JP6289948B2 - Ball channel structure of gaming machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball flow path structure of a gaming machine that causes game balls to converge from 2 to 1 and flow down.

In a gaming machine such as a pachinko gaming machine, a gaming ball is caused to flow down from a ball tank that stores gaming balls to a ball dispensing device via a ball channel such as a tank rail. In the ball flow path, the flow of game balls is converged from two to one.
For example, in the ball guide rod of a pachinko machine disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that an auxiliary passage is provided alongside a supply passage that aligns pachinko balls from a ball tank and leads them to a ball dispensing device. In this ball guide rod, for the purpose of preventing ball clogging, the supply passage is formed in a state of gently descending and tilting, while the auxiliary passage is formed in a horizontal state. The bottom wall of the auxiliary passage is inclined toward the supply passage.

  Further, for example, in the pachinko ball rectifier of the pachinko machine disclosed in Patent Document 2, there are two ball paths partitioned by a partition, a conduction path that guides the pachinko balls from one ball path to the other, and a guide path. It is disclosed that a pachinko ball is formed downstream from the passage to form a delivery path in which the pachinko balls are aligned in a row. In this pachinko ball rectifier, in two ball passages formed in the vertical direction, pachinko balls in one ball passage are guided to flow into every other pachinko ball in the other ball passage.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-233055 JP-A-9-239118

By the way, in recent gaming machines, for the purpose of further expanding the gaming area formed on the gaming board, the space occupied by the ball channel disposed on the back side of the gaming board is as much as possible in the main body frame of the gaming machine. There is a need to make it smaller. Further, there is also a demand for a structure that smoothly converges the flow of game balls from two to one without causing ball clogging while satisfying this requirement.
However, in the conventional ball flow path, as shown in Patent Document 1, when the game balls flow down in the horizontal direction, the flow of the game balls converges from 2 to 1 or as shown in Patent Document 2. As described above, when the game balls flow down in the vertical direction, the flow of the game balls is converged from two to one. For this reason, it is difficult to gently narrow the flow of game balls from 2 to 1 without causing ball clogging. And, in order to properly converge from 2 to 1 while preventing ball clogging, the inclination angle of the portion of the ball channel that causes the game ball to flow down in the horizontal direction, particularly in the horizontal ball flow down structure It is necessary to increase the momentum at which the game balls flow down. As a result, the area occupied by the ball channel on the back side of the game board becomes large, and it is difficult to enlarge the opening area on the back side in the gaming machine for placing the game board.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and has been obtained in an attempt to provide a ball flow path structure for a gaming machine capable of expanding an opening area on the back side for placing a game board in the gaming machine. Is.

One aspect of the present invention includes two ball passages extending in a substantially horizontal direction, and each of the game balls flowing down the two ball passages in a direction perpendicular to the flow-down direction of the game balls. A first ball rectification unit that is narrowed from a width of one or more game balls to a width of one or more hemispheres of the game ball and less than one ball;
At the downstream end of the first sphere rectifying unit, it is formed in a state bent from the substantially horizontal direction to the up and down direction, and the width between the sphere centers is maintained at a width equal to or more than a hemisphere of the game sphere and less than one sphere. A bent bend sphere channel,
A second sphere rectifier that is formed in a state of being connected to the downstream end of the bent sphere channel portion and extending in the vertical direction, further narrowing the width between the sphere centers, and allowing the game balls to flow down in a single row. comprises a part, the,
The above two ball flow paths are partitioned by a partition wall provided between a pair of side walls substantially parallel to the flow-down direction of the game ball,
The first ball rectifying unit is formed such that the height of the partition wall is equal to or higher than the hemisphere of the game ball, and the width between the ball centers is equal to or greater than the width of one game ball. An upstream first sphere rectifier;
A downstream first sphere rectification unit formed to be connected to the downstream end of the upstream first sphere rectification unit, and wherein the height of the partition wall is changed to a height less than the hemisphere of the game ball. And
The downstream first sphere rectifying unit includes a first throttle unit in which a side wall interval between the inner wall surface of one of the side walls and the inner wall surface of the other side wall is narrowed in an inclined manner from the upstream side toward the downstream side. When,
A parallel portion formed to be connected to a downstream end portion of the first throttle portion and having a substantially constant side wall interval;
A second throttle part formed to be connected to the downstream end of the parallel part and further narrowing the side wall interval from the upstream side to the downstream side in an inclined manner;
The inner wall surface of the other side wall constituting the parallel part is inclined so that the side wall interval is narrowed toward the bottom surface of the spherical flow path, and the inclination angle of the inner wall surface of the other side wall is the upstream side. The ball flow path structure of the gaming machine is characterized in that it changes so as to have a steep slope toward the downstream side .

In the ball flow path structure of the gaming machine described above, the flow of the game ball is changed from 2 to 1 by using the corner portion (specifically, the corner area) where the flow of the game ball changes from the substantially horizontal direction to the vertical direction. Converged on the article.
Specifically, when converging the flow of game balls in the first ball rectifying unit extending in the substantially horizontal direction and the second ball rectifying unit extending in the vertical direction, the first ball rectifying unit changes from 2 to 1 in the first ball rectifying unit. About half of the convergence is performed (first half convergence), and the remaining half of the convergence is performed in the second ball rectification unit (second half convergence).

