along the major axis and the minor axis is provided. The cam 371B can be rotated 90 degrees around a shaft 371C passing through the fixed main body portion 371 in the width direction, and a position where the minor axis is oriented substantially vertically (FIG. 11 (a ) And a position (position shown in FIG. 11 (b)) in which the major axis is in a substantially vertical direction, can be fixed. In order to enable the fixing, a straight portion is formed at a portion that intersects the major axis of the arc and a portion that intersects the minor axis of the arc. Note that how these linear portions function when fixing the cam 371B will be described later. The cam 371B is connected to a lever 371D via a shaft 371C, and is rotated in accordance with an operation of rotating the lever 371D as indicated by an arrow in FIG.

The movable member 372 is formed in a substantially U-shape, and includes a movable main body portion 372A that is fitted inside the fixed main body portion 371 so that the opening faces upward. At both ends of the movable main body portion 372A, a hollow hollow projecting portion 372B having an outer surface corresponding to the inner surface of the guide member 371A is provided. The two protrusions 372B are both inserted inside the guide member 371A and are guided by the guide member 371A. Thereby, the moving direction with respect to the fixed main-body part 371 of the movable member 372 will be controlled only to an up-down direction. The hollow portion inside the protrusion 372B is cylindrical. A hole 372Ba is formed at the center of the upper portion of the two protrusions 372B.
The fixed main body 371 and the movable main body 372A of the movable member 372 are connected by a first spring 372C. The first spring 372C is connected to the fixed main body portion 371 and the movable main body portion 372A in a state where the first spring 372C is considerably extended from a state where no force is applied. As a result, the movable member 372 is always subjected to a force that is drawn into the fixed main body 371. As a result, the state where the tip of the cam 371B is in contact with the upper surface of the lower member of the movable main body 372A is always maintained. Note that a plate-like contact material 372D for the purpose of reinforcement is provided at a portion of the movable main body 372A that contacts the cam 371B.
The cam 371B is formed at a portion that intersects the major axis of the arc and a portion that intersects the minor axis when the contact member 372D is in the state of FIG. 11 (a) and the state of FIG. 11 (b). A certain linear portion comes into contact and becomes stable. As a result, the cam 371B is stably fixed when the state shown in FIG. 11A and the state shown in FIG.

A pressing member 373 is also attached to both ends of the movable member 372.
Both of the two pressing members 373 are formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section, and have a pressing portion 373A that extends over the fixed main body portion 371 from the lower side through the upward opening thereof, and a lower side of the pressing portion 373A. It protrudes from the upper surface of the portion, and has a rod-shaped shaft member 373B that can be inserted into a hollow portion inside the protruding portion 372B.
A rubber mat 373D made of rubber is attached to the lower surface of the pressing portion 373A. This rubber mat 373D is for improving biting on the upper surface of the pressing portion 373A of the frame body 200.
The shaft member 373B is inserted into the protrusion 372B and passes through the hole 372Ba of the protrusion 372B. A stopper 373Ba having a diameter larger than that of the hole 372Ba is provided at the tip of the shaft member 373B to prevent the shaft member 373B from falling out of the hole 372Ba. A second spring 373C is disposed along the outer periphery of the shaft member 373B. One end of the second spring 373C is in contact with the uppermost portion of the hollow portion inside the protruding portion 372B, and the other end is in contact with the upper surface of the lower portion of the pressing portion 373A, so that the second spring 373C is always urged downward. It has become.

