JP2011224307A - Pachinko machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a Pachinko machine for reliably detecting depressing operation of an operating button including a low operating surface in operating buttons including operating surfaces having mutually different heights.SOLUTION: In the Pachinko machine 1, a player can take part in performance content of a big win lottery by depressing operation of performance buttons 20, 30. The performance buttons 20, 30 include the operating surfaces having mutually different heights. The performance button 30 including a low operating surface includes: a button body 32 slidably stored in a button storage hole 31; a return spring 24 for urging the button body 32; a piece 33c to be detected lowering integrally with the button body 32 in the depressing operation of the button body 32; and a photosensor 36 for detecting whether the piece 33c to be detected has lowered. The piece 33c to be detected and the photosensor 36 are disposed at a position shifting to a far side from the performance button 20 to the center position of the button body 32.

Description

  The present invention relates to a pachinko machine provided with a plurality of operation buttons that are pressed by a player.

  When the game ball enters the winning device, the pachinko machine produces a big hit lottery using a liquid crystal display, a speaker, or the like, and then displays the lottery result on the liquid crystal display or the like. In recent years, in such a pachinko machine, in order to raise the expectation for the big hit lottery, a production button is provided on the surface of the player's case, and the player is notified of the lottery result of the big hit lottery when the production button is pressed What was made to be related to the production content at the time of performing is known (for example, refer patent document 1).

  As such a production button, for example, by making a production button to be continuously developed during a specific reach production, the reach production is developed into a special reach production, or by operating the production button during a specific reach production. There are some which can select any one of several types of reach production.

  Here, as shown in Patent Document 1, the effect button is slidably accommodated in a button accommodating hole that opens on the surface of the casing, and urges the button body in a direction protruding from the button accommodating hole. Biasing means, a detected piece provided so as to be lowered integrally with the button main body when the button main body is pressed, and a press detection unit for detecting whether the detected piece has been lowered. In general, the detected piece and the press detection unit are arranged on the center line of the button body.

JP 2008-200202 A

  By the way, in order to enable various operations with respect to the contents of effects when notifying the player of the lottery result of the big hit lottery, a model provided with a plurality of effect buttons has been developed. In models with multiple production buttons in this way, it is common to assign different functions to each production button, and the shape of each production button can be changed by reflecting each function in the button design. There are many. As a result, the operation buttons may be different in height between adjacent effect buttons.

  If the heights of the operation surfaces of the effect buttons adjacent in the left-right direction are different from each other, the player avoids touching the higher effect button by mistake when pressing the lower effect button. As such, there is a tendency to push a position shifted to the far side from the higher production button.

  In this case, since the button main body is lowered while being slightly inclined, the detected piece on the center line of the button main body is not completely lowered due to the inclination of the button main body, and the lowering distance of the detected piece is slightly small. Become. For this reason, there is a possibility that the depression operation of the effect button is not detected without detecting the descending operation of the detected piece by the press detection unit.

  In this way, when the pressing operation of the effect button is not detected, if a reach effect different from the effect content desired by the player is made, especially if the lottery result displayed thereafter is a big hit Otherwise, the frustration of the player may increase, and the player's interest in that type of pachinko machine may be reduced.

  Similar problems may also occur with other operation buttons pressed by the player (for example, a ball lending button and a return button arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction).

  An object of the present invention is to provide a pachinko machine that can reliably detect a pressing operation of an operation button having a lower operation surface among operation buttons having different operation surface heights.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, the operation button having the lower operation surface includes a button main body that is slidably received in the button receiving hole, and a direction in which the button main body protrudes from the button receiving hole. Urging means for urging the button body, a detected piece provided so as to be lowered integrally with the button body when the button body is pressed, and detecting whether or not the detected piece is lowered. A press detection unit, and the detected piece and the press detection unit are arranged at a position shifted from a center position of the button body to a side farther from the operation button having a higher operation surface. .

  As described above, in the present invention, the detected piece and the press detection unit of the operation button with the lower operation surface are arranged at positions shifted away from the operation button with the higher operation surface. Therefore, when pressing the lower operation button, even if the button body is slightly tilted by pushing the position far from the higher operation button, the detection piece will move down due to the tilt. The influence of is small. Therefore, it is possible to reliably detect the pressing operation of the operation button having the lower operation surface.

  The pachinko machine according to the present invention is configured such that, among the adjacent operation buttons having different operation surface heights, the detected piece of the operation button with the lower operation surface height and the pressing detection unit have the operation surface height. Since it is arranged at a position shifted to the far side from the higher operation button, when the operation button having the lower operation surface is pressed, the pressing operation can be reliably detected.

