JP4040629B2 - Ball passage structure of a ball game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a front frame that detachably accommodates and holds a game board, a back mechanism board provided on the rear surface side, a ball payout device that is provided on the upper side of the back mechanism board and pays out a game ball, and a ball payout apparatus Of a ball game machine having a ball payout passage for allowing the game balls discharged from the ball to flow down to a ball tray on the front side of the front frame, and a ball discharge passage for discharging game balls discharged from the ball payout device to the outside of the machine body. It relates to a ball passage structure.

  As described above, a pachinko machine is widely known as a representative example of a ball game machine provided with a ball payout device behind the front frame. In pachinko machines, a glass door and a ball pan that cover the front of the game board are both open and open on the front side of the front frame that detachably accommodates and holds the game board, and a launch handle is attached to the lower part. A rear mechanism board (also called a back set board or a mechanism set board) equipped with a ball processing mechanism for game balls is mounted on the rear side of the frame.

  The back mechanism board is inserted in the center of the board surface covering the entire rear side of the front frame so that it does not interfere with the symbol display device and various winning machine devices protruding backward from the game board. A ball storage tank for storing game balls and game balls stored in the ball storage tank are aligned on the upper, lower, left and right frame collars surrounding the window opening. Alignment waiting passage that leads to the ball dispensing device below, the ball dispensing device that dispenses the game balls held in the alignment waiting passage according to the winning state, and the game balls dispensed from the ball dispensing device flow down to the ball tray In addition to the ball payout passage to be made, generally, a ball removing mechanism configured to be able to open and close a part of the passage wall of the alignment standby passage, formed on the side of the alignment standby passage and opened when the passage wall is opened The game ball that was stored upstream from the club is made to flow down before Such as spheres drain passage for discharging to the rear of the fuselage external (gaming facility spheres recovery device) are provided (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  Also, in recent years, the ball dispensing device has been operated so that all of the game balls remaining inside the machine body can be removed, including the game waiting balls arranged in the alignment waiting passage and the ball dispensing device downstream of the ball removal mechanism. Many pachinko machines are configured to perform ball removal. In such a pachinko machine, two ball discharge outlets are provided at the lower left and right of the ball discharge device so that the ball discharge motor can be controlled to rotate in both forward and reverse directions. A ball dispensing passage that communicates with the ball tray is formed below the outlet, and a ball removal passage that communicates with the ball discharge port is formed below the other ball dispensing outlet. During normal prize ball dispensing operation, the ball dispensing motor rotates normally. Thus, the game ball is paid out to the ball payout passage, and at the time of the ball removal process, the ball payout motor is reversed to discharge the game ball into the ball discharge passage.

JP 2003-135702 A

  However, in the conventional ball passage structure, for example, the ball passage structure of the technique described in Patent Document 1, the alignment standby passage and the ball removal passage are arranged side by side on the frame collar on the right side of the window in the rear view (or the back mechanism). The width of the frame collar is required to be more than the width of these two passages, which limits the width of the window opening. There was a problem that.

  This problem is the same in the gaming machine that controls the rotation direction of the ball payout motor, and the ball payout passage and the ball discharge passage are arranged side by side on the frame hook on the right side of the window below the ball payout device. Since it was formed, the width of the frame flange portion was required to be more than these two passage widths, and there was a problem that the width dimension of the window opening was limited.

  In addition, when the ball payout device is provided at the lower part of the frame payout unit, the ball payout device is used to reduce the ball pressure acting on the ball payout device from the game balls stored upstream of the ball payout device. In order to reduce the falling speed of the paid-out game ball when it is provided at the upper part of the section, a passage configuration is generally used in which the game ball is bent back multiple times. However, in the conventional passage structure, this bent passage is formed in the shape of an S-shaped rail that is folded back in the left-right direction parallel to the board surface, and such a passage configuration further increases the width of the frame collar portion. There was a problem that the width dimension of the opening became narrow.

  And if the opening size of the window opening is restricted in this way, this restricts the area that can be projected to the rear side of the game board, for example, restricting the enlargement of the symbol display device, or selecting the winning device and Due to restrictions on the arrangement position and the like, even if the game board is enlarged, it has become a problem that it is difficult to set a substantially free gauge.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and can be used for a ball game machine in which a large symbol display device or a winning device can be provided, and the degree of freedom of gauge setting can be expanded. An object is to provide a ball passage structure.

To achieve the above object, the ball path structure according to the present invention includes a game board in which a game component such as an image display device is attached in a game area formed on the front side, and the game area on the front side. In a ball game machine comprising a front frame that is detachably accommodated so as to face and a back mechanism board provided on the rear side of the front frame, the back mechanism board has an upper portion extending left and right and A base frame formed in an inverted L shape with the upper left end extending downward, and a ball payout device attached to a rear surface on the lower side of the left end from the upper part of the base frame, and paying out a game ball according to a winning state; A ball payout passage that is attached to the rear surface of the base frame and is located below the left end of the ball payout device, and allows the game balls discharged from the ball payout device to flow down toward a ball tray provided on the front side of the front frame; The left end of the ball dispensing device It is provided on the rear surface of the base frame located on the lower side, and is configured to include a ball discharge passage that allows game balls discharged from the ball dispensing device to flow down toward a ball discharge port that discharges the game ball to the outside of the machine body behind the front frame. The Furthermore, the ball discharge passage and the ball removal passage are overlapped in the front-rear direction and are arranged on a portion extending downward at the left end portion of the base frame to constitute a ball passage assembly extending vertically. As shown in the figure, a rectangular cross section with a large width in the front-rear direction and a thin width in the left-right direction is formed in the shape of a beam that is long in the vertical direction. Yes.

  In the above-described ball passage structure, an S-shaped portion that bends in the front-rear direction is provided in at least one of the ball discharge passage and the ball discharge passage, and the ball discharge passage and the ball discharge passage are formed on a vertical surface extending in the front-rear direction. Arrange along.

  In the ball passage structure, an S-shaped portion that bends in the front-rear direction is provided for both the ball discharge passage and the ball discharge passage, and an S-shaped passage wall that bends the ball discharge passage and the ball discharge passage in the front-rear direction ( For example, the central passage wall 44c) in the embodiment is formed adjacently.

  In the ball passage structure configured as described above, a ball payout device is provided at the upper part of the back mechanism board, and a ball payout passage that causes the game balls discharged from the ball payout device to flow down toward the ball tray below the ball payout device. And a ball drainage passage for allowing the game balls discharged from the ball payout device to flow down toward the ball discharge port for discharging the game ball to the outside of the machine body behind the front frame, and the ball discharge passage and the ball discharge passage overlap in the front-rear direction. They are arranged as follows. For this reason, in the lower side of the ball dispensing device arranged at the upper part of the back mechanism board, that is, in the middle area of the back mechanism board, the frame of the back mechanism board is set according to the dimension in which the ball dispensing path and the ball removal path overlap. The width | variety of a collar part can be reduced and, thereby, the opening width of a window opening can be expanded.

  Further, by providing an S-shaped portion that bends in the front-rear direction in at least one of the ball payout passage and the ball discharge passage, while reducing the falling speed of the game ball and ensuring a quiet and smooth payout The width in the left-right direction can be reduced, and the effect of duplication is maximized by arranging these ball discharge passages and ball removal passages along the vertical plane extending in the front-rear direction, and the width of the frame collar portion is only 1 It can be suppressed to the same size as the case where the linear passage of the row is provided, and thereby the opening width of the window opening can be enlarged.

