JP7115012B2 - game ball launcher - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a game ball launching device.

In a pinball game machine represented by a pachinko game machine, it is necessary to accurately count the number of game balls flowing down the game area provided on the front side of the pinball game machine in order to prevent fraud. be. For example, the game machine described in Patent Document 1 has a ball feeding mechanism that performs a ball feeding operation in which the game balls that are taken in are dropped one by one and loaded into a shooting position, and a guiding path that allows reciprocating rocking by the falling game balls. and a detection means for detecting the swinging member.

JP 2015-229091 A

However, in the gaming machine of Patent Document 1, the game ball collides with the swing member and the swing member swings, so that the game ball is counted even though the game ball does not pass through the swing member. There is In addition, in the gaming machine of Patent Document 1, if a game ball is not detected by a sensor that detects that the game ball has passed through the swinging member, the game ball is detected. It will be fired into the play area without a hitch.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a game ball shooting device capable of preventing undetected game balls from being shot into a game area.

A game ball launching device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a launching section for launching a game ball, and a first position on a guiding path for guiding the game ball to the launching section, where the game ball cannot flow down. a movable member movable between a second position allowing the game ball to flow down; and a loading drive device driving the movable member to move the movable member between the first position and the second position. , a game ball sensor that detects a game ball that is prevented from flowing down by the movable member positioned at the first position, or a game ball that flows down across the movable member positioned at the second position. and a firing control that generates a signal to drive the movable member. As a result, the game ball shooting device can prevent undetected game balls from being shot into the game area.

In this game ball shooting device, the game ball sensor detects a game ball that is prevented from flowing down by the movable member positioned at the first position, and a signal for moving the movable member to the second position is received from the shooting control unit. It is preferable to further have a ball feed control section for driving the movable member to move to the second position by the loading drive device only when the ball is being output. Such a configuration of the game ball launching device can be realized simply by adding a new ball feed control section, so that it is easy to implement without requiring a large change in configuration.

In this game ball shooting device, the ball feed controller outputs a signal that the ball feed controller outputs to the loading drive device in order to drive the movable member as a signal for counting the number of shot game balls. is preferred. As a result, the game ball shooting device enables the game ball management device for managing the number of game balls to accurately count the number of game balls shot.

In addition, in this game ball shooting device, the movable member and the game ball sensor are integrated, the game ball sensor has a through-hole through which the game ball passes, and the loading drive device moves the movable member from the shooting control section to the first. When the signal for moving to position 2 is received, the movable member is driven to move to the second position so that the game ball can flow down through the through hole, and the game ball sensor moves the through hole. It is preferable to detect passing game balls. As a result, the game ball shooting device can prevent undetected game balls from being shot into the game area. Also, the size of the game ball shooting device is reduced.

It is a diagram showing an example of a gaming machine having a game ball launching device according to the first embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a game ball launching device according to a first embodiment; FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the ball|ball feed part which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and a launching part. It is a figure for demonstrating the ball feeding operation|movement in the ball feeding part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the ball feed control part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a timing chart showing a control method of the game ball launching device according to the first embodiment. 8 is another timing chart showing the control method of the game ball launching device according to the first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing ball feeding processing in a ball feeding control section according to the first embodiment; It is a figure which shows the structure of the ball|ball feed part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and a launching part. It is a figure for demonstrating the ball feeding operation|movement in the ball feeding part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the ball feed control part which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, a game ball shooting device to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. A game ball launching device of the present invention has a game ball sensor that detects a game ball on a guidance path that guides the game ball to a launching unit that shoots the game ball, the game ball sensor detects the game ball, and , when receiving a signal to load the game ball into the launching unit, the game ball is loaded into the launching unit.

As a result, when the game ball sensor is tampered with so as not to detect a game ball, this game ball launching device prevents the game ball from being loaded into the launching unit. It is possible to prevent the ball from being shot into the game area.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a game machine 1 having a game ball shooting device 10 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the game machine 1 comprises a game area 2 provided in most areas from the top to the center, and a ball receiving section 3 and a rotating handle 4 provided in the bottom. In the game machine 1, when the player rotates the rotary handle 4, the game ball shooting device 10 built in the vicinity of the rotary handle 4 of the game machine 1 shoots at a fixed shooting interval at a shooting speed corresponding to the rotation angle. to shoot a game ball. The shot game ball moves upward along the rail 5 provided on the side of the game area 2 and falls between a large number of obstacle nails 6 provided on the game area 2.例文帳に追加Then, when the falling game balls enter the winning opening 7, that is, when winning a prize, a predetermined number of game balls are sent through a prize ball payout device (not shown) installed on the back of the game area 2 to the ball receiving portion 3. paid out to Further, the display device 8, which is arranged substantially in the center of the game area 2, displays to the player game information that varies in accordance with the presence or absence of winning.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the game ball shooting device 10 according to the first embodiment. The game ball shooting device 10 has a shooting control section 11, a ball sending section 12, a shooting section 13, and a ball sending control section . FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the rotary handle 4 together with the configuration of the game ball shooting device 10 . The rotating handle 4 has a touch sensor 41 , a stop switch 42 and a volume sensor 43 .

