JP2012170476A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate adjustment in regard to a game machine adapted to float prizes on water in a water vessel, to circulate water in the water vessel and to grab and take out the prizes floating on the water in the water vessel by cranes arranged at the peripheral edge of the water vessel.SOLUTION: A mode is switched between a normal mode of carrying out a game of taking out the prizes from the game machine every operation of an arm setting button, and a setting mode of setting the lowered position of an arm. The operation of a first operating element and a second operating element in the setting mode is received to adjust the lowered position of the arm, and the operation of a third operating element in the setting mode is received to perform control for storing the lowered position of the arm at a time point of the operation as the lowered position of the arm in the normal mode to switch to the normal mode.

Description

  The present invention relates to a game machine in which a prize is floated on the water in the aquarium, the water in the aquarium is circulated, and the prize floating in the water in the aquarium is picked up by a crane disposed at the periphery of the aquarium.

  Conventionally, for example, game machines installed in game centers and the like are known. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a crane game machine that uses a crane to grip a prize. Patent Document 2 proposes a crane game apparatus that lifts a prize using a crane. Further, Patent Document 3 proposes a game apparatus in which a fish-like target is floated on the water in the aquarium, the water in the aquarium is circulated, and the target is magnetically adsorbed by a fishing rod to raise the target.

JP 2001-157772 A JP 2006-320710 A JP-A-11-33216

  In the case of a game machine, if a prize is easily taken out, it will result in a loss of profits on the game center side, and the player who plays with the game machine may lose interest in playing with the game machine. On the other hand, if it is extremely difficult to take out prizes, there is a risk of giving up playing from the game machine from the beginning or losing interest and not trying to play again, and this also impairs the profit of the game center side Become. Therefore, on the game center side, it is necessary to finely adjust the game machine in consideration of the location of the game center, the customer base, and the like. Therefore, game machines are required to be easily adjusted.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a game machine that can be easily adjusted.

  The game machine of the present invention relates to a game machine in which a prize is floated on the water in the aquarium, the water in the aquarium is circulated, and the prize floating in the water in the aquarium is picked up by a crane arranged at the periphery of the aquarium.

  In the game machine according to the present invention, the crane includes an arm whose rear end is pivotally supported around a vertical axis and lifts up and down the front end side, and is suspended from the front end of the arm. And a knob member for picking up a prize floating in the water in the water tank by the operation.

  The game machine is further provided at a position adjacent to the crane at the periphery of the aquarium and accepts a fall of a prize that is carried by the crane and released from the knob member, and a prize received from the entrance falls. The first outlet, the second operator, and the third operator provided for taking out the prize from the game machine, the first operator, the third operator, And a control unit that executes an operation corresponding to the operation of the operator.

Here, the control unit
In response to the operation of the first operation element in the normal mode for executing a game for taking out a prize from the game machine, the arm is rotated about the vertical axis,
In response to the operation of the second operation element in the normal mode, the arm is lowered, the picking member is picked up, the arm is lifted, the arm is rotated to the receiving port, and the prize is released to the picking member. To perform the action
Each time the third operator is operated, the mode is switched between the normal mode and the setting mode for setting the arm lowering position.
The lowering position of the arm is adjusted in response to the operation of the first operating element and the second operating element in the setting mode, and the lowering position of the arm at the time of the operation is adjusted in response to the operation of the third operating element in the setting mode. It is stored in the normal mode as a lowering position of the arm and is controlled to switch to the normal mode.

  The game machine targeted by the present invention needs to finely adjust the descending position of the crane. According to the game machine of the present invention, it is possible to easily adjust the descending position of the crane with only the first and second operating elements used when enjoying the game and the third operating element for mode switching.

  Here, in the game machine of the present invention, it is preferable that an opening / closing door is provided, and the third operation element is disposed inside the opening / closing door.

  By doing so, only the person on the game center side can switch the mode, and it is possible to eliminate the possibility that the mode will be switched by the player playing on the game machine.

  In the game machine of the present invention, it is preferable that a photo sensor for detecting the raised position of the arm is provided.

  Conventionally, there has been an example in which a limit switch is used to detect the raised position of the arm, the arm rises too much without being detected, and the limit switch is damaged when trying to return the arm. By using the sensor, detection failure and damage are greatly reduced.

