JP2886530B2 - Sphere ejection device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sphere discharging device suitable for discharging a sphere such as a pachinko ball.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, setting and changing the number of prize balls in a pachinko machine have been described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 54-54742 and 58-32786. This has been done by exchanging ball stoppers for setting the number of prize balls to be discharged in the ball case.

When a ball hit toward the game section of the game board surrounded by the guide rails wins a winning opening, a prize ball payout device is operated to give a predetermined number of prize balls to the player. A pachinko machine that allows the number of prize balls to be paid out by a prize ball payout device by increasing or decreasing the number of prize balls to be paid out is disclosed in JP-B-61-44512.
Known as the official gazette.

However, the player operates a selection device provided on the front of the pachinko machine to reduce the number of prize balls to be paid out when it is easy to win a prize hole, and to use the prize when it is difficult to win the prize hole. Either one of the two with a larger number of balls to be paid out is selected, and the number of prize balls to be paid out by the prize ball payout device is made different from each other to two discontinuous values in accordance with the selection operation of the selection device. Was.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-37980 discloses a plurality of parallel flow passages provided in parallel and a single merge passage for supplying prize balls flowing down the parallel flow passage to the counting means. A rectifying means for controlling the flow of the prize balls in the co-current passage is provided in the co-current passage so that all of the prize balls supplied from each co-current passage to the merging passage merge in the merging passage with a time difference. A prize ball flow passage mechanism of a pachinko machine is described.

The rectifying means in this device is constituted by a plurality of gears of the same size and shape sharing one rotating shaft, and the tips of the gears are arranged relatively shifted in the rotational direction by 30 degrees from each other. Have been. For this reason, when a prize ball falls from one of the parallel flow paths to the merge path, the prize sphere does not fall from the other parallel flow path to the merge path. The prize balls are alternately supplied to the merging passages from the two parallel passages with a time difference.

[0007] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-168193 discloses that
A counting gear is provided in each of the two ball passages, and the counting gears are arranged on one rotating shaft at an angle of 36 degrees with respect to each other in the rotating direction, and the rotating shaft is connected to the output shaft of the stepping motor via a gear train. Then, by driving the stepping motor, the pachinko balls in the two passages are alternately detected by the sensor 1.
A dispensing machine of a pachinko machine which is detected as 0 is described.

In these two prior arts, in order to alternately eject (detect) a sphere, a plurality of gears serving as a sphere delivery member provided on one rotating shaft are arranged shifted from each other by a predetermined angle. Therefore, it is troublesome to adjust the mounting angle of each sphere sending member, and it is not easy to attach each sphere sending member to the rotation axis.

Further, a plurality of ball passages provided in parallel are substantially continuous in a vertical direction, and a sphere delivery member is projected from each of the plurality of ball passages so as to alternately feed the spheres while engaging the spheres. In this case, the ball pressure such as the weight of the sphere that continues upward exerts a large load on the sphere delivery member, so that smooth rotation is likely to be hindered.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to release spheres engaged with a sphere delivery member one by one from a ball passage and discharge the spheres by rotating the sphere delivery member. Another object of the present invention is to provide a sphere discharging device that can be performed reliably and in a stable state.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems , a sphere discharging device according to the present invention has a sphere passage, a rotating shaft rotated by a driving means, and a rotating shaft which is supported by the rotating shaft.
Placed in the middle of the ball passage, by the sphere in the ball passage
In the direction along the ball pressure direction while receiving the applied ball pressure
Rotate and send out to the discharge side while engaging the ball in the ball passage
And a sphere delivery member that engages with the sphere delivery member.
The sphere guiding section for guiding the sphere in the discharge direction is
Path along the rotational circumference of the sphere delivery member.
And no more spheres are engaged with the sphere delivery member.
And discharge it.

