JP2023142461A - Game ball supply device and game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To reliably supply game balls one by one by holding a ball supply member in a predetermined resting position by magnetic force of a permanent magnet.SOLUTION: In a ball supply member, a ball stopping part or a ball reception part can be rotated so as to be positioned in a game ball supply route. A permanent magnet mounted to the ball supply member can contact or separate from a core of an electromagnet following rotation of the ball supply member. The ball reception part receives game balls from the supply route when the ball supply member is positioned in a first rotation position, and the ball stopping part stops movement of succeeding game balls when the ball supply member is positioned in a second rotation position. A control part excites coils of an electromagnet such that magnetic repulsive force operates between the permanent magnet and the electromagnet so as to rotate the ball supply member from the second rotation position to the first rotation position, and demagnetizes coils of the electromagnet such that magnetic suction force operates between the permanent magnet and the electromagnet so as to rotate the ball supply member from the first rotation position to the second rotation position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

The present invention is a game ball supply device disposed in a game ball supply path for supplying game balls one by one toward a firing device of a game machine, the device comprising a rotating ball stopper portion and a ball receiver portion. The present invention relates to a game ball supply device that includes a ball supply member that can rotate the ball supply member and an electromagnet that is excited to rotate the ball supply member. In detail, the present invention provides that when the ball supply member rotates to a rotational position where the ball stopper is located in the supply path, the ball stopper comes into contact with a game ball moving along the supply path, thereby allowing the player to play the game. When the ball stops moving and the ball supply member rotates to the rotational position where the ball receiving part is located in the supply path, the ball receiving part moves from the supply path to supply the game ball toward the firing device. This invention relates to a game ball supply device that receives only one ball.

Conventionally, various game ball supply devices including a ball supply member and an electromagnet have been proposed. For example, a pachinko ball rectifier described in Patent Document 1 as a game ball supply device includes a rotatable rectifier cam as a ball supply member, a movable magnetic piece integrated with the rectifier cam, and an electromagnet. The electromagnet has an iron core and a coil wound around the iron core. When the electromagnet is energized, the movable magnetic piece is attracted to the adsorption surface of the iron core, and the rectifying cam rotates from a predetermined resting position to collect only one pachinko ball from the ball inlet of the supply path. Be in a state of acceptance. When the electromagnet is demagnetized, the rectifying cam rotates under its own weight and returns to a predetermined resting position, stopping the movement of subsequent pachinko balls sent out from the ball introduction port of the supply path and accepting them. Pachinko balls are sent out toward the launcher.

Further, a pachinko ball rectifier described in Patent Document 2 as a game ball supply device includes a rotatable rectifier cam as a ball supply member, a permanent magnet integrated with the rectifier cam, and an electromagnet. The electromagnet has an air-core coil without an iron core. When the electromagnet is energized, the electromagnet generates a strong magnetic attraction force between itself and the permanent magnet, which attracts the permanent magnet.The rectifying cam rotates from a predetermined resting position, and the ball in the supply path is rotated. Only one pachinko ball can be accepted from the introduction port. When the electromagnet is demagnetized, the rectifying cam is rotated by the total weight of the rectifying cam and the permanent magnet and returns to a predetermined rest position, stopping the movement of subsequent pachinko balls sent out from the ball inlet of the supply path. , the pachinko balls that had been accepted will be sent out toward the firing device.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-131429 Patent No. 5238218

In the pachinko ball rectifier described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the rectifying cam is rotated to a predetermined resting position by the weight of the member including the rectifying cam, and is held at the predetermined resting position by the weight. By holding the rectifying cam at a predetermined stationary position, subsequent movement of the pachinko balls can be stopped. However, during the gaming operation of the gaming machine, vibrations are generated in the gaming machine due to various factors, and the vibrations are transmitted to the rectifying cam. For example, when a user intentionally vibrates a game machine, when a firing device performs a blank firing process when a specific condition is met in a firing control sequence as described in Japanese Patent No. 4457343, or when a user Vibrations are transmitted to the commutating cam, such as when the firing device automatically performs at least one firing operation to remove Pachinko balls remaining in the firing device when the firing handle is removed. When vibrations are transmitted to the rectifying cam, the rectifying cam may inadvertently rotate from a predetermined resting position against the holding force due to the weight of members such as the rectifying cam. Inadvertent rotation of the rectifying cam may cause subsequent pachinko balls to enter the ball receiving portion of the rectifying cam and be erroneously supplied to the firing device.

The phenomenon of not being able to hold the rectifier cam at a predetermined stationary position occurs not only when vibrations are transmitted to the rectifier cam, but also due to viscous dirt such as oil from the user's fingers, or from playing games such as pachinko balls and game boards. If abrasion particles generated by friction with internal parts of the machine adhere to many pachinko balls, or depending on the situation, viscous dirt or abrasion particles may pass through the pachinko balls and adhere to the rectifying cam. be. If viscous dirt or wear powder adheres to a subsequent pachinko ball, the contact resistance of the rectifying cam to the subsequent pachinko ball increases, causing the rectifying cam to slide on the surface of the subsequent pachinko ball and move smoothly. I won't be able to do that. For this reason, in an unstable state where the rectifying cam does not completely return to its predetermined resting position, there is a risk that the ball stopping part of the rectifying cam will come into contact with the following pachinko ball and be unable to stop the subsequent pachinko ball from moving. .

Therefore, the present invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and is a game that can reliably supply game balls one by one to a firing device by holding a ball supplying member at a predetermined stationary position using the magnetic force of a permanent magnet. The purpose is to provide a ball feeding device.

A first aspect of the invention according to claim 1 is a game ball supply device that is disposed in a game ball supply path and supplies game balls one by one toward a firing device, which comprises a device frame, a ball stopper portion, and a ball stopper. A ball supplying member having a ball receiving part, the ball supplying member being rotatably attached to the device frame so that either the ball stopping part or the ball receiving part is located in the supply path, and the ball supplying member being formed from a magnetic material. An electromagnet that includes a magnetic core and a coil wound around the magnetic core, and is attached to the device frame, and a permanent magnet that is attached to the ball supply member, and that comes into contact with the magnetic core of the electromagnet as the ball supply member rotates. A permanent magnet arranged so as to be removable, and a control unit for controlling excitation of a coil of the electromagnet, when the ball supply member is located at a first rotation position such that the ball receiving portion is located in the supply path. , the ball receiving part receives the game ball from the supply path, and when the ball supply member is located at the second rotational position such that the ball stop part is located in the supply path, the ball stop part moves along the supply path. To stop the subsequent movement of game balls, the control unit causes magnetic repulsion to act between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet in order to rotate the ball supply member from the second rotation position to the first rotation position. The coil of the electromagnet is excited so that a magnetic attraction force acts between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet in order to rotate the ball supply member from the first rotation position to the second rotation position. Then, demagnetize the electromagnet coil.

In the aspect of the present invention, the gaming machine includes a pachinko machine, a slot machine, an arranged ball gaming machine, and the like, as long as the gaming machine is configured to execute a gaming operation by firing a game ball using a firing device.

In aspects of the present invention, the game ball supply path is realized in various configurations. For example, as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-314381, the game ball supply path may be configured to supply game balls from a supply tray to a firing device. Furthermore, as described in Japanese Patent No. 5035290, the game ball supply path is connected to a ball supply path in an enclosed type game machine that circulates game balls inside the game machine, and the game ball is supplied to the game ball from the game ball supply path to the game launcher. It may also be configured to supply balls.

In the aspect of the present invention, the device frame may be a frame constituting a game ball supply device, or a frame constituting a gaming machine in which the game ball supply device is mounted.

In the aspect of the present invention, the control unit may be a control unit dedicated to the game ball supply device, and may be a control unit that controls the game ball supply operation in cooperation with the operation of the game machine, or The controller may be a controller that controls the entire operation of a gaming machine in which the controller is installed.

In the aspect of the present invention, if the control unit is configured to control the excitation of the electromagnetic coil in conjunction with the firing operation of the firing device in order to execute the gaming operation, when stopping the gaming operation, the control unit controls the excitation of the electromagnetic coil in conjunction with the firing operation of the firing device. The configuration may be such that the operation of controlling excitation is not linked to the firing operation of the firing device.

In the aspect of the present invention, when the ball supply member is located at the second rotation position, the end face of the magnetic core of the electromagnet and the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet may be located with an interval, The end face of the magnetic core and the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet may be in contact with each other. If the end face of the magnetic core is in contact with the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet, there is no need to provide a special member for regulating the ball supply member to the second rotation position.

In the aspect of the present invention, if the configuration is such that a magnetic attraction force acts between the end face of the magnetic core of the electromagnet and the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet when the ball supply member is located at the second rotation position, the ball supply member can be supplied. In order to rotate the member toward the second rotation position, a weight may be provided as in the prior art.

In the aspect of the present invention, the ball supply member can be embodied in various configurations as long as it has a ball stop portion, a ball receiving portion, and a portion to which a permanent magnet is attached. For example, a structure in which a member having a ball stop portion and a ball receiving portion and a member having a portion to which a permanent magnet is attached are configured as separate members and are arranged at intervals in the direction of the rotation axis of the ball supply member. It may be.

In the aspect of the present invention, the means for attaching the permanent magnet to the ball supply member may be realized in various configurations as long as the permanent magnet rotates together with the ball supply member. For example, the ball supply member may be integrally formed with the permanent magnet by insert molding, the permanent magnet may be fixed to the ball supply member using screws and adhesive, or the permanent magnet may be fixed to the ball supply member using screws and adhesive. The configuration may be such that the ball supply member is fitted into a recessed portion of the ball supply member.

In the aspect of the present invention, the magnetic core of the electromagnet is formed of various magnetic materials as long as it allows the lines of magnetic force generated by the excitation of the coil to pass therethrough and has the property of being magnetized by the magnetic field of the permanent magnet. For example, a magnetic material such as galvanized steel sheet is used as the magnetic core of the electromagnet.

A second aspect of the invention described in claim 2 includes a firing device that fires game balls, a supply path that supplies the game balls to the firing device, and a supply path that is arranged in the supply path and sends game balls one by one toward the firing device. A game machine comprising a game ball supply device that supplies game balls, and a control unit that controls the operation of a firing device and a game ball supply device to execute a game operation, which has a device frame, a ball stopping portion, and a ball receiving portion. A ball supply member that is rotatably attached to the device frame so that either the ball stop portion or the ball receiver portion is located in the supply path, a magnetic core formed from a magnetic material, and a magnetic core. An electromagnet that includes a coil wound around a core and is attached to the device frame, and a permanent magnet that is attached to the ball supply member and is arranged so as to be able to move toward and away from the magnetic core of the electromagnet as the ball supply member rotates. When the ball supply member is located at the first rotation position such that the ball receiving part is located in the supply path, the ball receiving part receives the game ball from the supply path, and the ball stopping part receives the game ball from the supply path. When the ball supply member is located in the second rotating position so as to be located in the supply path, the ball stopper stops the movement of subsequent game balls moving along the supply path, and the electromagnetic coil is excited by the control unit. When the ball supply member is rotated from the second rotation position to the first rotation position due to the magnetic repulsion force acting between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet, the coil of the electromagnet is rotated to the control unit. When the ball supply member is demagnetized by the magnetic attraction force acting between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet, the ball supply member is rotated from the first rotation position to the second rotation position.

Similar to the first aspect of the invention, the aspect of the present invention can be embodied in various configurations. Although the aspect of the present invention does not include the control unit as an essential component, the control unit is a control unit dedicated to the game ball supply device, and is a control unit that controls the game ball supply operation in cooperation with the operation of the game machine. and a control unit that controls the entire operation of the game machine in which the game ball supply device is installed, or a single control unit that controls both the game ball supply device and the game machine. Good too.

