JP2020039762A - Shutter structure of pachinko ball rolling passage - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide shutter structure of a Pachinko ball rolling passage for preventing a shutter member from being opened even if Pachinko balls are accumulated and a load is applied to the shutter member in a direction for opening it.SOLUTION: Shutter structure includes first and second rolling passages 3a, 3b in which Pachinko balls 6 are rolled. The shutter structure includes: guide grooves 18, 19 provided on sidewalls of the first and second rolling passages 3a, 3b; and a shutter member 4 that retreats relative to the first and second rolling passages 3a, 3b along the guide grooves 18, 19. The shutter structure includes shutter-side projecting parts 41, 42 (first projecting parts) protrusively installed in a part as a downstream end in a rolling direction A of the Pachinko balls 6 in the shutter member 4. The shutter structure includes passage-side projecting parts 21, 22 (second projecting parts) that are provided in the guide grooves 18, 19 and are engaged with the shutter-side projecting parts 41, 42 of the shutter member 4 in a closed position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a shutter structure of a pachinko ball rolling passage provided with a shutter member that opens and closes a pachinko ball rolling passage.

  2. Description of the Related Art In a gaming facility or a gaming table using pachinko balls, a rolling path through which the pachinko balls roll under their own weight is used to pass the pachinko balls through peripheral devices and a pachinko ball counter. The rolling path is provided with a shutter for switching between a mode in which rolling of the pachinko balls is stopped and a mode in which rolling of the pachinko balls is permitted. This type of shutter adopts a configuration in which the shutter enters a rolling passage and retreats from the rolling passage. As a drive source of the shutter, a solenoid is often used, for example, as described in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2.

  A conventional shutter includes a shutter member that moves in and out of a rolling passage, a spring member that urges the shutter member in a direction to enter the rolling passage, and a solenoid that drives the shutter member in a direction that retreats from the rolling passage. And The shutter member enters the rolling passage by the spring force of the spring member and its own weight, and retreats from the rolling passage by being pulled by the solenoid. That is, when the solenoid is excited, the plunger of the solenoid is pulled, the shutter member connected to the plunger retreats from the rolling passage, and the rolling passage is opened.

When the solenoid is de-energized while the rolling passage is open, the plunger is released, and the shutter member enters the rolling passage due to the spring force of the spring member and the weight of the shutter member. Close the rolling passage.
In such a shutter structure, the stroke (movable range) of the plunger of the solenoid is smaller than the diameter of the pachinko ball. For this reason, even in a state where the shutter member has entered the rolling passage to prevent the rolling of the pachinko ball, the rolling passage cannot be completely closed to the lower surface, It is closed partway and the lower part is slightly open.

It is possible to completely close the rolling passage by using a solenoid with a large stroke to completely close the rolling passage. However, if this configuration is adopted, the size of the solenoid becomes large, and it becomes difficult to install the solenoid in the apparatus. In addition, the current consumption of the solenoid becomes unnecessarily large. In addition, when the stroke is large, the time required for the opening operation and the closing operation becomes long, and there is a possibility that the closing of the rolling passage may not be completed in time for the pachinko balls rolling in the rolling passage.
For this reason, the conventional shutter employs a configuration in which the shutter member is driven by using a solenoid as small as possible. Even if the shutter member enters the rolling passage, the rolling passage cannot be completely closed. The pachinko ball is prevented from rolling in a state where the lower part of the moving passage is partially opened.

JP-A-10-328396 JP-A-11-156033

  As described above, when the shutter member cannot completely close the rolling passage, the pachinko balls that have been prevented from rolling by the shutter member accumulate in the inclined rolling passage, and this is transferred to the shutter member. A load is applied in the opening direction. In the conventional shutter structure, there is a problem that the shutter member may be opened when the load is increased.

  It is an object of the present invention that the pachinko balls are accumulated and a load is applied to the shutter member in a direction in which the pachinko balls are opened despite the use of a shutter member that cannot make the rolling passage completely closed. Another object of the present invention is to provide a shutter structure for a pachinko ball rolling passage in which a shutter member is not opened.

