JP5567109B2 - Game ball and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game ball used in a ball game machine such as a pachinko machine. In particular, the present invention relates to a game ball having substantially the same shape, size, and weight as a steel pachinko ball, excellent in mass productivity, and capable of recording and reading electronic information, and a method for manufacturing the same.

  In order to prevent illegal use of a game ball, etc., it is considered to embed a non-contact IC medium in which unique information of the game ball is written, for example, an IC tag. Conventionally, there is a special game ball disclosed in Patent Document 1 as a game ball in which such an IC tag is embedded. The special game ball disclosed in Patent Document 1 incorporates a small IC tag capable of writing, rewriting and erasing data in a non-contact manner at the center of the inside. In addition, the outer periphery of the IC tag is covered with a cushioning material so that it is not damaged or destroyed by an impact during game play. The buffer material is made of a material that does not hinder the writing of data to the IC tag.

JP 2006-25987 A

  Patent Document 1 introduces in detail the use of a special game ball with a built-in IC tag, but what process the special game ball is manufactured with, in particular, how to incorporate the IC tag. Not disclosed. In Patent Document 1, the constituent material of the special game ball is stainless steel or aluminum alloy, but these do not transmit electromagnetic waves, so that the IC tag communicates with a communication device outside the sphere. Can only be used as an antenna. Then, since conduction between the outer surface of the sphere and the IC tag in the sphere is required, the structure becomes complicated and mass production cannot be performed. The same applies when the surface is chrome plated. For this reason, special measures such as making the sphere surface into an antenna are required, but if so, the manufacturing process becomes complicated and mass production cannot be achieved.

  In addition, unlike a medal-shaped game medium, the appearance of a game ball for a ball game machine always changes. Further, when a ball is hit or when it is reflected by a nail or the like, it is always subjected to an impact, and the antenna and the built-in IC tag are easily broken. There are also restrictions on the overall mass. Furthermore, if the game sphere is not spherical or the center of gravity is off the center of the sphere, it may cause unexpected movement and may become unusable at the game hall. It is said to be steel.) Therefore, it is generally difficult to create an environment in which an IC tag is incorporated in a game ball and a communication device outside the ball is stably communicated under the restriction of the total mass.

In order to solve such problems, the present invention enables mass production of game balls equipped with non-contact IC media capable of highly accurate and stable electronic information exchange with external devices outside the ball. The main problem is to provide a manufacturing method.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a game ball capable of highly accurate and stable electronic information exchange with an external device outside the ball.

The method for producing a game ball provided by the present invention is a method having the following steps.
(1) A support manufacturing process of manufacturing a support made of a material that does not impede writing of electronic information to the non-contact IC medium and reading of the electronic information, and incorporating the non-contact IC medium into the support;
(2) A support body containing the non-contact IC medium is attached to a first mold having a first hemispherical surface, and a magnet is disposed in a gap between the support body and the first hemispherical surface. Mainly composed of a high specific gravity powder of 9.0 [g / cm ³ ] or higher that allows electromagnetic waves to pass through almost the entire surface without being affected, and at least one selected from thermoplastic resins or thermoplastic elastomers. A first component manufacturing step of manufacturing a substantially hemispherical first component having a flat surface by injecting the mixture and melting by heating;
(3) A second mold having a second hemispherical surface that forms a spherical shape by being combined with the first hemispherical surface is placed on the first component, and a gap between the support and the second hemispherical surface. A spherical body manufacturing process for manufacturing a substantially spherical sphere body whose center of gravity coincides with the center of gravity of the support by injecting the mixture into the part and melting by heating;
(4) A film forming step of laminating an electromagnetic wave transmitting film on the surface of the sphere body to form a true sphere.

“Substantially hemispherical” means that it is not required to be strictly hemispherical. The same applies to “substantially spherical”. That is, those having a design such as some protrusions and depressions on the surface are also substantially hemispherical or substantially spherical.
According to this manufacturing method, at least one selected from a high specific gravity powder of 9.0 [g / cm ³ ] or more that allows electromagnetic waves to pass through almost the entire surface without being affected by a magnet and a thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic elastomer. The first component and the sphere body can be manufactured by injecting and melting a mixture mainly composed of more than seeds, so that an antenna can be provided on the surface of the sphere, and the antenna and the internal non-contact IC. There is no need to provide conduction means with the media, and the manufacturing process is greatly simplified. In addition, since it is not affected by magnets, fraud using magnets can be prevented and electromagnetic waves can be transmitted and received in all directions, so that stable electronic information can be exchanged with external devices. It becomes possible. Since the impact from the outside is alleviated by the support, it is possible to prevent destruction of the non-contact IC media.

  In the first structure manufacturing step, for example, a protrusion having a tip portion larger in size than a base end portion or a recess having a bottom portion size larger than an opening end in a flat portion of the first structure. Form. And the said spherical body manufacturing process manufactures the spherical main body which integrated the 1st structure by inject | pouring the said mixture into the said protrusion or the said hollow. Thereby, detachment | leave with the 1st structure and the remaining structure can be prevented.

  In addition, by configuring the support with the same material as the mixture, the support is integrated with the first component and the like during the manufacture of the ball body, and the non-contact IC medium can be stably fixed. .

