JP5160509B2 - Ball supply device for gaming machines - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball replenishing device for a gaming machine, and more specifically, a gaming ball of a ball supply facility provided inside a gaming machine island in which the gaming machine is installed is supplied to a ball tank provided in a front frame of the gaming machine. The present invention relates to a ball supply device for gaming machines.

  Amusement machines, for example, pachinko machines, are lined up along with daitama ball lending machines, card units, and the like on pachinko machine islands. Inside the gaming machine island, a ball supply facility is provided for supplying pachinko balls (hereinafter also referred to as game balls or balls) to each pachinko machine or inter-ball ball lending machine. This ball supply facility includes a ball replenishment rod in which a ball circulating in the game island rolls down. A predetermined number of balls are appropriately supplied from the ball supply basket to the ball tank of each pachinko machine via the ball supply device.

  Pachinko machines are competing for various designs and games using various characters and motifs. And in the present situation, models that are not popular, that is, models with bad customers, are replaced in a short time.

  However, the ball replenishing device is installed as an island facility inside the gaming machine island, and is often used continuously for the pachinko machine after replacement.

  On the other hand, the position, shape, size, and the like of the ball tank provided in the pachinko machine differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, and even the same manufacturer may differ depending on the model.

  For this reason, when the pachinko machine is replaced, it is necessary to adjust the position of the existing ball replenishing device in order to properly refill the ball tank of the new pachinko machine.

  Therefore, conventionally, a ball replenishing device that enables adjustment of the mounting position has been proposed. For example, a transverse section is formed in an approximately L shape, a dovetail groove is formed in the front, a rail provided horizontally at the top of the gaming machine island, and a mounting plate attached to the rail so as to be horizontally movable, By inserting two bolts with loosely fitted heads into the dovetails into the mounting plate, screwing wing nuts into the two bolts from the front side of the mounting plate, and tightening these wing nuts, There is one in which the mounting plate can be fixed at a required position in the horizontal direction on the rail (Patent Document 1).

  In the ball replenishing device mounting device described in Patent Document 1, inward ribs are formed on the front surface of the mounting plate, and the inward ribs hold both side edges of the substrate provided in the ball replenishing device, thereby moving the substrate up and down. By screwing a bolt with a knob that is movably supported and screwed into the substrate, the knob portion is pressed against both side edges of the substrate, so that the substrate can be fixed at a desired height.

  Also, a ball supply device main body, a support member having a first guide groove extending along the left-right direction of the gaming machine island, and a first lock for releasably fixing the device main body at an arbitrary position of the support member The first locking means comprises two nuts slidable in the first guide groove, and two first butterfly bolts that can be screwed to the nuts, There is a ball replenishing device in which a device main body is fixed at an arbitrary position of a support member by tightening a first butterfly bolt screwed to each nut (Patent Document 2). In this ball supply device, the first butterfly bolt can be operated with a fingertip.

JP 2007-136002 A JP 2006-87738 A

  The conventional ball supply devices described in these patent documents can be fixed at an arbitrary position by tightening a screw. However, the fact that it can be fixed at an arbitrary position means that if the view is changed, the fixed position varies.

  On the other hand, inside Pachislot Island, there are not only ball replenishment and recovery balls, but also a lot of operation equipment such as communication wiring, wiring holding ducts, power converters (transformers), and so on. It has become.

  In the case of fixing with a screw, it is operated using a tool such as a screwdriver, or directly with a finger without using a tool such as a wing nut or a bolt with a knob.

