JP5917922B2 - Crane game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a crane game machine in which a prize placed in a game space in a housing is caught by a catcher provided in the game space.

  Currently, crane game machines are installed and widely used in game centers, shopping centers, and the like (hereinafter referred to as “game halls”). In this crane game machine, generally, a play space is formed in an upper housing surrounded by a transparent acrylic board or the like, and a plurality of prizes are arranged in advance in the play space by the manager of the playground. When the player plays a game, first, coins or coins are inserted into the coin insertion slot to enter the play state, and the position of the horizontally movable catcher is operated with the operation button or operation lever to stop above the desired prize. . Here, a drive device for driving the catcher in the horizontal direction is provided on the lower surface side of the ceiling of the upper casing, and the catcher is moved in the horizontal direction by the drive device. Next, the catcher descends toward the prize, and the prize is caught by an arm provided with a hook and a plurality of claws provided at the tip of the catcher. Then, the catcher automatically rises in a state where the prize is caught by the arm, horizontally moves to above the prize discharge port, and pays out the prize. The operations of the catcher and the arm are controlled by a control unit built in the lower housing connected to the lower portion of the upper housing.

  Here, “catch a prize” means to capture a prize by closing a plurality of claws or shovel-like arms, to scoop up a prize with one or more shovel-like crane catchers, This includes all operations that allow the prize to be moved to the prize outlet while temporarily holding the prize, such as hooking the prize with a locking claw and magnetizing and attracting the prize by magnetic force.

  As the structure of the crane game machine as described above, for example, those disclosed in the following Patent Documents 1 to 4 are helpful.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-68750 JP-A-10-295929 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-244507 JP 2004-41487 A

  Here, in order for the control unit to grasp the position of the crane catcher in the gaming space, the control unit may be configured to receive a pulse signal of a motor of the driving device. However, if the manager or operator of the game hall manually moves the catcher to a position other than the initial position when placing a prize, the position grasp based on the pulse signal of the motor may not be accurate.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, it is also possible to arrange a plurality of position sensors (X-axis sensors 511 to 513, Y-axis sensors 521 to 523) in the play space. In this case, even when the operator manually moves the crane catcher 30 to a position other than the initial position, the control unit can grasp the position of the catcher based on the signal from each position sensor. However, in order to accurately grasp the position of the catcher, it is necessary to increase the number of position sensors, and there are only a limited number of places where the position sensor can be attached, so this method can accurately determine the position of the catcher in the play space. It's actually not easy to grasp.

  If the control unit does not accurately grasp the position of the crane catcher 30 and the catcher is moved in the horizontal direction by the driving device, the prize layout in the play space is destroyed, or the catcher is out of the play space. It may move and cause equipment failure.

  In addition, since such a crane game machine has a simple mechanism and rules, anyone can easily play it, but there is also a problem that it is easy to get bored. For this reason, game hall managers devise ways to frequently change the types and positions of prizes.

  For example, in the conventional crane game machine 100 shown in FIG. 6, the movable range patterns of A, B, C, and D are stored as shown in FIG. The said movable range means the movable range in the play space of the crane catcher 30 when a player plays a game.

  In order to realize all the movable range patterns A, B, C, and D shown in FIG. 7, at least the X-axis sensor (511, 512, 513) that detects the X-axis in the crane game machine 100 and the Y-axis Y-axis sensors (521, 522, 523) for detecting the position of the catcher should be arranged, and in some cases, it is necessary to grasp the position of the catcher in more detail.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide a crane game machine capable of accurately grasping the position of a catcher without providing many sensors unnecessarily.

  According to a first main aspect of the present invention, a housing, a prize placing portion provided in the housing for placing a prize, and the prize placing portion above the prize placing portion in the housing. And a crane catcher that is provided in a play space formed between the prize placing part and the ceiling part, and that drives the crane catcher in a horizontal direction. A driving device that is provided on the housing and connected to the crane catcher and the precursor driving device, and a prize discharging unit for discharging a prize to be grasped by the crane catcher to the outside of the housing. A crane game machine, wherein a plurality of light emitting elements arranged on the ceiling and irradiating the premium placing part with light, and connected to the plurality of light emitting elements, the plurality of light emitting elements being arbitrarily pointed Light emitting element control means for blinking at timing, a sensor attached to the crane catcher so as to detect light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements, connected to the sensor and the light emitting element control means, and blinking of the light emitting element A position calculation unit that calculates the position of the crane catcher based on the timing and the detection result of the sensor; and based on the position of the crane catcher calculated by the position calculation unit, controls the amount of movement of the crane catcher by the driving device; Alternatively, a crane game machine is provided, comprising: a drive control unit that moves the crane catcher to the prize discharging unit by the drive device.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a claim game machine in which the light emitting element control means is configured to sequentially blink the plurality of arranged light emitting elements one by one.

