JP3766980B2 - Premium ball dispenser for pachinko machines - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial application fields]
The present invention relates to a prize ball payout device for a pachinko machine that pays out a predetermined number of balls based on a payout command signal.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, a predetermined number of balls are counted one by one for each payout command signal based on a prize payout command signal based on the occurrence of a winning ball or a ball payout command signal based on a gaming ball lending operation. Many giveaway ball payout devices of a payout type have been proposed, but most of these giveaway ball payout devices have a sprocket in which a concave portion for receiving a ball is formed on the outer periphery, or a concave portion for receiving a ball is formed in a spiral shape. The screw is driven to rotate by a motor, and only the sprocket blade edge or the spiral blade edge of the screw faces the ball supply rod arranged in a line, and the rotation axis of the sprocket or screw is It was installed at a position off the center of the supply rod.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
For this reason, since the pressure of the sphere aligned in the ball supply rod and upstream thereof is directly applied to the sprocket blade edge or the screw spiral blade edge, excessive load is applied to the sprocket, screw, or motor at the start or end of the drive. The gift ball dispensing device has a drawback that it easily breaks down in a short time. The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a premium ball payout device for a pachinko machine having a long life.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention,
In a premium ball dispensing device for a pachinko machine that dispenses a predetermined number of balls based on a dispensing command signal,
The prize ball dispensing device includes a ball supply rod in which the balls flow down in two rows, and a rotation center shaft supported by a bearing at the center of the lower end of the two rows of ball supply rods, and is displaced by a half pitch inward from each other. A sprocket that rotates in a row, a ball discharge rod that is formed between the two sprockets and that is carried by the two sprockets alternately in a row, and is provided upstream of the ball discharge rod. It comprises a counting detection switch for detecting a sphere that flows down, and a motor that rotates the sprocket based on the discharge command signal.
[0005]
[Action]
The balls that have flowed down the two rows of ball supply rods are alternately carried inward by the sprockets that are rotated by the driving of the motor based on the payout command signal, and flow down the ball discharge rods in one row. Then, the spheres discharged by the counting detection switch provided in the upstream portion of the sphere discharge rods flowing down in one row are detected, and the count value is set to a numerical value set corresponding to the payout command signal. At that time, a drive stop signal is sent to the motor, the rotation of the sprocket is stopped, and the payout operation is completed. In the present invention, since the rotation center shaft of the sprocket is supported by bearings at the center of the lower end of the ball supply rod, the pressure of the ball supply rod and the ball located upstream thereof is applied to the rotation center shaft of the sprocket. Since no eccentric load is applied, it is possible to reduce an excessive load on the sprocket and the motor at the start of driving and at the end of driving, and to provide a long-life pachinko machine prize ball dispensing device. In addition, the movement of the ball from the ball supply rod to the ball discharge rod is forcibly and surely alternated by a sprocket rotating with a half-pitch deviation, ensuring the counting operation with the counting detection switch. In addition to this, it is possible to reliably prevent the clogging phenomenon of the discharge ball on the downstream side of the sprocket.
[0006]
【Example】
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, with reference to FIG. 12, the structure of the pachinko machine 1 to which the prize ball dispensing device 20 according to the present embodiment is applied will be described. FIG. 12 is a schematic rear view of the pachinko machine 1. As is well known, a mechanism plate 2 is disposed on the back surface of the pachinko machine 1, and a prize ball dispensing device 20 constituting the main part of the present embodiment is provided on the mechanism plate 2. By the way, the mechanism plate 2 is provided with various mechanisms for paying out a prize ball corresponding to a winning ball generated in the game of the pachinko machine 1. That is, on the rear surface side of the mechanism plate 2, a premium sphere tank 3 for storing a predetermined amount of premium spheres is provided at the uppermost part, and the premium sphere flowing down from the premium sphere tank 3 is 2 below the premium sphere tank 3. The premium sphere guide rails 4 aligned with the columns are provided in an inclined manner.
[0007]
At the end of the prize ball guiding rail 4, a prize ball payout device 20 constituting the main part of this embodiment is connected, and a predetermined number of prize balls are paid out based on a winning signal from a winning ball detection switch 12 described later. It is like that. The prize ball payout device 20 shown in FIG. 12 is the prize ball payout device 20 according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. The detailed structure of the premium ball dispensing device 20 will be described in detail later. The prize sphere delivered from the prize sphere dispensing device 20 flows down the prize sphere discharge passage 5 and is dispensed from the upper dish communication port 8 to an upper plate (not shown) provided in front of the pachinko machine 1. In addition, when the upper plate is full of prize balls, the lower plate (provided on the front surface of the pachinko machine 1 from the lower plate communication port 10 flows down the discharge lower passage 9 communicating to the side of the upper plate communication port 8). (Not shown). The prize ball dispensing device 20 is set in advance as a whole, and the set prize ball dispensing device 20 can be detachably attached to the mechanism plate 2.
