JPH02307489A - Pinball machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a game from interruption on the way by providing a game disabling means for disabling the game by a predetermined number of shot balls on the basis of judgement of a shooting ball projecting possibility judging means that the predetermined number of shot balls cannot be projected. CONSTITUTION:When the detecting output of a shot ball detector 97 is generated in the beginning of a game by a predetermined number of shot balls, at least the predetermined number of shooting balls remains on a shooting ball supply tray 90, so that a shooting ball supply device 120 and shooting ball projecting device 110 are activated to enable the projection of shooting balls and the game of shooting the predetermined number of balls. Also, when the detecting output of the shot ball detector 97 is absent, at most the predetermined number of shooting balls does not remain on said tray 90, so that the projecting operations of said devices 120, 110 are disabled to make unable the game by the predetermined number of shot balls. Namely when the number of shooting balls remaining on the tray 90 becomes the predetermined one or less, the projecting operation is controlled not to be performed in the beginning of the game, so that the game is prevented from interruption on the way.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is directed to firing a predetermined number of balls onto a game board, and determining a predetermined game based on the result of the game achieved by at least the predetermined number of balls. This invention relates to a pinball game machine that provides value.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, a game is played by firing a predetermined number (for example, 16) of balls onto a game board, and the balls are arranged horizontally in a row at the bottom of the playing area of the game board. There have been provided on the market a pinball game machine that pays out a predetermined prize ball when a winning combination becomes a predetermined combination. In such a pinball game machine, the game can be started as long as there are balls to be fired in the ball supply tray that stores and supplies balls.

In other words, at the start of the game, the ball firing operation was always activated.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Therefore, even if the number of balls hit in the ball supply tray is less than the predetermined number required for one game, the firing operation can be performed, so that the player does not notice. If you fire the balls without starting, the game will be interrupted when you have fired fewer than the predetermined number of balls, and you will have to borrow new balls to resume the game that was interrupted. However, since it takes time to borrow the balls, there are cases where, for example, the operation of the variable prize winning ball device due to the operation of the timer ends, causing inconveniences such as losing the chance to score points.

This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned disadvantages, and its purpose is to prevent the ball from being launched when the number of balls remaining in the ball supply tray falls below a predetermined number. To provide a pinball game machine in which the game is not interrupted midway.

[Means for Solving the Problem] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the pinball game machine according to the present invention has the following features: A predetermined game value is given based on the result of the game, and before a game using the predetermined number of balls is started, it is determined whether or not the predetermined number of balls are ready to be fired. a ball launchable state determining means; and a game disabling function that disables a game using the predetermined number of hit balls based on the fact that the batted ball launchable state determining means determines that the predetermined number of hit balls are not in a launchable state. The invention is characterized by comprising: mobilization means.

[Operation: When starting a game using a predetermined number of balls, if the ball launchable state determining means determines that the predetermined number of balls are not ready to be fired, the game using a predetermined number of balls may be started. can't do it.

As described above, the pinball game machine according to the present invention is controlled so that a game using a predetermined number of balls cannot be played when a predetermined number of balls cannot be fired, so that the game cannot be interrupted midway. do not have.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Structure of the whole pinball game machine First, the structure of the whole pinball game machine according to the embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 is a front view of the pinball game machine with the glass door frame and front door plate open, and FIG. 7 is a schematic rear view of the pinball game machine. In the figure, a similar front frame 3 is provided on an outer frame 2 of a pinball game machine 1 so as to be freely openable, and an egg holding frame 4 is provided around the front frame 3. are glass plates 5a and 5b
A glass door frame 5 and a front door plate 6 are pivotally supported on one side and are attached so as to be openable and closable. A game board 21 is removably attached to the game board holding frame 12 on the back side of the front frame 3 behind the glass door frame 5 using game board fixtures 13a to 13c. Note that the game board holding frame 12 is
Lower support plate portion 12a and frame portion 12 that accommodates the game board 21
b are integrally formed of synthetic resin. In addition, the ejected prize balls are stored on the surface of the front door plate 6,
and a batted ball supply tray 9 that supplies one ball to the batted ball launch position 15
0 (see FIG. 4) is fixed.

A prize ball dispensing lower is provided on the upstream side of the batted ball supply tray 90, from which prize balls dispensed from a prize ball dispensing device 62, which will be described later, is ejected, and in the lower internal space of the prize ball dispensing lower,
There is a built-in speaker (not shown) that generates sound effects related to the game.

