JP4970111B2 - Ball dispenser for gaming machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball payout device for a gaming machine in which ball clogging is unlikely to occur and a ball is paid out smoothly.

In a gaming machine such as a pachinko gaming machine that uses a ball as a game medium, a ball payout device that pays out a ball as a prize ball or a rental ball to a tray at the front of the gaming machine is known. FIG. 6 shows a ball dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 1. In FIG. 6, a ball inlet 5 and a storage portion 6 are provided at the bottom of the tank 2. A ball outlet 7 is provided at the bottom of the housing 6. The accommodating portion 6 accommodates a payout body 9 configured as a spiral structure. A dispensing motor 10 is fixed to the outer surface of the tank 2. The output shaft of the dispensing motor 10 is connected to the dispensing body 9. The bottom surface 4 in contact with the sphere of the tank 2 constitutes an inclined surface that allows the sphere to flow down toward the sphere inlet 5 as indicated by an arrow X1. When the payout body 9 is rotated in one direction by the payout motor 10, the ball is paid out from the tank 2 via the ball inlet 5, the accommodating portion 6, and the ball outlet 7 as indicated by an arrow X4. However, since the direction in which the bottom surface 4 flows down the sphere toward the sphere entrance 5 and the direction in which the dispensing body 9 moves the sphere toward the sphere outlet 7 are opposite to each other, the dispensing body 9 is burdened. However, there is a drawback that ball clogging is likely to occur.
JP-A-8-10415 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-201916

  The problem to be solved by the invention is that ball clogging is likely to occur.

In the ball dispensing apparatus for a gaming machine according to the present invention, the tank is provided with a ball storage chamber, and the bottom of the ball storage chamber is recessed downward from the ball inlet and the ball inlet for dropping the ball from the ball storage chamber to the storage unit. There is a housing that forms a space and a cage that is located above the ball outlet and closes the ball entrance, and the bottom surface that contacts the ball of the ball storage chamber is left with the ball taken into the ball storage chamber facing the ball entrance. A slope that flows down from right to right or from right to left is formed, a ball outlet is provided at the front or rear of the housing portion, and the payout body is composed of a payout shaft constituted by a linear round bar and an axis of the payout shaft. Constructed as a spiral structure with a helical body projecting in a spiral shape radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the dispensing shaft at intervals separating spheres one by one in a parallel direction, and the dispensing body runs back and forth along the axis of the dispensing shaft In the housing portion by being rotatably arranged in the housing portion so as to extend in the direction. A space for taking one ball at a time is formed surrounded by the housing portion, the payout shaft, and the spiral body. A payout motor connected to the payout body is provided outside the rear portion of the tank, and the payout motor feeds the payout body. By driving to rotate in one direction of the circumference around the axis of the ball, the spiral body of the payout body sinks under the cage while separating the balls taken into the gap from the ball storage chamber one by one While the ball is moved toward the ball outlet, the container is formed with an extruding side for pushing the ball upward and a retracting side for pulling the ball downward by the rotation of the dispensing body. located in the extrusion side parts, right and left according to the ascending slope portion to reduce the momentum of the balls flowing down the bottom surface, positioned directly above the dispensing body, a arch shape protruding upward, go before later is formed in a semi-conical distance direction is narrowed, Ri extrusion side of the accommodating portion momentum is reduced sphere gradient portion or a dispensing escape portion to divide the retracted side, comprises a number of balls toward the extrusion end of the receiving portion, receiving portion of a sphere toward the retracted side of The main feature is that it is larger than the number .

