JP2013135922A - Game ball feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game ball feeder which reduces costs and stably feeds game balls.SOLUTION: The game ball feeder for feeding game balls stored in a lower tank of a game island to a lifting device for lifting and conveying game balls to an upper part of the game island is provided with: a first guide gutter 10 for rotating game balls led by the lower tank toward a downstream end part; a second guide gutter 11 for guiding game balls to the lifting and conveying device; a rotary body 20 disposed between a downstream end part of the first guide gutter 10 and an upstream end part of the second gutter 11; a feeding guide 31 for guiding the game balls rotating in the first guide gutter 10 to the rotary body 20; a hard magnetic body for allowing game balls guided by the feeding guide 31 to be sucked on an outer circumferential surface of the rotary body 20; and a drive source for conveying to the second guide gutter 11 the game balls sucked by rotating the rotary body 20. The feeding guide 31 is a non-magnetic body.

Description

  The present invention relates to a game ball supply device that supplies game balls stored in a lower tank toward a lifting device.

  In a conventional gaming island, a plurality of gaming machines are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the gaming island, and in the middle of the longitudinal direction of the gaming island, a game ball supplied from a lower tank is lifted to the upper part of the gaming island. A feeding device is provided. The game balls lifted by the lifting device are supplied to each gaming machine by a supply rod extending in the longitudinal direction of the game island.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a ball lift device 22 that supplies a game ball in a ball storage tank 11 to a ball lifting device 3. The ball lift device 22 conveys a game ball by elastically holding the game ball between an endless belt 43 and a ball contact member 45 that are stretched around two rollers 42.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-57191

  Since the ball lift device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used for holding and transporting a game ball, the driving source for driving the roller needs to be driven against the frictional force, and the load applied to the driving source is increased. growing. Therefore, a drive source with a large output is required, resulting in high costs. Moreover, since there are many parts, such as a roller, a belt, and a ball | bowl contact member, cost becomes high.

  Furthermore, since the game ball is sandwiched and transported, there is a risk of ball clogging. When ball clogging occurs in the ball lift device, there is a situation in which gaming balls are not stably supplied to each gaming machine.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a game ball supply device that can reduce costs and can stably supply game balls.

  1st invention is the game ball supply apparatus which supplies the game ball stored in the lower tank of a game island toward the lifting apparatus which lifts a game ball to the upper part of a game island, It was guide | induced from the said lower tank A first guide rod capable of rolling the game ball toward the downstream end portion, and an upstream end portion provided at a position higher than the downstream end portion of the first guide rod, the game ball toward the lifting device A second guide rod that guides the rotor, a rotating body that is disposed between the downstream end portion of the first guide rod and the upstream end portion of the second guide rod, and a game that has rolled the first guide rod A supply guide for guiding a ball to the rotating body, a hard magnetic body disposed on an outer peripheral edge of the rotating body, and for adsorbing a game ball guided by the supply guide on an outer peripheral surface of the rotating body; Drive for transporting game balls adsorbed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body to the second guide rod by rotating the rotating body When provided with, characterized in that the supply guide is a non-magnetic material.

  A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a step equal to or more than one game ball is provided between the downstream end portion of the first guide rod and the rolling surface of the supply guide.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the rolling surface of the supply guide has a larger inclination than the rolling surface of the first guide rod.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the rolling surface of the supply guide faces the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body with a gap through which a game ball cannot pass.

  According to the first invention, the cost can be reduced and the game ball can be supplied stably. In addition, by configuring the supply guide with a non-magnetic material, it is possible to prevent the game ball magnetized by the magnetic field of the magnetic material from being attracted to the supply guide, so that the game ball can be transported efficiently.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, there is a step equal to or more than one game ball between the downstream end of the first guide rod and the rolling surface of the supply guide. Even when the game balls are in a continuous state, the game balls that are discharged to the supply guide later are discharged onto the connected game balls, and therefore easily reach the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body. As a result, the game balls are easily attracted to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, and stable conveyance is performed.

  According to the third invention, since the rolling surface of the supply guide has a larger inclination than the rolling surface of the first guide rod, the game ball rolls vigorously on the supply guide. Therefore, even if the game balls are connected to the supply guide, the game balls discharged later to the supply guide ride on the connected game balls and roll on the game balls. It is easy to reach the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface. As a result, the number of game balls in the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body that is easily affected by the magnetic field of the magnetic body is increased, so that the game balls are easily attracted to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, and stable conveyance is performed.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the rolling surface of the supply guide is opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body with a gap through which the game ball cannot pass, so that only foreign matters such as dust guided to the supply guide are transferred to the supply guide. It passes between the moving surface and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body. Therefore, foreign matter guided to the supply guide can be collected while preventing the game ball rolling on the supply guide from falling.

It is a side view which shows the internal structure of amusement island. It is the elements on larger scale of amusement island. It is a perspective view of a lifting apparatus. It is a perspective view of the inside of an upper tank. It is a disassembled perspective view of the inside of an upper tank. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a lower tank and a collection tank 7. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of a lower tank and a collection tank 7. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of a lower tank. It is a principal part exploded perspective view of the game ball supply device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a principal part side view of the game ball supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the conveyance apparatus in the game ball supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the process in which a game ball is conveyed by the conveying apparatus. It is a figure which shows the comparative example of FIG. It is a figure which shows the state in which the game ball is adsorb | sucked and conveyed by the outer peripheral surface of a rotary body. It is a figure which shows the comparative example of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of starting and stopping of a rotary body. It is a timing chart which shows the flow of starting and stopping of a rotating body. It is a figure which shows the other form of the game ball supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other form of the game ball supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other form of the game ball supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  First, with reference to FIG.1 and FIG.2, the game island 100 with which the game ball supply apparatus 1 which concerns on this Embodiment is provided is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a side view showing the internal structure of the game island 100, and FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 1 is a view showing a state in which the lower decorative plate in the left half of the game island 100 is removed.

  The amusement island 100 is installed in a game arcade, and is provided with a plurality of gaming machines (not shown) and incidental facilities.

  The gaming island 100 has a plurality of gaming machine installation openings 5 arranged in two rows in the longitudinal direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). 1 and 2, only the row of the gaming machine installation openings 5 on the front side of the gaming island 100 is illustrated, but the row of gaming machine installation openings 5 is also formed on the back side of the gaming island 100. A gaming machine is installed in the gaming machine installation opening 5. As a result, the gaming machines are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the gaming island 100, and are arranged in the back direction in which the respective back surfaces are combined in the short direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIGS. 1 and 2). .

  Below the gaming machine on the gaming island 100, a lower tank 2 for storing gaming balls used for gaming is provided. The game balls stored in the lower tank 2 are supplied by the game ball supply device 1 to the lifting device 3 disposed at a substantially longitudinal center of the game island 100.