Front view of a pachinko machine according to an embodiment of the present invention Front view of game board Perspective view of pachinko machine Top view of pachinko machine Sectional view along line VV in FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the state which pressed down the production button of FIG.

  Hereinafter, a pachinko machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pachinko machine 1 is supported by an outer frame 2 serving as an installation base when installed in a pachinko hall, and a hinge piece 3 fixed to one side of the outer frame 2 so as to be opened and closed. And a front frame 6 supported by a hinge piece 5 fixed to one side of the middle frame 4 so as to be opened and closed.

  The outer frame 2 is formed in a rectangular tube shape with a wooden plate material framed in a rectangular shape. The middle frame 4 opens and closes the front side, and the front side of the middle frame 4 faces the front side. The frame 6 opens and closes. In the middle frame 4, as shown in FIG. 2, a big win lottery is drawn when a game ball enters a game board 8 having a game area 7 in which the game ball can roll and a winning device 9 provided in the game area 7. And a liquid crystal display 10 for producing

  As shown in FIG. 3, a transparent plate 11 is attached to the front frame 6 so that the game board 8 can be viewed with the front side of the middle frame 4 closed. As the transparent plate 11, a glass plate or an acrylic resin plate can be adopted. An upper plate 13 for storing the game balls paid out from the payout device (not shown) through the payout port 12 and guiding them to the game ball launching device (not shown) is integrated with the lower portion of the front frame 6. Is provided.

  A lower tray unit 17 including a lower tray 15 for storing game balls overflowing from the upper tray 13 and an attachment substrate 16 for the lower tray 15 is attached to the middle frame 4. When the upper plate 13 is filled with game balls paid out from the payout opening 12, the game balls overflowing from the upper plate 13 pass through an overflow ball passage (not shown) provided on the rear side of the middle frame 4. It passes through and is paid out to the lower plate 15.

  A launching handle 18 is attached to the right side of the lower plate 15, and a game ball stored in the upper plate 13 is moved from the game ball launching device by rotating a launching lever 19 provided on the launching handle 18. The game board 8 (see FIG. 2) is fired into the game area 7.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the front wall portion 14 of the upper plate 13 has an effect button 20 disposed in the center in the left-right direction as viewed from the player, and an effect button 30 disposed adjacent to the left and right sides thereof. Each is provided. The effect buttons 20 and 30 are pressed by the player during the effect of the big hit lottery performed when the game ball launched into the game area 7 of the game board 8 (see FIG. 2) enters the winning device 9, The pressing operation is related to the contents of the effect when notifying the player of the lottery result of the big hit lottery.

  The structure of the center effect button 20 will be described with reference to FIG. The center effect button 20 includes a button main body 22 slidably received in a button receiving hole 21 opened on the upper surface of the front wall portion 14, a plunger 23 provided below the button main body 22, and the plunger 23 upward. And a return spring 24 for biasing.

  The button body 22 includes a dome-shaped top plate 22a and a side plate 22b extending downward from the outer periphery of the top plate 22a, and is integrally formed of resin. The upper surface of the top plate 22a serves as an operation surface when the button body 22 is pressed. The plunger 23 includes a cylindrical portion 23a, a spring receiving plate 23b integrally provided on the inner diameter side of the cylindrical portion 23a, and a detected piece 23c that hangs down from the spring receiving plate 23b along the center line of the cylindrical portion 23a. The cylindrical portion 23a, the spring receiving plate 23b, and the detected piece 23c are integrally formed of resin.

  The cylindrical portion 23a of the plunger 23 is guided by a fixed guide sleeve 25 so as to be slidable up and down. The cylindrical portion 23a supports the button body 22 from the lower side, and when the button body 22 is pressed, the plunger 23 is lowered together with the button body 22. The guide sleeve 25 that guides the cylindrical portion 23 a is formed integrally with a support substrate 26 that is fixedly provided inside the front wall portion 14.

  The return spring 24 is incorporated between the spring receiving plate 23b and the support substrate 26 in a state compressed in the vertical direction, and applies a biasing force in a direction protruding from the button housing hole 21 to the button body 22 via the plunger 23. Has been granted.

  A circuit board 28 including a photosensor 27 is installed below the support board 26. The photo sensor 27 is arranged corresponding to the lowered position of the detected piece 23c, and when the detected piece 23c is lowered as the button body 22 is pressed, the photo sensor 27 is shielded from light by the detected piece 23c. Thus, the descent of the detected piece 23c is detected. The photo sensor 27 is provided with a light emitting element and a light receiving element facing each other, and detects a light blocking object therebetween without contact.

