JP2019136476A - Ball put-out device and game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a ball put-out device which is more compact size, improved in space saving and excellent in durability and a game machine mounted with the same.SOLUTION: A ball put-out device includes: a screw (10) which is arranged approximately horizontally and sends game balls to a ball put-out port (5); a ball extraction member (12) with which an outer peripheral wall surface (12a) guides the game balls to a ball put-out port (5) in a ball put-out state and opens a ball discharging passage (8) in a ball extraction state; and a control part controlling the driving of the screw (10). The screw (10) blocks a lower ball passage (32) with a spiral shape projection (22) in a state stopping at a home position, and a ball extraction member (12) and a ball supply passage (3) are formed ao that the game balls touching the part blocking the lower ball passage (32) of the spiral shape projection (22) can enter a ball discharging passage (8) in a case the screw (10) is stopping at the home position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball payout device and a game machine for paying out game balls to a ball tray in a game machine.

  In general, in gaming machines such as pachinko machines, game balls are supplied from the back side of the gaming machine to the front side of the gaming machine. A storage tank for storing a large number of game balls is installed at the upper back of the gaming machine, and the game balls are guided from the storage tank to the lower ball dispensing device via the ball alignment passage and the ball passage.

  The ball payout device pays out the number of game balls for which payout has been instructed to an upper ball tray or a lower ball tray located at the lower front of the gaming machine. The ball payout device sends out game balls using a screw or a slotket, and counts the sent out game balls with a downstream counting sensor to manage the number of payouts. Such a ball payout device is provided with a ball pulling structure for pulling out a game ball left in the ball supply passage.

  For example, Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which a side of a ball payout device is used as a ball discharge passage in a ball payout device of a type that sends out a game ball by rotating a horizontal screw. According to this, on the side of the ball dispensing device, an openable ball removing member (ball removing valve) forming a part of the passage wall of the ball supply passage is provided, and the shape of the passage upstream of the ball supply passage is a game. It is formed in a shape for guiding the sphere to the sphere discharge passage. By opening the ball removal member and opening the ball discharge passage, the game balls flowing down the ball supply passage can be guided and extracted to the ball discharge passage.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, in a ball dispensing device of a type that sends out a game ball by rotating a vertical screw, a ball dispensing outlet and a ball outlet are provided side by side, and a rotary ball removing member (ball removing valve) is provided. In the normal state, a configuration is described in which the ball outlet is closed, and in the ball outlet state, the ball outlet is opened to close the ball outlet. The ball removal member has a ball removal guide that closes the ball discharge outlet, and guides the game ball that has flowed down the ball supply passage to the ball removal opening.

JP 2011-206329 A JP 2014-136079 A

  The back side of the gaming machine in which the ball payout device is arranged is a space for installing a game board including a large display device and an accessory device arranged in the gaming area of the gaming machine. Therefore, the ball payout device is always required to be downsized and space-saving so that the game board can be further increased in size.

  In the configuration of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to secure a space for providing a ball discharge passage on the side of the ball dispensing device, which causes a problem in space saving. Further, since the configuration is such that the game ball is guided to the ball discharge passage in the shape of the ball supply passage, the degree of freedom in the passage configuration is low, the outer dimensions of the ball dispensing device are increased, and space saving cannot be achieved.

  On the other hand, in the configuration of Patent Document 2, it is not necessary to secure a space for providing a ball discharge passage on the side of the ball dispensing device. However, the ball removal guide that guides the game ball to the ball discharge port is a tongue-like member protruding so as to close the ball discharge outlet, and is configured to receive the game ball flowing down on the upper surface of the tongue-like member. Therefore, when used for a long time, the ball guide may be damaged, and it cannot be denied that there is a problem in durability.

  Furthermore, in any of the configurations of Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is possible to extract a game ball by moving the ball discharge member that blocks the ball discharge passage or the ball discharge port regardless of the rotational position of the screw. ing. This means that there is room in the passage structure, and the outer dimensions of the ball dispensing device are increased accordingly.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a ball dispenser that is smaller in size, saves more space, and has excellent durability, and a gaming machine equipped with the ball dispenser.

  The present invention adopts the following configuration in order to solve the above problems.

  That is, the ball payout device according to one aspect of the present invention is provided with a screw provided in a substantially horizontal direction in which a spiral protrusion is provided on the outer periphery of the shaft portion, and the game ball in the ball passage is sent to the ball payout outlet. In the payout state, the outer peripheral wall surface forms a part of the passage wall of the ball passage to guide the game balls in the ball passage to the ball payout outlet, and in the ball removal state, the outer peripheral wall surface is the passage wall of the ball passage. A ball removing member that opens a ball discharge passage that guides the game ball in the ball passage to the ball outlet, and a control unit that controls driving of the screw, In the state where the screw is stopped at the rotational position, the spiral protrusion closes the ball discharge passage communicating with the ball discharge outlet in the ball passage, and the ball removal member and the ball passage have the screw at a predetermined rotational position. When stopped at the spiral projection Game ball in contact with the portion of blocking the dispensing passage is formed so as to enter the ball discharge passage, and the control unit, the time of stopping the screw, stopping the screw at the predetermined rotational position.

  According to the above configuration, when the screw is stopped, the ball payout passage is closed by the spiral protrusion, and the game ball flowing through the ball passage comes into contact with the spiral protrusion and stops flowing down. Here, the screw is controlled to stop at a predetermined rotational position under the control of the control unit.

  The ball removal member and the ball passage are formed such that when the screw is stopped at a predetermined rotational position, the game ball that comes into contact with the portion of the spiral projection that blocks the ball discharge passage enters the ball discharge passage. Has been.

  As a result, when the screw is stopped at the predetermined rotational position, the ball discharging member is opened and the ball discharge passage is opened to guide the portion of the spiral protrusion that blocks the ball discharge passage. By functioning as a member, it is possible to guide the game ball that has stopped flowing down to the ball discharge passage.

  In this way, with the above-described configuration, it is not necessary to provide the ball passage with a shape for guiding the ball discharge passage, and freedom in the passage configuration can be increased. Further, since the spiral protrusion has a sufficient strength compared to the tongue-shaped ball extraction guide member described above, there is a problem in durability even if it is used as a member for guiding the game ball to the ball discharge passage. Absent. Further, with the above configuration, the ball discharge passage can be provided side by side with the ball discharge passage, so that it is not necessary to secure a space for providing the ball discharge passage on the side of the ball discharge device.

  Furthermore, according to the said structure, when the screw has stopped in the predetermined | prescribed rotation position, it is necessary to make a game ball enter the ball | bowl discharge | emission path | route in the ball removal state. However, this is not limited to the case where the screw is stopped at a position other than the predetermined rotational position, and it may include a passage configuration in which the ball cannot be removed even if the ball discharge passage is opened.