In the specific embodiment according to claim 3, the magnetic core of the electromagnet has an end surface on which a magnetic attraction force acts between the magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet, and the magnetic core has an end surface on which a magnetic attraction force acts between the magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet and the end surface of the magnetic core. When the ball supply member rotates from the first rotation position to the second rotation position due to the magnetic attraction force acting on the magnetic attraction force, the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet and the end face of the magnetic core are positioned with a gap between them. It includes a suction rotation restriction section that restricts the second rotation position of the ball supply member.

In this specific embodiment, since the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet and the end face of the magnetic core are positioned with a gap between them, the attraction The rotation regulating section may be arranged in the device frame. Alternatively, since the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet and the end face of the magnetic core are located with a gap between them, the attraction rotation regulating part is arranged as a spacer on either the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet or the end face of the magnetic core. It may be a configuration. For example, a synthetic resin sheet or a thin non-magnetic stainless steel plate is used as the spacer.

In this specific aspect, the suction rotation regulating section may be arranged on the device frame, or on a member attached to the device frame, for example, on the magnetic core of an electromagnet.

In the specific embodiment according to claim 4, the ball stopping portion of the ball supply member has a contact surface that comes into contact with the ball surface of the game ball in order to stop the movement of the game ball moving along the supply path, and When the supply member is located at the second rotational position, the rotational moment around the rotation axis of the ball supply member generated by the magnetic attraction force acting between the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet and the end face of the magnetic core, and the game The permanent magnet and the ball stopper are arranged on the ball supply member so that the rotation moments about the rotational axis of the ball supply member generated by the pressing force applied from the ball to the contact surface of the ball stopper are in opposite directions. be done.

In this specific aspect, the magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet may be located closer to the rotational axis of the ball supplying member than the contact surface of the ball stopper, or at a position farther from the rotational axis of the ball supplying member. may be placed in Alternatively, the permanent magnet should be set so that the distance between the rotation axis of the ball supply member and the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet is approximately the same as the distance between the rotation axis of the ball supply member and the contact surface of the ball stopper. magnetic pole faces may be arranged.

In the specific embodiment according to claim 5, the ball stopping portion of the ball supplying member has a contact surface that comes into contact with the spherical surface of the game ball in order to stop the movement of the game ball moving along the supply path, and The permanent magnet and the ball stopper are arranged so that the distance between the rotation axis of the supply member and the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet is shorter than the distance between the rotation axis of the ball supply member and the contact surface of the ball stopper. is arranged on the ball supply member.

In a specific embodiment according to claim 6, the magnetic core of the electromagnet has an end surface on which a magnetic repulsion force acts between the magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet and the magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet when the coil of the electromagnet is excited by the control unit, When the ball supply member rotates from the second rotation position to the first rotation position due to the magnetic repulsion force acting between the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet and the end face of the magnetic core, the first rotation of the ball supply member The ball supplying member includes a repulsion rotation regulating section disposed on the device frame to regulate the position, and the ball supplying member has a repulsion abutment section that abuts the repulsion rotation regulation section when located at the first rotation position, and It has a first arm portion and a second arm portion each extending in different radial directions from the rotational axis of the supply member, and the permanent magnet is disposed in the first arm portion and is connected to the ball stop portion, the ball receiving portion, and the repulsion contact. The contact portion is arranged on the second arm portion.

In this specific aspect, the repulsive contact portion may be located closer to the rotation axis of the ball supply member than the ball stop portion and the ball receiving portion, or may be located farther from the rotation axis of the ball supply member. may be placed in Alternatively, the repulsion contact may be made such that the distance between the rotation axis of the ball supply member and the repulsion contact portion is approximately the same as the distance between the rotation axis of the ball supply member and the ball stop portion and the ball receiving portion. A contact portion may be arranged.

In a specific embodiment according to claim 7, the magnetic core of the electromagnet has an end surface on which a magnetic attraction force acts between the magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet, and the magnetic core has an end surface on which a magnetic attraction force acts between the magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet and the end surface of the magnetic core. When the ball supply member rotates from the first rotation position to the second rotation position due to the magnetic attraction force acting on the ball supply member, an attraction disposed on the device frame to regulate the second rotation position of the ball supply member. The ball supply member includes a rotation restriction portion, and the ball supply member has a suction contact portion that abuts the suction rotation restriction portion when located at the second rotation position, and a suction contact portion that extends in different radial directions from the rotation axis of the ball supply member. It has a first arm part and a second arm part, the permanent magnet is arranged in the first arm part, the ball stop part and the ball receiving part are arranged in the second arm part, and the suction abutting part is arranged in the first arm part. It is arranged in the second arm portion at a position closer to the rotation axis of the ball supply member than the stop portion and the ball receiving portion.

In a specific embodiment according to claim 8, the magnetic core of the electromagnet has an end surface on which a magnetic attraction force acts between the magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet and extends in the vertical direction, and the ball supply member has a vertically extending end surface. When located at the second rotational position, the first arm portion extends in the vertical direction from the rotational axis of the ball supply member, and the permanent magnet is disposed at a portion of the first arm portion that faces the end surface of the magnetic core of the electromagnet. When the ball supply member is in the second rotation position, the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet extends in the vertical direction.

In a specific embodiment according to claim 9, a magnetic flux guide formed of a magnetic material is provided for guiding the magnetic flux generated by the electromagnet when the coil of the electromagnet is excited towards a permanent magnet attached to the ball supply member. The magnetic core of the electromagnet has one end on which magnetic repulsion acts with the permanent magnet and the other end located on the opposite side of the one end, and the magnetic core of the electromagnet has The member has a working end disposed proximate a permanent magnet attached to the ball supply member and is connected to the other end of the magnetic core at a location remote from the working end.

In this specific aspect, the magnetic flux guiding member is configured to be integrally fixed to the other end of the magnetic core if it is connected to the other end of the magnetic core so that magnetic flux is induced. Alternatively, it may be configured to contact and engage with the other end of the magnetic core.

In a specific embodiment according to claim 10, the working end of the magnetic flux guiding member is arranged when the ball supplying member is in the first rotational position than the permanent magnet which is arranged when the ball supplying member is in the second rotational position. attached to the device frame or electromagnet so as to be located in close proximity to the permanent magnet in which it is placed when in position;

In this specific embodiment, various configurations are possible as a configuration in which the magnetic flux guiding member is attached so as to be located close to the permanent magnet. For example, consider a configuration in which the magnetic flux guiding member is attached only to the device frame, a configuration in which it is attached only to the components that make up the electromagnet other than the magnetic core and coil, or a configuration in which it is attached in cooperation with the device frame and the electromagnet components. It will be done.

A third aspect of the invention according to claim 11 provides a firing device that fires game balls according to the operation of a firing handle, a supply path that supplies game balls to the firing device, and a supply path that is arranged in the supply path and that shoots game balls one by one. A game ball supplying device that supplies a game ball toward a firing device, and a control unit that controls the operation of the firing device and the game ball supplying device to execute a gaming operation, the game ball supplying device comprising: A ball supplying member having an apparatus frame, a ball stopper part and a ball receiver part, the ball supply member being rotatably attached to the apparatus frame so that either the ball stopper part or the ball receiver part is located in the supply path. an electromagnet that includes a magnetic core formed from a magnetic material and a coil wound around the magnetic core and that is attached to the device frame; and a permanent magnet that is attached to the ball supply member, and that a permanent magnet disposed so as to be able to move toward and away from the magnetic core of the electromagnet, and when the ball supply member is located at the first rotating position such that the ball receiving portion is located in the supply path, the ball receiving portion receives a game ball from the supply path, and when the ball supply member is located in the second rotation position such that the ball stop portion is located in the supply path, the subsequent game ball whose ball stop portion moves along the supply path. The controller stops the movement of the ball supply member from the second rotation position to the first rotation position so that a magnetic repulsion force acts between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet. The electromagnet is configured such that a magnetic attraction force acts between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet in order to excite the coil of the electromagnet and rotate the ball supply member from the first rotation position to the second rotation position. An electromagnet control process that demagnetizes the coil, a game execution control process that causes the firing device to execute each firing operation in conjunction with each excitation of the electromagnet coil in an operating state where the firing handle is operated, and a game execution control process that causes the firing device to execute each firing operation in conjunction with each excitation of the electromagnet coil, and when the firing handle is in an operating state. When the game changes from a state in which it is not operated to a state in which it is not operated, a game stop control process is executed in which the firing device is caused to perform at least one firing operation in a state in which the coil of the electromagnet is demagnetized.

The aspect of the present invention, like the first aspect of the invention, the second aspect of the invention, and the specific aspects thereof, can be embodied in various configurations. In the aspect of the present invention, the control unit is a control unit dedicated to the game ball supply device, and includes a control unit that executes a control operation in cooperation with the operation of the game machine, and a control unit for the game ball supply device in which the game ball supply device is installed. It may be configured to include a control section that controls the entire system, or it may be a single control section that controls both the game ball supply device and the gaming machine.

In the first aspect of the invention, when the ball supply member is located at the first rotation position such that the ball receiving portion is located in the supply path, the ball receiving portion receives the game ball from the supply path. When the ball supply member is located at the second rotational position such that the ball stop portion is located in the supply path, the ball stop portion stops the subsequent game ball from moving along the supply path. The control unit excites the coil of the electromagnet so that a magnetic repulsion force acts between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet in order to rotate the ball supply member from the second rotation position to the first rotation position. do. The control unit demagnetizes the coil of the electromagnet so that a magnetic attraction force acts between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet in order to rotate the ball supply member from the first rotation position to the second rotation position. do. As a result, by holding the ball supply member at the second rotating position, which is a predetermined stationary position, by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet, game balls can be reliably supplied one by one toward the firing device.

In the second aspect of the invention, when the ball supply member is located at the first rotation position such that the ball receiving portion is located in the supply path, the ball receiving portion receives the game ball from the supply path. When the ball supply member is located at the second rotational position such that the ball stop portion is located in the supply path, the ball stop portion stops the subsequent game ball from moving along the supply path. When the coil of the electromagnet is excited by the control unit, the ball supply member is rotated from the second rotation position to the first rotation position due to the magnetic repulsion force that acts between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet. do. When the coil of the electromagnet is demagnetized by the control unit, the ball supply member is rotated from the first rotation position to the second rotation position due to the magnetic attraction force acting between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet. do. As a result, by holding the ball supply member at the second rotating position, which is a predetermined stationary position, by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet, game balls can be reliably supplied one by one toward the firing device.

In the specific aspect according to claim 3, the attraction rotation regulating portion moves the ball supply member from the first rotation position to the second rotation position by a magnetic attraction force acting between the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet and the end face of the magnetic core. The second rotational position of the ball supply member is regulated so that the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet and the end face of the magnetic core are spaced apart from each other when the ball supply member is rotated to the rotational position. As a result, compared to the case where the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet and the end face of the magnetic core come into contact, the magnetic attraction force can be suppressed, and when the coil of the electromagnet is excited, the ball supply member is moved to the second rotation position. It can be smoothly rotated from the position toward the first rotation position.

In the specific embodiment according to claim 4, when the ball supply member is located at the second rotational position, the ball supply is generated by the magnetic attraction force acting between the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet and the end face of the magnetic core. so that the rotation moment around the rotation axis of the member and the rotation moment around the rotation axis of the ball supply member generated by the pressing force acting from the game ball on the contact surface of the ball stop portion are in opposite directions, A permanent magnet and a ball stop portion are disposed on the ball supply member. As a result, when the rotation of the ball supply member is restricted, the collision force acting from the ball supply member on the suction rotation restriction portion can be reduced.

