JP3775030B2 - Ball passage shutter mechanism - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a ball path shutter mechanism having a plurality of rows.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general pachinko parlors, ball counters used by customers are arranged at important points in the store. On the other hand, recently, there is a proposal to attach a ball counter to each pachinko machine. In other words, the customer handles the ball counter while playing and automatically counts a large number of balls at the time of the big hit so that the balls are returned to the internal mechanism of the pachinko machine. More specifically, the pachinko ball is returned to an “island” configured by arranging a plurality of pachinko machines. As a result, the pachinko balls are recirculated into the island, so that they can be used as hit balls (prize balls) or the like supplied directly to each pachinko machine constituting the island.
[0003]
The counted balls are managed as electronic information, and a pachinko ball is again issued to the customer or a ball deposit certificate (IC card or the like) for exchanging prizes is issued according to the customer's request. In addition, it is not necessary to bring a dollar box in the case of a big hit, and the bottom plate becomes full because the dollar box is delayed and the hit ball is not discharged, so the big hit There is no longer a situation where rights are lost.
[0004]
Furthermore, the conventional ball counting machine for each pachinko machine is designed according to the form of the individual pachinko machine, receives the balls discharged from the ball outlet of the lower plate of the pachinko machine, and leads them to the ball counting passage. The counted balls are taken into an inter-mechanism mechanism called a stand sand. Then, the pachinko balls are returned to the piping path (passage through which the pachinko balls flow) around the island through this inter-mechanism mechanism.
[0005]
By the way, in the ball counting machine for each conventional pachinko machine described above, a large number of pachinko balls are arranged in a row and guided to the ball counting passage. The maximum number of passages is two. Therefore, it is difficult to completely eliminate clogging and failure at this portion.
[0006]
When there is a clogged ball, there is a demand to prevent further pachinko balls from flowing into the clogged state. In addition, if the counting machine breaks down or normal counting processing cannot be performed due to a power failure or the like, the pachinko ball cannot be counted even if the pachinko ball passes in front of the counting machine. There is a request to stop doing.
[0007]
Also, when pachinko balls that have already passed through the counter flow backward when the passage is opened to eliminate ball clogging in the ball passage, there is a risk of counting the pachinko balls that have flowed back again when clogging is eliminated. There is a demand to stop the pachinko ball from moving in the ball passage to prevent it.
[0008]
On the other hand, pachinko parlors have a large and complex pachinko ball transport system. This conveyance path system may cause an abnormality for some reason, and a pachinko ball may be clogged in a certain part of the passage or a ball may flow in the opposite direction. Therefore, when clogging occurs, it is necessary to stop the flow of pachinko balls into the passage on the upstream side.
[0009]
Accordingly, a shutter mechanism for stopping the flow of the pachinko balls is installed at appropriate positions of the ball passages arranged in various places in the pachinko store. An example of a conventional shutter mechanism is as shown in FIGS.
[0010]
That is, the shutter mechanism 1 is installed above a plurality of rows of ball paths 2 that are open at the top. The claw 3 that moves up and down moves downward and enters the ball passage 2 to block the passage and prevent the pachinko ball 5 from moving. The claws 3 are respectively fixed to the lower surface of a belt-like mounting plate 6, and the mounting plate 6 is connected to a solenoid 8 via a connecting rod 7. Further, a spring 9 is mounted on the outer periphery of the connecting rod 7, and the mounting plate 6 is urged downward by its elastic restoring force.
[0011]
With this configuration, when the solenoid 8 is energized and the connecting rod 8 is sucked, the mounting plate 6 rises, and the claws 3 fixed to the mounting plate 6 rise all at once. Thereby, the ball passage 2 is opened and the passage of the pachinko ball 5 is allowed. When the energization to the solenoid 8 is stopped, the suction to the connecting rod 8 is released, so that the elastic plate 6 and the pawl 3 are instantaneously lowered by the elastic restoring force of the spring 9, and each ball passage 2 is closed. The pachinko ball 5 is prevented from passing.
[0012]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional shutter mechanism described above has the following problems. That is, since each claw 3 is fixed to the mounting plate 6 and moves up and down all at once, as shown in FIG. 3A, when a certain claw 3 comes into contact with the apex of the pachinko ball 5, the pachinko ball 5 is It is sandwiched between the claw 3 and the bottom surface of the ball passage 2 and stopped. However, if the length of the claw 3 is A and the length of another claw is B as shown in FIG. 5B, if A> B due to manufacturing errors, As shown in B), even if there is a gap between the lower end of the claw 3 and the pachinko ball 5, or even if it comes into contact, the clamping pressure is weakened, and the pachinko ball 5 may pass without stopping. In addition, the phenomenon that the pawl balls are not in contact with a certain nail and the ball passage cannot be blocked may occur based on the angle tolerance in the ball passage 2 (which is a downward slope so that the pachinko ball flows smoothly). is there.
