JP5097078B2 - Game ball screw ball dispenser - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a screw-type payout device for a game ball that is provided in a ball game machine and carries out the game ball by discharging the game ball stored in a tank out of the tank with a screw.

  In a conventional game ball screw-type payout device, the tank is provided on the upper back of the ball game machine, and the top view of the tank has a long rectangular shape in the left-right direction of the ball game machine. The tank is provided at one end in the left-right direction of a storage portion that is a main body portion of the tank and forms a storage space for the game ball, and a bottom portion of the storage portion. And a discharge passage for guiding.

  The discharge passage is formed in a groove shape that is long in the same direction (left-right direction) as the tank and opens on the upper side. The screw is accommodated in the discharge passage in a posture extending from one end of the discharge passage to the other end. At the right end of the discharge passage, an outlet for a game ball that leads to the outside of the tank is formed. Substantially the entire upper side of the screw is exposed from the opening on the upper side of the discharge passage. The inner bottom surface of the storage part extends to the front, rear and right sides of the discharge passage, and all the parts are inclined downward toward the discharge passage. It rolls into the discharge passage from the three directions. The game ball that has rolled into the discharge passage enters the spiral groove formed by the spiral wing of the screw and the shaft rod, or balances with the surrounding game sphere and stays on the edge of the spiral wing.

  An electric motor serving as a drive source for rotating the screw is provided outside the tank. When the screw rotates, the game ball that was already in the spiral groove at that time is immediately conveyed toward the exit of the discharge passage by the spiral wing, and the game ball that has remained on the edge of the spiral wing is After being out of balance by rotation and entering the spiral groove, it is conveyed toward the outlet of the discharge passage. The game balls discharged from the outlet are selectively guided to one of a receiving tray provided at the lower front part of the ball game machine and a collection outlet provided at the lower rear part of the ball game machine. .

A conventional game ball screw-type payout device described here is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
JP 2007-175316 A

  In the above-described conventional screw type payout device, a rotational load is generated on the screw due to the gravity of a large amount of game balls accumulated on the screw from the front, rear and right sides of the screw. If this rotational load exceeds the torque for rotating the screw, the electric motor will step out, and the transport of game balls by the screw will temporarily stagnate, causing a shortage of game balls to be paid out.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to select an electric motor that drives the screw that can output a torque sufficiently larger than the rotational load of the screw. However, the larger the output torque of the electric motor, the larger the outer dimension, and the use of the electric motor having a larger outer dimension is not preferable because it increases the size of the screw type dispensing device.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a screw-type payout device for a game ball that can reduce the rotational load of the screw due to the gravity of the game ball.

  The present invention is configured as follows to achieve the above-described object.

[1] The present invention relates to a screw-type payout device for a game ball that carries out a game ball stored in a tank out of the tank by a screw, wherein the tank includes a storage unit that forms a storage space for the game ball, A discharge passage that is provided at the bottom of the tank and guides the game ball from the storage portion to the outside of the tank, and the screw extends from one end of the discharge passage to the other end of the discharge passage. And is driven to rotate in the direction in which the game ball is transported to the outlet of the game ball provided at the other end, and the storage portion has a space tapered toward one end of the discharge passage. The screw having a pair of formed guide walls and located on one end side of the discharge passage is provided with a stirring portion that is positioned between the pair of guide walls and stirs the game ball, This stirrer Characterized in that it is formed to protrude on the outer peripheral side than the portion of the screw located within.

  In the present invention described in “[1]”, the pair of guide walls form a space that tapers toward one end of the discharge passage. Thereby, the number of game balls that roll into the discharge passage from the storage unit can be limited, and therefore, the rotational load of the screw can be reduced.

  At one end of the discharge passage, a bridging phenomenon occurs in which a plurality of game balls are connected against gravity due to an accidental balance of force between the pair of guide walls and the screw. This bridging phenomenon is not preferable because it increases the rotational load of the screw or temporarily interrupts the flow of the continuous game ball from the reservoir to the screw. Therefore, in the present invention described in “[1]”, the game ball between the pair of guide walls is agitated by rotating the agitation portion together with the screw, thereby preventing the bridging phenomenon at one end of the discharge passage. Can be reduced.

[2] According to the present invention, in the invention described in “[1]”, an end portion of the screw located on one end side of the discharge passage projects between the pair of guide walls, In the direction from the one end to the pair of guide walls, the shape is widened toward the end and also serves as the stirring portion.