Next, a method of using the attachment / detachment mechanism 370 will be described.
The frame body 200 to which the gaming machine 100 is fixed is fitted into a space surrounded by the attaching / detaching mechanism 370, the vertical members 311 on both sides, and the table 316. At this time, the frame body 200 is placed on the table 316 such that the lower surface of the frame body 200 is in contact with the upper surface of the table 316.
At this time, the lever 371D is configured such that the cam 371B is located at the position shown in FIG. In this state, the portion of the cam 371B that intersects the minor axis of the arc is in contact with the contact member 372D of the movable member 372.
Next, the lever 371D is operated to rotate the cam 371B. Thereby, the cam 371B is located at the position shown in FIG. In this state, the portion of the cam 371B that intersects the major axis of the arc comes into contact with the contact member 372D of the movable member 372. As the cam 371B rotates and the abutting member 372D is pushed down against the force from the first spring 372C, the entire movable member 372 is pushed down and moves downward. The movement of the movable member 372 is a vertical movement as the protruding portion 372B is guided by the guide member 371A.
As the movable member 372 moves downward, the pressing member 373 also moves downward. As a result, the lower surface of the rubber mat 373D of the pressing member 373 presses the upper surface of the frame body 200. At this time, the lower surface of the rubber mat 373 </ b> D of the pressing member 373 comes into contact with the vicinity of both end portions of the upper surface of the frame body 200. In this way, the frame body 200 is fixed while being sandwiched from above and below.
At this time, there is an error in the length of the frame body 200 in the vertical direction, and there is a problem in fixing the frame body 200 even if the position of the upper surface of the frame body 200 is above the planned position. Absent. In such a case, the pressing member 373 moves slightly upward against the urging force from the second spring 373C. As described above, the pressing member 373 absorbs an error in the length of the frame body 200 in the vertical direction.

  In order to release the fixation of the frame body 200, the lever 371D may be rotated in the opposite direction to that described above. Then, the cam 371B rotates, and the portion that intersects the minor axis of the arc of the cam 371B comes into contact with the contact material 372D of the movable member 372. At this time, the movable member 372 moves upward by the force acting on the movable member 372 from the first spring 372C. Along with this, the pressing member 373 also moves upward, and the fixing of the frame body 200 is released.

A display device 380 is provided in front of the transverse member 313 of the automatic operation assisting device 300. The display device 380 includes a display panel 381 for performing display and operation buttons 382 for performing operations. The display panel 381 is for displaying information necessary for setting when testing the gaming machine 100, the result of the test, and the like, and is configured by a liquid crystal display, for example. The operation button 382 performs a reset operation necessary for inputting information necessary for setting when testing the gaming machine 100, switching display of a test result, starting a new test, etc. to the automatic operation assisting device 300. This is used when
The display device 380 is also provided with an output terminal 383. The output terminal 383 is configured to send a stop signal and a start signal described later to a switching unit described later.
A substrate (not shown) is provided on the back side of the portion corresponding to the display device 380 of the horizontal member 313. A CPU, ROM, RAM, and interface connected to each other by a bus are attached to the substrate.
The CPU executes a predetermined process by executing a predetermined program. The ROM stores a program for operating the CPU, data necessary for controlling the display device 380, and the like. The RAM provides a work area for the CPU to perform data processing. The interface exchanges data with the outside. For example, the interface outputs data generated by the CPU to the display panel 381 of the display device 380 and causes the display panel 381 to perform an appropriate display. The interface is also connected to an output terminal 383, and sends a stop signal and a start signal described later to the output terminal 383. The interface also accepts input from the operation buttons 382, crocodile clips to be described later, and inputs from the ball sensor, prize ball sensor, and off-ball sensor to be described later.