In the specific embodiment according to claim 5, the distance between the rotation axis of the ball supply member and the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet is the distance between the rotation axis of the ball supply member and the contact surface of the ball stop portion. A permanent magnet and a ball stop portion are arranged on the ball supply member so that it is shorter. As a result, even with a small rotation of the permanent magnet, the ball stop portion can be rotated greatly, and the ball receiving portion can reliably receive the following game ball.

In the specific aspect of claim 6, the repulsion rotation regulating portion moves the ball supply member from the second rotation position to the first rotation position by a magnetic repulsion force acting between the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet and the end face of the magnetic core. When rotating to the rotation position, the first rotation position of the ball supply member is regulated. The repulsive contact portion contacts the repulsive rotation regulating portion when the ball supply member is located at the first rotation position. The ball supply member has a repulsive abutment portion, and a first arm portion and a second arm portion each extending in different radial directions from the rotational axis of the ball supply member. The permanent magnet is arranged in the first arm part, and the ball stop part, the ball receiving part, and the repulsive contact part are arranged in the second arm part. As a result, the repulsive contact portion directly restricts the rotation of the second arm portion in which the ball stop portion and the ball receiver portion are arranged, thereby stopping the ball receiver portion at the first rotation position with high positional accuracy. I can do it.

In the specific aspect according to claim 7, the attraction rotation regulating portion moves the ball supply member from the first rotation position to the second rotation position by the magnetic attraction force acting between the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet and the end face of the magnetic core. When rotating to the rotation position, the second rotation position of the ball supply member is regulated. The suction contact portion contacts the suction rotation restriction portion when the ball supply member is located at the second rotation position. The permanent magnet is disposed on the first arm portion of the ball supply member, the ball stop portion and the ball receiver portion are disposed on the second arm portion of the ball supply member, and the suction abutment portion is disposed on the ball stop portion and the ball receiver portion. It is arranged in the second arm portion at a position closer to the rotational axis of the ball supply member. As a result, the suction contact portion cooperates with the suction rotation restriction portion to directly restrict the rotation of the second arm portion where the ball stop portion is placed, thereby positioning the ball stop portion with high position accuracy and quickly. It is possible to stop the following game balls reliably.

In a specific embodiment according to claim 8, the magnetic core of the electromagnet has an end surface extending in the vertical direction, which is an end surface on which a magnetic attraction force acts between the magnetic core and the magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet. When the ball supply member is located in the second rotational position, the first arm portion extends in a vertical direction from the rotation axis of the ball supply member. The permanent magnet is disposed at a portion of the first arm portion facing the end surface of the magnetic core of the electromagnet, and when the ball supply member is located at the second rotational position, the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet extends in the vertical direction. As a result, when the ball supply member is located in the second rotation position, the magnetic attraction force acts on the ball supply member in the horizontal direction, and the gravitational force due to the weight of the first arm portion is directed toward the rotation axis of the ball supply member. Therefore, the influence of the ball supply member's own weight can be reduced, and the ball supply member can be reliably held at the second rotating position by the magnetic attraction force.

In a specific embodiment according to claim 9, the magnetic flux guide member guides the magnetic flux generated by the electromagnet when the coil of the electromagnet is excited toward the permanent magnet attached to the ball supply member. The working end of the flux guiding member is positioned proximate a permanent magnet attached to the ball supply member. As a result, the magnetic flux generated by the electromagnet when the electromagnet's coil is excited can be effectively guided toward the permanent magnet, and a strong magnetic repulsion force can be applied to the permanent magnet.

In a specific embodiment according to claim 10, the working end of the magnetic flux guiding member is arranged when the ball supplying member is in the first rotational position than the permanent magnet which is arranged when the ball supplying member is in the second rotational position. located in close proximity to a permanent magnet that is placed when in position. As a result, a strong magnetic repulsion force can be applied to the permanent magnet placed when the ball supply member is located at the first rotation position, and the ball supply member can be reliably held at the first rotation position. I can do it.

In the third aspect of the invention as set forth in claim 11, when the ball supply member is located at the first rotation position such that the ball receiving portion is located in the supply path, the ball receiving portion receives the game ball from the supply path. When the ball supply member is located at the second rotational position such that the ball stop portion is located in the supply path, the ball stop portion stops the subsequent game ball from moving along the supply path. The control unit excites the coil of the electromagnet so that a magnetic repulsion force acts between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet in order to rotate the ball supply member from the second rotation position to the first rotation position. and an electromagnet that demagnetizes the coil of the electromagnet so that a magnetic attraction force acts between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet in order to rotate the ball supply member from the first rotation position to the second rotation position. control processing; game execution control processing that causes the firing device to perform each firing operation in conjunction with each excitation of the electromagnetic coil in an operating state where the firing handle is operated; When changing, a game stop control process is executed to cause the firing device to perform at least one firing operation in a state where the coil of the electromagnet is demagnetized. As a result, even if at least one firing operation is executed due to the execution of the game stop control process, the firing device can maintain the ball supply member at the second rotating position, which is a predetermined stationary position, by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet. It is possible to prevent the game balls from being accidentally fed towards the player.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a perspective view of the game ball supply device 1 which is an embodiment of this invention seen from the front. It is a rear view of the game ball supply device 1 seen from the rear. It is an exploded perspective view of the game ball supply device 1 seen from the front. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the base frame 10 seen from the front in a state in which various parts are assembled to the base frame 10 and a cover 12 is removed. FIG. 5 is a front view of the base frame 10 in the state shown in FIG. 4 when viewed from the front. It is a front view of the ball supply member 14 seen from the front. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the ball supply member 14 taken along the line XX shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the ball supply member 14 taken along the YY line shown in FIG. 6. FIG. It is a side view of the ball supply member 14 seen from the right. 6 is a sectional view of the base frame 10 and the ball supply member 14 taken along the ZZ line shown in FIG. 5 with the cover 12 removed. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a ball feeding electromagnet 16. FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the ball feeding electromagnet 16 in an exploded manner. It is a front view showing the ball feeding magnet 16 seen from the front. 6 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 5, illustrating a state in which the ball supply member 14 is located at the first rotation position when the ball feeding electromagnet 16 is turned on. FIG. 6 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 5, illustrating a state in which the ball feeding member 14 is located at the second rotational position when the ball feeding electromagnet 16 is turned off. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the ball supply member 14 and the ball feeding electromagnet 16 in FIG. 15. FIG. It is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a gaming machine in which a game ball supply device 1 according to the present embodiment is installed. It is a flowchart showing firing control processing when the power is turned on in the gaming machine. It is a flowchart showing firing control processing during a gaming operation in a gaming machine.

[Embodiment]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The game ball supply device of the present invention can be installed in both an enclosed type game machine and a non-enclosed type game machine, but the game ball supply device of this embodiment is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-301239, etc. It is installed in an enclosed game machine equipped with the disclosed lifting mechanism. A lifting mechanism equipped with a screw conveyor rotated by a drive motor in order to lift and transport game balls collected from a gaming area along a transfer route is well known from Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 56-130783. There is. The game balls lifted by the lifting mechanism are transferred to the game ball supply device from the exit of the transfer path. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the game ball supply device 1 of this embodiment. The three directions indicated by arrows in FIG. 1 are defined as the up-down direction, the front-back direction, and the left-right direction, and the thus defined directions are indicated by arrows in the drawings from FIG. 2 onwards.

<Detailed configuration of game ball supply device 1>
The detailed configuration of the game ball supply device 1 will be explained with reference mainly to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the game ball supply device 1 seen from the rear, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the game ball supply device 1 seen from the front. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the base frame 10 seen from the front in a state in which various parts are assembled to the base frame 10 and the cover 12 is removed, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the base frame in the state shown in FIG. 10 is a front view of the vehicle as seen from the front. The game ball supply device 1 includes a base frame 10 and a cover 12. After various parts such as a ball supply member 14, a ball feeding magnet 16, and a sensor are assembled to the base frame 10, the cover 12 is attached to the front. It is assembled into a unit by being attached to the base frame 10. The game ball supply device 1 of this embodiment is connected to a unitized firing device by a fixing means such as a screw on the front side where the cover 12 is attached in a state where the cover 12 is attached to the base frame 10. . The connected combination of the game ball supply device 1 and the firing device is fixed to the frame of the game machine by fixing means such as screws.

≪Detailed configuration of base frame 10≫
The detailed configuration of the base frame 10 will be explained with reference mainly to FIGS. 3 and 5. The base frame 10 is formed into a substantially rectangular plate shape and is molded from a synthetic resin material. The base frame 10 includes a recess 20, as shown in FIG. The recess 20 is formed to be open to the front and includes a housing recess 22 and a ball feeding recess 24 . As shown in FIG. 5, the accommodation recess 22 forms a space in which the ball supply member 14 is accommodated. The ball feeding recess 24 forms a passage through which game balls are fed toward the accommodation recess 22, and as shown in FIG. 5, is inclined downward to the left. A housing opening 26 is formed in the base frame 10 at a position above the housing recess 22 and penetrating in the front-rear direction. The accommodation opening 26 forms a space in which the ball feeding magnet 16 is accommodated, as shown in FIG. An inlet opening 28 is formed in the base frame 10 at the right end position of the ball feeding recess 24 so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction. The entrance opening 28 forms a space through which the game ball enters the ball feeding recess 24. The ball engaging surface 30 is formed in an arc shape so as to come into contact with a part of the spherical surface of the game ball, and is arranged at the left end position of the ball feeding recess 24, as shown in FIG.

A shaft support hole 32 is formed in the rear wall 22A that forms the housing recess 22. The rotation shaft 34 is supported by the base frame 10 in a state in which the rear end portion of the rotation shaft 34 fits into the shaft support hole 32, thereby protruding forward from the rear wall portion 22A. As shown in FIG. 5, the first support opening 36 is formed to penetrate in the front-rear direction at a position above the left end position of the ball feeding recess 24. As shown in FIG. 5, the second support opening 38 is formed to penetrate in the front-rear direction at a position below the left end position of the ball feeding recess 24. The first ball detection sensor 40 is attached to the base frame 10 by screws 42 while fitting into the first support opening 36 . The first ball detection sensor 40 generates a ball detection signal when detecting a game ball present at the left end position of the ball feeding recess 24. The second ball detection sensor 44 is attached to the base frame 10 by screws 46 while fitting into the second support opening 38 . The second ball detection sensor 44 is arranged to detect that a plurality of game balls are erroneously supplied from the game ball supply device 1 toward the launch rail HR (see FIG. 10) of the launch device. In this embodiment, the detection operation of the second ball detection sensor 44 is not directly related to the supply operation of the game ball supply device 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the third support opening 48 is formed to penetrate in the front-rear direction at the middle of the lower end of the base frame 10. A third ball detection sensor (not shown) is fitted into the third support opening 48 and attached to the base frame 10 with screws. The third ball detection sensor detects a fouled game ball, and its detection operation is not directly related to the supply operation of the game ball supply device 1.

A suction rotation restriction portion 50 and a repulsion rotation restriction portion 52 are formed on a wall defining the accommodation recess 22 . As shown in FIG. 5, the suction rotation restriction portion 50 is formed on a wall portion that slopes downward to the right at a position below the accommodation recess 22, and has a flat surface. The repulsion rotation regulating portion 52 is formed at a position above the accommodation recess 22 and protrudes downward from a wall portion adjacent to the left end position of the ball feeding recess 24 . A pair of locking grooves 54 and 56 are formed at the left end position of the base frame 10 to extend in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the locking opening 58 is formed at the right end position of the base frame 10 and opens toward the right.