The touch sensor 41 detects whether or not the player is in contact with the rotating handle 4 of the gaming machine 1, and outputs a signal indicating whether or not the player is in contact with the rotating handle 4 of the gaming machine 1. . For example, the touch sensor 41 outputs a relatively low voltage when detecting that the player is touching the rotary handle 4 . On the other hand, the touch sensor 41 outputs a relatively high voltage when it does not detect that the player is touching the rotary handle 4 . The touch sensor 41 is composed of a known contact detection sensor or the like.

The stop switch 42 is operated when the player wishes to temporarily stop shooting game balls. The stop switch 42 has an output circuit that detects whether it is pressed by the player and outputs a signal indicating whether the stop switch 42 is pressed. For example, the output circuit outputs a relatively low voltage when detecting that the stop switch 42 is pressed. On the other hand, the output circuit outputs a relatively high voltage when it does not detect that the stop switch 42 is pressed. The stop switch 42 is composed of a known limit switch or the like.

The volume sensor 43 has a volume resistance whose resistance value changes according to the rotation angle of the rotary handle 4 rotated by the player, and outputs a voltage value corresponding to the magnitude of the rotation angle of the rotary handle 4 .

The firing control section 11 has an internal power supply 110 , a firing permission section 111 , a pulse generation section 112 , a PWM signal generation section 113 , a firing drive signal generation section 114 and a loading drive signal generation section 115 .

The internal power supply 110 converts the external power supply voltage V0 supplied from the external power supply 20 to generate an internal power supply voltage V1 and supplies it to each part of the game ball launching device 10 .

The shooting permission unit 111 permits shooting of the game ball only when it is detected that the player is in contact with the rotating handle 4 and the stop switch 42 is not pressed. output a relatively high voltage representing the firing enable signal. At other times, the launch permitting unit 111 outputs a relatively low voltage indicating prohibition of launching the game ball as a launch permitting signal.

The pulse generator 112 generates pulse signals to be supplied to the PWM signal generator 113 and the loading drive signal generator 115, which will be described later. The pulse cycle of the pulse signal is adjusted so that the shooting speed of the game ball is 100 shots per minute or less permitted by law.

The PWM signal generation unit 113 performs pulse width modulation on the pulse signal output from the pulse generation unit 112 in accordance with the rotation angle of the rotary handle 4 represented by the voltage value output from the volume sensor 43 . Generate a signal.

The firing drive signal generation unit 114 generates the PWM output from the PWM signal generation unit 113 only when the firing permission signal output from the firing permission unit 111 has a relatively high voltage indicating that the firing of the game ball is permitted. The signal is output to the firing driver 131 as a firing drive signal. The shooting drive signal generation unit 114 outputs a signal not to shoot the game ball loaded in the shooting unit 13 at other times to the shooting drive device 131 as a shooting drive signal.

The loading drive signal generation unit 115 generates the pulse signal output from the pulse generation unit 112 only when the discharge permission signal output from the discharge permission unit 111 has a relatively high voltage indicating that the game ball is permitted to be discharged. is output as the first loading drive signal. The loading drive signal generation unit 115 outputs a signal not to load the game ball to the shooting unit 13 at other times as a first loading drive signal.

Since the ball feeding section 12, the shooting section 13, and the ball feeding control section 14 will be described later in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, they will be briefly described here.

A game ball sensor 123 of the ball feeder 12 detects a game ball on a guidance path that guides the game ball to the launcher 13 that shoots the game ball, and outputs a signal indicating whether or not the game ball has been detected.

The ball feed control unit 14 outputs the first loading drive signal as the second loading drive signal only when the game ball sensor 123 detects the game ball, and outputs a signal not to load the game ball into the shooting unit 13 at other times. is output to the loading drive device 122 of the ball feeder 12 as a second loading drive signal.

Also, the ball feed control unit 14 outputs a signal output from the game ball sensor 123 to the game ball management device 30 that manages the number of game balls. The game ball management device 30 counts the number of game balls launched toward the game area 2 of the game machine 1 based on the signal output from the game ball sensor 123 via the ball feed control unit 14 .