  According to another embodiment of the present invention, the drive control unit stores a predetermined game program, and the crane catcher and the drive device based on the predetermined game program and a player operation received by the catcher operation unit. To move the crane catcher to catch the prize on the prize placing unit, and the drive control unit further moves the crane catcher until the prize is caught during the game. A crane game machine is provided that controls the movement range of the machine based on the position of the crane catcher calculated by the position calculation unit.

  According to still another embodiment of the present invention, the catcher operation unit is configured to receive a designation of the horizontal movable range of the crane catcher by the player before the start of the game, and the drive control unit Is to limit the movement range of the crane catcher until the prize is caught by the crane catcher during the game based on the position of the crane catcher calculated by the position calculation unit. A crane game machine is provided.

  As described above, the sensor is attached to the crane catcher, and the blinking timing of the plurality of light emitting elements provided on the ceiling is controlled by the light emitting element control means. The position of the catcher can be accurately calculated from the blinking timing of each light emitting element by the element control means.

  According to the present invention, the position calculation unit calculates the position of the catcher from the detection result by the sensor and the blinking timing of each light emitting element by the light emitting element control means, and the drive control unit is based on the calculation result of the position calculation unit. It is configured to control the amount of movement of the crane catcher. Therefore, the position of the catcher can be accurately grasped without providing many sensors unnecessarily, and damage or failure of the device can be prevented.

  The other features and remarkable effects of the present invention can be understood more clearly by referring to the description of the section for carrying out the present invention and the attached drawings.

Schematic perspective view of the crane game machine of this embodiment Crane game machine schematic side view sectional view and ceiling bottom view Functional block diagram of crane game machine Flow chart showing operation of control unit Schematic diagram of screen for designating movable range designation pattern Schematic perspective view of a conventional crane game machine The figure which shows the pattern of movable range specification of the conventional crane game machine

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a crane game machine showing an embodiment of the present invention.

  This clay game machine 1 is provided on the front side of the housing 2, a housing 2, a crane catcher 3, a drive device 4 that drives the crane catcher 3 in the horizontal direction, a sensor 5 that detects the position of the crane catcher 3, and And a plurality of light emitting elements 7 (see (a) of FIG. 2) disposed in the housing 2 and a control unit 8.

  The housing 2 includes an upper housing 21 that is surrounded on all sides by side walls such as a transparent acrylic plate, and a lower housing 22 that supports the upper housing 21. A play space 23 is formed in the upper housing 21, and the upper housing 21 has a ceiling portion 26. An upper part of the lower casing 22 has a prize placing part 27 provided so as to face the ceiling part 26, and the prize placing part is provided for placing a prize (not shown). Yes. Further, the lower housing 22 has a prize discharge port 25 for paying out a prize and a prize acquisition port 24 for acquiring the paid-out prize. The prize discharge port 25 and the prize acquisition port 24 constitute a prize discharge unit for discharging prizes outside the housing.

  In the play space 23 of the upper housing 21, a crane catcher 3 for lifting a prize (not shown) placed on a prize placing section 27, and the ceiling for driving the crane catcher 3 in the front-rear and left-right directions. The drive device 4 attached in the vicinity of the portion 4 and a plurality of light emitting elements 7 arranged on the ceiling portion 26 and irradiating the premium placement portion 27 with light are disposed.

  In the present embodiment, the operation unit 6 includes a coin insertion unit 61, an operation button switch 62, and a panel unit 63. However, when the panel unit 63 is a touch panel, the operation button switch 62 can be omitted. It is also possible to install a plurality of the operation button switches 62.