[0008]
Further, a beading passage 6 is formed in parallel to the side of the prize ball discharge passage 5 described above, and a switching valve 7 is provided at an upper connection portion between the prize ball discharge passage 5 and the ball removal passage 6. It has been. The switching valve 7 is switched at the time of the ball removal process, guides the ball discharged from the prize ball dispensing device 20 to the ball removal passage 6, and is discharged from the end of the ball removal passage 6 to the outside of the pachinko machine 1.
[0009]
On the other hand, in the lower part on the front side of the mechanism plate 2, a winning ball collecting bowl 11 for collecting the winning balls generated in the pachinko game is provided in an inclined shape, and a winning ball flowing down in the middle of the winning ball collecting bowl 11 is detected. A winning ball detection switch 12 is provided. The detection signal of the winning ball detection switch 12 is stored in a storage area of a payout control circuit provided in the terminal board 15 described later, and the prize ball payout device 20 is driven and controlled based on the stored value. It has become.
[0010]
Furthermore, the mechanism plate 2 has a square-shaped window opening 13 at the center thereof. This window opening 13 is a rear side of an accessory provided in the center of the game board of the pachinko machine 1 as is well known. When the game control circuit board 14 for controlling the game operation as shown in the figure is attached to the rear side of the game board as shown in the drawing, the game control circuit board 14 is also provided with the window opening 13. Placed inside. A terminal board 15 is provided on one side of the mechanism plate 2. As is well known, the terminal board 15 is provided with a power supply terminal for supplying power to the pachinko machine 1 from the outside and controls the operation of the prize ball dispensing device 20 in this embodiment. A payout control circuit is also formed.
[0011]
Next, with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 9, a prize ball payout device 20 constituting a main part of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a main part of the prize ball dispensing device 20, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the prize ball dispensing device 20, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the prize ball dispensing device 20. 4 is a front view of the prize ball dispensing device 20, FIG. 5 is a rear view of the prize ball dispensing device 20, FIG. 6 is a left side view of the prize ball dispensing device 20, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a right side view of the premium ball payout device 20, FIG. 8 is a plan view of the premium ball payout device 20, and FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the premium ball payout device 20. In addition, when the prize ball dispensing device 20 in this embodiment is viewed from the back of the pachinko machine 1 with the mechanism plate 2 attached, it looks like the right side view of FIG.
[0012]
Hereinafter, the structure of the prize ball payout device 20 will be described with reference to the exploded perspective view of FIG. 3, and the other drawings will be described while clearly showing each time. In FIG. 3, the prize ball dispensing device 20 is configured by consolidating a hollow case by closing a case lid 22 on the front surface (on the front view) of an inverted L-shaped case body 21. The inverted L-shaped upper front constitutes a guide rail connecting portion 23 connected to the prize ball guide rail 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the guide rail connection portion 23 faces the upper ends of ball supply rods 24 a and 24 b described below to correspond to the prize ball guide rails 4 formed in two rows. The left side surface of the case main body 21 (the side in contact with the mechanism plate 2) has a mounting piece 21a extending rearward, and a prize ball is paid out by mounting holes 21b formed above and below the mounting piece 21a. The entire device 20 is attached to the mechanism plate 2.
[0013]
By the way, the inner hollow portion of the case body 21 is formed with ball supply rods 24a and 24b on the left and right sides thereof, and a sprocket housing in which sprockets 40a and 40b described later are arranged at the lower ends of the ball supply rods 24a and 24b. The operation window portions 25a and 25b are formed at the side surface positions of the case main body 21 corresponding to the sprocket storage portion. The operation window portions 25a and 25b are formed for performing operations such as inserting a pin and rotating the sprockets 40a and 40b forward and reverse to eliminate the ball clogging state when a ball clogging occurs in the sprocket portion. It is. It is to be noted that this clogged state can be eliminated by forcibly rotating the gears 39a, 39b partially protruding outward from the case body 21 by hand. Further, a ball discharge rod 28 is formed in a straight line below the sprocket housing portion and in the center of the case body 21, and a detection switch mounting portion 26 is formed at the upper end of the ball discharge rod 28. The detection switch mounting portion 26 is configured to penetrate and support a counting detection switch 27 constituted by a pass-type proximity switch from the rear. In addition, bearing bosses 29a and 29b are rotatably formed on the rear surface of the sprocket storage portion so as to rotatably support one ends of the rotation center shafts 38a and 38b of the sprockets 40a and 40b.