The spheres are accommodated in the ball passage in an aligned state.
You. When the rotating shaft is rotated by the driving means, the ball passage
The sphere delivery members provided for each rotate integrally with the rotating shaft,
Feeding while engaging one sphere aligned in the ball passage
put out. At this time, the rotating circle of the sphere delivery member in the ball passage
The sphere guiding sections formed along the circumferential direction
By guiding the sphere engaged with the output member, the ball being transmitted is
Sent without a body jumping out. Also,
A sphere provided by a sphere in a ball passage, wherein the sphere delivery member is
Rotating in the direction along the ball pressure direction while receiving pressure
Reduces the ball pressure due to the weight of the sphere connected to the ball passage
And use the ball pressure as the moving energy of the sphere
Discharge of spheres by rotation of the sphere delivery member
It is performed in a stable state. Engaged with the sphere delivery member
The spheres guided to the sphere guiding section
It is released from the guide and discharged.

[0013]

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

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a spherical case, and a first spherical passage 2 and a second spherical passage 3 are formed in the spherical case 1 in two rows in the longitudinal direction, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, a rotator 4 serving as a first sphere delivery member is provided at a lower portion of the ball passage 2, and a rotator 4 is provided at a lower portion of the second ball passage 3 as shown in FIG. A rotator 5 serving as a second sphere delivery member is rotatably provided coaxially with the body 4, and a partition 6 is provided between the first sphere passage 2 and the second sphere passage 3.
Are formed.

As shown in FIG. 4, a stepping motor 7 is connected to the rotating body 4 and the rotating body 5, and the rotating body 4 and the rotating body 5 are fixed to a rotating shaft 8 of the stepping motor 7, respectively. Is fixed to the base plate 9 on the side of the spherical case 1.

The outer peripheral edge of the rotating body 4 has the first
A plurality of sphere engaging portions 10 for engaging the pachinko spheres P serving as spheres in the sphere passage 2 are formed, and protrusions 11 are respectively provided at a constant pitch between the sphere engaging portions 10 of the rotating body 4. A plurality of spherical engaging portions 12 are formed on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body 5 to engage the pachinko balls P in the second spherical passage 3 of the spherical case 1, respectively. The protrusions 13 are formed at the same pitch as the protrusions 11 of the rotating body 4 between the protrusions 12, and the protrusions 11 of the rotating body 4 and the protrusions 13 of the rotating body 5 are arranged so as to be shifted from each other by a half pitch. , Rotator 4 and rotator 5 have the same shape.

At the lower end of one side wall 14 of the spherical case 1, notches 15, 15 are formed on both sides of the partition 6, respectively, and a part of the rotating body 4 uses the notch 15 to form a first spherical passage. 2, and a part of the rotating body 5 is projected into the first spherical passage 3 using the cutout 15.

The other side wall 16 of the spherical case 1 has a structure shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, a sphere guiding portion 17 that guides the sphere engaged with the sphere engaging portion 10 of the rotating body 4 is rotated below the first ball passage 2 and the second ball passage 3. When the pachinko ball P engages with one of the sphere engagement portion 10 of the rotator 4 and the sphere engagement portion 12 of the rotator 5, it is formed along the circumferential direction of rotation of the rotator 4. The pachinko ball P from one of the spherical engaging portion 12 and the spherical engaging portion 10 of the rotating body 4.
The lower end 17a of the sphere guiding portion 17 is opened so as to release the lower end, and the lower end 17a of the sphere guiding portion 17 is located on the side of the rotating shaft 8.

