JP2009131558A - Enclosed ball type game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an enclosed ball type game machine capable of remarkably prolonging the cycle of maintenance to the configuration of removing the deposit of game balls in the configuration of circulating and using the game balls inside a circulation route. <P>SOLUTION: When the game ball passes through a hitting and delivering path 36 constituting the circulation route 30, a conductive brush is rubbed and an artificial wind from a blowing device 62 is blown to the game ball. Thus, the deposit such as dust or the like stuck to the outer peripheral surface of the game ball can be removed. Since the deposit is blown away from the brush end part of the conductive brush as well by the artificial wind of the blowing device 62, the brush end part can be cleaned every time, and the cycle of the maintenance to the configuration of removing the deposit of the game balls can be remarkably prolonged as a result. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention collects a game board in which a game area is defined, a ball launching means for launching a game ball into the game area in response to an operation of an operation handle, and a game ball launched by the ball launching means. In addition, the present invention relates to an enclosed ball type gaming machine provided with a circulation path that supplies the ball launching means again.

Conventionally, a ball launching means for launching a game ball into the game area, and a circulation path for collecting the game balls launched by the ball launching means and supplying them again to the ball launching means, Enclosed ball game machines that enclose and circulate game balls are known. As such an enclosed ball type gaming machine, a ball polishing portion (attachment removing means) is provided in the circulation path in order to smoothly circulate the game ball in the circulation path (for example, see Patent Document 1). Has been proposed. According to the configuration of Patent Document 1, the game balls transported in the circulation path are circulated and used in a gaming machine by pressing a ball polishing portion made of tape-like abrasive paper and polishing the outer peripheral surface of the game balls. The adhering matter such as dust attached to the outer peripheral surface of the game ball is removed.
JP 2001-286658 A (FIG. 9)

  By the way, in the structure of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the tape-like polishing paper (ball polishing portion) for polishing the outer peripheral surface of the game ball is a tape portion that has been worn out with the polishing of the game ball (the deposit of the game ball is removed by polishing). The removed part) is successively wound up by the reel, and each time the unused tape part comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the game ball. However, in such a configuration, when the used tape part is completely wound up, it is necessary to replace it with a new ball polishing part (unused abrasive paper), and troublesome maintenance work must be frequently performed. I had to. The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to dramatically increase the maintenance cycle for the configuration in which game ball deposits are removed in the configuration in which the game ball is circulated in the circulation path. An object of the present invention is to provide a sealed ball game machine that can be made longer.

(Solution 1)
In order to achieve the above object, an enclosed ball type gaming machine according to the present invention includes a game board in which a game area is defined, and ball launching means for launching a game ball into the game area in response to an operation of an operation handle. And a circulation path that collects the game balls launched by the ball launching means and supplies the game balls to the ball launching means again, and the circulation path is disposed in the game area. A winning opening that allows a game ball to be won, an out port that is arranged at the lowermost end of the gaming area and receives a game ball that has not won the winning port, a gaming ball that has won the winning port, and the out port A ball guide passage for collecting the game ball that has entered and guiding the game ball to the ball launching means, and the ball guide passage includes the game ball with respect to the game ball passing through the ball guide passage. To remove deposits attached to the outer surface of the An object removing means is provided, and the deposit removing means blows the artificial wind through the spherical guide passage by blowing the artificial wind into the passage from a blowout port formed in the passage wall of the spherical guide passage. Blast removing means for blowing the game ball to remove the deposits, and a brush tip is provided on the passage wall of the ball guide passage so that the brush is placed on the outer peripheral surface of the game ball passing through the ball guide passage. A brush removing means that removes the adhering material by rubbing the tip part, and the brush removing means is located at a position adjacent to the air outlet so that the artificial wind of the air blowing removing means hits the brush tip part. It is arranged.
In this case, when the game ball passes through the ball guiding path constituting the circulation path, the brush removal means is rubbed against the game ball and the artificial wind from the air blowing removal means is blown. Thereby, the deposit on the outer peripheral surface of the game ball can be peeled off by rubbing the brush removing means, and the deposit on the outer peripheral surface of the game ball can be blown off by blowing artificial wind by the blower removing means. Therefore, not only relatively large dust adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the game ball, but also adhering matter stuck to the outer peripheral surface of the game ball can be removed from the game ball, and various kinds of adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the game ball are eventually obtained. By removing the extraneous matter more surely, the smooth circulation of the game ball in the circulation path can be more reliably performed.
Further, according to this configuration, the brush tip of the brush removing unit is disposed at a position adjacent to the artificial air outlet, so that the deposits removed by rubbing of the brush removing unit can be removed by the artificial wind of the blower removing unit. Since it can be blown away, the deposits on the outer peripheral surface of the game ball can be more reliably removed. However, there is a possibility that the deposits removed by rubbing the brush removing means may directly adhere to the brush tip portion, but such deposits are also blown off from the brush tip portion by the artificial wind of the air blowing removing means. The brush tip portion of the removing means can be cleaned each time. For this reason, maintenance is performed such that the worn-out tape portion is gradually wound up and finally replaced with new abrasive paper, as in the configuration of removing the adhering game balls using tape-like abrasive paper. Since it is not necessary to frequently perform the work, the maintenance cycle for the configuration for removing the deposits of game balls can be dramatically increased.

(Solution 2)
In the solution 1, an exhaust port is formed in a passage wall portion facing the passage wall where the blowout port is formed in the sphere guide passage.
In this case, the artificial wind blown into the sphere guide passage by the blower removing means is discharged from the exhaust port without being trapped in the sphere guide passage. For this reason, the artificial wind can flow smoothly in the ball guide passage, and the attached matter removed from the outer surface of the game ball can be discharged out of the ball guide passage from the exhaust port. It is possible to avoid such a problem that it remains in the ball guide passage and adheres to the outer periphery display of the game ball again.

(Solution 3)
In Solution 1 or Solution 2, the brush removing unit is composed of a conductive brush having conductivity to which a ground wiring is connected.
In this case, when the conductive brush as the brush removing means is rubbed against the game ball, the static electricity charged on the surface of the game ball can be removed through the conductive brush connected to the ground wiring in addition to the removal of the attached matter. it can. Then, by removing the static electricity on the surface of the game ball in this way, it is possible to reduce the adherence of dust, particularly dry dust, and to efficiently remove the deposit attached to the game ball.

(Solution 4)
In Solution 1 to Solution 3, the ball guide passage collects a game ball won in the winning opening as a safe ball and collects a game ball entered in the out opening as an out ball. A foul ball collection path for collecting the game ball as a foul ball when the game ball launched by the ball launching means flows backward without being driven into the game area, and a safe of the out-safe ball collection path. A collecting and collecting passage for collecting and collecting the balls and out balls and the foul balls of the foul ball collecting passage, and an array passage for arranging and storing a plurality of game balls collected in the collecting and collecting passage in contact with each other A launching and sending path for guiding the game balls sent from the array passage to the ball launching means, and the deposit removing means is arranged in the launching and sending path
In this case, since the game ball in the launch and delivery path immediately before being sent to the ball launching unit can be cleaned by the deposit removing unit, the unevenness of the game ball due to the deposit on the outer peripheral surface of the game ball is avoided. can do.

(Solution 5)
In the solving means 4, the launching and sending path is arranged in communication with the arrangement passage and has an upwardly rising entrance passage portion, and a gentle descending from the top of the upper end of the entrance passage portion toward the ball launching means side. The game balls are formed in a substantially U-shaped passage shape having a delivery passage portion that forms a gradient, and the game balls stored and arranged in the arrangement passage based on the drive of an electric drive source are sent and delivered one by one. A circulation ball feeding member for feeding to the road side is provided, and the air blowing removing means blows artificial wind to the electric drive source through a vent arranged at a position close to the electric drive source.
In this case, the game ball can be driven and circulated in the circulation path by the operation of the circulation ball feeding member based on the drive of the electric drive source. However, since the electric drive source can be cooled by the artificial wind of the air blowing removal means that cleans the game balls in the circulation path (launching and sending path), there is no need to provide a separate cooling device, thereby reducing costs. It is possible to suppress the performance degradation of the drive circulation function due to the heat generated by the electrical drive source after the invitation.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, it is not necessary to frequently perform troublesome maintenance work, and the maintenance cycle for the configuration for removing the deposits of game balls can be dramatically increased.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The pachinko machine 1 (enclosed ball game machine) according to the present embodiment is the same as a known pachinko machine, such as game content and outer size, and can be installed in the current island facility in the hall (pachinko game hall). However, it is a gaming machine that does not use the ball supply mechanism or ball discharge mechanism of the island facility. In the pachinko machine 1 according to the present embodiment, a game is played using a game ball previously enclosed in the game machine. Then, it becomes possible to launch game balls corresponding to the number of game balls (data on the number of balls held) based on the data on the number of rented balls input from a storage medium such as a card via a checkout system. Then, the data on the number of possessed balls is subtracted corresponding to the number of game balls that have been fired. In addition, when the launched game ball wins a winning opening in the game area and a prize ball (game ball) is generated, the actual game ball is not paid out, and the number of prize balls is included in the number-of-balls data. Is added. Further, when the data on the number of possessed balls becomes “0”, the game ball cannot be launched. In this state, if a numerical value (number of rented or replayed balls) is added to the data of the number of balls based on the data of the amount of money stored in a storage medium such as a card or the data of stored balls, the game is played again. A ball can be launched. In addition, the launched game balls are collected in the gaming machine and can be launched again and circulate in the gaming machine. That is, the pachinko machine 1 according to the present embodiment is an encapsulated ball type gaming machine that collects game balls launched into the game area and uses them again for games.

