JP2959549B2 - Gaming machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a game machine such as a pachinko machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a launching ball in a launching ball storage section provided on a pachinko machine installation island is guided to an automatic hitting ball supply device.
Furthermore, there is an island circulation type pachinko machine in which a winning ball and an out ball are discharged to a pachinko machine installation island and the pachinko balls are circulated in the pachinko machine installation island. Japanese Patent Application No. 2-139093, which is a patent application filed by the present applicant, is related to the island circulation type pachinko machine.

[0003]

When the pachinko ball is clogged in the middle of the circulating route, the pachinko ball to be fired is not supplied to the automatic hit ball feeding device. Even pachinko games have to be interrupted. If such a ball clogging occurs, for example, when the large winning device is in the state of a big hit, the game cannot be continued even in the state of the big hit, and a great disadvantage is given to the player.

[0004] In addition, in the island circulation type pachinko machine, since the pachinko balls are supplied directly from the pachinko machine installation island to the automatic ball hitting supply device of the pachinko machine, only one pachinko machine in the pachinko machine installation island is provided. Even when only the pachinko balls are operating, the pachinko ball polishing lift must be operated to circulate the pachinko balls. For this reason, even during a time period when the number of customers is small, a considerable operating cost is required, which is uneconomical.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has been made in consideration of the above. A ball collecting section for collecting game balls released on a game board, and a game ball collected on the ball collecting section are provided outside the machine. A first passage for guiding, a second passage for guiding the game balls gathered in the ball collecting portion to a launching ball supply portion, a third passage for supplying game balls to the launching ball supply portion from outside, and a game ball. Switching means for switching the first path to the first path and the second path and opening and closing a third path together with the first path, wherein the switching means performs a switching operation based on a predetermined switching condition. To provide gaming machines.

In a normal state, a game is played by opening both the first and third passages. Then, the switching means is operated based on predetermined switching conditions, such as when a trouble occurs in the third passage or the situation of the game arcade, and the first and third passages are closed and switched to the second passage. Note that the second passage may be opened in a normal state, and the first and third passages may be closed.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings by exemplifying a pachinko machine which is a kind of a game machine. Pachinko machine installation island 1 is for pachinko machines 2 and 2
.. Are arranged side by side. Then, the pachinko machine installation island 1 has a pachinko ball polishing lift 3 erected in the center thereof,
The ball supply gutters 4 and 4 are connected to the upper end of the pachinko ball polishing lift 3, and the lower ends of the ball collection gutters 5 and 5 for collecting the pachinko balls discharged from the pachinko machine 2 are connected to the lower end of the pachinko ball polishing lift 3. Connect.

The pachinko ball polishing lift 3 is provided with a ball lifting coil (not shown) in a vertical lifting cylinder 3a and rotating the coil by a lifting motor 3b to agitate the ball polishing pellet with the ball polishing pellet. It is a well-known thing which lifts a pachinko ball while making it go.

The ball supply gutter 4 is an upward U-shaped gutter which is inclined downward toward both ends of the pachinko machine installation island 1 and has side walls corresponding to the respective pachinko machines 2, 2.
Is installed.

The pachinko machine 2 is a so-called card type pachinko machine that records the number of balls held by a player on a magnetic card instead of releasing pachinko balls to the player. The pachinko machine 2
Is a front frame 2b provided on the outer frame 2a so as to be openable and closable as shown in FIG. 4, a glass door frame 2d provided on a window hole 2c formed on the front frame 2b so as to be openable and closable, And a front plate 2e provided to be openable and closable below the frame 2d.

A game section 6a of the game board 6 faces behind the glass door frame 2d. A large number of winning ball receivers 6b, 6b,... For receiving pachinko balls, windmills 6c, 6c for changing the falling path of the pachinko balls, and the like are attached to the game section 6a. An out ball opening 6d is provided.

The front frame 2b has a card processing device 7 provided with a magnetic card insertion slot 7a and a discharge slot 7b, a ball count display section 8 for displaying the number of balls held by the player, Amount select buttons 9, 9, 9 for selecting the amount to be used from the magnetic card, and a clearing button 10 for inputting the end of the game
And an operation handle 11 for adjusting the firing force of the hit ball.

A mechanism mounted on the back of the pachinko machine 2 so as to overlap with the back of the game board 6 and hinged to the game board 6 so as to be openable and closable like a door. A board 13 and a hit ball launching device 14 for launching a pachinko ball to the game section 6a are provided.

As shown in FIG. 11, the hitting ball launching device 14 is provided with an automatic hitting ball supplying device 16 for supplying pachinko balls one by one to the launching portion 15a of the launching rail 15, and is fixed to the tip of the rotating shaft 11a of the operating handle 11. Pulley 11b
Hammer 17 pivotally supported, and hammer 17
Motor 1 for reciprocating swing through cam 18a
8 and a spring 19 for pulling the hitting hammer 17 in the hitting direction
A spring force adjusting member 20 for locking one end of the spring 19
And a string 21 connecting the spring force adjusting member 20 and the pulley 11b are collectively installed on a single mounting base 22.

