JP4541794B2 - Ball launcher for gaming machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball launcher in a gaming machine such as a pachinko gaming machine or an arrangement ball gaming machine that launches a gaming ball toward a gaming area.

For example, in a pachinko gaming machine, a ball launcher is used to launch a game ball toward a game area where a pachinko game is performed. As this ball launcher, for example, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1.
The pachinko ball launching device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an arm, a motor that can be rotated forward and backward and capable of speed control, a connecting means that connects an output shaft of the motor and the arm, and a drive circuit that rotationally drives the motor. It has. This pachinko ball launching device directly converts the rotational movement of the motor into the rotational movement of the arm's pachinko ball (game ball) in the firing direction, and hits the pachinko ball with a collar formed at one end of the arm. Can be fired.

  Moreover, as another ball | bowl launching apparatus, there exist some which were disclosed by patent document 2, for example. The pachinko ball launcher disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a launch arm, a motor that rotates the launch arm, and a rotation control unit that controls the rotation of the motor. The launch arm is formed with a ball receiving portion for receiving a pachinko ball (game ball). This ball receiving portion receives the pachinko ball even if the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the launch arm acts on the pachinko ball. It has a structure that does not move in the radial direction. And this pachinko ball launcher can launch the pachinko ball with its inertial force by the rotation control means suddenly stopping the rotation of the launch arm at the launch position of the pachinko ball.

However, the pachinko ball launching device of Patent Document 1 hits and launches a game ball. For this reason, when the hitting position at which this hit is made deviates from the center of the game ball, there is a risk that variations will occur in the launch intensity and launch direction of the game ball.
Further, even when the surface of the game ball is soiled or scratched, there is a possibility that variations may occur in the launch strength (launch speed) and launch direction of the game ball.

  On the other hand, the pachinko ball launcher disclosed in Patent Document 2 imparts the inertial force of the launch arm to the game ball and launches the game ball with this inertial force. However, in this pachinko ball launcher, the launch arm is rotated more than half a turn, and the rotation angle of the launch arm is increased. Therefore, when the launch arm rotates, there is a possibility that the game ball held in the ball receiving portion will be displaced, and when this displacement occurs, there is a possibility that the launch intensity and launch direction of the game ball will vary. . Further, since the movement range of the launch arm is widened, it is necessary to take a large installation space when the pachinko ball launcher is disposed in the gaming machine.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-15162 (FIGS. 1, 15, etc.) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-177489

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a ball launcher in a gaming machine that can stabilize the launch intensity and launch direction of a game ball.

1st invention has the drive means which generate | occur | produces launch torque, and the launch arm which rotates in response to the launch torque by this drive means, this launch arm is a rotating shaft part used as the center of said rotation, and a game In a ball launcher in a gaming machine comprising a ball receiver for holding a ball,
The launch arm has a launch start position for starting the rotation in the forward rotation direction for launching the game ball, and suddenly stops the rotation in the forward rotation direction, and the game ball held in the ball receiving portion is stored in the game ball. The ball receiving portion is configured to reciprocately rotate between a ball launch position to be launched by the inertial force of the ball, and the ball receiving portion is the rotary shaft portion at any of the launch start position and the ball launch position. It is configured to be located below the
The ball receiving portion includes a bottom surface portion formed along the rotational radial direction of the firing arm and a side surface formed along the rotational tangential direction of the firing arm at an outer position in the rotational radial direction of the bottom surface portion. sometimes the ball launching device in the gaming machine according to claim that a part (claim 1).
The second invention has a driving means for generating a firing torque, and a firing arm that rotates upon receiving the firing torque from the driving means. The firing arm has a rotating shaft portion that is the center of the rotation, and a game. In a ball launcher in a gaming machine comprising a ball receiver for holding a ball,
The launch arm has a launch start position for starting the rotation in the forward rotation direction for launching the game ball, and suddenly stops the rotation in the forward rotation direction, and the game ball held in the ball receiving portion is stored in the game ball. The ball receiving portion is configured to reciprocately rotate between a ball launch position to be launched by the inertial force of the ball, and the ball receiving portion is the rotary shaft portion at any of the launch start position and the ball launch position. It is configured to be located below the
A ball launcher in a gaming machine, wherein a permanent magnet for attracting a game ball held in the ball receiver is disposed in the ball receiver.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided driving means for generating firing torque, and a firing arm that rotates upon receiving the firing torque from the driving means. The firing arm has a rotating shaft portion that is the center of the rotation, and a game. In a ball launcher in a gaming machine comprising a ball receiver for holding a ball,
The launch arm has a launch start position for starting the rotation in the forward rotation direction for launching the game ball, and suddenly stops the rotation in the forward rotation direction, and the game ball held in the ball receiving portion is stored in the game ball. The ball receiving portion is configured to reciprocately rotate between a ball launch position to be launched by the inertial force of the ball, and the ball receiving portion is the rotary shaft portion at any of the launch start position and the ball launch position. It is configured to be located below the
The launch arm is configured to launch a game ball by colliding with a stopper and suddenly stopping at the ball launch position, and starts to rotate in the forward rotation direction from the launch start position. A game characterized in that, after colliding with the stopper at the ball launch position, the game stops at a position slightly returned from the ball launch position toward the reverse rotation direction opposite to the forward rotation direction. A ball launcher in a machine (Claim 4).
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided driving means for generating firing torque, and a firing arm that rotates upon receiving the firing torque from the driving means. The firing arm has a rotating shaft portion that is the center of the rotation, and a game. In a ball launcher in a gaming machine comprising a ball receiver for holding a ball,
The launch arm has a launch start position for starting the rotation in the forward rotation direction for launching the game ball, and suddenly stops the rotation in the forward rotation direction, and the game ball held in the ball receiving portion is stored in the game ball. The ball receiving portion is configured to reciprocately rotate between a ball launch position to be launched by the inertial force of the ball, and the ball receiving portion is the rotary shaft portion at any of the launch start position and the ball launch position. It is configured to be located below the
The launch arm is configured to launch a game ball by colliding with a stopper and suddenly stopping at the ball launch position, and starts to rotate in the forward rotation direction from the launch start position. A ball launcher in a gaming machine, wherein the ball launcher is configured to be fastest before colliding with the stopper and collide with the stopper while decelerating (claim 5).