The loading drive device 122 of the ball feeding section 12 loads the game ball into the launching section 13 according to the second loading drive signal output from the ball feeding control section 14 .

The shooting drive device 131 of the shooting unit 13 shoots game balls to the game area 2 of the gaming machine 1 according to the shooting drive signal output from the shooting drive signal generation unit 114 of the shooting control unit 11 .

3(a) is a perspective view showing the structure of the ball feeder 12 and the launcher 13 in a combined state, and FIG. 3(b) is a view showing the ball feeder 12 and the launcher 13 in a separated state. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of parts showing the structure of; 3(c) is a side cross-sectional view of the ball feeder 12. As shown in FIG.

The ball feeding section 12 has a housing 120 , a movable member 121 , a loading drive device 122 and a game ball sensor 123 . The ball feeding section 12 receives game balls supplied from the ball receiving section 3 shown in FIG. A guide path 125 for guiding game balls from the receiving port 125 a to the feeding port 125 b is formed by the housing 120 of the ball feeding section 12 . The housing 120 is made of resin or the like, for example.

One end of the movable member 121 is formed as a ball receiving portion 121a capable of holding a game ball, and is arranged so as to be positioned within the guide path 125. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, the other end of the movable member 121 is positioned outside the guide path 125 and fixed to a rotating shaft 121c provided along a direction perpendicular to the plane on which the guide path 125 is formed. Further, the movable member 121 has a magnetic body 121b on a connecting portion that connects the ball receiving portion 121a and the rotating shaft 121c. The ball receiving portion 121a, the magnetic body 121b, and the rotating shaft 121c are reciprocatingly rocked on the guide path 125 with the rotating shaft 121c as an axis by the magnetic force acting on the magnetic body 121b by the loading drive device 122. positioned to move.

The movable member 121 has the ball receiving portion 121a, in a state in which the ball receiving portion 121a has swung to the first position on the feeding port 125b side of the guide path 125, prevents the game balls flowing from the receiving port 125a by the ball receiving portion 121a, thereby guiding the game balls. Make it impossible to pass through the route 125 and flow down.

On the other hand, the movable member 121 holds the game ball flowing from the receiving port 125a in the ball receiving portion 121a in the state where the ball receiving portion 121a is swung to the second position on the side of the receiving port 125a of the guide path 125. After that, when the ball receiving portion 121a swings toward the feeding port 125b side of the guide path 125, the game ball held in the ball receiving portion 121a flows down from the feeding port 125b to the shooting position 135 of the shooting portion 13. It becomes possible.

The loading drive device 122 is arranged outside the guide path 125 at a position facing the magnetic body 121b and drives the movable member 121 according to the second loading drive signal output from the ball feed control section 14 . The load drive 122 can have, for example, a solenoid. Then, the loading drive device 122 causes the magnetic field generated by the current of the second loading drive signal flowing through the solenoid to act on the magnetic body 121b of the movable member 121, so that the ball receiving portion 121a moves toward the receiving port 125a and the feeding port 125b of the guide path 125. oscillate back and forth between

The game ball sensor 123 is provided in the vicinity of the socket 125 a of the guide path 125 and detects a game ball blocked from flowing down the guide path 125 by the movable member 121 . The game ball sensor 123 can be, for example, a capacitive proximity sensor or a photosensor.

The firing unit 13 has a firing drive device 131 and a firing mallet 132 . A shooting drive device 131 drives a shooting mallet 132 to shoot a game ball loaded at a shooting position 135 toward the game area 2 along the rail 5 shown in FIG. Firing drive 131 can include, for example, a solenoid.

4(a) to 4(d) show a series of operations in which a game ball that has flowed in from the front side of the drawing is loaded into the shooting section 13 on the back side of the drawing by the ball feeding section 12. .

FIG. 4(a) shows a state in which a game ball that has flowed in from the front side of the drawing is blocked by the movable member 121 at the socket 125a. The movable member 121 shown in FIG. 4A is not driven by the loading drive device 122, and the movable member 121 swings downward in the drawing. A game ball sensor 123 detects a game ball blocked by the movable member 121 .

FIG. 4B shows a state in which the movable member 121 is driven by the loading drive device 122 and swings upward in the drawing. The game ball blocked by the movable member 121 in FIG. 4(a) is held by the ball receiving portion 121a of the movable member 121 in FIG. 4(b).

FIG. 4(c) shows a state in which the movable member 121 is no longer driven by the loading drive device 122 and swings downward in the drawing. The game ball held in the ball receiving portion 121a in FIG. 4(b) is then sent out from the feed opening 125b and loaded into the shooting portion 13, and is no longer detected by the game ball sensor 123. FIG.