Furthermore, in the game machine of the present invention, the water tank has a suction port for sucking water in the water tank, and a blowout port for blowing water laterally along the side surface of the water tank to circulate the water in the water tank. ,
The game machine is further connected to the inlet and the outlet through a water channel, sucks water from the inlet through the inlet and blows out of the outlet, and the middle of the channel between the pump and the outlet. And a valve for adjusting the flow rate of water blown out from the blowout port.

  In the game machine to which the present invention is directed, it is one preferable element to finely adjust the strength of the water flow in the water tank.

  By installing the above valve, the strength of the water flow in the water tank can be easily adjusted.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a game machine that can be easily adjusted is provided.

It is the perspective view which showed the external appearance of the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view which showed the state which lifted the dome and opened the door of the game machine shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of FIG. 2. It is the top view which took out and showed the water tank of the game machine shown in FIGS. It is the perspective view which took out and showed the water tank of the game machine shown in FIGS. It is the figure which showed the water channel between a water tank and the pump set | placed under it. It is the perspective view which showed the state which lifted the dome and removed the side panel of the game machine shown in FIGS. It is an expansion perspective view of the part which removed the panel in the state of FIG. It is the perspective view which removed the dome of the game machine shown in FIGS. 1-3, and removed the side largely, and showed the inside. It is the perspective view which showed the single-piece | unit ball valve. It is an enlarged side view of a crane. It is the side view which removed the cover of the part of the arm of a crane, and showed the internal structure. It is the side view which also took out and showed the cover of the part of the pillar which supports a crane. It is the perspective view which also took out and showed the cover of the part of the pillar which supports a crane. It is the perspective view which showed the state by which the crane was fixed to the beam. It is the figure which showed the comparative example (A) regarding the sensor which detects the raising position of an arm, and the photo sensor (B) in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control action in normal mode. It is a flowchart which shows the control operation in setting mode.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a game machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the dome is lifted and the door is opened in the game machine shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of FIG.

  The overall structure of the game machine will be described below with reference to these drawings.

  The game machine 10 has a dome-shaped lid 11 at the top. The lid 11 is made of transparent acrylic, and the player enjoys the game while looking inside the lid 11. However, the inner structure seen through the lid 11 is not shown here. The lid 11 can be lifted up as shown in FIG. 2 by lifting the handle 111 for maintenance on the inside thereof.

  The game machine 10 has operation consoles 12 at four locations surrounding the dome-shaped lid 11.

  An operation button 121, a scoop button 122, a display 123, a coin insertion slot 124, and a coin return push button 125 are provided on each operation panel 12. A coin return slot 131, a prize outlet is provided on the side surface. 132 and a speaker sound outlet 133 are provided. Music and game sounds from the speaker 134 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) inside the speaker sound outlet 133 are emitted. Here, the operation button 121 and the scoop button 122 correspond to examples of the first operator and the second operator, respectively, in the present invention. The operation of these buttons will be described later. The display 123 displays the number of coins inserted from the coin insertion slot 124, the game remaining time since the operation button 121 was pressed, and the like. In this game machine 10, the maximum time of one game is determined.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the portion provided with the coin return port 131, the prize outlet 132, and the speaker sound output port 133 is an open / close door 13 that opens sideways, and inside the open / close door 13. The operation panel 14 and the control board 15 are arranged.

  A plurality of push buttons are arranged on the operation panel 14. When the service button 141 among the plurality of push buttons is pressed, a game can be performed in the same manner as coin insertion. This is, for example, a push button for allowing a player to play a game free of charge as a service when there is a problem related to the game, or for an administrator on the game center side to try the game.

  The reset button 142 is a push button for resetting the internal state of the control board 15 to the initial state. For example, the game can be restarted by pressing the button after a trouble has occurred and the trouble has been recovered.

  The volume adjustment button 143 includes two push buttons 143a and 143b. When one of the push buttons 143a is pressed, the volume of sound heard from the speaker sound outlet 133 is increased, and when the other push button 143b is pressed, It is for volume adjustment that the volume decreases.

  Furthermore, the arm set button 144 is a push button that is pressed when adjusting the lowered position of the arm 171 of the crane 17 described later. Details of the operation of the arm set button 144 will be described later. This arm set button 144 corresponds to an example of a third operation element of the present invention.

  The operation panel 14 is disposed inside the open / close door 13 and has a structure that is not operated by a player.

  The control board 15 is equipped with a processor including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, and the like, and control according to the operation of the operation console 12 or the operation panel 14 is performed by executing the program. .