  In other words, in the above configuration, the ball can be removed regardless of the rotational position of the screw at the time of stoppage by taking a path structure with no allowance in which the game ball in the ball path cannot be extracted even in the ball-exited state. Compared to the above, it is possible to reduce the outer dimension of the ball dispensing device. Even if it is adopted that the configuration has very little margin, the control unit reliably stops the screw at a predetermined rotational position, so that the game ball can be extracted without any problem.

  In the ball dispensing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the ball removal member receives a load of a game ball stopped in contact with the closed portion at the outer peripheral wall surface, and at the outer peripheral wall surface. The end in the direction in which the screw sends out the game ball may be positioned in the delivery direction with respect to the center of gravity of the stopped game ball.

  According to the above configuration, by setting the ball removal state, the ball removal member that can allow the game ball to enter the ball discharge passage with the portion that blocks the ball discharge passage of the spiral protrusion as a guide member can be easily provided. Can be realized.

  In the ball dispensing device according to one aspect of the present invention, further, the position closer to the ball dispensing outlet than the screw is blocked by the spiral protrusion in conjunction with the ball removal member being in a ball removal state. The ball payout passage may be closed and a ball holding portion for holding a game ball may be provided.

  According to the above configuration, even if the leading game ball is stopped at a position where the center of gravity is located on the ball payout passage side and does not fall into the ball discharge passage even if the ball removal member is pulled out, By pulling out the member, the leading game ball can be held by the ball holding portion that prevents the ball payout passage in conjunction with this. The position where the ball carrying part closes the ball payout passage is closer to the ball payout exit than the screw is plugged by the spiral protrusion, so a clearance for the second and subsequent game balls to escape to the ball discharge passage is secured. Then, the second and subsequent game balls pass through the ball discharge passage.

  Thereby, regardless of the stop position of the screw, the ball can be reliably extracted by setting the ball removal member to the ball removal state.

  In the ball dispensing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the ball holding portion may be provided integrally with the ball removal member.

  According to the above configuration, since the ball holding portion is provided integrally with the ball removing member, it is possible to easily realize the interlocking with the movement of the ball removing member.

  In the ball dispensing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the ball carrying portion may be configured such that the surface carrying the game ball has a slope that decreases toward the ball discharge passage. .

  According to the above configuration, the first game ball carried on the ball carrying unit rolls according to the inclination of the surface carrying the game ball in the ball carrying unit after all the game balls have passed through the ball discharge passage. Then it falls into the ball discharge passage. This eliminates the need to drop the leading game ball carried on the ball carrying portion into the ball discharge passage by hooking a finger or the like, thereby improving workability.

  In the ball payout device according to one aspect of the present invention, the predetermined rotation position may be a home position for waiting for a game ball sent out by the screw to the ball payout outlet.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a ball payout device, after performing a ball payout operation, the screw is stopped at a home position in which a game ball to be sent out is kept waiting in preparation for the next ball payout operation. . Therefore, the predetermined rotational position can be set as such a home position. Thereby, the control of the existing screw of the ball dispensing device can be used as it is.

  In the ball payout device according to one aspect of the present invention, the ball payout device further includes a measurement sensor that measures a game ball at the ball payout outlet, and the control unit sequentially rotates the screw at a predetermined angle, The home position may be determined using the detection result of the measurement sensor.

  According to the above configuration, the home position can be determined using the detection result of the measurement sensor, which is an essential configuration in the ball dispensing device, without using a sensor for detecting the rotational position of the screw. The external dimensions can be made smaller by reducing the number of points.

  In the ball dispensing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the ball passage further includes an upper ball passage that allows a flowing game ball to flow from a substantially vertical direction to a side along the axial direction of the screw in a plan view. And the screw stops the flow down and makes it stand by abutting the spiral projection from the side along the axial direction in a plan view with respect to the game ball flowing in from the upper ball passage, The game ball that has been waiting with the rotation can be moved along the axial direction and sent out to the ball payout passage.

  According to the above configuration, with respect to the screw arranged in the substantially horizontal direction, the game ball flowing down is caused to flow from the substantially vertical direction to the side along the axial direction of the screw in a plan view, to the side of the game ball. A spiral projection is brought into contact.

  In such a configuration, the upper sphere passage in the substantially vertical direction is arranged so as to be in the positional relationship of the torsion shaft to the side of the shaft of the screw arranged in the substantially horizontal direction, and thus is affected by the screw shaft length. Without this, it is possible to arrange the upper ball passage at an arbitrary horizontal position. Similarly, the lower sphere passage can be arranged at an arbitrary horizontal position.

  As a result, the horizontal movement distance from the ball standby position where the game ball flowing down by the screw waits to the ball release position (release point described later) where the game ball waiting by the screw is moved in the axial direction and released. (The amount of movement of the game ball along the axial direction of the screw) can be kept below one pitch of the screw (the distance at which the ball at the ball standby position is paid out and the next game ball reaches the ball standby position). It becomes possible. Since one pitch of the screw is set smaller than the diameter of the game ball, the amount of movement of the game ball along the axial direction of the screw can be made smaller than the size of one game ball.

  By reducing the amount of movement of the game ball along the axial direction of the screw in this way, the distance of the ball passage required along the axial direction of the screw is shortened, and the length of the screw along the axial direction of the screw is reduced. Therefore, the size of the apparatus can be made smaller than that of the conventional configuration in which a ball passage having a distance equal to or greater than that of the conventional configuration is required, thereby reducing the size and space.

  In addition, according to the above configuration, since the game ball flows into the screw from a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction (substantially vertical direction), the game ball adjacent to the top game ball (the most downstream game ball) Biting into the screw is unlikely to occur. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform a special shape device or the like for avoiding biting of the adjacent game ball with respect to the spiral protrusion.

  A gaming machine according to one aspect of the present invention includes the above-described ball payout device.

  As described above, since the ball payout device according to one aspect of the present invention is smaller, more space-saving, and excellent in durability, a gaming machine equipped with such a ball payout device is Further, it is possible to further increase the size of the game board by effectively using the space on the back side.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to provide a ball dispenser that is smaller and more space-saving, and that is excellent in durability, and a gaming machine equipped with the ball dispenser.