When the step motor 7 is rotated by one step corresponding to a half pitch of the rotator 4 or the protrusions 11 and 13 of the rotator 5, the rotator 4 of the first ball passage 2 of the sphere case 1 is rotated.
And the rotating body 5 of the second ball passage 3 simultaneously rotates by an angle corresponding to the half pitch, so that the pachinko ball P in the first ball passage 2 moves to the ball engaging portion 10 with the rotation of the rotating body 4. The sphere guiding unit 17 guides the sphere guiding unit 17 while engaging.
Only one ball is discharged from the lower end 17a, and the pachinko ball P in the second ball passage 3 is in a standby state for discharging the sphere engaged with the sphere engaging portion 12 of the rotating body 5.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , a sphere guiding portion 17 formed below the first spherical path 2 and the second spherical path 3 along the circumferential direction of rotation of the rotating bodies 4 and 5, respectively. The pachinko balls P being transmitted are guided by guiding the pachinko balls P engaged with the sphere engaging portions 10 and 12 of the rotating bodies 4 and 5, respectively.
Is reliably sent without jumping out. Further, the sphere guiding portion 17 is formed along the circumferential direction of rotation of the rotating bodies 4 and 5, and receives the ball pressure given by the pachinko ball.
While the rotating bodies 4 and 5 rotate in the direction along the ball pressure direction.
By that, since the spherical pressure due to the weight of the pachinko ball consecutive aligned with ball passages 2 and 3 of the upper is reduced, it is possible to facilitate the rotation of the rotating body 4 and 5, the discharge of the pachinko ball Can be performed smoothly and reliably in a stable state.

When the step motor 7 is rotated by two steps corresponding to one pitch of the projections 11 and 13 of the rotating body 4 or the rotating body 5, the pachinko ball P in the first ball passage 2 is rotated by the rotating body 4. After only one ball is ejected from the other end 17 a of the guiding portion 17, the pachinko ball P in the second ball passage 3 is engaged with the sphere engaging portion 12 along with the rotation of the rotating body 5, and the ball is guided to the sphere guiding portion 17. It is guided, only one is discharged from the other end 17a, and a total of 2 is discharged from inside the first ball passage 2 and the second ball passage 3.
Pachinko balls P are discharged.

That is, the repetition of the discharging operation of the spheres by the rotating bodies 4 and 5 causes the pachinko balls P in the first ball path 2 and the pachinko balls P in the second ball path 3 to alternate one by one. When the step motor 7 is rotated by eight steps, a total of eight pachinko balls P corresponding to the number of steps of the step motor 7 are output from the first ball passage 2 and the second ball passage 3. Is discharged and the step motor 7
Is rotated 13 steps, a total of 13 pachinko balls P corresponding to the number of steps of the step motor 7 are discharged from the first ball path 2 and the second ball path 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of the circuit of the winning device of the pachinko machine. The winning opening A detection switch 18 and the winning opening B detection switch 19 output various signals of levels corresponding to the open / closed state of these switches. The input port of the input / output circuit 20 is connected to an input port of the input / output circuit 20 via a device detection unit (not shown), and the output port of the input / output circuit 20 is connected to a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a CPU) 21 as control means.

The CPU 21 is connected to an input port of the input / output circuit 22 via a data bus, an address bus, and a control bus. The output port of the input / output circuit 22 is connected to the stepping motor 7. Outputs a control output corresponding to a signal from the CPU 21 and the like, and a portion surrounded by a dotted line in FIG. 5 constitutes the control unit 23 of the winning device.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a control program executed by the CPU 21 in the case of discharging Na or Nb prize balls when a prize ball is won in the prize opening A or the prize opening B during a pachinko game.

First, in step 101, it is determined whether or not there is a winning ball in the winning opening A. When it is determined in step 101 that there is a winning ball in the winning opening A, step 1 is executed.
In step 02, the number of prize balls to be paid out is set to Na, and then in step 103, it is determined whether or not the number of prize balls to be paid out is zero.

If it is determined in step 101 that there is no winning ball in winning opening A, the process proceeds to step 104 to determine whether there is a winning ball in winning opening B. In step 104, the winning ball in winning opening B is determined. If yes, go to step 105 to set the number of prize balls to be paid out to Nb, and then go to step 103 to go to step 10
If the winning ball in the winning opening B is NO in No. 4, the process proceeds to step 103.

If the number of prize balls to be paid out is zero at step 103, the process goes to step 106 to decrement the number of prize balls to be paid out by one, and then to step 107 to set the step motor 7 to the prize ball. , And then loops to step 103. When the number of prize balls to be paid out is zero at step 103, the prize ball payout ends.