  The present invention described in “[2]” can achieve both the agitation of the game ball between the ends of the pair of guide walls and the smooth introduction of the game ball into the discharge passage. In addition, since the edge of the stirring part is rounded over the entire circumferential range of the screw, it is difficult to be caught by the game ball during stirring, and therefore it is possible to suppress an increase in the rotational load of the screw accompanying stirring. it can.

[3] In the present invention according to “[1]” or “[2]”, the discharge passage is formed in a groove shape opened on the upper side, and the screw is discharged into the discharge passage. A pair of standing walls that are positioned in a posture extending along the bottom of the passage and are opposed to each other with the screw interposed therebetween in the discharge passage stand higher than the screw, and a storage space for game balls between them It is characterized by forming.

  According to the present invention described in “[3]”, the game balls can be stored above the discharge passage while restricting the number of game balls rolling into the discharge passage from the storage portion.

  According to the present invention, as described above, the number of game balls rolling from the storage portion into the discharge passage can be limited by the pair of guide walls, and therefore, the rotational load of the screw can be reduced. Further, the occurrence of bridging phenomenon of game balls at one end of the discharge passage can be reduced by the stirring unit.

  A screw-type payout device for a game ball according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a game ball screw-type payout device according to an embodiment of the present invention is viewed obliquely from the upper left front of a bullet ball game machine. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the screw-type payout device for the game ball shown in FIG. 1 is viewed obliquely from the upper right front of the bullet ball game machine. FIG. 3 is a top view of the game ball screw-type payout device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view of the screw-type payout device for the game ball shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a screw provided in the game ball screw-type payout device shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a front view of the screw shown in FIG. FIG. 7 corresponds to the VII-VII cutting line of FIG. 3, which shows an example of the bridging phenomenon of the game ball that occurs in the screw-type payout device for the game ball shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a bridging phenomenon that occurs when the distance between a pair of standing walls of the discharge passage is larger than that shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a bridging phenomenon that occurs when the distance between a pair of standing walls of the discharge passage is larger than that shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the game ball screw-type payout device 1 according to this embodiment includes a tank 2. The tank 2 is provided at the upper back of the ball game machine, and the shape of the tank 2 as viewed from above is a rectangle that is long in the left-right direction of the ball game machine. The tank 1 is a main body portion of the tank 1 that forms the storage space 3a of the game ball 100, and is provided at the bottom of the right end side of the tank 1. 1 has a substantially Y-shaped internal shape from the discharge passage 6 for guiding the game ball 100 to the outside.

  The discharge passage 6 is formed in a groove shape that extends linearly in the same direction (left-right direction) as the tank 1 and is open on the upper side. The screw 20 is accommodated in the discharge passage 6 in a posture extending from one end (left end) of the discharge passage 6 to the other end (right end). At the left end of the discharge passage 6, an outlet 7 of the game ball 100 communicating with the outside of the tank 2 is formed. The screw 20 is driven by the electric motor M shown in FIG. 5 and rotates to convey the game ball 100 from the left end L to the outlet 7 at the right end R, that is, in the arrow Z direction. The electric motor is covered with a cover body 10 attached to the right side of the tank 1.

  The storage unit 3 includes a pair of guide walls 4A and 4B that form a space 3a1 that is a part of the storage space 3a and tapers from the upstream space 3a2 of the discharge passage 6 toward the left end. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, the bottom plate part 5 having the inner bottom surface 5a of the storage part 3 as an upper surface is inclined downward in the direction toward the discharge passage 6, that is, the direction from left to right. The pair of guide walls 4A and 4B and the bottom plate portion 5 allow the game ball 100 to roll toward the discharge passage 6 in the storage portion 3.

  At the end (left end) of the shaft rod 21 of the screw 20 located on the left end side of the discharge passage 6, a stirring unit 24 that protrudes between the pair of guide walls 4A and 4B and stirs the game ball 100 is provided. Is provided. The stirring portion 24 includes a portion in which the left end portion of the shaft rod 21 of the screw 20 extends from the left end of the discharge passage 6 so as to expand toward the end in the direction of the arrow Y between the pair of guide walls 4A and 4B. The spiral wing 22 is made up of an extended portion X. That is, the left end portion of the screw 20 is not only a portion for introducing the game ball 100 but also serves as a stirring portion. In the stirring unit 24, the amount of protrusion of the spiral wing 22 from the shaft rod 21 is set so as to decrease as the diameter of the shaft rod 21 increases. Note that the end of the extended portion X of the spiral wing 22 forms an end face W extending in the radial direction of the shaft bar 21 to enhance the stirring effect. In order to further enhance the stirring effect, irregularities may be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the extended portion of the spiral wing 22.