In the first ball rectification unit, the game ball flowing down the two ball flow paths has a width between the ball centers in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the game ball, so that the game ball has a width equal to or larger than one game ball. It is narrowed down to a width not less than one hemisphere and less than one sphere. Thereby, the first half convergence is performed in which the flow of the game balls is gently narrowed so that the flow of the game ball approaches the flow of the single row.
Moreover, in the 2nd ball | bowl rectification | straightening part, the width | variety between ball | bowl centers is further restrict | squeezed and the flow of a game ball will be in the flow-down state of 1 item | strip. As a result, the second half convergence is performed in which the flow of the game balls is further narrowed down to a one-line flow state. In the bent sphere channel portion, convergence as a relay from the first half convergence to the second half convergence is performed.

In this way, in the ball channel structure, the convergence of the flow of game balls from two to one is distributed to the first sphere rectifier extending in the substantially horizontal direction and the second sphere rectifier extending in the vertical direction. It can be carried out. Further, the bent sphere flow path portion formed between the first sphere rectifying unit and the second sphere rectifying unit can be used for converging the flow of game balls.
Therefore, the downward inclination angle of the first sphere rectifier extending in the substantially horizontal direction can be set to an angle close to the horizontal state. As a result, the space occupied by the first ball rectifying unit in the vertical direction of the gaming machine can be minimized.
Therefore, according to the ball flow path structure of the gaming machine, the opening area on the back side for arranging the game board in the gaming machine can be enlarged.

Cross-sectional explanatory drawing shown in the state which looked at the spherical flow-path structure concerning the Example from the upper direction. Cross-sectional explanatory drawing shown in the state which looked at the spherical channel structure from the back concerning an Example. Sectional explanatory drawing shown in the state which looked at the spherical channel structure concerning the Example from the side. Cross-sectional explanatory drawing which shows the back mechanism part provided with the spherical channel structure concerning the Example in the state seen from back. Explanatory drawing which shows the back mechanism part provided with the spherical channel structure concerning the Example in the state seen from upper direction. 2. It is a figure which shows the state which looked at the upstream edge part of the parallel part in a spherical flow path structure concerning an Example from the side, and is XX sectional explanatory drawing in FIG. 2. It is a figure which shows the downstream end part of the parallel part in a spherical channel structure concerning an Example in the state seen from the side, and is the YY sectional view explanatory drawing in FIG.

A preferred embodiment of the above-described ball channel structure of the gaming machine will be described.
In the ball flow path structure of the gaming machine, the two ball flow paths are partitioned by a partition wall provided between a pair of side walls substantially parallel to the flow-down direction of the game ball, and the first ball The rectifying unit has a first upstream side formed such that a height of the partition wall is equal to or higher than a hemisphere of a game ball, and a width between the ball centers is equal to or greater than a width of one game ball. A downstream first sphere rectifier formed by connecting to a sphere rectifier and a downstream end of the upstream first sphere rectifier, wherein the height of the partition wall is changed to a height less than the hemisphere of the game ball. The downstream first sphere rectifying unit is configured such that the side wall interval between the inner wall surface of one of the side walls and the inner wall surface of the other side wall is inclined from the upstream side toward the downstream side. A first constricted portion that is constricted to a downstream end of the first constricted portion, a parallel portion having a substantially constant side wall spacing, and the flat portion. And a second throttle part that is connected to the downstream end of the part and further narrows the side wall interval in an inclined manner from the upstream side to the downstream side, and constitutes the parallel part. The inner wall surface of the other side wall is inclined so that the interval between the side walls becomes narrower as it approaches the bottom surface of the spherical channel, and the inclination angle of the inner wall surface of the other side wall is from the upstream side toward the downstream side. that has changed so as to be steep.

The first sphere rectifying unit is divided into an upstream first sphere rectifying unit and a downstream first sphere rectifying unit by a portion where the height of the partition wall that partitions the two sphere flow paths changes. And the downstream 1st ball | bowl rectification | straightening part is avoiding that the flow of a game ball is restrict | squeezed rapidly by comprising by a 1st aperture | diaphragm | squeeze part, a parallel part, and a 2nd aperture_diaphragm | restriction part.
By the way, in order to prevent the occurrence of ball clogging and to merge the flow of game balls from two to one, between the game balls flowing back and forth in the ball flow path on one side wall, It is preferable that the game balls flowing in the ball flow path be interrupted one by one.

  Therefore, first, the flow of the game ball is once throttled in the first throttle portion, and the game ball flowing in the ball channel on the other side wall approaches the game ball flowing in the ball channel on the other side wall side. . Next, in the parallel portion, the game ball in the ball channel on one side wall side and the game ball in the ball channel on the other side wall side flow down in parallel. This prevents the game ball flowing in the ball flow path on the other side wall from suddenly approaching the game ball flowing in the ball flow path on the one side wall side, thereby preventing the ball flow path on the one side wall side. The flow-down position of the game ball flowing through the ball and the flow-down position of the game ball flowing through the ball flow path on the other side wall can be easily shifted forward and backward in the flow-down direction. Then, as one goes to the downstream side in the parallel portion, one game ball flowing in the ball flow path on the other side wall is arranged one by one in the space between the game balls flowing back and forth in the ball flow path on the one side wall side. A state is formed.

