JP2015066252A - Game device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game device which prevents supply of balls from being lacked.SOLUTION: A lower tank 100 has a multi-stage structure by providing a horizontal guide plate 102, a first inclined plate 103 and a second inclined plate 104 within a tank body. A tank body 101 is box-shaped and includes a discharge port from which balls are discharged towards a lifting part. The horizontal guide plate 102 includes a first ball rolling surface, includes holes into which balls rolling on the first ball rolling surface fall down, at both sides in a width direction and receives balls flowing out of a middle tray that receives out balls, winning balls or prize balls. The first inclined plate 103 is fixed at a lower side of the horizontal guide plate 102 in such an inclined state that one end side in a length direction becomes lower than another end side, forms a second ball rolling surface between the horizontal guide plate 102 and the first inclined plate 103, and includes holes into which balls fall down, at a higher side and a lower side. The second inclined plate 104 is provided at a lower side of the first inclined plate 103 in parallel with the first inclined plate 103 and forms a third ball rolling surface between the second inclined plate 104 and the first inclined plate 103.

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming apparatus provided on a gaming island on which a gaming machine using gaming balls is mounted. The game ball is, for example, a pachinko ball, and the game machine is, for example, a pachinko machine.

  In recent years, instead of a gaming island unit configured by arranging a large number of gaming machines, one or several gaming machines (for example, about 2 to 4 units) are set as one unit (hereinafter referred to as a single island). Various gaming devices have been proposed in which gaming balls (hereinafter referred to as balls) used in gaming machines are collected and transported for supply to gaming machines again. Moreover, the possibility of new forms, such as a non-opening type, is also discussed for the gaming machine as well.

  In large-scale game islands, balls used as games in each game machine and discharged as loose balls are collected in a lower tank common to all game machines via a collection basket, and are lifted and polished from the lower tank. It is lifted and polished by the device, stored in an upper tank common to all gaming machines, distributed and supplied from the upper tank to each gaming machine via a supply basket, and used for subsequent games. Balls acquired and won in the game (hereinafter referred to as prize balls) are discharged to the upper plate and used again for games or transferred to an external tray managed by the player. For this reason, the number of balls used in the entire amusement island is enormous, and the lower tank and upper tank have large capacity (volume), and the lifting and polishing device has a large conveyor belt and abrasive cloth. Since it is used, a power source with a large output power is required. Therefore, there is a problem that power consumption is large and a large noise is generated.

  In contrast, a single island has a lower tank, a lifting and polishing device, and an upper tank for each gaming machine, and the lower tank is provided at the lower part of the gaming machine to collect out balls and prize balls. The lifting and polishing device polishes the ball flowing out from the lower tank while polishing it and flows it into the upper tank. The upper tank is provided at the upper part of the gaming machine and supplies the stored balls to the ball lending machine. In addition, it is configured to be discharged to the upper plate as a prize ball when winning.

  Therefore, since the lower tank, the lift polishing apparatus and the upper tank are installed in the game machine of the game island where miniaturization is desired, the lower tank, the lift polishing apparatus and the upper tank are inevitably small in volume. Therefore, the number of balls handled on a single island is reduced, the power of the drive source of the lift polishing apparatus can be reduced, and the generated noise is reduced.

  However, if the game result is a big win (winning), especially if it is a continuous big win, it is desirable to supply a large amount of balls from the upper tank to the upper plate in a short time. In the machine, the ball capacity of the lower tank and upper tank is small, and the ball lifting speed of the lifting and polishing machine is suppressed to prevent noise generation as much as possible. Since the number of tanks stored is insufficient, the tank is not supplied in a timely manner, and there is a possibility that the game is interrupted and the game is cut off.

  In view of this point, a single island that has attempted to increase the ball accommodation capacity by making the lower tank and the upper tank a multi-stage structure (multi-stage structure) has been disclosed recently (Patent Document 1). The lower tank and the upper tank described in Patent Document 1 are provided with a plurality of inclined plates spaced apart in the vertical direction in the lower tank and the upper tank, and a hole or the like for dropping a sphere is formed on both sides of each inclined plate. Is.

Japanese Patent No. 4046199

  Therefore, although a slight increase in the ball capacity is recognized, the sphere flowing into the lower tank or the upper tank falls from the drop hole of the inclined plate, and extends from the lower end of the lower inclined plate to the upper end of the lower inclined plate. A sphere accumulates only up to the intermediate position, and a dead space where the sphere does not accumulate is formed between the intermediate position and the upper end. Therefore, even if the lower tank and the upper tank have a multi-stage structure, there is a limit to the increase in the capacity of the balls, and it is inevitable that the supply of the balls will be insufficient, especially in the case of a continuous big hit.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its main purpose is to enable a substantial increase in ball capacity on a single island, and supply of balls even when the game result is a consecutive jackpot. An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming apparatus that does not cause a shortage.

  A subordinate purpose is to make it possible to easily disassemble at least one of the lower tank and the upper tank from the multistage structure for cleaning and the like and to restore the multistage structure again after the decomposition.

  In order to achieve the above main object, the present invention is a gaming apparatus provided on a single island, the gaming apparatus being provided between (A) a lower tank, an upper tank, and a lower tank and an upper tank. And (B) the lower tank includes a horizontal guide plate, a first inclined plate, and a second inclined plate in the tank body. (B1) The tank body has a box shape that has a bottom wall that forms a fourth ball rolling surface that is inclined toward one end, and a peripheral wall that rises from the periphery of the bottom wall and opens upward. Is formed in the peripheral wall to which the lower end of the bottom wall of the tank body is connected, and a discharge port for discharging the sphere in the direction of the lifting portion is formed. (B2) The horizontal guide plate is a tank The first ball rolling surface is formed on the upper surface of the horizontal guide plate, and the width of the horizontal guide plate There are holes (or notches; the same shall apply hereinafter) for dropping the ball rolling on the first ball rolling surface on both sides in the opposite direction, and are provided on the upper side of the lower tank. (B3) The first inclined plate is longitudinally spaced from the horizontal guide plate by a distance larger than the diameter of the sphere below the horizontal guide plate. One end side in the direction is fixed so as to be lower than the other end side, and a second ball rolling surface is formed between the horizontal guide plate and the first inclined plate, and the upper inclined side and the lower inclined side (B4) The second inclined plate is provided below the first inclined plate in parallel with the first inclined plate with a space slightly larger than the diameter of the sphere. The third ball rolling surface is formed between the first inclined plate and the second inclined plate, (B5) A ball rolling on one ball rolling surface falls to the second ball rolling surface from a hole on both sides in the width direction of the horizontal guide plate, and a ball rolling on the second ball rolling surface is inclined higher than the first inclined plate. The ball that falls on the third ball rolling surface from the hole on the side or falls on the fourth ball rolling surface from the hole on the lower inclined side of the first inclined plate and rolls on the third ball rolling surface is the second ball. It is comprised so that it may fall to a 4th ball rolling surface from the inclination lower-side edge part of an inclination board.

  In order to achieve the above object, the lower tank has a second inclined plate, a first inclined plate, and a horizontal guide plate that are closely fitted and fixed in this order in the tank body, It is characterized in that no tools are required for assembly and disassembly (toolless).