  The lifting device 3 is a device that lifts the game ball upward while polishing the game ball. It is burned.

  Discharge ports 4a through which game balls are discharged are disposed on the left and right sides of the upper tank 4. Connected to the outlet 4a is a supply basket 6 for supplying the game balls in the upper tank 4 to each game machine and a ball lending machine (not shown) for lending game balls.

  The gaming balls supplied from the supply basket 6 to the ball lending machine are used for games in the gaming machine, and the gaming balls discharged from the gaming machine are collected in the lower longitudinal direction of the gaming island 100. To the lifting device 3.

  The game balls supplied from the supply basket 6 to the gaming machine are paid out to the player as prize balls from the gaming machine. After being paid out, the game balls thrown into the ball counter 8 installed at the end of the game island 100 are collected in the collection basket 7 in the same manner as the game balls discharged from the game machine, and the lifting device 3 Led to. The game balls that are paid out may be used for games.

  A game ball that has not been discharged from the upper tank 4 to the supply basket 6 and overflowed from the upper tank 4 is led to an overflow bowl 9a extending below the supply bowl 6 and led to the lower tank 2 through an overflow hose 9b. .

  As described above, the game balls in the game island 100 circulate in the game island 100.

  The amusement island 100 is configured symmetrically with the lifting device 3 and the upper tank 4 disposed approximately in the center in the longitudinal direction. That is, the lower tank 2, the game ball supply device 1, the collection basket 7, the supply basket 6, the overflow basket 9 a, the overflow hose 9 b and the like are provided one by one on the left and right with the lifting device 3 and the upper tank 4 as the center.

  Next, each structure of the game island 100 will be described in detail.

  First, the lifting device 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the lifting device 3.

  With the circulation of the endless belt 50, the lifting device 3 lifts the game ball from the introduction port 52 at the bottom of the housing 51 to the discharge port 53 at the top of the housing 51, and supplies it to the upper tank 4.

  The casing 51 includes a casing main body 54 and two upper and lower lid members 55 attached to the front opening of the casing main body 54 through a hinge so as to be opened and closed.

  The endless belt 50 is stretched between a driven roller 56 and a driving roller 57 disposed above and below the housing body 54. A motor 58 with a speed reducer is connected to the drive roller 57, and the endless belt 50 circulates by driving the motor 58 with a speed reducer. Appropriate tension is applied to the endless belt 50 by a tension roller 59.

  A polishing cloth (not shown) is laid inside the lid member 55, and the upper and lower ends of the polishing cloth are folded and fixed at the upper and lower ends of the lid member 55, respectively.

  The lifting device 3 is configured as described above, and the game ball guided to the introduction port 52 in a state where the endless belt 50 is circulated is caused between the endless belt 50 and the polishing cloth by friction with the endless belt 50. It is drawn in and lifted upward. In this lifting process, the game ball is automatically polished by the polishing cloth.

  Next, the upper tank 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the inside of the upper tank 4, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the inside of the upper tank 4.

  The upper tank 4 is an upper main tank 4A through which the game balls lifted from the lifting device 3 are guided, and an upper part connected to the upper main tank 4A and connected to an island between islands (not shown) connecting adjacent game islands. It consists of an auxiliary tank 4B.

  In the upper part of the housing 61 of the upper main tank 4A, an opening 61a communicating with the discharge port 53 of the lifting device 3 is formed, and the game ball is guided into the upper main tank 4A through the opening 61a.

  The game ball that has flowed into the upper main tank 4A through the opening 61a is guided onto an inclined plate 62 provided to be inclined. An opening 62a is formed in the inclined plate 62, and the game ball descending the inclined plate 62 flows downward through the opening 62a (see FIG. 4). In addition, the housing 61 is formed with an opening 61b through which a game ball descending the inclined plate 62 can pass and communicates with the upper auxiliary tank 4B. As described above, the game ball on the inclined plate 62 flows downward from the opening 62a or is guided to the upper auxiliary tank 4B provided side by side through the opening 61b.

  The game ball that has flowed downward from the opening 62a of the inclined plate 62 is guided to an inclined bowl 63 (see FIG. 5) formed to be inclined in the opposite direction to the inclined plate 62. The inclined rod 63 is formed so that one side is in contact with the inner wall of the housing 61, and a standing wall 63 a for preventing the game ball from falling is formed on the other side of the inclined rod 63. Therefore, the game ball guided to the tilted cage 63 rolls on the flow path defined by the inner wall of the chassis 61 and the standing wall 63a. Since there is a gap 64 between the downstream end portion of the inclined rod 63 and the inner wall of the casing 61, the game ball rolling on the inclined rod 63 flows downward from the gap 64.

  Below the inclined trough 63, an overflow introduction tower 65 standing on the bottom 61c of the upper main tank 4A is located. The overflow introduction tower 65 is a hollow member and communicates with a connecting pipe 66 that communicates with the overflow rod 9a through an opening 61d formed in the bottom 61c, as shown in FIG. In the upper part of the side wall of the overflow introduction tower 65, an introduction port 65a (see FIG. 4) through which game balls flow is formed.

  The game ball that has flowed downward from the inclined cage 63 flows down between the side wall of the overflow introduction tower 65 and the inner wall of the chassis 61, falls onto the first shelf 67, and is connected to the first shelf 67. The two shelves 68 flow down to the bottom 61c.

  The bottom portion 61c is formed to be inclined downward from the central portion toward the left and right discharge ports 4a formed in the housing 61. The second shelf 68 is formed with an inclination such that the flowing game ball falls near the center of the bottom 61c. Therefore, the game balls dropped from the second shelf 68 to the bottom 61c are distributed to the left and right by the inclination of the bottom 61c, and are guided to the supply basket 6 from the left and right discharge ports 4a.

  In this way, the game ball guided from the lifting device 3 to the upper main tank 4A flows down to the bottom 61c, and is then guided from the left and right discharge ports 4a to the supply basket 6.

  When the operating rate of the gaming machine is small, gaming balls accumulate on the bottom 61c, and the amount of gaming balls stored in the upper main tank 4A increases. When the game ball storage amount increases and the game ball is stored up to the position of the introduction port 65a of the overflow introduction tower 65, the game ball flows into the overflow introduction tower 65 from the introduction port 65a. In this manner, when the amount of game balls stored in the upper main tank 4A reaches a predetermined amount, the overflow introduction tower 65 overflows.

