JP4302096B2 - Game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine such as a pachinko gaming machine provided with a ball discharge unit including a ball storage unit that stores game balls and a ball discharge unit that can discharge game balls.

There is a pachinko game machine as a typical game machine that uses a game ball to play a game. In the upper part on the back side of the pachinko gaming machine, a ball discharge unit including a ball storage unit (ball storage tank) for storing game balls and a ball discharge unit capable of discharging game balls is provided. When a prize is entered into the winning opening, the ball discharge section is activated and the game balls stored in the ball storage section are discharged as prize balls to the upper plate on the front surface of the pachinko gaming machine. In addition, when a ball lending operation is performed, the ball discharge unit operates to discharge the game balls in the ball storage unit to the upper plate. The sphere discharge unit is generally provided on the downstream side of the sphere alignment rod extending below the sphere storage unit, but the number of parts is reduced to reduce the arrangement space and cost. Therefore, for example, what was directly attached to the ball storage part without using the ball alignment rod has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).
JP-A-8-141175

  By the way, the pachinko gaming machine described in the above-mentioned patent document includes a rotating body in which a plurality of ball holding parts (holding holes) are formed at the periphery of the ball discharge part, and the rotating body is inclined at the lower end of the bottom of the ball storage part. It is located below the ball entrance opened in Then, the rotating body is rotated in a state where the game ball flowing down from the ball storage unit is held in the ball holding unit, and the game ball is guided to the ball discharge port opened below the rotating unit to be below the ball storage unit. It is configured to discharge.

  However, when the amount of game balls stored in the ball storage unit is small, it becomes difficult to hold the game balls in the ball holding unit, and even if the rotating body is rotated, the game balls must be held in the ball holding unit. If this is the case, game balls cannot be discharged quickly. Therefore, by configuring the rotating body to be thick and forming the ball holding portion vertically long, it is possible to hold a plurality of game balls on one ball holding portion, and to easily hold the game balls on the ball holding portion It is possible to do.

  However, if a plurality of game balls can be held in the ball holding unit, a large load is applied to the rotator from the game sphere. For this reason, the driving torque for driving the rotator must be increased. As a result, the power consumption of the ball discharge unit increases, and it becomes difficult to keep the running cost of the pachinko gaming machine low. Furthermore, the drive source is likely to be damaged due to heat generation and the life of the drive system of the ball discharge unit may be shortened.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a ball holding unit that can suppress an increase in power consumption of the ball discharge unit and can hold a plurality of game balls. Even so, it is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine that can reduce the running cost.

The present invention has been proposed in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, and the one according to claim 1 is supplied from a ball storage unit that stores game balls supplied from the outside, and the ball storage unit. In a gaming machine provided with a ball discharge unit including a ball discharge unit capable of discharging one game ball to one,
The ball discharge unit includes a ball holding rotator that rotates and guides a game ball supplied from the ball storage unit, an electric drive source that rotates the ball holding rotator, and a game guided by the ball holding rotator. A ball outlet capable of discharging a ball,
The sphere holding rotator has a rotation axis arranged vertically , and is extended in the vertical direction along the rotation axis on the outer peripheral edge of the sphere holding rotator to hold a game ball in the sphere storage portion. When a plurality of holding parts are provided, the lower part of the ball holding part and the ball discharge port can be communicated, and the ball holding rotating body is rotated around the rotation axis in the discharge rotation direction with the game ball held in the ball holding part, The game ball in the ball holding part can be guided to the ball discharge port,
The sphere holding portion is disposed with the lower portion of the sphere holding portion disposed upstream of the upper portion of the sphere holding portion in the discharge rotation direction of the sphere holding rotator, and is inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the sphere holding rotator. It is set in a state, a game ball is taken in from the upper edge portion of the ball holding portion, and a plurality of game balls can be held in the vertical direction along the extending direction of the ball holding portion ,
On the downstream side wall that defines at least the downstream side in the discharge rotation direction of the sphere holding rotator among the sphere holding portions, an inclined support portion that can be in contact with and supported by the game ball from below is provided.
The inclined support portion is inclined downward at a gentler angle than the downstream side wall, and supports the upper game ball among the game balls held side by side in the ball holding portion along the extending direction of the ball holding portion. A gaming machine characterized by being arranged at a possible position .