  Further, the present invention is a gaming device provided on a single island to achieve the above main object, the gaming device comprising: (A) a lower tank, an upper tank, and a lower tank and an upper tank. (C) The upper tank is a multi-stage structure having a tank body and an inclined plate, and is lifted to one end side. (C1) The tank body has a bottom wall that slopes down to the opposite side of the ball receiving part and one end in the width direction, and one side of the bottom wall. And a peripheral wall that rises from the periphery, and is formed in a box shape that opens upward, and discharges a sphere that rolls on the upper surface of the bottom wall to the peripheral wall to which the lower-side end in the width direction of the bottom wall is connected. It has a discharge port, (C2) The inclined plate is one end in the longitudinal direction of the tank body From the peripheral wall at one end in the width direction to the vicinity of the peripheral wall at the other end in the width direction, and the rollover V-shaped between the upper surface of the inclined plate and the bottom wall of the tank body. (C3) The sphere receiving portion is provided at the upper end of the inclined body in the longitudinal direction of the inclined plate of the tank body, and communicates with the open portion of the peripheral wall of the tank body. It has an open peripheral wall and a bottom wall that slopes downward toward the tank body and has an upper surface that is continuous with the upper end of the inclined plate of the tank body, and accepts a ball discharged from the upper end of the pumping section. It is characterized by being.

  The ball receiving portion of the upper tank is a longitudinally inclined upper side end portion of the inclined plate of the tank main body, and is coupled to the tank body at a position close to the inclined upper side of the inclined plate in the width direction, and the upper end of the lift polishing apparatus It is preferable to provide a guide member that causes the sphere discharged from the sphere to advance obliquely toward a wall continuous with the peripheral wall on the upper side in the width direction of the inclined plate of the tank body in the peripheral wall of the sphere receiving portion.

  It is preferable that the guide member is formed of a conductive material that neutralizes a ball that is lifted and polished by the lift polishing apparatus and discharged from the upper end of the lift polishing apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention is characterized in that the upper tank has a tilted plate closely fitted and fixed in the tank body so that no tools are required for assembly and disassembly. And

  Furthermore, the present invention is a gaming device provided on a single island in order to achieve the above main object, the gaming device comprising: (A) a lower tank, an upper tank, and a lower tank and an upper tank. And a polishing device provided in the middle of the pumping unit. (B) The lower tank includes a horizontal guide plate, a first inclined plate, and a second inclined plate in the tank body. (B1) The tank body has a bottom wall that forms a fourth ball rolling surface that inclines toward one end and a peripheral wall that rises from the periphery of the bottom wall and opens upward Is formed in the peripheral wall to which the inclined lower side end of the bottom wall of the tank body is connected, and a discharge port for discharging the sphere in the direction of the lifting portion is formed. (B2) The horizontal guide plate is It is provided in the tank body, and the first ball rolling surface is formed on the upper surface of the horizontal guide plate to There are holes (or notches; the same applies hereinafter) for dropping the ball that rolls on the first ball rolling surface on both sides in the width direction of the plate, provided on the upper side of the lower tank, Alternatively, the ball that flows out from the saucer is received while receiving the ball that is dropped as a prize ball. (B3) The first inclined plate has a space equal to or larger than the diameter of the ball from the horizontal guide plate below the horizontal guide plate. Open and fixed in an inclined state so that one end side in the longitudinal direction is lower than the other end side, forming a second ball rolling surface between the horizontal guide plate and the first inclined plate, (B4) The second inclined plate is parallel to the first inclined plate with an interval slightly larger than the diameter of the sphere on the lower side of the first inclined plate. Provided to form a third ball rolling surface between the first inclined plate and the second inclined plate, B5) The ball rolling on the first ball rolling surface falls to the second ball rolling surface from the holes on both sides in the width direction of the horizontal guide plate, and the ball rolling on the second ball rolling surface is the first inclined plate. A ball that falls on the third ball rolling surface from the hole on the upper tilt side of the ball or falls on the fourth ball rolling surface from the hole on the lower tilt side of the first tilted plate, and rolls on the third ball rolling surface. Is configured to drop from the inclined lower side end of the second inclined plate to the fourth ball rolling surface, and (C) the upper tank is a multi-stage structure having a tank body and an inclined plate, (C1) The tank body has a bottom wall inclined downward on one side and the other side in the width direction, and a bottom wall of the bottom wall. And a peripheral wall that rises from the periphery except one side, and is formed in a box shape that opens upward, and the bottom wall is connected to the peripheral wall to which the lower-side end in the width direction of the bottom wall is connected. (C2) The inclined plate is inclined downward from one end side in the longitudinal direction of the tank body to the other end side, and has a width from the peripheral wall on one end side in the width direction. A spherical passage that inclines down to the vicinity of the peripheral wall on the other end side in the direction and continues in a rollover V shape between the upper surface of the inclined plate and the bottom wall of the tank body, and (C3) a ball receiving portion Is provided at the upper end of the tank body inclined plate in the longitudinal direction, and is open to communicate with the open portion of the peripheral wall of the tank body, the tank body is inclined downward, and the upper surface of the tank body is inclined downward. It has a bottom wall continuous to the upper side end of the inclined plate, and receives the sphere discharged from the upper end of the lifting and polishing apparatus.

According to the present invention, it is possible to substantially increase the ball capacity, and it is possible to prevent a shortage of supply of balls even when the game result is a consecutive big hit.
Further, at least one of the lower tank and the upper tank can be easily disassembled from the multistage structure and cleaned, or restored to the multistage structure again after disassembly.

It is a figure which shows schematically the structure of the game device which shows embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of installation with respect to the single island of the game apparatus of FIG. It is a front view which shows the main structures of a single island. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the single island of FIG. 3 with the gaming machine of FIG. 3 removed. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the use condition of the lower tank of the game device. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the lower tank of FIG. 5. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the lower part and conveyance part of the conveyance part of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the improved introduction part. It is a cross-sectional view of FIG. It is a cross-sectional view in the case of introducing two rows of spheres. It is a perspective view of the upper end part of a conveyance part, and a grinding | polishing part, and the grinding | polishing cassette is shown in the isolate | separated state. It is a perspective view which removes and shows one box of a polishing cassette. It is a perspective view which shows the state by which the conveyance path in the grinding | polishing part of FIG. 11 is meandering. It is a rear view which shows two aspects of the attachment state of a grinding | polishing cassette. It is a perspective view of the back side of an oblique mounting polishing cassette. It is a figure which shows the motion of the ball | bowl during conveyance which touches the polishing cloth of the diagonally mounted grinding | polishing cassette of FIG. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the oblique mounting polishing cassette of FIG. 15 taken along the line XX. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an upper tank. It is the YY sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the upper tank of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure where the upper end part of a conveyance grinding | polishing apparatus is connected to the ball | bowl receiving part of the upper tank of FIG. It is a top view which shows the storage mode of a sphere when not attaching the discharge | emission direction guide member of a sphere to the upper end part of the conveyance grinding | polishing apparatus of FIG. It is a top view which shows the storage aspect of a sphere at the time of attaching the discharge | emission direction guide member of a sphere to the upper end part of the conveyance grinding | polishing apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the full sensor and the empty sensor to the upper tank. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a control apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows a part of control content of a control apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the remainder of the control content of a control apparatus. It is a figure explaining the relationship between the structure | tissue of an abrasive cloth, the conveyance direction of a ball | bowl, and the grinding | polishing effect.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the single island A has a housing 1, a known gaming machine B is installed in the single island A, and the balls collected and used by the gaming machine B are again used as the gaming machine B. A gaming device C according to the present invention is provided.

  As shown schematically in FIG. 1, the gaming apparatus C includes a lower tank 100 that collects and stores balls used in the gaming machine B, a transport unit 220 that transports the balls that flow out of the lower tank 100, It has a polishing section 230 for polishing a ball in the middle of conveyance, and an upper tank 300 that stores the conveyed and polished ball and supplies it to the gaming machine B, and circulates the balls used in the gaming machine.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (a), as a form in which such a gaming device C is provided on the single island A, one gaming device is included in the single island A1 having one gaming machine (not shown). In the case where C is provided and, as shown in FIG. 2B, one gaming device corresponding to each gaming machine in a single island A2 in which two gaming machines (not shown) are provided back to back. In the case where C is provided, and as shown in FIG. 2 (c), one gaming device C corresponding to each gaming machine in a single island A3 in which two gaming machines (not shown) are provided side by side. May be provided. Further, as another mode in which the gaming device C is provided on the single island A, as shown in FIG. 2 (d), there is one single island A3 in which two gaming machines (not shown) are provided side by side. There may be a case where the gaming apparatus C is provided so as to be shared by two gaming machines.