The ball launcher in the gaming machine of the present invention is of a type that launches a game ball with inertial force. By devising the launch start position and the launch position of the launch arm, the launch strength of the game ball (launch speed) ) And the firing direction can be stabilized.
In other words, the launch arm includes a rotation shaft portion serving as a center of rotation and a ball receiving portion for holding a game ball, and is configured to reciprocate between a launch start position and a ball launch position. Has been.

In the ball launching device, when the game ball is fired, the ball receiving unit holds the game ball and rotates the firing arm from the firing start position in the forward rotation direction. At this time, with the rotation of the launch arm, an inertial force is applied to the game ball held by the ball receiver.
When the launch arm suddenly stops at the ball launch position, the game ball held by the ball receiving unit is thrown out from the launch arm. Thereby, a game ball can be launched.
Thereafter, the launch arm can be rotated in the reverse rotation direction from the ball launch position to the launch start position, and can be rotated back and forth between the launch start position and the ball launch position as many times as possible. Can fire repeatedly.

The launch arm is configured such that the ball receiving portion is positioned below the rotation shaft portion at any of the launch start position and the ball launch position. Therefore, the launch arm can launch the game ball held in the ball receiving portion by rotating the ball receiving portion only within the rotation range at a position below the rotation shaft portion.
Therefore, the rotation angle for rotating the launch arm can be reduced, and it is possible to make it difficult for the game ball held in the ball receiving portion to be displaced. Moreover, the installation space in the game machine of the ball launcher can be reduced.
Therefore, according to the ball launcher of the present invention, the launch intensity and launch direction of the game ball can be stabilized.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention described above will be described.
In the present invention, the ball receiving portion is positioned obliquely downward with respect to the rotation shaft portion at the launch start position, and the launch arm is moved upward in the positive rotation direction from the launch start position at the ball launch position. It is preferably located at a position rotated by 20 to 45 degrees toward
In this case, the ball launcher can launch the game ball more stably.

  The drive means can be configured using a motor and a torsion coil spring. In this case, a torsion coil spring is disposed on the firing arm, and the torsion coil spring is torsionally deformed when the motor is rotated. Then, the force for restoring the torsional deformation can be transmitted to the firing arm as the firing torque, and the firing arm can be rotated in the forward rotation direction.

The driving means can also be configured using a rotary solenoid that can reciprocate between predetermined angles. In this case, the firing arm can be connected to the rotary solenoid, and the rotational force of the rotary solenoid can be transmitted to the firing arm as the firing torque to rotate the firing arm in the normal rotation direction. And the adjustment of the launch intensity of the game ball in the launch arm can be performed by receiving the amount of operation of the operation handle in the gaming machine and electrically adjusting the rotational speed of the rotary solenoid.
In this case, a stepping motor can be used instead of the rotary solenoid.

Further, when the driving means is configured using a rotary solenoid, the launching intensity of the game ball can be adjusted mechanically as follows.
That is, in this case, the launching arm is provided with a biasing means such as a spring for generating a biasing force in the reverse rotation direction opposite to the normal rotation direction for firing the game ball, and the elastic deformation amount of the biasing means Can be adjusted according to the operation of the operating handle. Further, the rotary solenoid is configured to rotate at a predetermined rotational speed.

As a result, the urging force of the urging means is changed in response to the operation amount of the operation handle, and the rotation speed of the firing arm is increased according to the decrease of the urging force of the urging means, thereby adjusting the firing strength of the game ball. It can be performed. In this case, since it is only necessary to control the rotation of the rotary solenoid so as to rotate at a predetermined rotational speed, the control circuit can be simplified.
Also in this case, a stepping motor can be used instead of the rotary solenoid.