≪Detailed configuration of cover 12≫
The detailed configuration of the cover 12 will be explained with reference mainly to FIGS. 1 to 3. The cover 12 is formed to cover the recess 20 of the base frame 10 from the front, and is molded from a synthetic resin material. The cover 12 includes a ball delivery opening 60, a locking pawl 62, and a pair of locking pieces 64, 66. The ball delivery opening 60 is formed at approximately the center of the lower end of the cover 12 and extends through the cover 12 in the front-rear direction. The ball delivery opening 60 has a guide surface 60A that slopes downward toward the front. The guide surface 60A guides the game ball sent out from the accommodation recess 22 toward the firing rail HR of the firing device. The locking pawl 62 is bent rearward at the right end position of the cover 12 . The locking pawl 62 engages with the locking opening 58 of the base frame 10. The pair of locking pieces 64 and 66 are configured to be elastically deformable and are formed to protrude rearward at the left end position of the cover 12. The pair of locking pieces 64 and 66 engage with the pair of locking grooves 54 and 56 of the base frame 10, respectively. With the cover 12 attached to the base frame 10 by a pair of locking pieces 64, 66, etc., screw 68 shown in FIG. 3 into the screw hole of the cover 12 from the rear of the base frame 10 through the insertion hole 70. By doing so, the cover 12 is fixed to the base frame 10.

<<Detailed configuration of ball supply member 14>>
The detailed configuration of the ball supply member 14 will be explained with reference mainly to FIGS. 6 to 10. 6 is a front view of the ball supply member 14 seen from the front, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the ball supply member 14 taken along the line XX shown in FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the ball supply member 14 taken along the YY line shown in FIG. 6, and FIG. 9 is a side view of the ball supply member 14 seen from the right side. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the base frame 10 and the ball supply member 14 taken along the ZZ line shown in FIG. 5 with the cover 12 removed. The ball supply member 14 is formed into a substantially L-shape and is molded from a synthetic resin material. The ball supply member 14 includes a rotation hole 72, a first arm portion 73, a second arm portion 74, a ball stop portion 76, and a ball receiving portion 78. The rotation hole 72 is formed to penetrate in the front-rear direction so that the rotation shaft 34 can be inserted therethrough. In FIG. 6, the first arm portion 73 extends diagonally upward from the position where the rotation hole 72 is formed, and the second arm portion 74 extends rightward from the position where the rotation hole 72 is formed. Specifically, the first arm portion 73 extends diagonally upward along a first reference line RL1 that passes through the center of the rotation hole 72 and extends diagonally upward. The second arm portion 74 extends substantially to the right along a second reference line RL2 that is perpendicular to the first reference line RL1 and passes through the center of the rotation hole 72. The ball stop portion 76 is formed at the right end portion of the second arm portion 74 and is positioned above the second reference line RL2. The ball stop portion 76 has an abutment surface 76A that comes into contact with a portion of the spherical surface of the game ball. FIG. 10 shows a state in which the contact surface 76A of the ball stopping portion 76 comes into contact with the game ball K1 and stops supplying the game ball K1. The ball receiving portion 78 is formed at the right end portion of the second arm portion 74 and is positioned below the ball stop portion 76 . The ball receiving portion 78 has an arc-shaped ball receiving surface 78A that comes into contact with approximately half the spherical surface of the game ball. The ball receiving surface 78A includes a downwardly inclined end surface 78B. The downwardly inclined end surface 78B is formed to be inclined downwardly toward the front at the lower end portion of the ball receiving surface 78A. The ball receiving surface 78A can form a continuous arc-shaped curved surface together with the ball engaging surface 30 shown in FIG. 3 in order to accommodate the game ball received from the ball feeding recess 24. The downwardly inclined end surface 78B can form a continuous front-down inclined surface together with the guide surface 60A shown in FIG. 3 in order to send out the game ball toward the firing rail HR of the firing device (see FIG. 10). FIG. 10 shows a state in which the game ball K2 indicated by the two-dot chain line is sent out along the downwardly inclined end surface 78B, and after rolling to the position indicated by the solid line, the game ball K2 is positioned on the launch rail HR. .

The ball supply member 14 further includes a circular magnet accommodating recess 80 when viewed from the left as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the magnet accommodating recess 80 is formed at the upper end portion of the first arm portion 73 so as to be largely open to the front. The magnet housing recess 80 includes a pair of wall portions 80A and 80B that face each other with an interval in the substantially left-right direction. The pair of walls 80A and 80B each have an inner wall surface that defines the accommodation space of the magnet accommodation recess 80, as shown in FIG. The inner wall surfaces of the pair of wall portions 80A and 80B are formed so as to be parallel to the first reference line RL1 and spread in the front-rear direction. The outer wall surface 80C located on the right side of the wall portion 80A is formed flat so as to be parallel to the first reference line RL1 and spread in the front-rear direction. A circular permanent magnet 82 is inserted between the pair of walls 80A and 80B through an opening that opens to the front of the magnet housing recess 80. An elastic locking pawl 84 is formed at the front end portion of the wall portion 80A. The elastic locking pawl 84 engages with the circumferential surface of the permanent magnet 82 in order to prevent the permanent magnet 82 housed in the magnet accommodating recess 80 from falling off from the front. The permanent magnet 82 accommodated in the magnet accommodating recess 80 has a magnetic pole face located on the right side and a magnetic pole face located on the left side in FIG. 6 . For example, the magnetic pole face located on the right side is magnetized to the north pole, and the magnetic pole face located on the left side is magnetized to the south pole.

A suction abutment portion 86 and a repulsion abutment portion 88 are formed on the second arm portion 74, respectively. The suction contact portion 86 is disposed at the lower end portion of the second arm portion 74 at a position closer to the rotation hole 72 than the ball receiving surface 78A, and is formed to protrude downward from the second arm portion 74. In FIG. 5, the suction abutting portion 86 can come into contact with the suction rotation regulating portion 50 in order to restrict rotation of the ball supply member 14 in the clockwise direction. The repulsive abutting portion 88 is disposed in the upper end portion of the second arm portion 74 in close proximity to the ball stop portion 76 . In FIG. 5, the repulsion contact portion 88 can abut against the repulsion rotation regulating portion 52 in order to restrict rotation of the ball supply member 14 in the counterclockwise direction.

≪Detailed configuration of ball feeding magnet 16≫
The detailed configuration of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 will be explained with reference mainly to FIGS. 11 to 13. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the ball feeding electromagnet 16, and FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing the ball feeding electromagnet 16 in an exploded manner. FIG. 13 is a front view showing the ball feeding magnet 16 seen from the front. Ball feeding electromagnet 16 includes a coil bobbin 90, a coil 92, and a pair of magnetic cores 94 and 96. The coil bobbin 90 includes a pair of flanges 90A, 90B and a cylindrical portion disposed between the flanges 90A, 90B, and is molded from a synthetic resin material having electrical insulation properties. The coil bobbin 90 has an insertion hole 90C that penetrates in the vertical direction. The coil 92 is wound around the cylindrical portion of the coil bobbin 90 many times. Both terminals of the coil 92 are connected to a firing control section 204, which will be described later, via an outlet 98. The pair of magnetic cores 94, 96 are formed from a magnetic material such as galvanized steel. In FIG. 12, a pair of magnetic cores 94, 96 have the same shape and dimensions and include core extensions 94A, 96A and working ends 94B, 96B. The core extension parts 94A and 96A extend long in the vertical direction and are respectively inserted into the insertion hole 90C of the coil bobbin 90 from below. When the core extensions 94A, 96A are inserted, the operating ends 94B, 96B are arranged to protrude downward from the collar 90B of the coil bobbin 90, as shown in FIG. The upper end portion is arranged to protrude upward from the collar portion 90A of the coil bobbin 90. As shown in FIG. 12, the working end surfaces 94C and 96C are formed in a flat shape in the vertical direction at the left end portions of the working ends 94B and 96B, respectively. The total area of the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C is set to be smaller than the circular area of each magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82. Attachment holes 94D, 96D are formed to extend through the operating ends 94B, 96B in the front-rear direction. The ball feeding electromagnet 16 is assembled by inserting the pair of magnetic cores 94 and 96 into the insertion hole 90C in a state in which they are in close contact with each other in the front-rear direction as shown in FIG. The assembled ball feeding magnet 16 is attached to the base frame 10 as shown in FIG. 5 by inserting the screws 98 shown in FIG. can be attached to.

The magnetic flux guiding member 100 includes a ball feeding electromagnet in order to form a magnetic circuit that induces the magnetic flux generated from the ball feeding electromagnet 16 or the magnetic flux generated from the permanent magnet 82, as shown by a dashed line in FIG. 16. As shown in FIG. 3, the magnetic flux guiding member 100 is bent into an L-shape and is made of a magnetic material such as a galvanized steel plate. The magnetic flux guiding member 100 includes an extending portion 100A extending rightward and a hanging portion 100B extending downward. A pair of holding protrusions 102 and 104 are formed in the extending portion 100A of the magnetic flux guiding member 100 so as to protrude rearward. A retaining groove 106 is formed between the pair of retaining protrusions 102 and 104 and is open to the rear. A holding engagement piece 108 is formed in a lower portion of the hanging portion 100B of the magnetic flux guiding member 100 so as to protrude rearward. In the assembled ball feeding electromagnet 16, both upper ends of the core extensions 94A and 96A fit into the holding grooves 106, so that the magnetic flux guiding member 100 is assembled to the ball feeding electromagnet 16. As shown in FIG. 3, the pair of holding protrusions 102 and 104 of the magnetic flux guide member 100 assembled to the ball feeding electromagnet 16 and both upper ends of the core extension parts 94A and 96A are connected to the housing opening of the base frame 10, as shown in FIG. The holding recess 110 formed in the upper portion of the portion 26 is fitted into the holding recess 110 . The retaining engagement piece 108 fits into a retaining opening 112 formed on the left side of the receiving opening 26 for the ball feed magnet 16, as shown in FIG. The pair of holding protrusions 102 and 104 fit into the holding recess 110, and the holding engagement piece 108 fits into the holding opening 112, thereby holding the magnetic flux guiding member 100 on the base frame 10. When the ball feeding magnet 16 is attached to the base frame 10, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 16 described later, the hanging portion 100B extends to a position close to the operating end surfaces 94C, 96C of the operating ends 94B, 96B. Extends downward. The lower end portion of the hanging portion 100B is located outside the rotation range of the first arm portion 73 of the ball supply member 14 and close to the permanent magnet 82 disposed on the first arm portion 73.

≪Rotation position of ball supply member 14≫
The rotational position of the ball supply member 14 will be explained with reference mainly to FIGS. 14 to 16. FIG. 14 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 5, showing a state in which the ball supplying member 14 is located at the first rotation position by the ball feeding electromagnet 16 being turned on, that is, being excited. FIG. 15 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 5, showing a state in which the ball feeding member 14 is located at the second rotation position when the ball feeding electromagnet 16 is turned off, that is, demagnetized. FIG. 16 is an enlarged explanatory diagram showing the ball supply member 14 and ball feeding magnet 16 in FIG. 15. As shown in FIG.

(Arrangement of each part of the ball supply member 14 at the first rotation position)
The arrangement of each part of the ball supply member 14 at the first rotation position will be described with reference to FIG. 14. When the ball feeding electromagnet 16 is turned on, a magnetic repulsive force acts between the operating end surfaces 94C, 96C of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 and the permanent magnet 82 due to the magnetic force of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 and the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 82. do. Due to the magnetic repulsion, the ball supply member 14 rotates counterclockwise about the rotation axis 34 in FIG. 14 . When the repulsive contact portion 88 of the ball supply member 14 contacts the repulsion rotation restriction portion 52 of the base frame 10, the ball supply member 14 stops rotating and is positioned at the first rotation position. In the first rotation position, the outer wall surface 80C of the wall portion 80A of the ball supply member 14 is located away from the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C of the ball feeding electromagnet 16, and the right magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82 is located on the magnetic flux guiding member. 100 to a position close to the lower end portion of the hanging portion 100B. In the first rotational position, the ball receiving portion 78 of the ball supply member 14 is positioned to face the ball feeding recess 24 . The ball receiving surface 78A of the ball receiving portion 78 receives the game ball K11 located furthest to the left among the many game balls arranged inside the ball feeding recess 24. When the ball receiving surface 78A receives one game ball, the many game balls arranged inside the ball feeding recess 24 are moved to the left by an amount corresponding to the size of one game ball in FIG. Move to. When the ball feeding electromagnet 16 is assembled to the base frame 10, the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 extend in the vertical direction, that is, in the vertical direction, as shown in FIG.