  Although four forms have been illustrated above, one gaming device C is installed in the single island A2 in which two gaming machines (not shown) in FIG. Depending on whether the game hall is shared, or depending on the empty space of the game hall, various forms may be considered, for example, by arranging four game machines to form a single island. 2B, 2C, and 2D show an example in which the single island A2 and the single island A3 have two housings, but one housing may be used.

  Hereinafter, the single island A1 in FIG. 2A will be described as an example with reference to FIG.

[Overall configuration]
As shown in FIG. 3, the single island A includes a gaming machine B and a gaming device C in the housing 1. The gaming machine B and the gaming apparatus C are configured as follows. That is, some of the balls (not shown in FIG. 3) accommodated in the upper tank 300 are supplied to the ball lending machine 3 through the first supply pipe 2, and the player requested the balls in the ball lending machine 3. Sometimes it is counted and discharged to the upper plate 4. The ball discharged to the upper plate 4 rolls through the guide path 5 to the ball launch position, and when the player operates the knob or other operation member 6, the known launch means (not shown) passes through the launch path 7. The game area 10 is formed between the rail 8, the game board surface 9, and the front glass door. The detached ball that has been launched into the game area 10 but did not enter the winning opening 11 falls from the dropping opening 12 to the inner tray 13 and is accommodated. When the fired ball enters the winning opening 11, the ball is counted from the upper tank 300 through the second supply pipe 14 by a counter (not shown) and supplied to the upper plate 4 as a predetermined ball. Is done. When the upper plate 4 is full, the player opens the bottom shutter 15 of the upper plate 4 so that the balls in the upper plate 4 are counted while being counted by a counter not shown as the player's acquired ball. It falls on the saucer 13. The balls in the middle tray 13 are collected in the lower tank 100 from the bottom of the middle tray 13, and the balls flowing out from the outlet 101 </ b> C at the bottom of the lower tank 100 pass through the introduction unit 210 of the ball polishing apparatus 200 and are transferred to the transport unit 220. After being introduced into the lower end and polished by the polishing unit 230 provided near the upper end of the transport unit 220 while being transported by the transport unit 220, it is discharged from the upper end of the transport unit 220 and accommodated in the upper tank 300. It has become. As described above, a part of the balls stored in the upper tank 300 is supplied to the ball lending machine 3 through the first supply pipe 2 and the other part is supplied to the second supply pipe 14 when winning. After that, it is supplied to the upper plate 4.

  And when there is no or no ball waiting for the launch of the taxiway 5, the ball lending machine 3 is inserted with a valid game card inserted into the ball lending machine 3 or after coins are inserted. By operating, the ball for the next game can be discharged to the upper plate 4.

  The gaming device C is built in a non-open type gaming machine in which the ball used in the gaming machine B is led to the launching position without being discharged outside the gaming machine and used again in the game for recycling. In this case, the presence / absence, installation position, and function of the lower tank 100, the polishing unit 230, and the upper tank 300 are not necessarily the same as those in the present embodiment. Also, the number and shape of the components in the game area 10 of FIG. 3 are merely examples.

[Lower tank]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lower tank 100 generally has a tank body 101, a horizontal guide plate 102, a first inclined plate 103, and a second inclined plate 104.

  The tank main body 101 is formed in a box shape having an open space 101a having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, and forms a fourth ball rolling surface P4 that inclines downward from one end of the tank main body 101 to the other end. It has a bottom wall 101b and peripheral walls 101c1 to 101c4 that rise from the periphery of the bottom wall 101a. An outlet 101d for discharging the sphere in the direction of the sphere polishing apparatus 200 is formed at a position where the lower end of the bottom wall 101b of the peripheral wall portion 101c4 of the tank body 101 is connected.

  The horizontal guide plate 102 is formed in a rectangular shape whose length is substantially equal to the length of the space 101a of the tank body 101 and whose width is narrower by a width slightly larger than the diameter of the sphere T than the width of the space 101a. A hole (or notch, the same applies hereinafter) 102a is formed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal guide plate 102 for dropping the ball T rolling on its upper surface.

  Therefore, when the horizontal guide plate 102 is accommodated in the center of the tank body 101 in the width direction and fixed at a predetermined height, the upper surface of the horizontal guide plate 102 forms the first spherical rolling surface P1. Further, the ball T rolling on the first ball rolling surface P1 may fall from both sides in the width direction of the horizontal guide plate 102 between the horizontal guide plate 102 and the peripheral wall portions 101c1 and 101c2 facing the tank body 101. Possible voids are formed.

  On the upper side of the lower tank 100, there is provided a middle tray 13 for receiving a ball T falling off the game island A or as a winning ball or a ball T falling as a prize ball. The sphere T is discharged from the bottom to the upper surface of the horizontal guide plate 102.

  The first inclined plate 103 is fixed to the lower side of the horizontal guide plate 102 in a state of being inclined so that one end side in the longitudinal direction is lower than the other end side with a space larger than the diameter of the sphere T from the horizontal guide plate 102. Thus, the second ball rolling surface P2 is formed between the horizontal guide plate 102 and the first inclined plate 103, and has holes 103a and 103b for dropping the sphere T on the upper and lower sides of the inclination. In addition, a separation member 103 c that hangs down with a height slightly larger than the diameter of the sphere T is provided at both ends in the width direction of the first inclined plate 103. The spacing member 103c may be formed intermittently instead of being continuous as shown.

  The second inclined plate 104 has a width equal to the width of the first inclined plate 103 but has a length shorter than the length of the first inclined plate 103. The second inclined plate 104 has horizontally elongated trapezoidal spacing members 104a at both ends in the width direction on the same side as the lower inclined side of the first inclined plate 103, and the end of the first inclined plate 103 on the same side as the upper inclined side. A separation member 104b that stands up at The trapezoidal shape of the separating member 104b is set such that the height on the upper tilt side of the first tilt plate 103 is larger than the height on the lower tilt side of the first tilt plate 103.

The horizontal guide plate 102 and the first and second inclined plates 103 and 104 are mounted and fixed in the tank body 101 as follows. First, the second inclined plate 104 is inserted into the space 101a of the tank body 101, and the second inclined plate 104 is closely fitted into the space 101a by approaching the peripheral wall portion 101c4 on the outlet 101d side, and the separating member 104a. On the top surface of the bottom wall 101b. Thereby, the third ball rolling surface P3 is formed on the upper surface of the second inclined plate 104.
Subsequently, the first inclined plate 103 is tightly fitted in the space 101a, the separating member 103c of the first inclined plate 103 is placed on the upper surface of the second inclined plate 104, and the separating member of the second inclined plate 104 is placed. Place on 104b and fix. Thereby, the 2nd ball rolling surface P2 of the 2nd inclined plate 104 and the 3rd ball rolling surface P3 of the 2nd inclined plate 104 are maintained in a parallel state, and it is slightly smaller than the diameter of the sphere T between both. A void having a large height is formed.
Finally, the horizontal guide plate 102 is fitted on the upper side of the first inclined plate 103 at the center in the width direction in the vicinity of the upper surface of the space 101a of the tank body 101, and is placed on the inner surface of the peripheral wall portions 101c3 and 101c4. Place and fix on a piece (not shown).