Moreover, it is preferable that the launch arm is configured to launch a game ball held in the ball receiving portion upward in a substantially vertical direction .
In this case, the game ball can be launched substantially upward in the vertical direction, and the guide rail for guiding the game ball to the game area can be formed short. Therefore, the distance that the game ball contacts the guide rail can be shortened as much as possible, and it can be suppressed that the launch strength is attenuated by the game ball contacting the guide rail.

In addition, it is preferable that the launch arm is configured to suddenly stop before the direction of the rotation tangent of the launch arm is directed to the launch target direction that is a target for launching the game ball .
When the firing arm rotates in the forward rotation direction, a centrifugal force is acting on the game ball held in the ball receiving portion. When the sudden stop is performed, the game ball receives a reaction force due to the centrifugal force, and The firing arm bends slightly due to its rigidity. As a result, the game ball held in the ball receiving unit is launched in a direction inside the rotational tangent direction of the launch arm.
Therefore, the game ball held in the ball receiving portion can be appropriately fired in the launch target direction by suddenly stopping the launch arm before the rotation tangent direction thereof faces the launch target direction.

Further, in the second invention, the above-mentioned ball receiving part, a permanent magnet for attracting the game balls held in the sphere receiving portion is arranged.
Thereby , when rotating the said launch arm, the game ball hold | maintained at the said ball receiving part can be adsorb | sucked with the said permanent magnet. Therefore, when the launch arm rotates, it is possible to more easily prevent the game ball held in the ball receiving portion from being displaced, and the launch direction of the game ball can be further stabilized.

In the first aspect of the invention, the ball receiving portion is configured to rotate the firing arm at a bottom surface portion formed along a rotational radial direction of the firing arm and an outer position of the bottom surface portion in the rotational radial direction. And a side surface portion formed along the tangential direction .
Moreover, it is preferable that the said bottom part has a V-groove shape (Claim 2 ).
In this case, when the launch arm is rotated, the game ball can be held in contact with the side surface portion and the V-groove bottom surface portion in the ball receiving portion. Therefore, when the launch arm rotates, the game ball can be held more stably in the ball receiving portion, and the launch strength and launch direction of the game ball can be further stabilized.

Moreover, it is preferable that the ball receiving unit is configured to receive a game ball when the ball receiving unit is at the firing start position or a position in the vicinity thereof .
When the launch arm suddenly stops at the ball launch position to launch a game ball, the launch arm vibrates due to the suddenly stopped reaction. For this reason, if a game ball is supplied to the ball receiving unit in a state where the vibration is performed, the game ball may fall down, and it is necessary to supply the game ball to the ball receiving unit after the vibration is settled.

On the other hand, when the launch arm is rotated from the ball launch position to the launch start position, it is possible to prevent a large vibration from occurring when the sudden stop is performed. Therefore, the time required for supplying the game ball can be shortened by supplying the game ball to the ball receiving portion in the launch arm at the launch start position or a position near the launch start position.
Thereby, the cycle time during which the launch arm reciprocates between the launch start position and the ball launch position can be shortened, and the launch interval of the game balls can be shortened.

In the third and fourth inventions, the launch arm is configured to launch a game ball by colliding with a stopper and suddenly stopping at the ball launch position.
Thereby , the ball launch position where the launch arm suddenly stops can be stabilized by the stopper.

In the third aspect of the invention, the launch arm starts to rotate in the forward rotation direction from the launch start position, and after colliding with the stopper at the ball launch position, the launch arm starts from the launch position. It is configured to stand still at a position slightly returned in the reverse rotation direction opposite to the rotation direction.
As a result , the firing arm can come to rest in a state of being separated from the stopper after colliding with the stopper at the ball firing position. Therefore, even if vibration occurs when the firing arm collides with the stopper, it is possible to prevent the firing arm from repeatedly colliding with the stopper due to this vibration. In addition, after the collision, the firing arm can be isolated from the stopper.
Furthermore, even when the ball launching device is not operated, the firing arm can be stored in a state of being isolated from the stopper, and deformation due to wear and compressive stress generated in the stopper can be effectively reduced.

In the fourth aspect of the invention, the firing arm starts to rotate in the forward rotation direction from the firing start position, becomes the fastest before colliding with the stopper, and collides with the stopper while decelerating. It is configured.
Thereby , it can be made to collide with a stopper in the state where the discharge arm was decelerated. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the wear of the stopper, the deformation of the stopper due to the collision of the firing arm, or the noise generated when the firing arm collides.