  Further, by providing an S-shaped portion that bends in the front-rear direction for both the ball payout passage and the ball discharge passage, and forming these ball passages adjacent to each other with an S-shaped passage wall bent in the front-rear direction. The width of the window opening can be reduced by reducing the width in the left-right direction while ensuring quiet and smooth dispensing and ball removal for both the discharge passage and the ball discharge passage. Dimensions can be minimized.

  And when the opening size of the window opening is expanded in this way, the area that can be projected rearward from the game board is expanded, and a large symbol display device that has been conventionally difficult to use is disposed or disposed It is possible to relax the selection of winning devices and the restrictions on the arrangement positions, which have been limited, and the degree of freedom of gauge setting can be expanded.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. As a representative example of a ball game machine having a ball passage structure according to the present invention, a pachinko machine is illustrated in each of FIGS. 1 to 5, and first, the overall configuration of the pachinko machine PM with reference to these drawings The outline will be described. Here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the pachinko machine PM viewed obliquely from the front, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the front glass door 5 and the upper ball tray 6 opened sideways, and FIG. 3 is an oblique rear view of the pachinko machine PM. 4 is a perspective view of a state in which the front frame 2 is opened to the front of the outer frame 1 and the upper back mechanism board 40 is opened to the rear of the front frame 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a state in which the lower back mechanism board 50 is opened to the rear of the front frame 2.

  In the pachinko machine PM, the front frame 2 for opening and closing mounted on the front surface of the outer frame 1 that is configured to have a rectangular frame size and forms a vertically fixed holding frame is arranged on the front surface of the opening and closing mounted to each other. The hinge mechanisms 3a and 3b arranged on the upper left and right sides of the front face are attached to the front so as to be openable and detachable, and are always engaged and connected to the outer frame 1 using a locking device 4 provided on the right front face. Held closed.

  A glass door 5 is attached to the front side upper part of the front frame 2 so as to be openable and detachable in a lateral direction, and is always held in a closed state covering the front surface of the front frame 2 using the locking device 4. An upper part of the front frame located behind the glass door 5 is provided with an accommodation frame for detachably accommodating the game board 10 from the rear, and the game board 10 that is locked and held in a standing posture on the accommodation frame is provided. It is visible through the glass door 5.

  The game board 10 is a substantially circular game area surrounded by an arc-shaped outer rail portion 12 and an inner rail portion 13 using a decorative board 11 obtained by applying a cell to a surface of a laminated plywood having a predetermined thickness and router processing. Although not shown in detail in the inside of the PA, game components such as a windmill, various winning devices, and an image display device that displays a symbol according to the game development status are attached together with a number of game nails. An out port 18 is provided at the lower end of the region.

  An auxiliary mechanism portion 20 called a game auxiliary board is provided at the front side intermediate portion of the front frame 2, and the upper ball tray 6 is opened and opened and removed laterally by a hinge mechanism provided on the front left side in front of the auxiliary mechanism portion 20. The ball tray locking device provided on the right side of the front face is used and is always kept closed so as to cover the front surface of the game auxiliary board 20. The game auxiliary board 20 includes a launch rail 22 for launching a game ball hit by a hammer of the game ball launching device 21 toward the outer rail portion 12, and a prize ball contact bucket 25 formed by penetrating the front frame back and forth. A speaker for generating sound effects according to the game development status, an auxiliary board cover 31 for forming a foul ball collection passage, a lower ball tray passage, and the like on the front side of the front frame 2 are provided.

  The upper ball tray 6 includes a rectangular door-shaped cover plate 61 that covers the front surface of the game auxiliary board 20, a bowl-shaped exterior body 62 that is attached to the front surface of the contact plate 61 and protrudes forward, and the contact plate 61 and the exterior It consists of a plate member 63 or the like attached between the bodies 62. On the back side of the counter plate 61, the upper ball tray 6 is closed to the front frame 2 and communicated with the rear prize ball communication bucket 25 in a closed state. An upper ball tray connecting duct 65 is formed so as to protrude rearward from the game ball flowing from the prize ball connecting bucket 25 to the ball tray portion 64 of the tray member 63 (see also FIG. 11). A ball feeding cassette 69 for feeding game balls stored in the ball tray portion 64 one by one to the game ball launching device 21 is attached in alignment with the launch rail 22.

  A lower ball tray 7 having an open top surface is attached to the lower part on the front side of the front frame 2. A foul ball collection passage and a lower ball tray outlet passage formed by the lower ball tray 7 and the auxiliary panel cover 31 described above are provided. It is connected via the lower ball tray contact bucket. On the right side of the lower ball tray 7, a launch handle 8 for performing a launch operation of the game ball is attached.

  On the other hand, a back mechanism board BSP is provided behind the front frame 2. The back mechanism board BSP has an upper back mechanism board 40 provided with a ball payout mechanism and a ball removal mechanism for paying out game balls, and a game-completed ball for guiding the game-completed balls discharged from the game board 10 to a collection device of the game facility. The lower back mechanism board 50 in which the wall surface of the exhaust passage was formed is attached to the back of the front frame 2 so that opening and closing is possible independently. A circuit board such as a ball payout control board 82 and a power supply board 83 is attached to the rear side of the lower back mechanism board 50, and these are connected by a connector cable so that the pachinko machine PM can be operated.

  Now, the configuration of the ball passage in the pachinko machine PM schematically configured as described above will be described in order along the flow of game balls. FIGS. 6 to 14 show drawings showing the formation state of the ball passage. With reference to these drawings, the ball payout passage L6 for paying out the game balls to the upper and lower ball dishes 6 and 7 and the ball storage tank The structure of the ball discharge passage L7 for discharging the stored game balls and the game-completed balls discharged from the game board to the outside of the machine body will be described.

  6 to 14 to be referred to hereinafter will be outlined in advance. FIG. 6 is a rear view of the pachinko machine PM, FIG. 7 is a side sectional view in the direction of arrows VII-VII in FIG. Is a plan sectional view in the direction of arrow VIII-VIII in FIG. 6, FIG. 9 is a rear view of the upper back mechanism board 40, and FIG. 10 is viewed in the direction of arrow X in FIG. 9 with the passage cover 45 removed. FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged view (side sectional view) showing the ball dispensing passage portion in FIG. 7 in an enlarged manner, and FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged view (planar sectional view) showing the ball dispensing passage portion in FIG. 13 is a rear view mainly showing the relationship between the ball payout passage and the played ball discharge passage (a rear view in the direction of arrow XIII in FIG. 8), and FIG. 14 mainly shows the formation state of the lower ball tray outlet passage. It is a rear view (XIV in FIG. 8-rear view of arrow direction) shown. In the following description, the ball passage formed in the back mechanism board will be described mainly with reference to the drawing of the posture as seen from the rear. It will be described as a method.

  The upper back mechanism board 40 is positioned below the base frame 40A as a base of the mechanism board, the ball storage / dispensing assembly 40B attached to the upper part of the base frame 40A, and the ball storage / discharging assembly 40B. The ball storage assembly 40C and the ball storage assembly 40B and the ball assembly 40C are assembled to the base frame 40A to form an integrated upper back mechanism board 40.