According to the present invention, the following excellent effects can be obtained.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the ball discharge unit includes a ball holding rotating body that guides the game ball supplied from the ball storing unit while rotating, and an electric drive source that rotates the ball holding rotating body. , a drainable sphere outlet of induced game ball by ball holding rotating member, the spherical holding rotating member is arranged to rotate shaft vertically, the outer peripheral edge of the ball holding rotating member is rotated A plurality of ball holding portions that extend in the vertical direction along the axis and can hold a game ball in the ball storage portion are provided, the lower portion of the ball holding portion and the ball discharge port can be communicated, and a game ball is placed in the ball holding portion. When the ball holding rotator is rotated around the rotation axis in the discharge rotation direction in the held state, the game ball in the ball holding unit can be guided to the ball discharge port, and the ball holding unit moves the lower part of the ball holding unit. than the top of the ball holding portion is disposed to the upstream side of the discharge direction of rotation of the ball holding rotating member, the ball holding rotating member Is set in a state inclined with respect to the rolling axis, takes in game balls from the upper edge of the ball holding portion, the holding along the extending direction of the ball holding portions in a state of arranging a plurality of game balls in the longitudinal direction Since it is possible , during the rotation of the sprocket, the game ball flowing down in the ball holding portion and the side wall defining the ball holding portion are less likely to collide upstream in the discharge rotation direction and easily collide downstream. be able to. Therefore, the game ball is difficult to press the ball holding rotator in the direction opposite to the discharge rotation direction, and is easy to press in the same direction as the discharge rotation direction . From this, it is possible to reduce the load applied to the sphere holding rotator, and to suppress the disadvantage that the driving torque of the electric drive source, that is, the driving torque necessary for the rotation of the sphere holding rotator becomes large. Thereby, an increase in power consumption of the ball discharge unit can be suppressed, and even a gaming machine including a ball holding unit capable of holding a plurality of gaming balls can reduce the running cost of the gaming machine. it can.

Further, at least a downstream side wall defining the downstream side in the discharge rotation direction of the sphere holding rotator of the sphere holding portion is provided with an inclined support portion that can be in contact with and supported by the game ball from below, the inclined support portion being Among the game balls that are inclined downward at a gentler angle than the downstream side wall and are held side by side in the ball holding portion along the extending direction of the ball holding portion , the upper game ball is arranged at a position that can be supported. Therefore, a part of the weight of the game ball held on the upper side of the ball holding portion can be hung on the inclined support portion to press the ball holding rotating body in the discharge rotation direction . Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the load applied to the sphere holding rotating body, and to suppress the driving torque of the electric driving source to a small value.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking a pachinko gaming machine as a typical gaming machine as an example. FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a pachinko gaming machine.
The pachinko gaming machine 1 is attached to an outer frame (machine frame or main body frame) 2 so that one side of a frame-shaped front frame (inner frame) 3 having a large opening can be opened and closed, and the back side of the front frame 3 The back mechanism unit 4 is attached to the front. The back mechanism unit 4 is fitted with a display device 5 (see FIG. 2) such as a liquid crystal display device from the front, and the front side of the display device 5 is opened forward (player side) from an opening formed in a game board (not shown). We are facing. Also, below the back mechanism unit 4, a game control device 7, a discharge control device 8, a power supply device 9, a relay board 10, and the like that control the game in an integrated manner are arranged. Furthermore, a sphere discharge unit 15 including a sphere storage unit (sphere storage tank) 13 and a sphere discharge unit (sphere discharge device) 14 is disposed above the back mechanism unit 4, and the side ( On the right side in FIG. 1, a ball channel (specifically, an upper plate or a lower plate (not shown) of the front surface of the pachinko gaming machine 1 is used for flowing the game ball discharged from the ball discharge unit 15. ) And a ball outlet channel 19) for guiding the game balls in the ball discharge unit 15 to a lower ball collecting basket (not shown) in the game machine installation island facility. Above the ball discharge unit 15, a replenishment device (not shown) is provided in the game machine installation island facility, and replenishes the game ball from the game machine installation island facility to the ball discharge unit 15 of the pachinko gaming machine 1. ) Is arranged.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the back mechanism unit 4 includes a mounting frame 21 to which the display device 5 is attached, and a fixed wall portion 22 projecting forward from an edge on one side (right side in FIG. 2) of the mounting frame 21. The flow path storage portion 23 is formed on the side opposite to the fixed wall portion 22 (left side in FIG. 2). The fixed wall portion 22 is provided with a fastening hole 24 at the top and bottom of the front end surface, and is fastened to the back side of the front frame 3 through a fastening member (not shown) such as a screw. Yes. The flow path storage part 23 is a vertically long and substantially cylindrical member having an internal space as a storage empty part, and stores the discharge flow down path 18 and the ball outlet down path 19 in the storage empty part. Further, a lid portion 25 (see FIG. 1) is provided on the side of the flow path housing portion 23, the lid portion 25 is opened to open the flow path housing portion 23, and maintenance of the discharge flow down path 18 and the ball outlet flow down path 19 is performed. It is configured so that work can be performed. Further, on the upper surface of the back mechanism unit 4, an arc plate-like discharge portion receiving member 26 capable of supporting a ball discharge portion 14 to be described later is provided at a position located above the discharge flow down passage 18 and above the ball discharge down passage 19. Is standing.

Next, the ball discharge unit 15 will be described.
The ball discharge unit 15 is a device capable of storing the game balls replenished from the replenishing device and discharging the stored game balls. As shown in FIG. 3, the ball discharge unit 15 discharges a game ball stored in the ball storage unit 13 to a discharge flow down path 18 or a ball discharge down path 19. And a possible ball discharge portion 14.

  The ball storage unit 13 is for storing game balls supplied (supplemented) from the outside of the pachinko gaming machine 1, specifically, from the replenishing device of the gaming machine installation island facility. The sphere storage unit 13 is formed in a horizontally-bottomed bottomed box shape having an upper surface opened, and is disposed below the replenishing device with the upper surface opening serving as a sphere receiving port. In addition, a game ball flow path 28 capable of rolling a game ball is formed at the bottom of the ball storage unit 13, and a game ball flow is located near one side of the ball storage unit 13 in the longitudinal direction (right side in FIG. 3). A flow outlet 29 is provided to allow game balls flowing down from the road 28 to flow down to the ball discharge section 14.