The firing arm has an arm contact portion for colliding with the stopper, and the width of the arm contact portion in the rotation axis direction is larger than the width of the stopper in the rotation axis direction. Is preferred .
When the width of the arm contact portion in the rotation axis direction is smaller than the width of the stopper in the rotation axis direction, the arm contact portion repeatedly collides with the stopper, so that the surface of the stopper is worn or deformed in a groove shape. May end up. And when this groove-shaped wear part is formed in the surface of a stopper, an arm contact part will come to collide with a stopper so that it may fit in the said wear part. At this time, an error occurs in the ball launch position of the launch arm, which may make it difficult to stabilize the launch direction of the game ball.

On the other hand, by making the width of the arm contact portion in the rotation axis direction larger than the width of the stopper in the rotation axis direction, the groove-shaped wear portion can be prevented from being formed. This also reduces the deformation stress per unit area received by the stopper. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of wear on the surface of the stopper, and to stabilize the firing direction of the game ball.
In addition, the said rotating shaft direction means the direction where the axial direction of the rotating shaft part of a discharge arm faces.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the ball launcher in the gaming machine of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Example 1
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the ball launching device 1 in the gaming machine of this example includes a driving unit 2 that generates a firing torque, and a launching arm 3 that rotates upon receiving the firing torque from the driving unit 2. ing. The launch arm 3 includes a rotation shaft 33 serving as the center of the rotation at one end and a ball receiving portion 32 for holding the game ball 8 at the other end.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the launch arm 3 suddenly starts to rotate in the forward rotation direction C1, as shown in FIG. It is configured to stop and reciprocate between the ball launch position 302 where the game ball 8 held in the ball receiving portion 32 is launched by its inertial force. As shown in FIG. 1, the launch arm 3 is configured such that the ball receiving portion 32 is positioned obliquely below the rotation shaft portion 33 at any of the launch start position 301 and the ball launch position 302, and the ball The receiving unit 32 is configured to reach the ball firing position 302 when the receiving part 32 is rotated 20 to 45 degrees upward from the firing start position 301 in the positive rotation direction C1.
The rotation angle θ1 between the launch start position 301 and the ball launch position 302 in the launch arm 3 is set to 20 to 45 °.
This will be described in detail below.

  In this example, the reverse rotation direction C2 of the firing arm 3 refers to the direction opposite to the normal rotation direction C1. In addition, the rotational radial direction R of the launch arm 3 refers to the radial direction in the rotational trajectory of the launch arm 3, and the rotational tangential direction T of the launch arm 3 refers to the tangential direction in the rotational trajectory of the launch arm 3. Say. Further, the rotation axis direction L of the firing arm 3 refers to a direction in which the axial direction of the rotation shaft portion 33 faces.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the ball launcher 1 of this example is used for a pachinko gaming machine 4. In this pachinko gaming machine 4, a game board 41 is provided which is formed with a game area 42 where a pachinko game is performed. The ball launcher 1 can launch the game ball 8 toward the game area 42 of the game board 41 in response to an operation of the operation handle 43 provided on the front surface of the pachinko gaming machine 4.

In addition, the game area 42 in the game board 41 is surrounded and formed by a game area forming rail 421, and the game ball 8 launched from the ball launching device 1 is placed in the game area 42 in the game area forming rail 421. A pair of guide rails 422 for guiding the guides are connected.
The pair of guide rails 422 are arranged to face each other on the game board 41. The launch target direction D, which is the target for the ball launching apparatus 1 of this example to launch the game ball 8, is the direction of a virtual center line passing through the center between the pair of guide rails 422.
In addition, the firing target direction D can be set in various directions between the pair of guide rails 422 in addition to the direction of the virtual center line.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the ball launching device 1 of this example is of a vertical launching type, and the launching arm 3 moves the game ball 8 held by the ball receiving portion 32 upward in the substantially vertical direction. It is configured to fire toward V.
In addition, the ball launch position 302 of the launch arm 3 is such that an inclined virtual line L1 connecting the center of the game ball 8 held in the ball receiver 32 and the axis center O of the rotary shaft 33 is the axis O of the rotary shaft 33. Is formed at a position having an inclination angle θ2 of 5 to 30 ° with respect to the horizontal imaginary line L0 drawn in the horizontal direction. Then, the ball launcher 1 launches the game ball 8 in a direction slightly tilted upward V in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the launch arm 3 is configured to launch a game ball 8 by colliding with the stopper 121 and suddenly stopping at the ball launch position 302. The stopper 121 is provided on the surface of the stopper member 12 and is made of a rubber material having elasticity in order to suppress generation of noise that occurs when the firing arm 3 collides with the stopper 121.