Thereafter, the flow of the game ball is further throttled in the second throttling portion, and the flow-down position of the game ball flowing through the ball flow path on one side wall side, and the flow-down position of the game ball flowing through the ball flow path on the other side wall side Changes to a state where it is shifted by approximately a hemisphere or more in the flow direction of the game ball.
Thus, by restricting the flow of the game ball by the first throttle part, the parallel part and the second throttle part, the occurrence of the clogging of the ball is prevented, and the flow of the game ball is converged to a state close to two to one. be able to.

  Moreover, the inner wall surface of the other side wall constituting the parallel portion is inclined inward so that the side wall interval becomes narrower toward the bottom surface of the spherical channel. Due to the inclination of the inner wall surface of the other side wall, the game ball flowing in the ball channel on the other side wall is brought closer to the ball channel on the one side wall side. It is possible to make it easier for the game ball flowing through the ball flow path to escape upward. Thereby, it is possible to make it difficult for the ball to be clogged.

  In addition, as described above, the game balls flowing in the ball flow path on one side wall and the game balls flowing in the ball flow path on the other side wall alternate approximately hemispherically toward the downstream side in the parallel portion. A state of flowing through is formed. Therefore, the inclination angle of the inner wall surface of the other side wall constituting the parallel portion is changed so as to be steep from the upstream side toward the downstream side. Thereby, it becomes difficult for the game ball flowing in the ball flow path on the other side wall side to escape upward as it goes downstream. Therefore, after the game ball flowing through the ball flow path on the one side wall side and the game ball flowing through the ball flow path on the other side wall side are formed to flow alternately while being shifted by approximately hemisphere, It is possible to prevent the rectification state of the glass from collapsing and to prevent clogging of the balls.

  In addition, the downstream first sphere rectifying unit in which the height of the partition wall has changed to a height less than the hemisphere of the game ball includes a case where the partition wall is eliminated (when the height of the partition wall is zero). That is, the partition wall provided in the upstream first sphere rectifying unit may change so as to disappear in the downstream first sphere rectifying unit.

  In addition, the two ball flow paths are formed between the one side wall and the partition wall, and a main flow path for causing the game ball to flow linearly along the one side wall, and the other And a sub-flow channel formed between the side wall and the partition wall for interrupting the game ball flowing down the main flow channel and causing the game ball to flow down, and the first throttle In the portion and the second throttle portion, the interval between the side walls is reduced by approaching the inner wall surface of the other side wall with respect to the inner wall surface of the one side wall, and is orthogonal to the flow-down direction of the game ball. In the cross-section, the position of the bottom surface of the main flow path constituting the downstream first sphere rectification unit is lower than the position of the bottom surface of the sub-flow path constituting the downstream first sphere rectification unit, The formation start position of the bent sphere channel portion in the sub-channel is the mainstream It may be located upstream of the forming start position of the bending ball channel portion in.

In this case, based on the rectification state of the flow of game balls in the main flow path, the game balls flowing in the sub flow path can be regularly interrupted between the game balls flowing in the main flow path.
Further, in the cross section perpendicular to the flow direction of the game ball, the position of the bottom surface of the main flow path constituting the downstream first sphere rectification unit is set to be higher than the position of the bottom surface of the sub flow path constituting the downstream first sphere rectification unit. It is low. As a result, the height position of the game ball flowing through the sub-flow path that is the spherical flow path on the other side wall side is higher than the height position of the game ball flowing through the main flow path that is the spherical flow path on the one side wall side. . Therefore, it is possible to easily interrupt the game balls flowing in the sub-flow path between the game balls flowing back and forth in the main flow path from obliquely above the game balls flowing in the main flow path using their own weight.

  In addition, since the game balls flowing through the main flow channel flow down linearly along one side wall, the flow down toward the lower side faster than the game balls flowing through the sub flow channel, particularly in the bent ball flow channel section. try to. Therefore, the formation start position of the bent sphere flow path part in the sub-flow path is positioned upstream of the formation start position of the bent sphere flow path part in the main flow path. As a result, the downward flow of the game ball flowing in the sub-flow channel in the bent ball flow channel portion can be started earlier than the game ball flowing in the main flow channel. Therefore, in the bent sphere channel portion, a game ball that flows back and forth in the main channel with an appropriate balance between the downward flow timing of the game ball in the main channel and the downward timing of the game ball in the sub channel It is possible to smoothly interrupt the game ball from the auxiliary flow path between the two.

In the following, an embodiment according to a ball channel structure of a gaming machine will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ball flow path structure 1 of the gaming machine of the present example includes first ball rectification units 2 and 3, a bent sphere flow path unit 4, and a second ball rectification unit 5. The first sphere rectification units 2 and 3 are composed of two sphere flow paths 11 and 12 extending in a substantially horizontal direction. In the first ball rectifying units 2 and 3, the width between the ball centers in the direction W perpendicular to the flow direction L of the game balls B in the game balls B flowing down the two ball flow paths 11 and 12 is the game The width W1 of one or more balls B is narrowed to the width W2 of one or more hemispheres of the game ball B and less than one ball.

  The bent sphere flow path portion 4 is formed at the downstream end portion of the downstream first sphere rectifying portion 3 so as to bend in a vertical direction from a substantially horizontal direction. In the bent sphere flow path section 4, the width between the sphere centers is maintained at a width W <b> 2 that is not less than one hemisphere of the game sphere B and less than one sphere. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the second sphere rectifying unit 5 is formed in a state of being connected to the downstream end of the bent sphere channel unit 4 and extending in the vertical direction. In the second ball rectification unit 5, the width between the sphere centers is further reduced, and the game ball B flows down in a single row state.