The ball dispensing device for a gaming machine according to the present invention is such that the front and rear width of the ball storage chamber for storing the balls of the tank is narrowed toward the ball inlet of the dispensing mechanism, and the bottom of the ball storage chamber flows down toward the ball inlet. And the ball pressure direction and the ball received by the ball from the ball in the ball storage chamber by configuring the slope to be moved and the ball so that the ball moves toward the ball outlet at the front or rear of the housing portion. There is an advantage that the direction in which the ball is moved intersects each other, the burden on the payout motor is reduced, the ball clogging does not occur, and the ball is properly paid out. In addition, if the heel is connected to the bottom surface of the tank via the ascending slope, and if the portion directly above the discharging body in the heel is configured as a withdrawal escape portion that protrudes upward from the heel, then from the bottom to the heel The momentum of the sphere to go decreases at the ascending slope part, and the sphere that has been tempered at the ascending slope part and rides on the cage is difficult to go to the pull-in side part where it is easy to take in the sphere of the accommodating part by the protrusion of the withdrawal part, becomes larger than the number of balls the number of balls toward the extrusion portion of the accommodating portion is divided by the payout escape portion from eaves toward the retracted portion of the accommodating portion is divided by the payout escape portion from the eaves, of the housing part extrusion Compensates the difficulty of taking in the side part, the ball is properly taken into the push-out part of the housing part, the ball is not easily clogged in the housing part, the burden on the dispensing motor is reduced, and the dispensing body pays off the ball smoothly The advantage of being able to That.

  1 to 4 show the best mode for carrying out the invention. FIG. 1 shows around the ridge 8. FIG. 2 shows a plane of the ball dispensing device 1. FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the ball dispensing device 1 taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 4 shows a pachinko gaming machine. In this specification, the directions of “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “upper”, and “lower” are determined from the front side indicated by the arrow S with the gaming machine frame 31 placed in the state of FIG. This is the direction specified when viewed.

  With reference to FIG. 2, the ball payout device 1 of the gaming machine will be described. The ball dispensing device 1 includes a dispensing mechanism 3 in a tank 2. Then, in a state where the tank 2 is attached to the gaming machine frame 31 and the payout mechanism 3 is stopped, a ball called a pachinko ball discharged from the supply mechanism of the gaming machine installation structure (not shown) where the gaming machine frame 31 is installed. Is stored in the tank 2 from above. When the dispensing mechanism 3 is driven in a state where the sphere is stored in the tank 2, the sphere is dispensed from the tank 2 to the outside outside.

  The box-shaped ball storage chamber that is open upward and is configured inside the tank 2 has a wide front-rear width that is a dimension from the front wall to the rear, L1, and a narrow front-rear width that is a dimension from the front wall to the rear is L3. And L1> L2> L3, where L2 is an intermediate front-rear width that is a dimension from the front wall to the rear. The payout mechanism 3 is disposed in the narrow front and rear width L3 portion. A ball-cut detecting mechanism 16 is disposed in the middle portion of the front-rear width L2. The bottom surface 4 in contact with the sphere of the tank 2 constitutes an inclined surface that causes the sphere to flow down toward the sphere inlet 5 of the dispensing mechanism 3 such that the sphere flows down from the left to the right as indicated by the arrow X1.

  Therefore, the front and rear width of the sphere storage chamber for storing the sphere of the tank 2 is narrowed toward the sphere inlet 5 of the dispensing mechanism 3, and the bottom surface 4 of the tank 2 constitutes a slope that allows the sphere to flow down toward the sphere inlet 5, Since the ball-cut detection mechanism 16 guides the ball obliquely toward the ball inlet 5, a large amount of balls flowing down the bottom surface 4 of the tank 2 do not concentrate on the ball inlet 5, and flow down the bottom surface 4 of the tank 2. The amount of the sphere gradually decreases toward the sphere entrance 5, the burden on the payout motor 10 is reduced, the ball is not easily clogged in the payout mechanism 3, and the payout body 9 can pay out the sphere smoothly. There is an advantage.