It is a perspective view which shows the example of application of the ball paying apparatus which concerns on this embodiment, and shows the structure of the game machine with which the ball paying apparatus is mounted. It is the figure which showed the back side of the said gaming machine, (a) is a rear view, (b) is a perspective view. It is the perspective view of the said ball paying device, and is the figure seen from the side operated in the state attached to the game machine. It is a perspective view of the above-mentioned ball dispensing device, and is a view seen from the side facing the back of the gaming machine on the opposite side to the operated side. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the base of the said ball dispensing apparatus, and is the figure seen from the operating side. It is a top view of the above-mentioned ball dispensing device. It is AA arrow sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 6. It is a figure which shows the normal state in which the paying-out operation | movement in the said ball paying apparatus is possible, (a) is the perspective view which looked at the ball paying apparatus in the state which removed the base from the operation surface side, (b) removed the base It is the front view which looked at the ball dispensing device in the state from the operation surface side. It is explanatory drawing which shows the paying-out operation | movement of the said ball | bowl paying-out apparatus, The cross-sectional view described in the upper part is equivalent to the AA arrow directional cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, The cross-sectional view described in the lower part is AA of upper part. It is CC sectional view taken on the line in the arrow sectional view. It is explanatory drawing which shows the paying-out operation | movement of the said ball paying apparatus, and is a figure which shows the operation | movement following FIG. It is the front view which looked at the state which pulled out the ball extraction member in the above-mentioned ball dispensing device, and opened the ball discharge passage from the operation side. It is the DD sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 12, and shows the state where the screw 10 is in the home position. It is a block diagram of the control system which controls the said ball paying device. It is a flowchart of the payout control performed in the said ball payout apparatus. It is a flowchart of the initialization operation | movement in the flowchart of FIG. It is a flowchart of the payout operation | movement in the flowchart of FIG. It is a figure which shows the ball removal state which performs the ball removal operation | movement in the said ball dispensing apparatus, (a) is the perspective view which looked at the ball dispensing apparatus of the state which removed the base from the operation surface side, (b) is a base removed It is the front view which looked at the ball dispensing apparatus of the state which was made from the operation surface side. FIG. 7 is a front view of the ball dispensing device according to the modified example when the base is removed as viewed from the operation surface side, (a) is a diagram illustrating a normal state in which a dispensing operation is possible, and (b) is a ball removal state. FIG. (A) is the perspective view which looked at the state which pulled out the ball removal member in the position which the screw in the said ball delivery apparatus moved 3 sets from the home position from the operation surface side, (b) is the operation surface side. It is the front view seen more. (A) is the perspective view which looked at the state which pulled out the ball removal member in the position which the screw in the ball delivery apparatus of another embodiment moved 3 sets from the home position from the operation surface side, (b) is this state It is the front view which looked at from the operation surface side. It is a perspective view of the ball removal member in the ball dispensing device of another embodiment. (A) (b) is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the ball | bowl holding | maintenance part in the ball | bowl delivery apparatus of another embodiment of the said, the upper ball path and lower ball path which comprise a ball supply path, and a ball discharge path. Yes, (a) shows a ball payout state, and (b) shows a ball removal state. (A) (b) is a figure explaining the ball | bowl extraction operation | movement which pulls out a ball | bowl extraction member in the position which 3 sets of screws moved from the home position in the ball | bowl dispensing apparatus of said another embodiment, (a) FIG. 2B shows a state before the ball removal member is pulled out, and FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment according to one aspect of the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as “the present embodiment”) will be described with reference to the drawings. However, this embodiment described below is only an illustration of the present invention in all respects. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. That is, in implementing the present invention, a specific configuration according to the embodiment may be adopted as appropriate.

§1 Application example First, an example of a scene to which the present invention is applied will be described. FIG. 1 illustrates an application example of the ball payout device 1 according to the present embodiment, and is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a gaming machine 100 in which the ball payout device 1 is mounted. The gaming machine 100 is a pachinko machine.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a gaming machine 100 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the gaming machine 100 includes a gaming area 101, a handle 102, an upper ball tray 103, a lower ball tray 104, and the like. The game area 101 is an area where a game ball (game medium) launched by the handle 102 moves. The handle 102 is a device for launching a game ball. When the user holds the handle 102 in a rotated state, the game ball is continuously launched and launched into the game area 101.

  The upper ball tray 103 stores game balls acquired in the game or the game balls lent by the ball lending operation, and the lower ball tray 104 stores game balls overflowing from the upper ball tray 103. In other words, when a game ball wins a winning opening (not shown) provided in the gaming area 101, the number of gaming balls set according to the winning opening is a ball payout device installed on the back side of the gaming machine 100. 1 (see FIG. 2) is paid out to the upper ball tray 103 or the lower ball tray 104.

  2A and 2B are views showing the back side of the gaming machine 100, where FIG. 2A is a rear view and FIG. 2B is a perspective view. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a storage tank 105, a ball alignment passage 106, a vertical ball passage 107, a ball dispensing device 1, and a game board 109 are installed on the back of the gaming machine 100. .

  The storage tank 105 is provided at the upper back of the gaming machine 100, and is a storage unit that temporarily stores game balls supplied to the gaming machine 100 from a supply chute (not shown) on the gaming island. The ball alignment passage 106 is a passage through which game balls are aligned and flowed. The upstream side is connected to the storage tank 105, and the downstream side is connected to the vertical ball passage 107. The vertical ball path 107 is a path for dropping a game ball from above to below (in the direction of gravity), and the upstream side is connected to the ball alignment path 106 and the downstream side is connected to the ball dispensing device 1. Thereby, the game balls supplied to the gaming machine 100 from the supply chute (not shown) on the game island are supplied to the ball dispensing device 1 through the storage tank 105, the ball alignment passage 106, and the vertical ball passage 107 in this order. Is done.

  Upon receiving a payout signal (a signal for instructing payout of a predetermined number of game balls) from the payout control unit (not shown), the ball payout device 1 releases a predetermined number of game balls to the upper ball tray 103 or the lower ball tray 104. This is a device that performs (dispenses). The ball payout device 1 is attached to the back side of the gaming machine 100, and operations on the ball payout device 1 are performed from the back side of the gaming machine 100.

  The gaming board 109 occupies the largest area on the back side of the gaming machine 100, and is a large display device or accessory device on the board surface of the gaming area 101 (see FIG. 1) for displaying an effect image. The control part etc. which control are provided.

§2 Configuration example [Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, embodiments in one aspect of the present invention will be illustrated based on FIGS. 3 to 18.

(Configuration of ball dispensing device 1)
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ball payout device 1 of the present embodiment mounted on the gaming machine 100 and is a view seen from the side operated in a state of being attached to the gaming machine 100. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the ball dispensing device 1 as seen from the side facing the back of the gaming machine 100 on the opposite side to the operated side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the ball dispensing device 1 with a base 2A, which will be described later, removed, as viewed from the operating side. Hereinafter, the side to be operated is referred to as the operation surface side, and the side facing the back surface of the gaming machine 100 opposite to the operation surface side is referred to as the facing surface side.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the ball dispensing device 1 includes a resin case 2, and the case 2 includes a base 2 </ b> A disposed on the operation surface side and a cover 2 </ b> B disposed on the facing surface side. Have. The base 2A and the cover 2B are fixed with screws or the like in a state of being abutted. A sphere supply passage (sphere passage) 3 is formed in the case 2 and a screw 10 is disposed (see FIGS. 4 and 5). As will be described later, the screw 10 is disposed sideways in the middle of the ball supply passage 3. A screw cover 14 that covers the outer periphery of the screw 10 is attached to the opposite surface side of the cover 2B.