FIG. 7 shows a timing chart of the drive waveform of the stepping motor 7. When a winning ball wins the winning opening A or the winning opening B, the winning opening A detection switch 18 or the winning opening B detection switch 19 is turned on, and Motor 7
Is driven until Na or Nb payout balls are paid out.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart of the drive waveform of the step motor 7 in the case of the bipolar excitation method. The step motor 7 is driven until the prize balls are paid out by the number of payout balls, and the A-phase excitation of the step motor 7 is performed. The direction of the current alternates, and the direction of the B-phase excitation current of the step motor 7 alternates. The step motor 7 is rotated by one payout ball to drive the step motor 7 by the number of payout balls. Pay out by.

FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment of the sphere discharging device. As shown in FIG. 10, a sphere delivery member including a rotating body 25 is provided below the first sphere passage 2 formed inside the sphere case 1.
As shown in FIG. 11, the rotating body 2
A sphere sending member composed of a rotating body 26 is provided rotatably on the same axis as 5.

As shown in FIG. 12, the stepping motor 7 is connected to the rotating bodies 25 and 26,
The rotating body 26 is fixed to the rotating shaft 8 of the step motor 7.

A plurality of ball engaging portions 27 for engaging the pachinko balls P in the first ball passage 2 of the spherical case 1 are formed on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body 25, respectively. 27, a plurality of projections 28 are formed at a constant pitch, and a plurality of spherical engaging portions for engaging the pachinko balls P in the second spherical passage 3 of the spherical case 1 are formed on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body 26. 29
Are formed at the same pitch as the protrusions 28 of the rotating body 25 between the sphere engaging portions 29 of the rotating body 26, respectively, and the protrusions 28 of the rotating body 25 and the rotating bodies 26 are formed.
Are arranged at the same position as each other in the rotation direction, and the rotating body 25 and the rotating body 26 have the same shape.

A part of the rotating body 25 is projected into the first ball passage 2 by using the notch 15 formed in one side wall 14 of the spherical case 1, and a part of the rotating body 26 is formed in the notch 15. It is projected into the first ball passage 3 by utilizing.

The other side wall 16 of the spherical case 1 has a structure shown in FIG.
As shown in 0 and 11, the lower portion of the first ball passage 2 and the second ball passage 3, in engagement with the spherical engaging portion 29 of the spherical engaging portion 27 and the rotor 26 of the rotary body 25 pachinko A sphere guiding portion 17 for guiding the sphere P is formed along the rotation circumferential direction of the rotating body 25 and the rotating body 26.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, when the pachinko ball P is engaged with one of the spherical engaging portion 27 of the rotating body 25 and the spherical engaging portion 29 of the rotating body 26, the rotating body The lower end 31a of the sphere guiding portion 31 on the first ball passage 2 side is rotated by the rotating shaft 8 so that the pachinko ball P is released from the other one of the sphere engaging portion 29 of the rotating body 25 and the sphere engaging portion 27 of the rotating body 25. And the lower end 31b of the spherical guiding portion 31 on the side of the second ball passage 3 is closed at the lower end 31a of the first ball passage 2 side.
It is open at a position extending downward.

When the step motor 7 is rotated by one step corresponding to a half pitch of the rotator 25 or the protrusions 28 and 30 of the rotator 26, the rotator 25 and the second sphere of the first sphere passage 2 of the sphere case 1 are rotated. The rotating body 26 of the passage 3 rotates by an angle corresponding to the half pitch at the same time, and the pachinko ball P in the first ball passage 2 is rotated by the rotating body 25 so that the ball engaging portion 27
Is guided by the sphere guiding portion 31 while being discharged from the lower end 31a of the sphere guiding portion 31 on the first ball passage 2 side, and the pachinko ball P in the second ball passage 3 is rotated by the rotating body 26. Are in a standby state for discharging the spheres engaged with the sphere engaging portion 29 of FIG.