  The game ball that has flowed into the overflow introduction tower 65 reaches the branch portion 70 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) of the left and right overflow rods 9a from the connecting pipe 66. Since the left and right overflow baskets 9a are formed to be inclined downward to the left and right around the branch part 70, the game balls that have reached the branch part 70 from the connecting pipe 66 are distributed to the left and right at the branch part 70, and the overflow baskets 9a. Roll 9a.

  A limit switch 71 is provided in the vicinity of the opening 62 a of the inclined plate 62 in the housing 61. When the game ball storage amount in the upper main tank 4A increases and the game ball is stored up to the position of the limit switch 71, the limit switch 71 is turned on and the operation of the lifting device 3 is stopped. The supply of game balls from the main tank 4A to the upper main tank 4A is stopped.

  The upper auxiliary tank 4B is partitioned into an upper chamber 73 and a lower chamber 74. The upper chamber 73 is a pitching chamber for sending a ball to the adjacent game island, and as described above, the game ball is guided from the upper main tank 4A through the opening 61b. The lower chamber 74 is a ball receiving chamber into which game balls from adjacent game islands flow. The lower chamber 74 communicates with the overflow introduction tower 65 through an opening 61e (see FIG. 5) formed in the housing 61 and a communication rod 69 communicating with the opening 61e. Then, it is led to the lower tank 2 via the overflow trough 9a. Each of the upper chamber 73 and the lower chamber 74 is formed with openings 73a and 74a through which islands connecting the adjacent game islands communicate.

  The supply basket 6 replenishes the gaming balls guided from the upper main tank 4A to each gaming machine and a ball lending machine attached to each gaming machine. The supply basket 6 is disposed so as to be inclined downward from the upper tank 4 toward the end of the game island 100, and conveys game balls by the inclination. A plurality of supply chutes (not shown) corresponding to each gaming machine and each ball lending machine are arranged in the supply basket 6 along the longitudinal direction, and game balls are supplied through the supply chutes.

  Next, the lower tank 2 and the collection tank 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lower tank 2 and the collection basket 7, and FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of the lower tank 2 and the collection basket 7.

  The lower tank 2 stores game balls inside a rectangular parallelepiped box 80 whose upper part is opened, and is arranged below the gaming machine so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the gaming island.

  The lower tank 2 is inserted with a lower end portion of an overflow hose 9b that communicates with the overflow rod 9a and is disposed in the vertical direction. In this manner, the lower tank 2 stores the game balls that have overflowed the upper tank 4 and led to the overflow bowl 9a.

  That is, the lifting device 3 supplies the lifted game balls to the upper tank 4, and when there are few game balls supplied to the game machine or the like from the supply basket 6, the amount of game balls stored in the upper tank 4 is small. When the game ball storage amount increases and reaches a predetermined amount, the upper tank 4 overflows and flows into the lower tank 2 to be stored.

  In the present embodiment, the game ball that has overflowed the upper tank 4 flows into the lower tank 2 via the overflow bowl 9b that extends from the center side of the game island 100 to the end side. The overflowing game balls are caused to flow down through an overflow hose provided so as to communicate with the overflow introduction tower 65 or the communication pipe 66 of the upper tank 4 and flow into the lower tank 2 disposed on the left and right of the lifting device 3. Also good. Thus, the path of the game ball that overflows the upper tank 4 may be arbitrarily set according to the position and shape of the lower tank 2.

  A bottom surface 80 </ b> E of the casing 80 of the lower tank 2 is formed to be inclined downward toward the lifting device 3. The overflow hose 9 b is disposed so as to discharge the game ball to the high place side of the lower tank 2. Therefore, the game ball discharged from the overflow hose 9 b rolls toward the lower side of the lower tank 2 and is stored from the lower side of the lower tank 2.

  A plurality of storage ball detectors 81 (81a to 81d) (storage ball detecting means) for detecting the storage state of the game balls in the lower tank 2 are disposed on the inner wall of the housing 80 at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction. . The stored ball detectors 81a to 81d are sensors that are turned on by the magnetic field of the game ball. When the stored amount of the game ball in the lower tank 2 increases, the stored ball detector 81a disposed on the lower side of the lower tank 2 Turns on in order. That is, when the amount of stored game balls in the lower tank 2 increases, the number of ON of the stored ball detector 81 increases.

  The collection basket 7 is disposed so as to incline downward toward the lifting device 3 through the left and right side walls 80A and 80B of the casing 80 of the lower tank 2. The collection basket 7 collects the game balls discharged from the outlet of the game machine, collects the game balls thrown into the ball counter 8 installed at the end of the game island 100, and collects the collected game balls. It is transported toward the lifting device 3.

  The collection basket 7 is formed so as to be inclined downward, and is erected along the rolling surface 7a on which the game ball rolls, and both sides of the rolling surface 7a, and prevents the gaming ball rolling on the rolling surface 7a from falling. A game ball collecting area for collecting and transporting a game ball is defined by an area surrounded by the rolling surface 7a and the standing wall 7b.

  The collection basket 7 is supported by openings 80a and 80b formed in the left and right side walls 80A and 80B of the lower tank 2, and supported by a support member 83 provided across the front and rear walls 80C and 80D of the casing 80. The Thus, the collection basket 7 is disposed through the inside of the lower tank 2, and the lower part of the collection basket 7 in the lower tank 2 is also an area where game balls can be stored.

  As shown in FIG. 7, between the ball counter 8 and the side wall 80A in the collection basket 7, that is, outside the lower tank 2, the game balls discharged from the gaming machine are placed in the game ball collection area of the collection basket 7. A pair of guide plates 7c formed so as to be inclined downward toward the game ball collection area are formed so as to be connected to the upper ends of the pair of standing walls 7b. By providing the collection plate 7 with the guide plate 7c, the game balls discharged from the gaming machine and the games thrown into the ball counter 8 can be reliably collected by the collection rod 7.

  A guide plate 7 c is not provided in the collection basket 7 in the lower tank 2. This is because, in this portion, even if the game balls discharged from the gaming machine are not collected in the collection basket 7 and fall downward, they are collected in the lower tank 2. However, as shown in FIG. 8, a guide plate 7 c may be provided also in the collection basket 7 in the lower tank 2. In this case, the guide plate 7c is provided so as to close the open portion of the lower tank 2, and the overflow hose 9b is provided through the guide plate 7c.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a merging device 85 is provided between the lower tank 2 and the lifting device 3 so that the game ball discharged from the lower tank 2 and the game ball discharged from the recovery basket 7 merge. Is done.

  The merging device 85 includes a merging sphere storage portion 86 in which an introduction port 86a into which a game ball from the lower tank 2 is introduced and an introduction port 86b into which a game ball from the collection basket 7 is introduced are formed.

  The game balls stored in the lower tank 2 are guided to the merging ball storage unit 86 from the introduction port 86a through the game ball supply device 1. Further, since the downstream end of the collection basket 7 communicates with the introduction port 86 b, the game ball from the collection basket 7 is directly guided to the merging ball storage unit 86.