FIG. 4(d) shows a state in which another game ball is blocked by the movable member 121 thereafter. FIG. 4(d) shows the same state as FIG. 4(a). After that, the same ball feeding operation is repeated, and the game balls that have flowed into the receiving port 125a from the front side of the drawing are loaded one by one from the feeding port 125b into the shooting section 13 on the back side of the drawing.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of the ball feed control section 14 according to the first embodiment. The ball feed control section 14 has a first input circuit 141 , a second input circuit 142 , a count delay circuit 143 , a synthesizing circuit 144 , a first output circuit 145 and a second output circuit 146 .

As described above, the internal power supply 110 of the launch control section 11 utilizes the external power supply voltage V0 to generate the internal power supply voltage V1, and supplies the generated internal power supply voltage V1 to each section of the game ball launching device 10.

The first input circuit 141 has a pull-up resistor R1 and a NOT circuit. The first input circuit 141 inverts the first loading drive signal output from the firing control section 11 and outputs it to one input terminal of the synthesizing circuit 144 .

The second input circuit 142 has a transistor Tr1 and resistors R2 to R4. An internal power supply voltage V1 is supplied to the collector terminal of the transistor Tr1 through a resistor R4. A signal output from the game ball sensor 123 is divided by the resistors R2 and R3 and output to the base terminal of the transistor Tr1. The second input circuit 142 inverts the signal output from the game ball sensor 123 by such a circuit and outputs it to the count delay circuit 143 .

The count delay circuit 143 has two NOT circuits connected in series, a resistor R5, and a capacitor C1. The input terminal of the preceding NOT circuit of the two NOT circuits is connected to the output terminal of the second input circuit 142 . An internal power supply voltage V1 is supplied to the connection line between the two NOT circuits via a parallel-connected resistor R5 and capacitor C1. The count delay circuit 143 delays the signal inverted by the second input circuit 142 using such a circuit and outputs the delayed signal to the other input terminal of the combining circuit 144 . As a result, the count delay circuit 143 holds the signal value output from the game ball sensor 123 for at least a certain period of time, and the later-described synthesis circuit 144 detects that the signal values output to the two input terminals are both relatively high. I try not to miss the timing of the voltage.

Synthesis circuit 144 has an AND circuit. Synthesis circuit 144 outputs a relatively high voltage only when both signal values output to two input terminals are relatively high voltages, and outputs a relatively low voltage at other times. As a result, the synthesizing circuit 144 outputs the first loading drive signal output from the shooting control unit 11 via the first output circuit 145 in the latter stage only when the game ball sensor 123 detects the game ball. do.

The first output circuit 145 has a transistor Tr2 and a resistor R6. An internal power supply voltage V1 is supplied to the collector terminal of the transistor Tr2 via a resistor (not shown). Also, the base terminal of the transistor Tr2 is connected to the output terminal of the combining circuit 144 via the resistor R6. The first output circuit 145 inverts the signal output from the synthesizing circuit 144 by such a circuit, and outputs it to the loading drive device 122 of the ball feeder 12 as the second loading drive signal.

The second loading drive signal output from the first output circuit 145 has the same signal value as the first loading drive signal only when the game ball sensor 123 is detecting a game ball, and drives the movable member 121 at other times. relatively high voltage. The loading drive device 122 of the ball feeding unit 12 drives the movable member 121 according to the second loading drive signal to load the game ball into the shooting unit 13 .

The second output circuit 146 has a transistor Tr3 and a resistor R7. An internal power supply voltage V1 is supplied to the collector terminal of the transistor Tr3 via a resistor (not shown). Also, the base terminal of the transistor Tr3 is connected to the output terminal of the second input circuit 142 via the resistor R7. The second output circuit 146 inverts the signal output from the second input circuit 142 by such a circuit and outputs it to the game ball management device 30 .

The signal output from the second output circuit 146 has substantially the same signal value as the signal output from the game ball sensor 123 . Therefore, the game ball management device 30 can count the number of game balls shot toward the game area 2 by counting the rise or fall of the edge of the signal output from the game ball sensor 123 .

The second output circuit 146 of the ball feed control unit 14 may output the second loading drive signal to the game ball management device 30 instead of the signal output from the game ball sensor 123 . In this case, the game ball management device 30 can count the number of game balls launched toward the game area 2 based on the second loading drive signal. Thereby, the game ball shooting device 10 enables the game ball management device 30 to accurately count the number of game balls shot.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing the control method of the game ball shooting device 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 shows a timing chart in the case where the gaming ball sensor 123 is not tampered with.