  A payout mechanism 9 and a control unit 8 are arranged inside the lower housing 22. The control unit 8 is connected to the sensor 5 and receives a signal from the sensor 5. The control unit 8 includes a position calculation unit 81 that calculates the position of the crane catcher 3, a drive control unit 82 that drives the crane catcher 3, a light emitting element control unit 83 that controls light emission and blinking of the light emitting element, It is comprised from the range setting control part 84 for setting the moving range of the crane catcher 3 (refer FIG. 3). Detailed configurations and functions of the position calculation unit 81, the drive control unit 82, the light emitting element control unit 83, and the range setting control unit 84 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, the structure of the crane catcher 3 and the drive device 4 will be described.

  The crane catcher 3 has a known structure such as an arm for grabbing the prize, and also has an extendable part 31 for moving the crane catcher 3 in the vertical direction. The drive device 4 has a left and right guide rail 41 for moving the crane catcher 3 to the left and right and a front and rear guide rail 42 for moving the crane catcher 3 back and forth. The crane catcher 3 is movable in the horizontal direction in the play space by the left and right guide rails 41 and / or the front and rear guide rails 42 of the drive device 4 based on the operation of the operator, and is a part that holds the prize of the crane catcher 3 Can be moved in the vertical direction by the stretchable portion 31.

  In addition, since the basic structure of the crane game machine 1 including the crane catcher 3 and the drive device 4 is well known, further detailed description is omitted, and the following description will be focused on the characteristic configuration of the present invention.

  Next, the configuration of the crane catcher 3, the sensor 5, the drive device 4, the light emitting element 7 and the like will be described with reference to the schematic side view of the crane game machine 1 in FIG.

  The sensor 5 is attached to the crane catcher 3 so as to move along with the horizontal movement of the crane catcher 3 and to detect light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements 7 arranged on the ceiling portion 26.

  In the embodiment in the schematic side view of FIG. 2A, the sensor 5 is attached so as to be exposed from the left and right guide rails 41 of the driving device 4. The left and right guide rails 41 can be installed on the crane catcher 3 so as not to be exposed.

  Further, the detection information of the sensor 5 is sent to a position calculation unit 81 (see FIG. 3) in the control unit 8 through a wiring (not shown) arranged in the crane game machine 1. In addition, the drive control unit 82 of the control unit 8 controls the crane catcher 3 and the drive device 4 with a control signal / control command via a wiring (not shown) provided in the crane game machine 1 in order to control the operations of the crane catcher 3 and the drive device 4. It is sent to the catcher 3 and the driving device 4.

  FIG. 2B is a bottom view of the plurality of light emitting elements 7 arranged on the ceiling portion 26. For convenience of explanation, the lateral movement direction of the crane catcher 3 is represented as the X direction, the forward and backward movement direction of the crane catcher 3 is represented as the Y direction, and the crane catcher 3 and the driving device 4 are represented by dotted lines.

  The light emitting elements 7 are sequentially blinked at such a speed that the light emitting element control unit 83 cannot recognize them. When the sensor 5 attached to the crane catcher 3 detects the flashing of the light emitting element 7, the detection is transmitted as a signal to the control unit 8. If the blinking pattern of the light emitting element 7 can be blinked sequentially at a fixed timing, from (X1, Yn) to (Xn, Yn) and from (Xn, Yn) as shown in FIG. You may blink sequentially to (X1, Yn-1). Alternatively, it may be sequentially flashed from (X1, Yn) to (X1, Y1) and from (X1, Y1) to (X2, Yn-1) at a constant timing.

  In the present embodiment, it is preferable that the plurality of light emitting elements 7 are constituted by light emitting diodes (LEDs).

  Next, a configuration for detecting the current position of the crane catcher 3 will be described with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG.

  When the crane game machine 1 is turned on, first, the light emitting elements 7 are sequentially blinked at such a speed that human eyes cannot perceive. The light emitting element 7 blinking timing is controlled by the light emitting element control unit 83.

  When the sensor 5 detects the flashing light emitted from the light emitting element 7, the detection result is sent to the position calculation unit 81 of the control unit 8, and the flashing timing information of the light emitting element control unit 83 and the detection result of the sensor 5 are included. Based on this, the position of the crane catcher 3 is calculated.

  Next, the position information calculated by the position calculation unit 81 is the drive control unit 82, or the drive control unit 82 and the range setting control unit 84 (the description regarding the range setting control unit 84 will be described in detail in FIGS. 5 and 6). The movement amount of the crane catcher 3 and the movement route to the prize discharging unit are controlled.

  Here, the operation flowchart of the crane game machine 1 in FIG. 4 and the configuration relating to the movable range in FIG. 5 will be described.

