JP5492410B2 - Brake mechanism of rotating cylinder drive - Google Patents

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention belongs to the technical field of a rotary drive device for a gaming machine (hereinafter referred to as a “rotor”), and in particular, a brake mechanism of a rotary drive device provided with a brake mechanism for stopping the rotation in a timely manner. About.

  A spinning machine symbol display device for gaming machines such as pachinko machines, slot machines, etc., uses a motor (usually a stepping motor) as a drive source to rotate the spinning cylinder displaying various symbols on a cylindrical outer peripheral surface, and Is stopped at an appropriately selected timing (usually a button press), and the winning grade is determined by the combination of symbols appearing in the parallel window frames. For this reason, for the player, the behavior of the spinning cylinder at the time of stoppage has a great influence on entertainment and gambling.

  From this point of view, there is a demand for smooth and steady stopping of the rotating drum, and various techniques for this purpose are disclosed. Examples thereof include Patent Documents 1 to 4. Both of these configurations use an urging member or friction member at the junction or connection between the motor output shaft and the rotating shaft, or use the frictional resistance caused by the load of the pressing force in the rotating shaft direction. Was.

Separately, in addition to attaching the friction member having the above-described configuration, a disclosure technology for a gear device for the purpose of eliminating backlash by constantly applying a biasing force for maintaining meshing with the idle gear (Patent Documents 5 and 6). ) These add an urging force by a spring or the like to the idle gear to reduce the gear tooth meshing gap, so that the idle gear is a motor gear ("drive gear" or "main gear" in the above document) and an output gear (in the above document). The urging force from the idle gear (the force in the direction of filling the gap) is constant from the constant speed rotation to the decelerating rotation by moving on a line perpendicular to the line connecting the axis with "driven gear" or "driven gear") It is comprised so that it may become.
Utility Model Application Publication Gazette Showa 58-162881 Patent Application Publication No. Heisei 8-98926 Patent Application Publication 2002-65939 Patent Application Publication No. 2005-143833 Utility Model Application Publication No. 1995-41123 Patent Application Publication No. 2003-172408

  However, since the conventional techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 4 are deceleration by sliding frictional resistance between members, the friction load varies depending on the surface accuracy between the sliding members in contact with each other. . For this reason, there has been a problem that fluctuations in the swing and deceleration time due to frictional vibrations occur.

In addition, the disclosed techniques of Patent Documents 5 and 6 mainly focus on keeping the biting force of the idle gear (the force in the direction of filling the gap between the gear teeth) constant. This is a mechanism for eliminating the so-called rattling noise and backlash during variable speed rotation during deceleration. In particular, it is not intended to make the braking process from decelerating to stopping smoother, and there is no indication of the possibility, and it is insufficient as a brake mechanism (braking mechanism) Met.
[the purpose]

  Accordingly, the invention according to the present application has been developed with a view to the above-described problem, and in particular, for the purpose of realizing smooth deceleration stop control of the rotating drum. The present invention proposes a brake mechanism for a rotating drum drive device that makes a braking stroke smoother and faster by actively applying an acting force from an idle gear to a motor gear in a stroke from deceleration to stop.

  In order to achieve the above object, the brake mechanism of the rotary drive device according to the present invention is configured as follows.

In other words, a motor serving as a rotational drive source, a motor gear attached to the output shaft of the motor, an output gear attached to an output shaft that pivotally supports the rotating drum, and the output gear and the motor gear mesh with each other to transmit the rotational force. and an idle gear which, a reel-driving device comprising a biasing means, for biasing the force biting act on the idle gear, the idle gear, connecting shaft between the motor gear and said output gear It is located in the area on one side of the line, and in the area where the biting force is increased by the inertial force of the output gear when the motor is stopped, and the shaft is supported so as to move closer to the motor gear on the arc. It is characterized in that the.

Here, the rotation direction of the motor gear and the output gear for normally rotating the rotating drum is referred to as “forward rotation direction”, and the opposite rotation direction is referred to as “reverse rotation direction” . Therefore, the direction of the inertia force of the output gear when the motor is stopped is the forward rotation direction.

In addition, the feature of the present invention is that the idle gear is pivotally supported so as to move on the arc. For example, an insulator in which a fulcrum is disposed on the motor gear side in the one side region, It is good also as a structure which consists of the idle gear attached to the action point by the side of the output gear of this insulator, and the said urging means attached to the power point. As the biasing means, if the biasing force is such that the idle gear approaches the motor gear, the tension spring, the compression spring, or the torsion spring depends on the mounting specifications (fulcrum and force point position) on the lever (lever). , Etc. are selected.

  Furthermore, the idle gear can be configured with a single gear, but may be configured so as to be coaxially formed with two small and large diameter gears. In other words, the output gear and the small-diameter gear may be meshed with each other, and the large-diameter gear may be meshed with the motor gear.