The automatic operation assisting apparatus 300 described above includes a ball sensor, a prize ball sensor, and a missed ball sensor. Illustration of each sensor is omitted. The used ball sensor, the prize ball sensor, and the off-ball sensor are all connected to the above-described interface by a cable (not shown).
The used ball sensor is a ball led from the second ball reservoir 360 to the upper plate 120 (usually, a ball lent out for a game (in this embodiment, this is called “used ball”). This is a sensor for detecting the number of. The used ball sensor may be attached anywhere as long as it can detect the number of balls guided from the second ball reservoir 360 to the upper plate 120. In this embodiment, the used ball sensor may be attached at any position of the ball supply unit 362 or the second bellows tube 362A that guides the ball from the second ball reservoir 360 to the upper plate 120. In this embodiment, a ball sensor is attached to a portion of the second bellows tube 362A built in the vertical member 311. The ball sensor used in this embodiment is a proximity sensor, and detects it when a ball passes by. The used ball sensor sends a signal that the used ball has passed by the interface to the interface through the cable every time the used ball passes by.
The prize ball sensor counts the number of balls (which will be referred to as “prize balls” in this embodiment) discharged from the gaming machine via a first bellows tube, which will be described later, resulting from the game. It is a sensor for detecting. The prize ball sensor may be attached anywhere as long as it can detect the number of balls that have passed through the first bellows tube. In this embodiment, the prize ball sensor may be attached to any appropriate position of the first bellows tube or the ball supply unit 361. In this embodiment, a prize ball sensor is attached at the boundary between the first bellows tube and the ball supply unit 361. The prize ball sensor in this embodiment is a proximity sensor, and detects it when a ball passes by. The prize ball sensor sends a signal that the prize ball has passed by the interface to the interface via the cable every time the prize ball passes by.
The off-ball sensor is a ball guided to the first ball reservoir 330 from the off-ball discharge port 112 provided in the gaming machine 100 (the off-ball generated as a result of the game (this is referred to as “out-of-ball” in this embodiment). It is a sensor for detecting the number of. The detached ball sensor may be attached anywhere as long as it can detect the number of balls guided from the detached ball discharge port 112 to the first ball reservoir 330. In this embodiment, the off-ball sensor may be attached to any position of the off-ball receiver 340. In this embodiment, a falling ball sensor is attached to a dropping cylinder 341 included in the falling ball receiver 340. The out-of-ball sensor in this embodiment is a proximity sensor, and detects it when a ball passes by. The missed ball sensor sends a signal that the ball used has passed by the interface to the interface via the cable every time the missed ball passes by.
Each of the used ball sensor, the prize ball sensor, and the off-ball sensor may be composed of a plurality of sensors, and may be constituted by, for example, a passing sensor (product number: TL-PP153) manufactured by OMRON Corporation. it can.

The automatic operation assisting device 300 of the gaming machine 100 according to this embodiment also includes a handle fixing device 390. As shown in FIG. 13, the handle fixing device 390 includes a fixing belt 391, a connection line 392, a switching unit 393, a ground line 394, a signal line 395, and a contact electrode 396.
The fixing belt 391 is made of a flexible material and has a thickness of about 3 to 4 mm, for example. The fixing belt 391 has a velcro tape 391A that can be detachably fixed to an appropriate portion of the fixing belt 391. The fixing belt 391 has a function of fixing the handle 126 at a position rotated by an arbitrary angle. However, if the fixing belt 391 has such a function, the fixing belt 391 is not a belt-like object. Can be replaced.
The connecting wire 392 is a covered conducting wire. An alligator clip 392A is attached to the tip of the connection line 392. The alligator clip 392A is configured to be able to sandwich the contact electrode 396. The contact electrode 396 is connected to the tip of the conducting wire 396A. The base end side of the conducting wire 396A is exposed to the side corresponding to the inner surface of the fixing belt 391 when the fixing belt 391 is wound around the handle 126 through the fixing belt 391. The exposed conductive wire 396A is brought into contact with the electrode 126A included in the handle 126. Note that the conductive wire 396A does not necessarily have such a configuration as long as a part of the conductive wire 396A comes into contact with the electrode 126A. That is, when the contact electrode 396 is sandwiched between the alligator clip 392A, the electrode 126A of the handle 126 and the connection line 392 are brought into conduction through the conducting wire 396A, the contact electrode 396, and the alligator clip 392A. Note that the alligator clip 392A and the contact electrode 396 can be eliminated, and the connecting wire 392 and the conducting wire 396A can be arranged in series from the beginning.
The switching unit 393 has a function of switching whether to ground the electrode provided on the handle 126 or to disconnect the ground. In this embodiment, a contact relay is provided on the resin case 393A. It is supposed to be built-in. The internal configuration of the switching unit 393 will be described later.
The ground wire 394 is a covered conductive wire, and its proximal end is connected to the switching portion 393. An alligator clip 394 A is attached to the tip of the ground wire 394. The alligator clip 394A sandwiches an appropriate object to be grounded and is electrically connected thereto.
The signal line 395 is a covered conductive wire, and one end of the signal line 395 is connected to the output terminal 383 of the display device 380. The other end of the signal line 395 is connected to the switching unit 393.
The inside of the switching unit 393 is configured as shown in FIG. The switching unit 393 includes a first terminal 393B, a second terminal 393C, a third terminal 393D, a contact piece 393E, and a coil 393F inside the case 393A.
The first terminal 393B is connected to the connection line 392. The second terminal 393C is connected to the ground wire 394. The third terminal 393D is electrically insulated from other members. The contact piece 393E is hinge-connected to the first terminal 393B in a state where the base end is electrically connected. The contact piece 393E can rotate as indicated by the arrow S in FIG. 14 with the first terminal 393B as a base point. Thereby, the contact piece 393E is brought into contact with either the second terminal 393C or the third terminal 393D so as to be electrically connected thereto. The coil 393F is connected to the signal line 395. The coil 393F generates a magnetic field when a current flows by sending a stop signal or a start signal to the signal line 395, thereby rotating the contact piece 393E. When the coil 393F generates a magnetic field in response to the start signal, the contact piece 393E changes from a state in which the tip thereof is in contact with the third terminal 393D to a state in which the contact piece 393E is in contact with the second terminal 393C. In this state, the electrode 126A included in the handle 126 is grounded. When the coil 393F generates a magnetic field in response to the stop signal, the contact piece 393E changes from a state in which the tip thereof is in contact with the second terminal 393C to a state in which the contact piece 393E is in contact with the third terminal 393D. In this state, the electrode 126A included in the handle 126 is not grounded.