  By the way, the proper positioning of the ball replenishing device differs depending on the pachinko machine. For this reason, it is necessary to move and adjust the ball supply ball device, but the movement adjustment work is performed from the front side of the pachinko machine. That is, the operation is performed in a narrow space by opening the front frame of the pachinko machine. Therefore, the worker needs to work with his hand raised and his wrist turned. For this reason, the worker is forced to work in an unnatural posture. In such a work environment, inconveniences such as insufficient tightening of screws and sufficient fixing strength are likely to occur. In addition, the work efficiency is extremely low, and the confirmation work after tightening is difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is possible to easily release and fix the ball replenishing device, and it is possible to firmly fix the ball of the gaming machine that can be easily installed at a predetermined position. An object is to provide a replenishing device.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the front frame of the gaming machine is closed, a ball is replenished to the ball tank of the gaming machine from the ball replenishment cage disposed on the gaming machine island, and the front frame of the gaming machine is opened. A ball replenishing device for a gaming machine that stops replenishing a ball when the ball is replenished, the ball replenishing device extending along the rail member and a rail member that is fixed to a structural material constituting a gaming machine island; And a frame member capable of adjusting the position in the horizontal direction and a device main body capable of adjusting the position in the vertical direction with respect to the frame member, and the rail member receives the frame member in a slidable manner. A rack portion having a plurality of rack teeth arranged in a horizontal direction, an insertion support portion that is slidably inserted into a receiving portion of the rail member, and a rack tooth of the rail member. With protrusions to engage And a lateral lock means for preventing the frame member from lateral movement by inhibiting elastic deformation of the engagement arm portion in which the rack teeth and the protrusions are engaged. A main body receiving portion for slidably receiving the device main body in a vertical direction and a vertical lock means for preventing vertical movement of the device main body, wherein the horizontal lock means is a horizontal stopper mounting portion formed on the frame member. And a lateral stopper member that is mounted on the lateral stopper mounting portion so as to be movable up and down. The lateral stopper member allows elastic deformation of the engaging arm portion, and the rack teeth and the protruding portion. And a disengagement position where the engagement with the engagement arm portion can be released, and a restraining position that prevents the elastic deformation of the engagement arm portion and maintains the engagement between the rack teeth and the projection portion, The device book by the vertical lock means Vertical performs positioning, characterized by being configured to perform positioning in the horizontal direction of the apparatus main body by the horizontal locking means.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the ball supply device of the gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein an elastic leg piece having a fitting protrusion is provided on a side surface of the lateral stopper member, and the lateral stopper mounting portion has the A lower-stage fitting in which the fitting protrusion is fitted at a position corresponding to the deterrent position of the lateral stopper mounting portion is provided at a position corresponding to the open position with the fitting protrusion being fitted into the fitting protrusion. A recess is provided, and the lower surface of the lateral stopper member is aligned with the lower surface of the lateral stopper mounting portion when the fitting protrusion is fitted into the lower fitting recess and the lateral stopper member is in the restraining position. The tactile sensation portion provided on the lower surface of the lateral stopper member can be perceived by an operator.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the ball replenishing device of the gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the engaging arm portion having the protrusion that engages with the rack tooth of the rail member is a base. An end is connected to the frame member, and the protrusion is provided at the tip which is a free end. Each rack tooth and the protrusion each have a vertex and two inclined surfaces sandwiching the vertex, and the engagement. The inclination angle of the slope located on the base end side of the arm portion is made larger than the inclination angle of the slope located on the free end side.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention is the gaming machine ball supply device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the vertical lock means is a plate-shaped main body fixing formed in the frame member and extending in the vertical direction. And a vertical stopper member that is screwed to the apparatus main body, and the vertical positioning of the apparatus main body is performed by sandwiching the main body fixing portion between the vertical stopper member and the apparatus main body. It is characterized by performing.

  According to the ball replenishing device according to the present invention, the frame member can be fixed to and released from the rail member only by the vertical movement of one lateral stopper member, and various operations can be performed by operating the fingertip. Therefore, the operator can easily and surely perform the adjustment work without visually confirming the hand. For this reason, since it is possible to work in the narrow space of the gaming machine island without turning the hand to the back side of the lamp plate, it is possible to provide a ball supply device with high workability. Also, if a sensory part is provided on the lower surface of the lateral stopper member, the position of the lateral stopper can be confirmed by the tactile sensation of the operator's fingertip, and a reliable operation is possible. Further, if the inclination angles of the slopes sandwiching the apex are different in the protrusion and the rack, the left and right movements can be performed with the same pressing force even in the cantilevered apparatus body.

It is a schematic explanatory drawing of the game machine island which has arrange | positioned the ball supply apparatus which concerns on this invention. The inside of a game machine island is shown, (a) is a schematic front view, (b) is a schematic side view. It is a perspective view which shows a ball replenishment device, (a) is a perspective view of the state which removed the apparatus main body from the frame member, and was seen from diagonally upward, (b) is the state which looked at the apparatus main body from diagonally downward on the opposite side It is a perspective view. It is a disassembled perspective view of a ball supply device. It is explanatory drawing of the principal part of the state which accept | permits the movement to the horizontal direction of a ball replenishment apparatus, (a) is a top view, (b) is a principal part enlarged view, (c) is a front view. It is explanatory drawing of the principal part of the state which prevents the movement to the horizontal direction of a ball | bowl replenishment apparatus, (a) is a top view, (b) is a principal part enlarged view, (c) is a front view. The horizontal stopper member is shown, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in (b), and (d) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in (b). is there. The frame member which has a horizontal stopper member in a release position is shown, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a front view. The frame member in which a horizontal stopper member exists in a control position is shown, (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a front view. A vertical stopper member is shown, (a) is a front view, (b) is a bottom face part, and (c) is a perspective view. It is a perspective view of the ball supply device when the front frame of the pachinko machine is in an open state. It is a perspective view of the ball supply device when the front frame of the pachinko machine is in a closed state. (A)-(d) is the side view which made a part of ball supply device explaining ball supply operation a section. (A) is the side view which made the cross section the part which shows the relationship between the sphere replenishing device and the sphere tank, (b) is the sectional view of the lever and nozzle, (c) is the sectional view of the nozzle. (A)-(d) is a side view of the ball supply device explaining the relationship between the ball supply operation and the microswitch. (A) is a cross-sectional view of the holder, (b) is a front view showing the relationship between the ball supply tube and the ball supply device, (c) is a perspective view of the ball supply device, (d) is a bellows slope and a slope stopper. It is a side view. (A) is a front view of the ball supply device to which the ball supply tube is connected, and (b) is a perspective view of the ball supply device to which the ball supply tube is connected. The bellows slope is shown, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a right side view, and (d) is a sectional view taken along line DD of (a). (A) is a perspective view of a bellows slope and a slope stopper, (b) is a cross-sectional view of a holder part in a state where a ball supply tube is connected, and (c) is a cross-sectional view of the holder part. The slope stopper is shown, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a right side view, and (d) is a sectional view.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining an outline of a gaming machine island 200 provided with a ball supply device 100 according to the present invention. That is, FIG. 1 is a front view showing a part of the gaming machine island 200, and the inside is also displayed. The gaming machine island 200 is usually configured by arranging gaming machines 300 in two rows back to back. Therefore, in FIG. 1, in the front machine row, the two gaming machines 300 and 300 arranged on the left side, the curtain 210 arranged on the upper part of the gaming machine island 200 and the like are removed, and the gaming machine island 200 The inside is displayed. That is, in the left half portion of FIG. 1, the back side of the gaming machines 300 and 300 arranged in the rear row of the gaming machine island 200 can be seen.