(Arrangement of each part of the ball supply member 14 at the second rotation position)
The arrangement of each part of the ball supply member 14 at the second rotation position will be explained with reference to FIG. 15. When the ball feeding electromagnet 16 is turned off, a magnetic attraction force acts between the working end surfaces 94C, 96C of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 and the permanent magnet 82 due to the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 82. Due to the magnetic attraction force, the ball supply member 14 rotates from the first rotation position in a clockwise direction about the rotation axis 34 in FIG. 15 . When the suction contact portion 86 of the ball supply member 14 contacts the suction rotation restriction portion 50 of the base frame 10, the ball supply member 14 stops rotating and is positioned at the second rotation position. In the second rotational position, the outer wall surface 80C of the wall portion 80A of the ball feeding member 14 is located very close to the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C of the ball feeding electromagnet 16. In the second rotational position, the right side magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet 82 is located very close to the working end faces 94C, 96C, and the left side magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet 82 is located in close proximity to the depending portion 100B of the magnetic flux guiding member 100. It is located close to the lower end and on the right side of the lower end. In the second rotational position, the ball stop portion 76 of the ball supply member 14 is positioned to face the ball feeding recess 24 . As shown in FIG. 16, in the second rotational position, the right magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82 and the outer wall surface 80C face each other parallel to the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C with a slight interval therebetween. The contact surface 76A of the ball stopping portion 76 contacts a part of the spherical surface of the game ball K12, and stops the game ball K12 from moving to the left. The game ball K12 is the subsequent game ball located immediately to the right of the game ball K11 received by the ball receiving surface 78A in FIG.

In the second rotation position, the ball receiving surface 78A of the ball receiving portion 78 forms a continuous arc-shaped curved surface together with the ball engaging surface 30 of the base frame 10. In FIG. 14, the game ball K11 received by the ball receiving surface 78A is accommodated in the curved space formed by the ball receiving surface 78A and the ball engaging surface 30. The accommodated game ball K11 is guided toward the firing rail HR of the firing device (see FIG. 10) by the downwardly inclined end surface 78B of the ball receiving portion 78 and the guide surface 60A of the cover 12.

In FIG. 16, position P1 is the position where the resultant force of the magnetic attraction forces acting between the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 and the permanent magnet 82 is applied, and is located on the right magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet 82. Represents the approximate center position in the vertical direction. Position P2 is the position where the resultant force of the pressing force applied to the contact surface 76A of the ball stopper portion 76 in FIG. 76A. Position P3 represents the center position of the contact surface of the suction contact portion 86. The position CP represents the center position of the rotation shaft 34, that is, the position of the rotation axis of the rotation shaft 34. At the second rotational position, the rotational moment around the rotational axis acting on the right magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet 82 due to the resultant force of the magnetic attraction forces acts clockwise in FIG. 16, and the ball is supplied by the resultant force of the pressing forces. The rotational moment about the rotation axis acting on the contact surface 76A of the member 14 acts counterclockwise in FIG. 16. The distance L1 between the positions CP and P1 is set to be shorter than the distance L2 between the positions CP and P2, and longer than the distance L3 between the positions CP and P3. In the second rotational position, the first arm portion 73 of the ball feeding member 14 is positioned so as to extend in the vertical direction from the position CP, and the right magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82 also extends from the ball feeding electromagnet 16. It is located so as to extend in the vertical direction, parallel to the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C. In the second rotational position, the permanent magnet 82 is located on an extension line extending vertically through the position CP.

<Electrical configuration of the game machine in which the game ball supply device 1 is installed>
The electrical configuration of the game machine in which the game ball supply device 1 is mounted will be explained with reference to FIG. 17. FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the gaming machine. Since the electrical configuration of the gaming machine is known from Japanese Patent No. 4457343, etc., the electrical configuration related to the gaming ball supply device 1 of this embodiment will be mainly explained.

The main control section 200 is a control section that manages the overall control operation of the gaming machine, and sends various commands to a payout control section 202 that is a lower control section. The payout control unit 202 controls the payout of game balls according to commands from the main control unit 200, and also transmits various commands to the launch control unit 204, which is a lower control unit. The payout control unit 202 includes a CPU and a program ROM. The CPU selects and sequentially executes programs from a large number of programs stored in the program ROM according to instructions from the main control unit 200. The payout control unit 202 controls the lifting operation of a known lifting mechanism in order to lift the game balls collected from the gaming area along the transfer route. The lifting mechanism includes a screw conveyor, a lifting drive motor 210 that rotates the screw conveyor, and a lifting exit sensor 212 that detects the presence of game balls at the exit of the transfer path of the lifting mechanism. The dispensing control unit 202 is connected to a lifting drive motor 210 and a lifting exit sensor 212, respectively. The dispensing control unit 202 includes a drive unit that drives a lifting drive motor 210. The large number of programs stored in the program ROM include a program that executes firing control when the power is turned on as shown in FIG. 18, and a program that executes firing control during gaming operations as shown in FIG.

The firing control unit 204 controls the firing operation of the firing device according to instructions from the dispensing control unit 202. The firing device includes a firing handle and a firing solenoid 220 that drives a firing hammer, and is of known construction. The firing handle includes a touch sensor 222 and a firing stop button 224, and has a known configuration. The firing control unit 204 is connected to the ball feeding magnet 16, the first ball detection sensor 40, the touch sensor 222, the firing stop button 224, and the firing solenoid 220, respectively. The firing control section 204 includes a drive section that drives the ball feeding electromagnet 16 and the firing solenoid 220, respectively.

<Launching control of the game machine and operation of the game ball supply device 1 in the firing control>
The firing control of the game machine and the operation of the game ball supply device 1 in the firing control will be explained with reference mainly to FIGS. 18 and 19. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing firing control at power-on, which is executed when the gaming machine is powered on and the main control unit 200, payout control unit 202, and firing control unit 204 start control operations. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing firing control during a gaming operation that is executed when a gaming operation is executed after the firing control when the power is turned on is completed. In the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, processes SA1 to SA5 and processes SB1 to SB12 are processes executed by the CPU of the payout control unit 202.

≪Fire control when power is turned on≫
The firing control when the power is turned on will be explained with reference to FIG. 18. When the gaming machine is powered on and power is supplied to the control units 200 to 204, the payout control unit 202 executes a program for controlling firing when the power is turned on, as shown in FIG. In process SA1, the payout control unit 202 rotationally drives the lifting drive motor 210. When the lifting drive motor 210 is rotationally driven, the game balls are lifted and conveyed by the screw conveyor along the transfer path of the lifting mechanism.

In process SA2, the payout control unit 202 determines whether the lift exit sensor 212 has detected the presence of a game ball. If the presence of game balls is not detected (SA2: NO), process SA1 is executed again. If the presence of a game ball is detected (SA2: YES), processing SA3 is executed.

In process SA3, the payout control unit 202 determines whether the first ball detection sensor 40 has detected the presence of a game ball. In order to execute process SA3, the payout control unit 202 receives a detection signal from the first ball detection sensor 40 via the launch control unit 204. If the presence of a game ball is not detected (SA3: NO), process SA3 is executed again. When the presence of a game ball is detected (SA3: YES), processing SA4 is executed.

In process SA4, the payout control unit 202 transmits a command to the firing control unit 204 so that the ball feeding electromagnet 16 is turned off. In accordance with the command from the payout control unit 202, the firing control unit 204 maintains the power supply to the coil 92 of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 in a stopped state. In a state where the ball feeding electromagnet 16 is turned off, the ball feeding member 14 is located at the second rotational position shown in FIG. 15. In the second rotational position, the ball stop portion 76 contacts the game ball K12 and stops the game ball K12 from being fed toward the firing device.

In process SA5, the dispensing control unit 202 transmits a command to the firing control unit 204 so that the on/off operation of the firing solenoid 220 is executed three times in succession. According to the command from the dispensing control section 202, the firing control section 204 executes the on/off operation of the firing solenoid 220 three times in succession. Specifically, the launch control unit 204 turns on the launch solenoid 220 to cause the launch hammer to perform a ball-hitting operation in a state where no game ball is present on the launch rail HR. After the ball hitting operation, the firing control section 204 turns off the firing solenoid 220. A combination of one ON operation and one OFF operation of the firing solenoid 220 is regarded as one dry firing operation, and three dry firing operations are performed. By performing these three blank firing operations, it is possible to reliably eject the game balls that erroneously remain on the launch rail HR before the start of the game operation. The current value supplied to the firing solenoid 220 in each blank firing operation is preset to a constant current value that can eject the game ball from the firing rail HR. After three blank firing operations are performed, firing control at power-on ends. When three blank firing operations are performed, mechanical vibrations are transmitted to the base frame 10 as the firing hammer moves, thereby causing the ball supply member 14 to vibrate. Despite the vibration of the ball supply member 14, the ball supply member 14 is held at the second rotating position by the magnetic attraction force of the permanent magnet 82, and the ball stop portion 76 reliably stops the movement of the game ball K12. be able to.

≪Fire control during game operation≫
The firing control during the game operation will be explained with reference to FIG. 19. After the firing control at the time of power-on is completed, the payout control unit 202 executes the program for the firing control during the gaming operation shown in FIG. 19. In process SB1, the payout control unit 202 determines whether the touch sensor 222 detects contact with the firing handle by the player's finger. In order to execute process SB1, the payout control unit 202 receives a detection signal from the touch sensor 222 via the firing control unit 204. When the player grasps the firing handle and contacts the touch sensor 222 in order to fire a game ball from the firing device, the payout control unit 202 determines that the touch sensor 222 has detected the contact (SB1: YED), and performs processing. Execute SB2. If the player is not holding the firing handle, the payout control unit 202 determines that the touch sensor 222 has not detected contact (SB1: NO), and executes the process SB1 again.

In process SB2, the payout control unit 202 determines whether or not the firing stop button 224 has been pressed by the player's finger. In order to execute process SB2, the payout control unit 202 receives a press operation signal of the shot stop button 224 via the shot control unit 204. When the player presses the stop firing button 224 in contact with the touch sensor 222 in order to stop firing the game ball, the payout control unit 202 determines that the stop firing button 224 has been pressed (SB2: YES). ), execute processing SB1 again. If the player does not press the firing stop button 224 while in contact with the touch sensor 222, the payout control unit 202 determines that the firing stop button 224 is not pressed (SB2: NO) and executes process SB3. .

In process SB3, the payout control unit 202 transmits a command to the firing control unit 204 so that the ball feeding electromagnet 16 performs an on/off operation only once. In accordance with the command from the payout control unit 202, the firing control unit 204 supplies power to the coil 92 of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 to excite the coil 92, that is, turns on the ball feeding electromagnet 16. After that, the firing control unit 204 stops supplying power to the coil 92 and demagnetizes the coil 92, that is, turns off the ball feeding electromagnet 16. When the ball feeding electromagnet 16 is turned on, a magnetic repulsion force acts between the working end surfaces 94C, 96C of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 and the permanent magnet 82, and the ball feeding member 14 is moved from the second rotational position shown in FIG. 14 to the first rotation position. By rotating to the first rotation position, the ball receiving surface 78A of the ball supply member 14 receives one game ball. Thereafter, by turning off the ball feeding electromagnet 16, a magnetic attraction force acts between the operating end surfaces 94C, 96C of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 and the permanent magnet 82, and the ball feeding member 14 moves from the first rotating position to the second rotating position. Rotate to the rotation position. By rotating to the second rotation position, the contact surface 76A of the ball stopping portion 76 of the ball supply member 14 comes into contact with the subsequent game ball to stop the movement of the subsequent game ball. Further, by the rotation to the second rotation position, the game ball received by the ball receiving surface 78A is supplied toward the firing rail HR of the firing device.