[0013]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described background, and the object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problem and to prevent a ball passage that can reliably block a plurality of ball passages and prevent the passage of balls. It is to provide a shutter mechanism.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To achieve the above object, a shutter mechanism of the ball passage according to the present invention is to open and close in unison inclined ball passages plurality of rows, a shutter mechanism of the ball passage to stop the passage of balls flowing down the ball passage A claw member that enters the ball passage from above and closes the ball passage, a single attachment member to which each claw member for each ball passage is attached, and the attachment member to the ball passage. and a drive means for forward and backward toward and each pawl member, together with Keru Installing allow contact near and away with respect to the mounting member, flows down the ball passage during downward movement with said mounting member Further contact with the ball to be stopped is prevented, and it is configured to approach the mounting member that moves downward (Claim 1).
[0015]
The claw members are rotatably attached to the attachment members, elastic bodies are disposed between the claw members and the attachment members, and the direction of the elastic restoring force of the elastic bodies is determined by the claw members. Is a direction away from the mounting member (Claim 2).
[0016]
The ball passage according to claim 1 or 2 can be applied to various types, and as a specific example, it can be a pachinko ball passage (claim 3).
[0017]
The drive means is operated to move the attachment member backward so as to separate from the ball path. Then, since the claw member also moves backward together, the ball passage opens, and the ball can move in the ball passage. When closing the ball passage, the drive member is operated to move the attachment member forward. Then, the claw member moves forward together and enters the ball passage. Thereby, the ball about to move in the ball passage comes into contact with the claw member and cannot move forward any more and stops. At this time, even if the claw member that has entered a ball passage hits the vicinity of the top of the ball and cannot enter further, in the present invention, each claw member approaches each of the mounting members independently. -Since it can detach | separate, a claw member which contacted the ball concerned moves so that it may approach relatively with respect to an attachment member, and an attachment member can advance further and can approach a ball path. As a result, the other claw members for the ball passage can be moved further toward the ball passage, so that the ball passage can reliably enter and block the ball passage by a predetermined amount.
[0018]
In other words, in the present invention, each claw member can independently approach and separate from the mounting member, so that the tip position of each claw member (the end on the side entering the ball path) is allowed to change individually. Therefore, the amount of each claw member entering the ball passage is in an appropriate state depending on the size of each member and the positional relationship with the ball, and all the ball passages can be reliably closed.
[0019]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Preferred embodiments of a shutter mechanism for a ball passage according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 4 shows a main part of one embodiment of the present invention. The overall structure of the apparatus is the same as that of the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the connecting rod 12 attached to the upper surface of the mounting plate 11 can be sucked by a solenoid 13 as a driving means, and a coil spring 14 is mounted around the connecting rod 12 so that it is always attached. The solenoid 13 and the mounting plate 11 are urged in a direction that separates them. This is the same as in the prior art.
[0020]
Here, in the present invention, when the claws 15 are attached to predetermined positions on the lower surface of the attachment plate 11, the individual claws 15 can be moved up and down relatively with respect to the attachment plate 11. Specifically, a recess 11a is provided on the bottom surface of the mounting plate 11, and a claw 15 is mounted in the recess 11a. The claw 15 has a shape in which a distal end 15a is bent downward, and is mounted in the recess 11a so as to be rotatable via a rotating shaft 16 on the base end 15b side. At this time, it attaches so that a fixed clearance may be formed between the nail | claw 15 and the top | upper surface 11a 'of the recessed part 11a. Further, a protrusion 15c protruding upward is formed on the base end 15b side of the claw 15, and the protrusion 15c can come into contact with the top surface 11a 'of the recess 11a. That is, the rotation center (rotation shaft 16) of the claw 15 is not the center of gravity position of the claw 15, but is eccentric, so that the tip 15a side of the claw 15 moves downward in the no-load state (rotates clockwise in the figure). To do). Then, when the claw 15 rotates by a predetermined angle, the projection 15c comes into contact with the top surface 11a ', and further rotation is suppressed. That is, the protrusion 15c functions as a stopper.
[0021]
Further, a claw moving spring 17 that is an elastic body is provided between the top surface of the claw 15 and the top surface 11a 'of the recess 11a. It can be biased downward.
[0022]
That is, in the normal state with no load, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 4, the tip 15a of the claw 15 is lowered to a predetermined position. At this time, if the pachinko ball 20 is in the position indicated by the wavy line due to the relative positional relationship with the pachinko ball 20, the tip 15a of the claw 15 is brought into contact with the vicinity of the top of the pachinko ball 20, so that the tip 15a The upward urging force works on this. Along with this, the claw 15 rotates counterclockwise in the figure while compressing and deforming the claw movable spring 17 to reach the position indicated by the middle wavy line in FIG. At this time, the pawl 15 is urged in the direction in which the tip 15a descends by the elastic restoring force of the pawl moving spring 17, so that the pachinko ball 20 is a predetermined distance between the tip 15a of the claw 15 and the ball passage 21. Since it is pinched by pressure, the movement is stopped.
[0023]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. First, normally, the solenoid 13 is operated to suck the connecting rod 12 and raise the mounting plate 11. Thereby, each nail | claw 15 with which the mounting plate 11 was mounted | worn also rises, Therefore As shown to the same figure (B), the ball | bowl channel | path 21 is open | released (the nail | claw 15 does not touch the pachinko ball 20), and the pachinko ball 20 is made. Move freely in the ball passage 21.