Moreover, the launch arm 3 has an arm main body 31 that connects the ball receiving portion 32 and the rotary shaft portion 33. In order to improve rigidity while reducing the weight of the arm main body 31, It has a cross-sectional H shape. The launch arm 3 is made of an aluminum material in order to further reduce the weight.
The arm main body 31 of the firing arm 3 can be formed in various cross-sectional shapes such as a rectangular cross section, a cross-sectional T shape, and a cross-sectional ring shape, and the firing arm 3 can also be made from a magnesium material or the like. it can.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the driving means 2 of this example is configured using a motor 21 and a torsion coil spring 23. The cam 22 is connected to the output shaft 210 of the motor 21. In this example, the output shaft 210 of the motor 21 and the central shaft 220 of the cam 22 are connected via gears 211 and 221. The cam 22 has a shape in which the radius from the central axis 220 to the outer peripheral surface 222 gradually increases, and the minimum outer peripheral surface portion 223 having the smallest radius and the maximum outer peripheral surface portion 224 having the largest radius are the radius. The sudden change surface 225 has a shape that changes rapidly.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the torsion coil spring 23 is disposed on the rotating shaft portion 33 of the firing arm 3 so that the axial center thereof is substantially aligned with the axial center O of the rotating shaft portion 33 of the firing arm 3. . Further, a deformation amount adjuster 24 for adjusting the amount of torsional deformation of the torsion coil spring 23 and a contact piece 34 that contacts the outer peripheral surface 222 of the cam 22 are disposed on the rotating shaft portion 33 of the firing arm 3. Has been.
Further, an arm center shaft 331 formed by inserting the rotation shaft portion 33, the contact piece 34, the torsion coil spring 23, and the deformation amount adjuster 24 is disposed at the portion of the shaft center O in the rotation shaft portion 33 of the firing arm 3. It is installed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the torsion coil spring 23 has one end attached to the rotary shaft portion 33 of the firing arm 3 and the other end attached to the deformation amount adjuster 24. A wire 25 is stretched between the amount adjuster 24 and the operation handle 43. When a player or the like operates the operation handle 43, the rotational position of the deformation amount adjuster 24 changes via the wire 25, and the torsional deformation amount of the torsion coil spring 23 that can be torsionally deformed changes. Thereby, the launch intensity of the game ball 8 by the launch arm 3 can be adjusted.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the ball launching device 1 includes a driving means 2 and a firing arm 3 disposed on a base plate 11. The firing arm 3, the motor 21, and the stopper 121 are disposed on the front side of the base plate 11, and the cam 22, the gears 211 and 221, the torsion coil spring 23, the deformation amount adjuster 24, and the contact piece 34 are It is disposed on the back side of the base plate 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the launch arm 3 of this example suddenly stops before the rotational tangent direction T of the launch arm 3 is directed to the launch target direction D that is the target for launching the game ball 8. It is configured to let you. That is, the rotational tangent direction T of the launch arm 3 at the ball launch position 302 is more in the lateral direction of the pachinko gaming machine 4 than the launch target direction D formed as the direction of the virtual center line between the pair of guide rails 422. Looking outward.

When the launch arm 3 rotates in the forward rotation direction C1, a centrifugal force acts on the game ball 8 held in the ball receiving portion 32. When the sudden stop is performed, the game ball 8 is described later. A reaction force due to centrifugal force is received from the side surface portion 323 of the ball receiving portion 32. Further, when the sudden stop is performed, the firing arm 3 collides with the stopper 121, the firing arm 3 is bent, and the stopper 121 is elastically deformed. Thereby, the game ball 8 launched from the ball receiving portion 32 of the launch arm 3 is launched inward in the lateral direction from the rotational tangential direction T. Then, the ball launch direction M of the game ball 8 can be directed toward the target launch target direction D.
In this way, by suddenly stopping the launch arm 3 before its rotational tangent direction T is directed to the launch target direction D, the game ball 8 held in the ball receiving unit 32 is appropriately launched in the launch target direction D. Can be made.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the ball receiving portion 32 of the firing arm 3 includes a bottom surface portion 321 formed along the rotational radial direction R of the firing arm 3 and an outer position of the bottom surface portion 321 in the rotational radial direction R. And a side surface portion 323 formed along the rotational tangential direction T of the firing arm 3. Further, the bottom surface portion 321 has a V-groove shape, and the V-groove shape of this example is formed by a pair of opposed inclined surfaces 322 facing each other in the rotation axis direction L of the firing arm 3. Further, the side surface portion 323 of this example is formed in a planar shape, and a permanent magnet 324 for attracting the game ball 8 held in the ball receiving portion 32 is embedded in the side surface portion 323.

  Then, the game ball 8 held by the ball receiving portion 32 is magnetically attracted by the permanent magnet 324 and abuts on the surface of the side surface portion 323, and abuts on each opposing inclined surface 322 in the bottom surface portion 321. The game ball 8 is held in the ball receiving portion 32 in a state where the game ball 8 is in contact with three locations of the surface of the side surface portion 323 and the opposing inclined surfaces 322 of the bottom surface portion 321. Thus, when the launch arm 3 is rotated in the forward rotation direction C1, the centrifugal force acting on the game ball 8 is received by the surface of the side surface portion 323, and the inertial force acting on the game ball 8 is received by each opposing inclined surface 322. Can receive. Therefore, when the launch arm 3 is rotated in the forward rotation direction C1, it is possible to effectively prevent the gaming ball 8 held in the ball receiving unit 32 from being displaced in the ball receiving unit 32. Can do.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the launch arm 3 has an arm contact portion 311 that collides with the stopper 121 on the side surface that collides with the stopper 121. A width W1 of the arm contact portion 311 in the rotation axis direction L is larger than a width W2 of the stopper 121 in the rotation axis direction L. As shown in FIG. 2, the width W3 of the arm contact portion 311 in the rotational radial direction R is substantially the same as the width W4 of the stopper 121 in the rotational radial direction R. In this example, the width W3 and the width W4 are substantially the same, but it is more preferable that the width W3 is larger than the width W4.