  The merging ball storage unit 86 is formed with a discharge port 86c for discharging the game ball. The game balls in the merging ball storage unit 86 are guided to the introduction port 52 of the lifting device 3 through a discharge rod 87 (see FIG. 2) formed in communication with the discharge port 86c.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the discharge port 86 c of the merging bulb storage unit 86 is provided at a position higher than the introduction port 52 of the lifting device 3. Accordingly, the discharge rod 87 is disposed so as to be inclined downward toward the lifting device 3, and the game ball discharged from the discharge port 86 c of the merging ball storage unit 86 is disposed on the lifting device 3 by the downward inclination of the discharge rod 87. Guided to the inlet 52.

  As described above, the game balls stored in the lower tank 2 and the game balls recovered in the recovery basket 7 are once merged in the merging ball storage section 86 and then guided to the lifting device 3 through the discharge basket 87. . It should be noted that the game balls stored in the lower tank 2 and the game balls collected in the collection basket 7 are separately provided in the lifting device 3 without providing the merging device 85 between the lower tank 2 and the lifting device 3. You may make it lead directly to.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a collection ball detector 84 (collection ball detection means) that detects the collection state of the game balls in the collection basket 7 is disposed in the opening 80 a of the side wall 80 </ b> A of the lower tank 2. The collection ball detector 84 is a sensor that is turned on by the magnetic field of the game sphere, the merging ball storage section 86 of the merging device 85 is filled with the game sphere, and the game sphere of the collection basket 7 It turns on when it stays until.

  Next, the game ball supply device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the game ball supply device 1, FIG. 10 is a side view of the main part of the game ball supply device 1, and FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the transfer device in the game ball supply device 1. .

  The game ball supply device 1 is a device that supplies the game balls stored in the lower tank 2 toward the lifting device 3.

  The game ball supply device 1 includes a first guide rod 10 to which a game ball from the lower tank 2 is guided, and an upstream end portion 11a provided at a position higher than the downstream end portion 10b of the first guide rod 10; 2, a second guide rod 11 that guides the game ball toward 3, and a transport device 12 that transports the game ball discharged from the first guide rod 10 to the second guide rod 11.

  The first guide rod 10 is formed at an inclination angle at which the game ball can roll, and the upstream end portion 10a (see FIG. 6) is disposed in communication with the opening formed in the side wall 80B of the lower tank 2. .

  The second guide rod 11 is formed at an inclination angle at which the game ball can roll, and the downstream end portion thereof is disposed so as to communicate with the inlet 86a (see FIG. 6) of the merged ball storage portion 86. In the case where the merging device 85 is not provided, the downstream end portion of the second guide rod 11 is disposed in communication with the introduction port 52 of the lifting device 3. In this way, the second guide rod 11 guides the game ball toward the lifting device 3.

  The conveying device 12 is disposed between the downstream end portion 10 b of the first guide rod 10 and the upstream end portion 11 a of the second guide rod 11, and connects the first guide rod 10 and the second guide rod 11.

  The transport device 12 includes a rotating body 20 that rotates around a rotating shaft 20a extending in the short direction of the gaming island 100, and the game ball is transferred to the rotating body 20 by the magnetic force of the magnetic body disposed on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body 20. It is made to adsorb | suck to the outer peripheral surface of and convey. Here, the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body 20 refers to an annular region surrounded by the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20 and a circle having a smaller diameter than the outer peripheral surface.

  Both ends of the rotating shaft 20 a of the rotating body 20 are rotatably supported by a pair of support plates 31 attached to the game island 100.

  Since the outer diameter of the support plate 31 is larger than the outer diameter of the rotating body 20, the outer peripheral edge of the support plate 31 serves as a guide portion for preventing the fall of the game ball that is attracted to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20 and conveyed. Function.

  A motor 32 for rotationally driving the rotating body 20 is fixed to one of the pair of support plates 31, and a pulley 33 is fixed to the output shaft of the motor 32. A pulley 34 is also fixed to the rotating shaft 20 a of the rotating body 20, and a belt 35 is wound around the pulley 33 and the pulley 34.

  When the motor 32 is driven to rotate, the rotation is transmitted to the rotating body 20 via the pulleys 33 and 34 and the belt 35, and the rotating body 20 rotates about the rotating shaft 20a.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the rotating body 20 includes a base drum 21 having a rotating shaft 20 a at the center of the shaft, and a magnet guide 22 that is disposed along the outer periphery of the base drum 21 and holds the magnetic body.

  The base drum 21 is a hollow cylindrical member in which both end openings of a cylindrical body portion 21a made of a soft magnetic material are closed. Thus, the outer peripheral part of the base drum 21 is comprised with a soft magnetic body. As the soft magnetic material, for example, ferritic stainless steel such as SUS430 is used.

  The magnet guide 22 is an elongated sheet-like member having a long side equivalent to the outer peripheral length of the base drum 21 and having flexibility, and is wound around the outer periphery of the base drum 21. The magnet guide 22 is made of rubber and is made of a nonmagnetic material.

  The magnet guide 22 may be made of a paramagnetic metal, synthetic resin, or ceramics as long as it is a non-magnetic material. In this case, if the magnet guide 22 is not flexible, it is formed in an annular shape. The base drum 21 is inserted into the outer periphery.

  In the magnet guide 22, a plurality of holding portions 22 a that hold the hard magnetic body 23 are formed through the upper and lower surfaces. The holding portion 22 a extends in the short direction of the magnet guide 22 and is formed at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the magnet guide 22.

  A plate-like hard magnetic body 23 is fitted exactly in each holding portion 22a. When the magnet guide 22 is wound around the outer periphery of the base drum 21, each hard magnetic body 23 extends in the direction of the rotating shaft 20 a and is disposed at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 20.

  A magnet cover 26 for preventing the hard magnetic body 23 from falling off is attached to the outer periphery of the magnet guide 22. The magnet cover 26 is a thin and long film having an inner peripheral surface coated with an adhesive such as glue.

  As a means for preventing the hard magnetic body 23 from falling off, a structure for locking the hard magnetic body 23 to the magnet guide 22 without using the magnet cover 26 may be provided.

  As described above, by arranging the magnet guide 22 holding the hard magnetic body 23 along the outer periphery of the base drum 21, the hard magnetic body is disposed on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body 20 as shown in FIG. 23 is arranged at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 20, and a soft magnetic base drum 21 faces between the adjacent hard magnetic bodies 23 through a rubber magnet guide 22. As described above, the hard magnetic body 23 and the soft magnetic body are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 20 on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body 20.