  In addition, the circuit board 28 is provided with an LED light source 29 for lighting the button body 22 when the operation of the effect button 20 is effective. The spring receiving plate 23b of the plunger 23 is formed with a through hole 23d for guiding light from the LED light source 29 to the button body 22.

  Since the left and right effect buttons 30 are symmetrical with respect to the center effect button 20, the description of the left effect button 30 is omitted here, and the right effect button 30 will be described.

  The effect button 30 includes a button main body 32 slidably accommodated in a button accommodating hole 31 opened on the upper surface of the front wall portion 14, a plunger 33 provided below the button main body 32, and biases the plunger 33 upward. Return spring 34.

  The button main body 32 includes a top plate 32a having a slope that gradually decreases from a side closer to the center effect button 20 to a side farther, and a side plate 32b extending downward from the periphery of the top plate 32a, and is integrally molded with resin. Has been. The top surface of the top board 32a serves as an operation surface when the button body 32 is pressed. The button body 32 is guided so as to be slidable up and down by a drooping edge portion 31 a extending downward from the edge of the button housing hole 31 along the outer periphery of the button body 32.

  Here, when the center effect button 20 and the right effect button 30 are compared, the heights of the operation surfaces are different from each other, and the operation surface of the center effect button 20 (the upper surface of the top plate 22a of the button body 22). ) Is higher than the operation surface of the right effect button 30 (the upper surface of the top plate 32a of the button body 32). The difference in height is 10 mm or more by comparing the highest positions on the operation surface. Further, the center effect button 20 and the right effect button 30 are close to each other, and the distance between them is the operation surface of the center effect button 20 (the upper surface of the top plate 22a of the button body 22) and the right effect button 30. It is 10 mm or less between the closest positions of the operation surface (the upper surface of the top plate 32a of the button main body 32).

  The plunger 33 includes a cylindrical portion 33a, a spring receiving plate 33b that is integrally provided on the inner diameter side of the cylindrical portion 33a, and a detected piece 33c that hangs down from the spring receiving plate 33b. The cylindrical portion 33a, the spring receiving plate 33b, and the detected piece 33c are integrally formed of resin.

  The cylindrical portion 33a is guided by a fixed guide sleeve 35 formed integrally with the support substrate 26 so as to be slidable up and down. The spring receiving plate 33b supports the side plate 32b of the button main body 32 from the lower side, and the plunger 33 is lowered together with the button main body 32 when the button main body 32 is pressed. The detected piece 33c is formed in a flat plate shape that extends downward from the spring receiving plate 33b with the front-rear direction as the plate thickness direction, and is located farther from the center effect button 20 (right side in the figure) than the center position of the button body 32. It is arranged at a shifted position.

  The return spring 34 is incorporated between the spring receiving plate 33 b and the support substrate 26 in a state compressed in the vertical direction, and applies a biasing force in a direction protruding from the button housing hole 31 to the button main body 32 via the plunger 33. Has been granted.

  The circuit board 28 is provided with a photo sensor 36 corresponding to the lowered position of the detected piece 33c. When the detected piece 33c is lowered by the pressing operation of the button body 32, the photo detected by the detected piece 33c. The sensor 36 is shielded from light so as to detect the descent of the detected piece 33c. The photosensor 36 has a U-shape that opens upward in which the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element are opposed to each other, and detects a light shielding object therebetween without contact.

  The photosensor 36 can be installed in a direction in which the light emitting element and the light receiving element face to the left and right like the central photosensor 27, but as shown in the figure, the light emitting element and the light receiving element face each other in the front-rear direction. It is preferable that a flat plate-like detected piece 33c with the front-back direction as the plate thickness direction is disposed between the light emitting element and the light receiving element. In this way, when the right effect button 30 is pressed, even if the position of the detected piece 33c is slightly tilted in the left-right direction by pressing a position shifted away from the center effect button 20, the detected object is detected by the inclination. The piece 33c can be prevented from coming into contact with the photosensor 36, and the reliability of the photosensor 36 can be ensured over a long period of time.

  The circuit board 28 is provided with an LED light source 37 for lighting the button body 32 when the operation of the effect button 30 is effective. The spring receiving plate 33 b of the plunger 33 is formed with a light guide through hole 33 d that guides the light from the LED light source 37 to the button body 32.