  First, with reference to FIG.1 and FIG.2, the main body frame 2 and the door frame 3 which comprise the pachinko machine 1 of embodiment are demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing a door frame 3 constituting the pachinko machine 1. FIG. 2 is a front perspective view showing the main body frame 2 constituting the pachinko machine 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pachinko machine 1 according to the present embodiment is configured in a rectangular frame shape and is installed in an island facility on the hall side, and can be opened and closed to the outer frame. And a door frame 3 that is pivotally supported by the main body frame 2 so as to be openable and closable.

  The door frame 3 is formed on the game board 4 so that a player can visually recognize a game area 5 into which a game ball is to be placed, and is arranged below the game window 6 and based on a player's operation. An operation handle 7 for driving a game ball into the area 5 is provided. In the gaming window 6, the front surface of the gaming board 4 mounted on the main body frame 2 side (the gaming area 5 defined by the guide rails 8) can be viewed with the door frame 3 closed against the main body frame 2. A transparent plate 9 is attached to cover. The operation handle 7 drives the launch motor 23 (see FIG. 3) of the hitting ball launching device 20 attached to the back surface of the main body frame 2 based on the turning operation of the player, thereby playing the game ball into the game area 5. It is designed to perform. The operation handle 7 includes a micro switch (not shown) that is turned on when the operation handle 7 is turned, and a firing stop switch 86 that turns the micro switch off when the micro switch is turned on (FIG. 11). And a touch switch 87 (only the reference numeral is shown in FIG. 11) for detecting contact of the player with the operation handle 7 through the conductive plating applied to the outer peripheral surface of the operation handle 7. I have. The hit ball launching device 20 will be described later.

  Further, the door frame 3 is provided with an operation panel portion 10 at a lower side portion of the game window 6 (a portion corresponding to an upper plate of a well-known pachinko machine having a non-enclosed ball type). On the upper end side of the operation panel 10, a ball lending button (push button type switch) 11 as a ball lending command input means for instructing lending of a ball to play a game, and instructing payment after finishing a pachinko game A balance button (push-button switch) 12 as a settlement command input means, and a remaining number for displaying the remaining number of cards serving as a storage medium for ball rental via a card unit 200 (see FIG. 11) serving as a settlement system. A frequency display unit 13 is provided. In addition, the operation panel unit 10 includes information such as a gaming machine possession ball number display unit 14 that displays the current number of possession balls managed by the pachinko machine 1 and that the operation by the ball lending button 11 is in an effective state. An information display unit 15 for displaying is arranged. The gaming machine possession ball number display unit 14 can display three-digit numerical values (the number of balls possessed) by arranging three 7-segment LEDs arranged in a row so that the numeral “8” can be displayed. The information display unit 15 is composed of a total of 8 dot LEDs arranged in parallel in 4 rows in a horizontal row, and allows the player to recognize various information by turning on / off each dot LED. Further, on the front side of the door frame 3, a decoration lamp 16 that light-decorates the outer peripheral portion of the game area 5 at a position that does not hinder the viewing of the game area 5, and a speaker that generates sound such as sound effects according to the game 17 etc. are provided.

  On the other hand, the main body frame 2 is configured in a substantially rectangular plate shape so as to fit within a rectangular frame-shaped outer frame, and has a rectangular storage opening for receiving and storing the game board 4 on the front side thereof. A portion 18 is formed. Then, by closing the door frame 3 with respect to the main body frame 2, the front surface of the game board 4 accommodated in the main body frame 2 (the game area 5 defined by the guide rails 8) is the game window 6 of the door frame 3. It comes to face the front side.

  And in the pachinko machine 1 provided with the main body frame 2 and the door frame 3 described above, a game is played on the front side (the game area 5) of the game board 4 fitted in the accommodation opening 18 of the main body frame 2. . That is, the pachinko machine 1 plays a game by launching a game ball into the game area 5 surrounded by the guide rails 8 of the game board 4, and the game area 5 has a number of obstacle nails (not shown). ), Various winning ports such as a starting winning port and a grand winning port (in FIG. 11, an upper starting port switch 90 for detecting a game ball won in the upper starting winning port arranged in the gaming area 5; A lower start port switch 91 for detecting a game ball won in a lower start winning port arranged in the game area 5, and a gate switch 92 for detecting a game ball passed through a gate arranged in the game area 5. The left winning port switch 93 for detecting a game ball won in a winning port arranged on the left side of the gaming area 5 and the gaming ball won in a winning port arranged on the upper and lower sides on the right side of the gaming area 5 are detected. Upper right / lower right prize port switch 94 and in game area 5 An ordinary symbol and special symbol display LED board 95 arranged, a solenoid 96 for a normal electric accessory arranged in the game area 5, and a solenoid 97 for a big prize opening arranged in the game area 5, , A large winning port count switch 98 for detecting a game ball won in the big winning port is described only by a reference numeral), and a predetermined number of winning balls are awarded according to winning in various winning ports. It has become. Specifically, in the pachinko machine 1 according to the present embodiment, which is an enclosed ball type gaming machine, “1” is subtracted from the data of the number of balls in accordance with the driving of one gaming ball, while winning in various winning openings. The number of winning balls corresponding to the number of balls held is added to the data on the number of balls held, and the number of balls held corresponding to this is displayed on the number-of-balls display section 14 of the gaming machine.

  In addition, at the lower end portion of the game area 5, there is provided an out port 19 that accepts a game ball that has flowed down to the lowest end without winning any of the winning ports and discharges it to the back side of the game board 4. On the back side of the game board 4, a collection basket that collects the game balls that have won the various prize openings and the game balls that have flowed into the out slot 19, and guides these game balls toward the out-safe ball collection path 31 described later. (Not shown) is attached.

  As described above, in the pachinko machine 1 according to the present embodiment, the payout of the winning ball is not performed, and the number of balls to be played, the number of balls entered, the number of balls difference, the number of balls held, etc. are not the actual number of game balls, It is a numerical value on the data. In other words, there are only a limited number (for example, 25) of game balls that are actually used in circulation, and the number of possessed balls is counted by detecting, for example, game balls that are launched into the game area 5. The number of fired balls, the number of foul balls counted by detecting the game balls that have been launched but returned, the number of recovered balls counted by detecting the game balls that have been launched and collected in the game area 5, and winning The number of incoming balls, the number of outgoing balls, the number of difference balls, the number of balls possessed can be obtained from the numbers such as the number of winning balls and the number of rental balls borrowed from the hall.

  That is, as long as there is no trouble such as opening the door frame 3 and the game ball going out, the number of fired balls = the number of foul balls + the number of collected balls (when the number of foul balls is not included). And the number of entered balls = the number of collected balls = the number of launched balls-the number of foul balls, the number of issued balls = the number of winning balls (integrated value) = the number of entered balls-the number of rented balls (the number of replayed balls) + the number of held balls, Number of balls held = number of balls rented (or replayed balls) + number of balls played-number of balls entered, number of balls pitched-number of balls entered = number of balls difference, number of balls held = number of balls lent (or number of replay balls) + It becomes the difference ball number. In this way, the game by the pachinko machine 1 is completely performed as a numerical value on the data, and there is no error caused by spilling the game ball or leaving the game ball on the lower plate or the upper plate, It becomes possible to manage in an integer unit.

  Next, the ball striking device 20, the circulation path 30, and the ball cleaning mechanism 60 provided on the back side of the main body frame 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view showing the main body frame 2 constituting the pachinko machine 1. FIG. 4 is a front view showing various components provided on the lower part of the game board 4 and the lower part on the back side of the main body frame 2. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the ball striking device 20, the circulation path 30, and the ball cleaning mechanism 60. FIG. 6 is a front view showing the ball striking device 20 and the first and second ball passage forming members 33 and 37 that form the circulation path 30. FIG. 7 is a top view showing the ball striking device 20 and the first and second ball passage forming members 33 and 37 that form the circulation path 30. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the firing rail 21 and the second ball passage forming member 37 constituting the hit ball launching device 20. FIG. 9 is a rear view showing the firing rail 21 and the second ball passage forming member 37 constituting the hit ball launching device 20. FIG. 10A is a front view showing the casing 65 and the first duct forming member 69 constituting the blower 62. FIG. 10B is a perspective view showing the casing 65 and the first duct forming member 69 constituting the blower 62.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a ball launcher 20 for launching a game ball on a launch guide path 8 a (see FIG. 2) of a guide rail 8 provided on the game board 4 is provided at the lower part on the back side of the main body frame 2. Ball launching means) is provided. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 9, the ball launcher 20 launches a launch rail 21 provided in communication with the launch guide path 8a and launches a game ball at a launch location near the launch rail 21 starting point. And a firing motor 23 that serves as a drive source for the firing hammer 22. The firing hammer 22 is pivotally supported on the firing base frame 80, and the firing hammer 22 is mounted on the firing hammer 22. A firing motor 23 for applying reciprocating rotation is attached to the firing base frame 80, and a slide rod 81 and a slide member 82 for adjusting the biasing force of a biasing spring (not shown) for applying a biasing force for returning to the firing hammer 22 are provided. (Both refer to FIG. 6) is provided on the firing base frame 80. A reverse rotation prevention cam 83 is fixed to the tip of the motor shaft of the firing motor 23. A large number of reverse teeth are formed on the outer periphery of the reverse rotation prevention cam 83, and engages with a stopper piece 85 that is swingably fixed to the stopper piece mounting boss 84 to rotate the firing motor 23 in the reverse direction. It is preventing.