For this reason, a speaker storage section 8 is formed in the front door plate 6. Further, the front door plate 6 is also provided with a start switch 9 for starting a game in the pinball game machine 1. Once the start switch 9 is pressed by the first player after the power is turned on, there is no need to press it thereafter unless the power is turned off. During the game, it functions as a settlement switch for settling the scores for each game. In this pinball game machine 1, the score of the previous game is automatically settled at the same time as the game ends and the next game starts. Therefore, the start switch 9 is used as a settlement switch only when the player wants to settle the previous game without proceeding to the next game. Note that the start switch 9 may not be provided and the game can be started immediately after the power is turned on. Furthermore, the front door plate 6
A batted ball supply device 120 that supplies batted balls guided from a batted ball supply tray 90 to a firing position 15, which will be described later, is fixed to the back surface of the batt ball supplying device 120. Note that the batted ball supply tray 90 and the batted ball supply device 120, which constitute the main parts of this embodiment, will be described in detail later. Further, the hit ball supply device 120 may be provided on the front side of the game board 21.

A lower part of the front frame 3 is provided with an operation handle 10 that constitutes a part of the batted ball firing device 110 and a surplus ball receiving tray 11 for storing prize balls that cannot be stored in the batted ball supply tray 90. ing. Further, inside the operating handle 10, a handle switch (not shown) is provided for rotationally driving a ball hitting motor 115, which will be described later.

Further, a firing rail 14 is attached to the front surface of the lower support plate portion 12a of the game board holding frame 12 via a mounting board 16, and balls are supplied to a firing position 15 at the base of the firing rail 14. The ball is fired by a ball launcher 110, which will be described later. Furthermore, a foul opening 17 is formed at the tip of the firing rail 14 to guide hit balls (foul balls) that have returned without reaching the game area 23, which will be described later. A swinging member 18 that swings and falls one by one is provided so as to face the foul opening I7. Each time the swinging member 18 swings, the foul ball detector 19 is turned on to detect the occurrence of a foul ball. Swinging member 1
The foul ball released from the
From there, the surplus balls are returned to the surplus ball receiving tray 11.

Note that a communication port 20 communicating with the prize payout lower is formed in the upper part of one side of the support plate portion 12a of the game board holding frame 12.

Structure of the Game Board The game board 21, which is detachably attached to the game board holding frame 12 by the game board mounts 13a to 13c, has a guide rail 22 on the surface thereof for guiding the balls guided from the launch rail 14. are planted in an almost circular shape. The area surrounded by the guide rail 22 is the gaming area 2.
3. A variable display device 24 having a plurality of rotating drums 25a to 25c is provided approximately in the center of the gaming area 23, and a variable winning ball device 30 having a pair of movable members 31a and 31b is provided below the variable display device 24. It is being Movable member 3 of this variable winning ball device 30
1a and 31b are rotary drums 2 of the variable display device 24;
When the combination of 5a to 25c is in a predetermined display state (for example, when the numbers "7" are aligned horizontally),
It is set to enter a specific gaming state and be open for a predetermined period of time. When a prize is won in a specific winning hole (not shown) provided in the movable members 31a and 31b, the above-mentioned open state is repeated again at the start of the next game, up to 10 times each time a winning ball is generated in the specific winning hole. It can be repeated.

In addition, the variable display device 24 includes a starting prize opening 29 which will be described later.
a, 29b is provided with a winning number display LED 26 for storing the number of winning balls up to a maximum of 4 and displaying the stored number, and a continuation number display 27 for displaying the number of times the open state is repeated. ing. Further, in the upper center of the variable display device 24, a double prize opening 28 is provided for doubling the points obtained when the game is completed. Also,
When a hit ball enters the double winning hole 28, the passing hole 3 will be described later.
The passage indicator lamp 33a corresponding to 2a is turned on.

Further, on both left and right sides of the variable display device 24, a starting prize opening 29a that allows rotation of the rotating drums 25a to 25c,
29b is provided. This starting prize opening 29a, 29
When a ball hits the starting prize opening 29a on the left side in the figure, the passing indicator lamp 33b corresponding to the passage hole 32b lights up, and when a ball wins in the starting prize opening 29b on the right side in the figure, it corresponds to the passage hole 320. A passing indicator lamp 330 lights up.

At the bottom of the game area 23, a plurality of (16 in the embodiment) passage ports 32a to 32p are arranged in a row in the horizontal direction. Further, on the front surfaces of the passage ports 32a to 32p, passage display lamps 33a to 3 corresponding to each passage port 32a to 32p are provided.
3p is provided. In the illustrated embodiment, the passage ports 32a to 32p are numbered "1 to 16".

Therefore, when the ball passes through any one of the plurality of passage ports 32a to 32p, the corresponding passage display lamp 33a
~33p lights up, and its passage indicator lamp 33a~33p
When four lights are lit in a row, the score is 1 point. However, when four passage display lamps 33g to 33j corresponding to the central passage ports 32g to 32J (corresponding to 7 to 10) are lit in succession, the score becomes 3 points. Furthermore, when five or more lights are lit in a row, one point is added for each one lit. The passage indicator lamps 33a to 33p may be turned on or blinked as a demonstration from when the power is turned on or after the reset output is derived until the start switch 9 is pressed.