  Further, the front-rear width of the sphere storage chamber for storing the sphere of the tank 2 is narrowed toward the sphere inlet 5 of the dispensing mechanism 3, and the bottom surface 4 of the tank 2 constitutes a slope that allows the sphere to flow down toward the sphere inlet 5, Since the dispensing body 9 moves the sphere toward the front sphere outlet 7 of the housing portion 6, the direction of the ball pressure that the dispensing body 9 receives from the sphere in the sphere storage chamber of the tank 2 intersects the direction in which the sphere moves. There is an advantage that the burden on the payout motor 10 is reduced, the ball clogging does not occur, and the ball is properly paid out.

  The payout mechanism 3 is provided at the right end of the tank 2 and includes a ball inlet 5, a storage portion 6, a ball outlet 7, a basket 8, a payout body 9, a payout motor 10, and a housing 11. The ball inlet 5 is provided as a through hole in the vertical direction on the bottom surface 4 of the tank 2. The accommodating portion 6 protrudes downward from the bottom surface 4 of the tank 2 as a depression downward from the peripheral edge of the ball inlet 5. The ball outlet 7 is formed as a through hole in the vertical direction at the bottom of the front portion of the housing portion 6. The trough 8 is provided at the bottom of the tank 2 so as to block a portion of the ball inlet 5 corresponding to the portion directly above the ball outlet 7.

  The payout body 9 is a helical structure that is housed in the housing portion 6 and includes a payout shaft 12 and a spiral body 13. The payout shaft 12 is constituted by a round bar extending linearly in the front-rear direction. The spiral body 13 protrudes in a spiral shape radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the payout shaft 12 at an interval that separates spheres one by one in a direction parallel to the axial center extending in the front-rear direction of the payout shaft 12. The payout motor 10 is accommodated in the housing 11. The casing 11 is fixed to the outer surface of the rear wall of the tank 2. A payout body 9 is connected to the output shaft of the payout motor 10.

  When the payout mechanism 3 is stopped, the balls stored in the tank 2 are separated from the tank 2 via the ball inlet 5 and taken into the gap between the storage unit 6 and the payout body 9 one by one. In this state, as the dispensing motor 10 drives the dispensing body 9 to rotate in one direction indicated by the circumferential arrow W of the dispensing shaft 12, the spiral body 13 is inserted into the gap between the housing portion 6 and the dispensing body 9. The spheres separated and taken in one by one are moved backward and forward as indicated by an arrow X2 in FIG. 2 while being separated one by one. The ball that has moved forward moves into the bottom of the basket 8 and is paid out downward from the ball outlet 7 as the dispensing body 9 is driven.

  When the dispenser 9 is driven so as to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow W, the left side of the container 6 with the dispenser 9 as a boundary is the extrusion side where the dispenser 9 pushes the ball upward from the container 6. (Hereinafter referred to as an extruding side portion of the accommodating portion 6). The right portion of the housing portion 6 with the paying body 9 as a boundary is configured as a pull-in side in which the paying body 9 draws the sphere downward from the ball entrance 5 (hereinafter referred to as a pull-in side portion of the housing portion 6). That is, at the push-out side portion of the housing portion 6, the ball is not easily taken into the housing portion 6 from the tank 2 by the dispensing body 9 driven in the direction indicated by the arrow W. In the retracting side portion of the housing portion 6, the ball is easily taken into the housing portion 6 from the tank 2 by the dispensing body 9 driven in the direction indicated by the arrow W.

  The structure of the eaves 8 will be described with reference to FIG. The left edge portion of the ridge 8 is configured as an ascending slope portion 14 connected to the bottom surface 4 of the tank 2. The ascending slope portion 14 guides the sphere flowing down the bottom surface 4 upward. In other words, the ascending slope portion 14 has an ascending slope with respect to the sphere from the bottom surface 4 toward the right side of the basket 8. Accordingly, the momentum of the sphere heading from the bottom surface 4 toward the bowl 8 decreases at the ascending slope portion 14. The portion directly above the payout body 9 of the bag 8 is configured as a payout escape portion 15. The pay-out escape portion 15 has an arch shape protruding upward from the eaves 8 and has a semi-conical shape in which the distance in the left-right direction becomes narrower from the rear to the front. Therefore, the sphere that has flowed down the bottom surface 4 is tempered by the ascending slope portion 14 and rides on the ridge 8. When the ball riding on the basket 8 flows down toward the ball inlet 5 on the basket 8, it is divided by the pay-off escape portion 15 so as to go to the extrusion side portion and the drawing side portion of the housing portion 6.