  The base frame 40A includes a flat support plate portion, ribs bent and formed on the outer periphery of the support plate portion, upper back mechanism board hinges 43 formed above and below the right edge of the support plate portion, and the like. In order to integrally cover the entire front of the assembly 40B and the ball passage assembly 40C, they are formed in an inverted L shape larger than the projected shape from the rear of the assemblies 40B and 40C. Each part of the base frame 40A has a female screw part for screwing the ball storage / dispensing assembly 40B and the ball passage assembly 40C, a mounting hole for the nylon fastener 49 for closing and holding the base frame 40A on the rear side of the front frame, and the like. For example, a steel plate with a thickness of about 1.2 to 2.3 mm is punched, bent, burred and tapped, and the hinge pin is caulked and formed into the shape shown in the figure, and if necessary, chromate treatment, etc. Constructed with surface treatment.

  The ball storage / dispensing assembly 40B has a storage tank portion for storing game balls and has an assembly base 41 serving as a mounting base for the ball dispensing device as a base. Here, a rail cover that covers the upper portion of the tank rail portion, and a game ball payout process And a ball stop mechanism (not shown) capable of restricting the flow of the game ball are attached. The assembly base 41 includes a storage tank portion 41a for storing game balls, and a tank that is smoothly connected to the storage tank portion 41a and that aligns the game balls stored in the storage tank portion in a row and guides them to the lower ball payout device 42. A mechanism mounting portion 41c that detachably mounts and holds the rail portion 41b and the ball payout device 42 is provided, and is integrally molded using a resin material mixed with a conductive filler, for example.

  The storage tank portion 41a is horizontally long in a plan view and has a box shape with an upper surface and an open right surface, and the bottom surface is gently inclined to the right and is connected to the tank rail portion 41b. The tank rail portion 41b is formed so as to be smoothly connected to the front and rear wall surfaces of the storage tank portion 41a so that the passage width is gradually narrowed, and the bottom surface is inclined to the right with a somewhat larger inclination angle than the storage tank portion. . In the downstream portion of the tank rail portion 41b, a U-shaped groove having a passage width slightly larger than the diameter of the game ball is formed, and an alignment passage for aligning the game balls supplied from the storage tank portion 41a is formed. . Above the alignment passage, a weight-type ball leveling pendulum that flattens the game balls flowing down with this passage vertically is pivotally supported, and a ball dispensing device is provided at the downstream end of the alignment passage. An outlet opening connected to the inlet 42 is formed. For this reason, the game balls stored in the storage tank portion 41a are aligned in a row in the process of flowing down the tank rail portion 41b, and are led from the outlet opening to the introduction port of the ball dispensing device 42.

  The ball payout device 42 has a ball receiving groove for receiving a game ball on its outer periphery, and is provided with a sprocket-like ball feed rotating disk provided so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the left and right directions. A ball payout motor that rotates in a direction, a ball feed rotating disk, a housing that houses the ball payout motor, and the like are mainly configured, and are detachably attached to and held by the mechanism mounting portion 41c. An inlet for receiving a game ball is formed at the upper end of the housing so as to communicate with the outlet opening of the tank rail 41b, and a first ball outlet for the rear and a second ball outlet for the front are formed at the lower end of the housing. Openings are formed side by side.

  In the ball dispensing device 42, the game ball introduced from the introduction port is received in the ball receiving groove of the ball feed rotating disk within the housing, and rolls backward or forward in the housing depending on the rotation direction of the ball feeding rotating disk. Then, it is paid out from the first ball payout outlet or the second ball payout outlet at the lower end of the housing. For example, when the ball payout motor is rotated forward and the ball feed rotating disk is rotated in the forward direction (clockwise in the side view shown in FIG. 10, the same applies hereinafter), the game received in the ball receiving groove of the ball feeding rotating disk The ball rolls clockwise in the housing along with the rotation of the ball feed rotating disk, and is paid out from the first ball payout outlet behind the lower end of the housing. When the ball dispensing motor is reversed and the ball feed rotating disk is rotated in the reverse direction (counterclockwise in the side view shown in FIG. 10, the same applies hereinafter), the game ball received in the ball receiving groove is With this rotation, the inside of the housing rolls counterclockwise and is paid out from the second ball outlet in front of the lower end of the housing.

  The operation of the ball dispensing device 42 is controlled by a ball dispensing control board 82 attached to the lower back mechanism board 50, and the ball feeding device 42 is fed in a rotation direction and a rotation angle based on a command signal input from the ball dispensing control board 82. Turntable or turn-operated. In the present embodiment, when a predetermined winning condition is satisfied, the ball feeding rotary disk is rotated clockwise to pay out the game ball from the first first ball payout outlet, and a predetermined ball removing operation is performed. There is shown an example in which the ball feeding rotary disk is sometimes rotated counterclockwise to discharge the game ball from the front second ball outlet.

  The ball passage assembly 40C as a whole has a rectangular cross section with a comparatively thick front-rear width and a thin left-right width, and has a vertically long cross-section. The upper and lower ends are bent leftward to form a U-shape when viewed from the back. Is formed. The ball passage assembly 40C is composed of a passage forming member 44 having a left side opened and formed with two front and rear bent passage grooves, a passage cover 45 covering the open surface of the passage forming member, and the like. The game balls paid out from the device 42 are caused to roll down along two front and rear rows of ball passages and are led out to the first outlet or the second outlet at the lower end.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the passage forming member 44 has an S-shaped central passage wall 44c that meanders back and forth while extending vertically, and forward and rearward (left and right sides in FIG. 10) of the central passage wall 44c. It has a front passage wall 44f and a rear passage wall 44r extending up and down approximately parallel to each other with a space slightly larger than the diameter of the game ball, and each row of concave portions in a plan view in front and rear with the central passage wall 44c in between. The passage groove is formed. Then, by attaching the passage cover 45 to the open surface of the passage forming member 44, two rows of spherical passages 46, 47 are formed overlapping in the front-rear direction in the rear view, and the width in the left-right direction is suppressed to the width of one row of the spherical passages. A ball passage assembly 40C is formed.

  The first ball discharge outlet and the second ball discharge outlet of the ball discharge device 42 described above are the entrance (first ball entrance) 46a of the ball passage 46 opened at the upper end of the ball passage assembly 40C, and the entrance ( It is formed in accordance with the arrangement position of the second ball entrance) 47a, and in this embodiment, the ball passage on the rear row side is a descending passage (ball) of the ball payout passage L6 that guides the game balls to the upper and lower ball dishes 6, 7. The pay-out descending passage (46) and the ball passage on the front row side are a descending passage (ball withdrawal descending passage) 47 of the ball discharge passage L7 for guiding the game balls to the outside of the machine body.

  The ball passage assembly 40C is bent right diagonally downward just below the ball entrance, and the right side surface of the passage forming member 44 is aligned with the right edge of the base frame 40A (that is, the maximum protruding position to the right side of the ball storage and discharge assembly 40B). Is formed. The left side edge of the base frame 40A is formed to match the left side surface of the ball passage assembly 40C offset to the right side, and the width of the upper back mechanism board 40 below the ball dispensing device 42 is larger than the upper width. It is narrowly configured.

  In the upper and lower intermediate portions of the ball passage assembly 40C, the ball removal lowering passage 47 and the ball dispensing lowering passage 46 are adjacent to each other with the central passage wall 44c interposed therebetween, and are bent back and forth in parallel to form a serpentine shape in an S shape. . For this reason, the speed of the game balls rolling down the down passages 46 and 47 does not increase excessively, and can flow down quietly and smoothly, and it has a simple structure with a simple structure even though it is a plurality of ball passages. It has a configuration that minimizes the thickness in the direction. A slot-like monitoring window is formed on the groove bottom surface (right side surface) of the passage forming member 44 so that the ball flow of the game ball can be visually recognized.