When the step motor 7 is rotated in two steps corresponding to one pitch of the rotating body 25 or the protrusions 28 and 30 of the rotating body 26, the pachinko ball P in the first ball passage 2 is rotated by the rotating body 25 to form a spherical body. Only one piece is discharged from the lower end 31a of the guiding portion 31 on the first ball passage 2 side, and thereafter, the second
The pachinko ball P in the ball passage 3 is discharged from the lower end 31b of the ball guiding portion 31 on the side of the second ball passage 3 while engaging with the ball engaging portion 29 with the rotation of the rotating body 26. A total of two pachinko balls P are discharged from the first ball passage 2 and the second ball passage 3.

In the second embodiment, a rotating body 25 provided for the first spherical passage 2 and a rotating body 26 provided for the second spherical passage 3 are connected to one rotating shaft 8. Since the rotary members 25 and 26 are arranged at the same position in the rotational direction, when the rotary member 25 and the rotary member 26 are fixed to the rotary shaft 8, the ball engaging portions 27 and 29 of the rotary members 25 and 26 are arranged side by side. Since it is sufficient to support them, it is easy to attach the rotating bodies 25 and 26 to the rotating shaft 8.

The other operation of the second embodiment is as follows.
The description is omitted because it is exactly the same as the first embodiment shown in FIG.

The drive waveform of the step motor differs depending on the excitation method, excitation mode, step angle, and the like.

[0042]

According to the sphere ejecting device of the present invention, the sphere guiding portions formed in the ball passage along the rotation circumferential direction of the sphere sending member guide the sphere engaged with the sphere sending member. A ball given by a pachinko ball that can be sent reliably without the sphere being sent out popping out
The rotating body rotates in the direction along the ball pressure direction while receiving pressure
The ball pressure due to the weight of the continuous sphere in the ball passage
And use the ball pressure as the moving energy of the sphere.
To smoothly and reliably discharge the sphere due to the rotation of the sphere sending member.
It can be performed in a really stable state.

[0043]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cutaway front view of a main part of a sphere discharging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of a main part of the spherical case of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of a principal part at another position of the spherical case of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a connected state between the rotating body and the step motor of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of the circuit of the pachinko machine.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a control program executed by the pachinko machine.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing a drive waveform of a step motor.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing a drive waveform of a step motor in the case of a bipolar excitation method.

FIG. 9 is a cutaway front view of a main part of a sphere discharging device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view of a main part of the spherical case of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a sectional side view of a principal part at another position of the spherical case of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a front view showing a connection state between the rotating body and the step motor in FIG. 9;

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 spherical case 2 first spherical passage 3 second spherical passage 4 rotating body 5 rotating body 6 partition wall 7 step motor 8 rotating shaft 9 base plate 10 spherical engaging section 11 protrusion 12 spherical engaging section 13 protrusion 14 side wall 15 Notch 16 Side wall 17 Spherical guide 17a Lower end 18 Winning port A detection switch 19 Winning port B detection switch 20 Input / output circuit 21 Central processing unit 22 Input / output circuit 23 Control unit 25 Rotating body 26 Rotating body 27 Sphere engaging part 28 Projection Part 29 Sphere engaging part 30 Projection part 31 Sphere guiding part 31a Lower end 31b Lower end P Pachinko ball

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Wataru Horii No. 1 Nishinokawa, Nishiharumachi, Nishiharumachi, Nishikasugai-gun, Aichi Prefecture Daiichi Shokai Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-64-37980 (JP, A) JP-A-63-168193 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) A63F 7/02

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A spherical passage, a rotating shaft rotated by a driving means, and a shaft supported by the rotating shaft and arranged in the middle of the spherical passage.
The ball pressure applied by the sphere in the ball passage.
The ball rotates in the direction along the ball pressure direction while receiving
A sphere delivery member that engages the sphere in the road and sends it to the discharge side
And discharging the sphere engaged with the sphere delivery member.
A sphere guiding portion for guiding the ball in the
The body delivery member is formed along the rotation circumferential direction of the body delivery member.
Release and discharge the spheres engaged with the output member one by one
Spherical discharge device, characterized in that that.