  The firing hammer 22 is actuated (reciprocally rotated) by driving the firing motor 23 based on the above-described rotational operation of the operation handle 7. In addition, a launch ball check switch 24 for detecting the presence or absence of a game ball to be driven by the launch hammer 22 is disposed at a ball launch position in the vicinity of the launch rail 21 starting point. A launch ball detection switch 25 for detecting a game ball launched from the rail 21 is disposed. Thereby, after the detection of the game ball is switched to non-detection by the launch ball confirmation switch 24, when the passing of the game ball is detected by the launch ball detection switch 25, one game ball is fired by the launching hammer 22. It is supposed to detect that.

  The launch ball check switch 24 includes a flat type proximity switch that detects a game ball as a metal body based on a change in impedance of a detection coil of the high-frequency oscillation circuit. The shot ball detection switch 25 is composed of a pair of sensors for light emission and light reception, and a transmission type photo sensor for detecting the game ball by light shielding accompanying the passage of the game ball. In addition, opening / closing plate members 26 and 27 for facilitating maintenance work of the switches 24 and 25 are provided at the mounting portions of the firing ball confirmation switch 24 and the firing ball detection switch 25, respectively. The open / close plate members 26 and 27 are attached so as to be rotatable (open / close) side by side with respect to the support shaft 28 (see FIG. 2). A switch mounting portion 26a is formed on the opening / closing plate member 26 disposed on the right side when viewed from the player side, and a launch ball check switch 24 is integrally attached to the switch mounting portion 26a. The maintenance work on the firing ball check switch 24 and the firing rail 21 is facilitated by opening the. On the other hand, the opening / closing plate member 27 disposed on the left side when viewed from the player side is formed with an opening 27a for avoiding interference with the launch ball detection switch 25 when the opening / closing plate member 27 is closed. Opening 27 facilitates the maintenance work of the firing ball detection switch 25.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a first spherical passage in which an out-safe ball collection path 31 and a foul ball collection path 32 that form a spherical path of the circulation path 30 are formed in the lower part on the back side of the main body frame 2. A forming member 33, and a second spherical passage forming member 37 formed by sequentially connecting the collecting and combining passage 34, the array passage 35, and the launching and sending passage 36 are provided. And, the launch path constituted by the launch rail 21, the launch guide path 8a constituted by the guide rail 8, the game area 5, various winning openings, the out port 19, the recovery bowl on the back of the game board 4, the out-safe ball recovery path A game ball circulation path 30 is configured by the foul ball collection path 32, the collection joint path 34, the arrangement path 35, and the launch delivery path 36. It should be noted that the recovery combined flow path 34 as the circulation path 30 formed by the second ball path forming member 37 (strictly speaking, it is arranged directly below each ball outlet of the out-safe ball recovery path 31 and the foul ball recovery path 32. The passage portion on the downstream side of a later-described ball inflow port 42), the arrangement passage 35, and the launch delivery passage 36 are each formed in a passage shape that sequentially conveys one game ball at a time. Further, the ball guide passage according to the present invention is constituted by the collection bowl on the back surface of the game board 4, the out-safe ball collection path 31, the foul ball collection path 32, the collection joint path 34, the arrangement path 35, and the launch and delivery path 36. Yes.

  The out-safe ball collection path 31 is arranged in communication with the collection bowl mounted on the back surface of the game board 4 as described above, and the safe balls collected by the collection bowl (game balls won in various winning openings) and the out The ball (the game ball that has flowed into the out port 19) is received and guided to the recovery combining channel 34. Further, in the middle of the out-safe ball collection path 31, a game ball that has passed through the out-safe ball collection path 31, in other words, a game ball (out ball and safe ball) that has been driven into the game area 5 is detected. An out-safe sphere detection switch 40 is provided. The out-safe ball detection switch 40 includes a penetration type proximity switch that detects a game ball as a metal body by a change in impedance of a detection coil of a high-frequency oscillation circuit.

  The foul ball collection path 32 receives a foul ball collected from a foul ball collection port 38 (see FIG. 4) formed in the game board 4 and guides it to the collection joint channel 34. The foul ball collection port 38 is a drop port provided between the launch rail 21 and the lower portion of the outer rail portion of the guide rail 8, and a game ball launched from the launch rail 21 (the hitting ball launching device 20) is a game area. When the guide rail 8 flows backward without being driven into the game ball 5, the game ball enters the foul ball collection port 38 and is collected as a foul ball. Further, in the middle of the passage of the foul ball collection path 32, a game ball that has passed through the foul ball collection path 32, in other words, a game ball (foul ball) that has become foul without being driven into the game area 5 is detected. Foul ball detection switch 41 is provided. The foul ball detection switch 41 is constituted by a penetration type proximity switch that detects a game ball as a metal body by a change in impedance of a detection coil of a high-frequency oscillation circuit.

  The recovery joint channel 34 is formed to meander in a substantially S-shape, and the spherical inflow port 42 at the upper end thereof communicates directly below the respective ball outlets of the out-safe ball recovery channel 31 and the foul ball recovery channel 32. It is formed in a shape. In addition, a ball capacity confirmation switch 43 (ball capacity confirmation means) for confirming the capacity of the game balls collected in the collection joint path 34 is provided in the middle of the passage downstream of the collection joint path 34. The ball capacity confirmation switch 43 is configured by a flat type proximity switch that detects a game ball as a metal body by a change in impedance of a detection coil of a high-frequency oscillation circuit.

  The array passage 35 is provided so as to communicate with a ball outlet at a downstream portion of the recovery joint channel 34 and is configured to store and array a plurality of game balls in contact with each other. The array passage 35 is formed in a U-shaped passage shape in which one end side communicates with the sphere outlet of the collection passage 34 having a downward slope, and the other end communicates with the sphere inlet of the launch delivery path 36 having an upward slope. In the U-shaped passage, a circulating ball feeding member 44 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) made of a sprocket-like rotating body is assembled so as to be rotatable about a shaft 45. A plurality (two in the embodiment) of ball receiving portions 46 are formed on the outer circumference of the circulating ball feeding member 44 at a predetermined angle (180 degrees in the embodiment). The circulating ball feeding member 44 is rotated by using a circulating ball feeding motor 47 (see FIG. 5: electric drive source) as a drive source so as to send the game balls in the array passage 35 one by one toward the launch delivery path 36. It has become. In other words, the output shaft of the circulating ball feed motor 47 is coupled to the shaft 45 of the circulating ball feed member 44 so that torque can be transmitted.

  The launch delivery path 36 communicates with the ball outlet at the upper end of the array passage 35 having an ascending slope, and forms an ascending slope with the entrance passage 48 and the top of the upper end of the entrance passage 48 with the ball launcher 20 (launch rail). 21) and a delivery passage portion 49 having a gentle downward slope toward the ball launch position side, and has a substantially U-shape. In the middle of the passage of the delivery passage portion 49, the first and second for detecting the game ball that has passed through the delivery passage portion 49 and controlling the feeding of the game ball to the ball hitting device 20 by the circulating ball feed motor 47. Are provided side by side with the firing standby ball switches 50 and 51 (first and second sending ball detecting means). The launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 are each composed of a flat type proximity switch that detects a game ball as a metal body by a change in impedance of a detection coil of a high-frequency oscillation circuit. The control for sending the game ball to the hitting ball launcher 20 based on the ball detection by the first and second launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 will be described in detail later.

  In addition, a ball cleaning mechanism 60 for removing dust and the like attached to the game balls circulating in the circulation path 30 is provided at the lower part on the back side of the main body frame 2. The ball cleaning mechanism 60 includes a conductive brush 61 (adherent removal means, brush removal means) having conductivity provided in the entrance passage portion 48 of the launch and delivery path 36 serving as the circulation path 30 so as to be in contact with the game ball. And an air blowing device 62 (attachment removing means, air blowing removing means) for blowing artificial wind from the arrangement portion of the conductive brush 61 into the inlet passage portion 48 of the launching and sending path 36.