Due to the above-described configuration of the lower tank 100, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 5, the sphere T discharged from the bottom of the intermediate tray 13 rolls on the first sphere rolling surface P1 of the horizontal guide plate 102 to cause horizontal guidance. A ball that falls on the second ball rolling surface P2 from the holes on both sides in the width direction of the plate 102 and rolls on the second ball rolling surface P2 is a third ball from the upper hole 103a of the first inclined plate 103. It falls to the rolling surface P3 or falls from the lower hole 103b of the first inclined plate 103 to the fourth ball rolling surface P4. The sphere rolling on the third ball rolling surface P3 falls to the fourth ball rolling surface P4 from the lower end of the second inclined plate 104, and the ball rolling on the fourth ball rolling surface P4 is It is discharged from the outlet 101c of the tank body 101. As shown in FIG. 5, the guide tube 13 a that guides the discharged balls toward one end of the horizontal guide plate 102 (inclined upper direction of the first inclined plate 103) is provided on the discharge tube 13 a at the bottom of the inner tray 13. Is provided.

  Observing the situation in which the sphere T is stored in the lower tank 100, when the sphere T starts to accumulate in the lower tank 100, the second sphere rolls from the gap on both sides in the width direction of the first sphere rolling surface P1 and the hole 102a at one end. After falling on the moving surface P2, rolling on the second ball rolling surface P2, and falling from the lower hole 103b to the fourth ball rolling surface P4, the lower end of the fourth ball rolling surface P4 The ball T begins to accumulate from. Accordingly, since the balls entering the lower tank 100 from the intermediate tray 14 pass through the shortest course and accumulate on the fourth ball rolling surface P4, they are accommodated quickly and with minimal noise. In addition, after the fourth ball rolling surface P4 is filled with the ball T, the subsequent ball T entering the lower tank 100 from the inner tray 14 is accumulated on the second ball rolling surface P2, and the second ball rolling surface. When P2 is full, or when the number of balls T entering the lower tank 100 from the inner tray 14 is large, the ball falls from the upper hole 103a of the first inclined plate 103 to the third ball rolling surface P3. The balls can be efficiently accommodated without causing any dead space on any of the ball rolling surfaces P4 and P3. Therefore, the effect that the ball accommodation capacity is substantially increased is exhibited.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the second inclined plate 104, the first inclined plate 103, and the horizontal guide plate 102 of the lower tank 100 are only tightly fitted into the tank body 101 in this order from above ( It is formed in a fixed dimension (without using a fastener such as a screw). Therefore, the lower tank 100 can be assembled and disassembled without tools (toolless). Therefore, the lower tank 100 may be disassembled for cleaning or the like when the lower tank 100 becomes dirty due to transfer of dust in the air or dirt on the balls T, or the lower tank 100 may be assembled again after cleaning. It can be done quickly and easily.

  An outlet 101c of the lower tank 100 is connected to an introduction part 210 of a ball polishing apparatus 200 described later (see FIG. 3).

[Ball polishing equipment]
As shown in FIG. 3, the ball polishing apparatus 200 conveys the introduced sphere, and an introduction part 210 for introducing the sphere T discharged from the outlet 101 c of the lower tank 100 to the lower end of the sphere polishing apparatus 200. A transport unit 220 for polishing, and a polishing unit 230 for polishing a sphere transported by the transport unit 220. Hereinafter, each part will be described sequentially.

<Introduction>
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the introduction unit 210 is opened at the lower end of the conveyance guide 225 of the conveyance unit 220, as shown in FIGS. It is configured to be coupled to the inlet 227. When the other end side of the sphere introduction path 211 is inclined downward with a small inclination angle and coupled to the inlet 227 as shown in FIG. 57, depending on the inclination angle and the weight of the sphere T, the screw of the conveying unit 220 of the sphere T Since the pressure in the direction of the central axis 222 of the conveyor 221 is insufficient, the ball T rolls in a direction away from the screw conveyor 221 when it comes into contact with the belt plate 223 of the rotating screw conveyor 221 (returned to the ball introduction path 211). Since the ball T cannot reach the position where it contacts the central axis 222 of the screw conveyor 221, that is, the conveyance standby position WP, it may be difficult to convey.

FIG. 8 shows an improved introduction 210 ′ to solve this problem. In this introduction part 210 ′, the ball introduction path 211 has an inclined part 211a and a vertical drop part 211b. The inclined portion 211 a has an upper end connected to the outlet 101 c of the lower tank 100. The vertical drop part 211 b has an upper end connected to the lower end of the inclined part 211 a and a lower end of the vertical drop part 211 b connected to the inlet 227 of the transfer path 226 of the transfer unit 220. In a preferred embodiment, the lower end portion of the vertical drop portion 211 b is connected to the inlet 227 with an inclination angle equal to the inclination angle of the strip 223 of the screw conveyor 221.
With such a configuration, the sphere T falling from the inclined portion 211a of the sphere introduction path 211 to the vertical dropping portion 211b receives a larger pressure as the sphere on the tip side. Therefore, when the sphere at the tip comes into contact with the belt plate 223 of the screw conveyor 221 that rotates, the sphere T reaches the transport standby position WP without moving backward from the screw conveyor 221. Accordingly, the ball T is smoothly and reliably conveyed (lifted).

  Even if the vertical drop part 211b is not literally vertical, the vertical drop part 211b may be inclined so as to receive a pressure sufficient for the sphere to enter the space 224 of the screw conveyor 221 at the tip of the sphere introduced therein. Good.

  9 and 10 show an introduction part 210 ′ when introducing only one row of balls T into the screw conveyor 221. As shown in FIG. 10, two vertical rows of conveyance paths are provided in the conveyance guide 225 of the conveyance unit 220. In addition to providing 226, two inlets 227 may be provided, and the leading ends of the vertical dropping portions 211b of the introduction part 210 ′ may be coupled to the respective inlets 227 so that two rows of balls T are introduced. When such a ball polishing apparatus 200 having two introduction portions 210 ′ and two rows of transport paths 226 is used, the amount of balls supplied from the lower tank 100 to the upper tank 300 per unit time is one. Can be double that of the spherical polishing apparatus 200 having the introduction part 210 ′ and one row of the conveyance paths 226. The number of conveyance paths 226 and inlets 227 may be three or more.

<Transport section>
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the conveying unit 220 is a screw formed by spirally winding a strip 223 around the outer periphery of the central shaft 222 and joining the inner end of the strip 223 to the central shaft 222. A conveyor 221, a C-shaped conveyance guide 225 that surrounds the outside of the screw conveyor 221 over its entire length and forms a conveyance path 226 extending vertically with the screw conveyor 221, and the screw conveyor 221 A power source, preferably a stepping motor 228, and upper and lower bearings 229 and 2210 (see FIG. 3) for rotatably supporting the screw conveyor 221 in a vertical state.

  The inner diameter of the conveyance guide 225 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the screw conveyor 221, but in a part of the circumferential direction of the conveyance guide 225, the inner diameter is enlarged in a cross-sectional arc shape over the entire length of the conveyance guide 225, In addition, the shortest distance from the inner surface of the enlarged portion to the outer peripheral surface of the central axis 222 of the screw conveyor 221 is set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the sphere T, and the conveyance path 226 continuous in the longitudinal direction of the conveyance guide 225 is formed. Is formed. Therefore, when the screw conveyor 221 is rotated in a predetermined direction by the motor 228, the ball T that has entered the conveyance path 226 is fitted into the space 221c between the band plates 223 of the screw conveyor 221 and rotated. Is transported along the transport path 226. The motor 228 is a rotation driving unit of the conveyance unit 220, and it is preferable to use a stepping motor capable of changing the rotation speed. In FIG. 3, the motor 228 is provided on the upper side of the screw conveyor 221, but may be provided on the lower side of the screw conveyor 221.