Hereinafter, the ball channel structure 1 of the gaming machine of this example will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 4, the gaming machine of this example is a pachinko gaming machine, and the ball channel structure 1 is formed from a substantially central position of the upper part of the gaming machine to one side. The gaming machine has a main body frame 6 provided with a game board and a back mechanism portion 600 provided on the back side of the main body frame 6. The ball channel structure 1 is configured so that the game ball B in the ball tank 7 formed as a part of the back mechanism portion 600 in the upper frame portion 601 of the main body frame 6 is positioned below the one side frame portion 602 of the main body frame 6. Are configured to flow down to the ball dispensing device 61 formed as a part of the back mechanism portion 600. The figure shows the main body frame 6 as seen from the back (back side).

  The main body frame 6 is formed with an opening region 60 for placing functional parts such as a game board and an image display device provided on the game board. The opening region 60 is formed by being surrounded by an upper frame portion 601 provided with the ball tank 7 and the like, a pair of side frame portions 602 and 603, and a lower frame portion 604. The ball lowering structure 1 is provided from a substantially central position of the upper frame portion 601 to one side frame portion 602. The lower frame portion 604 is provided with a control device and the like.

  Under the second sphere rectifying unit 5 in the sphere channel structure 1, a side sphere channel 53 that allows the game balls B to flow down in a single row is connected. The ball flow path structure 1 is configured such that the flow of the game sphere B is converged from two to one in the first sphere rectifying units 2 and 3, the bent sphere channel 4 and the second sphere rectifying unit 5. At 53, the game ball B is caused to flow down in the state of 1 item. The ball payout device 61 is configured to rectify and pay out the game balls B flowing down in a single row state one by one.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the two ball flow paths 11 and 12 constituting the first sphere rectifying units 2 and 3 include a pair of side walls 111 and 121 that are substantially parallel to the flow direction L of the game ball B, and a pair of It is partitioned into two strips by a partition wall 13 provided between the side walls 111 and 121. The two spherical flow paths 11 and 12 include a main flow path 11 formed between one side wall 111 and the partition wall 13, and a sub flow path 12 formed between the other side wall 121 and the partition wall 13. And is composed of. The main flow path 11 is configured to cause the game ball B to flow down linearly along one side wall 111. The sub-flow path 12 is configured to be interrupted between the game balls B flowing down the main flow path 11 so that the game balls B flow down.

As shown in FIG. 5, the main flow path 11 of this example is arranged on the rear side of the two ball flow paths 11 and 12 formed side by side in the front-rear direction of the back mechanism portion 600. The channel 12 is disposed adjacent to the front side of the main channel 11. When the gaming machine is viewed from the front, the ball channel structure 1 is provided at the upper left portion and the left side portion of the back mechanism portion 600 and at the rear end portion of the back mechanism portion 600. In FIG. 1 and FIG.
Here, the main flow channel 11 and the sub flow channel 12 are formed from the first sphere rectification units 2 and 3 to the second sphere rectification unit 5 via the bent sphere flow channel unit 4. And “two-row spherical flow passages 11, 12” does not mean only the state where the spherical flow passages are formed independently of the two stripes, but the spherical flow passages converge from two to one. It also includes the state of the process being performed.

  The ball tank 7 is provided in the vicinity of the upper right portion of the back mechanism unit 600 when the gaming machine is viewed from the front, and the ball tank 7 and the ball channel structure 1 are connected by the connecting channel unit 73. The ball tank 7 is provided in the vicinity of the upper right portion, and a main tank portion 71 that flows down the game ball B from the right side to the left side, and faces the main tank portion 71 from the left side, and flows down the game ball B from the left side to the right side. And a sub-tank portion 72. The main tank portion 71 and the sub tank portion 72 are arranged on the front side with respect to the arrangement position in the front-rear direction of the spherical channel structure 1 in the back mechanism portion 600. The game ball B in the sub tank portion 72 flows down from the left side to the right side and then flows down to the connecting flow path portion 73, and then turns back and flows down from the right side to the left side in the connecting flow path portion 73.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the rear end side wall 711 constituting the main tank part 71 is connected to the rear end side wall 731 constituting the connecting flow path part 73, and the rear end side wall 731 constituting the connecting flow path part 73 is , One side wall 111 constituting the main channel 11 is connected. The game balls B flowing down from the main tank portion 71 and the sub tank portion 72 to the flow path portion 73 are rear end side walls, particularly when the number of game balls B flowing down is small or when the game balls B are scattered and flow down. It flows down along 711,731. And a game machine is normally installed in the state which forms some back slope, when installing in the island facility etc. of a game hall. Therefore, the game balls B in the main tank portion 71 and the sub tank portion 72 are easier to flow into the main flow path 11 than in the sub flow path 12.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first sphere rectifying units 2 and 3 include an upstream first sphere rectifying unit 2 and a downstream first sphere rectifying unit 3 formed to be connected to the downstream end thereof. It is constituted by. The height of the partition wall 13 in the upstream first ball rectification unit 2 is formed to be equal to or higher than the hemisphere of the game ball B. The width between the sphere centers in the width direction W in the upstream first sphere rectifying unit 2 is formed to have a width W1 equal to or greater than one sphere of the game sphere B. In the upstream first sphere rectification unit 2, the game ball B flowing through the main flow path 11 and the game ball B flowing through the sub flow path 12 flow down completely independently.

