JP2010094230A - Pinball machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pinball machine capable of stably locking a movable gadget at a predetermined position and smoothly moving it up and down. <P>SOLUTION: A base member 18 is provided on the upper part of a game region 9 of a game board 3. The movable gadget 19 is supported on the base member 18 so as to move up and down, and an oscillating arm 28 is supported on the base member 18 so as to oscillate. Rotation of a gear 27 in a last row of a train of gears is converted into oscillation of the oscillating arm 28 through a first engaging part 30 (a first long hole 28a and a first pin 27a), and the oscillation of the oscillating arm 28 is converted into up-and-down motions of the movable gadget 19 through a second engaging part 31 (a second pin 19c and a second long hole 28b) when the train of gears rotate in connection with a startup of a motor 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball game machine such as a pachinko machine, and more particularly to a ball game machine provided with a movable accessory that moves up and down along a plane parallel to a board surface of a game board.

  In the ball and ball game machines represented by pachinko machines, an image display screen in which the lottery is executed when the game ball wins a predetermined starting point, and the lottery result is arranged at the center of the board of the game board. In addition, a movable accessory imitating a person or an animal is arranged in the vicinity of the image display screen, and the effect of playing the game is enhanced by a combination of the display content on the image display screen and the movement of the movable accessory. There is a model.

  A movable accessory performs various motions using a motor as a drive source. As an example, a movable accessory is moved up and down by a drive unit disposed on the side of an image display screen. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). The drive unit includes an elevating member that can move in the vertical direction along the guide shaft, a support shaft that protrudes horizontally from the elevating member and fixes the movable accessory in a cantilevered manner, and a drive that rotates using a motor as a drive source. A pulley, a driven pulley opposed to the lower position of the drive pulley, and a belt wound around the drive pulley and the driven pulley are provided, and the elevating member is connected to a part of the belt.

In the conventional ball game machine having the general configuration as described above, the movable accessory is usually in an initial position above the image display screen and is covered with another accessory or a decorative body. When the motor rotates in either the forward or reverse direction, the belt rotates to lower the elevating member along the shaft, so that the movable accessory fixed to the support shaft moves down from the initial position to the operating position. To the front of the image display screen. In this state, when the motor rotates in the other direction, the belt rotates in the opposite direction and raises the elevating member. Therefore, the movable accessory that was in the operating position moves up in front of the image display screen and moves to the initial position. Return to.
JP 2007-143790 A

  By the way, in the conventional ball game machine described above, the movable accessory is not visible from the outside at the initial position, but the movable accessory that is always exposed is moved up and down between the initial position and the operating position. In the case of adopting the form, the operator may accidentally touch the movable accessory during maintenance or the like, forcibly moving the movable accessory up and down, and the drive unit may be damaged. In addition, since the movable accessory is fixed in a cantilever manner to the support shaft that protrudes in the horizontal direction from the elevating member, the movable accessory that is moving up and down is easily rattled by the bending of the support shaft. When the total weight increases, it becomes difficult to move the movable accessory up and down smoothly.

  The present invention has been made in view of the actual situation of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a ball game machine capable of stably locking a movable accessory in a predetermined position and smoothly moving up and down. There is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a ball game machine of the present invention includes a base member disposed at an upper part of a game area of a game board, a movable accessory supported by the base member so as to be movable up and down, A swing arm that is swingably supported by the base member; a gear train that is rotatably supported by the base member; and a motor that rotates the gear train; and a final gear of the gear train; The one end of the swing arm is connected via a first engaging portion, the other end of the swing arm and the movable accessory are connected via a second engaging portion, Both the first and second engaging portions have a configuration in which a pin is inserted into the long hole.