  In order to achieve this object, a shutter structure for a pachinko ball rolling passage according to the present invention is provided with a rolling passage on which a pachinko ball rolls and a side wall forming the rolling passage, wherein the rolling passage is provided. A guide groove extending in a direction intersecting with the rolling direction of the pachinko ball rolling inside, and moving in and out of the rolling passage along the guide groove with a direction intersecting the rolling direction as a moving direction. A shutter member, a first protruding portion protruding from a portion of the shutter member that is a downstream end in the rolling direction, and a first protrusion of the shutter member provided in the guide groove and entering the rolling passage. And a second protrusion that engages with the first protrusion.

  According to the present invention, in the shutter structure of the rolling passage, the first protrusion and the second protrusion may each be formed in an arc shape in a side view.

  According to the present invention, in the shutter structure of the rolling passage, an arc-shaped notch that is convex toward the retreating side in the moving direction is formed at an end of the shutter member that is on the approach side in the moving direction. May be.

  In the present invention, when the shutter member enters the rolling path, the weight of the pachinko ball is applied to the shutter member, and the shutter member is pressed against the guide groove, so that the first protrusion and the second protrusion are separated. Will be engaged. In this engaged state, the movement of the shutter member in the direction of withdrawing from the rolling passage is restricted.

  Therefore, even if a pachinko ball is accumulated and a load is applied to the shutter member in a direction in which the shutter member opens in spite of the use of the shutter member that cannot completely close the rolling passage, the shutter member is not moved. The shutter structure of the pachinko ball rolling passage that does not open can be provided.

It is a side view of the shutter structure which fracture | ruptures and shows the rolling path for pachinko balls. It is a perspective view showing composition of a shutter structure of a rolling passage for pachinko balls concerning the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of the housing which has a rolling passage partially broken and shown. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of the rolling path for pachinko balls in FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing of the principal part which shows the state in which the shutter member is located in an open position. It is sectional drawing of the principal part which shows the state in which the shutter member is located in a closed position. It is a rear view of a shutter member.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a shutter structure of a rolling path for pachinko balls according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
A shutter structure 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a pachinko ball rolling passage 3 (hereinafter simply referred to as a rolling passage 3) provided at a lower portion of a housing 2, and a shutter member partially facing the rolling passage 3. 4 and a solenoid 5 provided on the upper part of the housing 2.

The housing 2 according to this embodiment forms a housing of a counter housed in peripheral equipment of a game console (not shown).
The rolling passage 3 is formed so as to have a downward slope in the housing 2. The pachinko balls 6 are sent to the rolling passage 3 from the upstream side which is the left side in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the rolling passage 3 according to this embodiment includes a first rolling passage 3 a and a second rolling passage 3 b arranged in a horizontal direction.

  FIG. 2 shows a state in which the housing 2 is cut at the position of line II-II shown in FIG. 1 and the rolling passage 3 is viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 3 shows only a part of the housing 2 including the rolling passage 3. In FIG. 3, the wall constituting the rolling passage 3 is partially cut away. FIG. 4 shows a state where a part of the housing 2 is cut at the position of line IV-IV shown in FIG. 1 and viewed from the upstream side of the rolling passage 3. Hereinafter, the direction in which the first rolling passage 3a and the second rolling passage 3b are arranged will be described as a left-right direction.

The pachinko balls 6 roll on the bottom walls 11 and 12 (see FIG. 4) of the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b with the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. Move downstream.
As shown in FIG. 4, the first rolling passage 3a and the second rolling passage 3b are composed of the above-described bottom walls 11 and 12, a partition wall 13 separating these two passages 3a and 3b, a left wall 14 and a right wall. The wall 15 and the upper walls 16 and 17 are formed so that the pachinko balls 6 cannot go out of the passage.

The partition 13 is formed in a plate shape. As shown in FIG. 3, the partition 13 has a hole 13a through which a shutter member 4 described later passes.
Guide grooves 18 and 19 for holding a shutter member 4 described later are formed in the left side wall 14 and the right side wall 15. As shown in FIG. 1, these guide grooves 18 and 19 extend in a vertical direction that intersects the rolling direction A of the pachinko ball 6, and extend in the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b. Open to the public. The lower ends of the guide grooves 18 and 19 are located below the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b, and the upper ends of the guide grooves 18 and 19 have a plurality of vertical walls 16a extending upward from the upper walls 16 and 17. , 16b, 17a, 17b and extends above the first and second rolling passages 3a, 3b.