The usage method and operation of the automatic operation assisting device 300 as described above will be described below.
In order to continuously execute a game on the gaming machine 100 using the automatic operation assisting device 300, first, the gaming machine 100 is fixed to the automatic operation assisting device 300. In this case, the gaming machine 100 is first fixed to the frame body 200, and then the frame body 200 to which the gaming machine 100 is fixed is fixed to the automatic operation assisting device 300. As described above, the frame body 200 is fixed to the automatic operation assisting device 300 by operating the lever 371D in a state where the lower end of the horizontal member 313 is lifted upward by the rotation of the horizontal member 313.
The automatic operation assisting device 300 is moved to an appropriate place before or after the gaming machine 100 is attached.

Next, both ends of the first bellows tube described above are connected to the ball supply unit 361 of the automatic operation assisting device 300 and the prize ball supply port of the gaming machine 100, respectively. In addition, one end of the second bellows tube 362A described above is connected to the ball supply unit 362 of the automatic operation assisting device 300.
Next, the other end of the second bellows tube 362A is brought to a position separated from the bottom surface of the recess 121 of the upper plate 120 of the automatic operation assisting device 300 by about 1 to 2 cm.
In this state, the balls are in a state where they are accumulated in the first ball reservoir 330 and the second ball reservoir 360 and do not exist inside the gaming machine 100.

Next, the number of balls to be used is determined, that is, the number of balls to be supplied to the upper plate 120 is determined and input to the display device 380 of the automatic operation assisting device 300. Such an input is performed by operating an operation button 382 provided on the display device 380. When the operation button 382 is operated, information necessary for operating the operation button 382 is displayed on the display panel 381.
For example, when it is desired to test the game result when 5000 balls are used, the number 5000 is input by operating the operation button 382. The input value is sent to the CPU through the bus and recorded in the RAM.

Next, the handle 126 of the gaming machine 100 is rotated by a predetermined angle or more from the reference position, and is fixed using the fixing belt 391 of the handle fixing device 390 in that state. Such fixing is performed by winding the fixing belt 391 around the handle 126 and fixing it with the Velcro tape 391A. Since the fixing belt 391 has a considerable thickness and the gap between the handle 126 and the upper plate 120 is quite small, when the fixing belt 391 is wound around the handle 126 and fixed, the fixing belt 391 is sandwiched between the gaps. As a result, the handle 126 is fixed.
In this state, the contact electrode 396 is sandwiched between the alligator clips 392A of the connection line 392, and the connection line 392 and the electrode 126A included in the handle 126 are electrically connected. Further, an appropriate object to be grounded is sandwiched by the alligator clip 394A of the ground wire 394. In addition, one end of the signal line 395 is connected to the output terminal 383 of the display device 380.