  The discharge passage 6 is formed in a groove shape opened on the upper side. The screw 20 is positioned in the discharge passage 6 in a posture extending along the bottom of the discharge passage 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the bottom portion of the discharge passage 6 is positioned lower than the bottom plate portion 5 with a step, and a plate-shaped rotation regulating portion 8 </ b> A that regulates the rotation of the game ball 100 around the axis of the screw 20. , 8B. These rotation restricting portions 8A and 8B are located at an interval Rd. The lower portion of the spiral wing 22 of the screw 20 is inserted into the interval Rd. The positional relationship between the rotation restricting portion 8A on the front side and the screw 20 is such that the rotation of the game ball 100 around the axis of the screw 20 is restricted by the rotation restricting portion 8A and the center Bo of the game ball 100 and the axis of the screw 20 The positional relationship is set so that the center So overlaps in the front-rear direction. The positional relationship between the rear rotation restricting portion 8B and the screw 20 is such that the rotation Bo of the game ball 100 around the axis of the screw 20 is restricted by the rotation restricting portion 8B. The positional relationship is set such that the center So overlaps in the front-rear direction.

  A pair of standing walls 9A and 9B located opposite to each other across the screw 20 in the discharge passage 6 rises higher than the screw 20 and forms a storage space 9a for the game ball 100 therebetween. The distance between the pair of standing walls 9A and 9B and the dimensional relationship between the screw 20 and the game ball 100 are set as shown in FIGS. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the axial width of the spiral groove 23 formed by the spiral wing 22 and the shaft rod 21 of the screw 20 is such that only one game ball 100 can be inserted, and the diameter of the game ball 100 is The dimensions are set to approximately the same. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the distance Wd between the pair of standing walls 9A and 9B is set to a size smaller than three times the diameter (11 mm) of the game ball 100, for example, 31 mm. The diameter Sd of the shaft rod 21 is set to 8 mm. A distance d1 between the shaft 21 of the screw 20 and the front standing wall 9A is set to be approximately the same as the diameter of the game ball 100, for example, 11.5 mm. The distance d2 between the shaft rod 21 and the rear standing wall 9B is also set to 11.5 mm, which is the same as the distance d1 in which only one game ball 100 can be inserted and is approximately the same size as the diameter of the game ball 100.

  Thus, by setting the distance Wd between the pair of standing walls 9A and 9B and the dimensional relationship between the screw 20 and the game ball 100, a plurality of game balls 100 are placed between the pair of standing walls 9A and 9B and the screw 20. The bridging phenomenon that resists gravity due to the accidental balance of force is limited to the bridging phenomenon that three game balls 100a to 100c continue as shown in FIG. 7, and four game balls as shown in FIG. The bridging phenomenon in which 100d to 100g are continuous and the bridging phenomenon in which the four game balls 100h to 100k are continuous as shown in FIG. 9 are prevented. 7, 8, and 9, “a” to “k” are used to distinguish the position of the game ball 100 from reference numerals “100 a” to “100 k” that indicate the game balls.

  The bridging phenomenon of the game balls 100a, 100b, 100c shown in FIG. 7 is a state in which the game ball 100a is in contact with both the standing wall 9A on the front side and the spiral wing 22 obliquely above the front of the shaft bar 21, and The game ball 100b is in contact with both the rear standing wall 9B and the spiral wing 22 in a diagonally upper rear of the game 21, and the game ball 100c is not in contact with the spiral wing 22 between the game balls 100a and 100b. The state in which both the balls 100a and 100b are in contact is caused by an accidental balance of force between the game balls 100a, 100b, and 100c, the pair of standing walls 9A and 9B, and the spiral wings 22.