With the above configuration, the present invention has the following effects.
First, when the rotating drum of a gaming machine rotates at a constant speed, a constant pressing force acts in the direction of biting between the motor gear and the output gear in accordance with the lever principle. As a result, there is no gap between the gear teeth and the rattling noise and vibration are eliminated.

  Next, the spinning cylinder stop control is started by using a selection instruction (pressing the stop button) from the player at the timing as a trigger. When this stop control is started, the driving force of the motor is reduced, and depending on the control method, the motor is temporarily idle (or the stepping motor is out of phase) and the output torque becomes zero. During this time, since the rotating drum continues to rotate, its inertial force is transmitted to the output gear as a rotational force. This acts on the idle gear as the moment force of the output gear. Since the idle gear is supported on the lever acting point side, this acting force moves on an arc centering on the fulcrum of the lever. Since the fulcrum of the lever is arranged on the motor gear side, the idle gear moves closer to the motor gear side and further bites into the motor gear. As a result, this further biting acts as a braking force (braking force) to the motor gear, and the motor shaft (and the motor gear) that has lost the driving force is quickly decelerated and stopped. Along with this, the connected cylinders also decelerate and stop quickly and smoothly without exhibiting reaction or backlash behavior due to backlash.

  Furthermore, since the idle gear is composed of two gears of different sizes, the torque can be increased and transmitted from the motor gear to the output gear. On the other hand, in reverse transmission (transmission of inertial force during stop control), torque can be reduced and transmitted. As a result, it is possible to avoid the biting lock between the gear teeth due to excessive torque.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a brake mechanism of a rotating drum drive device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an appearance and a spinning cylinder of the gaming machine. This gaming machine S is a so-called slot machine (commonly called “pachi-slot”), and is configured by arranging in parallel 3 rows of rotating cylinders 5 for displaying vertically moving symbols P on a display window W formed on the front surface of the box-shaped main body. It is what is done. The rotating drum 5 has various symbols (not shown) drawn on the outer peripheral surface of the frame F of the cylindrical frame, and a rotation driving device is connected to the center of rotation. Since the basic structures of the gaming machine S and the drum 5 are known, further detailed description is omitted.

  Next, a gear device including a brake mechanism that smoothly stops the rotation of the rotating drum 5 will be described below.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a rotating drum drive device (“this device”) of a specific embodiment according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the rotating drum is attached to the rotary drum driving device. is there.

The main components of the apparatus 1 are a motor 2 that serves as a rotational drive source for the rotating drum 5, a motor gear 4 that is attached to a motor shaft 3 that is the output of the motor 2, and a rotating shaft 5 that is rotatably supported. The output shaft 6 to be held, the output gear 7 attached to the output shaft 6, the idle gear 8 meshing with the output gear 7 and the motor gear 4, and the meshing of the idle gear 8 with a constant pressing force. And urging means 9 for maintaining. These main components are arranged in a metal or resin case 10 to constitute the apparatus 1.
[Idle gear arrangement]

  The main point of the present invention is the arrangement of the idle gear 8 with respect to the motor gear 4 and the output gear 7. 3 to 4 are plan views showing meshing states of the motor gear 4, the output gear 7, and the idle gear 8 on the rotation surface.

Idle gear 8 is a surface region along the plane of rotation of the motor gear 4 and the output gear 7, the motor gear 4 and the output line connecting the axes of the gear 7 (hereinafter, "border") whereas that bounded by L And the area where the biting force of the idle gear 8 with respect to the motor gear 4 and the output gear 7 increases due to the inertial force of the output gear 7 when the motor is stopped (hereinafter referred to as “arrangement area”). E is pivotally supported. Here, the rotational direction Pr of the motor gear 4 is the normal rotational drive rotational direction during the rotation of the rotating drum 5, that is, the positive rotational direction, which is the clockwise direction CW in the drawing. Therefore, the reverse rotation direction Rr means the counterclockwise direction CCW, and the area indicates the arrangement area E below the boundary line L in the drawing. For this reason, when the normal rotation direction Pr is the counterclockwise direction CCW, the arrangement of the idle gear 8 is above the boundary line L in the drawing.