  Inside the gaming machine island 200, a ball replenishing rod 220 is disposed in an inclined manner in the upper portion, and a ball lifted to the upper part of the island by a ball lifting device (not shown) is the ball replenishing rod 220. Roll down along the slope.

  On the other hand, a lamp plate (horizontal beam plate) 230 installed in the horizontal direction is provided in the upper part inside the gaming machine island 200 in order to attach a display device, a decoration device, or the like. A ball replenishing device 100, which will be described later, is attached to the lamp plate 230 so that the position can be adjusted.

  Furthermore, as shown in the left half part of FIG. 1, each gaming machine 300, that is, a pachinko machine, includes a ball tank 310 on the back side. The size, position, and shape of the ball tank 310 vary depending on the manufacturer of the pachinko machine. Moreover, even the same manufacturer may be different for each model.

  However, the ball supply device 100 and the ball tank 310 need to maintain a predetermined positional relationship. When the balance of the positional relationship is lost, the balls discharged from the ball supply device 100 cannot be correctly introduced into the ball tank 310, and the balls are spilled or the amount of balls stored in the ball tank 310 is reduced. May cause inconvenience.

  On the other hand, the position adjustment operation of the ball replenishing device 100 is normally performed with the front frame 320 of the gaming machine 300 opened. For this reason, the workability of the conventional ball replenishing device 100 is very poor. For example, the operation of the wing nut or the like in the conventional ball replenishing device 100 needs to be performed on the back side of the lamp plate 230 that cannot be directly visually recognized by the operator, and it is difficult to operate while checking the hand. . The portion that the operator can visually recognize from the direction of the arrow with the front frame 320 opened is, for example, a portion below the lamp plate 230 in FIG.

  Therefore, one of the objects of the present embodiment is to provide the ball replenishing device 100 of the gaming machine 300 that allows simple and reliable position adjustment even when the user is not able to visually recognize the hand at work.

  The outline of the ball replenishing device 100 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 and the like, and a rail member 400 fixed to the lamp plate 230 and attached to the rail member 400 so that horizontal position adjustment is possible. The frame member 500 and an apparatus main body 600 attached to the frame member 500 so as to be capable of adjusting the position in the vertical direction are configured. The ball replenishing device 100 includes a bellows slope 700 connected to the device body 600 and a slope stopper 740 provided at the tip of the bellows slope 700. The slope stopper 740 is for fixing the ball supply cylinder 800 that connects the bellows slope 700 and the ball supply basket 220 of the gaming machine island 200.

  The rail member 400 includes a receiving portion 410 that slidably receives the frame member 500 and a rack portion 420 having a plurality of rack teeth 421 arranged in the horizontal direction, and the cross-sectional shape is substantially T-shaped or horizontal H-shaped. It is a relatively long member having a shape. Specifically, a substrate portion 411 that contacts the side end surface of the lamp plate 230, an upper protruding piece 412 that extends in the front-rear direction from the upper edge of the substrate portion 411, and includes protruding portions in the front-rear direction, A member that protrudes forward from the lower edge and is integrally molded with a synthetic resin with a lower protruding piece 413 having a protruding portion.

  A rack portion 420 is formed on the front side of the substrate portion 411 to engage with a protrusion 510 of a frame member 500 to be described later and adjust the position in the horizontal direction. Further, an upper locking piece 412a is suspended downward from the front edge of the upper protruding piece 412 so as to form a receiving part 410 for receiving the frame member 500 in the board part 411, and between the board part 411. An upper locking groove is formed, and further, a lower locking piece 413 a rises upward at the front edge of the lower protruding piece 413, and a lower locking groove is formed between the substrate portion 411.

  In the rack portion 420, a plurality of rack teeth 421 in which peaks and valleys are alternately formed are arranged in the horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the inclination angle of the peak (valley) is different on the left and right. That is, the inclination angles of the apex that is the peak of the rack tooth 421 and the two inclined surfaces sandwiching the apex are different, and the inclination angle of the inclined surface that is located on the proximal end side of the engaging arm 520 described later is set to the free end side. It is larger than the inclination angle of the slope. Specifically, the inclination angle on the base end side of the engagement arm portion 520 is set to 60 degrees, for example, and the inclination angle on the free end side is set to 45 degrees, for example. This is a consideration for making it possible to move left and right with the same pressing force even when an engagement arm 520 described later is cantilevered.

  In addition, on the top and bottom of the crest and trough, a slide rail 430 that protrudes from the top of the crest and slidably contacts the back surface of the frame member 500 is provided. In addition, a screw hole for inserting a screw for fixing the rail member 400 to the lamp plate 230 is formed at an appropriate position of the substrate portion 411. In addition, the rail member 400 is appropriately formed with a notch, a recessed portion, or the like to cope with deformation or shrinkage during molding.