6 shows, from top to bottom, an output waveform 601 of the touch sensor 41, an output waveform 602 of the output circuit of the stop switch 42, a firing enable signal waveform 603, a pulse signal waveform 604, a first loading drive signal waveform 605, A waveform 606 of the output of the gaming ball sensor 123, a waveform 607 of the second load drive signal, and a waveform 608 of the launch drive signal are shown. The horizontal axis of FIG. 6 represents time.

At time t1, when the player grips the rotary handle 4, the touch sensor 41 detects that the player has touched the rotary handle 4 and outputs a relatively low voltage. At this time, the stop switch 42 is not pressed and the output circuit of the stop switch 42 outputs a relatively high voltage indicating that the stop switch 42 is not pressed. The launch permission unit 111 indicates that a relatively low voltage is output from the touch sensor 41 and a relatively high voltage is output from the output circuit of the stop switch 42, so that the launch of the game ball is permitted. A relatively high voltage is output as a launch enable signal.

At time t2, the loading drive signal generator 115 is supplied from the pulse generator 112 because the discharge permission signal output from the discharge permitting unit 111 is a relatively high voltage indicating that the game ball is permitted to be discharged. A pulse signal is output as the first loading drive signal.

Since the signal output from the game ball sensor 123 is a relatively low voltage indicating that the game ball is detected, the ball feed control unit 14 outputs a signal that matches the first load drive signal as the second load drive signal. output as a signal.

At time t3, the loading drive device 122 of the ball feeding section 12 drives the movable member 121 in accordance with the second loading drive signal to load the game ball into the shooting section 13 . As a result, the signal output from the game ball sensor 123 has a relatively high voltage indicating that the game ball is not detected.

At time t4, the firing drive signal generation unit 114 is supplied from the PWM signal generation unit 113 because the firing permission signal output from the firing permission unit 111 is a relatively high voltage indicating that the firing of the game ball is permitted. Outputs a PWM signal that is As a result, the shooting driving device 131 of the shooting section 13 drives the shooting mallet 132 with a duty ratio corresponding to the rotation angle of the rotary handle 4 to shoot the game ball. After that, another game ball is supplied to the ball feeding section 12, and the ball feeding process similar to the times t2 to t4 is repeated.

At time t5, when the stop switch 42 is pressed by the player, the output circuit of the stop switch 42 outputs a relatively low voltage indicating that the stop switch 42 is pressed. Since a relatively low voltage is output from the stop switch 42, the launch permitting unit 111 outputs a relatively low voltage indicating prohibition of launching the game ball as a launch permitting signal.

The loading drive signal generation unit 115 does not drive the movable member 121 of the ball feeding unit 12 because the firing permission signal output from the firing permission unit 111 is a relatively low voltage indicating prohibition of shooting the game ball. A relatively high voltage representing that is output as the first loading drive signal.

Since the signal output from the game ball sensor 123 is a relatively low voltage indicating that the game ball is detected, the ball feed control unit 14 outputs a signal that matches the first load drive signal as the second load drive signal. output as a signal. However, since the signal value of the first loading drive signal is a voltage indicating that the movable member 121 of the ball feeding section 12 is not driven, the movable member 121 of the ball feeding section 12 is not driven and ball feeding is stopped.

At time t6, when the stop switch 42 is released by the player, the output circuit of the stop switch 42 outputs a relatively high voltage indicating that the stop switch 42 is not pressed. The launch permission unit 111 indicates that a relatively low voltage is output from the touch sensor 41 and a relatively high voltage is output from the output circuit of the stop switch 42, so that the launch of the game ball is permitted. A relatively high voltage is output as a launch enable signal. After that, the ball feeding process similar to that of times t2 to t4 is repeated.

At time t7, when the player releases the rotary handle 4, the touch sensor 41 outputs a relatively high voltage indicating that the player is not touching the rotary handle 4. FIG. Since a relatively high voltage is output from the touch sensor 41, the launch permitting unit 111 outputs a relatively low voltage indicating prohibition of launching the game ball as a launch permitting signal.

The loading drive signal generation unit 115 does not drive the movable member 121 of the ball feeding unit 12 because the firing permission signal output from the firing permission unit 111 is a relatively low voltage indicating prohibition of shooting the game ball. A relatively high voltage representing that is output as the first loading drive signal. As a result, ball feeding is stopped in the ball feeding section 12 .

FIG. 7 is another timing chart showing the control method of the game ball shooting device 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 shows a timing chart when the gaming ball sensor 123 is tampered with. The horizontal axis of FIG. 7 represents time.

FIG. 7 shows, in order from the top, a waveform 701 indicating whether or not a game ball is staying in the socket 125a of the ball feeder 12, and a waveform 702 indicating whether or not the game ball sensor 123 is tampered with. , the waveform 703 of the firing permission signal, the waveform 704 of the pulse signal, the waveform 705 of the first loading drive signal, the waveform 706 of the output of the game ball sensor 123, the waveform 707 of the second loading drive signal, and the waveform 708 of the firing drive signal. It is shown.