  The game ball channel 28 is disposed on the front side in the ball storage unit 13 and is a first channel that is inclined downward toward the side opposite to the flow-down port 29 side (that is, from the ball discharge unit 14 side to the opposite side). 31 and the second flow path which is disposed at a position lower than the first flow path 31 on the rear side in the sphere storage section 13 and is inclined downward toward the flow-down port 29 (that is, toward the sphere discharge section 14 side). 32 is connected to the lower end of the first flow path 31 and the upper end of the second flow path 32, and the connection flow is inclined downward from the lower end of the first flow path 31 toward the upper end of the second flow path 32. And a path 33. Further, a tread-type ball replenishment switch 34 is arranged in the middle of the second flow path 32, and by detecting whether or not a game ball is placed on the ball replenishment switch 34, a game in the ball storage unit 13 is performed. The presence / absence of a sphere (whether or not a sphere is insufficient) can be detected. In addition, the 2nd flow path 32 and the flow-down port 29 are set to the width | variety which can pass two game balls side by side. This is to prevent a large amount of game balls stored in the ball storage unit 13 from flowing into a ball discharge unit 14 described later at once, and to suppress a problem that the drive system of the ball discharge unit 14 is overloaded.

  Further, on the opposite side to the game ball flow path 28 across the flow-down port 29, in other words, on the inclined lower end side (the right side in FIG. 3B) of the bottom of the ball storage section 13, a ball discharge section 14 to be described later is provided. A substantially cylindrical sprocket accommodating portion 37 (corresponding to the rotating body accommodating portion in the present invention) capable of accommodating the sprocket 36 (corresponding to the sphere holding rotating body in the present invention) is projected downward. As shown in FIG. 4, an annular ball guide path 38 is arranged on the outer peripheral edge of the sprocket housing portion 37 (that is, the outer side of the sprocket 36), and the game ball flow path 28 (second flow path 32) and The sprocket housing portion 37 is connected to the game ball channel 28 so that the game ball channel 28 is inclined downward toward the ball guide channel 38. Further, the ball guide path 38 is inclined downward from the outer peripheral side toward the inner peripheral side, in other words, toward the sprocket 36 side, so that a game ball reaching the ball guide path 38 is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the sprocket 36. It is configured so that it can be guided to the sphere holder 40. Further, a side wall located on the side of the sphere guide path 38 in the sphere storage part 13 is formed in a circular arc shape in plan view along the outer peripheral edge of the sphere guide path 38 to form a guide side wall part 41. The game ball is configured to be guided along the ball guide path 38. In addition, the guide side wall part 41 is setting the upper end part to the height lower than the upstream side wall of the ball storage part 13.

  The ball discharge unit 14 is directly connected in a state communicating with one side in the longitudinal direction of the ball storage unit 13, specifically, the inclined lower end side of the bottom of the ball storage unit 13 storing game balls, and is supplied from the ball storage unit 13. It is a device that can discharge the game balls that are played. As shown in FIG. 4B, the ball discharge unit 14 includes a sprocket storage unit 37 disposed below the ball storage unit 13, a discharge stage member 43 disposed below the sprocket storage unit 37, and a sprocket storage unit. A sprocket 36 housed in a rotatable state in the portion 37 and provided with a plurality of ball holding portions 40 on the outer peripheral edge portion, and a discharge drive motor 44 connected to the upper portion of the sprocket 36 to rotationally drive the sprocket 36 (this Equivalent to the electric drive source in the present invention) and a motor holder 45 which is disposed above one side of the ball storage portion 13 so as to cover the sprocket 36, and to which the discharge drive motor 44 is attached on the upper surface.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the discharge stage member 43 is a member in which a ball discharge port 48 and a ball discharge port 49 are provided below the sprocket 36 so as to communicate with any of the ball holding portions 40 and discharge game balls. The stage main body 50 is formed in a substantially petri dish shape, the lid member 51 closes the upper opening of the stage main body 50, and the passage sensor 52 that can detect one game ball passing through the ball discharge port 48. ing. The ball outlet 48 is a ball outlet for discharging game balls as prize balls or rental balls, and the ball outlet 49 is for discharging game balls guided outside the pachinko gaming machine 1. It is a ball exit.

  The stage main body 50 is provided with a support portion 55 that supports the central portion of the lid member 51 at substantially the center of the bottom thereof, and the discharge that becomes the downstream side opening of the ball discharge port 48 on the outer peripheral side of the support portion 55. An opening 56 and a ball opening 57 that is a downstream opening of the ball opening 49 are opened. Further, a sensor accommodating portion 58 is formed around the discharge opening 56, and the passage sensor 52 is accommodated inside the sensor accommodating portion 58. The passage sensor 52 is configured to output a detection signal when the game ball passes through the through hole 52a and detect the game ball passing through the ball discharge port 48.