  The lower part of the spherical passage assembly 40C is bent obliquely downward to the left to form an inclined passage, and a first spherical outlet 46b and a second spherical outlet 47b that open downward are formed at the lower end of the spherical passage assembly 40C. The first ball outlet 46b, which is the outlet of the ball paying down passage 46, and the second ball outlet 47b, which is the outlet of the ball lowering passage 47, are offset both in the front-rear direction and in the left-right direction, so that the inclined passage is short. The second ball outlets 47b of the ball removal descending passages 47 are arranged on the front right side, and the first ball outlets 46b of the ball paying down passages 46 formed with the long inclined passages are located on the rear left side and are alternately arranged.

  The ball storage / dispensing assembly 40B and the ball passage assembly 40C are screwed to the upper and lower portions of the base frame 40A, respectively, to form an upper back mechanism board 40 having a function of storing, dispensing, stopping and removing the ball. . The upper back mechanism board 40 includes hinge pins of upper back mechanism board hinges 43 and 43 provided at the right edge of the base frame 40A and front frame side upper hinge fittings 23 and 23 attached to the upper right edge of the front frame 2. And the pin receiving hole are detachably mounted on the rear surface side of the front frame 2 and are arranged so as to be opened and closed laterally rearward in a hinged state.

  In the state where the upper back mechanism board 40 is hinged to the rear side of the front frame 2 as described above, the upper back mechanism board 40 has the upper end (the upper end of the base frame 40A) at the outer frame 1. The lower end of the upper back mechanism board 40 (the lower end of the ball path assembly 40C) is arranged at a height position substantially the same as the lower end face of the game board 10 housed in the housing frame. It is comprised so that it may be installed.

  In this way, in the ball passage assembly 40C, the ball discharge lowering passage 46 and the ball removal lowering passage 47 are disposed so as to overlap in the front-rear direction, thereby suppressing the width of the ball passage assembly 40C to the width of one row of the ball passages. Further, these ball passages are lowered to the right by being aligned with the right edge of the upper back mechanism board 40, thereby lowering the width of the upper back mechanism board 40, specifically, the width of two rows of the ball passages. It is constituted within the dimension which is less than. For this reason, a wide space can be secured behind the game board 10 located in front of the upper back mechanism board 40. For example, the symbol display device arranged on the game board 10 can be enlarged or various winning devices can be selected. Further, the degree of freedom of arrangement can be expanded, or the size of various circuit boards attached to the back side of the decorative board 11 and the degree of freedom of arrangement position can be increased.

  The lower back mechanism board 50 provided on the lower side of the upper back mechanism board 40 is shown in a rear view in a state where the ball payout control board 82 and the power supply board 83 are mounted in FIG. 6, and FIG. As shown in a rear view (partial cross-sectional view) in a state where 83 is removed, the lower base 51 serving as a base of the mechanism panel is mainly configured.

  The lower base 51 includes a base plate portion 51a serving as a substrate of the member, a hinge base 51b bulging forward at the right end portion of the base plate portion 51a, and a collecting rod 56 (56L, 56) formed on the front side of the base plate portion 51a. 56R), which is mainly composed of a board mounting portion formed on the rear surface side of the base plate portion 51a, and has a ball processing-related structure in which game balls mainly flow down to the front side sandwiching the base plate portion 51a, and a circuit board mainly on the rear surface side. A mounting structure related to the board to be mounted is provided. The lower base 51 is integrally formed by a molding means such as injection molding using, for example, a resin material that is made conductive by mixing a conductive filler.

  The base plate portion 51a as a whole has a rectangular shape in a rear view and has a horizontally long door shape, and a rib surrounding the base plate portion protrudes rearward at the periphery. The hinge pedestal 51b has a vertically long rectangular shape in front view and is formed in a block shape projecting forward. Screw receiving holes for fixing the lower back mechanism board hinge 54 are provided on the front and upper sides of the hinge pedestal 51b. A screw receiving boss and a rib for reinforcing the screw receiving boss are formed in the pedestal so as to be positioned behind the screw receiving hole.

  The collecting rod 56 is mainly composed of left and right wall surfaces 56L and 56R which are formed to protrude forward from the base plate portion 51a. These left and right wall surfaces 56L and 56R have a wide upper opening width as a whole and a narrower width toward the lower ball discharge port 58, as shown in the partial cross section in FIG. In a closed posture in which the lower back mechanism board 50 is closed to the rear side of the front frame, the game balls flow down between the front and rear front frames 2 and the base plate portion 51a and the left and right wall surfaces 56L and 56R. A played ball discharge passage 57 is formed.

  The formation positions of the upper ends of the left and right wall surfaces of the collective basket 56 fall without dropping the game area PA into the winning device, and the position where the out ball discharged from the out port 18 is discharged and the game area PA rolls and drops. The discharge range of the safe sphere that falls into the winning device on the way and is guided to the back side of the decorative board 11 through the winning sphere outlet hole (for example, although not shown in detail, the safe sphere is screwed to the back of the decorative board 11 and screwed. Is set to include the discharge ranges of the first and second ball outlets 46b and 47b of the upper back mechanism board 40 described above. On the other hand, at the lower end portion of the collecting rod 56, the rectifying projection 28 that is positioned in front of the ball outlet 58 in the closed posture of the lower back mechanism panel 50 and smoothly projects between the left and right wall surfaces 56L, 56R is the front frame 2. It protrudes backward from.

  For this reason, in the gaming state in which the upper and lower back mechanism boards 40, 50 are closed, the game-completed balls (out balls and safe balls) discharged from the game board 10 and the lower back mechanism board 40, which will be described in detail later, are lowered. The game balls discharged from the second ball outlet 47b through the passage 47 are received by the left and right wall surfaces 56L, 56R of the collective basket 56 and gathered in the game-completed ball discharge passage 57. Is reduced and is guided obliquely backward and discharged from the ball discharge port 58 at the lower end toward the game ball collecting device on the game facility side.

  On the rear surface side of the base plate portion 51a, a shield plate mounting structure 52 for detachably engaging and holding the shield plate 81, a ball payout control board 82 and a power supply board 83 housed in a transparent resin case are detachably connected. A substrate mounting portion is formed which includes a substrate mounting structure 53 that holds and holds.

  The shield plate mounting structure 52 is formed in front of a ball payout control board 82 that handles weak control signals, and protrudes rearward from the base plate portion 51a in a T-shape in a side sectional view as schematically shown in FIG. The shield plate supporting leg 52a is formed into a rectangular dharma hole shape formed on the shield plate 81. The shield plate support leg 52a and the base plate portion 51a are cut into a U-shape when viewed from the back, and are wedge-shaped lock arm portions 52b that can be elastically deformed in the front and rear directions. When the support leg receiving slot is engaged with the shield plate support leg 52a and slid leftward, the shield plate support leg 52a and the support leg receiving slot are engaged, and the lock arm portion 52b is the arm receiving hole of the shield plate. The shield plate 81 can be locked and held.