In this state, the contact piece 393E is in a state where the tip thereof is in contact with the third terminal 393D, and the electrode 126A of the handle 126 is not grounded. Here, the operator operates the operation button 382 to cause the automatic operation assisting device 300 to perform a reset operation that also serves as a trigger for starting the game. When such an operation is performed, a signal indicating that such an operation has been performed is input to the CPU via the interface. In response to this, the CPU generates a start signal. This start signal is transmitted to the switching unit 393 via the interface and the signal line 395. If it does so, an electric current will flow into the coil 393F, a magnetic field will generate | occur | produce, and the contact piece 393E will change to the state which the front-end | tip contacted the 2nd terminal 393C. By doing so, the electrode 126A of the handle 126 is grounded.
At this time, since the handle 126 is rotated by a predetermined angle or more from the reference position and the electrode 126A of the handle 126 is grounded, the firing mechanism 125 is turned on. Thereby, a game is started, and balls are sequentially fired onto the game board 110 by the launch mechanism 125.
During the game, balls are circulated between the automatic operation assisting device 300 and the gaming machine 100. For the understanding of the movement of the ball, refer to FIG. 15 in which the movement of the ball is described with the automatic operation assisting device 300 and the configuration of the gaming machine 100 simplified.

When the automatic operation assisting device 300 is driven, a ball that is to become a prize ball is guided from the second ball reservoir 360 to the prize ball supply port of the gaming machine 100 through the first bellows tube, and inside the gaming machine 100. It reaches. The ball to be a prize ball stays in the gaming machine 100 until the game is executed and a predetermined condition is satisfied. Further, a ball to be used reaches the recess 121 of the upper plate 120 of the gaming machine 100 from the second ball reservoir 360 via the second bellows tube 362A. The number of balls reaching the upper plate 120 is counted by the used ball sensor, and the data is sent to the base interface. This data is sent to the CPU and recorded in the RAM.
Based on the data, display device 380 displays the number of balls used on display panel 381 in real time.
The ball reaching the recess 121 reaches the launch mechanism 125 via the guide path 124. This ball is ejected toward the game board 110 by the launching mechanism 125 that is in the ON state.

A game is executed by injecting a ball onto the game board 110. When the game is executed, a prize ball and a loose ball are generated.
The prize ball is discharged from the prize ball discharge port 122 to the recess 121 of the upper plate 120. When the amount of balls in the recess 121 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the prize ball passes through the communication path 131 and reaches the lower plate 130. The ball reaching the lower plate 130 falls from the open drop hole 132 to the ball receiver 320, and is guided from the hole 321 of the ball receiver 320 to the first ball reservoir 330 through the first connection rod 322. .
The ball that has entered the winning ball and the winning opening enters the gaming machine 100 through the falling ball inlet 111, passes through the falling ball outlet 112, and reaches the falling ball receiver 340. The ball that has reached the detached ball receiver 340 falls within the drop tube 341 and reaches the first ball reservoir 330. At this time, the number of balls led to the first ball reservoir 330 from the off-ball discharge port 112 is counted by the off-ball sensor, and the data is sent to the base interface. This data is sent to the CPU and recorded in the RAM.

The balls accumulated in the first ball reservoir 330 are transferred to the second ball reservoir 360.
Ball transfer from the first ball reservoir 330 to the second ball reservoir 360 is performed by the doffing mechanism 350 through the guide 351. The ball is now polished by cloth 351B.
The ball guided to the second ball reservoir 360 is guided from the ball supply unit 361 to the prize ball supply port of the gaming machine 100 via the first bellows tube 361A (shown only in FIG. 15), and inside the gaming machine 100. Alternatively, the ball guided to the second ball reservoir 360 reaches the upper plate 120 of the gaming machine 100 from the ball supply unit 362 via the second bellows tube 362A.
As described above, the prize ball sensor is provided at the boundary between the ball supply unit 361 and the first bellows tube 361A. The number of balls moving from the ball supply unit 361 to the first bellows tube 361A is counted by a prize ball sensor, and the data is sent to the base interface. This data is sent to the CPU and recorded in the RAM.

  In this way, ball circulation between the automatic operation assisting device 300 and the gaming machine 100 is realized.