In one embodiment, the support includes a media accommodating portion that accommodates the non-contact IC media, and a base end thereof is joined to the media accommodating portion or integrally formed with the media accommodating portion, and a distal end thereof is formed. A plurality of support legs extending radially toward the surface of the sphere body, each of the plurality of support legs having a weight from a tip thereof to a central portion of the media accommodating portion, It is formed into a substantially uniform shape.
In the manufacturing method of such an aspect, since the support foot can be used as a positioning index, the attachment of the support to the first structure can be made accurate and simple.
In another embodiment, the support body is formed in a substantially cubic shape having a corner portion coincident with the surface of the sphere body, and a media accommodating portion for accommodating the non-contact IC media in the center of gravity portion. Is formed.
In the manufacturing method of such an aspect, the support body can be mounted on the first component body by so-called “inner diameter determination”, so that the shift of the center of gravity in the manufacturing process can be prevented.

  The film forming step is, for example, a step of forming a discontinuous film for decoration on the surface of the sphere body, and further laminating a translucent resin film on the discontinuous film, and then pressurizing at a predetermined temperature. including. This makes it possible to decorate the game ball in a desired color without hindering the transfer of electromagnetic waves between the internal non-contact IC media. In addition, the first structural body can be prevented from being detached.

In one embodiment, in the film forming step, a hemispherical shell-shaped cover having a recess and containing the sphere body is made of the same material as the resin film in advance, and the cover and the sphere body are connected to a third body. By attaching the same material as the resin film in a molten state after being mounted on a third mold having a hemispherical surface, a portion of the third hemispherical surface that is not covered with the cover of the spherical body and the depression A resin film is formed in the void generated in the portion.
In the manufacturing method of such an aspect, the surface of the sphere body is mounted by attaching the sphere body to the third mold with a hemispherical shell-shaped cover and inserting the same material as the molten resin film. A film having a uniform thickness can be easily formed.

The game ball of the present invention is a game ball used for a ball game machine, and has a high specific gravity powder of 9.0 [g / cm ³ ] or more that transmits electromagnetic waves over almost the entire surface without being affected by a magnet. And a substantially spherical sphere body composed of a mixture mainly composed of at least one selected from thermoplastic resins or thermoplastic elastomers. A non-contact IC medium that exchanges electronic information with an external device is fixed through a support that transmits electromagnetic waves, and the center of gravity of the support that supports the non-contact IC medium is the center of gravity of the sphere body. This is a game sphere in which an electromagnetic wave transmission film is formed on the surface of the sphere main body so that its outer shape is a perfect sphere.
The said support body can use the thing of the aspect mentioned above.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a gaming ball equipped with a non-contact IC medium capable of highly accurate and stable electronic information exchange with an external device outside the ball even if the appearance changes during gaming. Can do.
Unlike the conventional steel game balls that involve rolling or the like, the game balls of the present invention can be realized by injection molding, so that mass production is facilitated.

Explanatory drawing of the game ball of 1st Embodiment. The external appearance perspective view of the resin cover of 1st Embodiment. (A) is sectional drawing of RFID12, (b) is sectional drawing when it cut | disconnects in the direction orthogonal to (a), (c) is a figure which shows the mode of the magnetic field which generate | occur | produces in RFID12. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a configuration of an RFID. (A) is an external view of the RFID and the support, and (b) is an external view when the RFID is mounted on the support. Manufacturing process explanatory drawing of a game ball. Process explanatory drawing at the time of game ball manufacture. Process explanatory drawing at the time of game ball manufacture. Process explanatory drawing at the time of game ball manufacture. Process explanatory drawing at the time of game ball manufacture. Process explanatory drawing at the time of game ball manufacture. Process explanatory drawing at the time of game ball manufacture. Process explanatory drawing at the time of game ball manufacture. Process explanatory drawing at the time of game ball manufacture. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. Data example showing test results. (A) is an external appearance perspective view of the game ball concerning a 2nd embodiment, (b) is the assembly explanatory drawing, and (c) is a sectional view after an assembly. (A)-(c) is manufacturing-process explanatory drawing of the game ball which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. Explanatory drawing of the jig | tool for forming a 1st structure. The other example figure of a 1st structure. The other example figure of a 1st structure. The external appearance perspective view of the resin cover of the game ball which concerns on 4th Embodiment. The external appearance perspective view of the ball | bowl main body at the time of resin cover mounting | wearing. The block diagram at the time of metal mold | die installation. Structure explanatory drawing at the time of resin injection. Cross-sectional explanatory drawing of the game ball by 5th Embodiment. Explanatory drawing of how to incorporate the RFID into the sphere body according to the fifth embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
[Constitution]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of the structure of a game ball according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The game ball 1 is used for, for example, a sealed circulation pachinko game.
The size and mass are comparable to existing steel pachinko balls. In other words, the diameter is 11 [mm] and is 5.4 [g] or more and 5.7 [g] or less in accordance with the rules of the National Public Safety Commission. A major difference from existing pachinko balls made of general steel (for example, iron or stainless steel) is that the ball body 11 is made of a high specific gravity material that transmits electromagnetic waves over almost the entire surface and is not affected by magnets. An RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) 12, which is an example of a non-contact IC medium, is incorporated and fixed through a support 12a at a substantially equal center of gravity of the sphere body 11, that is, at a substantially central portion. The electromagnetic wave transmitting film, in this example, the film body 13, 14, 15a, 15b having a two-layer structure is formed on the surface of the film.
The “substantially equal center of gravity point” and “substantially central part” mean that it is not required to be strictly an isocenter of gravity and a central part.