  In the downstream first sphere rectifying unit 3, the partition wall 13 provided in the upstream first sphere rectifying unit 2 is eliminated. The partition wall 13 may be formed in the downstream first sphere rectifying unit 3 so as to change to a height less than the hemisphere of the game ball B. The width between the sphere centers in the width direction W in the downstream first sphere rectifying unit 3 is formed to a width W2 that is equal to or greater than the hemisphere of the game sphere B and less than one sphere. In the downstream first sphere rectification unit 3, the game ball B flowing through the main flow path 11 and the game ball B flowing through the sub flow path 12 flow down while overlapping in the width direction W.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the downstream first sphere rectifying unit 3 includes a first throttle unit 31, a parallel unit 32 connected to a downstream end of the first throttle unit 31, and a downstream side of the parallel unit 32. It is comprised by the 2nd aperture_diaphragm | restriction part 33 connected to an edge part. The first narrowed portion 31 is formed such that a side wall interval W3 between the inner wall surface 112 of one side wall 111 and the inner wall surface 122 of the other side wall 121 is narrowed in an inclined manner from the upstream side toward the downstream side. Yes. The side wall interval W3 of the first narrowed portion 31 is narrowed by the inner wall surface 122 of the other side wall 121 approaching the inner wall surface 112 of the one side wall 111 in an inclined manner.

  One side wall 111 and the other side wall 121 in the parallel part 32 are formed in parallel to each other, and the side wall between the inner wall surface 112 of the one side wall 111 and the inner wall surface 122 of the other side wall 121 in the parallel part 32. The interval W3 is substantially constant. The second throttle portion 33 is formed by further narrowing the side wall interval W3 between the inner wall surface 112 of one side wall 111 and the inner wall surface 122 of the other side wall 121 in an inclined manner from the upstream side toward the downstream side. ing. The side wall interval W3 of the second throttle portion 33 is narrowed by the inner wall surface 122 of the other side wall 121 approaching the inner wall surface 112 of the one side wall 111 in an inclined manner.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first sphere rectification units 2 and 3 are upstream first sphere rectification units, with the part where the height of the partition wall 13 partitioning the two sphere flow paths 11 and 12 changes as a boundary. 2 and the downstream first sphere rectification unit 3. The downstream side first ball rectification unit 3 is configured by the first throttle unit 31, the parallel unit 32, and the second throttle unit 33, thereby avoiding a sudden reduction in the flow of the game ball B.

By the way, in order to prevent the occurrence of ball clogging and to merge the flow of the game balls B from two to one, the game balls flowing in the auxiliary flow path 12 between the game balls B flowing back and forth in the main flow path 11 It is preferable that B cuts one ball at a time.
Therefore, first, the flow of the game ball B is once throttled in the first throttle unit 31, and the game ball B flowing in the sub-flow channel 12 approaches the game ball B flowing in the main flow channel 11. Next, in the parallel portion 32, the game ball B in the main channel 11 and the game ball B in the sub-channel 12 flow down in parallel. This prevents the game ball B flowing through the sub-channel 12 from approaching the game ball B flowing through the main channel 11 abruptly. The flow down position of the game ball B flowing through the path 12 can be easily shifted back and forth in the flow down direction of the game ball. A state is formed in which the game balls B flowing in the sub-flow channel 12 are arranged one by one in the space S between the game balls B flowing back and forth in the main flow channel 11 as going to the downstream side of the parallel portion 32. Is done.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2, the flow of the game ball B is further throttled in the second throttling portion 33, the flow position of the game ball B flowing through the main flow path 11, and the flow down of the game ball B flowing through the sub flow path 12 The position changes to a state where the position of the game ball B deviates by more than approximately hemisphere in the front-rear direction.
Thus, by restricting the flow of the game ball B by the first throttle portion 31, the parallel portion 32, and the second throttle portion 33, the occurrence of clogging of the ball is prevented, and the flow of the game ball B is close to two to one. It is possible to converge to a state (convergence in the first half).

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 6, and 7, the first sphere rectifying units 2 and 3, the bent sphere channel unit 4, and the second sphere rectifying unit 5 are all formed in a cylindrical shape. The first sphere rectifying units 2 and 3 and the bent sphere channel unit 4 are a lid member 17 that forms a ceiling portion 15 on a channel member 16 that forms a pair of side walls 111 and 121, a bottom portion 14, and a partition wall 13. Is provided. The bottom surface 141 on the main flow channel 11 side in the downstream rectification unit 3 includes an upstream step rectification unit 2 and a downstream rectification unit due to the step portion 113 on the upstream side and the step portion 114 between the main flow channel 11 and the sub flow channel 12. 3 is depressed from the bottom surface 142 on the side of the sub-flow channel 12 by a size less than about half of the game ball B.