  A motor 7 for rotating the screw 10 is disposed on the right side as viewed from the operation surface side in the ball dispensing device 1. A motor cover 15 that protects the motor 7 is attached to the right side surface of the cover 2B.

  A ball inlet 4 that is an inlet of the ball supply passage 3 is formed on the upper surface of the case 2, and a ball payout outlet 5 that is an outlet of the ball supply passage 3 is formed on the bottom surface of the case 2. A counting sensor 11 that counts the number of game balls that have passed through the ball payout exit 5 is disposed at the ball payout exit 5 (see FIG. 5).

  Further, a ball outlet 6 is formed on the bottom surface of the case 2 along with the ball outlet 5. The ball outlet 6 is an outlet of a ball discharge passage 8 that is branched from the ball supply passage 3. The ball discharge passage 8 is opened by pulling out the ball removing member 12 whose outer peripheral wall surface 12 a functions as a passage wall of the ball supply passage 3 from the base 2 </ b> A, and communicates with the ball supply passage 3. A partition wall 40 that separates the ball discharge passage 8 and the lower ball passage 32 is provided between the ball discharge passage 8 and a lower ball passage 32 (to be described later) that forms a ball discharge passage. The partition wall 40 is provided on the counting sensor 11.

  In the normal state (ball payout state), the outer peripheral wall surface 12 a forms part of the ball supply passage 3 and guides the game balls in the ball supply passage 3 to the ball payout outlet 5. The ball removal member 12 opens the ball discharge passage 8 that guides the game ball of the ball supply passage 3 to the ball discharge port 6 without the outer peripheral wall surface 12a forming a part of the passage wall of the ball supply passage 3 in the ball removal state. . On the operation-side surface that is pulled out of the ball removal member 12, a grip portion 12b that is gripped by an operator when being pulled out is provided.

  FIG. 6 is a plan view of the ball dispensing device 1. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views of the ball dispensing device 1 as viewed from the operation surface side.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the ball supply passage 3 is formed in a state in which the game ball is allowed to flow down by one line. The ball outlet 5 is displaced to the motor 7 side (right side as viewed from the operation surface side) by about half of the passage width with respect to the ball inlet 4. The ball supply passage 3 allows the game ball to flow down to the side along the axial direction of the screw 10 in the plan view of the ball dispensing device 1 as viewed from above, in this example, the operation surface side of the screw 10. .

  Specifically, the ball supply passage 3 includes an upper ball passage 31 for flowing down the game ball flowing in from the ball inlet 4 and flowing into the screw 10, and a lower ball passage 32 for flowing down the game ball sent out from the screw 10. And a curved passage 33 connecting the upper sphere passage 31 and the lower sphere passage 32. In this example, the upper sphere passage 31 is slightly inclined leftward (leftward as viewed from the operation surface side) from the sphere inlet 4 toward the curved passage 33, but is inclined from the sphere inlet 4 to the curved passage 33. The structure extended without doing may be sufficient.

  The passage wall on the left side as viewed from the operation surface side in the lower portion of the upper ball passage 31 and the curved passage 33 is constituted by the outer peripheral wall surface 12 a of the ball removal member 12. By pulling out the ball removal member 12 from the operation surface side, the ball supply passage 3 and the ball discharge passage 8 communicate with each other. Although not shown, the lower sphere passage 32 is inclined toward the facing surface from the curved passage 33 to the ball outlet 5.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the screw 10 has a configuration in which a spiral protrusion 22 is provided on the outer periphery of the shaft portion 21, and is arranged in a substantially horizontal direction (horizontal placement) with the axial direction as the left-right direction. As for the screw 10, the edge part of the both sides of the axial part 21 is supported by the two bearings 23 and 23 so that rotation is possible. One end of the shaft portion 21 of the screw 10 is coaxially connected to the motor shaft 7 a of the motor 7 via the joint member 24, and is rotated by the motor 7.

  The screw 10 is disposed on the opposite surface side of the sphere supply passage 3 and is disposed in the curved passage 33 so as to cross the sphere supply passage 3. The screw 10 stops the flow of the game ball (standby) by bringing the spiral protrusion 22 into contact with the game ball flowing down the upper ball passage 31 from the opposite surface side in the curved passage 33. Hereinafter, the position where the flow of the game ball stops and waits is referred to as a ball standby position.

  The screw 10 is rotationally driven to move a waiting game ball to the right side along the axial direction of the screw 10 when viewed from the operation surface side. The game ball moved from the ball standby position to a later-described ball release position (release point) by the rotational driving of the screw 10 is released after the standby by the screw 10 is released, and is sent out to the lower ball passage 32.

  The screw 10 is stopped at the home position, and the spiral projection 22 blocks the lower ball passage 32. The portion of the spiral projection 22 blocking the lower ball passage 32 removes the game ball from the ball discharge passage 8. It also functions as a guide member for guiding to.

(Dispensing operation of the ball dispensing device 1)
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a normal state in which the payout operation in the ball payout device 1 is possible, and (a) is a perspective view of the ball payout device 1 with the base 2A removed as viewed from the operation surface side. ) Is a front view of the ball dispensing device 1 with the base 2A removed as viewed from the operation surface side. In FIG. 9, the screw 10 is located at the home position.

  As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, in a normal state, the spiral protrusion 22 of the screw 10 blocks the lower sphere passage 32 connected to the ball discharge outlet 5. This position is also a position at which the helical protrusion 22 of the screw 10 guides (guides) the game ball R to the ball discharge passage 8. Further, the ball removal member 12 blocks the ball discharge passage 8, and the outer peripheral wall surface 12 a of the ball removal member 12 guides the game ball R to the lower ball passage 32. At the time of payout operation, the screw 10 is rotated so that the spiral protrusion 22 that is in contact with the game ball R is sent to the front side of the passage, and the ball is released to a lower ball passage 32 that forms a ball payout passage at a predetermined point. The

  More specifically, the game ball R flows continuously from the ball inlet 4 into the ball supply passage 3. The flow of the first (most downstream) game ball R out of the flowed game balls R comes into contact with the helical protrusion 22 of the screw 10 in the curved passage 33 and is made to wait. This position is a ball standby position for waiting for the game ball R, and is a home position (predetermined rotation position) of the screw 10. When the screw 10 is driven to rotate, the leading game ball R that is stopped moves along the screw 10 to the lower side (in the diagonally lower right direction) while moving to the right side as viewed from the operation surface side along the screw 10. When it reaches the ball release position, it is released from the screw 10 and sent to the lower ball passage 32.