  In the ball and ball game machine configured as described above, when the gear train rotates as the motor starts, the rotational movement of the gear in the final stage of the gear train causes the swing arm to swing through the first engagement portion. Since the swinging motion of the swinging arm is converted into the vertical motion of the movable accessory through the second engagement portion, the movable accessory is moved up and down during one rotation of the gear. The movable accessory can be moved up and down continuously by continuing the rotation of the motor. Further, power transmission from the gear of the gear train to the swing arm is smoothly performed via the first engagement portion, but power transmission from the swing arm to the gear of the gear train is performed by the first engagement portion. Therefore, the movable accessory can be stably locked in place without a special locking mechanism, and an accident where the movable accessory in a stopped state is forcibly moved up and down is damaged. Can be prevented.

  In the above configuration, the detection sensor capable of detecting the operation position of the movable accessory is provided, and when the movable accessory stops at the initial position based on the detection signal of the detection sensor, the first engagement portion is at the maximum. It is preferable to set the relationship in which the second engaging portion is at the uppermost point at the lower point, since damage due to contact when the movable accessory is stopped at the uppermost position (initial position) can be reliably prevented.

  In the ball game machine of the present invention, when the gear train rotates as the motor is started, the rotational motion of the gear in the last stage of the gear train is changed to the swing motion of the swing arm via the first engagement portion. In addition to being converted, the swinging movement of the swinging arm is converted to the vertical movement of the movable accessory via the second engaging portion, so that the movable accessory can be smoothly moved up and down using the motor as a drive source. Can be moved. In addition, since no power is transmitted from the swing arm to the gears of the gear train, the movable accessory can be stably locked at a predetermined position without a special locking mechanism. It is possible to prevent an accident that it is forced to move up and down and breaks.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ball game machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of a game board provided in the ball game machine. 3 is a perspective view of the effect unit provided in the ball game machine, FIG. 4 is a front view of the effect unit, FIG. 5 is a rear view of the effect unit, and FIG. 6 is a movable accessory provided in the effect unit. FIG. 7 is a front view showing the operating state, and FIG. 7 is a rear view showing the operating state of the movable accessory provided in the effect unit.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a ball game machine according to the present embodiment includes a machine frame 1 arranged in an island facility of a game arcade, and a front frame 2 attached to the machine frame 1 so as to be openable and closable. A later-described game board 3 stored and held in the front frame 2, a glass door 4 attached to the front surface of the front frame 2 so as to be openable and closable, and a front board 5 disposed below the front frame 2. A launch handle 6 attached to the front board 5 is provided. The front board 5 is provided with a tray 7.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the board surface of the game board 3 is a game area 9 surrounded by guide rails 8 and the like, and when the launch handle 6 is rotated at an arbitrary angle by the player, a launch device (not shown) However, the game balls stored in the tray 7 are continuously launched toward the game area 9. A liquid crystal panel (LCD) 10 that is an image display screen is disposed near the upper center of the game area 9, and an effect unit 11 described later is disposed immediately above the liquid crystal panel 10. A pair of start ports 12 and 13 are disposed at a position directly below. The upper start port 12 is a start port having a winning port on the upper surface, while the lower start port 13 is an electric tulip structure start port having a pair of movable pieces. When a game ball is won in either one of the start ports 12 and 13 during the game, a random number generator or the like stored in a control unit of a main board (not shown) disposed on the back side of the game board 3 is used. A special symbol display lottery is executed, and a symbol variation display and a stop display are performed on the liquid crystal panel 10 based on the lottery result. Further, a passing chucker 14 is disposed on the left side of the liquid crystal panel 10 in the drawing, and when the game ball passes through the passing chucker 14, a lottery for displaying a normal symbol is executed by the control unit of the main board, When the lottery result is a win, the movable piece of the lower start port 13 is temporarily opened to allow game balls to enter. Further, a big prize opening 15 called an attacker is arranged immediately below the start openings 12 and 13, and a plurality of general prize winning openings 16 are arranged on both the left and right sides of the big prize opening 15. Note that game balls that have not won any of the starting openings 12, 13, the grand prize opening 15, and the general prize opening 16 are placed on the back side of the game board 3 from the out opening 17 provided at the lowest end of the gaming area 9. It is supposed to be discharged.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the effect unit 11 includes a base member 18 fixed to the back surface of the game board 3 using screws (not shown), and a movable combination disposed on the front side of the base member 18. An object 19, a motor 20 attached to the front side of the base member 18, a drive unit 21 disposed on the back side of the base member 18, a detection sensor 22, a relay board 23, and the like. It moves up and down in opposition to the glass surface of the glass door 4 that is in front of the liquid crystal panel 10 and allows the game area 9 to be visually recognized.