  As shown in FIG. 9, three conductive brushes 61 are provided side by side on the upper wall side of the firing delivery path 36, and the brush tip portion is formed in the upper wall portion of the inlet passage portion 48 of the firing delivery path 36. It is arranged in a state of being slightly inserted into the inlet passage portion 48 through the brush insertion port 63 formed. As a result, the game ball passing through the entrance passage portion 48 is rubbed against the tip of the conductive brush 61 as it passes through the entrance passage portion 48, so that deposits such as dust adhering to the outer peripheral surface are removed. It has become. The conductive brush 61 is connected to a ground wiring 64 (see FIG. 6). Thus, when the conductive brush 61 is rubbed against the game ball, static electricity charged on the surface of the game ball is removed in addition to the removal of the deposits. Two such conductive brushes 61 are also provided side by side on the upper wall side in the downstream portion of the recovery combined flow path 34, and the conductive brush 61 on the side of the launch and delivery path 36 (inlet passage section 48). Similarly, the adhering matter and static electricity are removed from the game ball passing through the passage (in this case, the downstream portion of the recovery combining passage 34).

  As shown in FIG. 10, the blower 62 is a well-known blower fan for exhaust heat (cooling) of a power source of an electric product, a substrate, etc., and a fan (a motor that rotates the fan in a substantially circular casing 65) Both are not shown). A screw fixing boss 66 for screwing the blower device 62 to the back side of the second spherical passage forming member 37 (portion forming the recovery combined flow path 34) and an artificial wind are blown out on the outer peripheral portion of the casing 65. Are formed. In addition, a blower duct 68 that guides the artificial wind blown from the blower port 67 toward the launch and delivery path 36 is attached to the blower port 67. The air duct 68 includes a first duct forming member 69 having a casing shape, and a second duct forming member 70 having a flat plate shape that is assembled so as to cover the casing opening of the first duct forming member 69. It is comprised from the assembly | attachment body of. The first duct forming member 69 is provided on the screw stop boss 71 for assembling the second duct forming member 70 integrally and on the second ball passage forming member 37 side (the vicinity of the launching and sending path 36). An air outlet 73 is formed which is connected to the air inlet 72 (see FIG. 6) and sends the artificial wind blown from the air outlet 67 to the launching and sending path 36 and the recovery combined path 34.

  As a result, the artificial wind blown from the blower port 67 of the blower 62 is sent from the wind outlet 73 of the blower duct 68 to the wind inlet 72 of the second ball passage forming member 37. The artificial wind sent to the wind inlet 72 is provided adjacent to the arrangement position of the conductive brush 61 (the brush insertion port 63 through which the brush tip portion is inserted) on the upper wall side of the inlet passage portion 48 of the launch delivery path 36. The three blowout ports 74 are blown into the inlet passage portion 48 and from the three blowout ports 77 provided adjacent to the arrangement position of the conductive brush 61 on the upper wall side in the downstream portion of the recovery combined passage 34. It is blown into the recovery joint channel 34. As a result, the artificial wind from the blower 62 is blown to the game balls in the collection joint channel 34 and the inlet passage portion 48, so that the game balls pass through the collection joint passage 34 and the inlet passage portion 48. Thus, it is possible to remove deposits such as dust attached to the outer peripheral surface of the game ball. Further, at this time, the game balls in the collection joint channel 34 and the entrance passage portion 48 are also removed by adhering the conductive brush 61 as described above. The ball cleaning when passing through the inner and inlet passage portions 48 is performed by two methods (a method in which the conductive brush 61 is rubbed against the game ball and a method in which the artificial wind of the blower 62 is blown onto the game ball). The cleaning effect can be greatly enhanced. Specifically, the game ball is surely cleaned by removing the deposit from the outer surface of the game ball by rubbing the conductive brush 61 and completely removing the deposit from the game ball by blowing the artificial wind. Can do. However, by removing static electricity from the surface of the game ball, it is possible to reduce the adherence of garbage, especially dry garbage, and by adhering artificial wind to such a game ball, there are deposits attached to the game ball. Efficiently removed. Further, the artificial wind blown from the blower 62 into the recovery joint channel 34 and the inlet passage 48 removes the deposits adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the game ball and, at the same time, adheres to the conductive brush 61 by rubbing the game ball. The conductive brush 61 is also cleaned by blowing away the attached matter from the tip of the brush. For this reason, maintenance is performed such that the worn-out tape portion is gradually wound up and finally replaced with new abrasive paper, as in the configuration of removing the adhering game balls using tape-like abrasive paper. Since it is not necessary to frequently perform the work, the maintenance cycle for the configuration for removing the deposits of game balls can be dramatically increased.

  In addition, in the portion of the second spherical passage forming member 37 that forms the lower wall portion of the inlet passage portion 48 of the launch delivery passage 36 (the portion facing the upper wall portion in which the blowout port 74 is formed), the launch delivery passage is provided. Two exhaust ports for discharging the artificial wind blown into the air blower 62 into the air and the game ball surface deposits removed by blowing the artificial wind to the outside of the inlet passage 48 (circulation path 30) 75 is formed. In addition, a similar exhaust port 78 (see FIG. 6) is also formed in the portion of the second spherical passage forming member 37 that forms the lower wall portion of the recovery combining channel 34 (the portion facing the upper wall portion where the air outlet 77 is formed). ) Is formed. Thus, the artificial wind of the blower 62 blown into the inlet passage portion 48 and the recovery combined passage 34 is not trapped in the inlet passage portion 48 and the recovery combined passage 34 (circulation path 30), and smooth artificial wind. In other words, it is possible to invite a smooth game ball cleaning by blowing artificial wind. In addition, according to such a configuration, the removed deposits on the surface of the game ball are discharged out of the inlet passage portion 48 and the recovery combined passage 34 (circulation path 30), and therefore the deposits are removed from the inlet passage portion 48 and It is possible to avoid such a problem that it remains in the collecting joint channel 34 (circulation path 30) and adheres to the game ball display again.

  In addition, three vent holes 76 are formed in a row in a slit shape at the lower portion of the outer peripheral wall of the first duct forming member 69 on the air outlet 73 side, and the artificial wind blown out from the air outlet 67 While being sent from the outlet 73 to the launch delivery path 36 (inlet passage section 48) and the recovery combined flow path 34, it is also blown out slightly from the blower 62 through the vent 76. The three air vents 76 are connected to the driving source of the circulating ball feeding member 44 in a state where the blower 62 is screwed to the back side of the second ball passage forming member 37 (the portion forming the recovery combined passage 34). It is arranged at an upper position close to the circulating ball feed motor 47. Thereby, the artificial wind blown out from the vent hole 76 hits the circulating ball feed motor 47 and cools the circulating ball feed motor 47. That is, the artificial wind of the blower 62 circulates the game balls in the circulation path 30 in addition to the action of cleaning the game balls in the circulation path 30 (the inlet passage portion 48 and the recovery combined passage 34 of the launch and delivery path 36). It also has the function of cooling the electric drive source (circulating ball feed motor 47) having the function of

  Thus, in the pachinko machine 1 described above, the game balls are circulated and used in the circulation path 30, and the deposits attached to the game balls used for circulation are removed by the ball cleaning mechanism 60. The game ball supplied to the hitting ball launching device 20 is shot by the hitting ball launching device 20 from the lower front side of the game board 4 between the inner and outer two guide rails 8 into the game area 5. Then, the game balls launched into the game area 5 flow down in the game area 5, and a part of the game balls are arranged in the game area 5 (for example, a normal prize opening, a start prize opening) , A prize winning opening, etc.), is led to the back side of the game board 4 to become a safe ball, and is guided to the out-safe ball collection path 31 through a collection bowl on the back side of the game board 4.

  On the other hand, the game balls that have not won any of the winning holes after flowing down the game area 5 flow into the out holes 19 at the lower end of the game area 5 to become out balls, and pass through the collecting bowl on the back of the game board 4. It is guided to the out-safe ball collection path 31. The out-ball and the safe ball guided to the out-safe ball collection path 31 through the collection bowl on the back of the game board 4 are detected as out-of-safe balls provided in the middle of the out-safe ball collection path 31 respectively. After being detected by the switch 40, it is fed into the recovery combining channel 34.

  In addition, the game ball which has been launched by the hitting ball launching apparatus 20 but has flowed back through the guide rail 8 without flowing down the game area 5 becomes a foul ball and enters the foul ball collection port 38 and enters the foul ball collection path 32. Be guided to. Then, the foul sphere guided from the foul ball collection port 38 to the foul ball collection path 32 is detected by a foul ball detection switch 41 provided in the middle of the foul ball collection path 32 and then fed into the collection passage 34. It is collected together with the out ball and the safe ball.