  The horizontal dimension of the shield plate 81 is formed larger than the width dimension of the ball payout control board 82, and the left end side of the shield plate 81 is the board case when the shield board 81 and the ball payout control board 82 are mounted on the board mounting portion. Further, a heat radiating portion 81h is formed so as to extend leftward and open on the rear side (see FIG. 6). A part of the upper left end of the heat dissipating part 81h is cut and raised to form a connecting terminal part 81t which is set to a male terminal shape of a plug-in connecting terminal (for example, E78965 in UL standard). By fitting and connecting the crimped female plug-in connection terminals, the entire front of the ball payout control board 82 that handles relatively weak control signals is surely grounded to the ground potential, thereby providing a stable and sufficient shielding effect. Can be obtained. For example, the shield plate 81 is formed by punching a steel plate having a thickness of about 0.8 to 1.2 mm, forming it into a shape as illustrated by bending, and performing a required surface treatment.

  For example, as shown in the mounting portion of the ball payout control substrate 82 in FIG. 13, the substrate mounting structure 53 includes a base side hook portion 53 a that is projected rearward from the base plate portion 51 a in an L shape in a side sectional view, and a base plate portion 51 a. The case side rail is formed in a reverse L-shape (or tongue-like shape) as viewed from the side, and is formed of a lock arm portion 53b that is cut into a U-shape when viewed from the rear and elastically deformable in the front-rear direction. The lock arm portion 52b engages with the right end portion of the case side rail portion so that the ball payout control board 82 can be locked and held when the portion is engaged with the base side hook portion 53a and slid leftward. Composed.

  Further, as shown in the mounting portion of the power supply board 83 in FIG. 13, a support leg receiving hole for receiving and supporting a tongue-like support leg formed to protrude forward from the base case of the power supply board 83 to the base plate portion 51a. 53c and a screw receiving hole 53d for receiving the support leg fixing screw, and the support leg of the power supply board is inserted and supported in the support leg receiving hole, and the support leg fixing screw is screwed and fastened to the support leg receiving hole 53d. A mounting structure that can lock the power supply board 83 is applied.

  Then, the lower back mechanism board hinges 54 and 54 are screwed to the front surface of the hinge base 51b, and the shield plate 81 is attached to the shield plate attachment structure 52, whereby the game ball mainly flows down to the front side of the base plate portion 51a. A lower back mechanism board 50 having a processing-related structure and a substrate mounting-related structure in which a circuit board is mainly mounted on the rear side is formed. The lower back mechanism board 50 includes lower back mechanism board hinges 54 and 54 provided above and below the right edge of the lower base 51 and front frame side lower hinge fittings 24 and 24 attached above and below the right edge of the front frame 2. It is detachably mounted on the rear surface side of the front frame 2 by utilizing the fitting of the hinge pin and the pin receiving hole, and is arranged so that it can be opened and closed laterally rearward while being hinged.

  The lower back mechanism board 50 is a game board in which the lower back mechanism board 50 is hinged to the rear side of the front frame 2 and the upper end of the lower back mechanism board 50 (the upper end of the lower base 51) is housed in the housing frame. 10 is located below the lower end surface (lower end surface of the decorative plate 11), and the lower end of the lower back mechanism panel 50 is positioned above the upper surface of the curtain plate in the outer frame 1. For this reason, if the upper back mechanism board 40 is opened, the game board 10 can be attached to and detached from the housing frame while the lower back mechanism board 50 is kept closed by the front frame 2.

  Then, the upper back mechanism board 40 and the lower back mechanism board 50 that are hingedly connected to the rear side of the front frame 2 as described above are closed so as to cover the rear of the front frame 2, and the upper back mechanism board 40 The upper and lower back mechanism boards 40, 50 are closed to the rear side of the front frame 2 by pressing and locking the nylon first fastener 49 provided at the upper part and the nylon first fastener 59 provided at the left part of the lower back mechanism board 50. It is locked and held in the state.

  On the other hand, on the rear side of the game assisting board 20 located in front of the lower back mechanism board 50, the prize ball connecting bucket 25 protrudes rearward from the front frame 2 and is bulged and held in front of the upper ball dish. An upper ball tray connecting duct 65 is formed so as to protrude rearward from the six contact plates 61.

  The prize ball communication bucket 25 is formed in a box shape with an upper surface opened from the upper surface behind the housing frame and a front surface penetrating the front frame 2 and a front open box shape. A prize-ball connecting passage 26 having a U-shaped groove shape in cross-section and surrounded by the left and right side walls and the bottom wall is formed. The prize ball communication passage 26 includes a guide passage portion 26a that extends in the front-rear direction with a constant passage width, and an enlarged passage portion 26b that is connected to the guide passage portion 26a and expands the passage width toward the front, and the guide passage portion 26a. The front wall of the front frame 2 receives the game ball received in the guide passage portion 26a by the guide wall 26r formed in the rear end of the side cross section R-shaped and the bottom wall smoothly connected to the guide wall 26r and tilted downward. It is designed to flow down to the side.

  The prize ball contact bucket 25 is formed in such a manner that the prize ball contact bucket 25 protrudes between the left and right side walls 56L, 56R of the assembly basket in a state where the upper and lower back mechanism panels 40, 50 are closed and held by the front frame. The ball communication passage 26 is positioned above the game-exited discharge passage 57, and the rear end portion (guide wall 26r) of the guide passage portion 26a is disposed directly below the first ball outlet 46b of the ball payout lowering passage 46. The second ball outlet 47b of the descending passage 47 is set so as to be disposed on the right side of the prize ball communication passage 26 (the first ball outlet 46b and the second ball outlet indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 12). 47b).

  For this reason, in a state where the upper and lower back mechanism boards 40 and 50 are closed and held in the front frame, the game balls that have fallen from the first ball outlet 46 b of the ball pay-out descending passage 46 flow into the game-completed ball discharge passage 56. Without flowing into the rear end portion of the guide passage portion 26a and flowing down the prize ball communication passage 26, the game ball falling from the second ball outlet 47b of the ball removal descending passage 47 is placed on the right side of the prize ball connection bucket 25. The ball falls down and is received by the right wall surface 56R of the collective basket, flows down the game-completed ball discharge passage 56, and is discharged from the ball discharge port 58 at the lower end to the ball collection device on the game facility side.

  The upper ball tray connecting duct 65 located in front of the prize ball connecting bucket 25 is formed in a square duct shape with the front and rear surfaces open, and is surrounded by upper, lower, left and right passage walls inside the upper ball tray connecting duct 65. Accordingly, an upper ball tray passage 66 extending forward and backward is formed. The upper ball tray outlet passage 66 has a passage width slightly larger than the opening width at the front end of the enlarged passage portion 26b, and a bottom wall formed between the rear enlarged passage portion 26b and the front ball tray portion 64. It is formed by tilting forward and connecting between them.

  The bottom wall of the upper ball tray connecting duct 65 is partly cut obliquely at the rear region located outside the extension line to the front of the guide passage portion 26a (extension line of the inner surface of the left side wall of the prize ball connecting bucket 25). At the same time, the left side wall is cut out accordingly, and in the closed position of the upper ball tray 6, an opening 67 is formed on the front side of the game assisting board 20 that opens obliquely downward to the left. .