<Polishing part>
FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the polishing unit 230 of the sphere polishing apparatus 200. The polishing unit 230 is a small motor serving as a power source for the polishing unit 230 in one of the mounting members 231 and 232 suspended from the left and right sides of the upper bearing 229, in the example of FIG. 233 is attached, and a gear (first gear) 234 that is rotated by the motor 233 is provided. Further, the polishing cassette 235 is detachably attached to the other of the attachment members 231 and 232, that is, the right attachment member 232 in the example of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the polishing cassette 235 has a cassette main body 236 formed in a sealed, substantially vertically long box shape, and has an endless belt-like shape in the abrasive material accommodation space 237 in the cassette main body 236. Abrasive material, for example, abrasive cloth 238, is packed in a serpentine shape and stored. The abrasive cloth 238 is suitable as an abrasive material because it can be repeatedly deformed from an accordion shape to a flat shape again through a planar shape.

  The polishing cloth 238 is drawn outward from the polishing cloth outlet 236b formed of a vertical slit formed at one end of the back wall 236a of the cassette body 236, and back along the outer surface of the back wall 236a of the cassette body 236. It extends so as to cover the back wall 236a to the other side end of the wall 236a, and is again drawn into the polishing cloth storage space 237 from the polishing cloth inlet 236c formed of a vertical slit formed in the other side end of the back wall 236a. It is. That is, the polishing cloth 238 is partially exposed in the longitudinal direction outside the back wall of the cassette body 236, and is maintained in a vertically tensioned state by the back wall 236a. A rectangular exposed portion 238a having a certain area exposed on the back side of the cassette body 236 of the polishing cloth 238 provides a spherical polishing region PF as will be described later.

  In the polishing cloth accommodation space 237, a polishing cloth feeding means 239 for feeding the polishing cloth 238 in a predetermined direction is provided inside the polishing cloth inlet 236c. The polishing cloth feed means 239 includes two gear rollers 2310 and 3211 having the same gear pitch and a vertical rotation axis inside the polishing cloth inlet 236c. One gear roller 2310 is a fixed position and the other gear roller 2311 is a leaf spring or the like. The spring member (not shown) is urged in a direction approaching one gear roller 2310 and is rotatably provided so that its teeth mesh with each other. The shaft 2312 of one gear roller 2310 is connected to the cassette body. A gear 2313 (second gear) for receiving a rotational force from the outside is fixed to the extended portion through the bottom wall of 236 and extending downward. The polishing cloth 238 is passed between the gear rollers 2310 and 2311, and is sandwiched between the gear rollers 2310 and 2311 by a force that does not cause permanent deformation of the polishing cloth 238 by the gear roller 2311.

  Therefore, when a rotational force is applied from the outside and the gear 2313 (second gear) is rotated in a predetermined direction, the polishing cloth 238 covering the outer side surface of the cassette body 236 (the back side surface of the paper surface in FIG. 9) becomes the cassette body. 236 is drawn in from the polishing cloth inlet 156 and is folded into a bellows shape. That is, the polishing pad 238 is moved in the direction opposite to the conveying direction of the sphere T of the conveying unit 220 in the polishing region PF.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the cassette body 236 is divided into left and right boxes 236a and 236b at substantially the middle position in the width direction. In addition, the division | segmentation structure of a box is not necessarily equal, and the form of a container and a lid may be sufficient. FIG. 12 is a view in which the left and right boxes 236a and 236b of FIG. 11 are separated at the boundary surface, and the polishing pad 238 and the gear rollers 2310 and 2311 are cut at the boundary surface. The left and right box bodies 236a and 236b are butted with the peripheral edges of the opening surfaces, and are joined by screws or the like at the tongues formed at the four corners of the peripheral edges of the two box bodies 236a and 236b (2315 in FIG. Thus, a single body as shown in FIG. 11 is formed. Since normal work can be replaced as a single body, maintenance is easy. And in the state divided | segmented into two, exchange of the polishing cloth 238 of the polishing cloth accommodation space 237 is attained. Therefore, the endless belt-like polishing cloth 238 and the polishing cassette 235 are excellent in recyclability.

  When the polishing cassette 235 is attached to the attachment member 232 so that the polishing cloth 238 faces the spherical meandering region 2314 provided in the vicinity of the upper end portion of the transport unit 220, the second gear 2313 meshes with the first gear 234. When the motor 233 is rotated, the polishing cloth 238 of the polishing cassette 235 moves downward along the surface of the spherical meandering region 2314.

  In a preferred embodiment, the polishing cloth 238 is fed by the motor 233 intermittently between feeding and pausing to prevent slackening of the polishing cloth 238 and extend the life of the motor 233.

  As shown in FIG. 13, grooves 226 a that open in the front direction of the game island A in the ball meandering region 2314 and meander at a constant pitch are formed in the conveyance path 226 of the conveyance unit 220. The opening width of the groove 226a is set to a width that allows a part of the spherical surface of the sphere T conveyed through the conveyance path 226 to protrude outward from the groove 226a. Therefore, when the screw conveyor 221 is driven with the polishing cassette 235 attached to the attachment member 232b and the sphere T is conveyed through the conveyance path 226, the sphere T is meandered in the sphere meandering region 2314. By this meandering, as shown in the enlarged view on the right side of FIG. 13, the conveyed sphere T rotates irregularly. Therefore, since the entire spherical surface of the sphere T is in contact with the polishing pad 238, the polishing efficiency is improved.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, the polishing cassette 235 may be attached in a state in which the longitudinal direction of the cassette body 236 is parallel to the central axis 222 of the screw conveyor 221 of the transport unit 220. The effective polishing area (b) is limited to a long and narrow area (shaded area) parallel to the longitudinal direction of the polishing cloth, and the other area (white area) (b) is not used. .

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14B, the polishing cassette 235 is attached with the longitudinal direction of the cassette body 236 inclined with respect to the central axis 222 (conveying direction) of the screw conveyor 221 of the conveying unit 220. Since the effective polishing range (b) of the polishing cloth (not shown in FIG. 123) is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the polishing cloth, the entire surface of the polishing cloth rotated by the polishing cloth feeding means 157 is used for ball polishing. As a result, the use efficiency of the polishing cloth is improved. The effective polishing area in the case of oblique feeding in FIG. 14B is about 2.3 times that in the case of parallel feeding in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the consumables cost of the ball polishing apparatus 200. Further, since the area of the polishing pad is used effectively, the frequency of feeding the polishing pad, that is, the driving frequency of the motor 327 can be reduced, and the replacement frequency of the polishing pad can be reduced. Therefore, the operation cost and maintenance cost of the ball polishing apparatus can be reduced. In FIG. 14, (C) shows a sphere conveyance route guided by a meandering groove 226a.

  11, 13, and 14 illustrate an example in which the conveyance unit 220 and the polishing unit 230 of the ball polishing apparatus 200 polish the sphere T in two rows. A structure to be polished may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the transport path 226 has an outlet 2315 that is opened in the lateral direction at the upper end of the transport unit 220. When the balls T are polished in two rows, two outlets 2315 that open in substantially the same direction are provided. When the balls are ground in one row, one outlet 2315 is provided.

  In the example of FIG. 13, a stepping motor 228 that is a power source of the screw conveyor 221 is attached to the upper bearing 229. A gear (not shown) is fixed to the central axis of the screw conveyor 221, and the gear is engaged with a gear (not shown) fixed to the rotation shaft of the stepping motor 228. Accordingly, when the stepping motor 228 is rotated in a predetermined direction, the screw conveyor 221 is rotated, so that the ball T that has entered the space 324 between the strips 223 of the screw conveyor 221 from the introduction unit 210 is rotating. Thus, the conveying path 226 is conveyed (lifted). Then, the conveyed sphere is polished by being in contact with a polishing cloth 238 (not shown in FIG. 13) of the polishing cassette 235 while being meandered by the groove 226a in the spherical meandering region 2314 which is the upper end portion of the conveying path 226. FIG. 16 shows the movement of the ball T being conveyed relative to the polishing cloth (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 17, a concave surface 2316 having a special shape is formed on the polishing material side bottom surface of the polishing cassette 235, that is, on the surface on the sphere meandering region 2314 side, in order to efficiently polish the sphere T meandering in two rows. Has been. A polishing cloth 238 is stretched so as to cover the entire width of the back surface of the polishing cassette 235. Therefore, the contact area of the conveyed ball T with respect to the polishing pad 238 is increased, and a high polishing ability is obtained. A double arrow AL in FIG. 17 indicates the movement of the sphere T during conveyance.