When the firing arm 3 collides with the stopper 121, the arm contact portion 311 can contact almost the entire surface of the stopper 121. Therefore, the occurrence of wear and local deformation on the surface of the stopper 121 can be effectively suppressed.
Further, the surface where the stopper 121 comes into contact with the firing arm 3 can be formed not only on a flat surface but also on a curved surface.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ball receiving portion 32 of the launch arm 3 is configured to receive the game ball 8 when it is at the launch start position 301 or a position in the vicinity thereof. That is, an outlet opening (not shown) of the ball supply passage for supplying the game ball 8 to the launch arm 3 is formed at a position facing the ball receiving portion 32 of the launch arm 3 at the launch start position 301. The launch arm 3 of this example is configured to receive the game ball 8 in the ball receiver 32 at a position near the launch start position 301. In addition, the position in the vicinity of the firing start position 301 can be a position rotated from the firing start position 301 by 5 to 15 degrees in the normal rotation direction C1.

Below, the ball launching operation of the ball launching device 1 and its effects will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the launch arm 3 is stationary at the ball launch position 302 before the game ball 8 is launched, and the arm contact portion 311 is in contact with the stopper 121. At this time, the contact piece 34 of the firing arm 3 and the cam 22 are not in contact.

  Next, when the motor 21 rotates in response to the operation of the operation handle 43 and the cam 22 rotates through the gears 211 and 221, the outer peripheral surface 222 of the cam 22 and the contact piece 34 of the firing arm 3 contact each other. The firing arm 3 starts to rotate in the reverse rotation direction C2 from the ball firing position 302 by the contact piece 34. At this time, the torsion coil spring 23 of the firing arm 3 undergoes torsional deformation, and the torsion coil spring 23 is greatly twisted as the amount of rotation of the firing arm 3 in the reverse rotation direction C2 increases. When the launch arm 3 rotates to a position in the vicinity before reaching the launch start position 301, the game ball 8 is supplied from the outlet opening of the ball supply passage toward the ball receiver 32 of the launch arm 3. .

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, when the firing arm 3 reaches the firing start position 301, the contact state between the outer peripheral surface 222 of the cam 22 and the contact piece 34 is released. As a result, the launch arm 3 starts to rotate in the forward rotation direction C1 with the force that restores the torsional deformation of the torsion coil spring 23 as the launch torque, and the inertial force of rotation on the game ball 8 held in the ball receiving portion 32 Is granted.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the launch arm 3 rotates to the ball launch position 302, the arm contact portion 311 of the launch arm 3 collides with the stopper 121, so that the launch arm 3 stops suddenly and the ball receiving portion 32. The game ball 8 held by the player is thrown out by its inertial force. In this way, the launch arm 3 can launch the game ball 8.
Thereafter, the launch arm 3 can be rotated again from the ball launch position 302 to the launch start position 301 under the rotation of the motor 21 and the cam 22, and between the launch start position 301 and the ball launch position 302 many times. However, it can reciprocate and repeat the launch of the game ball.

  As described above, the launch arm 3 of this example is configured such that the ball receiving portion 32 is positioned obliquely below the rotation shaft portion 33 at any of the launch start position 301 and the ball launch position 302. ing. Therefore, the launch arm 3 can launch the game ball 8 held by the ball receiver 32 by rotating the ball receiver 32 only within a rotation range at a position obliquely below the rotary shaft 33. .

Therefore, the rotation angle θ1 for rotating the launch arm 3 can be reduced, and the game ball 8 held in the ball receiving portion 32 can be made difficult to be displaced.
Therefore, according to the ball launching apparatus 1 of the present example, it is possible to stabilize the launch intensity (launch speed) and launch direction of the game ball 8.
Further, since the rotation angle θ1 is small, the rotation range of the launch arm 3 can be narrowed, and the installation space when the ball launcher 1 is disposed in the pachinko gaming machine 4 can be reduced.

  Further, when the launch arm 3 collides with the stopper 121 at the ball launch position 302, it vibrates due to this impact. On the other hand, when the launch arm 3 rotates in the reverse rotation direction C2 to a position near the launch start position 301, the vibration is almost eliminated. Yes. Therefore, by supplying the game ball 8 to the ball receiving portion 32 of the launch arm 3 in the vicinity of the launch start position 301, the supply can be stabilized and the time required for the supply can be shortened. it can.