  In the back of the auxiliary board cover 31 attached to the game auxiliary board 20, a foul ball collection port 32 is formed which is opened at a predetermined distance between the firing rail 22 and the outer rail 12, and a foul ball is formed below the foul ball collection port 32. A foul ball collection passage 33 is formed through which the foul ball dropped into the collection port 32 flows (see FIG. 14). Further, a cover surface bulges forward to form a tray portion 35 that opens upward on the lower side of the upper ball tray communication duct 65, and a bottom wall thereof extends below the outer rail portion 21 a and is received by the tray portion 35. A lower ball tray outlet passage 36 is formed through which the game balls flow down.

  The foul ball collection passage 33 and the lower ball tray outlet passage 36 merge at the lower center of the game auxiliary board, and are connected to the lower ball tray 7 through a box-shaped lower ball tray connection bucket 37 whose upper surface and front surface are open. ing. In addition, a parabolic rectifying wall 38 is formed on the lower side of the outer rail portion 21a so as to protrude rearward from the front wall surface of the auxiliary board cover 31, and a game ball flowing down the lower ball tray outlet passage 36 is formed. It is smoothly guided to the lower ball tray contact bucket 37. A side wall portion extending vertically from the lower ball tray outlet passage 36 is provided with a ball discharge passage full detector 39 for detecting the state when the ball passage is filled with a game ball.

  For this reason, the game ball that has flowed into the rear end portion of the winning ball communication passage 26 from the first ball outlet 46b of the upper back mechanism board is normally guided by the left and right passage walls of the guide wall 26r and the guide passage portion 26a. The prize ball connecting passage 26 flows forward within the extension line of the left and right side walls, and is guided to the ball tray portion 64 of the upper ball tray 6 through the upper ball tray outlet passage 66 in the upper ball tray connecting duct 65. . However, for example, when the upper ball tray passage 66 is filled with game balls up to the vicinity of the opening 67 and the game balls flow into the prize ball communication passage 26 from the first ball outlet 46b, the inflow The played game ball is bounced by the game ball located in the vicinity of the opening 67 and falls from the opening 67 to the lower ball receiving tray 35, and rolls down the lower ball tray outlet passage 36 to lower ball tray connecting bucket 37. And is guided to the ball tray portion of the lower ball tray 7.

  That is, in the gaming state in which the upper and lower back mechanism boards 40 and 50 and the upper ball tray 6 are held closed by the front frame 2 and used for gaming, the first ball outlet 46b of the upper back mechanism board 40 is connected to the winning ball contact bucket 26. , A ball payout passage L6 that is connected to the ball tray portion of the upper ball tray 6 or the lower ball tray 7 through the ball payout lowering passage 46 to the prize ball communication passage 26 is formed. The second ball outlet 47b of 40 is disposed above the side portion of the winning ball communication bucket 25, and a ball discharge passage L7 is formed which is connected to the ball discharge port 58 via the ball removal descending passage 47 to the game-completed ball discharge passage 57. Is done.

  Furthermore, the ball payout passage L6 includes an award ball communication passage 26, an upper ball tray discharge passage 66, an upper ball tray payout passage L66 connected to the ball plate portion 64 of the upper ball tray 6, and a prize ball communication passage 26 through an opening 67. The lower ball tray discharge passage 36 to the lower ball tray discharge passage L67 connected to the ball tray portion of the lower ball tray 7 and the flow down passage and distribution change according to the storage state of the game balls in the upper ball tray 6.

  Therefore, the flow of game balls (action of each ball passage) in the pachinko machine PM having this configuration will be described below. As shown in FIG. 1, the pachinko machine PM is provided to the game with the upper ball tray 6 and the glass door 5 closed and locked, and the player stores the game ball in the ball tray portion 64 of the upper ball tray 6. The operation is started by rotating the operation lever of the firing handle 8. When the operation lever is turned, the game balls stored in the ball tray portion 64 are sent one by one to the launch rail 22 by the ball feed cassette 69 and are launched by the hammer of the game ball launcher 21.

  Of the game balls launched by the hammer, the game balls that have returned along the outer rail 12 without reaching the game area PA fall into the foul ball collection port 32, pass through the foul ball collection passage 33, and fall below the ball. It is collected in the lower ball tray 7 via the dish connection bucket 37.

  Of the game balls launched by the hammer, the game balls that have reached the game area PA roll and fall in the game area PA while being hit by a large number of game nails and windmills that are driven into the game area. The player enters the winning device and is guided to the back side of the decorative plate 11 or falls without entering the winning device and is guided to the back side of the decorative plate 11 from the out port 18. The balls are received and gathered by the gathering basket 56 and are discharged from the ball discharge port 58 at the lower end through the game-completed ball discharge passage 57 to the ball collection device of the game facility.

  When the game ball falls into the winning device, a winning detection signal is output from a winning ball detector provided in each winning device, and the ball payout control board 82 outputs a payout command signal according to the type of the winning device. The ball payout device 42 rotates the ball payout motor by the rotation direction (forward rotation direction) and the rotation angle according to the payout command signal, and a predetermined quantity (for example, 5 balls, 10 balls, 13 balls, etc.) ) From the first payout outlet to the ball payout descending passage 46. The game ball paid out to the ball paying down passage 46 flows into the guide passage portion 26a of the prize ball communication passage 26 located directly below the first ball outlet 46b at the lower end of the ball passage.

  Here, the guide passage portion 26a is formed with a constant passage width and tilted forward, and the first ball outlet 46b is disposed directly above the guide wall 26r formed at the rear end of the guide passage portion 26a. It is installed. For this reason, the game balls that have flowed into the rear end portion of the guide passage portion 26a are left and right of the guide passage portion 26a until the upper ball tray passage passage 66 is filled with the game balls up to the vicinity of the opening 67. Guided by the passage wall, the prize ball communication passage 26 flows forward within the extension line of the left and right side walls, passes through the upper ball tray outlet passage 66 in the upper ball tray connection duct 65, and the ball of the upper ball tray 6. Guided to the pan 64. That is, before the upper ball tray 6 is filled with the game balls, the game balls paid out from the ball payout device 42 are moved from the ball payout descending passage 46 to the prize ball communication passage 26 to the upper ball tray outlet passage 66 to the upper ball. The ball is guided to the upper ball tray 6 through the upper ball tray discharge passage L66 leading to the ball tray portion of the tray 6, and is transferred from the opening 67 to the lower ball tray outlet passage 36 to reach the ball tray portion of the lower ball tray 7. Little game balls are guided to the lower ball tray 7 through the lower ball tray payout passage L67.

  As the game progresses, if the number of game balls to be paid out for winning is larger than the number of game balls launched from the game ball launcher 21 to the game area PA, the upper ball tray 6 is stored. The number of balls gradually increases, and accordingly, the stored balls stored in the ball tray part 64 go up the slope to cover the ball dish part 64, and further, there is a step difference from the ball dish part 64. At the front of the exit 66, the balls are stacked in a plurality of stages, and the entire ball tray is filled with game balls.

  When the entrance of the upper ball tray passage 66 is filled with game balls and the game ball stops near the opening 67, the game ball newly flowing into the upper ball tray connection passage 66 has already stopped. The game ball that has been bounced by the game ball that has been guided and guided to the left or stopped in the vicinity of the opening 67 is pushed by the game ball that has newly flown into the upper ball tray communication passage 66 and pushed leftward. Then, it comes into the tray part 35 through the opening 67. The game ball that has been transferred to the tray part 35 smoothly rolls down the lower ball tray outlet passage 36 and passes through the lower ball tray discharge passage L67 that reaches the lower ball tray 7 via the lower ball tray connecting bucket 37. Guided to the ball tray 7.