The vertical wall 16a and the vertical wall 16b are formed integrally with the upper wall 16 of the first rolling passage 3a and extend upward from the upper wall 16, and the grooves of the guide grooves 18 extend in the rolling direction A of the pachinko balls 6. They are arranged at intervals that are the width.
The vertical wall 17a and the vertical wall 17b are formed integrally with the upper wall 17 of the second rolling passage 3b and extend upward from the upper wall 17, and the grooves of the guide grooves 19 extend in the rolling direction A of the pachinko balls 6. They are arranged at intervals that are the width. The groove width of the guide groove 19 is equal to the groove width of the guide groove 18.

  Among these vertical walls 16a, 16b, 17a and 17b, the vertical wall 16b and the vertical wall 17b located on the downstream side in the rolling direction A of the pachinko ball 6 are in the rolling direction of the pachinko ball 6 in the guide grooves 18 and 19. It forms a groove wall located downstream of A. Passage-side protruding portions 21 and 22 protrude from these vertical walls 16b and 17b. As shown in FIG. 3, the passage-side protruding portions 21 and 22 are formed in an arcuate shape in a side view that protrudes toward the upstream side in the rolling direction A of the pachinko ball 6, and includes first and second arcs. It is located above the rolling passages 3a, 3b.

The upper walls 16 and 17 of the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b are used to pass a shutter member 4 described later between the vertical walls 16a and 17a and the vertical walls 16b and 17b. An opening 23 (see FIG. 1) is formed.
As shown in FIG. 7, the shutter member 4 is formed in an inverted T-shape when viewed from the downstream side in the rolling direction A, and an operation portion 24 located on the upper side in FIG. And a plate-shaped blocking portion 25 extending to the right side.

As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit 24 is formed in a columnar shape, and is connected to the solenoid 5 via a link mechanism 26. The link mechanism 26 includes a pair of inverted L-shaped links 27 in FIG. The link 27 is rotatably supported on the housing 2 by a support shaft 28 at the center. A first arm 29 forming one end of the link 27 is connected to the operation unit 24 via a first pin 30. A second arm 31 constituting the other end of the link 27 is connected to a plunger 32 of the solenoid 5 via a second pin 33.
The solenoid 5 has a configuration in which the plunger 32 is retracted by the magnetic attraction in the excited state, and the magnetic attraction is lost in the non-excited state. Are supported by the housing 2.

  A concave portion 34 (see FIG. 7) that opens upward is formed at the axis of the operation portion 24 having a columnar shape. A spring member 35 for urging the shutter member 4 toward the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b is inserted into the concave portion. As shown in FIG. 6, the spring member 35 includes a relatively long first compression coil spring 36 and a relatively short second compression coil spring 37.

  The diameter and the winding direction of the first compression coil spring 36 are different from the diameter and the winding direction of the second compression coil spring 37. The diameter of the first compression coil spring 36 according to this embodiment is smaller than the diameter of the second compression coil spring 37. The winding direction of the first compression coil spring 36 is opposite to the winding direction of the second compression coil spring 37. Among the first compression coil spring 36 and the second compression coil spring 37, the first compression coil spring 36 having a small diameter is inserted into the other second compression coil spring 37.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the upper end of the first compression coil spring 36 is in contact with the spring receiver 38 from below. The spring receiver 38 projects from the side wall 2a of the housing 2 as shown in FIG. The downward movement of the shutter member 4 urged downward by the spring force of the first compression coil spring 36 causes the lower end of the operation portion 24 to move to the vertical wall 16a of the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b. , 16b, 17a, and 17b.

  The blocking portion 25 of the shutter member 4 is formed in a plate shape extending in the direction in which the first rolling passage 3a and the second rolling passage 3b are arranged (left-right direction) and in the up-down direction. The width of the blocking portion 25 in the left-right direction is a width that can cross the first rolling passage 3a and the second rolling passage 3b. Both ends of the blocking portion 25 in the left-right direction are inserted into the above-described guide grooves 18 and 19 and are held by the guide grooves 18 and 19 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The shutter member 4 advances and retreats with respect to the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b by moving along the guide grooves 18 and 19.