Since the specific gravity of existing game balls (iron or stainless steel) is about “7”, when a non-contact IC medium is incorporated in the center of a game ball made of the same material, the total mass is always 5.4 [ g] and cannot follow the above rules.
Further, existing game balls (iron or stainless steel) block the transmission of electromagnetic waves. The same applies when the surface is chrome plated. For this reason, special measures such as using the sphere surface as an antenna are required (see Patent Document 1). If it does so, a manufacturing process will become complicated and it cannot mass-produce. Therefore, in the game ball 1 of the present embodiment, the ball body 11 is made of a mixture of high specific gravity powder and its solidified material, which allows easy adjustment of the overall mass, transmits electromagnetic waves almost over the entire surface, and is not affected by the magnet. It was decided to manufacture.

  Tungsten powder can be used as the high specific gravity powder constituting the mixture. Tungsten itself is a metal having a specific gravity of “19.3”, but is also a non-magnetic material that has an electromagnetic wave shielding effect, that is, conductivity and magnetic permeability much lower than that of iron or nickel. Tungsten is also very stable chemically. Therefore, even if tungsten is powdered and at least one selected from a thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic elastomer is used as a solidifying material, it is not chemically affected.

  As the solidifying material, for example, nylon, polybutylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, acrylic, polyester, polyferrenin sulfide, ABS resin, or the like can be used. Examples of the thermoplastic elastomer include styrene, olefin, vinyl chloride, urethane, ester, amide, fluorine, and ionomer.

  In this embodiment, the tungsten powder is mixed in an amount such that the total mass of the finished product conforms to the above rules, and the solidified material is uniformly mixed, and the resulting mixture is heated, melted, molded, The ball body 11 was formed by solidifying.

  The non-contact IC medium is a non-contact type medium having an IC memory and an antenna, for example, and is, for example, an RFID 12 supported by a support body 12a having a predetermined shape. The RFID 12 is preferably a passive RFID.

  Since the sphere main body 11 itself is a color of a high specific gravity material (powder + solidification material), in this embodiment, the discontinuous film 13 for giving a metallic luster to the entire surface is formed as a film body of the first layer. . The discontinuous film 13 is a metal thin film that is non-conductive and transmits electromagnetic waves, such as tin or indium, and has a thickness of about 30 [μm].

The discontinuous film 13 is further covered with a resin cover 14 and resin films 15a and 15b serving as a second layer film body. As described above, since the discontinuous film 13 is a thin film of about 30 [μm], a second-layer film body is required to prevent peeling during the game.
The resin cover 14 and the resin films 15a and 15b are both transparent hard resins made of the same material. The resin cover 14 has a translucent color, for example, a transparent substantially hemispherical shell shape, and a convex portion 14a having a shape illustrated in FIG. 2 is formed on the outer side of the shell. The convex portion 14a is used as a guide for making the thickness of the resin film 15a uniform over the entire surface. The spherical body 11 on which the discontinuous film 13 is formed is accommodated in the space inside the shell. In other words, the resin cover 14 is used to position the ball body 11 when manufacturing the game ball 1, that is, to fix the position of the ball body 11 so that the ball body 11 becomes the center of the film body after completion. Therefore, a plurality of resin covers 14 may exist.

  The resin cover 14 is desirably formed into a complicated shape so that the area of the contact portion between the edge portion and the resin film 15b is increased. In the example of FIG. 2, the edge of the resin cover 14 is formed in a corrugated shape, but this shape may be arbitrary.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the resin films 15 a and 15 b are formed after the ball body 11 on which the discontinuous film 13 is formed is attached to the resin cover 14. The resin film 15 a is formed to a height corresponding to the height of the convex portion 14 a of the resin cover 14. As an example, when the resin cover 14 has a thickness of the convex portion 14a of 0.5 [mm] and the thickness of the portion other than the convex portion 14a is 0.15 [mm], the thickness of the resin film 15a is 0.35 [mm]. The resin film 15b is formed to have a thickness of 0.5 [mm], which is the sum of the resin cover 14 and the resin film 15a.

Since the resin cover 14 and the resin films 15a and 15b are made of the same transparent material, the metallic luster due to the discontinuous film 13 is maintained as it is. As a result, the game ball 1 is a sphere having a metallic luster, similar to the conventional game ball.
Further, in the drawing, the resin cover 14 and the resin films 15a and 15b are separated for the sake of explanation. However, the finished product has no division, and the game ball 1 is covered with the resin.

With such a configuration, the game ball 1 has, for example, a mixture of high specific gravity powder and a solidified material having a density of 9.0 g / cm ² or more, a diameter of 11 [mm], and a weight of 5.4 [g] or more. .7 [g] or less sphere.

Next, the RFID 12 incorporated in the game ball 1 will be described.
3A is a cross-sectional view of the RFID 12, FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view when cut in a direction orthogonal to the same, and FIG. 3C is a view showing a state of a magnetic field generated in the RFID 12. FIG.