  Here, when the game ball starts to be stored in the upper ball tray passage 66, the game ball that falls from the opening 67 to the tray portion 35 has already stopped in the upper ball tray passage 66. There are a game ball that is played in the direction of the opening 67 in contact with the ball (for convenience) and a game ball that is pushed in the direction of the opening 67 by being pressed by the game ball that is parked rearward.

  Among these, for the former, the rolling direction of the game ball bounced in contact with the stationary ball is limited to the game ball heading toward the opening 67 located substantially on the left side, and straight forward by the action of the guide passage portion 26b. This is limited to the case where the game ball flowing in is reflected at a large reflection angle. For the latter, a vector of pressing force acting on the stationary ball from the game ball connected to the rear of the stationary ball and a vector of pressing force acting on the stationary ball from the gaming ball located in front of the stationary ball. The resultant resultant force is limited to the direction toward the left (front of the opening of the opening 67). That is, the resultant force acting on the stationary ball is determined by the acting direction of the pressing force and the magnitude of the pressing force due to the contact angle positional relationship between the spherical surfaces of the stationary ball and the game ball positioned before and after the stationary ball, and the resultant force is Only the stationary ball in the direction is pushed out and transferred into the tray portion 35 from the opening 67.

  Therefore, when the game balls start to be stored in the upper ball tray outlet passage 66, the number of game balls transferred into the tray portion 35 from the opening 67 becomes a small quantity satisfying the above condition, and the game balls are transferred from the ball dispensing device 42. Each time it is paid out, a small number falls from the opening 67 to the tray part 35, flows down the lower ball dish discharge passage L 67, and is led out to the lower ball dish 7. Thereby, the player can recognize that the upper ball tray payout passage L66 is gradually filled at an early stage before the ball payout passage L6 is filled, and the game balls are gradually added to the lower ball tray. When the player starts to flow down to 7, the game facility staff can be called using a game facility call lamp or the like to receive the ball box and prepare for the ball removal work.

  When the game balls that have been paid out in this manner are informed in advance to flow down to the lower ball tray 7 little by little, if the game balls are further paid out one after another, the game balls that have been paid out will be upstream of the upper ball tray outlet passage 66. In particular, the game ball is filled in a raised state on the right side where the opening 67 does not exist, and a part of the game ball also stops in the prize ball communication passage 66 on the prize ball connection bucket 25 side. become.

  As described above, when the upper ball tray passage 66 is filled with game balls up to the upstream end, and the game balls are also stopped in the prize ball connection passage 66, the number of game balls stopped in the passage is increased. Along with this, the pressing force acting on the stationary ball in the vicinity of the opening 67 increases, whereby the number of game balls pushed out to the opening 67 increases. Also, the game balls that have flowed almost straight down the prize ball communication passage 26 and flowed into the upper ball tray passage 66 due to the effect of the guide passage portion 26a are bounced and expanded by the game balls stopped in front of the passage. It flows down the passage portion 26 b or is pushed out by the enlarged passage portion 26 b where no stationary ball is present and flows down the passage enlarged portion 26 b, and then moves into the tray portion 35 from the opening 67.

  For this reason, when the upper ball tray passage 66 is filled with game balls and the game balls stop in the prize ball communication passage 66, the number of game balls transferred from the opening 67 to the tray portion 35 increases. Each time a game ball is paid out from the ball payout device 42 or when the game ball is fired, the stored ball in the ball tray portion 64 is consumed, the upper ball tray outlet passage 66 gradually flows down, and the pressing force to the stationary ball fluctuates. Every time, it moves into the tray part 35 from the opening 67 and flows down through the lower ball tray discharge passage L67 to be led out to the lower ball tray 7.

  In this state, most of the newly paid game balls are paid out to the lower ball tray 7 through the lower ball tray payout passage L67. That is, a small number of game balls are sequentially led out to the lower ball tray 7 until the upper ball tray outlet passage 66 is filled after the ball tray portion 64 of the upper ball tray is filled. After the passage 66 is filled, a large number of game balls are paid out to the lower ball tray 7, and thereby the player can accurately recognize that the upper ball tray ball discharge passage L66 is almost full. it can. Therefore, the player arranges the ball box prepared at the notice notification stage below the ball outlet of the lower ball tray 7, and observes the state of paying out to the lower ball tray 7 and the storage state of the lower ball removing mechanism. The ball removal operation can be performed by operating the ball removal lever.

  Now, the flow of the game ball in the normal game state has been described above. Next, the flow of the game ball when the ball removal operation is performed will be described. The ball removal operation is performed when the game ball remaining in the storage tank unit 41a is discharged to the collection device of the game facility after reaching a quantitative limit called so-called “stopping”, or when the game ball remaining in the storage tank unit 41a after the business is over. For example, a ball removal switch called a heart key is inserted into a ball removal operation hole (not shown) provided on the front surface of the pachinko machine PM, and the ball removal switch inside the machine body. It is performed by pressing.

  When the ball removal switch is pressed, a ball removal operation signal is input from the ball removal switch to the ball dispensing control board 82. The ball dispensing control board 82 sends a ball removal command signal to the ball dispensing device 42 based on the ball removal operation signal. Output to. The ball payout device 42 rotates the ball payout motor by the rotation direction (reverse direction) and the rotation angle in accordance with the ball discharge command signal, and the number of game balls satisfying the set condition are discharged from the second payout opening to the ball discharge downward passage. 47 to discharge. Specifically, the ball payout motor is reversely operated for a predetermined time set in advance, or until it is detected by the ball presence / absence detector built in the ball storage assembly 40B that all the game balls in the ball storage unit have been discharged. The ball payout motor is operated in reverse, and the game balls stored in the storage tank portion 41a are discharged from the second ball payout outlet of the ball payout device 42 to the ball removal descending passage 47.

  The game balls discharged to the ball withdrawal / lowering passage 47 fall from the second ball outlet 47b at the lower end of the ball passage through the right side of the prize ball connection bucket 25, and are received by the right side wall 56R of the collective basket. It flows down the used ball discharge passage 57 and is discharged from the ball discharge port 58 at the lower end to the ball collection device on the game facility side. That is, when the ball removal operation is performed, the ball payout motor is driven to rotate in the direction opposite to the payout operation, and the game ball is discharged from the second payout outlet of the ball payout device 42, and the ball removal descending passage 47 to the game completed. Through the ball discharge passage L7 extending from the ball discharge passage 57 to the ball discharge port 58, the ball is guided to the ball collection device on the game facility side.

  As described above, in the ball passage structure of this configuration, the award ball lowering passage 46 of the ball payout passage L6 and the ball discharge passage L7 are provided below the ball payout device 42 provided in the upper portion of the upper back mechanism board 40. The ball removal descending passage 47 is provided so as to overlap in the front-rear direction, and these ball passages are formed adjacent to each other with an S-shaped central passage wall 44c bent in the front-rear direction. For this reason, the width of the upper back mechanism board 40 formed with these ball passages in the left-right direction is secured while ensuring quiet and smooth payout and ball removal for both the award ball lowering passage 46 and the ball removal lowering passage 47. The window opening can be enlarged by reducing the area, and thereby the area that can be projected rearward from the game board can be expanded to increase the degree of freedom in setting the gauge.