  In this specification, a hard magnetic material is a magnetic material that is difficult to magnetize even when an external magnetic field is applied, and that retains its residual magnetization strongly once magnetized, and includes a permanent magnet.

  The soft magnetic material refers to a magnetic material in which magnetization is easily aligned in the magnetic field direction with respect to an external magnetic field, and the retentive force of residual magnetization is small.

  A non-magnetic material means a material that does not interact with a magnetic field.

  The conveying device 12 is disposed over the first guide rod 10 and the rotating body 20 and rolls the first guide rod 10 to guide the game ball discharged from the downstream end portion 10 b to the rotating body 20. And a discharge guide 42 that is disposed between the rotary body 20 and the second guide rod 11 and guides the game ball conveyed by the rotary body 20 to the second guide rod 11.

  The supply guide 41 is formed in a U-shape comprising a rolling surface 41a on which the game ball rolls and a guide wall 41b provided on both sides of the rolling surface 41a to prevent the game ball from falling. It is a member and is composed of a non-magnetic material.

  The first guide rod 10 is in communication with the supply guide 41 by inserting the downstream end portion 10 b into the supply guide 41.

  The rolling surface 41a of the supply guide 41 has a larger inclination than the rolling surface 10c on which the game ball of the first guide rod 10 rolls.

  The first guide rod 10 and the supply guide 41 are connected to each other so that the rolling surface 10c and the rolling surface 41a have a level difference 43 equal to or more than one game ball. That is, a step 43 equal to or more than one game ball is provided between the downstream end portion 10 b of the first guide rod 10 and the rolling surface 41 a of the supply guide 41. Thereby, the game ball discharged from the downstream end portion 10 b of the first guide rod 10 falls down the step 43 and is guided to the rolling surface 41 a of the supply guide 41.

  The downstream side of the rolling surface 41a of the supply guide 41 faces the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20 with a gap through which the game ball cannot pass. As a result, only foreign matters such as dust guided to the supply guide 41 pass between the rolling surface 41a and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20, so that the game ball rolling on the supply guide 41 is prevented from falling. The foreign matter guided to the supply guide 41 can be collected.

  The discharge guide 42 is disposed in the guide member 44 and a U-shaped guide member 44 that is provided standing on both sides of the bottom portion 44 a and a guide wall 44 b for preventing the game ball from dropping. And a guide plate 45 that guides the game ball adsorbed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20 to the second guide rod 11. The guide member 44 and the guide plate 45 are made of a nonmagnetic material.

  The second guide rod 11 communicates with the guide member 44 by inserting the upstream end portion 11 a into the guide member 44. Further, the guide plate 45 communicates with the second guide rod 11 by inserting the downstream end 45 c into the second guide rod 11.

  The rolling surface 45a of the guide plate 45 is larger in inclination than the rolling surface 11c on which the game ball of the second guide rod 11 rolls.

  At the upstream end of the rolling surface 45 a of the guide plate 45, a cylindrical guide rod 45 b is formed that is engaged with the end of the bottom 44 a of the guide member 44 and that is in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20. . The guide rod 45b is formed over the entire width direction of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20.

  As the rotating body 20 rotates, the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20 and the guide rod 45b are in sliding contact with each other. However, since the outer peripheral shape of the guide rod 45b is circular, the friction generated between the two is small.

  The game balls that are attracted to and transported by the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20 are guided away from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20 to the rolling surface 45a of the guide plate 45 by contacting the guide rod 45b. Since the outer peripheral shape of the guide rod 45b is circular, the game ball attracted to and transported by the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20 is smoothly guided to the guide plate 45 along the outer peripheral shape of the guide rod 45b.

  A downstream end 45 c of the rolling surface 45 a of the guide plate 45 is connected to the rolling surface 11 c of the second guide rod 11. For this reason, the game ball rolling on the guide plate 45 is smoothly guided to the second guide rod 11. Instead of the guide plate 45, a gum tape may be applied across the bottom 44a of the guide member 44 and the rolling surface 11c of the second guide rod 11, and both may be smoothly connected via the gum tape.

  As described above, the first guide rod 10 and the second guide rod 11 are arranged such that the upstream end portion 11a of the second guide rod 11 is positioned higher than the downstream end portion 10b of the first guide rod 10. The game ball guided from the first guide rod 10 to the rotating body 20 through the supply guide 41 is attracted to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20 by magnetic force, and the discharge guide communicates with the second guide rod 11 by the rotation of the rotating body 20. 42 is conveyed.

  Next, the operation of the game ball supply device 1 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 10 and 12 to 15. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a process in which a game ball is transported by the transport device 12, FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a comparative example of FIG. 12, and FIG. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a comparative example of FIG. 14.

  As shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the game ball discharged from the lower tank 2 rolls on the first guide rod 10 and moves from the first guide rod 10 to the rotating body 20 through the supply guide 41. Led.

  Here, since the rolling surface 41 a of the supply guide 41 has a larger inclination than the rolling surface 10 c of the first guide rod 10, the game ball rolls vigorously on the rolling surface 41 a of the supply guide 41. . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12 (b), even if the game balls are in a continuous state on the rolling surface 41a, the game balls that are subsequently discharged to the supply guide 41 ride on the continuous game balls. Therefore, since it rolls on the game ball, it can easily reach the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13A, when the inclination of the rolling surface 41a of the supply guide 41 is equal to or smaller than the inclination of the rolling surface 10c of the first guide rod 10, Since the momentum of the game balls rolling on the supply guide 41 is weak, the game balls discharged to the supply guide 41 later cannot roll on the connected game balls, and are supplied to the first guide rod 10. It accumulates in the vicinity of the connecting portion of the guide 41 and hardly reaches the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20.

  Further, since a step 43 equal to or more than one game ball is provided between the downstream end portion 10b of the first guide rod 10 and the rolling surface 41a of the supply guide 41, as shown in FIG. Even if the game balls are connected to the rolling surface 41a, the game balls discharged to the supply guide 41 later are discharged onto the connected game balls. It is easy to reach the vicinity.

  In contrast, as shown in FIG. 13B, there is no step between the downstream end portion 10b of the first guide rod 10 and the rolling surface 41a of the supply guide 41, and both are smoothly communicating. In such a case, it is difficult for game balls to be stacked, so that it is difficult to reach the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20.

  As described above, by increasing the inclination of the supply guide 41 and providing a step between the supply guide 41 and the first guide rod 10 as shown in FIG. The sphere can be caused to flow into a region that is easily influenced by the magnetic field surrounded by the rolling surface 41 a of the supply guide 41 and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20. As a result, the number of game balls in the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the rotator 20 increases, so that the game balls are easily attracted to the outer peripheral surface of the rotator 20 by the action of the magnetic field.