[Upper tank]
As shown in FIG. 18, the upper tank 300 includes a tank body 310 and an inclined plate 320 and has a multi-stage structure. The upper tank 300 has a ball receiving portion 330 on one end side.

  The inclined plate 320 is formed in a shape and size that can be fixed without using a fixing tool such as a screw by tightly fitting into the tank body 310. Therefore, the upper tank 300 can be assembled and disassembled without tools.

  The tank body 310 is composed of a bottom wall 311 inclined downward to the opposite side of the receiving portion 330 and one end in the width direction, and a peripheral wall 312 including peripheral wall portions 312a, 312b, 312c, and 312d rising from the periphery of the bottom wall 311 And is formed in a box shape having a space 312e opened upward. The peripheral wall portion 312d on the receiving portion 330 side of the bottom wall 311 is formed to be approximately half the length of the side on the same side of the bottom wall 311 and one end thereof is connected to or close to the peripheral wall portion 312a. And between the other end of the surrounding wall part 312d and the front-end | tip of the surrounding wall part 312c is opened. Two outlets 313 and 314 for discharging the sphere T that rolls on the upper surface of the bottom wall 311 to the outside are provided at a position where the lower end portion in the width direction of the bottom wall 311 is connected to the peripheral wall portion 312c. .

  The inclined plate 320 is inclined in parallel with the bottom wall 311 from one end side to the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the tank main body 310 to form the first spherical passage P5 on the upper surface of the inclined plate 320, and the inclined plate 320 and the bottom. A second spherical passage P <b> 6 is formed between the wall 311. The first spherical passage P5 and the second spherical passage P6 are formed between the tip of the inclined plate 320 and the circumferential wall portion 312a in the width direction of the tank body 310 on the upper side in the width direction of the bottom wall 311. The communication part 321 communicates with each other and continues in a rollover V shape.

  Therefore, the sphere T placed in the upper end of the first spherical passage P5 rolls on the upper surface of the first spherical passage P5 in the longitudinally inclined lower side direction and the widthwise inclined lower side direction, It falls from the communication part 321 to the upper surface of the upper end part in the width direction of the lower second ball passage P6. The sphere T that has fallen from the communicating portion 321 to the upper side in the longitudinal direction of the second spherical path P6 rolls to the lower side in the longitudinal direction and the lower side in the width direction of the second spherical path P6.

  The outlet 313 for discharging the sphere T accumulated in the second sphere passage P6 to the first supply pipe 2 and the second supply pipe 14 in the peripheral wall portion 312c facing the second sphere passage P6 of the tank body 310. 314 is provided. The outlets 313 and 314 are provided with counters 315 and 316 for counting the spheres supplied from the tank body 310 to the first supply pipe 2 and the second supply pipe 14, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the ball receiving portion 330 is connected to the outside of the upper end of the inclined upper side of the inclined plate 320 of the tank body 310. The opening 312d communicates with the space 312e. The ball receiving portion 330 is formed in a box shape having an upper surface and one side surface opened, and includes a bottom wall 331 and a peripheral wall 332 composed of peripheral wall portions 332a, 332b, and 332c that continuously rise on three sides of the bottom wall. Have. The tank main body 310 and the ball receiving portion 330 are connected in a state where the opening on one side of the ball receiving portion 330 and the opening of the peripheral wall portion 312d of the tank main body 310 are abutted, and the upper surface of the bottom wall 331 is the tank main body 310. The inclined plate 320 is continued to the upper end of the inclined upper side.

  An L-shaped recess 333 is formed by the peripheral wall 312 of the tank body 310 and the peripheral wall 332 of the ball receiving portion 330, and the upper end of the sphere polishing apparatus is accommodated in the recess 333. The corner portion on the concave portion 333 side of the peripheral wall 332 of the ball receiving portion 330 is notched (see FIGS. 20 and 24), and two outlets 2315 of the ball polishing apparatus 200 are opened from the notched portion 334 into the ball receiving portion 330. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 21, a guide member, for example, a guide plate 335 formed of a thin plate is fixed to the upper surface of the outlet 2315 at one end thereof. The guide plate 135 is for defining the traveling direction of the sphere T that is discharged from the outlet 2315 and rolls on the upper surface of the bottom wall 331 so that the traveling direction of the sphere T obliquely collides with the peripheral wall 332a opposite to the outlet 2315 of the sphere receiving portion 330. Is.

  As shown in FIG. 22, when the guide plate 335 is not provided, the sphere T polished by the sphere polishing apparatus 200 and discharged from the outlet 2315 into the sphere receiving unit 330 is almost full in the upper tank 300. When the ball is collected up to the state and stored in the ball receiving unit 330, there is a tendency that a dead space DS in which the ball does not collect is generated in the corner portion on the opposite side of the outlet 2315 of the ball receiving unit 330. This means that the number of balls that can be stored in the upper tank 300 is suppressed.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 23, when the guide plate 335 is provided, the ball T discharged vigorously from the outlet 2315 is guided by the guide plate 335 and is inclined to the peripheral wall 332 a opposite to the outlet 2315. Since the ball discharged from the outlet 2315 after accumulating in the upper tank 300 occupies a half of the sphere receiving portion 330 on the side of the upper tank 300 and then occupies a corner portion on the opposite side to the outlet 2315. No dead space occurs. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the suppression of the number of balls that can be stored in the upper tank 300.

  In a preferred embodiment, the guide plate 335 is formed of a conductive material such as aluminum or a copper thin plate. As a result, the guide plate 335 can eliminate static electricity generated when the sphere to be conveyed passes through the conveyance unit 220 and the polishing unit 230. Therefore, the adhesion of the sphere T to dirt can be prevented and the gloss of the sphere T can be maintained.

  Even if the upper surface of the bottom wall 331 of the ball receiving portion 330 is horizontal, the balls previously accommodated in the ball receiving portion 330 are smoothly pushed toward the tank body 310 by the rolling force of the balls discharged from the outlet 2315 one after another. However, it is preferably inclined slightly downward toward the tank body.

[Control device]
The single island A according to the present invention has a control device 400 as shown in FIG. 25 in order to control the driving of the ball polishing device 200. The control device 400 is composed of an electronic circuit or a CPU. In the control device 400, the ball sensor S1 provided in the introduction unit 210, the full sensor S2 and the empty sensor S3 provided in the upper tank 300, and the screw conveyor 221 of the transfer unit 220 of the ball polishing device 200 are rotated. The motor 228 and the polishing cloth feeding motor 233 of the polishing unit 230 are connected to each other.

  The sphere sensor S1 is a sensor for detecting the presence of a certain number of spheres T in the sphere introduction path 211 or the vertical drop part 211b. When there is no fixed number of spheres T in the sphere introduction path 211 or the vertical drop part 211b, the pressure applied to the sphere T existing at the tip of the introduction part 210 is small, so that the sphere T is placed at the transport standby position WP of the screw conveyor 221. You may not be able to enter. If the screw conveyor 221 of the transport unit 220 is rotated in this state, the ball T at the front end may be caught between the band plate 223 and the periphery of the inlet 225a of the transport guide 225 and locked. However, when a certain number of spheres T are present in the introduction part 210, sufficient pressure is applied to the sphere T present at the tip of the introduction part 210, so that the sphere at the tip enters the transport standby position WP. The lock does not occur.