In process SB4, the dispensing control unit 202 transmits a command to the firing control unit 204 so that the on/off operation of the firing solenoid 220 is executed once. According to the command from the dispensing control section 202, the firing control section 204 executes the on/off operation of the firing solenoid 220 once. The firing control unit 204 turns on the firing solenoid 220 when the firing handle is rotated by a predetermined angle or more by the player, and excites the firing solenoid 220 with a current value corresponding to the rotation angle of the firing handle. By energizing the firing solenoid 220, the firing hammer hits the game ball on the firing rail HR. After that, firing control section 204 turns off firing solenoid 220.

In process SB5, payout control unit 202 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of process SB5. If the predetermined time has not elapsed (SB5: NO), process SB6 is executed. If the predetermined time has elapsed (SB5: YES), process SB9 is executed. The predetermined time is a time determined by the game rules.

In process SB6, the payout control unit 202 determines whether the lift exit sensor 212 has detected the presence of a game ball. If the presence of a game ball is not detected (SB6: NO), process SB7 is executed. If the presence of a game ball is detected (SB6: YES), processing SB8 is executed.

In process SB7, the payout control unit 202 rotationally drives the lifting drive motor 210. When the lifting drive motor 210 is rotationally driven, the game balls are lifted and conveyed by the screw conveyor along the transfer path of the lifting mechanism.

In process SB8, the payout control unit 202 determines whether the first ball detection sensor 40 has detected the presence of a game ball. In order to execute process SB8, the payout control unit 202 receives a detection signal from the first ball detection sensor 40 via the firing control unit 204. If the presence of a game ball is not detected (SB8: NO), process SB8 is executed again. If the presence of a game ball is detected (SB8: YES), process SB5 is executed again.

In process SB9, the payout control unit 202 determines whether the touch sensor 222 detects contact with the firing handle by the player's finger. In order to execute process SB9, the payout control unit 202 receives a detection signal from the touch sensor 222 via the firing control unit 204. When the player grasps the firing handle and contacts the touch sensor 222 in order to fire a game ball from the firing device, the payout control unit 202 determines that the touch sensor 222 has detected the contact (SB9: YED), and performs processing. Execute SB10. If the player is not holding the firing handle, the payout control unit 202 determines that the touch sensor 222 has not detected contact (S91: NO), and executes process SB11.

In process SB10, the payout control unit 202 determines whether or not the firing stop button 224 has been pressed by the player's finger. In order to execute process SB10, the payout control unit 202 receives a press operation signal of the shot stop button 224 via the shot control unit 204. When the player presses the stop firing button 224 in contact with the touch sensor 222 in order to stop firing the game balls, the payout control unit 202 determines that the stop firing button 224 has been pressed (SB10: YES). ), process SB9 is executed again. If the player does not press the stop firing button 224 while in contact with the touch sensor 222, the payout control unit 202 determines that the stop firing button 224 is not pressed (SB10: NO) and executes process SB3 again. do.

In process SB11, the payout control unit 202 transmits a command to the firing control unit 204 so that the ball feeding electromagnet 16 is turned off. In accordance with the command from the payout control unit 202, the firing control unit 204 maintains the power supply to the coil 92 of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 in a stopped state. In a state where the ball feeding electromagnet 16 is turned off, the ball feeding member 14 is located at the second rotational position shown in FIG. 15. In the second rotational position, the ball stop portion 76 contacts the game ball K12 and stops the game ball K12 from being supplied toward the firing device.

In process SB12, the dispensing control unit 202 transmits a command to the firing control unit 204 so that the on/off operation of the firing solenoid 220 is executed three times in succession. According to the command from the dispensing control section 202, the firing control section 204 executes the on/off operation of the firing solenoid 220 three times in succession. Specifically, the launch control unit 204 turns on the launch solenoid 220 to cause the launch hammer to perform a ball-hitting operation in a state where no game ball is present on the launch rail HR. After the ball hitting operation, the firing control section 204 turns off the firing solenoid 220. A combination of one ON operation and one OFF operation of the firing solenoid 220 is regarded as one dry firing operation, and three dry firing operations are performed. A game in which, when a player restarts the game after temporarily stopping the game by taking his or her finger off the firing handle, the player mistakenly remains on the firing rail HR before restarting the game due to three blank firing operations. The ball can be ejected reliably. The current value supplied to the firing solenoid 220 in each blank firing operation is preset to a constant current value that can eject the game ball from the firing rail HR. When three blank firing operations are performed, mechanical vibrations are transmitted to the base frame 10 as the firing hammer moves, thereby causing the ball supply member 14 to vibrate. Despite the vibration of the ball supply member 14, the ball supply member 14 is held at the second rotating position by the magnetic attraction force of the permanent magnet 82, as in process SA5, and the ball stop portion 76 is held at the second rotating position, as in process SA5. The movement of can be reliably stopped.

After executing process SB12, payout control unit 202 returns to process SB1 and executes process SB1 again. A series of processes SB1 to SB12 are repeatedly executed while power is being supplied to the gaming machine.

<Effects of embodiment>
In this embodiment, the ball supply member 14 is rotated from the second rotation position to the first rotation position due to the magnetic repulsion force acting between the right side magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82 and the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C of the ball feeding electromagnet 16. position and is held at the first rotation position. The ball supply member 14 rotates from the first rotation position to the second rotation position due to the magnetic attraction force acting between the right side magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82 and the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C of the ball feeding electromagnet 16. and is held in the second rotation position. As a result, the rotational position of the ball supply member 14 can be switched smoothly and reliably. In addition, by holding the ball supply member 14 in the second rotating position by the magnetic attraction force of the permanent magnet 82, incorrect supply of game balls due to vibration of the game machine or dirt on the game balls is prevented, and the game To reliably feed balls one by one toward a firing device. Furthermore, when the coil 92 of the ball feeding electromagnet 82 is demagnetized, the ball feeding member 14 is held in the second rotating position by the magnetic attraction force of the permanent magnet 82, so that the current to the coil 92 is reduced when the game is stopped. This eliminates the need for power supply, contributing to power savings.

In this embodiment, the dispensing control unit 202 and the firing control unit 204 operate the permanent magnet 82 and the magnetic core 94 of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 in order to rotate the ball supply member 14 from the second rotation position to the first rotation position. , 96 so that the coil 92 of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 is excited, and the permanent magnet is used to rotate the ball supplying member 14 from the first rotation position to the second rotation position. Process SB3, which is an electromagnet control process for demagnetizing the coil 92 of the ball feeding magnet 16, and the firing handle are operated so that a magnetic attraction force acts between the ball feeding magnet 82 and the magnetic cores 94, 96 of the ball feeding magnet 16. In the operating state, in conjunction with each excitation of the coil 92 of the ball feeding electromagnet 16, process SB4 is a game execution control process that causes the firing device to execute each firing operation, and the firing handle changes from the operating state to the non-operated state. (SB9: NO), process SB12 is a game stop control process that causes the firing device to perform three firing operations, that is, three blank firing operations in a state where the coil 92 of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 is demagnetized. Execute. As a result, when the player resumes the game after temporarily stopping the game by taking his/her finger off the firing handle, the player may accidentally hit the firing rail HR before restarting the game due to three blank firing operations. The remaining game balls can be reliably discharged. Further, when the blank firing operation is executed three times by executing the game stop control process, mechanical vibrations are transmitted to the base frame 10 as the firing hammer moves, thereby causing the ball supply member 14 to vibrate. Despite the vibration of the ball supply member 14, the ball supply member 14 is held at the second rotating position by the magnetic attraction force of the permanent magnet 82, and the ball stop portion 76 reliably stops the movement of the game ball K12. be able to.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 are positioned close to the right magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82 of the ball feeding member 14 located in the second rotation position. Placed. As shown in FIG. 16, the lower end portion of the hanging portion 100B of the magnetic flux guiding member 100 attached to the ball feeding electromagnet 16 is outside the rotation range of the permanent magnet 82 of the ball supplying member 14 around the rotation axis 34. It extends as close as possible to the left magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet 82. As a result, the magnetic flux generated from the permanent magnet 82 is reliably guided with magnetic flux leakage reduced by the magnetic circuit formed by the magnetic cores 94 and 96 having operating end surfaces 94C and 96C and the magnetic flux guiding member 100. be done. The ball supply member 14 can be reliably held in the second rotational position by the large magnetic attraction force generated through reliable guidance of the magnetic flux.

In this embodiment, the magnetic flux guide member 100 is configured by a member separate from the magnetic cores 94 and 96 of the ball feeding electromagnet 16. The magnetic flux guiding member 100 is magnetically coupled to the magnetic cores 94 and 96 by fitting the holding grooves 106 of the magnetic flux guiding member 100 with the upper end portions of the core extensions 94A and 96A. The pair of holding protrusions 102 and 104 of the magnetic flux guiding member 100 fit into the holding recess 110 of the base frame 10, and the holding engagement piece 108 of the magnetic flux guiding member 100 fits into the holding opening 112 of the base frame 10. do. By these fittings, the magnetic flux guide member 100 is positioned with high accuracy with respect to the base frame 10, and is at a constant relative position with respect to both the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C and the permanent magnet 82 in the second rotation position. The magnetic flux guiding member 100 can be placed accurately.

In this embodiment, the permanent magnet 82 is accommodated in the magnet accommodation recess 80 by being inserted through the opening of the magnet accommodation recess 80 formed in the ball supply member 14, as shown in FIG. By engaging the elastic locking pawl 84 with the circumferential surface of the permanent magnet 82, it is possible to prevent the permanent magnet 82 from falling out of the magnet accommodating recess 80. The magnet accommodating recess 80 and the elastic locking pawl 84 allow the permanent magnet 82 to be easily and accurately placed at a predetermined position on the ball supply member 14 .

In this embodiment, the ball supply member 14 has a first arm portion 73 and a second arm portion 74. The first arm portion 73 and the second arm portion 74 each extend in radial directions at different angles from the center position CP of the rotation shaft 34. The permanent magnet 82 is disposed on the first arm portion 73 , and the ball stop portion 76 and the ball receiving portion 78 are disposed on the second arm portion 74 . The distance L1 between the approximate center position P1 in the vertical direction of the right side magnetic pole face facing the operating end faces 94C and 96C among both magnetic pole faces of the permanent magnet 82 and the center position CP of the rotating shaft 34 is determined by the distance L1 between the center position CP of the rotation shaft 34 The distance is set to be shorter than the distance L2 between the position P2 on the contact surface 76A and the center position CP, and the ball receiving surface closest to the center position CP among the ball receiving surfaces 78A of the ball receiving portion 78 The distance is set to be shorter than the receiving surface distance between the position of the part and the center position CP. Due to the structure having two arm parts, the ball stop part 76 and the ball receiver part 78 can be positioned close to the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C without being restricted by the position of the ball supply member 14. A permanent magnet 82 can be arranged. Furthermore, since the distance L1 is set to be shorter than the distance L2 and the receiving surface distance, even if the rotation angle of the permanent magnet 82 is small, the contact surface 76A and the ball receiving surface 78A can be moved at a relatively large angle. It can be rotated, and it is possible to reliably supply and stop game balls.