  The frame member 500 is a member that is interposed between a rail member 400 fixed to the lamp plate 230 and an apparatus main body 600 to be described later so that the attachment position of the apparatus main body 600 can be adjusted. Therefore, the frame member 500 has an insertion support portion 530 that is slidably inserted into the receiving portion 410 of the rail member 400 and a protrusion portion 510 that engages with the rack teeth 421 of the rail member 400 and is elastically deformable. Lateral locking means 540 that inhibits elastic deformation of the engaging arm portion 520 in which the engaging arm portion 520 and the rack teeth 421 and the protrusion 510 are engaged to prevent lateral movement of the frame member 500; A main body receiving portion 550 that slidably receives an apparatus main body 600, which will be described later, and vertical lock means 560 that prevent vertical movement of the apparatus main body 600 are provided.

  Specifically, the frame member 500 includes a substantially flat base plate 571, and an upper slide that is slidable by being engaged with the upper surface of the upper protruding piece 412 of the rail member 400 at the upper edge of the base plate 571. A piece 572 is provided. Further, on the back surface of the base plate 571, there are an upper fitting piece 531 and a lower fitting piece 532 which are fitted into the upper locking groove and the lower locking groove of the rail member 400 and slide the frame member 500 in the horizontal direction. The insertion support portion 530 is formed (see FIGS. 8B and 9B).

  The frame member 500 is provided with an engaging arm portion 520 that engages with the rack portion 420 described above. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 6B, the engaging arm portion 520 has a base end portion 521 connected to the base plate 571 and a hinge portion 522 that is bent at a substantially right angle. The arm portion extends, and a protrusion 510 that engages with the rack teeth 421 of the rack portion 420 is formed at the tip of the arm portion. And this engagement arm part 520 has moderate elasticity. For this reason, normally, the protrusion 510 is fitted in the valley of the rack tooth 421. However, when the frame member 500 is pushed or pulled in order to move the frame member 500 in the horizontal direction, the hinge portion 522 is elastic. By deform | transforming, the front-end | tip of the projection part 510 passes over the vertex of a peak part, and it inserts in an adjacent trough part. Then, the protrusion 510 can be moved to a desired position by repeatedly inserting into and removing from the valley.

  However, in this state, the horizontal position of the frame member 500 is not stable. In other words, the position may be easily shifted. Therefore, in this embodiment, a lateral locking means 540 for preventing the frame member 500 from moving in the horizontal direction is provided.

  In order to prevent the frame member 500 from moving in the horizontal direction, the protrusions 510 of the engagement arm 520 and the rack teeth 421 of the rack 420 need not be disengaged. That is, the frame member 500 cannot move in the horizontal direction unless the protrusion 510 is separated from the valley and exceeds the peak.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the horizontal stopper mounting portion 541 formed at one position of the frame member 500 and the single horizontal stopper member 542 mounted on the horizontal stopper mounting portion 541 so as to be movable up and down are engaged. A single lateral lock means 540 is configured to prevent the arm portion 520 from being elastically deformed.

  That is, an abutting portion 511 is provided on the back surface portion of the protrusion 510 of the engaging arm portion 520, in other words, on the back surface side of the distal end portion of the engaging arm portion 520, and the abutting portion 511 has a lateral surface on the back surface thereof. The stopper member 542 is faced so that the engaging arm portion 520 cannot be elastically deformed.

  On the other hand, the frame member 500 is formed with a lateral stopper mounting portion 541 for mounting the lateral stopper member 542 so as to be movable up and down. This lateral stopper mounting portion 541 is formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape by providing an intermittent rectangular tube portion in the vertical direction at one end of the frame member 500.

  The lateral stopper member 542 is a substantially L-shaped member that moves in the vertical direction and has a lever-like operation piece 543 that protrudes in the lateral direction and can be hung by a worker for operation. The lateral stopper member 542 is slidably mounted in a substantially rectangular tube-shaped lateral stopper mounting portion 541 formed in the longitudinal direction at one end of the frame member 500.

  Further, the lateral stopper member 542 has the abutting portion 511 that can enter the vertical surface of the engaging arm portion 520 that faces the abutting portion 511, and the protrusion 510 is pressed by the rack teeth 421. A relatively deep hole-shaped release portion 544 that receives the contact portion 511 of the engaging arm portion 520 that is sometimes elastically deformed is provided. In addition, when the contact portion 511 enters the position adjacent to the release portion 544 and the engagement arm portion 520 is elastically deformed, the contact portion 511 immediately contacts the bottom portion. A portion 545 is formed.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 5, when the contact portion 511 of the engagement arm portion 520 is positioned at the release portion 544 of the lateral stopper member 542, the engagement arm portion 520 is elastically deformed, and the projection portion 510 is The top of the peak part of the rack part 420 can be crossed. Therefore, the frame member 500 can be moved in the horizontal direction. Then, a position where the engagement between the rack teeth 421 and the protrusion 510 can be released while allowing the elastic deformation of the engagement arm 520 is defined as a release position.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when the abutting portion 511 of the engaging arm portion 520 is positioned at the restraining portion 545 of the lateral stopper member 542, the protruding portion 510 of the engaging arm portion 520 is the peak of the rack portion 420. Even if the apex of the part is exceeded, the abutting part 511 abuts against the bottom part of the restraining part 545, so that the engaging arm part 520 cannot be deformed. Therefore, since the protrusion 510 of the engagement arm 520 cannot exceed the peak of the peak of the rack 420, the frame member 500 cannot be moved in the horizontal direction. And the position which prevents the elastic deformation of the engagement arm part 520 and maintains the engagement between the rack teeth 421 and the protrusions 510 is defined as a suppression position.