  In this example, one pitch of the screw 10 (one pitch of the spiral protrusion 22) is 7 mm, which is set smaller than the diameter 11 mm of the game ball R. One pitch of the screw corresponds to a distance at which the game ball R at the ball standby position is paid out and the next game ball R reaches the standby position. The position where the screw 10 is rotated by 270 ° from the home position is designed as a release point (ball release position) based on the home position of the screw 10 that waits for the game ball R. In addition, although it was set to 7 mm in this example, even if 1 pitch of the screw 10 is less than 7 mm, it is realizable. Of course, one pitch of the screw 10 can be 7 mm or more.

  10 and 11 are explanatory diagrams showing the payout operation of the ball payout device 1. 10 and 11, the cross-sectional view described in the upper part corresponds to the cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6, and the cross-sectional view described in the lower part is C in the cross-sectional view taken along line AA in the upper part. FIG. In FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the first game ball is distinguished as R1, and the second game ball adjacent thereto is distinguished as R2.

  The screw 10 rotates 360 ° in six sets, with the home position as the origin, 60 ° as one set. The rotation direction is the arrow direction shown in the sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 10, and is counterclockwise when the ball dispensing device 1 is viewed from the side opposite to the side where the motor 7 is disposed. One set corresponds to a step angle 15 ° × 4 steps of the motor 7 (stepping motor).

  Each time the screw 10 rotates one set, the leading game ball R1 moves diagonally to the lower right. The second game ball R2 also moves together with the first game ball R1. During the rotation of the fifth set (240 ° to 300 °), the screw 10 reaches 270 ° from the home position, and the leading game ball R1 is released from the screw 10. That is, the space between the tip of the motor 7 side (right side) portion of the spiral protrusion 22 of the screw 10 and the passage wall of the ball supply passage 3 is larger than the diameter 11 mm of the game ball R, and the game ball R1 is the lower ball. It is sent out to the passage 32. At this time, the second game ball R2 comes into contact with a portion (left side) opposite to the motor 7 side of the spiral protrusion 22 of the screw 10. The distance between the tip of the opposite side portion at this position and the passage wall of the ball supply passage 3 is smaller than the diameter 11 mm of the game ball R. Therefore, the flow of the second game ball R2 is stopped and the movement is restricted by the screw 10. When the screw 10 finishes the rotation of the sixth set (300 ° to 360 °) and reaches the home position, the second game ball R2 reaches the ball standby position. At this time, the leading game ball R1 is discharged from the ball payout exit 5 through the lower ball passage 32.

  As described above, the ball payout device 1 of the present example, based on the payout signal from the gaming machine 100, rotates the screw 10 N times according to the payout number N instructed by the payout signal, that is, N × 6 sets. By rotating, the number of game balls R commanded by the payout signal is paid out.

  For example, when a stepping motor having a step angle of 18 ° is used as the motor 7, 72 ° of 18 ° × 4 steps is set as one set, and the screw 10 is rotated once by 5 sets. A release point may be provided in the middle of rotation. Further, it is not necessary to set the position where the release point is provided one set before the screw 10 returns to the home position. For example, the release point may be provided 21 sets before returning to the home position or in the middle of the set reaching the home position.

(Ball removal structure of ball dispensing device 1)
The ball removal structure of the ball dispensing device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9, 10, 12, and 13. FIG. 12 is a front view of the ball dispensing device 1 in a state where the ball removal member 12 is pulled out and the ball discharge passage 8 is opened, as viewed from the operation surface side. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D in FIG. 12 and shows a state where the screw 10 is in the home position.

  As shown in FIG. 13, with the screw 10 in the home position, the interval W1 between the tip of the spiral protrusion 22 and the passage wall of the ball supply passage 3 is set smaller than the diameter (11 mm) of the game ball R. ing. As a result, the lower ball passage 32 following the ball payout exit 5 is blocked, and the game ball R cannot escape into the lower ball passage 32.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the ball removing member 12 receives the load of the stopped game ball R on the outer peripheral wall surface 12a, and the end of the outer peripheral wall surface 12a in the direction in which the screw 10 sends out the game ball R is It is located in the delivery direction with respect to the center of gravity of the stopped game ball R.

  When the ball removal member 12 is pulled out in this state, the ball discharge passage 8 is opened, and the ball supply passage 3 and the ball discharge passage 8 communicate with each other. The ball discharge passage 8 has a passage width W2 larger than the diameter (11 mm) of the game ball R. When the ball discharge passage 8 is opened, the game ball R, which is in contact with the tip of the spiral protrusion 22 and whose movement is restricted, moves (falls) to the ball discharge passage 8 and passes through the ball discharge passage 8. And discharged from the ball outlet 6.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the spiral protrusion 22 of the screw 10 is designed so as not to come into contact with the game ball R entering the ball discharge passage 8 and restrict its movement.

  Here, the ball discharge passage 8 and the ball supply passage 3 are designed so that, when the screw 10 is in the home position, the game ball R, whose movement is restricted, always enters the open ball discharge passage 8. Has been. However, this is not the case when the screw 10 is in a position other than the home position.

  This will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 described above. As shown in FIG. 10, with the screw 10 in the home position, the second game ball R2 is loaded on the right side of the first game ball R1 (as viewed from the operation surface side). As a result, a force pushing out to the left side where the ball discharge passage 8 is located by the load from the downstream game ball R acts on the leading game ball R1. Therefore, when the ball removal member 12 is pulled out in this state, the leading game ball R1 is pushed out to the ball discharge passage 8, and the subsequent game balls R are pushed out to the ball discharge passage 8.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, when the screw 10 moves one set from the home position, the second game ball R2 is loaded on the left side of the first game ball R1. As a result, contrary to the state at the home position, a force pushing out to the right side where the lower ball passage 32 is located acts on the leading game ball R1 due to the load from the game ball R on the downstream flow side. Even if 12 is pulled out, it is difficult to be pushed out into the ball discharge passage 8. However, even in this state, if a leading game ball R1 is taken into the ball discharge passage 8 by applying a physical force, the subsequent game balls R are also pushed out to the ball discharge passage 8.

  When the screw 10 has moved from the home position by 3 sets and 4 sets, the center of gravity of the leading game ball R1 has already moved onto the lower ball path 32 rather than the ball discharge path 8. Therefore, even if the ball removal member 12 is pulled out in this state, the leading game ball R1 does not fall into the ball discharge passage 8. The movement of the second game ball R2 is also restricted by the first game ball R1, and does not escape to the ball discharge passage 8.

  In the state where the screw 10 is set to five from the home position, the game ball R can be extracted by pulling out the ball extraction member 12 in the same manner as in the home position.

  As described above, in the above-described configuration, a ball structure that does not allow the game ball R in the ball supply path 3 to be extracted even when the ball is in a ball-extracted state is used. Compared to a configuration that can be removed, the outer dimensions of the ball dispensing device 1 can be reduced. Even if it is adopted that the configuration has very little margin, the control unit 110 described later reliably stops the screw 10 at the home position, so that the game ball R can be extracted without any problem.