  Therefore, the control device 400 performs control so that the motor 228 that drives the screw conveyor 221 is not started when the detection signal of the ball sensor S1 of the introduction unit 210 is OFF. In this way, the control device 400 prevents the ball T from being locked to the introduction unit 210.

  In a preferred embodiment, a lock sensor (not shown) for outputting a ball lock detection signal is provided when the conveyance of the sphere is not detected within a predetermined time after the rotation of the motor 228 is started in the middle of the conveyance path 226, When the lock sensor outputs a ball lock detection signal, the lock of the ball T can be released by performing the retry operation by performing the reverse rotation and the normal rotation of the motor 228 at least once.

  The full sensor S2 is attached to the peripheral wall 332a opposite to the outlet 2315 of the ball receiving portion 330 of the upper tank 300, and the empty sensor S3 is connected to the peripheral wall 312c on the same side as the full sensor S2 of the tank body 310 of the upper tank 300. It is attached.

  FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing a part of the operation flow when the control device 400 controls the motor 228 of the ball polishing apparatus 200 based on the detection signal from the full sensor S2 and the detection signal from the empty sensor S3. FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing the remaining part of the flow of the operation. When the detection signal of the full sensor S2 is turned off, that is, the control device 400 is not full (when Y in step 11 in FIG. 27, the step is represented by S hereinafter). Is started at a low speed (S12). In addition, the control device 400 rotates the motor 228 for a predetermined time every elapse of a fixed rotation time of the motor 228 by a control flow not shown in FIG. Thereby, the conveyance unit 220 of the ball polishing apparatus 200 conveys the sphere T from the lower tank 100 with low noise and low power consumption, and the conveyed sphere is polished in the polishing unit 230.

  When the detection signal of the full sensor S2 is turned ON by conveyance to the upper tank 300, that is, when the full signal is reached (Y in S13), the control device 400 stops the low speed rotation of the motor 228. (S300). After stopping the low speed rotation, the process returns to S11. This is a control pattern in a normal game where a big hit is not made.

  On the other hand, the control device 400 starts the low-speed rotation of the motor 228 based on the detection signal of the full sensor S2 being turned OFF (Y in S11) (S12), and is full even if a certain time has elapsed. When the detection signal of the sensor S2 is not turned ON (N in S13, N in S16, and Y in S17), the rotation speed of the motor 228 is switched from the low speed rotation to the medium speed rotation (S18). In other words, in this case, control that increases the ball conveyance speed from the lower tank 10 to the upper tank 300 is performed, which means that the replenishment amount of the balls from the upper tank 300 is large. When the detection signal of the full sensor S2 is turned ON by the conveyance to the upper tank 300, that is, when the full signal is reached (Y in S19), the control device 400 performs the medium speed rotation of the motor 228. Stop (S20). After stopping the medium speed rotation, the process returns to S11. This is, for example, a control pattern when a single hit is made.

  Further, the control device 400 does not turn on the detection signal of the full sensor S2 even after a certain time has elapsed after the motor 228 starts low speed rotation (S12) (N in S13, N in S16, Y in S17). ), After the rotation speed of the motor 228 is switched from the low speed rotation to the medium speed rotation (S18), the detection signal of the full sensor S2 is not turned ON as usual (when N in S19), the detection of the empty sensor S3. When the signal is turned off, that is, when the number of balls in the upper tank 300 becomes less than a certain amount (Y in S21), the rotational speed of the motor 228 is switched from the medium speed to the high speed (S22). ). Thereby, the conveyance speed by the ball polishing apparatus 200 is increased, and the number of balls in the upper tank 300 is controlled to be increased quickly. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation where supply from the upper tank 300 is insufficient. Such control is, for example, a control pattern that is performed in the case of big hits of consecutive fires.

  After switching to high speed rotation, the control device 400 starts the timer again (S23) and checks whether the detection signal of the full sensor S2 is turned on (S24), and the detection signal of the full sensor S2 is turned on. When this happens, the high-speed rotation of the motor 228 is stopped (S25). After stopping the high speed rotation, the process returns to S11.

  However, after switching to high speed rotation, when the detection signal of the full sensor S2 does not turn on even after a certain period of time (N in S24, Y in S26), for example, clogging in the introduction unit 210, Alternatively, since it is considered that other abnormality has occurred, the high-speed rotation is stopped (S27), and the control of the ball polishing apparatus 200 is stopped.

  When the high-speed rotation of the motor 228 is stopped in S27, it is preferable to reversely rotate the motor 228 for a short time, for example, for a few seconds, and to rotate it forward again. When the sphere T is bitten at the boundary between the introduction unit 210 and the conveyance unit 220 due to this reverse rotation, the sphere T is retracted to the sphere introduction path 211 side. Smoothly reaches the transport standby position WP and is transported along the transport path. Therefore, the ball clogging is eliminated.

  With the above control, power consumption is usually reduced by low-speed operation, noise generation is suppressed, and medium-speed operation or high-speed operation is performed as necessary to respond reasonably to the demand for ball supply. be able to.

  The full sensor S2 and the empty sensor S3 are attached so that their attachment positions can be adjusted by moving in the longitudinal direction of the tank body 310 or the longitudinal direction of the ball receiving portion 330. By making the mounting position changeable, the rotation start, rotation speed switching, or rotation stop timing setting of the motor 228 of the ball polishing apparatus 200 can be set to the ball storage capacity of the upper tank 300 and the supply amount required for the upper tank. Accordingly, it is possible to perform flexibly, and it is thereby possible to more reliably avoid the occurrence of a situation where the upper tank 300 has insufficient balls during the game.

The polishing cloth 328 is generally knitted or woven with diagonal threads in two directions of 45 degrees and 135 degrees (reverse 45) with respect to the longitudinal direction of the polishing cloth as shown in FIG. 328X), or one knitted or woven (328Y) with warps and wefts of 0 degrees and 90 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction of the polishing cloth as shown in FIG. 28 (b). As described above, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 28, the polishing cloth 238 is moved downward from the top, and the balls are conveyed obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the polishing cloth. The Therefore, since the sphere is always conveyed while being caught at any position, high polishing efficiency can be obtained. Therefore, even if the length of the polishing cloth in the polishing region is made shorter than before, a desired polishing effect (stain removal and glossing effect) can be obtained.
The angle of inclination of the polishing cloth with respect to the direction of extension of the conveyance path can be set between 1 to 44 degrees or 91 to 134 degrees depending on the length (exposed length) of the polishing cloth in the polishing region. The optimal range is near their center.