  The horizontal stopper member 542, which is configured as described above and is displaceable between the release position and the suppression position, is used to hold its own vertical position, that is, whether it is set as the suppression position or the release position. Holding means for selecting and holding the selected position is provided.

  This holding means is formed by providing elastic leg pieces 581 having elasticity on the side surfaces of the lateral stopper member 542. Further, a fitting protrusion 582 is provided at the tip of this elastic leg piece 581, and at the lower end in the drawing (see FIG. 7).

  A fitting recess 546 corresponding to the fitting protrusion 582 is provided on the inner wall portion of the lateral stopper mounting portion 541 provided on the base plate 571. The fitting recess 546 includes an upper fitting recess 546a serving as a release position and a lower fitting recess 546b serving as a restraining position. The upper fitting recess 546a and the lower fitting recess 546b are substantially rectangular tube-shaped lateral stoppers. It is provided on each of the opposing inner wall portions of the mounting portion 541 (FIGS. 8 and 9).

  When the lateral stopper member 542 is raised and the fitting protrusion 582 of the elastic leg piece 581 is fitted to the upper fitting recess 546a located on the upper side (FIG. 8), the contact portion 511 is in the release portion 544. Located in. For this reason, since the engaging arm part 520 can be elastically deformed, the frame member 500 can be moved in the horizontal direction.

  On the other hand, when the lateral stopper member 542 is lowered and the fitting protrusion 582 of the elastic leg piece 581 is fitted to the lower fitting recess 546b located on the lower side (FIG. 9), the contact portion 511 is Located in the suppression unit 545. For this reason, even if it is going to move the frame member 500, since the engagement arm part 520 cannot be deformed, the projection part 510 of the engagement arm part 520 cannot get over the peak part of the rack part 420. Therefore, the frame member 500 cannot be moved in the horizontal direction. Hereinafter, this state may be referred to as a locked state.

  Therefore, according to this embodiment, the frame member 500 can be fixed and released only by the vertical movement of one lateral stopper member 542. Further, since the operation piece 543 is provided on the lateral stopper member 542, the operation piece 543 can be operated with a finger.

  For this reason, the operator can operate reliably without visually checking the hand. In addition, since work can be performed in the narrow space of the gaming machine island 200 without turning the hand to the back side of the lamp plate 230, work efficiency is significantly improved.

  Further, in the illustrated embodiment, for example, a hemispherical portion 547 protrudes from the lower surface of the lateral stopper member 542 as a perceptual portion. The hemispherical portion 547 appeals to the sense of the operator's fingertips, like Braille. That is, the position of the lateral stopper can be confirmed by the operator's sense of touch.

  Therefore, the lateral stopper member 542 is lowered, the fitting protrusion 582 of the elastic leg piece 581 is fitted into the lower fitting recess 546b, and the contact portion 511 of the engaging arm portion 520 is the restraining portion of the lateral stopper member 542. In the locked state located at 545, the lower surface of the lateral stopper member 542 and the lower surface of the frame member 500 are configured to be flush with each other. With this configuration, when the lateral stopper member 542 is in the locked state, the hemispherical portion 547 projects from the lower surface of the frame member 500. Therefore, the operator can confirm the position of the lateral stopper member 542 as if he / she traces the lower surface of the frame member 500 with his / her fingertip without visually confirming the position of the lateral stopper member 542. In the illustrated embodiment, only one hemispherical part 547 is provided as the perceptual part, but a plurality of hemispherical parts 547 may be provided. However, if the hemispherical portion 547 is small or the interval is narrow, the presence of the hemispherical portion 547 may be difficult to understand. In addition, the sensory part may be formed in a recessed manner instead of protruding.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the apparatus main body 600 is a unit including a sphere counter (pulse meter) 610 that counts passing spheres, and is detachably attached to the frame member 500 and can be adjusted in the vertical position. It is done.

  The apparatus main body 600 includes a bellows slope 700 for connecting a ball supply cylinder 800 branched from the ball supply basket 220 of the gaming machine island 200, a ball counter 610 for transmitting a detection signal based on the detection of the ball, and a gaming machine 300. A lever 620 that rotates in contact with the sphere tank 310, a nozzle 630 that introduces the sphere that has passed through the sphere counter 610 into the sphere tank 310 in conjunction with the rotation of the lever 620, and a sphere that flows out from the nozzle 630. And a nozzle stopper 631 for stopping the outflow.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the apparatus main body 600 is configured by assembling a predetermined member to a component divided into a main base upper 641 and a main base lower 642. Although detailed explanation is omitted, a rotatable nozzle 630 for guiding the sphere to the sphere tank 310, a nozzle stopper 631 for stopping the sphere from flowing out in conjunction with the rotation of the nozzle 630, and a game A lever 620 that rotates in contact with the ball tank 310 of the machine 300 is provided. Further, in order to link the nozzle 630, the nozzle stopper 631 and the lever 620, a shaft, a cam or a link is formed, and a nozzle spring 651, a stopper spring 652, a lever spring 653, etc. for urging each member are provided. It is provided.

  The apparatus main body 600 is provided with a micro switch 660 that operates in conjunction with the rotation of the lever 620, and is configured to detect the open / closed state of the front frame 320.