The RFID 12 has an IC (semiconductor integrated circuit) chip 121 and a concentric disk-shaped antenna coil 122 in a thin rectangular casing 123 having electrical insulation, without using a printed circuit board or the like. It is formed by bonding and fixing with, for example.
The casing 123 is made of a material that is heat resistant, transmits electromagnetic waves, and is not affected by magnets. The antenna coil 122 is configured such that a copper wire is wound in a single wire and is concentrically wound in multiple layers in the radial direction, and the inductance thereof is designed to have a frequency of 13.56 [MHz]. Since electromagnetic waves of this frequency have a relatively broad directivity, they are suitable for reading over a wide range (wide angle). The magnetic field H generated in the antenna coil 122 is substantially as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the IC chip 121 is provided with a transmission / reception circuit 1211 connected to the antenna coil 122, a CPU 1212 serving as a control unit, a non-volatile memory 1213, and a capacitor 1214. A signal transmitted from an external communication device (not shown) (for example, a reader / writer) is transmitted to the CPU 1212 via the transmission / reception circuit 1211. The electric power is stored in the capacitor 1214 and becomes an operating power source. Thus, the RFID 12 of this example is a passive RFID. Therefore, there is no fear of running out of battery and the transmission power is weak, so that interference is also suppressed.
Note that the capacitor 1214 may be omitted and power may be continuously supplied from the communication device to the IC chip 121.

  Electronic information including various programs for operating the CPU 1212 and unique tag information is recorded in the memory 1213. The CPU 1212 performs various control operations according to the program stored in the memory 1213.

  Since such an RFID 12 is small in size, it can be accommodated in the support 12 a built in the sphere body 11. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a support 12a that accommodates the RFID 12. As shown in FIG. 5A is an external view of each of the RFID 12 and the support 12a, and FIG. 5B is an external view when the RFID 12 is mounted on the support 12a.

  The support 12a is made of an elastic material that does not affect data writing to the RFID 12, such as a heat-resistant resin such as PPSU resin or polyimide. If it is necessary to adjust the weight, tungsten powder can be mixed.

  The support 12a includes a media accommodating portion 124, and a plurality of support legs 125 to 128 each having a base end joined or integrally formed with the media accommodating portion 124 and the distal ends extending radially from the media accommodating portion 124. It has become a thing. The media storage unit 124 has a storage space that matches the shape of the casing 123 of the RFID 12. Each of the support legs 125 to 128 is formed in a shape in which the weight from the tip of the support legs 125 to the media accommodating portion 124 is approximately equal to each of the other support legs.

  Since the support 12a is made of an elastic material, the RFID 12 can be accommodated in the accommodation space only by elastically deforming the media accommodation portion 124. Further, the ball can be incorporated into the ball body 11 while being positioned by the support legs 125 to 128. Therefore, workability when incorporating the RFID 12 can be improved. The diameter of the ball body 11 is about 10 [mm], and if the balance of the center of gravity is slightly deviated, it may not be used as the game ball 1 in the game field. It ’s a big one.

[Manufacturing method of game balls]
Next, an example of the manufacturing method of the game ball 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to the process explanatory diagrams of FIGS. 6 and 7a to 7h.
In this embodiment, first, the sphere body 11 incorporating the RFID 12 is manufactured. Although the manufacturing method of the sphere body 11 is various, in this embodiment, the first hemispherical first structure having a flat surface is manufactured, and the RFID 12 accommodated (supported) in the support 12a is formed on the flat surface. After deployment, an example in the case of manufacturing the sphere body 11 by forming another substantially hemisphere on the first structure will be described.

  A dedicated mold 16a is used for manufacturing the first structure. The mold 16a has a hemispherical depression 161, that is, a first hemispherical surface. The depression 161 is formed to have the same diameter as the diameter of the sphere body 11. A groove 162 is formed from the recess 161 toward the edge of the mold 16a. The groove 162 is for injecting a mixture of the high specific gravity powder and its solidified material into the entire depression 161 (hemispherical surface), but serves as a positioning guide for placing the support feet of the support 12a. Also works. The molten mixture is poured from the groove 162, heated and melted at a predetermined temperature, and then cooled and solidified (S10, FIG. 7a).

  The mixture is prepared by mixing the tungsten powder into an amount such that the total mass of the finished product conforms to the above rules, and uniformly mixing the solidified material, and heating, melting, molding, and solidifying the resulting mixture. Thereby, the 1st structure which is a part of ball body 11 is formed.

  Next, the support body 12a that supports the RFID 12 is arranged at the center of the flat surface portion of the first structure (S11, FIG. 7b). The support 12a may be arranged so as to be pushed in before the mixture is completely solidified. In addition, a recess that matches the shape of the support 12a is formed at the time of forming the first structure, and after the solidification, The support 12a may be fitted into the recess. In order to facilitate the positioning of the support 12a, positioning guides that extend radially from the recess 161 may be provided in the mold 16a. By appropriately fitting the support legs 125 to 128 to the guide, the RFID 12 accommodated in the support 12a can be easily arranged at the approximate center of the plane of the first structure.

  After that, the recess 16 having the same shape as the mold 16a, that is, the mold 16b having a hemispherical surface is faced so that the opening of the recess 161 is matched, and the flat portion of the first component and the support 12a are connected. Cover (S12). In this state, the mixture is injected from the groove 162 (S13, FIG. 7c). This mixture is the same as when the first structure was produced. The mixture is poured into the depression 161 of the mold 16b, heated and melted, and then cooled and solidified to form a substantially spherical sphere body 11 in which the planar portion of the first component and the support 12a are molded. Is done. “Substantially spherical” means that it is not required to be strictly a sphere. For example, when a protrusion or a depression (symbol formation or the like) is provided on the surface of the sphere body 11, the “substantially sphere” is obtained.