Since the operation up to time t4 is the same as in FIG. 6, the description is omitted. At time t5, when there are no game balls remaining in the receiving port 125a of the ball feeding unit 12 and no game balls are supplied to the ball feeding unit 12, the signal output from the game ball sensor 123 indicates that no game ball has been detected. becomes a relatively high voltage representing

The ball feed control unit 14 does not drive the movable member 121 of the ball feed unit 12 because the signal output from the game ball sensor 123 is a relatively high voltage indicating that the game ball is not detected. A relatively high voltage is output as the second loading drive signal. As a result, ball feeding is stopped in the ball feeding section 12 .

At time t6, the game ball sensor 123 is tampered with, and the signal output from the game ball sensor 123 is forcibly set to a relatively high voltage indicating that the game ball is not detected.

At time t7, the game ball is supplied to the ball feeder 12, but since the game ball sensor 123 has been tampered with, the signal output from the game ball sensor 123 does not detect the game ball. remains at a relatively high voltage representing Here, it is assumed that the first loading drive signal is output directly to the loading drive device 122 of the ball feeding section 12 without going through the ball feeding control section 14 . In this case, when the launch permission signal indicates permission to launch the game ball, the loading drive signal generator 115 generates a pulse regardless of whether the game ball sensor 123 detects the game ball. A pulse signal output from the unit 112 is output as a first loading drive signal. As a result, ball feeding is performed in the ball feeding section 12, and the game ball which has not been detected is shot to the game area 2. - 特許庁

Therefore, in this embodiment, the first loading drive signal is indirectly output to the loading drive device 122 of the ball feeding section 12 via the ball feeding control section 14 . The ball feed control unit 14 outputs the first loading drive signal as the second loading drive signal only when the game ball sensor 123 is detecting the game ball, and outputs the signal not to drive the movable member 121 at other times as the second loading drive signal. Output as loading drive signal. At time t7, the signal output from the game ball sensor 123 is a relatively high voltage indicating that the game ball is not detected, so the ball feed control section 14 moves the movable member 121 of the ball feed section 12. A relatively high voltage representing no drive is output as the second loading drive signal. As a result, ball feeding is stopped in the ball feeding section 12 . Therefore, the ball feed control unit 14 can prevent undetected game balls from being shot to the game area 2 .

At time t8, when there are no more game balls staying in the receiving port 125a of the ball feeder 12 and no more game balls are supplied to the ball feeder 12, the signal output from the game ball sensor 123 indicates that no game ball has been detected. becomes a relatively high voltage representing

The ball feed control unit 14 does not drive the movable member 121 of the ball feed unit 12 because the signal output from the game ball sensor 123 is a relatively high voltage indicating that the game ball is not detected. A relatively high voltage is output as the second loading drive signal. As a result, the ball feeding in the ball feeding section 12 is subsequently stopped.

At time t 9 , when the player releases the rotating handle 4 , the touch sensor 41 outputs a relatively high voltage indicating that the player is not touching the rotating handle 4 . Since a relatively high voltage is output from the touch sensor 41, the launch permitting unit 111 outputs a relatively low voltage indicating prohibition of launching the game ball as a launch permitting signal.

The loading drive signal generation unit 115 does not drive the movable member 121 of the ball feeding unit 12 because the firing permission signal output from the firing permission unit 111 is a relatively low voltage indicating prohibition of shooting the game ball. A relatively high voltage representing that is output as the first loading drive signal. As a result, the ball feeding in the ball feeding section 12 is subsequently stopped.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the ball feeding process in the ball feeding control section 14 according to the first embodiment.

In step S101, the ball feed control unit 14 determines whether or not the voltage output from the game ball sensor 123 is a voltage indicating that the game ball is being detected (step S101). When the voltage output from the game ball sensor 123 is the voltage indicating that the game ball is detected (step S101: Yes), the ball feed control unit 14 detects the first output from the loading drive signal generation unit 115. It is determined whether or not the voltage value of the 1-loading drive signal is a voltage value for driving the movable member 121 (step S102). When the voltage value of the first loading drive signal is the voltage for driving the movable member 121 (step S102: Yes), the ball feed control section 14 outputs the voltage for driving the movable member 121 as the second loading drive signal. (Step S103). Then, the ball feeding control unit 14 ends the ball feeding process.