  The ball counter 610 provided in the apparatus main body 600 includes a ball passage communicating in the vertical direction inside, and detects a ball passing through the ball passage. For example, each time ten balls pass, one pulse is transmitted. It is constituted as follows. Instead of the sphere counter 610, a dummy sphere counter having the same shape without the sphere counting function may be provided.

  A bellows slope 700 is rotatably attached to the upper part of the main base upper 641 and the main base lower 642 in a horizontal plane. The bellows slope 700 is a pipe-like member provided with a curved portion 710 on the way, and is configured by assembling the two divided members by the assembling means 720 (FIG. 18). In addition, the curved part 710 provided in the middle of the bellows slope 700 is a part for reducing the flow velocity of the sphere, that is, for killing the momentum of the sphere.

  A ball supply tube 800 is connected to the tip of the bellows slope 700. At this time, in the illustrated embodiment, the ball replenishing cylinder 800 is connected by a slope stopper 740, which will be described later, provided rotatably on the bellows slope 700. The shape of the bellows slope 700 may be other shapes, and it is not necessary to divide and configure, and other configuration methods can be adopted.

  The apparatus main body 600 is attached to the frame member 500 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. Therefore, the frame member 500 is provided with a main body receiving portion 550 that receives the apparatus main body 600 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction, and is provided with a vertical lock means 560 for preventing the vertical movement of the apparatus main body 600. The vertical lock means 560 includes a plate-shaped main body fixing portion 561 formed in the frame member 500 and extending in the vertical direction, and a vertical stopper member 562 that is screwed to the apparatus main body 600. The main body fixing portion 561 is sandwiched between the vertical stopper member 562 and the apparatus main body 600 to position the apparatus main body 600 in the vertical direction.

  The main body receiving portion 550 has a plurality of receiving pieces 551 arranged in the vertical direction on the edge of the frame member 500, and the receiving pieces 551 are similarly set in the vertical direction at positions facing the device main body 600 with a horizontal interval therebetween. Are arranged in a row. Inserted into the main body receiving portion 550 are insertion portions 670 protruding from both side surfaces of the apparatus main body 600. The insertion section 670 is engaged with the receiving piece 551, and the apparatus main body 600 is held by the frame member 500. .

  In the illustrated embodiment, the vertical rack portion provided on the frame member 500 as the main body fixing portion 561 is sandwiched by the vertical stopper member 562, and the clamping portion 643 formed on the main base 641 by the butterfly bolt 563. Tightened to. If the butterfly bolt 563 is loosened, the engagement between the teeth 561a of the vertical rack portion and the teeth 562a of the vertical stopper member 562 can be released, and the engagement of these teeth 561a and teeth 562a is released. In this state, the apparatus main body 600 can be freely moved in the vertical direction with respect to the frame member 500. Therefore, in order to adjust the vertical position of the apparatus main body 600, the butterfly bolt 563 is loosened so that the apparatus main body 600 is positioned at a desired height, and the butterfly bolt 563 is tightened to fix the apparatus main body 600. Fix it.

  In the illustrated embodiment, although not shown, a scale is displayed on the side edge of the main base lower part 642 of the apparatus main body 600, that is, the insertion portion 670 so as to be a guide for position adjustment in the vertical direction. The lower edge of the frame member 500 is aligned with the frame member 500. And if the attachment position of the apparatus main body 600 is predetermined based on a scale, the adjustment work after installation will become easy.

  If the vertical position adjustment of the apparatus main body 600 is performed in this manner, the vertical position adjustment of the ball replenishing device 100 can be performed with a very simple operation. At this time, the tightening or tightening operation of the butterfly bolt 563 is performed from the side surface side of the apparatus main body 600, so that the operation is extremely simple. Therefore, even if the butterfly bolt 563 that is the operation part cannot be directly visually recognized, workability does not deteriorate.

  Next, a ball replenishing operation by the ball replenishing device 100 will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. In a state where the front frame 320 of the gaming machine 300 is open (FIG. 11), the nozzle stopper 631 prevents the ball outlet of the nozzle 630 from being biased by the stopper spring 652. In this state, the nozzle 630 is raised by the urging force of the nozzle spring 651 and is in a standby state (FIG. 13A).

  When the front frame 320 is started to close, the lever 620 comes into contact with the ball tank 310 in the middle of the closing, and the stopper lower plate 632 and the stopper stopping portion 633 come into a ready state. At this time, the nozzle stopper 631 closes the ball outlet of the nozzle 630 by the biasing force of the stopper spring 652 (FIG. 13B).

  When the closing of the front frame 320 is further advanced, the lever 620 further rotates, and the nozzle 630 reaches the replenishment start position in conjunction with the lever 620. At this time, since the stopper lower plate 632 is locked to the stopper stopper 633, the nozzle stopper 631 stays in place, and the ball outlet of the nozzle 630 is opened, so that the ball tank 310 starts to be refilled with balls ( FIG. 13 (c)). Even when the front frame 320 is completely closed (FIG. 12), the balls are continuously supplied (FIG. 13 (d)).

  In the illustrated embodiment, a micro switch 660 for detecting opening and closing of the front frame 320 is provided. The microswitch 660 is configured to operate in conjunction with the operation of the lever 620 by a link mechanism. Therefore, when the front frame 320 is in an open state and the lever 620 is lowered, the micro switch 660 is ON (FIG. 15A).