  A rectangular jetty 18a is formed at the center of the back surface of the base member 18, and guide shafts 24 extending in the vertical direction are fixed to both upper and lower walls of the jetty 18a. The base member 18 is formed with a pair of escape holes 18b and 18c, and these escape holes 18b and 18c extend in the vertical direction at positions where the guide shaft 24 is sandwiched.

  The movable accessory 19 has a horizontally long shape that can cover the entire width direction of the liquid crystal panel 10, and the movable accessory 19 is three-dimensionally imitating a human face. Most of the front side of the movable accessory 19 is always exposed from the game board 3, and a circuit board (not shown) on which an LED for electrical decoration is mounted is accommodated in the movable accessory 19. In addition, a pair of cylindrical portions 19 a and 19 b projecting into the jetty 18 a of the base member 18 are formed at the center of the back surface of the movable accessory 19, and these cylindrical portions 19 a and 19 b slide on the guide shaft 24. By freely fitting, the movable accessory 19 is supported by the base member 18 so as to be movable up and down. Although not shown in the drawing, bosses protrude from the left and right sides of the front surface of the base member 18, and guide holes extending in the vertical direction are formed on the left and right sides of the back surface of the movable accessory 19, The movable accessory 19 can be guided in the vertical direction without backlash by the concavo-convex portions of the bosses and the guide holes. Further, a coil spring 25 is interposed between the lower wall portion of the jetty 18 a and the lower cylindrical portion 19 b, and the movable accessory 19 is urged upward by the elastic force of the coil spring 25.

  The drive unit 21 swings around a front gear 26 that is connected directly or via a gear (not shown) to the motor 20, a rear gear 27 that meshes with the gear 26, and a support shaft 29. The gear train is composed of front and rear gears 26 and 27. The swing arm 28 is formed in a generally U shape, and a first long hole 28a and a second long hole 28b are formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction. The length from the support shaft 29 to the first long hole 28 a and the length from the support shaft 29 to the second long hole 28 b are set to be substantially the same, and the first long hole 28 a is viewed from the support shaft 29. Located on the outer side, the second long hole 28 b is located on the inner side as viewed from the support shaft 29. A first pin 27a provided on the gear 27 on the rear stage side is inserted into the first long hole 28a, and the first engagement portion 30 is formed by the first long hole 28a and the first pin 27a. It is configured. Further, a second pin 19c protruding from the back surface of the movable accessory 19 into the escape hole 18b is inserted into the second elongated hole 28b, and the second elongated hole 28b and the second pin 19c are used to insert the second pin 19c. Two engaging portions 31 are formed.

  The detection sensor 22 is an optical sensor that detects the operating position of the movable accessory 19, and includes, for example, a photo interrupter in which light receiving and emitting elements (none of which are shown) are arranged to face each other. The detection sensor 22 is disposed at a position crossing the upper portion of the escape hole 18c of the base member 18, and a detected portion 19d protruding from the back surface of the movable accessory 19 is disposed in the escape hole 18c. The detected portion 19d moves in the escape hole 18c as the movable accessory 19 moves up and down, and the detected portion 19d is detected by the detection sensor 22 only when the movable accessory 19 is at the uppermost position shown in FIGS. The light path from the light emitting element is cut off. The circuit board in the motor 20, the detection sensor 22, and the movable accessory 19 is connected to a relay board 23 via a cable (not shown), and this relay board 23 is disposed on the back side of the game board 3. It is connected to a sub board (not shown).