The automatic hitting ball supply device 16 includes a mounting base 2
Upper plate portion 22 formed by bending 2 in a crank shape
a, which is disposed on the game board 6 side with the firing rail 15 interposed therebetween. The automatic ball hitting supply device 16 has a box-shaped cover 16a in which a ball supply port 16b and a delivery port 16c for pachinko balls are formed. The internal structure of the automatic hitting ball supply device 16 is arbitrarily selected from those currently implemented. In the present embodiment, a ball feeding solenoid (which operates in synchronization with the swinging motion of the hitting ball 17) is used. (Not shown). In order to synchronize the solenoid with the swinging operation of the hitting hammer 17, the optical sensor 23 which is turned on immediately after the cam 18a is separated from the hitting hammer 17 is set to the cam 1
What is necessary is just to install on the mounting base 22 so as to face 8a, and to operate the solenoid by the ON signal of the sensor 23. In addition to the above-described ball-feeding solenoid, a ball-feeding member that is pivotally supported in a ball-shooting automatic supply device 16 so as to be able to perform a seesaw operation, which is the most commonly used hitherto, is used. Mechanically linked with the mallet 17,
Activate the ball feed member with the swing of the ball hammer 17;
One that sends out pachinko balls in advance, or one that uses an electric motor is conceivable.

On the other hand, the mechanism plate 13 has a ball collecting portion 13a for collecting a winning ball and an out ball, a first passage 13c for discharging the pachinko ball out of the machine, and a ball of the automatic hit ball supplying device 16. A second passage 24 for guiding a pachinko ball to the supply port 16b, and a ball supply port 16b of the automatic hitting ball supply device 16;
Is provided with a third passage 25 for supplying game balls from the outside, a control device C, and the like.

The first passage 13c communicates with the ball collecting portion 13a via the valve chamber 13d, and has a lower end opened above the ball collection gutter 5. The second passage 24 is provided in the valve chamber 13
The ball is connected to the ball collecting portion 13a through the concave portion 13b of d, and the terminal end is connected to the ball supply port 16b of the automatic hit ball supply device 16. Further, the third passage 25 is formed by connecting a square pipe 25b to a lower end of a spiral pipe 25a, an upper end is connected to the ball supply gutter 4 on the side of the pachinko machine installation island 1, and a terminal end is a concave portion of the valve chamber 13d. The ball feeding port 16b of the automatic hit ball feeding device 16 is connected to the ball feeding port 16b through the 13b and the second passage 24.

The ball collecting portion 13a and the first to third passages 13
A switching valve 26 as switching means is provided in the valve chamber 13d where c, 24, and 25 are concentrated at one location. Switching valve 2
6, a cylindrical body 26a is formed with a through hole 26b through which a pachinko ball can pass and a lid piece 26c that is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the through hole 26b, as shown in FIG. It is. The switching valve 26 is fixed to an output shaft 27a of a motor 27, is rotatable in the valve chamber 13d, and has a third passage 25 and a second passage 2 through a through hole 26b.
4 and at the same time, the ball collecting portion 13a via the lid piece 26c.
And the first passage 13c communicating with the first passage 13c.
The state in which the third passage 25 is closed and the third passage 25 is closed can be switched to a state in which the ball collecting portion 13a and the second passage 24 are communicated.

The motor 27 is controlled by a microswitch S1 provided on the side surface of the square pipe 25b and a microswitch S2 provided on the side surface of the body 26a of the switching valve 26 so as to face each other.

The micro switch S1 is a square pipe 25b
The actuator piece S11 faces the inside of the square pipe 25b from the slit 28 formed on the side surface of the motor, detects the presence or absence of a pachinko ball, and outputs a start signal of the motor 27 when the absence of the pachinko ball is detected.

On the other hand, the micro switch S2 has a function of stopping the motor 27 at a predetermined position. The micro switch S2 slides the actuator piece S21 against the body 26a of the switching valve 26, and forms a recess provided at an end of the body 26a. 29a, 2
9b, and outputs a stop signal of the motor 27.

Next, the operation will be described. When the player inserts the magnetic card into the card processing device 7, the ball holding data recorded on the magnetic card is read into the control device C. Then, when the player selects the amount select button 9, the held ball corresponding to the amount is withdrawn from the magnetic card, and the number of fireable balls is displayed on the ball number display section 8.

Then, when the player touches the operation handle 11, the firing motor 18 is operated, and the hitting hammer 17 swings repeatedly. In synchronization with the swing of the hitting hammer 17, the automatic hitting ball supply device 16 operates to send out pachinko balls one by one to the firing unit 15a. The ball feeding solenoid of the automatic hit ball supply device 16 is controlled by the control device C, and stops when the ball holding data of the player becomes "0".

The pachinko ball sent out from the automatic hitting ball supply device 16 is hit by a hitting hammer 17 and sent to the game section 6a of the game board 6 along the guide rail. At this time, the pachinko ball is detected by the optical sensor 30 provided in the firing unit 15a, and “1” is subtracted from the ball holding data of the control device C.