  In addition, since the launch arm 3 is configured to receive the game ball 8 at the launch start position 301 or in the vicinity thereof, the position where the ball supply passage is formed in the pachinko gaming machine 1 can be moved downward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the formation position of the ball tray 44 for sending the game ball 8 to the ball supply passage can also be moved downward, and the game area 42 of the game board 41 can be expanded downward.

  In this example, the rotating shaft portion 33 is formed at one end of the firing arm 3, the ball receiving portion 32 is formed at the other end of the firing arm 3, and the stopper 121 is formed at an intermediate position between the two. On the other hand, for example, the rotating shaft portion 33 can be formed at one end of the firing arm 3, the stopper 121 can be formed at the other end of the firing arm 3, and the ball receiving portion 32 can be formed at an intermediate position between them.

(Example 2)
In this example, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in order to reduce the deformation of the stopper 121 due to wear and compressive stress generated in the stopper 121, the firing arm 3 is not stopped at the ball firing position 302. In this example, the ball is stopped at a stationary position 303 slightly rotated in the reverse rotation direction C2 from the ball launch position 302.
That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the launch arm 3 of the present example starts rotating from the launch start position 301 in the forward rotation direction C1, collides with the stopper 121 at the ball launch position 302, and then moves in the reverse rotation direction C2. It is comprised so that it may rest in the stationary position 303 which returned 2-10 degrees toward.

Further, the ball launching device 1 of the present example has a attracting means 13 for attracting the firing arm 3 to the stationary position 303. The attracting means 13 is configured by disposing permanent magnets 351 and 141 on at least one of the firing arm 3 or the facing disposition portion 14 disposed on the base plate 11 so as to face the firing arm 3.
In this example, a projecting portion 35 is formed on the rotating shaft portion 33 of the firing arm 3, and a permanent magnet 351 is disposed on the tip surface of the projecting portion 35. In addition, a permanent magnet 141 is also disposed on the front end surface of the opposed arrangement portion 14. Then, at the stationary position 303, the permanent magnets 351 and 141 are opposed to each other with different magnetic poles to generate a magnetic attractive force that draws the firing arm 3 to the stationary position 303.

Further, the tip end surface of the projecting portion 35 in the firing arm 3 is formed in a convex curved shape centering on the axis center O of the rotating shaft portion 33. On the other hand, the front end surface of the opposing arrangement portion 14 is formed in a concave curved surface shape along the convex curved front surface of the protruding portion 35.
When the firing arm 3 rotates, the distal end surface of the projecting portion 35 rotates along the distal end surface of the opposing disposed portion 14, and the firing arm 3 includes the distal end surface of the opposing disposed portion 14 and the distal end of the projecting portion 35. The rotational position where the magnetic attraction force with the surface becomes the largest can be stopped as a stationary position 303.

  The pulling means 13 can also be constituted by a spring 15 for pulling the firing arm 3 to the stationary position 303. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the firing arm 3 can be pulled to the stationary position 303 by pulling the projecting portion 35 of the firing arm 3 using the tension spring 15 as the spring 15. In addition, the springs 15 as the pulling means 13 can be arranged in a pair so as to generate urging forces in opposite directions to pull the firing arm 3 to the stationary position 303.

In this example, the launch arm 3 can be stopped in a state of being separated from the stopper 121 at the rest position 303 after colliding with the stopper 121 at the ball launch position 302. Therefore, even if vibration occurs when the firing arm 3 collides with the stopper 121, it is possible to prevent the firing arm 3 from repeatedly colliding with the stopper 121 due to this vibration. In addition, after the collision, the firing arm 3 can be isolated from the stopper 121.
Furthermore, even when the pachinko game is not being performed, the launch arm 3 can be stored in a state of being isolated from the stopper 121, and deformation of the stopper 121 due to wear or compression stress generated in the stopper 121 can be effectively reduced. it can.

In addition, due to the attracting means 13, the launch arm 3 of the present example has the fastest rotational speed in the forward rotation direction C <b> 1 for launching the game ball 8 at the stationary position 303 before colliding with the stopper 121. Then, the launch arm 3 decelerates from the fastest state and collides with the stopper 121. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively reduce the wear generated in the stopper 121 and the deformation of the stopper 121 due to the collision of the firing arm 3, and the noise generated in the collision can be reduced.
Also in this example, the other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same effects as those in the first embodiment can be obtained.