  In the ball game machine according to the present embodiment, when a game ball wins one of the start ports 12 and 13 during the game, a special symbol display is executed by the control unit of the main board. Based on the lottery result, the rotation of the motor 20 is controlled via the sub-board and the relay board 23, and the movable accessory 19 is moved up and down in front of the liquid crystal panel 10 to move the display contents on the liquid crystal panel 10 and move. The effect of the game is enhanced by associating the movement of the accessory 19. Here, when the main power supply of the ball game machine is turned on, the motor 20 initializes the movable accessory 19 so that the uppermost position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is set as the initial position, and as described below, the movable accessory 19 moves up and down between this uppermost position (initial position) and the lowermost position shown in FIGS.

  That is, when the movable accessory 19 is stopped at the uppermost position (initial position) before the operation, the drive unit 21 is held in the posture shown in FIG. 5. In this case, the first length of the swing arm 28 is The hole 28a engages with the first pin 27a of the gear 27 at the lowest point, and the second long hole 28b of the swing arm 28 engages with the second pin 19c of the movable accessory 19 at the uppermost point. ing. In this state, when the motor 20 is started and the gears 26 and 27 of the gear train rotate, the first pin 27a provided on the gear 27 on the rear side is accordingly moved to the first elongated hole 28a of the swing arm 28. 5, the swing arm 28 rotates (swings) counterclockwise in FIG. 5 about the support shaft 29, and the second length of the swing arm 28 is increased. The second pin 19c engaged with the hole 28b moves down in the escape hole 18c while compressing the coil spring 25. When the gear 27 is rotated halfway (180 degrees) in this way, as shown in FIG. 7, the engagement position of the first pin 27a and the first elongated hole 28a becomes the highest point, and the second pin 19c. Since the engagement position of the second elongated hole 28b is the lowest point, the movable accessory 19 moves in front of the liquid crystal panel 10 from the uppermost position (initial position) to the lowermost position. When the gear 27 further rotates halfway and the first pin 27a moves downward from the uppermost point, the swing arm 28 rotates around the support shaft 29 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 19 moves upward while receiving the elastic force of the coil spring 25 and returns to the uppermost position shown in FIG. 5, so that the movable accessory 19 can be reciprocated once in the vertical direction during one rotation of the gear 27. If the rotation of the gear 27 is continued a plurality of times, the movable accessory 19 can be moved up and down continuously. In addition, since the to-be-detected part 19d moves in and out of the detection sensor 22 as the movable accessory 19 moves up and down, the operation position of the movable accessory 19 can be determined based on the detection signal of the detection sensor 22. The accessory 19 can be reliably stopped at the uppermost position.

  Therefore, according to the lottery result described above, the movable accessory 19 continuously moves up and down a plurality of times from the position where it covers and hides the entire width direction of the liquid crystal panel 10 and the initial position where it retreats from there. It moves dynamically, and it is a reciprocating mechanism that can be realized by rotating in only one direction of the motor 20, which can be performed smoothly and at high speed as if the waves of the seaside are full, so it shows great appeal to the player become able to. In addition, the frequency | count of the movable accessory 19 moved up and down according to a lottery result is set to an appropriate number including a single number (one time). Further, the LED for electric decoration arranged inside the movable accessory 19 controls the light emission or flashing not only when the movable accessory 19 is moved up and down but also when the movable accessory 19 is stopped outside the movable timing. By performing the control based on the control, the assist lighting is performed to excite the lottery result derivation effect displayed on the liquid crystal panel 10. Thereby, even when the movable accessory 19 stops, the presence of the movable accessory 19 can be appealed by the LED for illumination.