  In the cross section orthogonal to the flow direction L of the game ball B, the position of the bottom surface 141 of the main flow path 11 constituting the downstream first sphere rectification unit 3 is the position of the sub flow path 12 constituting the downstream first sphere rectification unit 3. It is lower than the position of the bottom surface 142. Further, the bottom surface 141 of the main flow path 11 constituting the downstream first sphere rectification unit 3 and the bottom surface 142 of the sub-flow path 12 constituting the downstream first sphere rectification unit 3 are formed in a substantially parallel state. ing. As a result, the height position of the game ball B flowing through the sub-channel 12 becomes higher than the height position of the game ball B flowing through the main channel 11. Therefore, the game ball B flowing through the sub-flow channel 12 is interrupted between the game balls B flowing forward and backward in the down flow direction from the diagonally above the game ball B flowing through the main flow channel 11 using its own weight. It can be made easier.

  In addition, a recessed portion 171 that is depressed downward is formed in the portion of the lid member 17 that constitutes the ceiling portion 15 of the downstream first sphere rectifying unit 3, corresponding to the formation position of the main flow path 11. Due to the formation of the depression 171, the position of the ceiling surface 151 of the main flow path 11 constituting the downstream first sphere rectifying unit 3 in the cross section perpendicular to the flow direction L of the game ball B is the downstream first sphere rectifying unit 3. It is lower than the position of the ceiling surface 152 of the sub-flow path 12 that constitutes. Further, since the depressed portion 171 is formed, the space height H1 of the boundary portion between the main flow path 11 and the sub flow path 12 is less than one game ball B.

Then, the game balls B flowing down the main flow path 11 and the sub flow path 12 in the downstream first sphere rectifying unit 3 overlap with each other in the width direction W, but are unnecessary. It is designed not to mix between the two. This mixed flow means, for example, a flow-down phenomenon in which the game ball B flowing down the sub-flow channel 12 moves to the main flow channel 11. And by the structure of the said main flow path 11 and the subchannel 12, the game ball B is not converged unnecessarily (unnecessarily), and the convergence structure of the target game ball B can be formed appropriately. .
In addition, in the downstream 1st ball | bowl rectification | straightening part 3, when the partition wall 131 (shown with a broken line in FIG. 6, FIG. 7) of the height less than the hemisphere of the game ball B is formed, this partition wall The space height H1 of the boundary portion between the main flow path 11 and the sub flow path 12 may be less than the height of one game ball B by 131 and the depression 171.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the lower portion of the inner wall surface 122 of the other side wall 121 constituting the parallel portion 32 is arranged so that the side wall interval W <b> 3 becomes narrower as it approaches the bottom surface 142 of the sub-flow channel 12. Inclined to. Then, the sub-flow channel 12 is formed by the lower portion of the inner wall surface 122 inclined inward and the step structure at the height position between the bottom surface 141 of the main flow channel 11 and the bottom surface 142 of the sub-flow channel 12 by the step portion 114 described above. The game sphere B flowing through the main flow path 11 can be brought close to the main flow path 11 and flow down while overlapping the game sphere B flowing through the main flow path 11 in the width direction W. In addition, when a ball clogging is likely to occur in the parallel portion 32, the game ball B flowing through the sub-flow channel 12 can easily escape upward (easily move upward). Thereby, it is possible to make it difficult for the ball to be clogged.

  In addition, the inclination angles θ1 and θ2 of the lower portion of the inner wall surface 122 of the other side wall 121 constituting the parallel portion 32 change so as to gradually become steep from the upstream side to the downstream side in the parallel portion 32. Yes. As shown in FIG. 6, the inclination angle θ1 of the lower portion of the inner wall surface 122 at the upstream end of the parallel portion 32 is about 60 °, and the downstream end of the parallel portion 32 is shown in FIG. The inclination angle θ2 of the lower portion of the inner wall surface 122 is about 80 °. Due to the change in the inclination angles θ1 and θ2, it is difficult for the game ball B flowing in the secondary flow path 12 to escape upward as it goes downstream of the parallel portion 32, and the bottom surface 142 of the secondary flow path 12 The width is configured to gradually increase toward the downstream side of the parallel portion 32.

Therefore, the game ball B that flows through the main flow path 11 and the game ball B that flows through the sub flow path 12 while the formation of the first half of the convergence in the parallel part 3 is properly formed and maintained. After a state in which the flow of the sphere B flows alternately while being shifted by approximately a hemisphere in the front-rear direction, the rectification state of the game sphere B is not easily collapsed, and clogging of the ball can be prevented.
The game ball B flowing through the downstream end of the parallel portion 32 in the sub-flow channel 12 is slightly closer to the main flow channel 11 side than the game ball B flowing through the upstream end of the parallel portion 32 in the sub-flow channel 12. Converged.

As shown in FIG. 2, the bent sphere channel portion 4 has bottom surfaces 141 and 142 formed in an arc shape (R shape) of approximately 90 °. The curvature radius of the bottom surface 142 on the side where the sub-channel 12 is formed in the bent sphere channel portion 4 is larger than the curvature radius of the bottom surface 141 on the side where the main channel 11 is formed in the bent sphere channel portion 4. Yes. The formation start position X2 of the bent sphere flow path portion 4 in the sub flow path 12 (the formation start position of the arc-shaped bottom surface 142 on the side where the sub flow path 12 is formed in the bent sphere flow path section 4) is the main flow path. 11 is located upstream of the formation start position X1 of the bent sphere flow path portion 4 (formation start position of the arc-shaped bottom surface 141 on the side where the main flow path 11 is formed in the bent sphere flow path portion 4). (See FIG. 1).
In this example, the formation start position X2 of the bent sphere flow path portion 4 in the sub flow path 12 is formed in the flow path area of the second throttle portion 33. Further, a part of the side wall 121 of the sub-flow channel 12 has a slightly converged shape at the upstream end portion of the bent sphere flow channel portion 4.