  When the front frame 320 is rotated and is in the middle of closing, the lever 620 is pushed and rotated by the ball tank 310, so that the link mechanism works in conjunction with this rotation and turns off the micro switch 660 (FIG. 15). (B)). Next, when the closing of the front frame 320 is further continued, the lever 620 is further rotated to start the replenishment of the sphere (FIG. 15C). In this state, the microswitch 660 continues to be turned off. Then, in the state where the closing of the front frame 320 is completed, the replenishment of the balls is continued (FIG. 15 (d)). Even in this state, the micro switch 660 continues to be turned off. In this way, the open / closed state of the front frame 320 can be detected electrically.

  The branching device 240 of the ball supply basket 220 and the ball supply device 100 are connected by a ball supply tube 800. The ball supply tube 800 is formed of a flexible pipe having flexibility so as to follow the position adjustment of the ball supply device 100. This flexible pipe is, for example, a coil spring-like pipe and can be bent freely.

  The ball supply cylinder 800 has an upper end connected to the branching device 240 provided on the ball supply rod 220 and a lower end connected to the tip of the bellows slope 700 of the apparatus main body 600. Therefore, a holder portion 730 for inserting the ball supply tube 800 is formed at the tip of the bellows slope 700, and a slope stopper 740 for fixing the ball supply tube 800 is provided on the holder portion 730.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 18B, the holder portion 730 has a substantially U-shaped notch 731 around the periphery of the bellows slope 700 so that the distal end is a free end and the base end is a peripheral wall. And a locking hinge 732 fixed to the portion. On the inner surface of the locking hinge 732, a claw portion 733 corresponding to the spiral groove 810 on the outer peripheral surface of the ball supply cylinder 800 formed by winding a wire-like metal material in a coil shape is provided. That is, the claw portion 733 includes a crest portion and a trough portion, and the metal material forming the ball supply tube 800 inserted into the holder portion 730 fits into the trough portion of the claw portion 733 and the claw portion. The peak portion 733 is fitted into the groove 810 on the outer peripheral surface formed by the adjacent metal material. For this reason, it is difficult for the ball supply cylinder 800 to come out of the holder portion 730.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the slope stopper 740 is provided so that the ball supply cylinder 800 inserted into the holder portion 730 is more difficult to be removed, that is, can be reliably fixed.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 18 to 20, the slope stopper 740 is a member that is rotatably attached to a pair of shaft portions 734 that project from a predetermined position of the bellows slope 700. Therefore, the slope stopper 740 has a pair of shaft holes 741, and the shaft portion 734 of the slope stopper 740 is fitted into the shaft hole 741 so as to be rotatable. For this reason, once attached, the slope stopper 740 does not deviate. In other words, there is no possibility of losing the slope stopper 740 at all.

  The slope stopper 740 includes a pair of fastening arms 742 that are formed so as to embrace the holder portion 730 of the bellows slope 700. The fixing arm 742 is formed at the end far from the fulcrum so as to be elastically deformable. In addition, the inner peripheral side shape of the fastening arm 742 is formed with a thick portion 743 on the distal end side corresponding to the outer peripheral shape of the holder portion 730. Therefore, when the slope stopper 740 is rotated, the thick portion 743 of the fixing arm 742 is locked to the maximum diameter portion of the holder portion 730. However, if the rotation is continued, the fixing arm 742 is elastically deformed. Can dodge the maximum diameter part. When the fastening arm 742 returns and deforms, the inner peripheral surface of the fastening arm 742 and the outer peripheral surface of the holder portion 730 face each other. That is, the holder portion 730 can be held in the fastening arm 742.

  At this time, in the illustrated embodiment, a locking protrusion 744 provided on the inner surface near the tip of the fastening arm 742 is fitted into a recess 735 provided on the outer surface of the holder portion 730. For this reason, it is possible to reliably prevent the slope stopper 740 from rotating unnecessarily.

  The slope stopper 740 is provided with a hinge pressing piece 745 that restrains and presses a pair of locking hinges 732 provided on the holder portion 730 of the bellows slope 700 from the outside of the holder portion 730. When the locking hinge 732 is pressed from the outside by the hinge pressing piece 745, the fitting between the claw portion 733 provided on the inner surface side of the locking hinge 732 and the groove 810 of the ball supply cylinder 800 becomes more reliable. Reliable locking is possible.

  Further, the widened portion 737 is formed by slightly raising the outer surface of the locking hinge 732, that is, the surface opposite to the surface on which the claw portion 733 is provided. For this reason, since it acts so that the pressing force by the hinge pressing piece 745 increases, a more reliable lock | rock becomes possible.

  On the other hand, the holder portion 730 of the bellows slope 700 is provided with a locking hinge deformation preventing plate 736 for preventing the deformation of the locking hinge 732 described above. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the locking hinge 732 formed by providing the notch 731 from being deformed. The tip of the hinge pressing piece 745 is inserted between the locking hinge deformation preventing plate 736 and the outer peripheral surface of the holder portion 730.

  According to the bellows slope 700 and the slope stopper 740, the ball supply cylinder 800 can be securely connected, and there is no possibility that the ball supply cylinder 800 is detached due to vibration or the like. Further, when the slope stopper 740 is rotated with the shaft portion 734 as a fulcrum, the fastening arm 742 elastically deforms to dodge the maximum diameter portion, and immediately after dodging the maximum diameter portion, the slope stopper 740 is deformed and locked. The protrusion 744 fits into the recess 735. For this reason, since an operation is born, the operator can easily understand the current stage and can perform a reliable operation. That is, it can be easily understood from the feeling during operation that the fastening arm 742 is once opened to hold the holder portion 730 and the locking projection 744 snaps into the recess portion 735.