(Control of the ball dispensing device 1)
FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a control system for controlling the ball dispensing device 1. As shown in FIG. 14, the motor 7 and the counting sensor 11 of the ball dispensing device 1 are connected to a control unit 110 provided in the gaming machine 100. The control unit 110 includes a well-known CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like, and a control unit capable of executing various arithmetic processes according to a program stored in the ROM in advance. Note that a controller that is connected to the gaming machine 100 and controls the driving of the screw 10 may be provided inside the ball dispensing device 1.

  A signal indicating the detection result output from the counting sensor 11 is input to the control unit 110. When the counting sensor 11 detects the game ball R, an ON signal is input to the control unit 110. The motor 7 is controlled to supply power based on a command signal output from the control unit 110 to a drive circuit (not shown). The control unit 110 receives a payout signal from another control unit (not shown) that manages prize balls, and controls the motor 7 based on the received payout signal. The controller 110 drives the motor 7 so that the screw 10 always stops at the home position.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the payout control executed in the ball payout device 1. FIG. 16 is a flowchart of the initialization operation in the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 17 is a flowchart of the payout operation in the flowchart of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 15, when the gaming machine 100 is powered on and the ball dispensing device 1 is powered on, the control unit 110 determines whether or not the first payout signal has been received after the power is turned on ( S1). If it is determined that the first payout signal has been received after the power is turned on, the control unit 110 proceeds to the next S2 and executes an initialization operation.

  As shown in FIG. 16, in the initialization operation, the control unit 110 controls the motor 7 to rotate the screw 10 by one set (60 °) (S11). In step S12, it is determined whether an ON signal is input from the counting sensor 11. That is, it is determined whether or not the counting sensor 11 has detected the game ball R. When determining that the ON signal has not been input, the control unit 110 returns to S11 and further rotates the screw 10 by one set (60 °). Control unit 110 repeats S11 and S12 until it determines that an ON signal is input in S12. When determining that the ON signal is input in S12, the control unit 110 proceeds to the next S13, and determines the position where the screw 10 is swept and rotated one set as the home position of the screw 10. Thereby, the initialization operation ends.

  Returning to FIG. 15, when the initialization operation is completed, the control unit 110 proceeds to S <b> 3, and sets the number of rotations of the screw 10 to a value obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of payouts specified in the payout signal received in S <b> 1. This is a process of subtracting one already paid out in the initialization operation of S2. When the number of rotations of the screw 10 is set, the process proceeds to S4, and a game ball payout operation is executed.

  As shown in FIG. 17, in the game ball payout operation, the control unit 110 controls the motor 7 to rotate the screw 10 by the set number (S21). For example, if the set number is “12”, the screw 10 is rotated 12 times to pay out 12 game balls R. After paying out the last game ball R, the control unit 110 always stops the screw 10 at the home position.

  When the controller 110 rotates the screw 10 by the set number, the control unit 110 proceeds to the next S22, and determines whether or not the game ball R corresponding to the set number has been detected by the counting sensor. That is, it is determined whether or not the ON signal is input from the counting sensor 11 according to the set number.

  When determining that the game ball R corresponding to the set number has been detected by the counting sensor, the control unit 110 ends the payout operation, and proceeds to S5 of FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined that the game ball R corresponding to the set number is not detected by the counting sensor, the process proceeds to S23, and it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed. If it is determined in S23 that the predetermined time has elapsed, a retry operation is started, and the process proceeds to S24 to perform an initialization operation.

  When the initialization operation is completed, the process proceeds to the next S25, where the number of rotations of the screw 10 is reset to a value obtained by subtracting the number of paid-outs from the set value, and then the process returns to S21. For example, the value set in S6 of FIG. 15 is “20”, and the number of ON signals detected in S22 is “12”. In this case, in S25, the number of rotations of the screw 10 is reset to a value “7” obtained by subtracting the one paid out by the initialization operation and the 12 already paid out.

  Although not particularly described in the flowcharts of FIGS. 15 to 17, a step for detecting the power OFF of the ball dispensing device 1 is appropriately inserted. When the power OFF is detected, the routine shown in the flowchart of FIG. 15 is executed. finish.

(Ball removal operation of the ball dispensing device 1)
FIG. 18 is a view showing a ball removal state in which a ball removal operation is performed in the ball delivery device 1, and (a) is a perspective view of the ball delivery device 1 with the base 2A removed as viewed from the operation surface side. b) is a front view of the ball dispensing device 1 with the base 2A removed as viewed from the operation surface side.

  As shown in FIGS. 18 (a) and 18 (b), in the ball removal state, the ball removal member 12 is pulled out to open the ball discharge passage 8, and the game ball R is drawn by the guidance of the helical protrusion 22 of the screw 10. It leads to the discharge passage 8. At this time, the lower ball passage 32 connected to the ball payout outlet 5 is blocked by the spiral protrusion 22, and the game ball R is not discharged to the lower ball passage 32 side.

  In the ball removal state, the rotation position of the screw 10 is controlled by the control unit 110, and the helical protrusion 22 of the screw 10 reliably closes the lower ball passage 32, and guides the game ball R in contact with the ball discharge passage 8. It is operated so as to be a predetermined rotational position. In this example, as the predetermined rotation position, as described above, the ball standby position where the game ball R waits in a state where the game ball R can be paid out, that is, the home position of the screw 10 is used. Not only the ball dispensing device using a screw but also a ball dispensing device using a sprocket, after the game ball has been dispensed, the screw and the sprocket always wait at the home position so that the next dispensing can be performed quickly. .

  Therefore, the screw and sprocket are always in the home position when the ball must be removed, except for the drive stop due to unforeseen circumstances such as a power failure. Therefore, the control of the existing screw of the ball dispensing device can be used as it is by setting the predetermined rotational position as the home position.

  As described above, in the ball dispensing apparatus 1, it is not necessary to provide the ball supply passage 3 with a shape for guiding the ball discharge passage 83, and the freedom of the passage configuration can be increased. Further, since the spiral protrusion 22 has sufficient strength as compared with the tongue-shaped ball extraction guide member described above, it is durable even if it is used as a member for guiding the game ball to the ball discharge passage 8. No problem. Further, with the above configuration, the ball discharge passage 8 can be provided side by side with the lower ball passage 32 that forms the ball discharge passage, so that a space for providing the ball discharge passage on the side of the ball discharge device is secured. There is no need.

  In addition, the ball removal member 12 and the ball supply passage 3 discharge the game ball that has come into contact with the portion of the spiral protrusion 22 that blocks the lower ball passage 32 only when the screw 10 is stopped at a predetermined rotational position. Since it has a configuration with very little allowance such as being received in the service passage 8, the outer dimensions of the ball dispensing device 1 can be made extremely small.