A Game Island B Game Machine C Game Equipment T Game Ball (Ball)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Lower tank 121 Tank main body 121a Bottom wall 121b Peripheral wall 101c Outlet 122 Horizontal guide plate 122a Notch or hole 123 1st inclination board 124 2nd inclination board 200 Sphere grinding | polishing apparatus 210 Introduction part 211 Sphere introduction port 211a Inclination part 211b Vertical fall part 220 Conveying part 221 Screw conveyor 222 Central axis
223 Band plate 224 Space 225 Transport guide 226 Transport path 227 Transport path entrance 228 Polishing section motor 228a First gear 229 Bearing 230 Polishing section 235 Polishing cassette 236 Cassette body 236a Polishing cloth outlet 238b Polishing cloth outlet 238 Polishing cloth 239 Polishing Cloth feed means 2313 Second gear (cassette body gear)
2314 Sphere meandering area 2315 Exit at upper end of conveyance path 300 Upper tank
310 Tank body 315, 316 Counter 320 Tilting plate 330 Ball receiving unit 400 Controller S1 Ball sensor of introduction unit S2 Full sensor S3 Empty sensor

Claims (7)

A gaming device provided on a single island,
Built in a lower tank, an upper tank, a lifting part provided between the lower tank and the upper tank, and a polishing part provided in the middle of the lifting part,
The lower tank has a multistage structure having a horizontal guide plate, a first inclined plate, and a second inclined plate in the tank body,
The tank body has a bottom wall that forms a fourth ball rolling surface that is inclined toward one end side and a peripheral wall that rises from the periphery of the bottom wall, and is formed in a box shape that opens upward. A discharge port for discharging the game ball in the direction of the lifting portion is formed on the peripheral wall to which the inclined lower side end portion of the bottom wall is connected,
The horizontal guide plate is provided in the tank body, and forms a first ball rolling surface on an upper surface of the horizontal guide plate, and the first ball rolling surface on both sides in the width direction of the horizontal guide plate. A hole (or a notch; the same applies hereinafter) for dropping a game ball that rolls, and provided on the upper side of the lower tank, a game ball that is dropped as a missed ball, winning ball, or winning ball It accepts the ball that flows out from the saucer
The first inclined plate is fixed to the lower side of the horizontal guide plate in a state of being inclined such that one end side in the longitudinal direction is lower than the other end side with a gap larger than the diameter of the game ball from the horizontal guide plate. A second ball rolling surface is formed between the horizontal guide plate and the first inclined plate, and has holes for dropping the game balls on the upper and lower inclined sides,
The second inclined plate is provided below the first inclined plate in parallel with the first inclined plate with a space slightly larger than the diameter of the game ball, and a third ball rolling surface between the two inclined plates. That form
The game ball rolling on the first ball rolling surface falls to the second ball rolling surface from the holes on both sides in the width direction of the horizontal guide plate, and the ball rolling on the second ball rolling surface is The third sphere falls from the hole on the upper inclined side of the first inclined plate to the third ball rolling surface, or falls from the hole on the lower inclined side of the first inclined plate to the fourth ball rolling surface. The game ball rolling on the rolling surface is configured to fall from the inclined lower side end of the second inclined plate to the fourth ball rolling surface.
A gaming device characterized by that.   2. The gaming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower tank is fixed by fitting the second inclined plate, the first inclined plate, and the horizontal guide plate in this order in the tank body. A gaming device characterized in that no tools are required for assembly and disassembly. 3. The gaming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the upper tank has a multistage structure including a tank body and an inclined plate, and has a ball receiving portion that receives a ball lifted by the lifting portion on one end side. Is,
The tank body has a bottom wall that slopes down to the side opposite to the ball receiving portion and one end in the width direction, and a peripheral wall that rises from the periphery excluding one side of the bottom wall, and is formed in a box shape that opens upward And having a discharge port for discharging a ball that rolls on the upper surface of the bottom wall to the peripheral wall to which the width direction inclined lower side end portion of the bottom wall is connected,
The inclined plate is inclined downward from one end side in the longitudinal direction of the tank body to the other end side, and is inclined downward from the peripheral wall on one end side in the width direction to the vicinity of the peripheral wall on the other end side in the width direction. A spherical passage continuously forming a rollover V-shape is formed between the upper surface and the bottom wall of the tank body;
The ball receiving portion is provided at a longitudinally inclined upper side end portion of the inclined plate of the tank body, and has a peripheral wall that is open so as to communicate with an open portion of the peripheral wall of the tank body, and is inclined downward toward the tank body side And the upper surface has a bottom wall continuous with the upper side end of the inclined plate of the tank body, and receives a game ball discharged from the upper end of the lift polishing apparatus.
A gaming device characterized by that.   4. The gaming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the ball receiving portion of the upper tank is a longitudinally inclined upper end portion of the inclined plate of the tank body of the upper tank, and the inclined upper portion of the inclined plate in the width direction. The game ball that is coupled to the tank body at a position close to the tank and is discharged from the upper end of the lifting unit is continuously connected to the peripheral wall on the upper side in the width direction of the inclined plate of the tank body in the peripheral wall of the ball receiving unit. A game apparatus, characterized in that a guide member is provided to be moved obliquely toward the wall.   5. The gaming device according to claim 4, wherein the guide member is electrically conductive for discharging a game ball discharged from an upper end of the lifting portion after being lifted by the lifting portion and polished by the polishing portion. A gaming device characterized by being made of a material.   6. The gaming apparatus according to claim 3, 4 or 5, wherein the upper tank has a tilting plate closely fitted and fixed in a tank body of the upper tank so that no tools are required for assembly and disassembly. A gaming device characterized by that. A gaming device provided on a single island,
Built in a lower tank, an upper tank, a lifting part provided between the lower tank and the upper tank, and a polishing part provided in the middle of the lifting part,
The lower tank has a multistage structure having a horizontal guide plate, a first inclined plate, and a second inclined plate in the tank body,
The tank body has a bottom wall that forms a fourth ball rolling surface that is inclined toward one end side and a peripheral wall that rises from the periphery of the bottom wall, and is formed in a box shape that opens upward. A discharge port for discharging the game ball in the direction of the lifting portion is formed in the peripheral wall to which the lower side end portion of the bottom wall is connected,
The horizontal guide plate is provided in the tank body, forms a first ball rolling surface on an upper surface of the horizontal guide plate, and rolls the first ball rolling surface on both sides in the width direction of the horizontal guide plate. A hole for dropping a game ball to be received, which is provided on the upper side of the lower tank and accepts a game ball flowing out from a receiving tray for receiving a fallen ball, a winning ball, or a gaming ball dropped as a winning ball Yes,
The first inclined plate is fixed to the lower side of the horizontal guide plate in a state of being inclined such that one end side in the longitudinal direction is lower than the other end side with a gap larger than the diameter of the game ball from the horizontal guide plate. A second ball rolling surface is formed between the horizontal guide plate and the first inclined plate, and has holes for dropping the game balls on the upper and lower inclined sides,
The second inclined plate is provided below the first inclined plate in parallel with the first inclined plate with a space slightly larger than the diameter of the game ball, and a third ball rolling surface between the two inclined plates. That form
The game ball rolling on the first ball rolling surface falls to the second ball rolling surface from the holes on both sides in the width direction of the horizontal guide plate, and the game ball rolling on the second ball rolling surface is From the hole on the upper side of the first inclined plate to the third ball rolling surface, or from the hole on the lower side of the first inclined plate to the fourth ball rolling surface, The rolling game ball is configured to drop from the lower side end of the second inclined plate to the fourth ball rolling surface,
The upper tank is a multi-stage structure having a tank body and an inclined plate, and has a ball receiving portion for receiving a ball lifted by the lifting portion on one end side,
The tank body of the upper tank has a bottom wall inclined downward to the opposite side of the ball receiving portion and one end in the width direction, and a peripheral wall standing up from the periphery excluding one side of the bottom wall, and is a box that opens upward A discharge port for discharging a game ball that rolls on the upper surface of the bottom wall to a peripheral wall that is formed in a shape and connected to a lower-side end portion in the width direction of the bottom wall;
The inclined plate is inclined downward from one end side in the longitudinal direction of the tank body of the upper tank to the other end side, and is inclined downward from the peripheral wall on the one end side in the width direction to the vicinity of the peripheral wall on the other end side in the width direction, A game ball passage that continues in a roll V shape is formed between the upper surface of the inclined plate and the bottom wall of the tank body,
The ball receiving portion is provided at a longitudinally inclined upper side end portion of the inclined plate of the tank body, and has a peripheral wall that is open so as to communicate with an open portion of the peripheral wall of the tank body, and is inclined downward toward the tank body side The upper surface has a bottom wall continuous with the upper side end of the inclined plate of the tank main body, and receives a game ball discharged from the upper end of the lifting unit.
A gaming device characterized by that.

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