  As described above, in the bullet ball game machine according to this embodiment, when the gear train rotates as the motor 20 starts, the rotational motion of the gear 27 at the final stage of the gear train is the first engagement. It is converted into a swinging motion of the swing arm 28 via the portion 30 (the first long hole 28a and the first pin 27a), and the swinging motion of the swing arm 28 is converted into the second engaging portion 31 ( Since it is configured to be converted into the vertical movement of the movable accessory 19 through the second pin 19c and the second elongated hole 28b), the movable accessory 19 can be smoothly moved up and down using the motor 20 as a drive source. Can do. In addition, the movable accessory 19 stops at the uppermost position in the initial state, and in this state, power is smoothly transmitted from the gear 27 to the swing arm 28 via the first engaging portion 30. However, since the power transmission from the swing arm 28 to the gear 27 is blocked by the first engaging portion 30, the movable accessory 19 can be stably locked at the initial position without a special locking mechanism. Therefore, an accident that the movable accessory 19 in the stopped state is forcibly moved up and down to damage the drive unit 21 is prevented in advance.

  Further, a detection sensor 22 capable of detecting the operating position of the movable accessory 19 is provided, and when the movable accessory 19 is stopped at the initial position based on the detection signal of the detection sensor 22, the first engaging portion 30 is provided. Is set so that the second engaging portion 30 is at the uppermost point at the lowest point, so that damage due to contact when the movable accessory 19 is stopped at the uppermost position (initial position) is surely prevented. can do. Furthermore, since the movable accessory 19 is urged upward by the elastic force of the coil spring 25, even if a small and low-torque motor 20 is used, the movable accessory 19 is assisted by the assist force of the coil spring 25. It can be moved up smoothly.

  In the above embodiment, the swing arm 28 is supported by the support shaft 29 at a substantially intermediate position between the first and second elongated holes 28a and 28b, and therefore the first pin 27a provided on the gear 27 is provided. The amount of movement of the second pin 19c provided in the movable accessory 19 in the vertical direction is substantially equal, but the distance from the support shaft 29 to the first long hole 28a is longer than the second long hole 28b. If the length of is set large, the amount of movement (amplitude) of the movable accessory 19 in the vertical direction can be increased.

  In the above embodiment, the operation position of the movable accessory 19 is detected by the detection sensor 22 including an optical sensor such as a photo interrupter. However, other sensors such as a magnetic type and a brush type may be used. Is possible.

1 is a perspective view of a ball game machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the game board with which this bullet ball game machine is equipped. It is a perspective view of the production | presentation unit with which this bullet ball game machine is equipped. It is a front view of the production unit. It is a rear view of the production unit. It is a front view which shows the operation state of the movable accessory with which this presentation unit is equipped. It is a rear view which shows the operation state of the movable accessory with which this presentation unit is equipped.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Game board 9 Game area 10 Liquid crystal panel 11 Production | presentation unit 12,13 Start port 18 Base member 18b, 18c Escape hole 19 Movable accessory 19a, 19b Cylindrical part 19c Second pin 19d Detected part 20 Motor 21 Drive unit 22 Detection sensor 23 Relay board 24 Guide shaft 25 Coil spring 26 Gear on the front stage 27 Gear on the rear stage 27a First pin 28 Swing arm 28a First long hole 28b Second long hole 29 Support shaft 30 First engagement Joint part 31 2nd engaging part

Claims (2)

A base member disposed at an upper part of a game area of the game board; a movable accessory supported by the base member so as to be movable up and down; a swinging arm supported swingably by the base member; and the base A gear train rotatably supported by the member, and a motor that rotates the gear train,
The final stage gear of the gear train and one end of the swing arm are connected via a first engaging portion, and the other end of the swing arm and the movable accessory are connected to the second engagement portion. A bullet ball game machine, characterized in that the first and second engaging portions are connected through a joint portion, and both of them are a combination in which a pin is inserted into a long hole.   The detection sensor according to claim 1, wherein a detection sensor capable of detecting an operation position of the movable accessory is provided, and when the movable accessory stops at an initial position based on a detection signal of the detection sensor, A ball game machine characterized in that the engaging portion is set to the lowest point and the second engaging portion is set to the highest point.

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