  First, when an operator or a player inserts a coin, the control unit 8 of the crane game machine 1 starts a crane game based on a game program stored in the control unit 8 (step S1). During the game, the operator operates the crane catcher 3 by the operation means of the operation unit 6 before the crane game is started. Furthermore, the operator can set the presence / absence of range setting using the operation unit 6 (step S2). Here, the range setting means setting the movement range of the crane catcher 3 before the crane game machine is being prepared or before the crane game machine is being prepared, and the operator in this case is the claim game machine. 1 may be a store clerk of a store where 1 is installed, or may be a player who pays money to play a crane game. If step S2 is set not to be normally performed, the process proceeds to the following step S3 immediately after the coin is inserted.

  Next, a case where a normal game is started without setting a range will be described (in the case of No in step S2). When there is no range setting, the detection information of the crane catcher 3 is sent to the position calculator 81 by the sensor 5 (step S3).

  As described above, the position of the crane catcher 3 is calculated by the position calculation unit 81 of the control unit 8 (step S4), and when the position coincides with the position where the crane catcher should originally be, the control unit 8 performs the placing operation. In response to the operation of the unit 6, the crane catcher 3 is moved and a prize is picked up (step S5).

  Further, when the position where the crane catcher 3 should be originally does not match the calculated position (No in step S4), the position of the crane catcher 3 is finely adjusted according to the calculated position (step S41), and then the operation is performed. In response to the operator's operation, the crane catcher 3 is moved or gripped (step S5). After the gripping operation, the crane catcher 3 is moved to the prize acquisition port 24 and the prize is dropped (step S6). The operator can obtain a prize from the prize discharge port 24.

  Next, a case where the range of operation of the crane catcher 3 is set will be described (in the case of Yes in step S2). The operator can determine the movable range of the crane catcher 3 by selecting the range setting mode in the operation unit 6 (step S221 or step S222) (step S23). After determining the movable range, the sensor 5 detects the current position of the crane catcher 3 (step S3). The position of the crane catcher 3 is calculated by the position calculation unit 81 of the control unit 8 (step S4), and the control unit 8 causes the crane catcher 3 to move and grab a prize according to the calculated position (step S5). After the gripping operation, the crane catcher 3 is moved to the prize discharge port 24 and the prize is dropped (step S6). The operator can obtain a prize from the prize discharge port 24.

  The range setting regarding the movable range will be described with reference to FIG.

  The operator can select a range pattern of the movable range by operating the operation unit 6 (step S221 or step S222). In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the operator uses the touch panel of the operation unit 6 to select the range 1, the range 2, the range 3 (step S221), or the range designation by the operator (an arbitrary range with a touch pen or a finger). (Step S222) can be selected.

  Here, when the operator selects the range 1 by operating the operation unit 6 (step S221), the movable range of the crane catcher 3 is limited to a colored range. The control unit 8 releases the range setting of the movable range after the grab-taking operation, and moves the crane catcher 3 to the prize discharge port 24.

  When the range is designated by the operator (step S222), the operator can designate an arbitrary movable range on the touch panel with a touch pen or a finger. In the same manner as described above, the crane catcher 3 is limited to the designated movable range, and the control unit 8 cancels the range setting of the movable range after moving the prize gripping operation, and moves the crane catcher 3 to the prize discharge port 24. . Here, in the present embodiment, the sensor 5 is attached to the crane catcher 3, the plurality of light emitting elements 7 are provided on the ceiling portion 26, and the blinking timing of each light emitting element 7 is controlled by the light emitting element control unit 83. . That is, the position of the crane catcher 3 in the horizontal direction can be detected in detail by detecting which one of the plurality of light emitting elements 7 arranged on the ceiling portion 26 blinks with one sensor 5. It has become. For this reason, when the operator designates an arbitrary range in step S222, the shape of the range is not a simple shape such as a rectangular shape, but a complicated shape using a curve as illustrated in the lower right diagram of FIG. Even so, it is possible to deal with an arbitrary range specification by the operator without providing a plurality of sensors. Since the operator can specify an arbitrary range as well as a simple shape such as a rectangular shape, the appeal of the entire game including the range specification by the operator can be improved.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the sensor 5 is attached to the crane catcher 3, and the blinking timing of the plurality of light emitting elements 7 provided on the ceiling portion 26 is controlled by the light emitting element control unit 83. The position calculation unit 81 can calculate the position of the catcher 3 from the detection result by the sensor 5 and the blinking timing of each light emitting element 7 by the light emitting element control unit 83. Therefore, it is possible to accurately grasp the position of the catcher 3 without providing many sensors unnecessarily, and to prevent damage or failure of the device.