On the other hand, when the voltage value of the first loading drive signal is not the voltage for driving the movable member 121 (step S102: No), or the voltage output from the game ball sensor 123 indicates that the game ball is detected. If not (step S101: No), the ball feed control unit 14 outputs a voltage that does not drive the movable member 121 as the second loading drive signal (step S104). Then, the ball feeding control unit 14 ends the ball feeding process.

The ball feed control unit 14 of this embodiment can also be configured to execute the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 by a microprocessor. In this case, the microprocessor receives the signal output from the gaming ball sensor 123 and the first loading drive signal output from the launch permitting unit 111, and the microprocessor generates and outputs the second loading drive signal. do.

As described above, the game ball launching device of the present embodiment has a game ball sensor that detects a game ball on a guiding path that guides the game ball to the launching unit that shoots the game ball. When the game ball sensor detects the game ball and receives a signal to load the game ball into the launcher, the game ball launcher loads the game ball into the launcher.

As a result, when a game ball is not detected by the game ball sensor, the game ball will not be loaded into the shooting unit. It can be prevented from being shot into the area.

In addition, since the configuration of the game ball launching device of the present embodiment can be realized only by newly adding the ball feed control section 14, the configuration can be easily realized without the need for a large change.

[Second embodiment]
The game ball launching device of this embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in the structure of the ball feeding section. The movable member of the ball feeder and the game ball sensor of this embodiment are integrated, and the game ball sensor has a through hole through which the game ball passes. The movable member is driven by the loading drive device to be movable between a first position where the game ball cannot flow down and a second position where the game ball can pass through the through hole and flow down. The game ball sensor detects a game ball passing through the through hole. Also, the ball feed control unit may be omitted.

FIG. 9(a) is a perspective view showing the structure of the ball feeder 22 and the launcher 13 in a combined state in the second embodiment, and FIG. 9(b) is a ball feeder in a separated state. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of parts showing structures of a portion 22 and a launching portion 13; 9(c) is a side cross-sectional view of the ball feeder 22. As shown in FIG. The game ball launching device 10 of the present embodiment is generally the same as the first embodiment except that the structure of the ball feeding portion 22 differs from that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

The ball feeding section 22 has a housing 220 , a movable member 221 , a loading drive device 222 and a game ball sensor 223 . The ball feeding section 22 takes in the game balls supplied from the ball receiving section 3 shown in FIG. A guide path 225 that guides the game ball from the socket 225a to the feed port 225b is formed by the housing 220 of the ball feeder 22. As shown in FIG. The housing 220 is made of resin or the like, for example.

The movable member 221 and the game ball sensor 223 of this embodiment are integrated, and the game ball sensor 223 has a through hole 226 through which the game ball passes. The movable member 221 is arranged to intersect the guiding path 225 between the receiving port 225a and the feeding port 225b. When a magnetic force is applied to the magnetic body (not shown) of the movable member 221 by the loading drive device 222, the movable member 221 reciprocates in the direction of arrow C shown in the figure perpendicular to the direction of the guide path 225 along which the game ball flows. .

When the movable member 221 has moved to the first position on the right side in FIG. 225 cannot flow down.

On the other hand, when the movable member 221 has moved to the second position on the left side in FIG. It is possible to flow down from the feeding port 225b to the firing position 135 of the firing section 13.

The loading drive device 222 is arranged adjacent to the direction in which the movable member 221 reciprocates, and drives the movable member 221 according to the first loading drive signal output from the firing permitting section 111 . The load drive 222 can have, for example, a solenoid. The loading drive device 222 causes the magnetic field generated by the current of the first loading drive signal flowing through the solenoid to act on the magnetic body (not shown) of the movable member 221 so that the guiding path 225 through which the game ball passes is perpendicular to the direction. The movable member 221 is caused to reciprocate in the direction of arrow C in the figure.

The game ball sensor 223 detects a game ball passing through the through hole. The game ball sensor 223 can be, for example, a photosensor.

10(a) and 10(b) show a series of operations in which a game ball that has flowed in from the back side of the drawing is loaded into the shooting section 13 on the front side of the drawing by the ball feeding section 22. .

FIG. 10(a) shows a state in which a game ball that has flowed in from the back side of the paper surface in the drawing is blocked by the movable member 221 at the socket 225a. The movable member 221 shown in FIG. 10(a) is not driven by the loading drive device 222, and the movable member 221 has moved to the right in the drawing. Since the through-hole is not positioned on the guide path 225 in this state, the game ball is blocked by the movable member 221 from crossing the guide path 225 .

FIG. 10(b) shows a state in which the movable member 221 is driven by the loading drive device 222 and moved to the left in the drawing. In this state, since the through hole is located on the guide path 225, the game ball passes through the through hole, is delivered from the feed port 225b, and is loaded into the shooting portion 13.例文帳に追加After that, the same ball feeding operation is repeated, and the game balls that have flowed into the receiving port 225a from the back side of the drawing are loaded one by one from the feeding port 225b into the shooting section 13 on the front side of the drawing.