As described above, the number of balls to be supplied to the upper plate 120 input before the start of the game and the number of used balls, the number of winning balls, and the number of missed balls that are updated in real time are recorded in the RAM. Yes.
The CPU monitors in real time whether or not the number of balls used updated in real time has reached the number of balls to be supplied to the upper plate 120 input before the game starts, and the conditions are met Sometimes, a stop signal is generated and transmitted to the switching unit 393 via the interface and signal line 395. Then, a current flows through the coil 393F to generate a magnetic field, and the contact piece 393E changes from a state in which the tip thereof is in contact with the second terminal 393C to a state in which the contact piece 393E is in contact with the third terminal 393D. By doing so, the electrode 126A of the handle 126 is not grounded.
Then, the firing mechanism 125 is turned off and does not fire a ball. As a result, the game ends when the planned number of used balls has been used up.

At this time, the number of balls used, the number of prize balls, and the number of balls missed are recorded in the memory of the board. The administrator can cause the display panel 381 to display the number of used balls, the number of winning balls, and the number of missed balls by operating the operation buttons 382. Note that the number of used balls, the number of winning balls, and the number of missed balls can be displayed on the display panel 381 in real time during the game.
Further, the data on the number of used balls, the number of winning balls, and the number of out-of-balls is output to an external device such as a personal computer from another output terminal different from the output terminal 383 described above, and used in the external device. You can also.
In this embodiment, the number of balls used, the number of prize balls, and the number of balls missed are detected by a sensor, and the number of balls used, the number of prize balls, and the number of balls missed are displayed on the display panel 381. Other data such as the number of balls entered in the winning opening, the number of start events, etc. may be recorded in the RAM via the interface, and these data may be displayed on the display panel 381. Further, not only the data on the number of balls used, the number of prize balls, and the number of balls out of the ball itself, but also other parameters (for example, out, safe, base, The base value, the effective start, the actual winning start, the BY value, and the T1Y value at the time of changing the probability may be displayed on the display panel 381.

A gaming machine used in combination with the automatic operation assist device according to the present embodiment. The top view which shows the upper plate of the gaming machine shown in FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the lower part vicinity of the game board with which the gaming machine shown in FIG. The perspective view which shows the frame used in order to fix the gaming machine shown in FIG. The perspective view which shows the state which looked at the automatic operation assistance apparatus by this embodiment from diagonally right forward. The perspective view which shows the state which looked at the automatic operation assistance apparatus shown in FIG. The perspective view which shows the state which looked at the automatic operation assistance apparatus shown in FIG. 5 from diagonally left back. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of the guide with which the automatic operation | movement assistance apparatus shown in FIG. 5 is provided. The front view of the attachment / detachment mechanism with which the automatic operation | movement assistance apparatus shown in FIG. 5 is provided. FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing an internal structure of the attachment / detachment mechanism shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a front view including a partially cutaway view showing an internal structure of the attachment / detachment mechanism shown in FIG. 9. The front view which shows the display apparatus with which the automatic operation assistance apparatus shown in FIG. 5 is provided. The perspective view which shows a handle fixing instrument. The figure which shows schematically the internal structure of the switching part shown in FIG. The figure which shows schematically the movement state of the ball | bowl between the automatic operation assistance apparatus shown in FIG. 5, and the gaming machine shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Game machine 110 Game board 111 Outlet ball inlet 112 Outlet ball discharge port 113 Outlet ball transfer pipe 120 Upper plate 121 Concave 122 Prize ball discharge port 125 Launch mechanism 126 Handle 130 Lower plate 131 Communication path 132 Fall hole 200 Frame body 300 Automatic Operation assisting device 310 Main body portion 311 Vertical member 313 Horizontal member 314 Horizontal member 315 Horizontal member 320 Ball receiver 322 First connecting rod 330 First ball reservoir 340 Dislodging ball receiver 341 Falling cylinder 350 Doffing mechanism 351 Guide 361 Ball supply portion 361A First 1 bellows tube 362 ball supply unit 362A second bellows tube 370 attachment / detachment mechanism 380 display device 390 handle fixing tool 391 fixing belt 392 connection line 393 switching unit 394 ground wire 395 signal line