  In addition, when the metal mold | die 16a and the metal mold | die 16b are arrange | positioned facing each other, the groove part 162 does not necessarily need to match. If they do not match, when one of the mixture is injected, one becomes a hole for venting, and if it matches, the injection gate formed by the groove 162 is large, so there is no problem in injecting the mixture anyway. Because.

  Thereafter, the molds 16a and 16b are removed. At that time, when the support legs 125 to 128 of the support 12 a protrude from the ball body 11, the protruding portion is cut. Further, if necessary, the spherical body 11 is shaped such as deburring (S14, FIG. 7d).

  The discontinuous film 13 is formed on the surface of the sphere body 11 formed in this way, for example, by vapor deposition (S15). Thereafter, the sphere body 11 on which the discontinuous film 13 is deposited is set on the resin cover 14 (S16, FIG. 7e). In this state, the resin cover 14 is attached to the resin film forming mold 17a (S17, FIG. 7f). The mold 17a for forming the resin film has a hemispherical depression 171 formed therein. The diameter of the recess 171 is the same as the diameter of the game ball 1. A groove 172 is formed from the recess 171 toward the edge of the mold 17a.

  After the resin cover 14 is attached to the recess 171 of the mold 17a, a resin of the same material as the resin cover 14 is injected into the gap between the resin cover 14 and the recess 171a (S18, FIG. 7f). Thereby, the resin 15a on the side where the resin cover 14 is mounted is formed.

  Next, the mold 17b having the same structure as that of the mold 17a is set so as to face each other so that the opening of the recess 171 matches, and the ball body 11 is covered (S19). When the positioning is completed, resin is injected using the groove 172 as an injection gate (S20, FIG. 7g). As a result, the resin is injected into the gap between the recess 171 of the mold 17b and the ball body 11, and the resin 15b is formed on the remaining portion of the surface of the discontinuous film 13.

  Note that when the mold 17a and the mold 17b are disposed to face each other, the groove 172 does not necessarily have to be matched. If they do not match, one will be a hole for venting when resin is injected, and if they match, the injection gate formed by the groove 172 will be large, and in any case there will be no hindrance to resin injection. It is. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the molds 17a and 17b are removed to obtain the game ball 1 in which a film body having a two-layer structure is formed. If necessary, the game ball 1 is shaped such as deburring (S21, FIG. 7h).

[Recording information reading test]
Next, the performance of the game ball 1 of this embodiment will be described. The present inventors tried a reading test of electronic information recorded on the game ball 1 manufactured as described above by the reading test system shown in FIG.
The reading test system includes an elevator M1 that circulates and moves the game ball 1 upward from the base end, a transport path M2 that guides the game ball 1 transported to the top by the elevator M1, and a transport path M2. A guide M3 for guiding the transported game ball to the base end portion of the elevator M1, a pair of photoelectric sensors M4 and M5 disposed at predetermined portions of the guide M3, and an antenna for reading electronic information recorded on the game ball 1 M6 and reader / writer M7, and a test apparatus M8 for analyzing the read electronic information.
The photoelectric sensors M4 and M5 detect the passage of the game ball 1 in the guide M3 and send the detection result to the test apparatus M8. The test apparatus M8 determines the timing of the reading operation based on the detection result. The distance between the game ball 1 passing through the guide M3 and the antenna M6 is about 20 [mm].

The game ball 1 used for the reading test has a ball composition (density 8 [g / cc]) of tungsten powder of 38 [%] and nylon of 62 [%]. The weight including the support 12a and the film bodies 13, 14, 15a, 15b is 5.4 [g], and electronic information for testing is recorded in the RFID 12 in advance.
In the test apparatus M8, electronic information for reference is recorded, and the reading rate is calculated by determining the coincidence with the electronic information for test read from the game ball 1.

The result of the reading test by this test system is shown in FIG. All the game balls are of the same mixing component and mass. As described above, the game ball 1 using tungsten powder has a reading rate of approximately 100 [%] in order to transmit electromagnetic waves. As a result, it was proved that electronic information can be exchanged between the reader / writer M7 and the RFID 12 without any trouble.
Note that since existing steel game balls such as iron have a high electromagnetic shielding effect, electromagnetic waves cannot be exchanged with the outside of the game ball unless the antenna is exposed, even if RFID is incorporated inside. is there.

[Operation example]
Electronic information can be recorded or updated afterwards in the gaming ball 1 manufactured as described above. For example, with a reader / writer (not shown), the IC chip 121 (memory 1213) of the RFID 12 in the game ball 1 can store, for example, information on a game store, information on a game table to be used, ball value per unit, year of manufacture, usable period Etc. can be recorded. Then, an operation can be performed in which an antenna is brought close to a predetermined part of the transport path of the game ball 1 inside the game table, and the recorded information is received and monitored by a reader / writer or the like. Or the operation | movement which reads the electronic information of the game ball 1 in a game stand with the portable tester incorporating a reader / writer and confirms the content is possible.