  Thereafter, the game balls (out ball, safe ball, and foul ball) sent into the recovery joint channel 34 flow down in the recovery joint channel 34 formed to meander in a substantially S shape, and the recovery joint channel 34 34 is detected by a ball capacity confirmation switch 43 provided in the middle of the passage on the downstream side, and then sent to the array passage 35. Then, the game balls fed into the arrangement passage 35 are fitted into the ball receiving portion 46 of the circulating ball feeding member 44, and 1 when the circulating ball feeding member 44 rotates based on the driving of the circulating ball feeding motor 47. It is sent out one by one to the entrance passage portion 48 side of the launch delivery path 36 that forms an upward slope. At this time, the game ball transported in the entrance passage portion 48 is rubbed with the tip portion of the conductive brush 61 as it passes through the entrance passage portion 48, so that the attached matter such as dust attached to the outer peripheral surface is adhered. Is removed, and static electricity charged on the outer peripheral surface is removed. At the same time, artificial wind from the blower 62 is blown against the game ball passing through the entrance passage portion 48. As a result, artificial wind is blown onto the game ball that has passed through the entrance passage portion 48 and has the attached brush peeled off by the conductive brush 61 and from which static electricity has been removed. Therefore, the removal of static electricity reduces the adherence of trash, especially dry trash, and the artificial ball is blown against the game ball from which the outer peripheral surface is peeled off. It is possible to efficiently remove deposits attached to the surface. Moreover, since the deposits such as dust blown off from the game ball are discharged to the outside from the artificial air exhaust port 75 formed in the lower wall portion of the entrance passage portion 48, the removed deposits are removed from the entrance passage portion. Thus, it is possible to avoid the problem of remaining in the 48 (circulation path 30) and adhering to the game ball display again. The removal of the adhering matter and static electricity on the game ball is also performed by the conductive brush 61 in the recovery joint channel 34 when the game ball is sent from the downstream portion of the recovery joint channel 34 to the array passage 35. It is what is said.

  Further, when the game balls fitted in the ball receiving portion 46 of the circulating ball feeding member 44 are sent one by one to the inlet passage portion 48 along with the rotating operation of the circulating ball feeding member 44, the gaming balls are Also by the feeding operation by the circulating ball feeding member 44, the deposits on the outer peripheral surface are removed to some extent. Specifically, two ball receiving portions 46 for receiving game balls are formed on the outer circumference of the circulating ball feeding member 44 in the present embodiment at an interval of 180 degrees. For this reason, even when game balls are continuously sent by the rotating operation of the circulating ball feeding member 44, a slight interval is provided until the next game ball is fed after the first game ball is fed. . During this interval period, that is, in a period in which the outer peripheral portion of the circulating ball feeding member 44 other than the ball receiving portion 46 is in contact with the game ball at the lowermost end of the inlet passage portion 48, the game stopped in the inlet passage portion 48. The sphere moves slightly toward the arrangement passage 35 side. Therefore, by the rotation of the circulating ball feeding member 44, the movement in which the game balls are pushed up one by one in the entrance passage portion 48 and the movement in which the game balls are slightly lowered in the entrance passage portion 48 are alternately repeated. Thus, a slight impact force can be applied to the game ball by the vertical movement of the game ball in the entrance passage portion 48, and the deposit on the outer peripheral surface of the game ball is removed by the impact force. Yes.

  Thereafter, the game ball that has passed through the entrance passage portion 48 has a substantially U-shaped apex portion of the launch delivery path 36, in other words, a communication portion between the entrance passage portion 48 and the delivery passage portion 49 constituting the launch delivery path 36. As a boundary, the delivery passage portion 49 that becomes a downward slope naturally flows down by its own weight. Then, the game balls that naturally flow down the delivery passage portion 49 are detected by the first and second firing standby ball switches 50 and 51 provided in the middle of the delivery passage portion 49 and then sent to the hitting ball launcher 20 side. Then, it is derived to a ball launch position that is in the vicinity of the starting point of the launch rail 21 constituting the hit ball launching device 20. After that, the game ball is circulated and used again by being fired from the hitting ball launcher 20 to the game area 5. In addition, a game ball collected through the circulation path 30 after being driven by the hitting ball launching apparatus 20 (a game ball led out to the ball launch position again through the circulation path 30) is a launch delivery path 36 (inlet passage section). 48) Since the deposits and static electricity are removed, the possibility that the deposits such as dust will be charged again before reaching the ball hitting device 20 is low. For this reason, it is possible to reliably prevent the unevenness of the game ball caused by being fired in a state where the attached matter is attached.

  Next, an outline of control of the pachinko machine 1 and the card unit machine 200 arranged adjacent to one side thereof will be described with reference to a block diagram shown in FIG. The control of the pachinko machine 1 is broadly divided into a main board group and a peripheral board group. Among these, the main board group controls the game operation, and the peripheral board group controls the effect operation. All of these boards are installed on the back side of the pachinko machine 1 and are normally not seen or operated from the front side unless the body frame 2 is opened after unlocking the body frame 2. Absent.

  In FIG. 11, the main board group includes a main control board 100 and a game ball management control board 110, and the peripheral board group includes a peripheral control board 120. The main control board 100 includes a CPU 101 as a central processing unit, a ROM 102 as a read-only memory, a RAM 103 as a readable / writable memory, and the like. Among these, the CPU 101 executes a game control program stored in the ROM 102 and controls various games performed in the pachinko machine 1 in accordance with the execution. In addition, the CPU 101 creates a command to be transmitted to the peripheral board group and the game ball management control board 110. The RAM 103 temporarily stores information such as various data and input signals generated in various processes executed by the main control board 100.

  The main control board 100 includes an upper start opening switch 90, a lower start opening switch 91, a gate switch 92, a left winning opening switch 93, an upper right / lower right winning opening switch 94, and a normal symbol / special symbol display LED board 95. A panel relay terminal board 140 is connected to the panel relay terminal board 140, and an ordinary electric accessory solenoid 96, a big prize opening solenoid 97, and a big prize opening count switch 98 are connected to the big prize opening relay terminal board 141. Connected through. As a result, detection signals are input to the main control board 100 from these switches. Specifically, when the game ball passes through the gate in the process of flowing down the game area 5, the passage is detected by the gate switch 92 and a detection signal is input to the main control board 100. Further, when the game ball wins the upper start winning opening, a detection signal is inputted from the upper start opening switch 90 to the main control board 100, and when the game ball wins the lower start winning opening, the lower start opening switch 91 When a detection signal is input to the main control board 100 and a game ball wins the left winning opening, a detection signal is input from the left winning opening switch 93 to the main control board 100, and the game ball is input to the upper right / lower right winning opening. When winning, a detection signal is input from the upper right / lower right winning port switch 94 to the main control board 100. In addition, when a game ball wins a big winning opening during a big hit game, a detection signal is inputted from the big winning opening count switch 98 to the main control board 100.

  Then, the CPU 101 executes processing according to these input detection signals. That is, the CPU 101 outputs respective drive signals to the various solenoids 96 and 97 and the normal symbol / special symbol display LED board 95 based on the input detection signal, and gives a prize ball according to a prize (this book). In the embodiment, a prize ball command instructing that the number of prize balls is added to the number-of-balls data is output to the gaming ball management control board 110. Further, the CPU 101 outputs an effect command signal to the peripheral control board 120 via the function separation relay terminal board 142. As with the main control board 100, the peripheral control board 120 includes a CPU as a central processing unit, a ROM as a read-only memory, and a RAM as a readable / writable memory. By executing the effect control program stored in the ROM, processing based on the effect command received from the main control board 100 is executed. Although not shown, the peripheral control board 120 includes a light decoration means (for example, a decoration lamp 16) provided on the door frame 3 and the game board 4 (game area 5), and a sound generation means ( For example, a speaker 17 or the like) and an effect means (for example, a liquid crystal display for displaying decorative symbols) provided on the game board 4 (game area 5) are connected and an effect input from the main control board 100 side. Based on the command signal, the respective drive signals are output to the light decoration means, the sound generation means, and the rendering means.

  The game ball management control board 110 includes a management CPU 111 as a central processing unit, a management ROM 112 as a read-only memory, and a management RAM 113 as a readable / writable memory. Among these, the management CPU 111 executes a management control program stored in the management ROM 112 and controls the management of the number of balls held in the pachinko machine 1 in accordance with the execution. Further, the management CPU 111 creates a command to be transmitted to the main control board 100, the card unit machine 200, and the like. Further, the management RAM 113 temporarily stores various data generated in various processes executed by the game ball management control board 110 and information such as input signals.

  The game ball management control board 110 is connected to the main control board 100 via the main drawer relay terminal board 143, and to the card unit machine 200, the power supply board 130, and the external terminal board 144. As a result, the game ball management control board 110 enables various data to be exchanged between the main control board 100 and the card unit machine 200, and power is supplied from the power supply board 130. Note that the power supplied from the power supply board 130 is also supplied to the main control board 100 to the peripheral control board 120 via the game ball management control board 110. The external terminal board 144 is connected to an external computer (not shown) (for example, a hall computer or a computer in an island facility). Necessary information (for example, safe ball, out ball, prize ball) is connected to the external computer. , Number of big hits, frame opening, etc.) can be transmitted.

  Further, the game ball management control board 110 includes a blower 62, a circulating ball feed motor 47, first and second launch standby ball switches 50 and 51, a ball capacity confirmation switch 43, a launch ball confirmation switch 24, and a launch ball detection. A switch 25, a foul ball detection switch 41, and an out-safe ball detection switch 40 are connected via a sensor relay board 145, and a ball lending button 11, a settlement button 12, a remaining frequency display unit 13, and a game machine ball An electronic pan display substrate 146 on which the number display unit 14 and the information display unit 15 are mounted is connected. Further, a door frame opening switch 147 for detecting the opening of the door frame 3 and a body frame opening switch 148 for detecting the opening of the body frame 2 are connected to the game ball management control board 110, and The firing device 20 (the handle relay terminal plate 149 to which the firing motor 23, the firing stop switch 86, and the touch switch 87 are connected) is connected.