The lid member 51 is provided with a bearing hole 60 substantially at the center of the upper surface thereof, and a rotary shaft protrusion 61 (see FIG. 4B) projecting from the lower portion of the sprocket 36 is inserted into the bearing hole 60 to insert the sprocket 36. Is supported in a rotatable state. Further, a flat sliding stage 62 is formed around the bearing hole 60 so that the game ball held by the sprocket 36 can slide as the sprocket 36 rotates. Further, an exposure hole 63 serving as an upper opening of the ball discharge port 48 is opened at the peripheral portion of the slide stage 62 in a state of communicating with the discharge opening 56, and the forward rotation direction L (see FIG. 5 (a) and (b) counterclockwise direction) on both sides and the back side (the opposite side to the sliding stage 62 side), a restriction wall portion 65 that regulates the moving direction of the game ball is provided with an exposure hole 63. The game ball is configured to stand in an enclosed state so that the game ball can be guided to the ball discharge port 48 (the exposure hole 63, the through hole 52a, and the discharge opening 56).
The forward rotation direction L described above is used when the game ball is discharged from the ball discharge port 48 by connecting the ball holding unit 40 to the ball discharge port 48 in this embodiment, in other words, the game ball is transferred to the ball discharge port 48. This is the rotation direction (discharge rotation direction) of the sprocket 36 when guiding.

  Further, a ball extraction hole 66 serving as an upper opening of the ball extraction port 49 is communicated with the ball extraction opening 57 at the peripheral edge of the sliding stage 62 and at a position shifted in phase in the normal rotation direction L from the exposure hole 63. The sprocket 36 is rotated in the reverse direction R (the rotation direction of the sprocket 36 when the game ball is discharged from the ball outlet 49 in this embodiment) in the reverse rotation direction R in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b). The game ball held by the sprocket 36 is configured to flow into the ball extraction opening 57 through the ball extraction hole 66. Further, above the ball extraction hole 66, a ball extraction guide portion 67 having a tip portion directed in the forward rotation direction L is extended, and a game ball moving in the reverse rotation direction R on the sliding stage 62 is inserted into the ball extraction port 49. It is configured so that it can be guided to (ball hole 66, ball opening 57).

  The discharge stage member 43 configured as described above is disposed at the lower part of the sprocket housing portion 37 with the sliding stage 62 facing upward, and is a fastening piece provided on the outer peripheral portion of the stage main body 50 in this state. By fixing 69 to a stage fixing portion 70 provided on the outer periphery of the sprocket accommodating portion 37 with a fixing member (not shown) such as a screw, the lower opening of the sprocket accommodating portion 37 is closed and fixed. When the discharge stage member 43 is disposed below the sprocket accommodating portion 37, the sliding stage 62 faces the inside of the sprocket accommodating portion 37 and functions as the bottom portion of the sprocket accommodating portion 37. Further, the ball discharge port 48 is disposed on the opposite side of the bottom of the ball storage unit 13 with the center of the sliding stage 62 (that is, the rotation center of the sprocket 36) interposed therebetween.

  The sprocket 36 is a member that can guide the game ball supplied from the ball storage unit 13 to the ball discharge port 48 or the ball discharge port 49 while rotating. As shown in FIG. It is accommodated in the sprocket accommodating portion 37 in the arranged posture. Further, a rotating shaft member 73 having a bowler hat shape is fixed to the upper portion of the sprocket 36, and a plurality of ball holding portions 40 that can receive and hold game balls are provided on the outer peripheral edge portion of the sprocket 36 (this embodiment). 10 locations) (see FIG. 4A).

  The ball holding portion 40 is formed by an arc-shaped notch that follows the outer shape of the game ball in plan view, and is formed at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the sprocket 36. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the sprocket 36 is formed in an elongated shape along a direction inclined with respect to the rotation axis CS, specifically, a direction inclined 15 ° from the vertical rotation axis CS. The lower part of 40 is arranged on the upstream side (left side in FIG. 6) in the forward rotation direction L of the sprocket 36 from the upper part. As a result, the side walls (upstream side wall 40a and downstream side wall 40b) that define the sphere holding part 40 are inclined downward from the upstream side toward the downstream side in the normal rotation direction. Then, the upper edge portion (upper open portion) 40c of the ball holding portion 40 is used as a game ball take-in port, and the game ball can be taken in from the upper edge portion 40c. A plurality (two in the present embodiment) are stacked between the inner peripheral surfaces of the sprocket accommodating portions 37 (a state in which they are arranged in the vertical direction). In addition, the upper edge part 40c of the ball | bowl holding | maintenance part 40 is formed in the state expanded toward upper direction. Further, the ball guide path 38 is disposed slightly below the inclined lower end, and is disposed at substantially the same height as the upper end portion of the game ball located in the uppermost stage among the game balls held in the ball holding portion 40. ing.