  However, since the payout escape portion 15 is configured in an arch shape protruding upward from the ridge 8, the ball that has been put on the ridge 8 with the upward slope portion 14 relieved of momentum and the discharge evacuation portion 15 is accommodated in the storage portion 6. It is difficult to exceed the pull-in side of the. For this reason, the number of spheres divided from the basket 8 at the withdrawal escape portion 15 and heading toward the push-out side portion of the storage portion 6 is divided into the number of balls from the basket 8 toward the push-out escape portion 15 toward the retracting side portion of the storage portion 6. More than. Therefore, the difficulty of taking in the extruding side portion of the accommodating portion 6 is compensated, and the balls are appropriately taken into the extruding side portion of the accommodating portion 6, so that the clogging of the accommodating portion 6 is less likely to occur and the burden on the dispensing motor 10 is reduced. Thus, there is an advantage that the dispenser 9 can dispense the ball smoothly.

  With reference to FIG. 3, the ball cutting detection mechanism 16 will be described. When electric power is supplied to the lever detector 17 of the ball-cut detecting mechanism 16 and no force from the sphere acts on the sensing lever 18 of the ball-cut detecting mechanism 16, the sensing lever 18 moves the shaft 20 by the weight of the weight 19. As a center, it rotates upward on the front side and moves away from the rear wall of the tank 2 to the front side, and the detected portion 21 of the sensing lever 18 moves away from the detection light L of the lever detector 17 in the direction away from the front side. As a result, the lever detector 17 outputs, for example, a ball cutting signal as a signal indicating that the stored amount of the ball has decreased below the ball cutting to a payout and emission control device (not shown).

  When a force larger than the weight of the weight 19 acts on the sensing lever 18 downward from above from the sphere supplied to the tank 2, the sensing lever 18 has a rear lower side centered on the shaft 20 as indicated by an arrow X3 in FIG. Rotate to. When the sensing lever 18 rotates rearward and downward, the sensing lever 18 comes into contact with the rear wall of the tank 2 and the detected portion 21 blocks the detection light L from the lever detector 17. As a result, the storage amount of the spheres in the tank 2 is greater than, for example, the sphere is out, and the lever detector 17 does not output the sphere out signal to the payout and launch control device.

  With reference to FIG. 4, a pachinko gaming machine will be described as an example of a gaming machine provided with the ball dispensing device 1. The pachinko gaming machine has a form in which a gaming board (not shown) is attached to the inside of the gaming machine frame 31 in a replaceable manner. The gaming machine frame 31 includes a movable frame 33 that can be opened and closed at the front part of the fixed frame 32, and an upper door 34 and a lower door 35 that can be opened and closed at the front part of the movable frame 33. The fixed frame 32 is also called an outer frame fixed to the gaming machine installation facility. The gaming machine installation facility is a facility called an island of a gaming store where a pachinko gaming machine is installed. The movable frame 33 is also referred to as a front frame to which parts necessary for the game such as a game board and a control device (not shown) are attached. The movable frame 33 is opened forward in front of the fixed frame 32 around the hinge 36 located on the left side and rearward. In order to be closed, it can be opened halfway and includes a panel installation structure 37 and a firing mechanism 38. The board installation structure 37 is a member for mounting a game board. The launch mechanism 38 is attached to the lower front surface of the panel installation structure 37.