  Thereby, the game ball management control board 110 detects the game ball fired by the launch hammer 22 and the fire ball check switch 24 and the fire ball detection switch 25, and the game ball (out ball and ball) driven into the game area 5. Out-safe ball detection switch 40 for detecting a safe ball), a foul ball detection switch 41 for detecting a foul gaming ball (foul ball), and a ball capacity for confirming the capacity of the gaming ball collected in the collecting joint channel 34 Based on signals inputted from the first and second firing standby ball switches 50, 51 and the like that control the feeding of the game ball to the hitting ball launching device 20 by the confirmation switch 43 and the circulating ball feed motor 47, respectively. The signal is output to the main control board 100, the external terminal board 144, the card unit 200, and the like.

  The management control of the game ball management control board 110 for a prepaid card (recording medium such as an IC card or a magnetic card) inserted into the card unit 200 will be described. First, in the case of a pachinko game, when a prepaid card is inserted into the card slot of the card unit 200, the game ball management control board 110 displays the remaining ball number data (remaining frequency) recorded on the card. Displayed on the unit 13. Here, when the ball lending button 11 is operated by the player, a preset number or numerical value is deducted from the remaining number of prepaid cards, and the number or numerical value corresponding to the deducted number or numerical value (as a ball lending fee, The set ratio (for example, the number or numerical value obtained by subtracting about 10% from 40%) may be stored as the number-of-balls data in the gaming machine ball number storage area of the management RAM 113 and this may be stored in the gaming machine ball number It is displayed on the display unit 14.

  Here, when the player operates the launching handle 7, the launching motor 23 is actuated, and when the game ball in the ball launching position is launched into the game area 5 by the launching hammer 22, the launching ball confirmation switch 24 and launching are performed. Based on the detection of the ball by the ball detection switch 25, the driving of each game ball into the game area 5 is detected. Then, the game ball management control board 110 sequentially subtracts “1” from the number-of-balls data stored in the game machine ball number storage area of the management RAM 113 in response to such detection of each game ball being shot. At the same time, this is displayed on the gaming machine possession ball number display section 14. Further, when the game ball is driven into the foul ball by flowing back through the launch guide path 8a, the foul ball enters the foul ball collection port 82 and is sent to the foul ball collection path 32. It is detected by the sphere detection switch 41. Then, each time one foul ball is detected by the foul ball detection switch 41, the gaming ball management control board 110 stores “1” in the holding ball number data stored in the gaming machine ball number storage area of the management RAM 113. And displaying this on the gaming machine possession ball number display unit 14 avoids the problem of subtracting the foul ball from the possession ball number data.

  When the game ball launched by the hitting ball launching device 20 wins various winning holes in the game area 5 (starting winning hole, big winning hole, etc.), the game ball has various winning detection switches provided for each winning hole. (Upper start port switch 90, lower start port switch 91, left winning port switch 93, upper right / lower right winning port switch 94, large winning port count switch 98) are detected by the game ball management control board 110. In accordance with the winning of the game ball by the various winning detection switches, the value of the number of winning balls set in advance for each of the winning ports is added from the number of balls stored in the gaming machine ball number storage area of the management RAM 113. This is displayed on the gaming machine possession ball number display section 14. The game balls (safe balls) that have won the various prize openings are out-safe through the recovery bowl on the back of the game board 4 together with the game balls (out balls) that have flowed into the outlet 19 without winning any of the prize openings. It is sent to the ball collection path 31 and detected by the out-safe ball detection switch 40. In addition, the game ball that has passed through the out-safe ball collection path 31 is sent to the collection joint path 34 together with the game ball that has passed through the foul ball collection path 32, and is detected by the ball capacity confirmation switch 43. The game ball management control board 110 determines whether or not a game ball to be fed into the arrangement passage 35 (circulating ball feed member 44) is secured based on the detection of the game ball by the ball capacity confirmation switch 43, in other words. For example, it is detected whether or not the game ball is properly circulated in the circulation path 30.

  Thereafter, the game balls sent one by one to the inlet passage portion 48 of the launching / feeding path 36 along with the rotating operation of the circulating ball feeding member 44 naturally flow down the sending passage portion 49 with the apex of the launching / delivery path 36 as a boundary. Then, it is derived to the ball launch position of the hit ball launching device 20. At this time, the game balls that naturally flow down the delivery passage portion 49 are detected by the first and second firing standby ball switches 50 and 51. The game ball management control board 110 drives the circulating ball feed motor 47 that rotates the circulating ball feed member 44 based on the detection of the game balls by the first and second firing standby ball switches 50 and 51. By controlling the control, the feeding of the game ball from the collection joint channel 34 side to the launch / sending channel 36 side is controlled. The control of the game ball inward to the launch and delivery path 36 will be described in detail later.

  Thereafter, when the checkout button 12 is operated by the player to end the game, the game ball management control board 110 uses the card unit data stored in the game machine ball number storage area of the management RAM 113 as the card unit. It is written as the number-of-balls data of a prepaid card (recording medium such as an IC card or a magnetic card) inserted in the machine 200 (at this time, if the number-of-balls data is already stored in the prepaid card, that ball In addition, the remaining number display unit 13 and the gaming machine held ball number display unit 14 are reset and the prepaid card is extracted from the card unit 200.

  Next, the driving control of the circulating ball feed motor 47 by the game ball management control board 110 (ball circulation control means), in other words, the ball hitting device 20 based on the ball detection by the first and second launch standby ball switches 50 and 51. The inward control of the game ball to the side will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing game ball infeed control based on ball detection by the first and second firing standby ball switches 50 and 51.

  First, in the state where the game ball is not driven by the hitting ball launching device 20 (operation of the launching hammer 22 based on the drive of the launching motor 23), as shown in FIG. The first and second firing standby ball switches 50 and 51 are stopped in the delivery passage portion 49 on the first firing standby ball switch 50 located on the circulating ball feeding member 44 side (near the entrance passage portion 48). The last game ball is positioned. This state is the state in which the game ball is most stopped in the delivery passage portion 49, and both the launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 are in the detection state (ON) of the game ball. The game ball management control board 110 is stopped in the delivery passage portion 49 based on the detection state of the game balls by the launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 (both launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 are both ON). Detects that the game ball is full. Then, by stopping the driving of the circulating ball feed motor 47 (rotating operation of the circulating ball feed member 44), the collection and delivery flow path 34 side to the launch delivery path 36 side (in other words, the entrance passage section 48 side of the launch delivery path 36). To the game passage 49 side) is stopped.

  Note that the first firing standby ball switch 50 is disposed at a position away from the apex T (the boundary between the entrance passage portion 48 and the delivery passage portion 49) of the firing delivery path 36 by a distance A1 corresponding to approximately one game ball. ing. For this reason, in a game ball driving stop state, approximately one game ball is placed between the last game ball stopped in the delivery passage portion 49 and the frontmost game ball stopped in the entrance passage portion 48. The space for the minute becomes empty. Therefore, there is at least one game ball between the game ball in the delivery passage portion 49 that naturally flows down to the hitting ball launcher 20 side and the game ball in the entrance passage portion 48 that is pushed up by the circulating ball feed member 44. Space can be secured at all times. As a result, it is possible to avoid a problem in which the game ball stopped in the entrance passage portion 48 due to the operation of feeding the game ball by the circulating ball feeding member 44 is applied more than necessary. The game balls can be sent smoothly. However, the arrangement position of the first firing standby ball switch 50 is a position at a distance A1 of about one game ball from the apex T of the launching and sending path 36 that is the boundary between the entrance passage 48 and the sending path 49. It is not limited to this, and it is only necessary to be arranged at a position at least one game ball away from the apex T, so that the game is stopped in the entrance passage 48 and the delivery passage 49. It is possible to avoid problems such as applying more pressure to the ball than necessary.

  Thereafter, when the game ball is driven by the hit ball launching device 20, as shown in FIG. 12 (B), the game balls stopped in the delivery passage portion 49 one by one are hit by the hit ball launching device 20 (starting point of the launch rail 21). When the game balls are no longer on the first and second launch standby ball switches 50 and 51, the launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 are both in the non-detected state of the game ball ( OFF). The game ball management control board 110 is a game that stops in the delivery passage portion 49 based on the detection state of the game balls by the launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 (the launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 are both OFF). It is detected that the number of game balls supplied to the hitting ball launcher 20 is insufficient due to a decrease in the number of balls. Then, by driving the circulating ball feed motor 47 (rotating operation of the circulating ball feed member 44), it is sent from the collection and delivery path 34 side to the launch / sending path 36 side (in other words, from the entrance passage section 48 side of the launch / sending path 36). A game ball is sent to the passage portion 49 side.

  Of the first and second launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 arranged in the delivery passage portion 49, the second launch standby ball switch 51 located on the side of the hitting ball launcher 20 has a front end at the first launch standby. The ball switch 50 is disposed at a position away from the rear end of the ball switch 50 by a distance A2 corresponding to approximately three game balls. Therefore, the game ball feeding operation by the circulating ball feeding member 44 is started when three game balls are reduced from the full state of the game balls in the delivery passage portion 49. That is, the game ball management control board 110 detects that the game balls to be supplied to the hit ball launching device 20 are insufficient when three game balls are reduced from the full state of the game balls in the delivery passage portion 49. It is supposed to be.