  Even if the configuration has very little margin, the controller 110 reliably stops the screw at a predetermined rotational position, so that the game ball can be extracted without any problem.

(Modification)
FIG. 19 is a front view of the modified ball dispensing apparatus 1 ′ with the base 2A removed as viewed from the operation surface side, and FIG. 19A is a diagram showing a normal state in which a dispensing operation is possible. ) Is a diagram showing a ball-out state.

  In the example described above, the upper sphere passage 31 is slightly inclined leftward, but can also be formed linearly as shown in FIG.

[Embodiment 2]
Hereinafter, other embodiment in one side of the present invention is illustrated based on Drawings 20-24. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

  As described above, in the case of the ball dispensing device 1 according to the first embodiment, the gaming ball R cannot be extracted even if the ball removing member 12 is pulled out at a position where the screw 10 has moved 3 sets and 4 sets from the home position. (See FIGS. 10 and 11). Here, the state in which the game ball R cannot be extracted will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  (A) of FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a state in which the ball removing member 12 is pulled out at a position where the screw 10 in the ball dispensing device 1 has moved three sets from the home position, as viewed from the operation surface side. It is the front view which looked at the state from the operation surface side. 20A and 20B, the base 2A is removed, and in FIG. 20B, the ball removal member 12 is also removed.

  As shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B, the center of gravity of the leading game ball R <b> 1 is on the lower ball passage 32 at the position where the screw 10 has moved three sets. Therefore, even if the ball removal member 12 is pulled out, the leading game ball R1 does not fall into the ball discharge passage 8. At this time, the leading game ball R <b> 1 abuts against the spiral protrusion 22 of the screw 10 and the partition wall 40 and stops.

  When the leading game ball R1 stops at such a position, the distance L1 between the lower end portion 41a of the passage wall 41 on the ball inlet 4 side of the ball supply passage 3 and the leading game ball R1 is larger than the diameter of the game ball R. small. Therefore, the second game ball R2 cannot escape to the ball discharge passage 8. The passage wall 41 constitutes a passage wall of the sphere supply passage 3 continuously with the outer peripheral wall surface 12 a of the sphere removal member 12. By pulling out the ball removal member 12, the lower end portion 41 a of the passage wall 41 serves as the inlet of the ball discharge passage 8. Although not shown, the same applies to the position where the screw 10 has moved four sets.

  Even when the screw 10 is stopped at such a position where it has moved for three sets or four sets for some reason, the game ball R can be extracted by moving the screw 10 to the home position.

  The ball dispensing device 50 according to the present embodiment can reliably play the game ball by pulling out the ball removing member 51 regardless of the stop position of the screw 10, that is, even when the screw is stopped at the position where the screw is moved by 3 sets or 4 sets. The configuration is such that R can be extracted.

  (A) of FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the state in which the ball removing member 51 is pulled out at a position where the screw 10 in the ball dispensing device 50 has moved three sets from the home position, as viewed from the operation surface side. It is the front view which looked at the state from the operation surface side. 21 (a) and 21 (b), the base 2A is removed, and in FIG. 21 (b), the description of parts other than the ball supporter 51d described later of the ball removal member 51 is omitted. .

  As shown in FIGS. 21A and 21B, the ball dispensing device 50 includes a ball removing member 51 instead of the ball removing member 12. The ball removing member 51 has a ball holding portion 51d. The ball holding portion 51d is located at a location where the partition wall 40 is provided in the ball dispensing device 1 in a ball drawn state in which the ball removing member 51 is pulled out (see FIG. 20A). In the ball dispensing device 50, the partition wall 40 is not provided. These points are the main differences between the ball payout device 1 and the ball payout device 50 of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the ball removal member 51. As shown in FIG. 22, the ball removing member 51 has an outer peripheral wall surface 51 a and a gripping portion 51 b corresponding to the outer peripheral wall surface 12 a and the gripping portion 12 b, similarly to the ball removing member 12. The difference between the ball removal member 51 and the ball removal member 12 is that the ball removal member 51 includes an extension wall 51c and a ball carrier 51d.

  The extension wall 51c extends downward from the lower end of the outer peripheral wall surface 51a. The extension wall 51c has a length that reaches the vicinity of the upper surface of the counting sensor 11 (see FIG. 21A), and functions as a partition that separates the ball discharge passage 8 and the lower ball passage 32 in the ball payout state.

  The sphere carrier 51d is provided at the tip of an extended portion 51e that extends from the lower end of the extension wall 51c to the back side opposite to the operation surface on which the grip 51b is provided. As shown in FIGS. 21A and 21B, the ball holding portion 51d closes the lower ball passage 32 and holds the game ball R in the ball removal state where the ball removal member 51 is pulled out. The sphere carrier 51 d carries the lower sphere passage 32 at a position closer to the ball payout outlet 5 than a position where the screw 10 closes the lower sphere passage 32 with the spiral protrusion 22.

  In the present embodiment, the sphere carrier 51 d is provided integrally with the sphere removal member 51. Therefore, the interlocking with the movement of the ball removing member 51 can be easily realized. However, it is not indispensable to be provided integrally with the ball removal member 51, and may be configured to block the lower ball passage 32 in conjunction with the ball removal member being in a ball removal state, and is configured separately from the ball removal member. May be.

  In the present embodiment, the sphere carrier 51d is formed in the shape of a tongue that protrudes toward the lower sphere passage 32 at the tip of the extended portion 51e. And as shown to FIG. 21 (a) (b), the ball | bowl carrying | support part 51d has the inclination which becomes low toward the ball | bowl discharge channel | path 8 in the surface (upper surface) which carries | supports the game ball R1. Thereby, the ball carrying part 51d can send the carried game ball R1 into the ball discharge passage 8 by rolling using the own weight of the game ball R1.

  (A) and (b) of FIG. 23 are views showing the positional relationship among the sphere carrier 51d, the upper sphere passage 31 and the lower sphere passage 32 constituting the sphere supply passage 3, and the sphere discharge passage 8. FIG. 23 (a) shows a ball payout state, and FIG. 23 (b) shows a ball removal state.

  As shown in (a) of FIG. 23, in the ball payout state in which the ball removing member 51 is not pulled out, the ball carrier 51d is located on the back side of the upper ball passage 31 and the lower ball passage 32 indicated by broken lines. doing. Therefore, the flow of the game ball R flowing down from the upper ball passage 31 to the lower ball passage 32 is not hindered. In this state, the extension wall 51 c of the ball removal member 51 functions as a partition wall that partitions the lower ball passage 32 and the ball discharge passage 8.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 23B, in the ball payout state in which the ball removing member 51 is pulled out, the ball carrier 51d is positioned in the lower ball passage 32 so as to close the lower ball passage 32. Therefore, when the ball removing member 51 is pulled out and the center of gravity of the leading game ball R1 is on the lower ball passage 32 side, the leading game ball R1 is dropped and supported on the ball bearing portion 51d.