  Of the sprocket accommodating portion 37 in which the sprocket 36 is accommodated, a ball flow-inhibiting portion capable of preventing the game ball in the ball holding portion 40 from flowing on the inner wall surface (inner peripheral surface) facing the ball holding portion 40. 74 protrudes toward the inside of the sprocket accommodating portion 37, in other words, toward the ball holding portion 40 (see FIGS. 4 and 6A). The ball flow lowering blocking unit 74 is disposed above the ball discharge port 48 and the ball discharge port 49 at a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the game ball from the ball discharge port 48 and the ball discharge port 49 (or the sliding stage 62). The sprocket housing portion 37 is formed in an arc shape along the circumferential direction of the inner wall surface. Note that the operation of the ball flow down prevention unit 74 will be described in detail later.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, the discharge drive motor 44 (for example, a step motor) connects the output shaft 44 a extending downward to a rotary shaft member 73 located on the rotary shaft CS of the sprocket 36. . The output shaft 44a is rotated based on the control by the discharge control device 8, and the sprocket 36 is rotated (forward or reverse) by a desired angle. In addition, the motor holder 45 has a through hole 76 formed at substantially the center thereof, and is connected to the sprocket 36 through the output shaft 44 a of the discharge drive motor 44 in the through hole 76, and the discharge drive motor is formed on the upper surface of the motor holder 45. 44 is attached. And the fastening piece 77 which protruded from the side part of the motor holder 45 is fastened to the holder fastening part 78 provided at the edge of the ball storage part 13 by a fastening member (not shown) such as a screw. The sprocket housing portion 37 is fixed in a state of covering from above.

  Furthermore, a laterally long rectangular shielding wall 79 is provided on one side edge of the motor holder 45 (on the upstream side edge of the ball storage unit 13) along the front-rear width of the ball storage unit 13 (in the front-rear direction of the pachinko gaming machine 1). The upper portion of the shielding wall 79 protrudes upward from the upper end of the first flow path 31 of the ball storage portion 13, and the game ball in the ball storage portion 13 rides on the motor holder 45. It is configured to prevent inconvenience.

  Since the ball discharge unit 15 having such a configuration directly connects the ball discharge unit 14 to one side of the ball storage unit 13, the game ball in the ball storage unit 13 is guided to the ball discharge unit 14. There is no need to provide a guide fence. Therefore, a device capable of storing and discharging game balls can be kept compact. Thereby, the space on the back side of the pachinko gaming machine 1 can be effectively used, and the arrangement space for the enlarged display device 5, the back mechanism unit 4 and the like can be secured.

Next, the operation of the ball discharge unit 15 will be described.
First, when the replenishing device of the gaming machine installation island facility supplies the game ball to the ball storage unit 13 of the ball discharge unit 15, the game ball falls to the upstream side of the first flow path 31 of the ball storage unit 13, and the first The flow path 31, the connection flow path 33, and the second flow path 32 flow down or directly flow down from the rear end of the first flow path 31 to the second flow path 32 and pass through the flow-down port 29 to the spherical guide path 38. To reach. The game balls that have reached the ball guide path 38 flow down the inclined surface of the ball guide path 38 toward the sprocket 36 and are held by the ball holding portions 40.

  When the game balls are sufficiently stored in the ball discharge unit 14 (see FIG. 6A), the sprocket 36 vertically places a plurality of (two in this embodiment) game balls in the ball holding unit 40. Hold in a stacked state. When the sprocket 36 is rotated in the forward rotation direction L in this holding state, the game ball on the lower side (first stage) and the upper side (2) of the game balls in the ball holding unit 40 just before passing above the ball discharge port 48. The ball of the stage) is separated from the ball flow drop prevention unit 74. Therefore, the ball flow down prevention unit 74 allows the lower game ball to flow down to the ball discharge port 48 and restricts the upper game ball from flowing down in the ball holding unit 40.

  When the ball holding portion 40 reaches above the ball discharge port 48 in this state, the lower game ball flows down to the ball discharge port 48 and further flows down to the discharge flow down path 18. On the other hand, the upper game ball (the game ball above the game ball held on the ball discharge port 48 side) is prevented from flowing into the ball discharge port 48 by the ball flow drop prevention unit 74. Thereby, the game balls held on the ball holding portion 40 of the sprocket 36 on the sliding stage 62 can be reliably discharged to the ball discharge port 48 one by one. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress a problem that a plurality of game balls held by one ball holding unit 40 flow down at a time and the game balls are clogged between the ball discharge port 48 and the sprocket 36.

  When the sprocket 36 continues to rotate in the forward rotation direction L, the ball holding portion 40 that has caused the game ball to flow down to the ball discharge port 48 passes above the ball outlet 49, and further, the end of the ball flow drop prevention portion 74, that is, the ball It reaches the downstream end 74a in the forward rotation direction L (the rotation direction of the sprocket 36) in the flow-down prevention unit 74. Then, the downstream side end 74a of the ball flow lowering prevention portion 74 and the downstream side wall 40b located closer to the downstream side in the normal rotation direction L among the side walls that define and form the ball holding portion 40 are gradually separated (see FIG. 6A). . Then, the game ball that has been engaged with the ball flow down prevention unit 74 in the ball holding unit 40 is between the downstream end 74 a of the ball flow down prevention unit 74 and the downstream side wall 40 b of the ball holding unit 40. Is moved away from the upstream side wall (upstream side wall 40a) of the ball holding portion 40. When the sprocket 36 further rotates in the forward rotation direction L in this state, the distance between the downstream end 74a of the ball flow lowering prevention portion 74 and the downstream side wall 40b of the ball holding portion 40 further increases, so that the game ball and the ball flow lowering prevention portion 74 The engagement with the downstream end 74 a is released, and the game ball falls on the sliding stage 62. At this time, the game ball flows down so as to roll on the downward inclined surface of the downstream side wall 40b of the ball holding unit 40 while being separated from the upstream side wall 40a of the ball holding unit 40. Therefore, it is difficult for the game ball to press the sprocket 36 in the direction opposite to the normal rotation direction L, and it is easy to press in the same direction as the normal rotation direction L.