  In addition, since the slope stopper 740 is pivotally attached to the bellows slope 700, not only can the rotation operation be performed, but also the loss of the slope stopper 740 is prevented.

  Although the present invention has been described with respect to the illustrated embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately implemented without changing the configuration described in the claims.

100 ball supply device 200 gaming machine island 210 curtain plate 220 ball supply bowl 230 lamp plate 240 branching device 300 gaming machine 310 ball tank 320 front frame 400 rail member 410 receiving portion 411 substrate portion 412 upper protruding piece 413 lower protruding piece 420 rack portion 421 Rack tooth 430 Slide rail 500 Frame member 510 Protruding part 511 Abutting part 520 Engaging arm part 521 Base end part 522 Hinge part 530 Insertion supporting part 531 Upper fitting piece 532 Lower fitting piece 540 Lateral locking means 541 Lateral stopper mounting part 542 Horizontal stopper member 543 Operation piece 544 Release portion 545 Suppression portion 546 Fitting recess 547 Hemisphere portion 550 Main body receiving portion 551 Receiving piece 560 Vertical lock means 561 Main body fixing portion 562 Vertical stopper member 563 Butterfly bolt 571 Base plate 572 Upper slide piece 581 Elasticity Leg piece 582 Mating projection 600 Device main body 610 Ball counter 620 Lever 630 Nozzle 631 Nozzle stopper 632 Stopper lower plate 633 Stopper stopper 641 Main base upper 642 Main base lower 643 Nipping part 651 Nozzle spring 652 Stopper spring 653 Lever spring 660 Micro switch 670 Insertion part 700 Bellows slope 710 Curved part 720 Assembly means 730 Holder part 731 Notch 732 Locking hinge 733 Claw part 734 Shaft part 735 Recessed part 736 Locking hinge deformation prevention plate 737 Widening part 740 Slope stopper 741 Shaft hole 742 Locking arm 743 Thick part 744 Locking projection 745 Hinge presser piece 800 Ball supply cylinder 810 Groove

Claims (4)

When the front frame of the gaming machine is closed, a ball is replenished to the ball tank of the gaming machine from the ball replenishment cage arranged on the gaming machine island, and when the front frame of the gaming machine is open, A ball supply device for a gaming machine that stops supply,
The ball replenishing device includes a rail member that is fixed to a structural material constituting the gaming machine island, a frame member that can be adjusted in a horizontal direction along the rail member, and a vertical direction with respect to the frame member. An apparatus main body capable of position adjustment,
The rail member is provided with a receiving portion for slidably receiving the frame member, and a rack portion having a plurality of rack teeth arranged in a horizontal direction,
The frame member includes an insertion support portion that is slidably inserted into a receiving portion of the rail member, an elastically deformable engagement arm portion having a protrusion portion that engages with a rack tooth of the rail member, and the rack Lateral locking means for preventing elastic deformation of the engaging arm portion in which the teeth and the protrusion are engaged to prevent lateral movement of the frame member, and the apparatus main body are slidably received in the vertical direction A main body receiving portion, and a vertical lock means for preventing vertical movement of the apparatus main body,
The lateral locking means includes a lateral stopper mounting portion formed on the frame member, and a lateral stopper member mounted on the lateral stopper mounting portion so as to be movable up and down.
The lateral stopper member allows the elastic deformation of the engaging arm portion, prevents the engagement between the rack teeth and the protrusion, and prevents the elastic deformation of the engaging arm portion. , And can be displaced to a restraining position that maintains the engagement between the rack teeth and the protrusions,
A ball replenishing device for a gaming machine, wherein the vertical locking means performs vertical positioning of the apparatus main body, and the horizontal locking means performs horizontal positioning of the apparatus main body. An elastic leg piece having a fitting protrusion is provided on the side surface of the lateral stopper member,
An upper-stage fitting concave portion for fitting the fitting protrusion is provided at a location corresponding to the open position of the lateral stopper mounting portion, and the fitting projection is provided at a location corresponding to the inhibition position of the horizontal stopper mounting portion. Is provided with a lower fitting recess that fits,
When the fitting protrusion is fitted into the lower fitting recess and the lateral stopper member is in the restraining position, the lower surface of the lateral stopper member and the lower surface of the lateral stopper mounting portion are aligned,
The ball replenishing device for a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein an operator can perceive a tactile sensation portion provided on a lower surface of the lateral stopper member. The engaging arm portion having the protrusion that engages with the rack teeth of the rail member has a base end connected to the frame member, and has the protrusion at a tip that is a free end,
Each of the rack teeth and the protrusion has a vertex and two slopes sandwiching the vertex,
3. The ball replenishment of a gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an inclination angle of the slope located on the base end side of the engagement arm portion is larger than an inclination angle of the slope located on the free end side. apparatus. The vertical lock means comprises a plate-like main body fixing portion formed in the frame member and extending in the vertical direction, and a vertical stopper member screwed to the apparatus main body.
4. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the vertical positioning of the device main body is performed by sandwiching the main body fixing portion between the vertical stopper member and the device main body. Ball replenishment device.

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