  The launch mechanism 38 is covered with the lower door 35 when the lower door 35 is closed and supported by the movable frame 33 so that it cannot be opened and closed. The movable frame 33 is also provided with the ball dispensing device 1 and a locking device not shown. The upper door 34 is capable of being opened on one side so as to be opened forward in front of the movable frame 33 and closed rearward with a hinge 39 positioned on the left side as a center. The upper door 34 is provided with a window 40 and a front panel 41. The window 40 is configured as a through hole in the front-rear direction. The front panel 41 is configured as a light-transmitting colorless plate made of glass or synthetic resin having a size that covers the window 40 later. The lower door 35 is provided with a tray 42, a firing operation mechanism 43, a supply port 44, and an intake 45.

  When the game board is mounted on the board installation structure 37, the movable frame 33 is closed and supported by the fixed frame 32 so that it cannot be opened and closed, and the upper door 34 is closed and supported by the movable frame 33 so that it cannot be opened and closed, the front panel A portion surrounded by a guide rail (not shown) between 41 and the front surface of the game board becomes a game area where balls launched from the launch mechanism 38 fly. The guide rail is provided on the upper door 34, the front panel 41, or the game board. The gaming area is visible through the window 40 and the front panel 41 from the front of the gaming machine frame 31.

  Then, when a ball called a pachinko ball is placed in the receiving tray 42 and the firing operation mechanism 43 is artificially operated, the launching mechanism 38 removes the ball taken into the launching mechanism 38 from the receiving tray 42 via the supply port 44. Fire one by one toward the upper part of the game area with a firing force according to the operation amount of the firing operation mechanism 43. When the ball that has reached the upper part of the game area flows down the game area and wins a winning part (not shown) in the game area, the payout mechanism 3 pays out the ball as a prize ball to the player. The ball paid out from the payout mechanism 3 is paid out from the ball passage 46 to the tray 42 through the intake 45.

  In FIG. 2, the dispensing mechanism 3 is provided at the left end of the tank 2, and the bottom surface 4 of the tank 2 forms a slope that causes the sphere to flow down toward the sphere inlet 5 such that the sphere flows down from the right to the left. May be. Alternatively, the spiral body 13 of the payout body 9 may be guided from the front to the rear while separating the spheres taken into the storage unit 6 from the tank 2 via the sphere inlet 5 one by one. The housing 11 may be fixed to the front outside of the tank 2.

  In FIG. 4, the gaming machine is not limited to a pachinko gaming machine and may be a slot machine. That is, the game board is replaced with a symbol display, the launch operation mechanism 43 is replaced with a ball take-in operation mechanism, the ball launch mechanism is replaced with a ball take-in mechanism, and the game start operation mechanism and the design stop operation mechanism are If it is provided in the front part of 34 or the front part of the lower door 35, the ball dispensing apparatus 1 can be applied to a slot machine.

  FIG. 5 shows a ball dispenser 1 for a gaming machine according to a different embodiment for carrying out the invention. The structure in which the ball dispensing apparatus 1 in FIG. 5 is different from the ball dispensing apparatus 1 in FIG. 2 is as follows. In FIG. 5, the portion of the tank 2 where the ball-cut detection mechanism 16 of FIG. 2 is provided is configured as a guide wall 22 that guides the ball from the back to the front as it goes in the direction of flow of the ball by the bottom surface 4. Therefore, the front-rear width of the ball storage chamber for storing the balls of the tank 2 is narrowed toward the ball inlet 5 of the payout mechanism 3, and the guide wall 22 guides the balls obliquely toward the ball inlet 5. A large amount of spheres flowing down the bottom surface 4 do not concentrate at the sphere inlet 5, and the amount of spheres flowing down the bottom surface 4 of the tank 2 gradually decreases toward the sphere inlet 5, thereby reducing the burden on the dispensing motor 10. In addition, there is an advantage that the ball clogging in the dispensing mechanism 3 hardly occurs and the dispensing body 9 can smoothly dispense the balls. Although not shown in FIG. 5, the ball cutting detection mechanism 16 shown in FIG. 2 may be provided in the tank 2.