Such effect buttons 20 and 30 are utilized by the player as follows, for example.
When the player operates the launch handle 18, the game ball on the upper plate 13 is launched into the game area 7 of the game board 8, and when the game ball enters the winning device 9 of the game board 8, the liquid crystal display 10 and the speaker are used. The production of the big hit lottery by etc. is started. At this time, the player can select any one reach effect from several types of reach effects displayed on the liquid crystal display 10 by operating the left and right effect buttons 30. Then, after selecting any one reach effect, the player presses the center effect button 20 to determine the selection content. Thereby, an effect is made according to the player's selection, and then the lottery result of the big hit lottery is displayed on the liquid crystal display 10.

  In the demonstration screen before the player operates the firing handle 18, the character displayed on the liquid crystal display 10 when the big hit lottery is subsequently performed can be selected by the player, and the effect button 20 is used to select the character. , 30 may be operated.

  Here, when the player depresses the left and right effect buttons 30, the player presses a position shifted to the far side from the center effect button 20 in an attempt to avoid touching the center effect button 20 by mistake. There is a tendency (see the dotted line arrow in the figure), and this tendency is remarkable when the operation surface of the center effect button 20 is higher than the operation surfaces of the left and right effect buttons 30. In addition, since the top plate 32a of the effect button 30 has a slope that becomes lower toward the side far from the center effect button 20, the position where the finger slips and the effect button 30 is pressed when the effect button 30 is pressed is operated. There is also a possibility of shifting to the far side from the center effect button 20.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 6, when pressing the right effect button 30, there is a tendency to press a position shifted to the right side from the center of the button body 32. In this case, there is a possibility that the button body 32 is lowered slightly so that the right side is lowered more than the left side. However, the detected piece 33c and the photosensor 36 are on the right side with respect to the center position of the button body 32. Therefore, the influence of the tilt of the button main body 32 on the lowering operation of the detected piece 33c is small. Therefore, the pressing operation of the right effect button 30 can be reliably detected. The same applies to the left effect button 30.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the detected piece 33c and the photo sensor 36 of the left and right effect buttons 30 having the low operation surface are shifted to the far side from the center effect button 20 having the high operation surface. Therefore, the pressing operation of the left and right effect buttons 30 by the player can be reliably detected.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the effect buttons 30 having a low operation surface are arranged on the left and right sides of the center effect button 20 having a high operation surface is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a pachinko machine in which one of the pair of left and right effect buttons is an effect button having a high operation surface and the other is an effect button having a low operation surface.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the non-contact photosensor 36 is used as a press detection unit that detects whether or not the detected piece 33c is lowered has been described, but a contact-type sensor may be used.

  In this embodiment, the example in which the return spring 24 is employed as the urging means for urging the button main body 32 in the direction protruding from the button housing hole 31 has been described. However, other urging means may be employed. For example, a permanent magnet may be attached to the plunger 33, an electromagnet may be provided on the circuit board 28, and the button main body 32 may be urged using a repulsive force generated when the electromagnet is energized. In this embodiment, the urging force is applied to the button body 32 via the plunger 33, but the return spring 34 may be arranged so that the urging force acts directly on the button body 32.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the operation buttons 20 and 30 used for causing the player to be involved in the contents of the presentation when notifying the player of the lottery result of the big hit lottery are shown as operation buttons pressed by the player. As described above, the present invention may be applied to other operation buttons as long as they are pressed by the player, for example, a ball lending button arranged adjacent to the left and right direction and a return It can also be applied to buttons. Here, the ball lending button is an operation button for the player to receive a game ball lending using the balance of the prepaid card, and the return button is a prepaid card from a card reader arranged adjacent to the pachinko machine. It is an operation button for returning.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Pachinko machine, 20 ... Production button, 24 ... Return spring, 30 ... Production button, 31 ... Button accommodation hole, 32 ... Button body, 33c ... Detected piece 36 ... Photosensor

Claims (1)

In a pachinko machine that is arranged next to each other in the left-right direction and has a plurality of operation buttons that are pressed by a player,
The operation buttons adjacent to each other in the left-right direction have different operation surface heights,
The operation button whose operation surface is lower among the operation buttons is
A button body slidably received in the button receiving hole;
Biasing means for biasing the button body in a direction protruding from the button housing hole;
A detected piece provided so as to be lowered integrally with the button body when the button body is pressed;
A press detection unit that detects whether or not the detected piece is lowered,
The pachinko machine according to claim 1, wherein the detected piece and the press detection unit are arranged at positions shifted from a center of the button body toward a side farther from an operation button having a higher operation surface.

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