  More specifically, the shutter member 4 is movable between an open position moved upward as shown in FIG. 5 and a closed position moved downward as shown in FIG. The shutter member 4 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is drawn in a broken state at the position indicated by the line VV in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, between the shutter member 4 that has moved to the closed position and the bottom walls 11 and 12 of the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b, a gap having a size that the pachinko ball 6 cannot pass through is provided. S is formed. The reason why the gap S is formed in this manner is that a small solenoid 5 having a short stroke is used. As shown in FIG. 6, when the shutter member 4 is in the closed position, the upper end of the second compression coil spring 37 is separated downward from the spring receiver 38.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, shutter-side protrusions 41 and 42 are protrudingly provided at both ends in the left-right direction of the blocking portion 25 and at the downstream end in the rolling direction A of the pachinko balls 6. ing. The shutter-side protrusions 41 and 42 are formed in an arc shape in a side view that protrudes toward the downstream side in the rolling direction A of the pachinko ball 6. As shown in FIG. 6, the shutter-side protrusions 41 and 42 are located below the passage-side protrusions 21 and 22 when the shutter member 4 is in the closed position, as shown in FIG. This is a position that vertically overlaps the portions 21 and 22. In this embodiment, the shutter-side protrusions 41 and 42 correspond to “first protrusions” in the present invention, and the passage-side protrusions 21 and 22 correspond to “second protrusions” in the present invention. Equivalent to.

  As shown in FIG. 7, two notches 43 are provided at the lower end of the blocking portion 25, that is, at the end on the entrance side with respect to the first and second rolling passages 3 a and 3 b in the moving direction of the shutter member 4. , 44 are formed. The notch 43 is provided at a position corresponding to the first rolling passage 3a, and the notch 44 is provided at a position corresponding to the second rolling passage 3b. These notches 43 and 44 are formed in an arc shape that is convex upward (toward the retreating side in the moving direction of the shutter member 4).

  In the shutter structure 1 of the pachinko ball rolling passage 3 configured as described above, when the solenoid 5 is energized and the solenoid 5 is excited, the plunger 32 of the solenoid 5 is retracted and the link 27 is moved in FIG. Turn clockwise. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the shutter member 4 is pulled up against the spring force of the spring member 35, and moves to the open position. In this state, the first compression coil spring 36 and the second compression coil spring 37 are compressed between the shutter member 4 and the spring receiver 38, respectively. In addition, the shutter-side protrusions 41 and 42 of the shutter member 4 overlap the upper portions of the passage-side protrusions 21 and 22 of the guide grooves 18 and 19.

By moving the shutter member 4 to the open position in this manner, the pachinko balls 6 can roll the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b to the downstream side.
To prevent the pachinko ball 6 from rolling to the downstream side, the power supply to the solenoid 5 is cut off. When the solenoid 5 is in the non-excited state, the movement of the plunger 32 is allowed, and the shutter member 4 moves downward due to the spring force of the first and second compression coil springs 36 and 37 and its own weight. . At this time, the shutter member 4 enters the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b along the guide grooves 18 and 19. With this approach, the shutter-side protrusions 41 and 42 of the shutter member 4 move downward over the passage-side protrusions 21 and 22 of the guide grooves 18 and 19, and the shutter member 4 closes as shown in FIG. Be positioned.

As the shutter member 4 moves from the open position to the closed position in this manner, the upper end of the second compression coil spring 37 that is relatively short separates from the spring receiver 38. Therefore, when the shutter member 4 is located at the closed position, the spring force of only the first compression coil spring 36 is applied to the shutter member 4.
When the shutter member 4 moves to the closed position, the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b are closed as shown in FIG. 1, and the pachinko balls 6 cannot pass. In this state, when the pachinko balls 6 are sent from the upstream side to the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b and accumulated in large numbers, the weight of the pachinko balls 6 pushes the shutter member 4 clockwise in FIG. Become like

  The force that the shutter member 4 receives from the pachinko ball 6 acts in a direction to open the shutter member 4. However, at this time, the blocking portion 25 of the shutter member 4 is pressed against the side walls (vertical walls 16b, 17b) of the guide grooves 18, 19, and the shutter-side protrusions 41, 42 and the passage-side protrusions 21, 22 are engaged. Come together. In this engaged state, the movement of the shutter member 4 in the direction of withdrawing from the first and second rolling passages 3a, 3b is restricted.