  This makes it easy to prevent game balls from being brought in from other stores and cheating or to check the replacement time. Further, since the electronic information to be recorded can be updated as appropriate, it is possible to replace the ball value or embed authority information of the person who maintains it for use in authentication.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 10A is an external perspective view of a support body enclosed in a game ball (ball body) according to the second embodiment, FIG. 10B is an assembly explanatory view thereof, and FIG. It is sectional drawing of the ball | bowl main body at the time.
The game ball according to this embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in that the RFID support has a substantially cubic shape made of a resin having heat resistance and insulation.
The support 22 has a substantially cubic shape made of an insulating resin. The IC chip 121 described in the first embodiment is embedded in the center of the support 22 and at least one of the six faces of the substantially cube, preferably 2 An antenna pattern 222 is formed above the surface. “Substantially cubic” means that it does not have to be strictly a cube. The well-known dice shape is the substantially cubic shape here.

  Since the support body 22 is a substantially cubic body, the bias of the center of gravity of the game ball in which it is embedded is suppressed. In addition, since the antenna pattern 222 is formed on the surface, the antenna pattern 222 can be easily mounted, and mass productivity can be improved. When the antenna pattern 222 is formed on two surfaces that are orthogonal to each other, the electromagnetic radiation characteristics are orthogonal to each other, so that the electromagnetic wave coverage is expanded. When the antenna pattern 222 is formed on three surfaces orthogonal to each other, directivity in almost all directions can be obtained. Therefore, electronic information recorded on the IC chip 121 can be read regardless of the appearance of the game ball 3.

  In order to incorporate the IC chip 121 into the support 22, first, as shown in FIG. 10 (b), a pair of triangular prism-shaped support components that are substantially cubes are formed when they are joined. At that time, when the IC chip 121 and the antenna pattern 222 are molded on one supporting component and the antenna pattern 222 is molded on the other supporting component and both are joined, as shown in FIG. A structure should be used.

The antenna pattern 222 and the auxiliary element are molded on at least one of the two substantially rectangular parallelepiped support parts, and the existing RFID chip on which the antenna coil is formed and the auxiliary element and the antenna pattern 222 are electromagnetically coupled. Even if it does in this way, the support body 22 of a substantially cube shape can be comprised.
The support body 22 having such a shape is accommodated in an accommodation space formed substantially at the center on the plane of the first structure at the stage of FIG. 7b of the first embodiment. As a result, the center of gravity of the support 22 coincides with the center of gravity of the sphere body 21 as shown in FIG.
The films 13, 14, 15a, and 15b that transmit electromagnetic waves are formed on the surface of the game ball 21 as in the first embodiment.
Further, the support for supporting the IC chip 121, the antenna pattern 222, and the like may be an equilateral triangle or other polygons.

[Third Embodiment]
FIGS. 11A to 11C are explanatory diagrams of manufacturing steps of the game ball 31 according to the third embodiment.
In this game ball, a first body 31a and a second body 31b each having a substantially hemispherical shape constitute a ball body. The first structure 31a is provided with a housing space 311 of the support 33 for supporting the RFID and a protrusion 312 having a tip portion larger in size than the second structure 32 and the base end on the plane. The protrusion 312 and the accommodation space 311 can be formed, for example, by using the mold 40 and the planar processing jig 41 shown in FIG. 12 at the stage of FIG. 7A of the first embodiment.

  The mold 40 has a substantially hemispherical recess 43 having the same diameter as the sphere body 11 and a depth slightly larger than the radius of the sphere body 11, and an injection gate 44 for injecting the mixture into the recess 43. Is provided. The depth of the recess 43 is determined by the height of the protrusion 312 formed on the first structure 31 and the second structure. That is, the depth of the depression 43 is determined to be slightly deeper than the value obtained by adding the height of the projection 312 to the radius of the sphere body 11.

  The planar processing jig 41 has a substantially cylindrical shape having the same bottom surface diameter as the sphere body 11, and has recesses and projections for forming the accommodation space 311 and the protrusion 312 of the first component 31 a on the bottom surface. When the first structure 31 is formed, the bottom surface of the planar processing jig 41 is inserted into the recess 43 of the mold 40. In this state, by injecting the mixture from the injection gate 44, the first structure 31a whose cross section is shown in FIG. 11A can be formed.

The first structure 31a thus formed is provided with the support 33, and another mold (not shown) having a hemispherical depression is set, and the mixture is injected, heated, melted, and solidified. By doing so, the second structural body 32 (FIG. 12B) in which the coupling hole 322 having a shape corresponding to the protrusion 312 and the accommodating space 321 are formed is formed.
Thus, by forming the projection 312 in the first component 31a and the coupling hole 322 in the second component 31b, the projection 312 and the coupling hole 322 function as a ridge and solidify as shown in FIG. In this state, separation of the first structure 31a and the second structure 31b is reliably prevented.
The film bodies 13, 14, 15a, and 15b are formed on the surface of the game ball 31 as in the first embodiment.

  There are various modifications to the planar shape of the first structure 31a. FIG. 13 is an illustration of the first structure 51a having a different planar shape. An accommodation space 511 in which the RFID is accommodated and four protrusions 512 to 515 are formed on the plane of the first structure 51a. Although not shown in the drawing, the second structure is formed with coupling holes having shapes corresponding to the four protrusions 512 to 515 on the plane. An RFID support is provided on the first structure 51a, and a second structure is formed to complete the sphere body.