  24 (a) and 24 (b) are diagrams for explaining a ball removing operation for pulling out the ball removing member 51 at a position where the screw 10 has moved three sets from the home position in the ball dispensing device 50. FIG. FIG. 2B shows a state before the ball removal member 51 is pulled out, and FIG. 24 (a) and 24 (b), the base 2A is removed, and in FIG. 24 (b), the description of portions other than the ball carrier 51d of the ball removal member 51 is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 24 (a), the center of gravity of the leading game ball R1 is on the lower ball passage 32 at the position where the screw 10 has moved three sets. Therefore, when the ball removal member 51 is pulled out in this state, the leading game ball R1 falls to the lower ball passage 32 side as shown in FIG. However, since the ball holding portion 51d closes the lower ball passage 32 in conjunction with the pulling operation of the ball removing member 51, the leading game ball R1 does not reach the counting sensor 11 but is held by the ball holding portion 51d (holding). ).

  When the leading game ball R1 falls on the ball holding portion 51d, the above-described distance L2 between the lower end portion 41a of the passage wall 41 and the leading game ball R1 becomes larger than the diameter of the game ball R. As a result, the second game ball R2 can escape to the ball discharge passage 8, and the subsequent game balls R also escape to the ball discharge passage 8. When all the second and subsequent game balls R are discharged, the first game ball R1 is discharged to the ball discharge passage 8 by rolling the upper surface of the ball holding portion 51d.

  In the present embodiment, the upper surface of the sphere carrier 51d is configured to have a slope that decreases toward the sphere discharge passage 8. However, the ball holding part 51d only needs to have a function of closing the lower ball passage 32 and holding and holding the leading game ball R1. Therefore, the upper surface of the sphere carrier 51d may be a flat surface. In that case, after the second and subsequent gaming balls R are all discharged, the leading gaming ball R1 may be taken out by hooking a finger or the like.

  Although not shown, an opening is formed in the inner wall of the lower sphere passage 32 so that the sphere carrier 51d passes through the lower sphere passage 32. Since such an opening is a step formed in the passage wall, there is no possibility that the movement of the game ball R flowing down the lower ball passage 32 may be affected.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 24B, the sphere carrier 51 d is configured to protrude into the lower sphere passage 32 with a size smaller than half of the passage width of the lower sphere passage 32. With such a configuration, the opening through which the ball carrying portion 51d appears and disappears is formed at a portion other than the portion where the game ball R contacts, and the influence of the step can be eliminated at all.

  As described above, according to the configuration of the ball dispensing device 50 of the present embodiment, the ball bearing that carries the leading game ball R1 by closing the lower ball passage 32 in conjunction with the ball removal member being in the ball removal state. A part 51d is provided. Thereby, regardless of the stop position of the screw 10, the game ball R can be reliably extracted by pulling out the ball extraction member 51.

  Finally, the durability of the tongue-like member protruding so as to close the ball discharge outlet of Patent Document 2 described above is compared with the durability of the ball carrier 51d. The tongue-like member of Patent Document 2 is required to be durable in order to receive all the game balls to be extracted when the game balls are extracted. On the other hand, in the case of the ball holding portion 51d, when the game ball is extracted, only the leading game ball R1 is received and held. Therefore, unlike the tongue-shaped member of Patent Document 2, a large impact that a plurality of game balls collide continuously is not received, and the number of times that the game balls contact is overwhelmingly small. Therefore, durability does not become a problem.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 Ball dispensing device 2 Case 2A Base 2B Cover 3 Ball supply passage (ball passage)
4 Ball inlet 5 Ball outlet 7 Motor 7a Motor shaft 8 Ball discharge passage 10 Screw 11 Count sensor 12 Ball removal member 12a Outer peripheral wall surface 14 Screw cover 15 Motor cover 21 Shaft portion 22 Spiral protrusion 23/23 Bearing 31 Upper ball passage 32 Lower sphere passage (ball discharge passage)
33 Curved passage 50 Sphere dispensing device 51 Sphere removal member 51a Outer peripheral wall surface 51c Extension wall 51d Sphere carrier 100 Game machine 109 Game board 110 Controller

Claims (9)

A screw provided in a substantially horizontal direction in which a spiral protrusion is provided on the outer periphery of the shaft portion and sends out the game ball in the ball passage to the ball payout exit;
In the ball payout state, the outer peripheral wall surface forms part of the passage wall of the ball passage and guides the game balls in the ball passage to the ball payout outlet, and in the ball removal state, the outer peripheral wall surface is the passage of the ball passage. A ball removal member that does not form a part of a wall and opens a ball discharge passage that guides the game ball in the ball passage to a ball removal port;
A control unit for controlling the drive of the screw,
In a state where the screw is stopped at a predetermined rotation position, the screw is closed by a spiral protrusion in the ball discharge passage communicating with the ball discharge outlet in the ball passage.
When the screw is stopped at a predetermined rotational position, the ball removal member and the ball passage are arranged so that a game ball that contacts a portion of the spiral protrusion blocking the ball discharge passage is used for discharging the ball. Formed to enter the aisle,
The control unit is a ball dispensing device that stops the screw at the predetermined rotational position when the screw is stopped.   The ball removing member receives a load of the game ball stopped in contact with the closed portion at the outer peripheral wall surface, and an end portion of the outer peripheral wall surface in the direction in which the screw sends out the game ball is The ball payout device according to claim 1, wherein the ball payout device is located in the delivery direction with respect to the center of gravity of the stopped game ball.   A ball that holds the game ball by closing the ball discharge passage at a position closer to the ball discharge outlet than the screw is plugged by the spiral protrusion in conjunction with the ball removal member being in the ball removal state. The ball dispensing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a support portion.   The ball dispensing device according to claim 3, wherein the ball carrying portion is provided integrally with the ball removal member.   5. The ball dispensing device according to claim 3, wherein the ball carrying portion has a slope that becomes lower toward the ball discharge passage on a surface carrying the game ball.   The ball payout device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the predetermined rotation position is a home position for waiting for a game ball sent out by the screw to the ball payout exit. A measuring sensor for measuring a game ball at the ball payout exit;
The ball dispensing device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit sequentially rotates the screw at a predetermined angle and determines the home position using a detection result of the measurement sensor. The ball passage has an upper ball passage that allows a flowing game ball to flow from a substantially vertical direction to a side along the axial direction of the screw in a plan view.
The screw makes the spiral projection abut against the game ball flowing in from the upper ball passage from the side along the axial direction in a plan view to stop the flow down and waits for rotation. The ball payout device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the game ball that has been waiting is moved along the axial direction and is sent to the ball payout passage.   A gaming machine comprising the ball payout device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

Images