The front view which shows the ball | bowl launching apparatus in the state which has a launch arm in a ball | bowl launch position in Example 1. FIG. The front view which shows the ball | bowl launcher in the state which has a launch arm in a firing start position in Example 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a ball launcher in Embodiment 1. The top view shown in the state which looked at the ball | bowl launcher in Example 1 from upper direction. The perspective view which expands and shows the ball receiving part in the discharge arm in Example 1. FIG. Sectional explanatory drawing which shows the cross section in the rotating shaft direction of the stopper in Example 1, and the arm contact part in the discharge arm. The front view which shows the pachinko game machine which arrange | positions the ball | bowl launcher in Example 1. FIG. The front view which shows the ball | bowl launcher in the state which has a launch arm in a stationary position in Example 2. FIG. The front view which shows the other ball | bowl launching device in the state which has the launch arm in a stationary position in Example 2. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sphere launcher 121 Stopper 2 Drive means 21 Motor 22 Cam 23 Torsion coil spring 24 Deformation amount adjuster 3 Launch arm 301 Launch start position 302 Ball launch position 303 Stationary position 31 Arm main body 311 Arm contact part 32 Ball receiving part 321 Bottom Part 323 Side part 324 Permanent magnet 33 Rotating shaft part 34 Contact piece 4 Pachinko machine 41 Game board 42 Game area 422 Guide rail 8 Game ball C1 Forward rotation direction C2 Reverse rotation direction D Launch target direction R Rotational radial direction T Rotation tangent Direction L Rotational axis direction

Claims (5)

A driving means for generating a firing torque; and a launching arm that rotates upon receiving the firing torque from the driving means, the launching arm for holding a game ball and a rotating shaft that is the center of the rotation. In a ball launcher in a gaming machine comprising a ball receiver,
The launch arm has a launch start position for starting the rotation in the forward rotation direction for launching the game ball, and suddenly stops the rotation in the forward rotation direction, and the game ball held in the ball receiving portion is stored in the game ball. The ball receiving portion is configured to reciprocately rotate between a ball launch position to be launched by the inertial force of the ball, and the ball receiving portion is the rotary shaft portion at any of the launch start position and the ball launch position. It is configured to be located below the
The ball receiving portion includes a bottom surface portion formed along the rotational radial direction of the firing arm and a side surface formed along the rotational tangential direction of the firing arm at an outer position in the rotational radial direction of the bottom surface portion. ball launching apparatus in the gaming machine, characterized in that it comprises a part. 2. The ball launcher for a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the bottom surface portion has a V-groove shape . A driving means for generating a firing torque; and a launching arm that rotates upon receiving the firing torque from the driving means, the launching arm for holding a game ball and a rotating shaft that is the center of the rotation. In a ball launcher in a gaming machine comprising a ball receiver,
The launch arm has a launch start position for starting the rotation in the forward rotation direction for launching the game ball, and suddenly stops the rotation in the forward rotation direction, and the game ball held in the ball receiving portion is stored in the game ball. The ball receiving portion is configured to reciprocately rotate between a ball launch position to be launched by the inertial force of the ball, and the ball receiving portion is the rotary shaft portion at any of the launch start position and the ball launch position. It is configured to be located below the
A ball launcher in a gaming machine , wherein the ball receiving portion is provided with a permanent magnet for attracting a game ball held in the ball receiving portion . A driving means for generating a firing torque; and a launching arm that rotates upon receiving the firing torque from the driving means, the launching arm for holding a game ball and a rotating shaft that is the center of the rotation. In a ball launcher in a gaming machine comprising a ball receiver,
The launch arm has a launch start position for starting the rotation in the forward rotation direction for launching the game ball, and suddenly stops the rotation in the forward rotation direction, and the game ball held in the ball receiving portion is stored in the game ball. The ball receiving portion is configured to reciprocately rotate between a ball launch position to be launched by the inertial force of the ball, and the ball receiving portion is the rotary shaft portion at any of the launch start position and the ball launch position. It is configured to be located below the
The launch arm is configured to launch a game ball by colliding with a stopper and suddenly stopping at the ball launch position, and starts to rotate in the forward rotation direction from the launch start position. A game characterized in that, after colliding with the stopper at the ball launch position, the game stops at a position slightly returned from the ball launch position toward the reverse rotation direction opposite to the forward rotation direction. Ball launcher in the aircraft. A driving means for generating a firing torque; and a launching arm that rotates upon receiving the firing torque from the driving means, the launching arm for holding a game ball and a rotating shaft that is the center of the rotation. In a ball launcher in a gaming machine comprising a ball receiver,
The launch arm has a launch start position for starting the rotation in the forward rotation direction for launching the game ball, and suddenly stops the rotation in the forward rotation direction, and the game ball held in the ball receiving portion is stored in the game ball. The ball receiving portion is configured to reciprocately rotate between a ball launch position to be launched by the inertial force of the ball, and the ball receiving portion is the rotary shaft portion at any of the launch start position and the ball launch position. It is configured to be located below the
The launch arm is configured to launch a game ball by colliding with a stopper and suddenly stopping at the ball launch position, and starts to rotate in the forward rotation direction from the launch start position. A ball launcher in a gaming machine, wherein the ball launcher is configured to be fastest before colliding with the stopper and collide with the stopper while decelerating .

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