  The idle gear 8 is supported using a lever principle. That is, the insulator 11 is supported by placing the fulcrum 11f on the motor gear 4 side of the arrangement area E, the urging means 9 is arranged at the force point 11e, and the idle gear 8 is arranged at the action point 11a. It meshes with the motor gear 4. This urging means 9 acts as a constant pressing force to maintain the meshing while the idle gear 8 is rotating at a constant speed. In the configuration of the insulator 11 shown in FIG. 3, a tension spring 9p is arranged on the lower side with a lower end support at the force point 11e. In the configuration shown in FIG. 4A, the compression spring 9c is arranged on the upper side with upper end support. Further, the urging means is not limited to the tension spring 9p shown in FIG. 3, and for example, as shown in FIG. 4B, a torsion spring (torsion spring) is provided at a fulcrum 11f that supports the insulator 11. 9t may be arranged. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4C, a configuration may be adopted in which an expansion force is applied by disposing a compression spring 9c on the lower side between the fulcrum 11f of the lever 11 and the idle gear 8.

Next, the idle gear 8 is formed by coaxially forming two large and small gears having different diameters. The large-diameter gear 8b meshes with the motor gear 4, and the small-diameter gear 8s meshes with the output gear 7. This is to increase the output torque from the motor gear 4 and transmit the torque to the output gear 7, and to compensate for the low torque due to the miniaturization of the motor 2.
[Behavior of idle gear]

  When the idle gear 8 configured as described above is rotated at a constant speed, a pressing force is applied in the direction in which the motor is engaged between the motor gear 4 and the output gear 7 according to the principle of the lever. As a result, minute gaps between the gears are eliminated, and rattling noise during rotation, and recoil and shaking due to backlash are eliminated.

  Next, when the stop control of the rotating drum 5 is started, depending on the control method, the motor 2 (generally “stepping motor”) becomes a temporary idling state (or step-out state) and the output torque becomes zero. In this case, due to the inertia of the rotating drum 5, the output gear 7 is used as a driving source to generate a moment force F in the tangential direction of the output gear 7 to the idle gear 8. Since this idle gear 8 is supported by the insulator 11, it moves M on the circular arc with the insulator fulcrum 11f as the center axis. Since the fulcrum 11f of the lever 11 is on the motor shaft 3 side, the idle gear 8 is moved M in the direction in which the idle gear 8 is further engaged with the motor gear 4 by the moment force F. In this case, since the behavior of the idle gear 8 moves along the circumference of the output gear 7, the distance between the shafts does not change, and the distance to the motor gear 4 is reduced although it is a minute amount. . As a result, this biting force becomes a braking force (braking force) acting on the motor shaft 3, and the rotation of the motor shaft 3 in a no-load or low-load state is smoothly stopped.

  Further, since the idle gear 8 is engaged with the output gear 7 and the motor gear 4 by the two gears 8 a and 8 b having different diameters, the moment force F input from the output gear 7 is weakened and transmitted to the motor gear 4. Accordingly, it is possible to avoid an excessive moment force (force in the circumferential tangential direction) from acting on the motor gear 4 and to prevent the biting lock between the gear teeth. At the same time, the associated rotating drum 5 is also stopped immediately after vibration and backlash are eliminated.

It is a perspective view which shows the rotating drum drive device of the specific Example concerning this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the rotating drum to this rotating drum drive device. It is a top view which shows the cooperation state of the gear group of this spinning cylinder drive device. It is a top view which shows the meshing state of this cylinder drive device on a rotating surface. It is the schematic which shows the external appearance and spinning cylinder of a game machine.

Explanation of symbols

1 Device 2 Motor 3 Motor shaft 4 Motor gear 5 Spindle 6 Output shaft 7 Output gear 8 Idle gear 8b Large diameter gear 8s Small diameter gear 9 Energizing means 9p Tension spring 9c Compression spring 9t Torsion spring 10 Case 11 Lever
11a action point 11f fulcrum 11e force point

F Moment force M Movement on arc E Arrangement area S Game machine L Boundary line Pr Forward rotation direction Rr Reverse rotation direction F Frame P Symbol W Display window

Claims (3)

A motor as a rotational drive source;
A motor gear attached to the output shaft of the motor;
An output gear attached to an output shaft that pivotally supports the rotating drum;
An idle gear that meshes with the output gear and the motor gear to transmit rotational force;
A reel-drive device composed of, and urging means for urging the force biting act on the idle gear,
The idle gear is in a region on one side with a line connecting the shafts of the motor gear and the output gear as a boundary, and in a region where the biting force is increased by the inertial force of the output gear when the motor is stopped. with arranging the brake mechanism of the reel-drive device, characterized in that the pivotally supported so as to approach moves on a circular arc to the motor gear. The movement of the idle gear
The lever comprises a lever having a fulcrum disposed on the motor gear side in the one side region, an idle gear attached to an operating point on the output gear side of the lever, and the urging means attached to a force point. The brake mechanism of the rotating drum drive device according to claim 1, wherein: Idle gear
3. The brake mechanism for a rotating drum drive device according to claim 1, wherein a small-diameter gear meshed with the output gear and a large-diameter gear meshed with the motor gear are formed integrally with each other.

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