[0014]
On the other hand, the case lid 22 covering the front surface of the case body 21 is formed with communication holes 30a and 30b at positions corresponding to the sprocket storage portion. The communication holes 30a and 30b are formed so that the sprockets 40a and 40b are penetrated when the sprockets 40a and 40b are housed in the sprocket housing part from the rear, so that the diameters thereof are larger than the diameters of the sprockets 40a and 40b. In addition, a plurality of mounting bosses 31 to which a motor mounting plate 32 for mounting a stepping motor 41 to be described later is fixed are projected from the front surface of the case lid 22.
[0015]
The motor attachment plate 32 attached to the attachment boss 31 is made of a deformed hexagonal plate material, and a through hole 33 is formed at substantially the center thereof. The through hole 33 has a size that penetrates a gear 39b that is fixed to one rotation center shaft 38b that is directly connected to the motor shaft of the stepping motor 41. A fixing screw 34 is screwed onto the motor mounting plate 32 at a position corresponding to the mounting boss 31 to fix the motor mounting plate 32 to the case lid 22. A motor mounting hole 35 for fixing the stepping motor 41 is formed. On the rear surface of the motor mounting plate 32, a spacing holding boss 37 projects from the upper right side, and a bearing portion (not shown) that supports the other end of the other rotation center shaft 38a is also formed.
[0016]
By the way, a predetermined interval is formed between the case lid 22 and the motor mounting plate 32 by the mounting boss 31 and the interval holding boss 37, and within this interval, it is fixed to the rotation center shafts 38a and 38b. Gears 39a and 39b are arranged. That is, the rotation center shafts 38a and 38b have gears 39a and 39b having the same number of teeth fixed to the front surface portions thereof, and sprockets 40a and 40b having the same shape fixed to the rear portions thereof. Thus, one (left side) rotation center shaft 38a has one end supported by the bearing boss 29a and the other end supported by a bearing (not shown) formed on the rear surface of the motor mounting plate 32. One end of the rotation center shaft 38 b on the right side is supported by the bearing boss 29 b and the other end is directly connected to the motor shaft of the stepping motor 41.
[0017]
Thus, in a state where the rotation center shafts 38a and 38b are supported by the bearings, the sprockets 40a and 40b are disposed in the sprocket housing portion, and the gears 39a and 39b are disposed between the case lid 22 and the motor mounting plate 32. They are located within the interval and mesh with each other. However, when the gears 39a and 39b are engaged with each other, the sprockets 40a and 40b are set so that the concave portions and the convex portions face each other, that is, the sprockets 40a and 40b are shifted by a half pitch. Further, attachment pieces 42 are provided on the left and right of the rear surface of the stepping motor 41 to which the other rotation center shaft 38b is fixed, and the attachment pieces 42 are aligned with the motor attachment holes 35 and screwed with screws 36. The stepping motor 41 is fixed to the motor mounting plate 32. The sprockets 40a and 40b have a cross shape in which a plurality of recesses (four in the drawing) for receiving pachinko balls are formed.
[0018]
Thus, in the prize sphere dispensing device 20 configured as described above, the spheres arranged in two rows by the prize sphere guide rail 4 are continuously supplied to the sphere supply rods 24a and 24b, as shown in FIG. At the same time, it stops in a state where the leading sphere is in contact with the sprockets 40a, 40b. In this stopped state, the rotation center shafts 38a and 38b of the sprockets 40a and 40b are located at the center of the lower end of the ball supply rods 24a and 24b, so that the pressure of the ball supply rods 24a and 24b and the ball located upstream thereof Is applied to the rotation center shafts 38a and 38b of the sprockets 40a and 40b, and no eccentric load is applied to the sprockets 40a and 40b. Therefore, an excessive load on the sprockets 40a and 40b and the stepping motor 41 at the start and end of driving is reduced. A premium ball dispenser 20 for a pachinko machine having a long life can be provided.
[0019]
Next, when the payout command signal is derived, the stepping motor 41 starts to rotate counterclockwise. For this reason, the sprocket 40b directly connected to the motor shaft of the stepping motor 41 also rotates counterclockwise. 40a rotates at the same speed in the clockwise direction by meshing of the gears 39a and 39b. That is, the sprockets 40a and 40b move the spheres inward from each other. When the sphere moves, the sprockets 40a and 40b rotate with a half-pitch shift, so that as shown in FIG. 1, the sphere received and moved by the concave portion of one sprocket 40a is projected by the other sprocket 40b. Guided in the state of being close to the tip of the section, when it reaches its release position, it passes through the counting detection switch 27 provided at the upper end of the ball discharge rod 28 and flows down in a precise line. To do. That is, the movement of the spheres from the ball supply rods 24a, 24b to the ball discharge rod 28 is forcibly and surely alternately performed by the sprockets 40a, 40b rotating with a half-pitch deviation. In addition to ensuring the reliability of the counting operation, it is possible to reliably prevent clogging of the discharged balls on the downstream side of the sprockets 40a and 40b.