  In addition, a water tank 16 is disposed inside the dome-shaped lid 11 of the game machine 10, and each crane 17 is installed at a position just inside the operation console 12 at the periphery of the water tank 16. . Next to each crane 17, a receiving port 18 is provided for receiving a drop of prizes carried by the crane 17. Each receiving port 18 is connected to each outlet 132 provided in the corresponding opening / closing door 13. Further, a decorative pillar 19 is erected at the center of the water tank 16. The decorative pillar 19 is used for inviting the playfulness of the player by placing prizes and various other items and displaying them in various ways.

  The tank 16 is filled with water to float a prize (not shown). The player operates the operation button 121 and the scoop button 122 on the operation plate 12 to pick up the prize floating in the water of the water tank 16 with the crane 17 and carry it to the entrance 18, and drop the prize at the entrance 18. As a result, the prize is taken out from the outlet 132 connected to the receiving port 18.

  4 and 5 are a plan view and a perspective view, respectively, of the game machine shown in FIGS. Moreover, FIG. 6 is the figure which showed the water channel between a water tank and the pump set | placed under it.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the water tank 16 has four outlets 161 provided at four locations, and the water tank 16 has one inlet 162 at the bottom. The water tank 16 has a structure in which water is circulated by being blown out from the air outlet 161 and sucked from the air inlet 162.

  Moreover, the blower outlet 161 provided in four places is formed in the direction which blows off water laterally along the side surface of the water tank 16. For this reason, in the water tank 16, the water circulates in the water tank 16 due to the water flow blown from the outlet 161.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a pump 21 is placed under the water tank 16. Between the pump 21 and the blowout port 161 and between the suction port 162, water channels 221 and 222 by piping are provided. Is formed. The water channel 221 connecting the pump 21 and the four outlets 161 is formed by one pipe in the vicinity of the outlet of the pump 21 and is branched into four (only two are shown in FIG. 6). Are connected to each outlet 161.

  7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the dome is lifted and a side panel is removed of the game machine shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion in which the panel is removed in the state of FIG. It is a perspective view. Further, FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the inside of the game machine shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 with the dome removed and the side greatly removed. Further, FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a single ball valve.

  The pump 21 is placed on the bottom plate 30 of the game machine 10, and the water tanks 16 arranged on the pump 21 are connected by water channels 221 and 222. A ball valve 23 for adjusting the amount of water is provided at a location on the water channel 221 between the pump 21 and the outlet 161 in the vicinity of the pump 21 before branching.

  The ball valve 23 includes a handle 231, and the amount of water passing through the ball valve 23 is adjusted by turning the handle 231 by hand. The water that has passed through the water channel 221 is blown out from four outlets 161 of the water tank 16. The air outlet 161 creates a water flow that blows water sideways along the side surface of the water tank 16 and circulates in the water tank 16, and thus the momentum of the water flow is adjusted by turning the handle 231 of the ball valve 23. . As described above, since the prize is floated in the water tank 16, when the water in the water tank 16 circulates, the prize floating in the water moves in the water tank 16 according to the movement of the water. In this game machine 10, it is required to appropriately adjust the movement of the prize by adjusting the water flow, and the movement of the prize can be easily adjusted by adjusting the angle of the handle 231 of the ball valve 23.

  A coin storage box 31 for storing coins inserted from a coin insertion slot 124 provided on the operation console 12 is placed at the center of the bottom plate 30 of the game machine 10.

  A beam 32 extends horizontally on the pump 21 and the coin storage box 31 and the water tank 16 and the crane 17 are supported by the beam 32.

  FIG. 11 is an enlarged side view of the crane. FIG. 12 is a side view showing the internal structure of the crane by removing the cover of the arm portion. FIGS. 13 and 14 are a side view and a perspective view, respectively, showing the cover of the column portion supporting the crane. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a state in which the crane is fixed to the beam.

  The crane 17 has an arm 171 and a knob member 172. The arm 171 is pivotally supported at its rear end portion so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis, and moves up and down the tip end side. The knob member 172 is a member that is hung from the tip 171 of the arm 171 and that picks up a prize floating in the water in the water tank 16 by an opening / closing operation. The game machine 10 is devised to create an atmosphere of the sea as a whole, and the knob member 172 is also designed as an image of a shell.