When the pachinko ball wins one of the prize ball receivers 6b, a signal from the detector 31 provided in each of the prize ball receivers 6b outputs a numerical value corresponding to the number of prize balls to the controller C. Add to the ball data. The winning ball thus won and the out ball that did not win are the ball collecting gutter 13
a and merges.

Normally, the switching valve 26 is in a state where the third passage 25 and the through-hole 26b are aligned with each other as shown in FIGS. The island circulation route such as “launch of pachinko ball → prize ball and out ball → pachinko machine installation island” is used.

That is, the pachinko balls in the ball supply gutter 4 of the pachinko machine installation island 1 enter the through-hole 26b from the third passage 25, are supplied to the automatic hit ball supply device 16 via the second passage 24, and are fired. Each of them is fired by the device 14 to the game section 6a.

On the other hand, the lid 26c of the switching valve 26 is
As shown in FIG. 10 (a), the recess 13b is closed as shown in FIG. 10 (a) to open the flow path on the side of the first passage 13c. It is discharged to the ball collection gutter 5 of the machine installation island 1. And
The recovered pachinko balls are pumped by the pachinko ball polishing lift 3 to the ball supply gutter 4 and circulated in such a manner.

If the ball is clogged in the circulation path of a certain pachinko machine 2 while the pachinko balls are circulating as described above due to contamination of the circulation path or entry of foreign matter, etc. Since the pachinko ball is not supplied to 25, the micro switch S1 detects the ball clogging.
Then, a start signal of the motor 27 is output, and the motor 2
7 is rotated. As a result, the switching valve 26 is moved from FIG.
It rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow 0 (a), and the third passage 25 is closed on the peripheral surface of the body 26a. The switching valve 26 stops when the actuator piece S21 of the microswitch S2 fits into the recess 29b. In the stop position of the switching valve 26, the lid piece 26
10C rises as shown in FIG. 10B to open the recess 13b of the valve chamber 13d, and at the same time closes the flow path to the first passage 13c. Therefore, the winning balls and the out balls gathering in the ball collecting portion 13a pass through the recess 13b of the valve chamber 13d and pass through the second passage 24.
And is supplied to the automatic hit ball supply device 16 to play the game section 6a.
Fired at

As described above, when the switching valve 26 detects a ball clogging of the island circulation path, the switching valve 26 immediately transmits the pachinko ball as in "launch of pachinko ball → winning ball and out ball → automatic ball hitting device → launch of pachinko ball”. The pachinko game can be continued without interruption by switching to the in-machine circulation path for circulating the game. Then, the occurrence of such a ball clog is notified to the manager of the game arcade, and appropriate measures may be taken at a time when the game is not hindered.

Thus, the clogging of the ball is eliminated and the pipe 25
When the pachinko ball is supplied to the motor, the micro switch S1 detects this and outputs a start signal of the motor 27, and the motor 27 rotates to rotate the switching valve 26. This rotation stops when the actuator piece S21 of the microswitch S2 fits into the depression 29a of the switching valve 26, and the switching valve 26 returns to the state of using the island circulation path of FIG.

The motor 27 is preferably a forward / reverse rotation motor for the purpose of shortening the switching time. However, a motor that rotates only in one direction may be used as a cost reduction measure.

Further, needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the microswitch S1 may not be provided on the square pipe 25b but may be provided on the side of the diversion gutter 4a. Further, the switching valve 26 may have various configurations such as a door-shaped switching of a flow path by a solenoid, for example.

The switching valve 26 is not only switched by the ball clogging trouble, but also stops the pachinko ball polishing lift 3 systematically, or is forcibly switched by remote control or manual control to perform island circulation. The route and the in-machine circulation route can be properly used. This way,
Use the in-flight circulation route to reduce operating costs during times of low patronage, and use the island circulation route to clean and dry pachinko balls while circulating pachinko balls during periods of high patronage. Sales become possible.

[0035]

As described above, the gaming machine of the present invention has an effect that the path of the game ball can be easily switched by the switching means without interrupting the game.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part showing a switching unit.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a pachinko machine installation island shown partially cut away.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a pachinko machine.

FIG. 5 is a back view of the pachinko machine.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a main part showing a switching unit.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part showing a switching means.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line YY of FIG. 7;

10A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ZZ in FIG. 7, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line ZZ in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a hit ball firing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 ... pachinko machine (game machine) 6 ... game board 13a ... ball collecting part 13c ... first passage 24 ... second passage 25 ... third passage 26 ... switching valve (switching means)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A ball gathering section for gathering game balls released on a game board, a first passage for guiding game balls gathered on the ball gathering section outside the machine, and a game gathering on the ball gathering section A second passage for guiding a ball to the launching ball supply unit, a third passage for supplying a game ball from the outside to the launching ball supply unit, and a passage for the game ball to the first passage and the second passage. A gaming machine, comprising: switching means for switching and opening and closing a third passage together with the first passage, wherein the switching means performs a switching operation based on a predetermined switching condition.