As described above, the movable member and the game ball sensor of the present embodiment are integrated, the game ball sensor has a through-hole through which the game ball passes, and the loading drive device moves the movable member from the firing control section to the second position. When the signal for moving to position 2 is received, the movable member is driven to move to the second position so that the game ball can flow down through the through hole, and the game ball sensor moves the through hole. To detect passing game balls. Thus, in the game ball launching device of the present embodiment, the game ball sensor always detects the game ball loaded into the launching portion when passing through the through hole. For this reason, the game ball launching device can prevent undetected game balls from being launched into the game area even if it has no ball feed control unit. Also, the size of the game ball shooting device is reduced.

[Third embodiment]
FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of the ball feed control section 14b according to the third embodiment. The ball feed control section 14b of this embodiment has a flip-flop 140 instead of the count delay circuit 143 and synthesis circuit 144 of the ball feed control section 14 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Others are the same as those of the first embodiment, so the points different from the first embodiment will be described below.

The signal output from the game ball sensor 123 is inverted and output to the D terminal of the flip-flop 140 . Also, the first loading drive signal output from the firing control unit 11 is inverted and output to the CK terminal and the inverted CLR terminal of the flip-flop 140 . Further, the inverted PR terminal of the flip-flop 140 is supplied with the internal power supply voltage V1.

The flip-flop 140 shown in FIG. 11 outputs a relatively high voltage only when both the voltages input to the D terminal and the inverting CLR terminal are relatively high voltages, and otherwise outputs a relatively low voltage. to output At this time, the flip-flop 140 delays and outputs the voltage value in synchronization with the rise of the voltage input to the CK terminal.

Therefore, the flip-flop 140 shown in FIG. 11 performs the same operations as the count delay circuit 143 and synthesis circuit 144 of the ball feed control section 14 shown in FIG. Therefore, the ball feed control unit 14b shown in FIG. 11 is substantially equivalent in circuit to the ball feed control unit 14 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. A function similar to that of the ball feed control unit 14 of the first embodiment is also realized by the circuit configuration of . Also, the ball feed control section 14b of the present embodiment can be configured to be executed by a microprocessor similarly to the ball feed control section 14 of the first embodiment.

All of the above-described embodiments merely show specific examples for carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed to be limited by these. That is, the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from its technical concept or main features.

1 game machine 2 game area 3 ball receiving part 4 rotating handle 5 rail 6 obstacle nail 7 winning opening 8 display device 10 game ball launching device 11 shooting control part 12 ball sending part 13 shooting part 14 ball sending control part 14b ball sending control part 20 external power supply 22 ball feeding section 30 game ball management device 41 touch sensor 42 stop switch 43 volume sensor 110 internal power supply 111 firing permission section 112 pulse generation section 113 PWM signal generation section 114 firing drive signal generation section 115 loading drive signal generation section 120 Case 121 Movable member 121a Ball receiving part 121b Magnetic body 121c Rotating shaft 122 Loading drive device 123 Game ball sensor 125 Guide path 125a Receiving port 125b Feeding port 131 Shooting drive device 132 Launching mallet 135 Launching position 140 Flip-flop 141 First input circuit 142 Second input circuit 143 Count delay circuit 144 Synthesis circuit 145 First output circuit 146 Second output circuit 220 Housing 221 Movable member 222 Loading drive device 223 Game ball sensor 225 Guide path 225a Receiving port 225b Feeding port 226 Through port

Claims (2)

a launching unit for launching game balls;
a movable member movable between a first position where the game ball cannot flow down and a second position where the game ball can flow down on the guide path for guiding the game ball to the shooting part;
a loading drive device for driving the movable member to move the movable member between the first position and the second position;
a ball feeder having a game ball sensor for detecting a game ball that is prevented from flowing down by the movable member positioned at the first position;
a firing control unit that generates a signal for driving the movable member;
The game ball sensor detects a game ball that is prevented from flowing down by the movable member positioned at the first position, and the shooting control unit moves the movable member to the second position. Only when one loading drive signal is output, the first loading drive signal is used as a second loading drive signal for driving the movable member by the loading drive device to move the movable member to the second position, a ball feed control unit that outputs to the loading drive device;
A game ball launching device having a The ball feed control section uses the second loading drive signal, which the ball feed control section outputs to the loading drive device to drive the movable member, as a signal for counting the number of shot game balls. , output to a game ball management device that manages the number of game balls ,
The game ball shooting device according to claim 1 .

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