  When the sprocket 36 is further rotated in the forward rotation direction L in this state, the ball holding unit 40 rotates while rolling the game ball in the ball holding unit 40 on the sliding stage 62, and the ball discharge port 48 again. The game ball on the sliding stage 62 can flow down to the ball discharge port 48 when reaching above and communicating.

  Then, in the sprocket 36 rotating in the forward rotation direction L, when the game ball held in the ball holding portion 40 is discharged to the ball discharge port 48, the game is started from the upper edge portion 40c of the ball holding portion 40 that has become empty. The ball flows down. More specifically, in a state where the sprocket 36 is rotating, a game ball placed on the sprocket 36 without being held by the ball holder 40 rotates in the forward rotation direction L so as to slide on the upper surface of the sprocket 36. , And rotates at a speed slower than that of the sphere holder 40. Then, when the empty ball holding unit 40 approaches the game ball rotating in such a state from the rear in the forward rotation direction L, the rotating game ball and the empty ball holding unit 40 overlap vertically. The game ball rolls downward from the upper edge portion 40 c of the ball holding portion 40 and flows down to the ball holding portion 40. At this time, since the upper edge portion 40c of the ball holding portion 40 is formed so as to expand upward, the game ball can be easily taken into the ball holding portion 40, and the game ball is discharged from the ball discharge portion 14. Preparation can be done smoothly. In addition, the game ball taken into the rotating empty ball holding unit 40 (specifically, the empty ball holding unit 40 not facing the ball flow down prevention unit 74) flows down toward the sliding stage 62. To do. At this time, since the lower part of the ball holding part 40 is arranged upstream of the upper part of the ball holding part 40 in the forward rotation direction L of the sprocket 36, even if the game ball flows down directly below, It is difficult for the upstream side wall 40a of the ball holding unit 40 (in other words, the side wall approaching the game ball flowing down) to collide. Further, the game ball and the downstream side wall 40b of the ball holding portion 40 (in other words, the side wall away from the game ball flowing down) easily collide (see FIG. 6C). Therefore, it is difficult for the game ball to press the sprocket 36 in the direction opposite to the normal rotation direction L, and it is easy to press in the same direction as the normal rotation direction L. Thus, the load applied to the sprocket 36 can be reduced, and the inconvenience that the driving torque of the discharge driving motor 44, that is, the driving torque necessary for the rotation of the sprocket 36 becomes large can be suppressed. Thereby, even if it is the pachinko gaming machine 1 provided with the ball | bowl holding | maintenance part 40 which can hold | maintain the some game ball and can suppress the increase in the power consumption of the ball discharge | release unit 15, the running cost of this pachinko gaming machine 1 Can be reduced.

  Further, it is possible to suppress a problem that the discharge drive motor 44 of the sprocket 36 generates heat abnormally, and it is not necessary to take a special heat dissipation measure for the discharge drive motor 44. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the ball discharge unit 15, and thus the manufacturing cost of the pachinko gaming machine 1, can be kept low.

  Furthermore, the ball holding unit 40 holding a plurality of game balls has the upper edge of the upper game ball, in other words, the upper edge of the game ball closest to the upper edge 40c of the ball holding unit 40 at the upper edge of the ball holding unit 40. It arrange | positions at the substantially same height as the part 40c (refer FIG. 6 (a), (b)). Accordingly, the upper portion of the game ball is projected from the upper portion of the ball holding portion 40 holding the game ball to form a protrusion, or the upper portion of the game ball is disposed below the upper edge portion 40c of the ball holding portion 40. Thus, it is possible to avoid forming a recess. For this reason, there is no possibility that the game ball waiting above the ball holding unit 40 is caught by the protrusions or the depressions and puts a load on the sprocket 36. Thereby, it is possible to further suppress an increase in the drive torque of the discharge drive motor 44.

  On the other hand, when the sprocket 36 rotates in the reverse rotation direction R with the game ball held by the ball holding unit 40, two pieces of the game ball are held vertically before the held game ball reaches (communicates) with the ball outlet 49. The lower side and the upper side of the stacked game balls are separated from each other by a ball flow drop prevention unit 74. Therefore, the ball flow-down prevention unit 74 allows the lower game ball to flow down to the ball outlet 49 and restricts the upper game ball from flowing down in the ball holding unit 40. When the ball holding part 40 reaches above the ball outlet 49 in this state, the lower game ball flows down to the ball outlet 49, but the upper game ball flows into the ball outlet 49 by the ball flow-inhibiting part 74. To be prevented. Thereby, the game balls held on the ball holding portions 40 of the sprocket 36 on the sliding stage 62 can be reliably discharged one by one from the ball outlet 49.