  By the way, the game ball B flowing through the main flow path 11 flows down linearly along the one side wall 111, and therefore, particularly in the bent ball flow path portion 4, compared with the game ball B flowing through the sub flow path 12. Try to flow down quickly. Therefore, since the formation start position X2 of the bent sphere flow path portion 4 in the sub flow path 12 is located upstream of the formation start position X1 of the bent sphere flow path section 4 in the main flow path 11, the bent sphere flow In the path portion 4, the downward flow of the game ball B flowing through the sub-flow channel 12 can be started earlier than the game ball B flowing through the main flow channel 11. Therefore, in the bent sphere flow path section 4, the main flow path 11 is appropriately balanced between the flow down timing of the game ball B in the main flow path 11 and the flow down timing of the game ball B in the sub flow path 12. The game ball B can be smoothly interrupted from the sub-flow path 12 between the game balls B flowing forward and backward.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a position below the channel member 16 that forms the pair of side walls 111 and 121, the bottom portion 14, and the partition wall 13 of the first sphere rectifying units 2 and 3 and the bent sphere channel portion 4 (specifically, the bottom portion). 14) is provided with a ball stop member 62 that can stop the flow of the game ball B in the main flow path 11 and the sub flow path 12 when performing maintenance or the like in the back mechanism unit 600. Yes. The ball stopper 62 is slidable in the L direction with respect to the flow path member 16. The ball stopper member 62 has an insertion protrusion 621 that can be inserted into an insertion hole 161 formed at the downstream end of the bent sphere channel portion 4. Then, the ball stopper 62 is slid to insert the insertion protrusion 621 into the insertion hole 161, and the insertion protrusion 621 protrudes into the region of the bent sphere flow path portion 4. Thereby, the insertion protrusion 621 can function as a stopper that stops the flow of the game ball B.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the second sphere rectifying unit 5 is formed in a shape in which the main flow path 11 and the sub flow path 12 merge. In the second sphere rectification unit 5, the game ball B in the main flow path 11 and the game ball B in the sub flow path 12 overlap with the width direction W and flow down from the main flow path 11 to the sub-flow path. The game balls B flowing down from the flow path 12 are alternately arranged in a line and changed to a state of flowing down (second half convergence). The side wall (rear side wall) 51 on the main flow path 11 side that forms the upstream part of the second sphere rectifying unit 5 forms the upstream part of the second sphere rectifying unit 5 as it goes downstream. After being curved so as to approach the side wall (front side wall) 52 on the sub-flow channel 12 side, it is formed linearly along the vertical direction. Further, the side wall 52 on the side of the secondary flow path 12 that forms the upstream portion of the second sphere rectifying unit 5 is inclined in a direction away from the side wall 51 on the side of the main flow path 11 toward the downstream side, and then vertically. It is formed linearly along the direction.

The game ball B in the main channel 11 flows down along the curved portion 511 while contacting (contacting) the curved portion 511 formed on the side wall 51 on the main channel 11 side of the second ball rectifying unit 5. By guiding the game ball B flowing down from the main flow path 11 by the curved portion 511, the flow of the game ball B flowing down the second ball rectifying unit 5 can be made regular. In the second ball rectification unit 5, the game balls B flowing down from the main flow path 11 and the game balls B flowing down from the sub flow path 12 are regularly arranged so that they do not collide irregularly.
In addition, the inclined portion 521 formed on the side wall 52 on the sub-flow channel 12 side of the second sphere rectifying unit 5 is inclined in a direction away from the side wall 51 on the main flow channel 11 side as it goes downstream. The direction of the ball pressure acting on the game ball B flowing down from the main flow path 11 and the direction of the ball pressure acting on the game ball B flowing down from the sub flow path 12 can be dispersed. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the ball blockage in the 2nd ball | bowl rectification | straightening part 5 is prevented.

In the ball flow path structure 1 of the gaming machine of this example, the game ball B is utilized by utilizing the upper corner portion of the back mechanism portion 600 which is a corner portion where the flow of the game ball B changes from the substantially horizontal direction to the vertical direction. The flow is converged from Article 2 to Article 1.
Specifically, when the flow of the game ball B is converged between the first ball rectification units 2 and 3 extending in a substantially horizontal direction and the second ball rectification unit 5 extending in the vertical direction, the first ball rectification units 2 and 3 are converged. The second ball rectifying unit 5 converges the remaining half of the convergence (second half convergence).

In the first ball rectifying units 2 and 3, the width between the ball centers in the direction W perpendicular to the flow direction of the game ball B in the game ball B flowing down the two ball flow paths 11 and 12 is the game ball B. The width W1 of one or more balls is reduced to a width W2 of one or more hemispheres of the game ball B and less than one ball. Thereby, the first half convergence is performed in which the flow of the game balls B is gently throttled so that the flow of the game balls B approaches the flow of the single flow.
Moreover, in the 2nd ball | bowl rectification | straightening part 5, the width | variety between ball | bowl centers is further restrict | squeezed and the flow of the game ball B will be in the flow-down state of 1 item | strip. As a result, the second half of the convergence is performed in which the flow of the game balls B is further narrowed down to a one-way flow state. In the bent sphere flow path section 4, convergence as a relay from the first half convergence to the second half convergence is performed.