[0020]
When the ball moved by the rotation of the sprockets 40a and 40b passes through the predetermined number counting detection switch 27 as described above, the driving of the stepping motor 41 is stopped and the ball dispensing operation is finished. The payout command signal is not only a prize ball payout command signal based on a prize (there may be not only one type but also a plurality of types), a game ball payout command signal for lending a game ball by inserting a prepaid card or cash, etc. It may be.
[0021]
By the way, if there is a payout command signal, the stepping motor 41 is driven unconditionally to pay out the ball, but in general, there is no longer a ball at any position upstream of the sprockets 40a, 40b. When the ball deficiency detection switch for detecting the ON is turned on, the driving of the stepping motor 41 is prohibited even if there is a payout command signal. FIG. 10 shows an embodiment (hereinafter, referred to as a second embodiment) in which such a ball deficiency detection switch is provided integrally with the prize ball dispensing device 20 having the above-described structure. FIG. 10 is a partially exploded perspective view of the prize ball dispensing device 20 according to the second embodiment. In the drawing, the prize sphere dispensing device 20 in this embodiment has the same internal structure as the above-described prize sphere dispensing device 20, except that it is the upper surface of the case body 21 and the prize sphere guiding rail 4. The rectangular switch accommodating portions 50a and 50b for accommodating the ball deficiency detecting switches 52a and 52b constituted by flat type proximity switches are provided at positions directly above the two rows of downflow paths. The switch storage portions 50a and 50b are formed with wiring cutouts 51a and 51b for guiding the wiring to the outside in a state where the ball deficiency detection switches 52a and 52b are stored, and the upper surfaces thereof are covered with the covers 53a and 53b. It is covered with 53b and stopped with a screw 54. As described above, the ball deficiency detection switches 52a and 52b are configured integrally with the prize ball dispensing device 20, so that the electrical components related to the prize ball dispensing device 20 can be simply attached to the mechanism plate 2. The mounting and fixing of parts can be simplified.
[0022]
In addition, although the shape of sprocket 40a, 40b in the above-mentioned Example showed the shape of a cross shape, as shown in FIG. 11, what is called a spear-shaped sprocket 60a which flows in a direction opposite to a rotation direction with a sharp tooth tip is shown. 60b shape may be sufficient.
[0023]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, in the present invention, since the rotation center axis of the sprocket is supported by the bearing at the lower end center of the ball supply rod, the pressure of the ball supply rod and the ball located upstream thereof is Since the sprocket is placed on the rotation center axis of the sprocket and no eccentric load is applied to the sprocket, it is possible to reduce the excessive load on the sprocket and motor at the start of driving and at the end of driving and provide a long-life pachinko machine prize ball dispensing device it can. In addition, the movement of the ball from the ball supply rod to the ball discharge rod is forcibly and surely alternated by a sprocket that rotates with a half-pitch deviation, ensuring the counting operation with the counting detection switch. In addition to this, it is possible to reliably prevent the clogging phenomenon of the discharge ball on the downstream side of the sprocket.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a main part of a prize ball payout device according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a prize ball dispensing device.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the prize ball dispensing device.
FIG. 4 is a front view of the premium ball dispensing device.
FIG. 5 is a rear view of the premium ball dispensing device.
FIG. 6 is a left side view of the prize ball dispensing device.
FIG. 7 is a right side view of the premium ball dispensing device.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of the prize ball dispensing device.
FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the premium ball dispensing device.
FIG. 10 is a partially exploded perspective view of a prize ball dispensing device according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a main part of a premium ball payout device showing examples of different sprocket shapes.
FIG. 12 is a schematic rear view of a pachinko machine to which the prize ball dispensing device according to the embodiment is applied.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pachinko machine 2 Mechanism board 20 Premium ball delivery device 24a, 24b Ball supply rod 26 Detection switch mounting part 27 Counting detection switch 28 Ball discharge rod 38a, 38b Rotation center shaft 39a, 39b Gear 40a, 40b Sprocket 41 Stepping motor

Claims (1)

In a premium ball dispensing device for a pachinko machine that dispenses a predetermined number of balls based on a dispensing command signal,
The prize ball dispensing device includes a ball supply rod in which the balls flow down in two rows, and a rotation center shaft supported by a bearing at the center of the lower end of the two rows of ball supply rods, and is displaced by a half pitch inward from each other. A sprocket that rotates in a row, a ball discharge rod that is formed between the two sprockets and that is carried by the two sprockets alternately in a row, and is provided upstream of the ball discharge rod. A prize ball dispensing device for a pachinko machine, comprising: a counting detection switch for detecting a ball that flows down; and a motor for rotating the sprocket based on the discharge command signal.

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