  The game ball that has reached the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20 by the supply guide 41 is attracted to the hard magnetic body 23 by the magnetic field exerted by the hard magnetic body 23 disposed on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body 20.

  Since the game ball attracted to the hard magnetic body 23 is magnetized, another game ball is attracted and magnetized by the magnetized game ball. In this way, the game balls are adsorbed in a bead shape as shown in FIG.

  Further, since the game balls adsorbed in a bead shape are magnetized, the body portion 21a of the base drum 21 which is a soft magnetic material is also magnetized by the magnetic field of these game balls. As a result, the game balls adsorbed in a bead shape are attracted to the body portion 21 a of the base drum 21 with the magnet guide 22 and the magnet cover 26 therebetween. In this way, a magnetic circuit is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body 20 by the hard magnetic body 23, the game ball adsorbed in a bead shape, and the body portion 21a of the soft magnetic body. As shown in FIG. 14, the game ball is adsorbed in a rosary shape on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20 with each hard magnetic body 23 as a base point.

  Here, if the body portion 21a of the base drum 21 is a non-magnetic material, the body portion 21a is not magnetized, so that no magnetic circuit is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body 20. In this case, as shown in FIG. 15, the game ball is adsorbed in a rosary shape with the hard magnetic body 23 as a starting point, but is not adsorbed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20 and is hung vertically downward by gravity. It becomes the state. Therefore, there is a limit to the number of game balls that are adsorbed in a bead shape, and many game balls cannot be transported. Moreover, since it falls depending on the weight of a game ball, a game ball cannot be conveyed efficiently.

  Further, if the supply guide 41 is a soft magnetic body, when the game ball in the supply guide 41 is attracted to the hard magnetic body 23, the hard magnetic body 23, the game ball in the supply guide 41, and the supply guide At 41, a magnetic circuit is constructed. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 13C, the game balls are continuous over the hard magnetic body 23 and the supply guide 41, and the game balls are not efficiently attracted to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20. For this reason, the supply guide 41 being a non-magnetic material is a requirement for efficiently transporting game balls. The supply guide 41 is made of, for example, austenitic stainless steel such as SUS304.

  If the supply guide 41 is made of a non-magnetic material, the rotating body 20 and the first guide rod 10 are separated by the non-magnetic material, so that a magnetic field is applied to the game ball rolling on the first guide rod 10. And it becomes a difficult structure. For this reason, the first guide rod 10 is not restricted in material selection and can be freely selected from the viewpoint of cost. For example, it is cheaper than SUS304, and can also be composed of SUS430, which is a soft magnetic material.

  The game balls adsorbed in a rosary shape on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating body 20 are conveyed along with the rotation of the rotating body 20, and as shown in FIG. By coming into contact with the guide rod 45 b, it is guided away from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20 to the rolling surface 45 a of the guide plate 45 and flows into the second guide rod 11. In this way, the game balls discharged from the downstream end portion 10 b of the first guide rod 10 are conveyed to the upstream end portion 11 a of the second guide rod 11.

  Next, with reference to FIG.16 and FIG.17, the starting stop of the rotary body 20 of the game ball supply apparatus 1 is demonstrated. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a flow of starting and stopping the rotating body 20, and FIG. 17 is a timing chart showing a flow of starting and stopping the rotating body 20. The starting and stopping of the rotating body 20 shown below is executed by a game island control device (not shown) that controls the operation of each device installed on the game island 100.

  As described above, on the game island 100, the lower tank 2, the game ball supply device 1, the collection basket 7, and the like are disposed on the left and right sides of the lifting device 3. Hereinafter, “L” is attached to the reference numerals of the components disposed on the left side of the lifting device 3, and “R” is appended to the reference numerals of the components disposed on the right side of the lifting device 3. In the following, the start / stop of the rotating body 20L of the game ball supply device 1L will be mainly described.

  The rotating bodies 20L and 20R of the transfer devices 12L and 12R are normally in a stopped state, and are started when the start condition is satisfied, and after the start, are stopped when the stop condition is satisfied. This will be described in detail below.

  In a state where both of the rotating bodies 20L and 20R are stopped, in Step 1 of FIG. 16, it is determined whether or not the collection ball detector 84L (see FIG. 7) of the collection basket 7L is OFF. That is, it is determined whether or not the game ball stays in the collection basket 7L and the game ball stays up to the position of the collection ball detector 84. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the recovered ball detector 84L is OFF, the process proceeds to step 2.

  In step 2, it is determined whether or not the number of ON storage ball detectors 81L (see FIG. 6) in the lower tank 2L is two or more than the number of ON storage ball detectors 81R in the lower tank 2R. That is, it is determined whether or not the amount of game balls stored in the lower tank 2L is larger than the amount of game balls stored in the lower tank 2R with a predetermined amount or more. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the difference in the number of ONs is 2 or more, the process proceeds to step 3 where the motor 32L is driven and the rotating body 20L is activated. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the difference in the ON number is less than two, the process proceeds to step 4 and the rotating body 20L maintains the stopped state.

  Thus, when the game balls do not stay at a predetermined position in the collection basket 7L, and the amount of game balls stored in the lower tank 2L is larger than the amount of game balls stored in the lower tank 2R with a predetermined amount or more. In addition, the activation condition of the rotating body 20L is established, and the rotating body 20L is activated.

  Similarly, with respect to the rotating body 20R, the game balls do not stay at a predetermined position in the collection basket 7R, and the amount of game balls stored in the lower tank 2R is equal to or greater than the amount of game balls stored in the lower tank 2L. If there is a large difference, the activation condition is satisfied and the system is activated.

  In this way, by activating the rotating body 20 of the game ball supply device 1 that is attached to the lower tank 2 having a large amount of game ball storage among the left and right lower tanks 2L and 2R, the lower tank 2 having a large amount of game ball storage. The game balls inside are supplied to the lifting device 3. Thereby, the game ball storage amount of the left and right lower tanks 2L and 2R can be balanced.

  In addition, the fact that the game ball does not stay at a predetermined position in the collection basket 7 is set as the activation condition of the rotating body 20 so that the game ball of the collection basket 7 is preferentially guided to the lifting device 3. It is to do.

  After starting the rotating body 20L, in step 5, it is determined whether or not the collection ball detector 84L of the collection basket 7L is ON. That is, it is determined whether or not the game ball stays in the collection basket 7L and the game ball stays up to the position of the collection ball detector 84. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the recovery ball detector 84L is ON, the process proceeds to step 6 where the game ball of the recovery basket 7 is preferentially guided to the lifting device 3, so that the rotating body 20L stops. . In this way, the rotating body 20L stops according to the detection status of the collection ball detector 84.