  Note that the ball holding unit 40 may have a configuration that allows the game ball to efficiently press the sprocket 36 in the forward rotation direction L. For example, in the middle of the side wall of the ball holding portion 40, an inclined support portion 82 that can be supported by contacting the game ball from below may be provided. More specifically, in the modification of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the sphere holding part 40 protrudes from the lower part of the downstream side wall 40b to the inside of the sphere holding part 40 (near the upstream side wall 40a) rather than the upper part. The step is used as the inclined support portion 82. The inclined support portion 82 is arranged at a substantially central portion in the vertical direction of the downstream side wall 40b so as to be inclined downward at a gentler angle than the downstream side wall 40b, and is held in the ball holding portion 40 side by side in the vertical direction. Among these, it arrange | positions in the position which contact | abuts and can support the lower part of the upper game ball (refer FIG.7 (b)). When the inclined support portion 82 having such a configuration is provided, the sprocket 36 hangs a part of its own weight of the game ball held on the upper side of the ball holding portion 40 on the inclined support portion 82 and rotates the sprocket 36 in the rotation direction (forward rotation). In the direction L). Moreover, the downward force that the upper game ball in the ball holding portion 40 applies to the lower game ball can be reduced, and the frictional force between the lower game ball and the slide stage 62 can be kept small. . Therefore, the load applied to the sprocket 36 can be further reduced, and the disadvantage that the drive torque of the discharge drive motor 44 increases can be suppressed.

  By the way, in the above embodiment, the ball holding portion 40 extends along the direction inclined with respect to the rotation axis CS of the sprocket 36, and the game ball held in the ball holding portion 40 is placed on the side wall of the ball holding portion 40. The sprocket 36 is configured to abut and press the sprocket 36 in the forward rotation direction L, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the ball discharge portion 14 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, but the configuration of the sprocket and its periphery is different. More specifically, the sprocket (sphere holding rotator) 85 of the second embodiment extends the sphere holding portion 86 vertically along the extending direction of the rotation axis CS of the sprocket 85, and the sphere holding portion. A state in which a plurality of (two or three in this embodiment) game balls are stacked between the inner surface of the sprocket housing portion 37 and the sprocket accommodating portion 37, in other words, along the extending direction of the rotation axis CS of the sprocket 85. It is configured so that it can be held in a state of being arranged in the vertical direction.

  Further, on the inner wall surface of the sprocket housing portion 37 that faces the ball holding portion 86, a flow restricting projection 88 that restricts the flow of the game ball in the ball holding portion 86 is provided inside the sprocket housing portion 37, in other words, the ball holding portion. Projecting toward the 86 side. The flow restricting projection 88 is formed in the shape of a single spiral fin that is inclined downward along the forward rotation direction L of the sprocket 85, and swivels along the inner wall surface of the sprocket accommodating portion 37 (three laps in this embodiment). It is set to the state to be. Further, the upper end portion 88a of the flow restricting projection 88 is slightly below the ball guide path 38, and is disposed on the opposite side of the sprocket 85 to the game ball flow path 28 of the ball storage portion 13, and the lower end portion 88b. Is disposed in the vicinity of the ball discharge port 48, specifically, approximately the same height as the sliding stage 62 and upstream of the ball discharge port 48 in the forward rotation direction L. Then, the spiral pitch of the flow restricting projection 88 is set to a dimension wider than the diameter of the game ball (see FIG. 8B).

  When the game ball flows into the upper part of the sprocket 85 with the flow restricting projection 88 having such a configuration, the game ball flows down from the upper edge 86 c into the ball holding portion 86 and engages with the flow restricting projection 88. Thus, the flow down to the lower side of the ball holding portion 86 (that is, the ball discharge port 48 side) is restricted. When the sprocket 85 is rotated in this state, the game ball held in the ball holding portion 86 moves (flows down) in the ball holding portion 86 while rolling along the downward inclined surface of the flow restricting projection 88. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8C, the game ball in the ball holding portion 86 is separated from the upstream side wall 86a that defines the upstream side in the normal rotation direction L of the ball holding portion 86, and the normal rotation direction. It abuts on the downstream side wall 86b that defines the downstream side of L, and in this state, rolls down on the flow-down regulating projection 88. Therefore, the ball discharge unit 14 can press the game ball rolling along the flow restricting projection 88 toward the downstream side (downstream side wall 86 b) of the side wall of the ball holding unit 86. Thereby, the sprocket 85 can be pressed in the rotation direction (forward rotation direction L) by the game ball held in the ball holding portion 86. As a result, the load applied to the sprocket 85 can be reduced, and the inconvenience that the driving torque necessary for the rotation of the sprocket 85 becomes large can be suppressed. As a result, even if the pachinko gaming machine 1 includes the ball holding portion 86 that can hold a plurality of gaming balls, it is possible to suppress an increase in running cost of the pachinko gaming machine 1.