  Although not shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, a ball removal mechanism may be provided at the bottom of the tank 2. This ball removal mechanism is a mechanism for opening and closing an opening for drawing a ball downward from the tank 2.

A perspective view around the bag (best mode). The top view (best form) of a ball dispensing device. AA line sectional view of Drawing 2 (best form). The perspective view (best form) of the gaming machine frame in the pachinko gaming machine. The top view (different form) of a ball dispensing apparatus. a figure is a top view of a ball delivery device, and b figure is a BB line sectional view of figure a (conventional).

Explanation of symbols

1 is a ball dispensing device, 2 is a tank, 3 is a dispensing mechanism, 4 is a bottom surface, 5 is a ball inlet, 6 is a storage part, 7 is a ball outlet, 8 is a basket, 9 is a dispensing body, 10 is a dispensing motor, 11 is A housing, 12 is a dispensing shaft, 13 is a spiral body, 14 is an ascending slope portion, 15 is a dispensing escape portion, 16 is a ball-cut detecting mechanism, 17 is a lever detector, 18 is a sensing lever, 19 is a weight, 20 is a shaft, 21 is a detected part, 22 is a guide wall, 23 to 30 are missing numbers, 31 is a gaming machine frame, 32 is a fixed frame, 33 is a movable frame, 34 is an upper door, 35 is a lower door, 36 is a hinge, 37 is a board Installation structure, 38 is a launching mechanism, 39 is a hinge, 40 is a window, 41 is a front panel, 42 is a receiving tray, 43 is a firing operation mechanism, 44 is a supply port, 45 is an inlet, 46 is a ball passage, and L is a detection Light, L1 is a wide front-back width, L2 is an intermediate front-back width, and L3 is a narrow front-back width.

Claims (1)

The tank has a ball storage room,
At the bottom of the sphere storage chamber, closing the sphere inlet of dropping the housing portion of the sphere from the sphere storage chamber, and a housing portion defining a space recessed from the sphere inlet downwardly, the ball inlet located above the sphere outlet There is a coffin and
The bottom surface in contact with the sphere of the sphere storage room constitutes a slope that causes the sphere taken into the sphere storage room to flow down from the left to the right or from the right to the left toward the sphere entrance,
A ball outlet is provided at the front or rear of the housing part,
Dispensing body, the protruding and payout axis constituted by straight round bar, in a spiral shape from the outer peripheral surface radially outward of the payout axis sphere the axis parallel to the direction of the dispensing axis intervals separating one by one Configured as a spiral structure with a spiral body,
Since the dispensing body is rotatably disposed in the housing portion so that the axial center of the dispensing shaft extends in the front-rear direction, a sphere surrounded by the housing portion, the dispensing shaft, and the spiral body is formed inside the housing portion. A gap to take in one by one is formed,
On the outside of the rear part of the tank, a dispensing motor connected to the dispensing body is provided,
The dispensing motor drives the dispensing body so as to rotate in one direction around the axis of the dispensing shaft, so that the spiral of the dispensing body is moved one by one from the ball storage chamber into the gap. While being separated, I will sneak under the cage and move it toward the ball exit,
In the housing portion, an extrusion side that pushes the ball upward and a pull-in side that pulls downward are formed by the rotation of the payout body,
The bag is
An ascending slope portion which is located on the extrusion side of the housing portion connected to the bottom surface of the tank and reduces the momentum of the sphere flowing down the bottom surface;
The arch shape is located directly above the payout body and protrudes upward, and is formed in a semi-conical shape in which the distance in the left-right direction becomes narrower from the rear to the front . A withdrawal escape portion that divides the ball into the push-out side or the pull-in side of the housing portion , and
A ball payout device for a gaming machine , wherein the number of balls heading toward the push-out side of the housing portion is larger than the number of balls heading toward the retracting side of the housing portion .

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