  If it is determined in step 5 that the collection ball detector 84L of the collection basket 7L is not ON, the process proceeds to step 7. In step 7, it is determined whether or not the ON number of the stored ball detector 81L of the lower tank 2L is the same as the ON number of the stored ball detector 81R of the lower tank 2R. That is, as a result of the activation of the rotating body 20L, it is determined whether or not the amount of game balls stored in the lower tank 2L has decreased and becomes equal to the amount of game balls stored in the lower tank 2R. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the number of ONs is the same, the process proceeds to step 6 and the rotating body 20L stops. If it is determined that the number of ONs is not the same, the process returns to step 5.

  As described above, when the game ball stays at a predetermined position in the collection basket 7L, or when the game ball storage amount of the lower tank 2L becomes equal to the game ball storage amount of the lower tank 2R, the rotating body 20L is stopped. The condition is satisfied, and the rotating body 20L stops.

  Similarly, with respect to the rotating body 20R, when the game ball stays at a predetermined position in the collection basket 7R, or the game ball storage amount of the lower tank 2R becomes equal to the game ball storage amount of the lower tank 2L. Then, the stop condition is satisfied and the operation stops.

  After the rotating bodies 20L and 20R are stopped, the process returns to step 1 and the above procedure is repeated.

  As described above, the rotating bodies 20L and 20R preferentially transfer the game balls of the collection basket 7 to the lifting device 3 based on the detection results of the storage ball detectors 81L and 81R and the collection ball detectors 84L and 84R. Starting and stopping so as to guide and balance the amount of game balls stored in the lower tank 2L and the lower tank 2R.

  According to the above embodiment, the following operational effects are obtained.

  The transport device 12 transports the game ball by adsorbing the game ball to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20 by the magnetic force of the magnetic body disposed on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body 20, and transports using the frictional force. Therefore, the load on the drive source does not become large. Therefore, cost can be reduced. Moreover, since the components which comprise the conveying apparatus 12 are mainly only the rotary body 20, there are few parts counts and it can reduce cost. Furthermore, since the transport device 12 does not sandwich and transport the game balls, there is no possibility of causing ball clogging and the game balls can be supplied stably.

  In addition, since the magnetic body disposed on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body 20 includes a hard magnetic body 23 and a soft magnetic body that forms a magnetic circuit with the game ball, the hard magnetic body 23 is arranged in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 20. It is sufficient to arrange them at a predetermined interval, and it is not necessary to arrange them on the entire outer periphery of the rotator 20, so that the cost can be reduced.

  Next, another embodiment of the present embodiment will be described.

  (1) As shown in FIG. 18, it is desirable to arrange the adjacent hard magnetic bodies 23 so that the S pole and the N pole face each other. By disposing the hard magnetic body 23 in this manner, the game balls are attracted over the adjacent hard magnetic bodies 23, so that more game balls can be attracted to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20. Therefore, the transport efficiency of game balls is improved.

  (2) Although FIG. 18 shows the hard magnetic body 23 in which the N pole and the S pole are magnetized in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 20, as shown in FIG. Even when the hard magnetic material 23 with the S pole magnetized is used, the same effect as the effect (1) is obtained.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the hard magnetic body 23 is held by the rubber magnet guide 22, and the body portion 21a of the base drum 21 is a soft magnetic body. Instead, as shown in FIG. 20, the magnet guide 22 itself is formed of an annular soft magnetic material, and the magnet guide 22 is inserted into the outer periphery of the base drum 21 so as to be integrated with the base drum 21. May be.

  If comprised in this way, since the hard magnetic body 23 and the soft magnetic body will be alternately arrange | positioned by the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the magnet guide 22, it will become easy for the magnetic force of a soft magnetic body to act on a game ball, and a game The sphere is easily adsorbed to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 20.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the game island 100 is provided with the lower tank 2, the game ball supply device 1, the collection basket 7, and the like on the left and right sides of the lifting device 3. Instead, the lower tank 2, the game ball supply device 1, and the overflow basket 9 b may be arranged on the game island 100 on either the left or right side of the lifting device 3.

  (5) In the above embodiment, the upper tank 4 is constituted by the upper main tank 4A and the upper auxiliary tank 4B. However, if no island ridge is provided, the upper tank 4 is constituted only by the upper main tank 4A. Also good.

  (6) In the above embodiment, the lower chamber 74 of the upper auxiliary tank 4B communicates with the overflow introduction tower 65, and the game balls that flow into the lower chamber 74 from the adjacent game island are supplied to the supply basket 6. Without being guided to the lower tank 2. However, the game ball in the lower chamber 74 may be guided to the upper main tank 4A and supplied to the supply rod 6 without providing the communication rod 69 that connects the lower chamber 74 and the overflow introduction tower 65. Thus, the game ball in the lower chamber 74 may be preferentially guided to either the lower tank 2 or the supply basket 6.

  Moreover, the following is mentioned as a typical thing of the viewpoint of this invention other than what was described in the claim.

  The invention of (1) is a game ball supply device that supplies game balls stored in a lower tank of a game island toward a lift device that lifts game balls to the upper portion of the game island. A first guide rod through which a ball is guided, an upstream end portion provided at a position higher than a downstream end portion of the first guide rod, and a second guide rod that guides a game ball toward the lifting device, A transport device that transports the game ball discharged from the first guide rod to the second guide rod, and the transport device uses a magnetic force of a magnetic body disposed on an outer peripheral edge of the rotating body to play the game ball Is transported by adsorbing to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body.

  In the invention of (2), the magnetic body includes a plurality of hard magnetic bodies disposed on an outer peripheral edge of the rotating body, a game ball adsorbed to the hard magnetic body, and a soft magnetic body constituting a magnetic circuit; It is characterized by providing.

  The invention of (3) is characterized in that the hard magnetic body and the soft magnetic body are alternately arranged on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body in the circumferential direction of the rotating body.

  In the invention of (4), the rotating body includes a base drum that rotates about a rotating shaft, and a magnet guide that is disposed along an outer periphery of the base drum and holds the hard magnetic body, The outer periphery of the base drum is the soft magnetic material, and the magnet guide is a non-magnetic material.

  In the invention of (5), the rotating body includes a base drum that rotates about a rotating shaft, and a magnet guide that is disposed along an outer periphery of the base drum and holds the hard magnetic body, The magnet guide is the soft magnetic material.

  The invention according to (6) is characterized in that the adjacent hard magnetic bodies are arranged so that the S pole and the N pole face each other.

  In the invention of (7), the transport device further includes a supply guide for guiding the game ball discharged from the first guide rod to the rotating body, and a rolling surface of the supply guide is formed by the first guide rod. It is characterized by a large inclination as compared with the rolling surface.