In this embodiment, in the second rotational position, the right magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82 faces the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C with a small distance from the wall 80A, as shown in FIG. As a result, compared to a configuration in which the right magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82 directly contacts the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C, the ball supply member 14 can be rotated from the second rotation position to the first rotation position. The excitation current of the coil 92 of the sending magnet 16 can be set to a small current value.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, both magnetic pole surfaces of the permanent magnet 82 at the first rotation position are closer to the magnetic flux guiding member 100 than both magnetic pole surfaces of the permanent magnet 82 at the second rotation position. It is located near the lower end of the hanging portion 100B. In a state where the coil 92 of the ball feeding electromagnet 82 is demagnetized, the ball feeding member 14 can be returned to the second rotation position by the magnetic attraction force between the permanent magnet 82 and the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C. The rotational positions of both magnetic pole faces of the permanent magnet 82 at the first rotational position are determined by the repulsive rotation regulating portion 52 and the repulsive abutting portion 88 . As a result, in a state where the coil 92 of the ball feeding electromagnet 82 is excited, a strong magnetic repulsion force is applied to the permanent magnet 82 that is placed when the ball feeding member 14 is located at the first rotation position, and the ball feeding magnet 82 is magnetized. The member 14 can be reliably held at the first rotational position. Further, in a state where the coil 92 of the ball feeding electromagnet 82 is demagnetized, the magnetic attraction force of the permanent magnet 82 allows the ball feeding member 14 to be quickly returned from the first rotation position to the second rotation position.

In this embodiment, the repulsive rotation regulating portion 52 moves the ball supply member 14 from the second rotation position to the first rotation position by a magnetic repulsion force acting between the right magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82 and the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C. When rotating to the rotation position, the first rotation position of the ball supply member 14 is regulated. The repulsion contact portion 88 abuts against the repulsion rotation regulating portion 52 when the ball supply member 14 is located at the first rotation position. The ball supply member 14 has a repulsive abutment portion 88 and a first arm portion 73 and a second arm portion 74 that extend in different radial directions from the rotational axis of the ball supply member 14 . The permanent magnet 82 is disposed on the first arm portion 73 , and the ball stop portion 76 , the ball receiving portion 78 , and the repulsive contact portion 88 are disposed on the second arm portion 74 . As a result, the repulsive contact portion 88 directly restricts the rotation of the second arm portion 74 in which the ball stop portion 76 and the ball receiver portion 78 are arranged, thereby positioning the ball receiver portion 76 at the first rotation position. It can be stopped accurately.

In this embodiment, the attraction rotation regulating section 50 moves the ball supply member 14 from the first rotation position to the second rotation position by the magnetic attraction force acting between the right magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82 and the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C. When rotating to the rotation position, the second rotation position of the ball supply member 14 is regulated. The suction abutting portion 86 abuts the suction rotation regulating portion 50 when the ball supply member 14 is located at the second rotation position. The permanent magnet 82 is disposed on the first arm portion 73 of the ball supply member 14, the ball stop portion 76 and the ball receiving portion 78 are disposed on the second arm portion 74 of the ball supply member 14, and the suction abutting portion 86 is disposed on the second arm portion 74 of the ball supply member 14. , is disposed on the second arm portion 74 at a position closer to the rotational axis of the ball supply member 14 than the ball stop portion 76 and the ball receiving portion 78 . As a result, the suction abutment portion 86 cooperates with the suction rotation restriction portion 50 to directly restrict the rotation of the second arm portion 74 on which the ball stop portion 76 is disposed. It can be stopped quickly and with good positional accuracy, and subsequent game balls can be stopped reliably.

In this embodiment, the magnetic cores 94 and 96 of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 are end surfaces on which a magnetic attraction force acts between them and the right magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82, and have operating end surfaces 94C and 96C that extend in the vertical direction. have When the ball supply member 14 is located in the second rotational position, the first arm portion 73 extends in the vertical direction from the rotation axis of the ball supply member 14 . The permanent magnet 82 is disposed in a position close to the outer wall surface 80C of the first arm portion 73 that faces the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C of the ball feeding electromagnet 16, and when the ball feeding member 14 is located in the second rotating position, , the right magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet 82 extends in the vertical direction. As a result, when the ball supply member 14 is located at the second rotation position, the magnetic attraction force acts on the ball supply member 14 in the horizontal direction, and the gravity due to the weight of the first arm portion 73 causes the rotation of the ball supply member 14. Since it acts toward the dynamic axis, the influence of the ball supply member 14's own weight can be reduced, and the ball supply member 14 can be reliably held at the second rotating position by the magnetic attraction force.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, when the ball supply member 14 is located at the second rotation position, the right magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82 and the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C of the magnetic cores 94 and 96 are connected. It is generated by the rotational moment around the rotation axis of the ball supply member 14 generated by the magnetic attraction force acting between the balls and the pressing force acting on the contact surface 76A of the ball stop portion 76 from the game ball K12 and the subsequent game ball. The permanent magnet 14 and the ball stop portion 76 are arranged on the ball supply member 14 such that the rotation moments of the ball supply member 14 about the rotation axis are in opposite directions. As a result, when the rotation of the ball supply member 14 is restricted, the collision force acting from the ball supply member 14 on the suction rotation restriction portion 50 of the base frame 10 can be reduced.

In this embodiment, the magnetic cores 94 and 96 of the ball feeding electromagnet 16 have operating end surfaces 94C and 96C on which a magnetic attraction force acts between them and the right magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82. When the ball supply member 14 rotates from the first rotation position to the second rotation position due to the magnetic attraction force acting between the right side magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82 and the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C, the ball supply member 14 rotates from the first rotation position to the second rotation position. The base frame 10 includes a suction rotation restriction section 50 in order to restrict the second rotation position of the rotation position 14 . The ball supply member 14 has a suction abutting portion 86 that abuts the suction rotation regulating portion 50 when located at the second rotation position. The distance L3 between the position CP, which is the position of the rotational axis of the ball supply member 14, and the suction abutting portion 86 is set to be shorter than the distance L1 between the position CP and the right magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet 82. , a suction abutment portion 86 and a permanent magnet 82 are arranged on the ball supply member 14 . As a result, the suction abutting portion 86 cooperates with the suction rotation restricting portion 50, compared to the case where the suction abutting portion 86 is disposed farther from the position CP, which is the position of the rotation axis of the ball supply member 14. By restricting the rotation of the ball supply member 14 at a position close to the rotation axis of the ball supply member 14, the ball supply member 14 between the rotation axis of the ball supply member 14 and the suction contact portion 86 is It is possible to reduce the deformation of the portion, and the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet 82 can be stopped with good positional accuracy with respect to the operating end faces 94C, 96C of the magnetic cores 94, 96.

<Configuration correspondence>
The game ball supply device 1 and the game machine equipped with the game ball supply device 1 are examples of the game ball supply device and game machine of the present invention. Base frame 10 is an example of a device frame of the present invention. The ball supply member 14 is an example of the ball supply member of the present invention. The ball feeding electromagnet 16 is an example of the electromagnet of the present invention. The ball feeding recess 24 and the game ball passageway through which the ball feeding recess 24 is connected through the inlet opening 28 are examples of the supply path of the present invention. The axis passing through the center position CP of the rotation shaft 34 is an example of the rotation axis of the present invention. The suction rotation restriction section 50 and the repulsion rotation restriction section 52 are an example of the suction rotation restriction section and an example of the repulsion rotation restriction section of the present invention. The first arm portion 73 and the second arm portion 74 are an example of the first arm portion and an example of the second arm portion of the present invention. The ball stop portion 76 and the contact surface 76A are an example of a ball stop portion and an example of a contact surface of the present invention. The ball receiving portion 78 is an example of the ball receiving portion of the present invention. Permanent magnet 82 is an example of a permanent magnet of the present invention. The right magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82 shown in FIG. 16 is an example of the magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet of the present invention. The suction contact portion 86 and the repulsion contact portion 88 are an example of the suction contact portion and the repulsion contact portion of the present invention. The coil 92 and the magnetic cores 94 and 96 are an example of a coil and an example of a magnetic core of the present invention. The operating end surfaces 94C and 96C are examples of the end surfaces of the magnetic core of the present invention. The working ends 94B and 96B are examples of one end of the magnetic core of the present invention, and both upper ends of the core extension portions 94A and 96A are examples of the other end of the magnetic core of the present invention. . The magnetic flux guiding member 100 is an example of the magnetic flux guiding member of the present invention. The lower end of the hanging portion 100B of the magnetic flux guiding member 100 is an example of the working end of the magnetic flux guiding member of the present invention. The combination of the main control section 200, the payout control section 202, and the firing control section 204 is an example of the control section of the present invention. A firing device including a firing rail HR and a firing solenoid 220 is an example of a firing device of the present invention. Game balls K1, K2, K11, and K12 are examples of game balls of the present invention. The axis passing through the center position CP of the rotation shaft 34 is an example of the rotation axis of the present invention. The distance L1 between the center position CP and the position P1 is an example of the "distance between the rotation axis of the ball supply member and the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet" of the present invention. The distance L2 between the center position CP and the position P2 is an example of the "distance between the rotation axis of the ball supply member and the contact surface of the ball stop portion" of the present invention. Process SB3 is an example of the electromagnet control process of the present invention. Process SB4 is an example of the game execution control process of the present invention. Process SB12 is an example of the game stop control process of the present invention.

[Modified example]
The present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit thereof. An example of this modification will be described below.

(1) In this embodiment, in order to rotate the ball supply member 14 from the second rotation position to the first rotation position, the right magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet 82 is excited by the coil 92 of the ball feeding magnet 16. Although the configuration is such that a magnetic repulsion force is applied between the actuating end surfaces 94C and 96C, the configuration is not limited to this configuration. For example, when a magnetic member is attached to the ball supply member 14 and the coil 92 of the ball feed magnet 16 is excited, the magnetic force from the ball feed magnet 16 exerts a magnetic repulsion force on the permanent magnet 82 on the ball supply member 14. At the same time, the magnetic force from the ball feeding electromagnet 16 may be used to apply a magnetic attraction force to the magnetic member on the ball feeding member 14 .

(2) In the present embodiment, the firing solenoid 220 performs the blank firing operation three times in the process SA5 and the process SB12, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, firing solenoid 220 may be configured to perform one blank firing operation. Even in one blank firing operation, impact vibration from the firing device may be transmitted to the base frame 10 and cause the ball supply member 14 to vibrate. Even in this case, the ball supply member 14 can be reliably held at the second rotational position by the magnetic attraction between the magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82 and the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C.

(3) In the present embodiment, processes SB11 and SB12 are executed when the player takes his/her finger off the firing handle to temporarily stop the game, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, if it is not necessary to discharge game balls that remain in the launch rail HR by mistake before restarting the game after a pause, return to process SB1 without executing processes SB11 and SB12. may be configured to be executed again.

(4) In this embodiment, the firing device is configured to include the firing solenoid 220, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, as described in Japanese Patent No. 4457343, the firing device may include a firing motor instead of the firing solenoid.

(5) In this embodiment, the magnetic flux guiding member 100 is assembled to the ball feeding electromagnet 16, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, if the influence of magnetic flux leakage on attraction and repulsion to the permanent magnet 82 is small, a configuration that does not include the magnetic flux guiding member 100 may be used.

(6) In this embodiment, the game ball supply device 1 and the firing device are connected to form a unit, and the impact vibration of the firing device is easily transmitted to the game ball supply device 1. Not limited to configuration. The game ball supply device 1 and the firing device may be configured to be separately attached to the frame of the game machine.

(7) In the present embodiment, the suction contact portion 86 and the repulsion contact portion 88 are arranged separately at different positions on the ball supply member 14, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, one protruding portion is formed on the ball supply member 14, a pair of regulating portions facing each other with an interval are formed on the base frame 10, and the protruding portion is disposed between the two regulating portions. Good too. In this modification, one protruding portion has the functions of both the suction abutment portion 86 and the repulsion abutment portion 88 .