  Therefore, the pachinko balls 6 are accumulated and opened in the shutter member 4 despite the use of the shutter member 4 in which the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b cannot be completely closed. It is possible to provide a shutter structure of a rolling passage for a pachinko ball in which the shutter member 4 does not open even if a load is applied in the direction.

  When opening the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b, the solenoid 5 is energized in the state shown in FIGS. When the solenoid 5 is excited, the plunger 32 is pulled back and the link 27 turns clockwise in FIG. 1 against the spring force of the first compression coil spring 36. As the link 27 rotates, the shutter member 4 is pulled up. At this time, when the shutter member 4 starts to move upward from the closed position, the shutter-side protrusions 41 and 42 having an arc shape in a side view are pressed against the passage-side protrusions 21 and 22.

  The shutter-side protrusions 41 and 42 and the passage-side protrusions 21 and 22 according to this embodiment are formed in an arc shape in a side view, respectively. 22 smoothly rides on the passage-side protrusions 21 and 22 along the convex curved surface. That is, although the shutter-side protrusions 41 and 42 are pushed by the weight of the large number of pachinko balls 6 and are engaged with the passage-side protrusions 21 and 22, the shutter-side protrusions 41 and 42 are in contact with the passage-side protrusions. Since the shutter member 4 slides while contacting the portions 21 and 22, the shutter member 4 smoothly moves upward without applying a load between the shutter member 4 and the guide grooves 18 and 19, and the first and second rolling passages 3a. , 3b are released.

  At the lower end portion of the shutter member 4, in other words, at the end portion which is on the approach side in the moving direction of the shutter member 4, arc-shaped notches 43 and 44 projecting toward the retreating side in the moving direction of the shutter member 4 are formed. Have been. The shutter member 4 having the notches 43 and 44 moves in the direction of retreating from the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b, and the arc-shaped notches 43 and 44 are positioned above the upper edge of the pachinko ball 6. By the movement, the restriction for stopping the pachinko balls 6 is released, and the pachinko balls 6 roll down the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b. For this reason, compared with the case where the arc-shaped notches 43 and 44 are not provided, the above restriction can be released earlier, and the responsiveness of the operation of opening the first and second rolling passages 3a and 3b is improved. Get higher.

  In this embodiment, when the shutter member 4 starts moving from the closed position to the open position, the first compression coil spring 36 of the first compression coil spring 36 and the second compression coil spring 37 is used. Only compressed. For this reason, the resistance when pulling up the shutter member 4 from the closed state is smaller than when pulling up the shutter member 4 against the spring force of the first and second compression coil springs 36 and 37. As a result, the shutter member 4 quickly opens even though the shutter member 4 is pulled up in a state where the shutter-side protrusions 41 and 42 and the passage-side protrusions 21 and 22 are engaged.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Shutter structure, 3a ... 1st rolling path, 3b ... 2nd rolling path, 4 ... Shutter member, 6 ... Pachinko ball, 14 ... Left side wall, 15 ... Right side wall, 18, 19 ... Guide groove, 21, 22 ... passage-side projection (second projection), 25 ... blocking part, 41, 42 ... shutter-side projection (first projection), 43, 44 ... notch.

Claims (3)

A rolling path in which the pachinko balls roll,
A guide groove provided on a side wall forming the rolling passage, and extending in a direction crossing a rolling direction of the pachinko ball rolling in the rolling passage;
A shutter member that advances and retreats with respect to the rolling passage along the guide groove with a direction intersecting the rolling direction as a moving direction;
A first protrusion protruding from a portion of the shutter member that is a downstream end in the rolling direction;
A second projection provided in the guide groove and engaged with the first projection of the shutter member entering the rolling path. Shutter structure. The shutter structure for a rolling path for a pachinko ball according to claim 1,
The shutter structure of a pachinko ball rolling passage, wherein the first protrusion and the second protrusion are each formed in an arc shape in a side view. The shutter structure for a rolling path for a pachinko ball according to claim 1 or 2,
A rolling path for a pachinko ball, wherein an arc-shaped notch that is convex toward the retreating side in the moving direction is formed at an end of the shutter member that is on the approach side in the moving direction. Shutter structure.

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