Claims (8)

An upper plate that receives the supply of balls from a predetermined ball supply device, a launching mechanism that is connected to the upper plate and that is designed to be able to fire balls from the upper plate so that the balls can be fired onto the surface of the board. In combination with a pachinko machine equipped with a handle that is positioned at a launch position rotated by a predetermined angle or more from the position, and that the launch mechanism launches a ball when the electrode that it has is grounded Is used,
Fixing means for fixing the handle at the firing position;
A contact electrode adapted to contact the electrode;
Receiving means for receiving a stop signal indicating that a predetermined number of balls have been supplied to the upper plate from the ball supply device;
A connection line electrically connected to the contact electrode is connected to a grounded ground line, and when the receiving means receives the stop signal from the ball supply device, the connection line is connected to the ground line. Switching means for cutting,
A launching mechanism control system comprising: The switching means includes a contact relay,
The contact relay has a first terminal connected to the connection line, a second terminal connected to the ground wire, a second terminal connected to the base end thereof, and a tip of the second relay connected to the first terminal. A contact piece, which can be freely separated
The tip of the contact piece that is in contact with the first terminal is adapted to be separated from the first terminal when the receiving means receives the stop signal from the ball supply device.
The firing mechanism control system according to claim 1. An upper plate that receives the supply of balls, a launching mechanism that is connected to the upper plate and is designed to be able to fire balls from the upper plate, and rotates more than a predetermined angle from the reference position The launching mechanism is used in combination with a pachinko machine equipped with a handle that is adapted to launch a ball when the electrode of the launching mechanism is grounded.
A ball supply mechanism for supplying balls to the upper plate, and having means for generating a stop signal indicating that a predetermined number of balls have been supplied to the upper plate;
Fixing means for fixing the handle at the firing position;
A contact electrode adapted to contact the electrode;
Receiving means for receiving the stop signal from the ball supply mechanism;
A connection line electrically connected to the contact electrode is connected to a grounded ground line, and the connection line is connected to the ground line when the receiving means receives the stop signal from the ball supply mechanism. Switching means for cutting,
With
The ball supply mechanism is adapted to circulate the balls by collecting balls generated as a result of the game from the pachinko gaming machine and supplying them to the upper plate.
Automatic operation assist device for gaming machines. The switching means includes a contact relay,
The contact relay has a first terminal connected to the connection line, a second terminal connected to the ground wire, a second terminal connected to the base end thereof, and a tip of the second relay connected to the first terminal. A contact piece, which can be freely separated
The tip of the contact piece that is in contact with the first terminal is configured to be separated from the first terminal when the receiving means receives the stop signal from the ball supply mechanism.
The automatic operation assisting device according to claim 3. Out-ball counting means for counting the number of out-of-balls generated as a result of the game performed in the pachinko gaming machine and generating a out-of-ball number signal for the number of out-of-balls, and the result of the game performed in the pachinko gaming machine A prize ball counting means for counting the number of prize balls produced and generating a prize ball signal for the number of prize balls; and an output means for outputting the missed ball number signal and the prize ball number signal to the outside. Prepared,
The automatic operation assisting device according to claim 3 or 4. Out-ball counting means for counting the number of out-of-balls generated as a result of the game performed in the pachinko gaming machine and generating a out-of-ball number signal for the number of out-of-balls, and the result of the game performed in the pachinko gaming machine Based on the prize ball counting means for counting the number of prize balls generated and generating a prize ball signal for the number of prize balls, the miss ball number signal, and the prize ball number signal, the miss ball number, and Display means for displaying the number of prizes,
The automatic operation assisting device according to claim 3 or 4. The ball supply mechanism includes input means for receiving an input of the number of balls to be supplied to the upper plate.
The automatic operation assistance device according to any one of claims 3 to 6. The ball supply mechanism includes means for generating a start signal indicating that supply of balls to the upper plate should be started,
The receiving means is adapted to receive the start signal;
The switching means is adapted to connect a connection line electrically connected to the contact electrode to a grounded earth line when the receiving means receives the start signal.
The automatic operation assistance device according to any one of claims 3 to 7.

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