  The invention of (8) is characterized in that a step equal to or more than one game ball is provided between the downstream end portion of the first guide rod and the rolling surface of the supply guide.

  The invention of (9) is characterized in that the supply guide is a non-magnetic material.

  The invention of (10) is characterized in that the rolling surface of the supply guide faces the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body with a gap through which a game ball cannot pass.

  The invention of (11) comprises the game ball supply device according to any one of the first to tenth inventions, and a collection basket for collecting the game balls discharged from the game machine, wherein the game A game island guided to the lifting device after a game ball guided by the second guide rod of the ball supply device and a game ball transported by the recovery rod are joined, and the game in the recovery rod There is provided a collection ball detection means for detecting a collection state of the ball, and the rotating body of the game ball supply device is in a stopped state according to the detection status of the collection ball detection means.

  The invention of (12) is a game island in which the game ball supply device according to any one of the first invention to the tenth invention and the lower tank are arranged in pairs with the lifting device as a center. And a storage ball detecting means for detecting a storage state of the game balls in the lower tank, wherein the game ball storage amount of one lower tank has a difference of a predetermined amount or more than the game ball storage amount of the other lower tank. When the number of the game balls is large, the rotating body of the game ball supply device provided in the one lower tank is activated.

  According to the invention of (1), the transport device attracts and transports the game ball to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body by the magnetic force of the magnetic body disposed on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body, and generates a frictional force. Since it is not what is conveyed using, the load of a drive source does not become large. Therefore, cost can be reduced. Moreover, since the parts which comprise a conveying apparatus are mainly only a rotary body, there are few parts counts and it can reduce cost. Furthermore, since the transport device does not sandwich and transport the game ball, there is no possibility of causing a ball clogging, and the game ball can be supplied stably.

  According to the invention of (2), a plurality of game balls are adsorbed in a rosary shape on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body by the hard magnetic body, the game ball adsorbed on the hard magnetic body, and the magnetic circuit formed by the soft magnetic body. , Game ball transport efficiency is improved.

  According to the inventions of (3) to (5), the hard magnetic body is disposed at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction of the rotating body by including the hard magnetic body and the soft magnetic body constituting the magnetic ball and the magnetic circuit. Therefore, the amount of hard magnetic material used can be reduced. Accordingly, the cost can be reduced while improving the efficiency of transporting the game balls.

  According to the invention of (6), since the game balls are attracted across the adjacent hard magnetic bodies, more game balls can be attracted to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, and the transport efficiency of the game balls is improved.

  According to the invention of (7), since the rolling surface of the supply guide has a larger inclination than the rolling surface of the first guide rod, the game ball rolls on the supply guide vigorously. Therefore, even if the game balls are connected to the supply guide, the game balls discharged later to the supply guide ride on the connected game balls and roll on the game balls. It is easy to reach the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface. As a result, the number of game balls in the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body that is easily affected by the magnetic field of the magnetic body is increased, so that the game balls are easily attracted to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, and stable conveyance is performed.

  According to the invention of (8), since a step equal to or more than one game ball is provided between the downstream end portion of the first guide rod and the rolling surface of the supply guide, on the rolling surface of the supply guide Even if the game balls are continuously connected to each other, the game balls discharged to the supply guide later are discharged onto the connected game balls, so that they easily reach the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body. As a result, the game balls are easily attracted to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, and stable conveyance is performed.

  According to the invention of (9), by configuring the supply guide with a non-magnetic material, it is possible to prevent the game ball magnetized by the magnetic field of the magnetic material from being attracted to the supply guide. Can do.

  According to the invention of (10), since the rolling surface of the supply guide is opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body with a gap through which the game ball cannot pass, only foreign matters such as dust guided to the supply guide are in the supply guide. It passes between the rolling surface and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body. Therefore, foreign matter guided to the supply guide can be collected while preventing the game ball rolling on the supply guide from falling.

  According to the invention of (11), since the rotating body is stopped according to the detection status of the recovery ball detection means, the game balls of the recovery basket can be preferentially guided to the lifting device. .

  According to the invention of (12), when the amount of game balls stored in one lower tank is larger than the amount of game balls stored in the other lower tank with a difference of a predetermined amount or more, it is stored in one lower tank. The rotating body is activated so as to guide the game ball to the lifting device. Thus, the rotating body is activated so as to balance the amount of game balls stored in the pair of lower tanks arranged around the lifting device.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is obvious that various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical idea.

  The game ball supply device of the present invention can be applied as a device for supplying the game balls stored in the lower tank toward the lifting device. Note that the gaming machine is not limited to the pachinko gaming machine as shown in the above embodiment, and for example, other pachinko gaming machines, arrange ball gaming machines, sparrow ball gaming machines, slot machines and the like. It is applicable to all gaming machines that use

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Game ball supply apparatus 2 Lower tank 3 Lifting apparatus 4 Upper tank 7 Collection | recovery rod 9a Overflow rod 9b Overflow hose 10 First induction rod 10b Downstream end 10c Rolling surface 11 Second induction rod 11a Upstream end 11c Rolling surface DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Conveyance apparatus 20 Rotating body 21 Base drum 22 Magnet guide 22a Holding part 23 Hard magnetic body 26 Magnet cover 41 Supply guide 41a Rolling surface 42 Discharge guide 43 Level difference 44 Guide member 45 Guide plate 81 Storage ball detector 84 Collected ball detector 85 Junction device 86 Junction ball storage unit 100

Claims (4)

In the game ball supply device for supplying the game balls stored in the lower tank of the game island toward the lifting device for lifting the game balls to the upper part of the game island,
A first guide rod capable of rolling the game ball guided from the lower tank toward the downstream end,
An upstream end provided at a position higher than the downstream end of the first guide rod, and a second guide rod for guiding the game ball toward the lifting device;
A rotating body disposed between the downstream end of the first guide rod and the upstream end of the second guide rod;
A supply guide for guiding the game ball rolling the first guide rod to the rotating body;
A hard magnetic body disposed on an outer peripheral edge of the rotating body and for attracting a game ball guided by the supply guide to an outer peripheral surface of the rotating body;
A driving source for conveying the game ball adsorbed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body by rotating the rotating body to a second guide rod;
The game ball supply device, wherein the supply guide is a non-magnetic material.   2. The game ball supply device according to claim 1, wherein a step difference of one or more game balls is provided between a downstream end portion of the first guide rod and a rolling surface of the supply guide.   3. The game ball supply device according to claim 1, wherein the rolling surface of the supply guide has a larger inclination than the rolling surface of the first guide rod.   4. The game ball supply device according to claim 1, wherein the rolling surface of the supply guide faces the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body with a gap through which the game ball cannot pass. 5. .

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