  Thereafter, the circulating ball feeding member 44 delivers one game ball from the inlet passage 48 side at a speed higher than the game ball driving speed (the speed at which one game ball is driven into the game area 5) by the hit ball launching device 20. As shown in FIG. 12C, the game balls stopped in the entrance passage portion 48 are gradually increased by being sent to the passage portion 49 side. FIG. 12C shows a state in which one more game ball is stopped in the entrance passage 48 than in the state shown in FIG. 12B, and accordingly, the ball is positioned on the ball hitting device 20 side. The case where the game ball is stopped on the second launch standby ball switch 51 and the second launch standby ball switch 51 is in a detection state (ON) of the game ball is illustrated. At this time, the game ball is not stopped on the first firing standby ball switch 50, and the first firing standby ball switch 50 is in a non-detection state (OFF) of the game ball. Thereafter, the circulating ball feed member 44 continues to feed the game ball from the inlet passage portion 48 side to the delivery passage portion 49 side, and is positioned on the circulating ball feed member 44 side as shown in FIG. When a game ball is also stopped on the first firing standby ball switch 50, both the firing standby ball switches 50 and 51 are in the detection state (ON) of the game ball. Then, the game ball management control board 110 drives the circulation ball feed motor 47 based on the detection state of the game balls by the launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 (both launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 are both ON). (Rotating operation of the circulating ball feeding member 44) is stopped, and the feeding of game balls from the inlet passage portion 48 side to the delivery passage portion 49 side is stopped.

  By the way, as described above, in this embodiment, two ball detection switches (first and second standby standby ball switches 50 and 51) are provided in the delivery passage portion 49, and the two ball detection switches are provided. Based on the detection of the game ball by the game ball management control board 110 controls the feeding of the game ball to the ball hitting device 20 by the circulation ball feed motor 47 (circulation ball feed member 44). Specifically, due to the arrangement relationship of the respective launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 provided with the distance A2 corresponding to approximately three game balls, there is no game ball on each launch standby ball switch 50 and 51, and each launch standby ball switch 50. , 51 are turned off, that is, when three game balls are depleted from the full state of the game balls in the delivery passage portion 49, the feeding of the game balls by the circulating ball feeding member 44 is started. It has become.

  That is, in the control of the game ball in the present embodiment, every time three game balls are stopped in the delivery passage portion 49 according to the game ball being driven, the entrance passage portion 49 side is changed to the delivery passage portion 49 side. It is designed to send game balls to. For this reason, when a game ball is driven into the game area 5, the circulation ball feed motor 47 is not frequently started and stopped in response to the game ball being driven. can do. In addition, when the game ball in the delivery passage section 49 is detected by one ball detection switch and the control of the game ball is performed, the ball detection switch instantaneously generates a false detection and the game ball There is a risk of abnormalities in feeding. On the other hand, in the configuration in which two ball detection switches are provided in the delivery passage portion 49 that sends the game ball to the hitting ball launching device 20 side as in the present embodiment, any one of the ball detection switches instantaneously. By making normal detection with the other ball detection switch even if an erroneous detection occurs, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of an abnormality caused by a momentary erroneous detection, and to control the feeding of the game ball more reliably. .

  In the above-described embodiment, the two ball detection switches (launch standby ball switches 50 and 51) provided in the delivery passage portion 49 have an arrangement relationship in which a distance A2 corresponding to approximately three game balls is provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the configuration of the modification shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing game ball feeding control based on ball detection by the first and second firing standby ball switches 50 and 51 ′ in the modified example. However, the second firing standby ball switch 51 ′ in the modified example is composed of the same components as the second firing standby ball switch 51 of the above-described embodiment, and only the arrangement position in the delivery passage portion 49 is different.

  As a configuration of the modified example, as shown in FIGS. 13A to 13C, the circulating ball feeding member 44 among the first and second firing standby ball switches 50 and 51 ′ arranged in the delivery passage portion 49. The first firing standby ball switch 50 located on the side (near the entrance passage portion 48) is located at the same position as that of the above-described embodiment, that is, the apex T (the entrance passage portion 48 and the delivery passage portion 49) of the launch / delivery passage 36. It is arranged at a position with a distance A1 of about one game ball from the boundary). On the other hand, the second firing standby ball switch 51 ′ located on the hitting ball launching device 20 side is at a position where the front end of the second firing standby ball switch 51 is spaced from the rear end of the first firing standby ball switch 50 by a distance A3 corresponding to approximately six game balls. Has been placed.

  Then, in the state where the game ball has been stopped by the hitting ball launching device 20 (operation of the launching hammer 22 based on the drive of the launching motor 23), as shown in FIG. The first and second firing standby ball switches 50 and 51 ′ are stopped in the delivery passage portion 49 on the first firing standby ball switch 50 located on the circulating ball feed member 44 side (near the entrance passage portion 48). The last game ball is placed. This state is the state in which the game ball is most stopped in the delivery passage portion 49, and both the launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 are in the detection state (ON) of the game ball. The game ball management control board 110 is stopped in the delivery passage portion 49 based on the detection state of the game balls by the launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 (both launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 ′ are both ON). Detects that the game ball is full. Then, by stopping the driving of the circulating ball feed motor 47 (rotating operation of the circulating ball feed member 44), the collection and delivery flow path 34 side to the launch delivery path 36 side (in other words, the entrance passage section 48 side of the launch delivery path 36). To the game passage 49 side) is stopped.

  After that, when the game ball is driven by the hit ball launching device 20, as shown in FIG. 13B, the game balls stopped in the delivery passage portion 49 are one by one hitting the hit ball launching device 20 (starting point of the launch rail 21). When the game balls are no longer detected on the first and second launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 ', the launch standby ball switches 50 and 51' are both detected as non-detected game balls. It will be in a state (OFF). The game ball management control board 110 stays in the delivery passage portion 49 based on the detection state of the game balls by the launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 ′ (the launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 ′ are both OFF). It is detected that the number of game balls to be reduced and the game balls supplied to the hitting ball launching device 20 are short. Then, by driving the circulating ball feed motor 47 (rotating operation of the circulating ball feed member 44), it is sent from the collection and delivery path 34 side to the launch / sending path 36 side (in other words, from the entrance passage section 48 side of the launch / sending path 36). A game ball is sent to the passage portion 49 side.

  At this time, in the configuration of the modified example, as described above, the position where the front end portion of the second firing standby ball switch 51 ′ is spaced from the rear end portion of the first firing standby ball switch 50 by a distance A3 of about six game balls. Is arranged. Therefore, the game ball feeding operation by the circulating ball feeding member 44 is started when six game balls are reduced from the full state of the game balls in the delivery passage portion 49. That is, the game ball management control board 110 detects that the game balls to be supplied to the hitting ball launcher 20 are insufficient when six game balls are reduced from the full state of the game balls in the delivery passage portion 49. It is supposed to be.

  Thereafter, the circulating ball feeding member 44 delivers one game ball from the inlet passage 48 side at a speed higher than the game ball driving speed (the speed at which one game ball is driven into the game area 5) by the hit ball launching device 20. As shown in FIG. 13C, the game balls stopped in the entrance passage portion 48 are gradually increased by being sent to the passage portion 49 side. FIG. 13 (C) shows a state in which two more game balls are stopped in the entrance passage portion 48 than in the state shown in FIG. 13 (B), and accordingly, the game ball is positioned on the ball hitting device 20 side. The case where the game ball is stopped on the second launch standby ball switch 51 ′ and the second launch standby ball switch 51 ′ is in the detection state (ON) of the game ball is illustrated. At this time, the game ball is not stopped on the first firing standby ball switch 50, and the first firing standby ball switch 50 is in a non-detection state (OFF) of the game ball. Thereafter, the circulating ball feed member 44 continues to feed the game ball from the inlet passage portion 48 side to the delivery passage portion 49 side, and is positioned on the circulating ball feed member 44 side as shown in FIG. When a game ball is also stopped on the first firing standby ball switch 50, each of the firing standby ball switches 50 and 51 'is in a gaming ball detection state (ON). Then, the game ball management control board 110, based on such a detection state of the game balls by the launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 ′ (both launch standby ball switches 50 and 51 ′ are ON), the circulating ball feed motor 47. Is stopped (the rotating operation of the circulating ball feeding member 44) and the feeding of the game ball from the inlet passage portion 48 side to the delivery passage portion 49 side is stopped.

  As described above, in the configuration of the modified example, the two ball detection switches (the first and second firing standby ball switches 50 and 51 ′) in the delivery passage portion 49 are separated by a distance A3 that is approximately six game balls. Are arranged. Thereby, when the game balls on each of the standby standby ball switches 50 and 51 ′ disappear and both of the standby standby ball switches 50 and 51 ′ are turned off, in other words, the gaming ball is full in the delivery passage portion 49. When the number of game balls is reduced from 6, the feeding of game balls by the circulating ball feeding member 44 is started. That is, in the game ball feeding control in the modified example, every time six game balls are stopped in the delivery passage portion 49 according to the game ball being driven, the entrance passage portion 48 side is changed to the delivery passage portion 49 side. It is designed to send game balls. For this reason, compared with the configuration in which the feeding of the game ball by the circulating ball feeding member 44 is started when three game balls are reduced from the full state of the game balls in the delivery passage portion 49 shown in the above-described embodiment. The interval between the start of game ball feeding (the period during which the circulating ball feed motor 47 is stopped when the game ball is driven) can be increased, and as a result, the driving load of the circulating ball feed motor 47 can be further reduced. .