  Further, in the ball path structure of this configuration, in the closed posture of the lower base 51 attached to the rear side of the front frame 2 so as to be openable and closable, the game-completed ball discharge having left and right side walls 56L and 56R on the front side of the lower base 51 A path 57 is formed, and a prize ball communication path 26 that connects between the ball paying-down path 46 and the upper ball tray outlet path 66 by the prize ball connection bucket 25 protruding between the side walls is a path of the game-completed discharge path 57. It is comprised so that it may be arrange | positioned in. For this reason, the passage structure of the back mechanism board can be simplified, and even when a ball clogging occurs in the game-completed ball discharge passage 57, without removing a circuit board or an electrical component attached to the rear side of the lower base 51. The lower base 51 (back mechanism panel 50) can be opened rearward for ball removal.

  Further, in the ball passage structure of this configuration, the winning ball communication passage 26 in the middle of the ball payout passage L6 has a guide passage portion 26a extending forward with a constant passage width, and an enlarged passage portion in which the passage width expands forward. 26b, and an opening 67 is provided in front of the prize ball communication passage 26 outside the extension line of the guide passage portion 26a. The opening 67 and the lower ball tray 7 are connected to each other. A lower ball tray outlet passage 36 is formed. For this reason, it is not necessary to form a lower ball tray payout passage for guiding the game ball to the lower ball tray 7 when the upper ball tray 6 is full in the back mechanism board BSP, and the lower ball provided in the conventional back mechanism board has been provided. In addition to simplifying the passage structure of the back mechanism board by deleting the dish delivery path, the top frame 2 and the back mechanism boards 40 and 50 can be opened without opening the front frame 2 and the back mechanism boards 40 and 50 even when a ball clogging occurs in the ball delivery path L6. By opening the ball tray 6, it becomes possible to perform a ball clogging process on the front side of the front frame, and the workability of the ball clogging process can be greatly improved.

  Further, before the ball tray portion of the upper ball tray 6 is filled with game balls, the game balls flowing into the prize ball communication passage 26 are guided to the guide passage portion 26a and flow forward in the extension line of the passage side wall. Then, the upper ball tray 6 is paid out to the ball tray portion of the upper ball tray 6 through the upper ball tray outlet passage 66, while the upper ball tray 6 is filled with game balls and is stored retroactively through the upper ball tray outlet passage 66. Then, the game balls paid out from the ball payout device 42 flow little by little to the lower ball tray 7 through the lower ball tray outlet passage 36, and the amount of the flow changes according to the full state. A notice is given that the dish dispensing passage is being filled. Therefore, the player can recognize that the ball payout passage L6 is being filled before the upper ball tray payout passage 66 is filled, and can prepare the ball box with a margin.

  Therefore, according to the ball passage structure of the present configuration described above, the ball passage configuration of the ball game machine is simplified to contribute to the reduction of production cost, the complexity of the ball clogging processing work is eliminated, and the ball payout passage is provided. It is possible to provide a ball path structure that can prepare a ball box with a sufficient margin until the ball is filled.

It is the perspective view which looked at the pachinko machine shown as an example of the ball game machine to which the ball passage structure concerning the present invention is applied from the slant front. It is a perspective view of the said pachinko machine of the state which opened and opened the front glass door and the ball tray unit sideways. It is the perspective view which looked at the said pachinko machine from diagonally backward. It is a perspective view in the state where the front frame in the pachinko machine was opened to the front of the outer frame and the upper back mechanism board was opened to the rear of the front frame. It is a perspective view of the state where the lower back mechanism board was opened to the back of the front frame in addition to the upper back mechanism board. It is a rear view of the pachinko machine PM. It is a sectional side view of the VII-VII arrow direction in FIG. It is a plane sectional view of the VIII-VIII arrow direction in FIG. It is a rear view of an upper back mechanism board. It is the side view seen in the X arrow direction in Drawing 9 in the state where the passage cover was removed. It is the elements on larger scale (side sectional drawing) which expand and show the ball discharge passage part in Drawing 7. It is the elements on larger scale (plane sectional drawing) which expand and show the ball discharge passage part in Drawing 8. FIG. 9 is a rear view mainly showing the relationship between a ball payout passage and a game-completed ball discharge passage (a rear view in the direction of arrow XIII in FIG. 8). It is a rear view (rear view in the direction of arrow XIV in FIG. 8) mainly showing the formation state of the lower ball tray outlet passage.

Explanation of symbols

PM Pachinko machine PA Game area BSP Back mechanism board (40 upper back mechanism board, 50 lower back mechanism board)
2 Front frame 6 Upper ball dish 7 Lower ball dish 10 Game board 21 Game ball launching device 25 Prize ball communication bucket 26 Prize ball communication path (26a guide path part, 26b enlarged path part, 26r guide wall)
31 Auxiliary panel cover 32 Foul ball collection port 33 Foul ball collection passage 35 Dish portion 36 Lower ball tray passage 40 Upper back mechanism board (40A base frame, 40B ball storage assembly, 40C ball passage assembly)
42 ball dispensing device 44 passage forming member (44c central passage wall, 44f front passage wall, 44r rear passage wall)
45 Passage cover 46 Sphere paying downward passage 47 Sphere removal downward passage 50 Lower back mechanism panel 51 Lower base (51a base plate portion)
52 Shield plate mounting structure 53 Base mounting structure 56 Assembly rod (56L, 56R, left and right wall surfaces)
57 Played ball discharge passage 58 Ball discharge port 65 Upper ball tray connecting duct 66 Upper ball tray outlet passage 67 Opening portion 82 Ball dispensing control base 83 Power supply base

Claims (3)

A game board in which a game component such as an image display device is attached in a game area formed on the front side; and a front frame that detachably accommodates and holds the game board with the game area facing the front surface; In a ball game machine comprising a back mechanism board provided on the rear side of the front frame,
The back mechanism panel is
A base frame formed in an inverted L shape with an upper portion extending left and right and a left end portion of the upper portion extending downward;
A ball payout device that is attached to the rear surface on the lower side of the left end from the upper part in the base frame, and that pays out game balls according to the winning state,
The game ball attached to the rear surface of the base frame and positioned below the left end portion of the ball payout device is caused to flow down toward a ball tray provided on the front side of the front frame. A ball payout passage,
A ball that is located on the lower side of the left end of the ball payout device and is provided on the rear surface of the base frame, and flows down toward a ball discharge port that discharges game balls discharged from the ball payout device to the outside of the machine body behind the front frame. With a passageway,
A ball passage assembly is formed which is disposed on a portion extending downward in the left end portion of the base frame with the ball discharge passage and the ball discharge passage overlapping in the front-rear direction and extending vertically;
The spherical passage assembly as a whole has a rectangular cross section that is long in the vertical direction with a rectangular cross section that is thick in the front-rear width and thin in the left-right direction.
2. A ball path structure for a ball game machine, wherein an attachment portion of the ball path assembly and the ball path assembly in the base frame are provided at a left end portion of the back mechanism board. At least one of the ball discharge passage and the ball removal passage has an S-shaped portion bent in the front-rear direction,
2. The ball path structure of a ball game machine according to claim 1, wherein the ball payout path and the ball removal path are arranged along a vertical plane extending in the front-rear direction. Both the ball payout passage and the ball removal passage have S-shaped portions that bend in the front-rear direction,
2. The ball path structure for a ball game machine according to claim 1, wherein the ball payout path and the ball release path are formed adjacent to each other with an S-shaped path wall bent in the front-rear direction.

Images