  The bridging phenomenon of the game balls 100d to 100g shown in FIG. 8 is a state in which the game ball 100d is in contact with both the front standing wall 9A and the spiral wing 22 in the diagonally upper front side of the shaft bar 21, and The game ball 100e is in contact with both the rear standing wall 9B and the spiral wing 22 in the obliquely upper rear side, and the game ball 100f does not contact the spiral wing 22 and contacts the rear oblique upper part of the game ball 100d. The state in which the game ball 100f is in contact with both the rear portion of the game ball 100f and the front oblique upper portion of the game ball 100e without contacting the spiral wing 22 and the game balls 100d to 100g and the standing wall 9A, This is caused by an accidental balance of force between 9B and the spiral wing 22.

  The bridging phenomenon shown in FIG. 9 is a state in which the game ball 100h is in contact with the standing wall 9A on the front side obliquely above the shaft rod 21, and the rear oblique lower portion of the game ball 100h and the front oblique upper portion of the shaft rod 21. And the game ball 100 i is in contact with both the rear part of the game ball 100 i and the rear oblique upper part of the shaft rod 21, and the game ball 100 j The state in which the game ball 100k is in contact with both the rear oblique upper part and the rear side standing wall 9B is the balance of the accidental force between the game balls 100h to 100k, the pair of standing walls 9A and 9B, and the shaft 21. It was caused by.

  The bridging phenomenon is not preferable because it increases the rotational load of the screw 20. Among the bridging phenomena shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, the rotational load of the screw 20 due to the bridging phenomenon shown in FIG. 7 is the smallest. Therefore, in the game ball screw-type payout device according to the present embodiment, the pair of standing walls 9A and 9B are raised higher than the screw 20 to form the storage space 9a, and an increase in the rotational load of the screw 20 is suppressed. Therefore, the bridging phenomenon that occurs between the pair of standing walls 9A and 9B is limited to the bridging phenomenon shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a payout conduit portion 30 and recovery conduit portions 31 </ b> A and 31 </ b> B are led out from the lower portion of the cover body 10. The payout conduit section 30 is a part of a payout conduit (not shown) for guiding the game ball 100 to a ball tray (not shown) provided at the lower front portion of the ball game machine. The recovery conduits 31A and 31B are a part of a recovery conduit (not shown) used when recovering the game ball 100, and the recovery conduit is a lower rear portion of the ball game machine. Has a game ball exit. The remaining portions of the payout conduit extending from the payout conduit 30 to the ball tray and the remaining portions of the recovery conduit extending from the recovery conduits 31A and 31B are not shown. The game ball 100 is discharged from the outlet 7 of the discharge passage 6 to the inside of the cover body 10 outside the tank 2, and thereafter, the inlet of the payout conduit 30 and the inlet of the recovery conduits 31 </ b> A and 31 </ b> B by a valve mechanism. One is selectively guided.

  According to the game ball screw-type payout device 1 according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  In the game ball screw-type payout device 1, the pair of guide walls 4 </ b> A and 4 </ b> B form a space 3 a 1 that tapers toward the left end of the discharge passage 6. Thereby, the amount of the game ball 100 rolling into the discharge passage 6 from the storage unit 3 can be limited, and therefore the rotational load of the screw 20 can be reduced.

  Note that at the left end of the discharge passage 6, bridging where a plurality of game balls 100 are connected against gravity due to an accidental balance of force between the pair of guide walls 4 </ b> A and 4 </ b> B and the screw 20. A phenomenon occurs. This bridging phenomenon is not preferable because it increases the rotational load of the screw 20 or temporarily interrupts the continuous flow of the game ball 100 from the reservoir 3 to the screw 20. The game ball screw type dispensing device 1 agitates the game ball 100 between the pair of guide walls 4A and 4B by rotating the agitating portion 24 together with the screw 20, thereby bridging phenomenon at the left end of the discharge passage 6. Can be reduced.

  In the game ball screw-type payout device 1, the agitating unit 24 is positioned so that the left end portion of the screw 20 protrudes between the pair of guide walls 4A and 4B, and the pair of guide walls 4A and 4B from the left end of the discharge passage 6. The screw 20 is formed of an extended portion so as to form a divergent shape in the direction toward the middle. Thereby, it is possible to achieve both the agitation of the game ball 100 between the end portions between the pair of guide walls 4 </ b> A and 4 </ b> B and the smooth introduction of the game ball 100 into the discharge passage 6. Further, since the edge of the stirring unit 24 has a rounded shape over the entire circumferential range of the screw 20, it is difficult to be caught by the game ball 100 during stirring, and thus the rotational load of the screw 20 accompanying the stirring increases. Can be suppressed.