  As described above, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the game ball that has won the winning opening and the game ball that has entered the out opening are collected and provided with a ball guiding path for guiding the gaming ball to the ball launching means. The guide passage is provided with a deposit removing means for removing a deposit attached to the outer peripheral surface of the game ball with respect to the game ball passing through the ball guide passage. Blast removing means for blowing off artificial wind from the air outlet formed in the passage wall into the passage to blow game wind passing through the inside of the ball guide passage to remove the deposits, and the passage of the ball guide passage The brush tip portion is erected on the wall so that the brush tip portion is rubbed against the outer peripheral surface of the game ball passing through the ball guide passage to remove deposits, and the brush removal means includes: Artificial wind of the air removal means is the brush tip It is disposed adjacent to the outlet to hit the.

  In this case, when the game ball passes through the ball guiding path constituting the circulation path, the brush removal means is rubbed against the game ball and the artificial wind from the air blowing removal means is blown. Thereby, the deposit on the outer peripheral surface of the game ball can be peeled off by rubbing the brush removing means, and the deposit on the outer peripheral surface of the game ball can be blown off by blowing artificial wind by the blower removing means. Therefore, not only relatively large dust adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the game ball, but also adhering matter stuck to the outer peripheral surface of the game ball can be removed from the game ball, and various kinds of adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the game ball are eventually obtained. By removing the extraneous matter more surely, the smooth circulation of the game ball in the circulation path can be more reliably performed.

  Further, according to this configuration, the brush tip of the brush removing unit is disposed at a position adjacent to the artificial air outlet, so that the deposits removed by rubbing of the brush removing unit can be removed by the artificial wind of the blower removing unit. Since it can be blown away, the deposits on the outer peripheral surface of the game ball can be more reliably removed. However, there is a possibility that the deposits removed by rubbing the brush removing means may directly adhere to the brush tip portion, but such deposits are also blown off from the brush tip portion by the artificial wind of the air blowing removing means. The brush tip portion of the removing means can be cleaned each time. For this reason, maintenance is performed such that the worn-out tape portion is gradually wound up and finally replaced with new abrasive paper, as in the configuration of removing the adhering game balls using tape-like abrasive paper. Since it is not necessary to frequently perform the work, the maintenance cycle for the configuration for removing the deposits of game balls can be dramatically increased.

  In addition, an exhaust port is formed in a passage wall portion facing the passage wall where the blowout port is formed in the ball guide passage. In this case, the artificial wind blown into the sphere guide passage by the blower removing means is discharged from the exhaust port without being trapped in the sphere guide passage. For this reason, the artificial wind can flow smoothly in the ball guide passage, and the attached matter removed from the outer surface of the game ball can be discharged out of the ball guide passage from the exhaust port. It is possible to avoid such a problem that it remains in the ball guide passage and adheres to the outer periphery display of the game ball again.

  The brush removing means is composed of a conductive brush having conductivity to which a ground wiring is connected. In this case, when the conductive brush as the brush removing means is rubbed against the game ball, the static electricity charged on the surface of the game ball can be removed through the conductive brush connected to the ground wiring in addition to the removal of the attached matter. it can. Then, by removing the static electricity on the surface of the game ball in this way, it is possible to reduce the adherence of dust, particularly dry dust, and to efficiently remove the deposit attached to the game ball.

  In addition, the ball guide passage collects the game balls won in the winning opening as safe balls and also collects the game balls that entered the out opening as out balls, and the game launched by the ball launching means. A foul ball collection path for collecting the game ball as a foul ball when the ball flows backward without being driven into the game area, a safe ball of the out-safe ball collection path, and a foul ball of the out-ball and the foul ball collection path And a plurality of game balls collected in the collection joint flow channel in a state where they are in contact with each other, and a game ball fed from the array passage is used as a ball launching means. A depositing and discharging means, and the deposit removing means is disposed in the launching and sending path. In this case, since the game ball in the launch and delivery path immediately before being sent to the ball launching unit can be cleaned by the deposit removing unit, the unevenness of the game ball due to the deposit on the outer peripheral surface of the game ball is avoided. can do.

  In addition, the launching and sending path is arranged in communication with the arrangement passage and has an inlet passage part that forms an upward slope, and a delivery passage part that forms a gentle downward slope from the top of the upper end of the inlet passage part toward the ball launching means side And a circulating ball feeding member that is formed in a substantially U-shaped passage shape and that feeds game balls stored and arranged in the arrangement passage one by one to the launch and delivery path side based on driving of an electric drive source. The air blow removing means blows artificial wind to the electric drive source through a vent arranged in a position close to the electric drive source. In this case, the game ball can be driven and circulated in the circulation path by the operation of the circulation ball feeding member based on the drive of the electric drive source. However, since the electric drive source can be cooled by the artificial wind of the air blowing removal means that cleans the game balls in the circulation path (launching and sending path), there is no need to provide a separate cooling device, thereby reducing costs. It is possible to suppress the performance degradation of the drive circulation function due to the heat generated by the electrical drive source after the invitation.

It is a front perspective view which shows the door frame which comprises a pachinko machine. It is a front perspective view which shows the main body frame which comprises a pachinko machine. It is a back perspective view which shows the main body frame which comprises a pachinko machine. It is a front view which shows the various structural members provided in the lower part of a game board, and the lower surface side lower part of a main body frame. It is a perspective view which shows a hit ball | bowl launcher, a circulation path, and a ball | bowl cleaning mechanism. It is a front view which shows the hit ball | bowl launcher and the 1st and 2nd ball channel | path formation member which forms a circulation path. It is a top view which shows the 1st and 2nd ball passage formation member which forms a hit | ball hitting device and a circulation path. It is a perspective view which shows the firing rail and 2nd ball passage formation member which comprise a hit ball launching device. It is a rear view which shows the firing rail and the 2nd ball passage formation member which constitute a hitting ball launching device. FIG. 4A is a front view showing a casing and a first duct forming member constituting the blower, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing the casing and the first duct forming member constituting the blower. is there. It is a block diagram which shows the card unit machine arrange | positioned adjacent to the pachinko machine and its one side. FIGS. 9A to 9C are explanatory diagrams showing the game ball feeding control based on the ball detection by the first and second firing standby ball switches, respectively. FIGS. 9A to 9C are explanatory views showing game ball feeding control based on ball detection by the first and second firing standby ball switches in the modified examples, respectively.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pachinko machine 2 Main body frame 3 Door frame 4 Game board 5 Game area 7 Operation handle 10 Operation panel part 11 Ball lending button 12 Settlement button 13 Remaining number display part 14 Game machine holding ball number display part 15 Information display part 20 Hitting ball launcher 21 Launch rail 23 Launch motor 24 Launch ball confirmation switch 25 Launch ball detection switch 30 Circulation path 31 Out-safe ball collection path 32 Foul ball collection path 34 Collection combined path 35 Array path 36 Launch delivery path 40 Out-safe ball detection switch 41 Foul ball detection switch 43 Ball capacity confirmation switch 44 Circulating ball feed member 47 Circulating ball feed motors 50, 51 Launch standby ball switch 60 Ball cleaning mechanism 61 Conductive brush 62 Blower device 67 Blower port 68 Blower duct 73 Blower port 74 Blower port 75 Discharge port 76 Vent 100 Main control board 110 Game ball management control board 120 peripheral control board 130 power supply board 144 external terminal board 200 card unit machine

Claims (1)

A game board in which a game area is defined, a ball launching means for launching a game ball into the game area in response to an operation of an operation handle, a game ball launched by the ball launching means and collecting the ball again In a sealed ball game machine having a circulation path for supplying to the launching means,
The circulation path is
A winning opening that is arranged in the gaming area and allows winning of gaming balls;
An outlet that is arranged at the lowermost end of the gaming area and receives a game ball that has not won the winning opening;
A ball guide path for collecting the game ball won in the winning port and the game ball entered in the out port and guiding the game ball to the ball launching means,
The ball guide passage is provided with a deposit removing means for removing a deposit attached to the outer peripheral surface of the game ball with respect to the game ball passing through the ball guide passage,
The deposit removing means is
Blast removing means for removing artificial matter by blowing artificial wind into the passage from the blowout port formed in the passage wall of the ball guide passage to blow the artificial wind onto the game ball passing through the inside of the ball guide passage. When,
Brush removing means for removing the deposits by rubbing the brush tip portion against the outer peripheral surface of the game ball passing through the ball guiding passage by providing a brush tip portion adjacent to the passage wall of the ball guiding passage. With
The encapsulated ball type gaming machine, wherein the brush removing means is arranged at a position adjacent to the air outlet so that the artificial wind of the air blowing removing means hits the tip of the brush.

Images