  A metal bracket 51 (see FIGS. 13 to 15) fixed to the beam 32 (see, for example, FIG. 9) is disposed below the crane 17. A motor 50 (see FIG. 15) is fixed to the bracket 51, and the motor 50 rotates a disk 52 on the bracket 51 in the XX direction (see FIG. 14). That is, the motor 50 is a motor that rotates the arm 171 about the vertical axis. A column 53 is fixed to the disk 52, and a photo sensor 54 and a motor 55 are fixed to the column 53. The motor 55 rotates the support plate 56 in the YY direction (see FIG. 14). The rotation of the support plate 56 in the Y-Y direction causes the tip portion of the arm 171 to move up and down. At the lower end of the support plate 56, a tongue piece 561 that enters between the light projecting portion 541 and the light receiving portion 542 of the photosensor 54 is provided. When the arm 171 is lifted, the tongue piece 561 is received by the light projecting portion 541. The photo sensor 54 detects that the arm 171 has been raised to the specified position.

  The motor 55 is a pulse motor, and its rotation angle can be detected by the number of pulses. The descending position of the arm 171 is determined by the number of pulses from the ascending position detected by the photosensor 54.

  Further, another motor 57 is fixed to the support plate 56. A rod 58 formed with a male screw (not shown) is fixed to the rotating shaft of the motor 57, and a block 59 formed with a female screw is screwed to the male screw of the rod 58. When the motor 57 rotates, the rod 58 rotates, and accordingly, the block 59 moves in the arrow ZZ direction (see FIG. 14). A string 173 for opening and closing the knob member 172 is fixed to the block 59, and when the block 59 moves to the tip side of the rod 58, two shell-like claws 172a and 172b constituting the knob member 172 are formed. Open downward and the block 59 moves to the rear end side of the rod 58 fixed to the motor 57, the two claws 172a and 172b move to close to each other. By this closing movement, a prize floating in the water tank 16 can be picked. Two micro switches 601 and 602 are arranged on the block 59. When the block 59 moves to the tip side of the rod 58 and presses the micro switch 601, the rotation of the motor 57 is stopped. Even when moving to the rear end side of the rod 58, when the block 59 pushes the micro switch 602, the rotation of the motor 57 stops.

  In this way, the crane 17 is configured such that the tip of the arm 171 is placed on the water tank 16 by changing the home position where the knob member 172 is located directly above the receiving port 18 and the direction of about 90 ° from the home position. Rotate between different positions. Further, the arm 171 of the crane 17 moves up and down between an ascending position detected by the photosensor 54 and a descending position predetermined by the number of pulses from the ascending position. Further, in this crane 17, the knob member 172 opens and closes.

  This crane 17 realizes an operation of picking up a prize floating in the water tank 16 and dropping it to the receiving port 18 by these movements.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a comparative example (A) related to a sensor for detecting the ascending position of the arm and a photosensor (B) in the present embodiment.

  FIG. 16A is a comparative example using a micro switch 71, and has a structure in which the raised position of the arm is detected by the tongue piece 561 'of the support plate 56' pressing the micro switch 71. FIG. The micro switch 71 is a switch that is mechanically turned on / off. The micro switch 71 may not be detected even if it is pressed by the tongue 561 'due to dust adhesion, contact failure, or the like. In that case, the arm is further raised, and the tongue piece 561 ′ moves past the microswitch 71 and cannot move mechanically. After that, when the motor is rotated in the reverse direction and the arm is lowered as it is, the micro switch 71 is damaged.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 16B, the use of a photosensor 54 significantly reduces the possibility of detection failure, and even if the arm is lowered after a detection failure occurs, Therefore, there is no possibility that the photo sensor 54 is damaged. As described above, in this embodiment, the photosensor 54 is employed for detecting the raised position of the arm, so that the operation reliability is remarkably improved.

  Next, a control operation executed by a control circuit including a CPU and the like on the control board 15 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) will be described.

  In this control circuit, control in a normal mode for executing a game for taking out a prize from the game machine 10 and control in a setting mode for setting the lowered position of the arm 171 are executed.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the control operation in the normal mode.

  When a regular coin is inserted from the coin insertion slot 124 on the console 12 (see FIG. 1), the control operation shown in FIG. 17 is started.

Here, first, it is determined whether or not the operation button 121 on the operation console 12 has been pressed (step S11). When the operation button 121 is pressed, the crane 17 is rotated about 90 ° from the home position where the knob member 172 is directly above the receiving port 18 while the operation button 121 is pressed, and the tip of the arm 171 is moved to the water tank 16. The reciprocating rotation is continued with the position on the water (step S12). When pressing of the operation button 121 is stopped and the scoop button 122 is next pressed (step S13), the crane 17 executes a series of operations according to the following sequence (step S14).
(1) The arm 171 descends.
(2) The prize in the water tank 16 is picked by closing the knob member 172.
(3) The arm 171 is raised.
(4) The arm 171 is rotated to the receiving port 18.
(5) The knob member 172 is opened and the prize is dropped to the receiving port 18.