  FIG. 14 is an exemplary view of the first structure 61a having a different planar shape. An accommodation space 611 in which the RFID is accommodated, two protrusions 612 and 614, and two coupling holes 613 and 615 are formed on the plane of the first structure 61a. Although not shown, the second structure body is formed with two coupling holes having a shape corresponding to the protrusions 623 and 625 on the plane. In the case of a sphere main body having a structure as shown in the figure, the second component can also be manufactured in advance and joined to the first component to form the sphere main body. In this case, the protrusions 612 and 614 and the coupling holes 613 and 615 function as positioning guides.

[Fourth Embodiment]
A fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 18. In this embodiment, the structure of the resin cover 14 described in the first embodiment is changed as shown in FIG. The resin cover 70 has a convex portion 14a deleted from the resin cover 14 of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 16, the ball body 11 is mounted on the resin cover 70, and this is set in the recess (hemispherical surface) of the mold 17a shown in FIG. In the first embodiment, there is a step of injecting resin here, but in the fourth embodiment, since the convex portion 14a is not formed on the resin cover 70, this step is omitted. In the fourth embodiment, after setting the mold 17a, the ball body 11 is immediately covered with another mold 17b as shown in FIG. Then, a resin film is formed by injecting a resin of the same material as that of the resin cover 70 and applying pressure while heat is applied.
Thus, in 4th Embodiment, a process can be decreased rather than 1st Embodiment.

[Fifth Embodiment]
FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of a game ball according to the fifth embodiment. Portions indicated by broken lines are the electromagnetic wave transmission films, that is, the discontinuous film 13, the resin covers 14 and 70, and the resin films 15 a and 15 b described in the first embodiment and the like.
The game ball of this embodiment is formed in a substantially cubic shape having a size in which the corner portion coincides with the surface of the ball main body 51 at the center of the ball main body 51 having the same size as the ball main bodies 11, 21, 31 described so far. A substantially cuboidal support body 55 formed with a media accommodating portion 55b for accommodating the RFID 52 formed in its center of gravity is incorporated.

  The sphere body 51 is produced by injection molding a mixture of tungsten powder and its solidified material (for example, nylon). The support body 55 is also composed of a pair of housing bodies 55 a and 55 c made of the same material as the ball body 51. The containers 55a and 55c are substantially cubic when they are joined together, and the thickness of one container 55a is larger than that of the other container 55c by the thickness of the medium container 55b. After all, the media accommodating portion b is formed at the center of gravity of the support body 55.

The RFID 52 is incorporated into the sphere body 51 as shown in FIG.
That is, after inserting the RFID 52 into the media accommodating portion 55c of one accommodating body 55a constituting the supporting body 55 and then covering with the other accommodating body 55c, the substantially cubic supporting body 55 is configured. The support body 55 is set in the hemispherical depression 161 of the mold 16a, and further covered with another mold (not shown), and the groove 162 is formed toward the space inside the mold in the first embodiment. The mixture described in 1 is injected and injection molded. Thereafter, it is taken out from the mold 16a through a cooling process. In this way, the sphere body 51 is obtained. Before covering another mold, the first structural body may be manufactured as described in the first embodiment, and another mold may be applied thereon to manufacture the ball body 51. .
The process of forming the electromagnetic wave transmitting film on the sphere body 51 is as described in the first to fourth embodiments.

  In such a manufacturing method, since the corners of the support 55 are substantially cubes that coincide with the surface of the sphere body 51, positioning can be performed simply by setting the mold 55 in the recess 161 of the mold 16a. The center of gravity is not displaced when mounted on the mold and during injection molding. Further, the material of the support body 55 is the same as the material of the remaining part of the sphere body 51, and the RFID 52 is accommodated in the center of gravity of the support body 55. It will be positioned accurately and stably. Thereby, mass production of the ball body 51 is facilitated.

[Modification]
The above explanation is an example in which tungsten powder is used to secure a required weight, and this tungsten powder is mixed with a solidified material such as nylon. However, the game ball of the present invention has a non-magnetic main component. In addition, since it can be carried out by forming the sphere body with a material that transmits electromagnetic waves over almost the entire surface, a mixture in which another high specific gravity material, for example, zirconia powder or the like is mixed with a solidifying material may be used. When the overall mass is reduced, the supports 12a, 22, 33, and 55 may be manufactured using a resin containing a high specific gravity material, and the content of the high specific gravity material may be increased.