  In the game ball screw-type payout device 1, the pair of standing walls 9 </ b> A and 9 </ b> B of the discharge passage 6 that face each other with the screw 20 interposed therebetween stand higher than the screw 20 and store the game ball 100 between them. A space 9a is formed. Accordingly, the game ball 100 can be stored above the discharge passage 6 while limiting the amount of the game ball 100 rolling into the discharge passage 6.

  In the above-described embodiment, the stirring unit 24 is configured such that the end of the screw 20 is extended in a divergent shape. However, in the present invention, the stirring unit is not limited to the stirring unit 24, and a pair of guide walls 4A, It may be provided at the end portion of the screw 20 so as to protrude between 4B and protrude outward from the portion of the screw 20 positioned in the discharge passage 6. In addition, it is preferable that the edge part of a stirring part is a rounded shape over the whole range of a screw circumferential direction so that it may be hard to catch on a game ball at the time of stirring.

  In the above-described embodiment, the discharge passage 6 has a groove shape that is open on the upper side, and the storage space 9a is formed by a pair of standing walls 9A and 9B that stand higher than the screw 20. In the present invention, the discharge passage is not limited to the opening on the upper side like the discharge passage 6, and the upper side may be closed and the storage space 9 a may not be formed.

It is a perspective view which shows the state which looked at the screw type payout apparatus of the game ball which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention from the left front diagonally upper direction of the bullet ball game machine. It is a perspective view which shows the state which looked at the screw type dispensing device of the game ball shown in FIG. 1 from the right front diagonally upward of the bullet ball game machine. It is a top view of the screw-type payout device of the game ball shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of the game ball screw-type payout device shown in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view of the screw with which the screw type dispensing device of the game ball shown in FIG. 1 was equipped. It is a front view of the screw shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the VII-VII cutting line of FIG. 3, showing an example of bridging phenomenon of the game ball generated in the screw-type payout device of the game ball shown in FIG. is there. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the bridging phenomenon which arises when the space | interval of a pair of standing wall of a discharge channel is larger than what was shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the bridging phenomenon which arises when the space | interval of a pair of standing wall of a discharge channel is larger than what was shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Game ball screw type dispensing device 2 Tank 3 Storage part 3a Storage space 3a1 Space 3a2 Upstream space 4A, 4B Guide wall 5 Bottom plate part 5a Inner bottom surface 6 Discharge passage 7 Outlet 8A, 8B Rotation restriction part 9A, 9B Standing wall 9a Storage space DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Cover body 20 Screw 21 Axis rod 22 Spiral feather 23 Spiral groove 24 Stirring part 30 Discharge pipe part 31A, 31B Collecting pipe part 100, 100a-100k Game ball Rd Space | interval So of rotation control part So Screw shaft center Sd Diameter of the shaft rod Bo Center of the game ball Bd Diameter of the game ball Wd Distance between the standing walls d1 Distance between the shaft rod and the front standing wall d2 Distance between the shaft rod and the rear standing wall

Claims (3)

In a screw-type payout device for a game ball that carries the game ball stored in the tank out of the tank by a screw,
The tank has a storage portion that forms a storage space for game balls, and a discharge passage that is provided at the bottom of the tank and guides the game balls from the storage portion to the outside of the tank,
The screw is accommodated in the discharge passage in a posture extending from one end to the other end of the discharge passage, and rotates in a direction in which the game ball is conveyed to the outlet of the game ball provided at the other end. Driven,
The storage section has a pair of guide walls that form a space between them that tapers toward one end of the discharge passage,
The screw located on one end side of the discharge passage is provided with a stirring portion located between the pair of guide walls and stirring the game ball, and the stirring portion is located in the discharge passage. A screw-type payout device for a game ball, characterized in that it is formed so as to protrude to the outer peripheral side of the portion. In the invention of claim 1,
An end portion of the screw located on one end side of the discharge passage projects from the pair of guide walls and forms a divergent shape in a direction from one end of the discharge passage to the pair of guide walls. A game ball screw-type payout device that also serves as the agitator. In the invention according to claim 1 or 2,
The discharge passage is formed in a groove shape opened on the upper side, and the screw is positioned in a posture extending along the bottom of the discharge passage in the discharge passage,
A pair of standing walls positioned opposite to each other across the screw in the discharge passage stand higher than the screw so as to form a storage space for game balls between them. Screw type dispensing device.

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