(8) In this embodiment, since the right magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82 and the working end surfaces 94C, 96C are located with a gap between them, the right magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet 82 and the working end surfaces 94C, 96C Although the suction rotation regulating portion 50 and the suction abutting portion 86 are arranged so that a gap is formed between the two, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, since the right magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet 82 and the operating end faces 94C and 96C are located with a gap between them, the attraction rotation regulating portion is placed as a spacer on either the magnetic pole face or the operating end face of the permanent magnet. The configuration may be such that As the spacer, a synthetic resin sheet or a non-magnetic stainless steel thin plate can be used, and in addition to this, a low-repulsion rubber sheet or hard felt can also be used.

(9) In this embodiment, the ball supply member 14 has a first arm portion 73 and a second arm portion 74, the permanent magnet 82 is disposed in the first arm portion 73, and the ball stop portion 76 and the ball receiving portion 78 is disposed on the second arm portion 74, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, the ball supply member is composed of one rotating arm that can rotate around a rotation axis, the ball stopping part and the ball receiving part are arranged at the tip side of the rotating arm, and the permanent magnet is , it may be arranged in an intermediate portion of the rotating arm portion closer to the rotating shaft than the ball stop portion and the ball receiving portion.

(10) In the present embodiment, the game ball supply device 1 includes the base frame 10 having the ball feeding recess 24, and the game ball passage to which the ball feeding recess 24 is connected through the entrance opening 28 is defined by the present invention. constitutes a supply route. Although the game ball supply device 1 has a ball feeding recess 24 that forms a part of the supply path, it is not limited to this structure. For example, the game ball supply device may have a configuration that does not include a portion such as the ball feeding recess 24 that forms a part of the supply path.

(11) In this embodiment, in the second rotation position, the permanent magnet 82 is arranged on the ball supply member 14 so as to be located on an extension line extending in the vertical direction through the position CP; It is not limited to this configuration. For example, in the second rotational position, the permanent magnet may be configured to face the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C at a position rotated to the right from the position of the permanent magnet 82 shown in FIG. The permanent magnet 82 may be configured to face the operating end surfaces 94C and 96C at a position rotated to the left from the position of the permanent magnet 82 shown.

1 Game ball supply device 10 Base frame 14 Ball supply member 16 Ball feeding magnet 24 Ball feeding recess 34 Rotation shaft 50 Attraction rotation restriction portion 52 Repulsion rotation restriction portion 73 First arm portion 74 Second arm portion 76 Ball Stop portion 76A Contact surface 78 Ball receiving portion 86 Attraction contact portion 88 Repulsion contact portion 94C, 96C Operating end surface 82 Permanent magnet 92 Coils 94, 96 Magnetic cores 94A, 96A Core extension portion 100 Magnetic flux guiding member 100A Extension portion 100B Drooping portion 200 Main control unit 202 Payout control unit 204 Launch control unit HR Launch rails of the launch device K1, K2, K11, K12 Game ball CP Center positions L1 to L3 of the rotation shaft 34 Each of the positions CP and P1 to P3 distance between locations

Claims (11)

A game ball supply device that is disposed in a game ball supply path and supplies game balls one by one toward a firing device,
a device frame;
A ball supply member having a ball stop portion and a ball receiver portion, the ball supply member being rotatably attached to the device frame so that either the ball stop portion or the ball receiver portion is located in the supply path;
an electromagnet that includes a magnetic core formed from a magnetic material and a coil wound around the magnetic core and that is attached to the device frame;
a permanent magnet attached to the ball supply member, the permanent magnet being arranged so as to be able to move toward and away from the magnetic core of the electromagnet as the ball supply member rotates;
A control unit that controls the excitation of the electromagnet coil,
When the ball supply member is located in the first rotation position so that the ball receiving part is located in the supply path, the ball receiving part receives the game ball from the supply path and the ball stop part is placed in the supply path. When the supply member is located at the second rotation position, the ball stop portion stops the subsequent game ball from moving along the supply path;
The control unit excites the coil of the electromagnet so that a magnetic repulsion force acts between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet in order to rotate the ball supply member from the second rotation position to the first rotation position. A game in which the coil of the electromagnet is demagnetized so that a magnetic attraction force acts between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet in order to rotate the ball supply member from the first rotation position to the second rotation position. Ball feeding device. A firing device that fires game balls, a supply path that supplies game balls to the firing device, a game ball supply device that is disposed in the supply path and supplies game balls one by one toward the firing device, and executes a gaming operation. A gaming machine comprising: a control unit that controls the operation of a firing device and a game ball supplying device in order to
a device frame;
A ball supply member having a ball stop portion and a ball receiver portion, the ball supply member being rotatably attached to the device frame so that either the ball stop portion or the ball receiver portion is located in the supply path;
an electromagnet that includes a magnetic core formed from a magnetic material and a coil wound around the magnetic core and that is attached to the device frame;
A permanent magnet attached to the ball supply member, the permanent magnet being arranged so as to be able to move toward and away from the magnetic core of the electromagnet as the ball supply member rotates,
When the ball supply member is located in the first rotation position so that the ball receiving part is located in the supply path, the ball receiving part receives the game ball from the supply path and the ball stop part is placed in the supply path. When the supply member is located at the second rotation position, the ball stop portion stops the subsequent game ball from moving along the supply path;
When the coil of the electromagnet is excited by the control unit, the ball supply member is rotated from the second rotation position to the first rotation position due to the magnetic repulsion force that acts between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet. death,
When the coil of the electromagnet is demagnetized by the control unit, the ball supply member is rotated from the first rotation position to the second rotation position due to the magnetic attraction force acting between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet. Game ball supply device. The magnetic core of the electromagnet has an end surface on which a magnetic attraction force acts between the magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet,
When the ball supply member rotates from the first rotating position to the second rotating position due to the magnetic attraction force acting between the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet and the end face of the magnetic core, the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet and the magnetic core 3. The game ball supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a suction rotation regulating section that regulates the second rotation position of the ball supply member so that the second rotation position of the ball supply member is positioned at a distance from the end surface of the ball supply member. The ball stopping portion of the ball supply member has a contact surface that comes into contact with the ball surface of the game ball in order to stop the movement of the game ball moving along the supply path,
A rotational moment about the rotational axis of the ball supplying member generated by a magnetic attraction force acting between the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet and the end face of the magnetic core when the ball supplying member is located at the second rotational position; The permanent magnet and the ball stopper are attached to the ball supply member so that the rotational moment about the rotation axis of the ball supply member generated by the pressing force applied from the game ball to the contact surface of the ball stopper is in opposite directions. The game ball supply device according to claim 3, wherein the game ball supply device is arranged. The ball stopping portion of the ball supply member has a contact surface that comes into contact with the ball surface of the game ball in order to stop the movement of the game ball moving along the supply path,
The permanent magnet and the ball stopper are arranged so that the distance between the rotational axis of the ball supplying member and the magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet is shorter than the distance between the rotational axis of the ball supplying member and the contact surface of the ball stopper. The game ball supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the portion is arranged in a ball supply member. The magnetic core of the electromagnet has an end face on which a magnetic repulsion force acts between the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet when the coil of the electromagnet is excited by the control unit,
When the ball supply member rotates from the second rotation position to the first rotation position due to the magnetic repulsion force acting between the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet and the end face of the magnetic core, the first rotation of the ball supply member Equipped with a repulsive rotation regulating part placed on the device frame to regulate the position,
The ball supply member includes a repulsion abutment portion that abuts the repulsion rotation restriction portion when located at the first rotation position, and a first arm portion and a second arm portion that extend in different radial directions from the rotation axis of the ball supply member. and an arm portion;
The permanent magnet is arranged in the first arm portion,
The game ball supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the ball stopping part, the ball receiving part, and the repulsion abutting part are arranged in the second arm part. The magnetic core of the electromagnet has an end surface on which a magnetic attraction force acts between the magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet,
When the ball supply member rotates from the first rotation position to the second rotation position due to the magnetic attraction force acting between the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet and the end face of the magnetic core, the second rotation of the ball supply member Equipped with a suction rotation regulating part placed on the device frame to regulate the position,
The ball supply member includes a suction abutting portion that comes into contact with the suction rotation restriction portion when located at the second rotation position, and a first arm portion and a second arm portion that extend in different radial directions from the rotation axis of the ball supply member. and an arm portion;
The permanent magnet is arranged in the first arm portion,
The ball stop part and the ball receiver part are arranged in the second arm part,
The game ball supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the suction abutment part is arranged in the second arm part at a position closer to the rotation axis of the ball supply member than the ball stop part and the ball receiver part. . The magnetic core of the electromagnet is an end surface on which a magnetic attraction force acts between the magnetic pole surface of the permanent magnet and has an end surface extending in the vertical direction,
When the ball supply member is located in the second rotation position, the first arm portion extends in a vertical direction from the rotation axis of the ball supply member;
The permanent magnet is disposed at a portion of the first arm portion facing the end surface of the magnetic core of the electromagnet,
The game ball supply device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the magnetic pole face of the permanent magnet extends in the vertical direction when the ball supply member is located at the second rotational position. comprising a magnetic flux guiding member formed from a magnetic material for guiding magnetic flux generated by the electromagnet when the coil of the electromagnet is excited toward a permanent magnet attached to the ball supply member;
The magnetic core of the electromagnet has one end on which a magnetic repulsive force acts between it and the permanent magnet, and the other end located on the opposite side of the one end,
The magnetic flux guiding member has a working end disposed close to a permanent magnet attached to the ball supplying member, and is connected to the other end of the magnetic core at a position remote from the working end. The game ball supply device according to claim 8. The active end of the magnetic flux guiding member has a larger permanent magnet that is arranged when the ball supply member is in the first rotational position than a permanent magnet that is arranged when the ball supply member is in the second rotational position. The game ball supply device according to claim 9, wherein the game ball supply device is attached to a device frame or an electromagnet so as to be located close to the device frame. A firing device that fires game balls according to the operation of a firing handle, a supply path that supplies game balls to the firing device, and a game ball supply device that is disposed in the supply path and supplies game balls one by one toward the firing device. A gaming machine comprising: a control unit that controls the operation of a firing device and a game ball supply device to execute a gaming operation,
The game ball supply device is
a device frame;
A ball supply member having a ball stop portion and a ball receiver portion, the ball supply member being rotatably attached to the device frame so that either the ball stop portion or the ball receiver portion is located in the supply path;
an electromagnet that includes a magnetic core formed from a magnetic material and a coil wound around the magnetic core and that is attached to the device frame;
A permanent magnet attached to the ball supply member, the permanent magnet being arranged so as to be able to move toward and away from the magnetic core of the electromagnet as the ball supply member rotates,
When the ball supply member is located in the first rotation position so that the ball receiving part is located in the supply path, the ball receiving part receives the game ball from the supply path and the ball stop part is placed in the supply path. When the supply member is located at the second rotation position, the ball stop portion stops the subsequent game ball from moving along the supply path;
The control section is
In order to rotate the ball supply member from the second rotation position to the first rotation position, the coil of the electromagnet is excited so that a magnetic repulsion force acts between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet, and an electromagnet control process that demagnetizes the coil of the electromagnet so that a magnetic attraction force acts between the permanent magnet and the magnetic core of the electromagnet in order to rotate the ball supply member from the rotational position to the second rotational position;
a game execution control process that causes the firing device to execute each firing operation in conjunction with each excitation of the coil of the electromagnet in an operating state in which the firing handle is operated;
This game machine executes a game stop control process of causing a firing device to perform at least one firing operation in a state where an electromagnetic coil is demagnetized when a firing handle changes from an operating state to a non-operating state.

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