  Further, since the sensor 5 is only attached to the crane catcher 3, it can detect blinking of the light emitting element 7 and acquire the position information of the crane catcher from the position calculation unit. It is possible to provide a crane game machine that can set a movable range pattern of a simple crane catcher.

  In addition, since the light emitting element control unit 83 is configured to sequentially blink the arranged light emitting elements 7 one by one, the blinking timing of the light emitting element 7 by the light emitting element control unit 83 and the detection of the sensor 5 The horizontal position of the crane catcher 3 can be accurately calculated from the timing.

  Further, the control unit 8 stores the game program and operates the crane catcher 5 and the driving device 4 based on the game program and the operation of the player received by the operation unit 6 so that the prize placed on the prize placing unit 27 is received by the crane catcher 5. The game that catches in progresses. Further, the control unit 8 controls the movement range of the crane catcher 5 during the game until the prize is caught based on the position of the crane catcher 5 calculated by the position calculation unit 81. For this reason, the movable range of the crane catcher 5 during the game can be accurately controlled, the dissatisfaction of the player due to the variation of the movable range can be eliminated, and the breakage or failure of the equipment can also be prevented. .

  Further, the operation unit 6 is configured to accept designation of a movable range in the horizontal direction of the crane catcher 3 by the player before the start of the game. Further, the control unit 8 determines the movement range of the crane catcher 3 until the prize is caught by the crane catcher 3 during the game based on the position of the crane catcher 3 calculated by the position calculation unit 81. Restrict to within. For this reason, the player can enjoy a game in which the movable range is variously changed, and even in this case, it is not necessary to provide many sensors unnecessarily.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, A various change is possible in the range which does not change the summary of invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Housing, 3 ... Crane catcher, 4 ... Drive apparatus, 5 ... Sensor, 6 ... Operation part, 7 ... Light emitting element, 8 ... Control part, 81 ... Position calculation part, 82 ... Drive control part, 83 ... Light emitting element Control unit, 84... Range setting control unit.

Claims (4)

A housing, a prize placing portion provided in the housing, on which a prize is placed, and a ceiling provided above the prize placing portion in the housing so as to face the prize placing portion; A crane catcher that is provided in a play space formed between the prize placing part and the ceiling part, grips the prize, a drive device that supports the crane catcher and drives it horizontally; the crane catcher; A crane game machine having a catcher operation unit connected to a precursor driving device, and a prize discharging unit for discharging a prize to be grasped by the crane catcher to the outside of the housing,
A plurality of light-emitting elements arranged on the ceiling and irradiating the premium placement unit with light;
A light emitting element control means connected to the plurality of light emitting elements and causing the plurality of light emitting elements to blink at an arbitrary blinking timing;
A sensor attached to the crane catcher so that light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements can be detected;
A position calculation unit that is connected to the sensor and the light emitting element control means and calculates the position of the crane catcher based on the blinking timing of the light emitting element and the detection result of the sensor;
A drive control unit that controls the amount of movement of the crane catcher by the drive device based on the position of the crane catcher calculated by the position calculation unit, and that moves the crane catcher to the prize discharge unit by the drive device; A crane game machine characterized by comprising: The crane game machine according to claim 1,
The light emitting element control means is configured to sequentially blink the arranged light emitting elements one by one,
A claim game machine characterized by that. The crane game machine according to claim 1,
The drive control unit stores a predetermined game program, and operates the crane catcher and the drive device based on the predetermined game program and a player operation received by the catcher operation unit, so that the prize placing unit The game of catching premiums with the crane catcher is advanced,
The drive control unit further controls a moving range of the crane catcher until an operation of catching the prize during the game based on a position of the crane catcher calculated by the position calculation unit. A crane game machine. The crane game machine according to claim 3,
The catcher operation unit is configured to accept designation of the movable range in the horizontal direction of the crane catcher by the player before the start of the game,
The drive control unit is configured so that a movement range of the crane catcher until the operation of catching the prize by the crane catcher during the game is within the movable range based on the position of the crane catcher calculated by the position calculation unit. A crane game machine characterized by being restricted.

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