  Thus, in the ball channel structure 1, the convergence of the flow of game balls from two to one is made to the first ball rectifying units 2 and 3 extending in a substantially horizontal direction and the second ball rectifying unit 5 extending in a vertical direction. It can be dispersed in the process. Further, the bent sphere flow path portion 4 formed between the first sphere rectifying units 2 and 3 and the second sphere rectifying unit 5 can be used for the convergence of the flow of the game ball B. Thereby, the converging structure of the game balls B formed in the first sphere rectifying units 2 and 3 and the second sphere rectifying unit 5 can be gently configured, and the first sphere rectifying units 2 and 3 extending in a substantially horizontal direction. Can be set to an angle close to a horizontal state.

Conventionally, it has been necessary to set this downward inclination angle to around 10 °, but in this example, the downward inclination angle of the first sphere rectifying units 2 and 3 is set to 4 to 5 °. As a result, the space occupied by the first ball rectifying units 2 and 3 in the vertical direction of the gaming machine can be minimized.
Therefore, according to the ball flow path structure 1 of the gaming machine of this example, the opening area 60 on the back side for placing the game board in the gaming machine can be further enlarged.

In addition, the arrangement relationship between the main channel 11 and the sub channel 12 in the back mechanism unit 600 may be an arrangement relationship in which the main channel 11 is adjacent to the front side of the sub channel 12. In this case, the curved shape in the width direction W of the curved portion 511 and the inclined portion 521 in the second sphere rectifying unit 5 can be a shape bent backward, which is the reverse of the case of FIG. Further, the arrangement relationship between the main flow path 11 and the sub flow path 12 in the back mechanism section 600 is the same as in the above embodiment, and the curved portion 511 in the second sphere rectifying section 5 is formed on the sub flow path 12 side, and the inclined portion 521 can also be formed on the main flow path 11 side.
Further, the formation start position X2 of the bent sphere flow path portion 4 in the sub flow path 12 may be located downstream of the formation start position X1 of the bent sphere flow path section 4 in the main flow path 11.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sphere flow path structure 11 Main flow path 111 One side wall 12 Subflow path 121 The other side wall 13 Partition wall 2 Upstream side 1st sphere rectification part 3 Downstream side 1st sphere rectification part 31 1st aperture part 32 Parallel part 33 2nd Restriction part 4 Bending sphere channel part 5 Second sphere rectification part

Claims (2)

The game balls that are composed of two ball passages extending in a substantially horizontal direction and flow down each of the two ball passages have a width between the ball centers in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the game balls. A first sphere rectification unit that is narrowed from a width equal to or greater than one ball to a width equal to or greater than the hemisphere of the game ball and less than one ball;
At the downstream end of the first sphere rectifying unit, it is formed in a state bent from the substantially horizontal direction to the up and down direction, and the width between the sphere centers is maintained at a width equal to or more than a hemisphere of the game sphere and less than one sphere. A bent bend sphere channel,
A second sphere rectifier that is formed in a state of being connected to the downstream end of the bent sphere channel portion and extending in the vertical direction, further narrowing the width between the sphere centers, and allowing the game balls to flow down in a single row. comprises a part, the,
The above two ball flow paths are partitioned by a partition wall provided between a pair of side walls substantially parallel to the flow-down direction of the game ball,
The first ball rectifying unit is formed such that the height of the partition wall is equal to or higher than the hemisphere of the game ball, and the width between the ball centers is equal to or greater than the width of one game ball. An upstream first sphere rectifier;
A downstream first sphere rectification unit formed to be connected to the downstream end of the upstream first sphere rectification unit, and wherein the height of the partition wall is changed to a height less than the hemisphere of the game ball. And
The downstream first sphere rectifying unit includes a first throttle unit in which a side wall interval between the inner wall surface of one of the side walls and the inner wall surface of the other side wall is narrowed in an inclined manner from the upstream side toward the downstream side. When,
A parallel portion formed to be connected to a downstream end portion of the first throttle portion and having a substantially constant side wall interval;
A second throttle part formed to be connected to the downstream end of the parallel part and further narrowing the side wall interval from the upstream side to the downstream side in an inclined manner;
The inner wall surface of the other side wall constituting the parallel part is inclined so that the side wall interval is narrowed toward the bottom surface of the spherical flow path, and the inclination angle of the inner wall surface of the other side wall is the upstream side. A ball flow path structure of a gaming machine, characterized in that it changes so as to have a steep slope toward the downstream side . The two ball flow paths are formed between the one side wall and the partition wall, and a main flow path for causing the game ball to flow down linearly along the one side wall, and the other side wall And the partition wall, and is constituted by a sub-flow path for allowing the game ball to flow down by being interrupted between the game balls flowing down the main flow path,
In the first throttle part and the second throttle part, the side wall interval is narrowed by the inner wall surface of the other side wall approaching the inner wall surface of the one side wall,
In the cross section orthogonal to the flow-down direction of the game ball, the position of the bottom surface of the main channel constituting the downstream first ball rectifying unit is the position of the bottom surface of the sub-channel constituting the downstream first ball rectifying unit. Is lower than
Forming start position of the bending ball passage portions in the auxiliary flow path, according to claim 1, characterized in that located upstream of the forming start position of the bending ball channel portion in the main channel Sphere flow path structure of gaming machines.

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