[0024]
At this time, when it is desired to stop the movement of the pachinko ball 20 for some reason, the energization to the solenoid 13 is cut off. Then, the mounting plate 11 (claw 15) moves downward due to the weight of the mounting plate 11 and the claw 15 and the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 14, and the tip 15a enters the ball passage 21. Thereby, as shown to the same figure (A), the pachinko ball 20 contacts the front-end | tip 15a of the nail | claw 15, and the further movement is blocked | prevented. Then, from the timing of lowering and the relative positional relationship of the pachinko ball 20, the tip 15a of the claw 15 has been lowered as shown by the wavy line when contacting the front side of the pachinko ball 20 as shown by the solid line. When the pachinko ball 20 passes just below, it may contact the vicinity of the apex of the pachinko ball 20. However, in any case, the movement of the pachinko ball can be stopped for the reason described above.
[0025]
And in this form, since each nail | claw 15 can rotate independently about the rotating shaft 16, respectively, a certain ball path is shown as the continuous line in the figure (A) among several ball paths. Thus, the other ball passage can be brought into contact with the vicinity of the apex of the pachinko ball 20 by raising the tip 15a as shown by the middle wavy line in FIG. As a result, each claw 15 takes an appropriate posture and state according to the relative positional relationship between the pachinko ball 20 and the claw 15 for each ball passage, and the movement of the pachinko ball 20 can be reliably stopped.
[0026]
The shutter mechanism 10 according to the present embodiment can be used as a shutter for various ball paths. Specific application examples include those shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, for example. That is, the reference numeral 25 is a tray that is arranged below the lower plate of the pachinko base 26 and receives the pachinko balls 20 discharged from the lower plate, passes through the ball passage 21 connected to the tray 25, and the pachinko ball The ball 20 is returned to the island. As is well known, the ball passage 21 is inserted into a base sand 27 provided next to the pachinko base 26, and a ball counter is mounted at a predetermined position of the ball passage 21. Is done. The shutter mechanism 10 is disposed in the vicinity of the entrance side of the table sand 27. In the illustrated example, the ball passages 21 are arranged in two rows, so that there are two claws 15 provided on the mounting plate 11.
[0027]
In this application example, for example, when the counter fails or cannot be counted due to a power failure or the like, the claw 15 of the shutter mechanism 10 enters the ball passage 21 and is used to stop the movement of the pachinko ball 20.
[0028]
In addition, as an application location of the shutter mechanism according to the present invention, it is not limited to the above, and can be installed at appropriate positions in various passages of pachinko balls on the island, and is not limited to pachinko balls. There are multiple rows of ball passages, and it can be realized in various applications such as stopping balls flowing therethrough.
[0030]
Further, in the embodiment, the claw member rotates so that its tip approaches and separates from the mounting plate. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the claw member may reciprocate linearly. Many other forms are possible.
[0031]
Furthermore, although an example of a claw-moving spring (coil spring) has been shown as an elastic body, the present invention is not limited to this, and there is an elastic restoring force such as rubber as well as a leaf spring and various other springs. Various types of elastic bodies can be used.
[0032]
Furthermore, although the solenoid is used as the driving means, this is preferable in that the shutter can be instantly closed even in the event of a power failure, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a cylinder and other various driving means are used. Can do.
[0033]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the shutter mechanism of the ball passage according to the present invention, each claw member attached to the mounting member can move independently of each other, so that the relative positional relationship with the ball in the ball passage and each member Regardless of the dimensional tolerance, the claw members can enter the respective ball passages in an appropriate state, so that each ball passage can be reliably closed to prevent the passage of balls.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional example.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a conventional example.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a conventional example.
FIG. 4 is a view showing a preferred embodiment of a shutter mechanism for a ball passage according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an application example of the shutter mechanism.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an application example of the shutter mechanism.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Shutter mechanism 11 Mounting plate (Mounting member)
14 Coil spring 13 Solenoid (drive means)
15 Claw (Claw member)
16 Rotating shaft 17 Spring for moving claw (elastic body)
20 Pachinko balls 21 Ball passage

Claims (3)

Open and close in unison an inclined ball passages plurality of rows, a shutter mechanism of the ball passage to stop the passage of balls flowing down the ball passage,
A claw member that enters the ball passage from above and closes the ball passage;
One attachment member to which each claw member for each ball passage is attached;
Drive means for moving the mounting member back and forth toward the ball path,
And, wherein each pawl member, together with the Keru Installing with respect attachment members allows contact near to and separate from, the contact with the balls flowing down the ball passage during downward movement with said mounting member further lowered blocking The ball path shutter mechanism is configured to approach the mounting member that is moved downward . Each of the claw members is rotatably attached to the attachment member, and the claw member rotates forward and backward so that the distance between the claw member and the attachment member is changed.
An elastic body is disposed between each claw member and the mounting member,
The ball path shutter mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a direction of an elastic restoring force of the elastic body is a direction in which each of the claw members is separated from the mounting member.   The ball path shutter mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the ball path is a path for a pachinko ball.

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