  When the operations (1) to (5) are completed, it is determined whether or not the game is still in a state of being continued, for example, a plurality of coins are inserted in advance (step S15). Returning to step S11, when the game is over, the processing according to this flowchart is finished.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the control operation in the setting mode. When the arm set button 144 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) is pressed in the normal mode, execution of the process shown in FIG. 18 is started.

  Here, first, the crane 17 is rotated to the position where the tip end portion of the arm 17 is placed on the water tank 16 and has been rotated to the maximum from the home position, and the arm 171 is lowered (step S21). The lowering position of the arm 171 at this time is the previously set lowering position. Thereafter, when the operation button 121 is pressed (step S22), the arm 171 is further lowered (step S23), and when the scoop button 122 is pressed (step S24), the arm 71 is slightly lifted (step S25). In this way, the lowering position of the arm 17 is adjusted, and when the arm set button 144 is subsequently pressed (step S26), the lowering position of the arm 171 when the arm set button 144 is pressed this time is stored (step S26). S27), the setting mode ends and the normal mode is restored. After the lowered position of the arm 171 is adjusted in this setting mode, the arm 171 is lowered to the lowered position after the adjustment in the normal mode.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18, the lowering position of the arm 171 can be easily adjusted to an appropriate position by a simple button operation.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Game machine 11 Cover 12 Operation board 13 Opening / closing door 14 Operation panel 15 Control board 16 Water tank 17 Crane 18 Entrance 19 Decoration pillar 21 Pump 23 Ball valve 30 Bottom plate 32 Beam 50, 55, 57 Motor 51 Bracket 52 Disc 53 Pillar 54 Photo Sensor 56 Support plate 58 Rod 59 Block 71, 601, 602 Micro switch 111 Handle 121 Operation button 122 Cup button 123 Display 124 Coin insertion port 125 Coin return push button 131 Coin return port 132 Premium exit 133 Sound emission from speaker Mouth 134 Speaker 141 Service button 142 Reset button 143 Volume adjustment button 144 Arm set button 161 Air outlet 162 Suction port 171 Arm 172 Knob member 173 String 221, 222 Waterway 31 handle 541 projecting unit 542 receiving unit 561 tongue

Claims (4)

In the game machine that floats the prize in the water in the aquarium, circulates the water in the aquarium, and picks out the prize floating in the water in the aquarium with a crane arranged at the periphery of the aquarium,
The crane has a rear end pivotally supported around a vertical axis and is lifted up and down the front end side, and is suspended from the front end of the arm. Having a picking member for picking up a prize floating in the water,
The game machine is further provided at a peripheral edge of the aquarium, adjacent to the crane, for receiving a free fall of a prize carried by the crane and released from the knob member; An exit for taking out the prize from the game machine, a first operator, a second operator, and a third operator provided to the game machine, A control unit that executes an operation according to the operation of the first to third operators,
The control unit is
In response to the operation of the first operation element in the normal mode for executing a game for taking out a prize from the game machine, the arm is rotated about the vertical axis,
In response to the operation of the second operation element in the normal mode, the arm is lowered, the knob member is operated to pick a prize, the arm is raised, and the arm is rotated to the receiving port. And letting the knob member release the premium
Each time the third operator is operated, the mode is switched between the normal mode and the setting mode for setting the lowered position of the arm,
The lowering position of the arm is adjusted in response to the operations of the first and second operators in the setting mode, and the time of the operation in response to the operation of the third operator in the setting mode. A game machine characterized by storing the lowering position of the arm as the lowering position of the arm in the normal mode and controlling to switch to the normal mode.   2. The game machine according to claim 1, further comprising an opening / closing door, wherein the third operating element is disposed inside the opening / closing door.   The game machine according to claim 1, further comprising a photo sensor that detects a rising position of the arm. The water tank has a suction port for sucking water in the water tank, and a blowout port for blowing water laterally along the side surface of the water tank and circulating the water in the water tank,
The game machine is further connected to the suction port and the outlet through a water channel, sucks water in the water tank from the suction port, and blows out the outlet, and the pump and the outlet 4. A game machine according to claim 1, further comprising: a valve arranged in the middle of a water channel between the first and second water passages for adjusting the flow rate of water blown from the air outlet. .

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