  The second embodiment is configured such that the game ball can flow down below the ball discharge section 14 only when the sprocket 85 is rotated in the forward rotation direction L. For this reason, it is preferable that a branch path is formed between the ball discharge port 48 and the discharge flow down path 18, the branch path is connected to the ball discharge down path 19, and a flow path switching valve is provided in the branch path. is there. By switching the flow path switching valve, the ball discharge port 48 and the discharge flow down passage 18 are communicated with each other, the ball discharge port 48 and the ball discharge flow down passage 19 are blocked, and the game flows down from the ball discharge unit 15. It is preferable that the ball can be guided to the upper plate or the lower plate of the pachinko gaming machine 1. Alternatively, the ball discharge port 48 and the discharge flow down channel 18 are blocked, and the ball discharge port 48 and the ball discharge flow down channel 19 are communicated with each other so that the game ball flowing down from the ball discharge unit 15 is placed in the lower part of the game machine installation island facility. It is preferable that the ball can be guided to a ball collecting basket (not shown).

  In each of the above-described embodiments, two or three game balls can be held in one ball holding unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of game balls can be held in the ball holding unit. I just need it. However, as the number of game balls held increases, it becomes more difficult to suppress an increase in the driving torque required for the rotation of the sprocket and the rotation of the game ball. For this reason, it is preferable that the number of game balls that can be held in one ball holding unit 40 is two or three.

  Moreover, in each said embodiment, although the pachinko gaming machine 1 which is a typical gaming machine was illustrated and demonstrated, this invention is not restricted to this, The ball storage part which stores a game ball, and this ball storage part Any game machine may be used as long as it has a ball discharge unit for discharging the stored game balls, for example, an arrangement ball type game machine, a sparrow ball type game machine, etc. Also good.

  It should be understood that the above-described embodiment is illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The present invention is not limited to the above description, but is defined by the scope of the claims, and includes all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

It is a back perspective view of a pachinko gaming machine. It is a front perspective view of a back mechanism unit and a ball discharge unit. (A) is a top view of a bulb | ball discharge | emission unit, (b) is sectional drawing. (A) is a top view of the ball | bowl discharge part of the state which removed the discharge drive motor and the motor holder, (b) is sectional drawing of a ball | bowl discharge part. (A) is an exploded perspective view of a ball discharge unit, (b) is an exploded perspective view of a discharge stage member. (A) is a schematic view of a state in which a game ball is engaged with the downstream end of the ball flow-inhibiting portion, (b) is a schematic view of a state in which the game ball is detached from the ball flow-in prevention portion, and (c) is a state in which the game ball is It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which presses a ball | bowl holding | maintenance part. (A) is explanatory drawing of the ball | bowl holding | maintenance part provided with the inclination support part, (b) is a partial enlarged view. It is explanatory drawing of the ball | bowl discharge | emission part of 2nd Embodiment, (a) is a top view, (b) is sectional drawing, (c) is the elements on larger scale which show the positional relationship of a sprocket, a game ball, and a flow-down control protrusion. is there.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pachinko machine 4 Back mechanism unit 13 Sphere storage part 14 Sphere discharge part 15 Sphere discharge unit 18 Discharge flow down path 19 Sphere outflow down path 28 Game ball flow path 29 Flow down port 31 1st flow path 32 2nd flow path 33 Connection flow Road 34 Ball supply switch 36 Sprocket 37 Sprocket housing part 38 Ball guide path 40 Ball holding part 40a Upper side wall 40b Downstream side wall 40c Upper edge part 43 Discharge stage member 44 Discharge drive motor 45 Motor holder 48 Ball discharge port 49 Ball outlet 62 Slide Moving stage 73 Rotating shaft member 74 Ball flow drop prevention portion 74a Downstream end 82 Inclined support portion 85 Sprocket 86 Ball holding portion 86a Upstream side wall 86b Downstream side wall 86c Upper edge portion 88 Downflow restricting projection

Claims (1)

In a gaming machine provided with a ball discharge unit including a ball storage unit for storing game balls supplied from the outside, and a ball discharge unit capable of discharging one game ball supplied from the ball storage unit,
The ball discharge unit includes a ball holding rotator that rotates and guides a game ball supplied from the ball storage unit, an electric drive source that rotates the ball holding rotator, and a game guided by the ball holding rotator. A ball outlet capable of discharging a ball,
The sphere holding rotator has a rotation axis arranged vertically , and is extended in the vertical direction along the rotation axis on the outer peripheral edge of the sphere holding rotator to hold a game ball in the sphere storage portion. When a plurality of holding parts are provided, the lower part of the ball holding part and the ball discharge port can be communicated, and the ball holding rotating body is rotated around the rotation axis in the discharge rotation direction with the game ball held in the ball holding part, The game ball in the ball holding part can be guided to the ball discharge port,
The sphere holding portion is disposed with the lower portion of the sphere holding portion disposed upstream of the upper portion of the sphere holding portion in the discharge rotation direction of the sphere holding rotator, and is inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the sphere holding rotator. It is set in a state, a game ball is taken in from the upper edge portion of the ball holding portion, and a plurality of game balls can be held in the vertical direction along the extending direction of the ball holding portion ,
On the downstream side wall that defines at least the downstream side in the discharge rotation direction of the sphere holding rotator among the sphere holding portions, an inclined support portion that can be in contact with and supported by the game ball from below is provided.
The inclined support portion is inclined downward at a gentler angle than the downstream side wall, and supports the upper game ball among the game balls held side by side in the ball holding portion along the extending direction of the ball holding portion. A gaming machine characterized by being arranged in a possible position .

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