Further, the non-contact IC media can be replaced with other non-contact IC media such as a data carrier as well as the RFID. Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, an example in which an RFID of 13.56 [MHz] is used has been described. However, a signal of 2.45 [GHz] or 860 [MHz] to 960 [MHz] may be used. good. However, although the RFID having the former frequency as the use frequency can reduce the size of the IC chip, it has directivity, so that it has the antenna pattern 222 having an almost omnidirectional coverage as in the second embodiment. It is preferable to do. The same applies to the support 55 of the fifth embodiment.
In addition, in the RFID using the frequency from 860 [MHz] to 960 [MHz], the directivity need not be a problem, but on the other hand, it is necessary to secure a predetermined antenna length. In the injection molding, it is desirable to generate an antenna element having a necessary length in advance and mold it.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Game ball 11, 21, 31, 51 ... Ball main body 13 ... Discontinuous film | membrane 14,70 ... Resin cover 15a, 15b ... Resin film | membrane 12, 52 ... RFID
12a, 22, 33, 55 ... support 121 ... IC chip 122 ... antenna coil 222 ... antenna pattern 1211 ... transmission / reception circuit 1212 ... CPU
1213 ... Memory 1214 ... Capacitors 124, 55b ... Media housing parts 125, 126, 127, 128 ... Support legs 16a, 16b, 17a, 17b, 40 ... Molds 161, 171 ... Recessed parts 162, 172 ... Groove parts 31a, 51a, 61a ... first structure 311,321,511,611 ... accommodating space 312,512-515,612,614 ... protrusion 31b ... second structure 322,522-525,613,615 ... joint hole 41 ... for flat surface processing Jig 43 ... Depression 44 ... Injection gate 55a, 55c ... Container

Claims (12)

Producing a support made of a material that does not impede writing of electronic information to the non-contact IC medium and reading of the electronic information, and a support production process for incorporating the non-contact IC medium into the support;
A support body containing the non-contact IC medium is attached to a first mold having a first hemispherical surface, and a gap between the support body and the first hemispherical surface is affected by a magnet. Without injecting a mixture consisting mainly of a high specific gravity powder of 9.0 [g / cm ³ ] or more that transmits electromagnetic waves over almost the entire surface and at least one selected from thermoplastic resins or thermoplastic elastomers And a first component manufacturing step for manufacturing a substantially hemispherical first component having a flat surface by heating and melting,
A second mold having a second hemispherical surface that forms a spherical shape by combining with the first hemispherical surface is put on the first structural body, and a gap between the support and the second hemispherical surface is formed. A spherical body manufacturing process for manufacturing a substantially spherical sphere body whose center of gravity coincides with the center of gravity of the support by injecting the mixture and heating and melting,
A film formation step of forming a spherical shape by laminating an electromagnetic wave transmission film on the surface of the sphere body,
A method of manufacturing a game ball having In the first structure manufacturing step, a protrusion having a tip portion larger in size than the base end portion or a recess having a bottom portion size larger than the opening end is formed in the flat portion of the first structure. And
The sphere body manufacturing step manufactures a sphere body in which the first structural body is integrated by injecting the mixture into the protrusion or the depression.
The manufacturing method according to claim 1. The support is composed of the same material as the mixture;
The manufacturing method of Claim 1 or 2. The support body includes a media accommodating portion that accommodates the non-contact IC medium, and a base end thereof is joined to the media accommodating portion or integrally formed with the media accommodating portion. It consists of a plurality of support legs that extend radially toward
The plurality of support legs are formed in a shape in which the weight from the tip of the plurality of support legs to the central portion of the media accommodating portion is substantially equal to each other support leg
The manufacturing method of Claim 1, 2 or 3. The support is molded into a substantially cubic shape with a corner portion matching the surface of the sphere body, and a media accommodating portion for accommodating the non-contact IC media is formed at the center of gravity.
The manufacturing method of Claim 1, 2 or 3. The film forming step includes a step of forming a discontinuous film for decoration on the surface of the sphere body, further laminating a translucent resin film on the discontinuous film, and then pressurizing at a predetermined temperature. ,
The manufacturing method of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4. In the film forming step, a hemispherical shell-shaped cover having a recess and containing the sphere body is made of the same material as the resin film in advance, and the cover and the sphere body have a third hemispherical surface. By injecting the same material as that of the resin film in a molten state after being mounted on the mold, a resin is formed in the gap generated in the third hemisphere, the portion not covered with the cover of the sphere body, and the hollow portion. Forming a film,
The manufacturing method of Claim 5. A game ball used for a ball game machine,
Mainly a high specific gravity powder of 9.0 [g / cm ³ ] or more that transmits electromagnetic waves over almost the entire surface without being affected by a magnet, and at least one selected from thermoplastic resins or thermoplastic elastomers. Having a substantially spherical sphere body composed of a mixture as a component,
A non-contact IC medium for exchanging electronic information with an external device outside the sphere is fixed to a central portion of the sphere body through a support that transmits electromagnetic waves.
The center of gravity of the support that supports the non-contact IC media is coincident with the center of gravity of the sphere body,
On the surface of the sphere body, an electromagnetic wave transmission film is laminated so that the outer shape is a true sphere,
A game ball. The support body includes a media accommodating portion that accommodates the non-contact IC medium, and a base end thereof is joined to the media accommodating portion or integrally formed with the media accommodating portion. It consists of a plurality of support legs that extend radially toward
The plurality of support legs are formed in a shape in which the weight from the tip of the plurality of support legs to the central portion of the media accommodating portion is substantially equal to each other support leg
The game ball according to claim 8. The support is molded into a substantially cubic shape with a corner portion matching the surface of the sphere body, and a media accommodating portion for accommodating the non-contact IC media is formed at the center of gravity.
The game ball according to claim 8. The support is made of the same material as the sphere body,
The game ball according to claim 9 or 10. The electromagnetic wave transmission film is composed of a discontinuous vapor deposition film of a predetermined color and a resin film laminated on the surface of the discontinuous vapor deposition film.
The game ball according to any one of claims 8 to 10.

Images