Further, the game area 23 is provided with game effect lamps 34a and 34b that light up or blink to notify the player when the specific game state is entered. Frame lamps 35a and 35b are also provided on the upper part of the front frame 3 to provide the same effect as the game effect lamps 34a and 34b. Furthermore, outside the gaming area 23,
A score display 36 is provided on the upper right side of the game board 21 to display the score. Further, on the upper left side of the game board 21, there is a prize ball payout lamp 38 that lights up when a prize ball payout solenoid 73, which will be described later, is activated.
A breakout lamp 37 is provided which is turned on when an operation detector 56a, which will be described later, is activated.

The score display 36 is composed of one digital display, so when displaying the highest 10 points,
A" is displayed.

Of course, in this case, the score display 36 may be composed of two digital displays. In addition, the score display 36 has the following information:
At the start of the game, the score achieved in the previous game is displayed blinking, and each time a prize ball is paid out, the score display is subtracted and displayed.1. If a score has been scored in the game when the number reaches "0", the score is displayed by lighting, and the scores obtained in each game are distinguished by the display mode. In this case, one digital display that emits two colors may be used to distinguish between the two. Further, a display device for displaying points generated during the progress of the game and a display device for displaying points to be paid out may be provided separately.

Next, the structure of the back side of the game board 21 will be explained with reference to FIG. 7. The movable member 31 of the variable winning ball device 30
a and 31b are driven to open and close by a solenoid 44. Movable member 31a.

A ball hit with the ball 31b open is guided into the variable winning ball device 30, but the inside of the variable winning ball device 30 is divided into three parts (not shown), and a specific winning ball is placed in the center. A mouth is formed, and normal winning openings are formed on the left and right sides of the mouth. A specific winning ball detector 42 is installed at the downstream end of the specific winning opening.
is provided, and normal winning ball detection detectors 43a, 43b are provided at the downstream end of the normal winning opening. Therefore, when the hit ball that has been stopped by the movable members 31a and 31b enters a specific winning hole and turns on the specific winning ball detector 42, the ball can be moved again for a predetermined period at the start of the next game as described above. While opening the members 31a and 31b, a passage hole through which it is relatively difficult to pass among the plurality of passage holes 32a to 3ip, for example, 32d, 32g, 32j, 32n (4
,7,io.

Passage indicator lamp 33d corresponding to 13).

33g, 33j, and 33n are lit.

In addition, when the hit ball enters one of the normal winning holes and turns on the normal winning ball detector 43a, the plurality of passing holes 32a to
Among 32p, passage ports that are relatively difficult to pass through, for example, 32b
, 32d, 32g, 32j (corresponds to 2, 4, 7, 10)
Passage indicator lamps 33b, 33d, 33g, corresponding to
33j is now lit. Furthermore, the hit ball enters the other normal winning hole and the normal winning ball detection 143b is turned on.
Then, one of the plurality of passage ports 32a to 32p that is relatively difficult to pass through, for example, 32g.

Passage indicator lamps 33g, 33j, 33n corresponding to 32j, 32n, 32o (corresponding to 7, 10, 13, 15)
, 33o are lit, and the balls hit are detected by the specific winning ball detector 42 and the normal person winning ball detector 43a,
When 43b is turned on, passage indicator lamps 33a to 33p corresponding to passage ports 32a to 32p that are relatively difficult to pass through are lit at intervals of one or two, so that passage indicators 32a to 33p corresponding to passage ports 32a to 32p that are relatively difficult to pass through are lit. A high score can be easily achieved by the ball passing through 32p, and in particular, by turning on the specific winning ball detector 42, high scores can be obtained for up to 10 consecutive games. You can win a large amount of prizes. Further, the passage port 32
Passing ball detectors 47a to 47p are provided on the back surfaces of the balls a to 32p to detect balls hit in the passing ports 32a to 32p. When the passing ball detectors 4a to 47p are turned on, the passing indicator lamps 33a to 33p are turned on.
At the same time, a signal for determining the combination of passage ports is sent to a control section of a control circuit board 87, which will be described later. Note that in this embodiment, points are awarded based on the combination of passageways through which the ball passes, but points may be awarded based on the passage of the batted ball through a specific passageway, or points may be awarded based on the combination of passageways through which the batted ball passes. A predetermined prize ball may be paid out.

By the way, on the back side of the game board 21, a winning ball collection cover 39 is attached. This person's prize ball collection cover 3
9 is the double winning hole 28 and the starting winning hole 29a, 29.
b. A guide path is formed to guide the winning balls to a ball collection gutter 84 (described later), and a double detector 45 and starting winning ball detectors 46a and 46b are provided in the middle of the guide path, respectively. An opening is provided in the center of the winning ball game cover unit 39 so that a drum drive mechanism 40 for rotationally driving the rotating drums 25a to 25c of the variable display device 24 protrudes. In addition, on the side of the drum drive mechanism 40,
A drive motor 41 is attached to rotate the rotating drums 25a to 25c. Furthermore, a relay terminal board 48 is provided on the back side of the winning ball collection cover unit 39 to temporarily connect the wiring of the various detectors and indicator lamps, etc.
This relay terminal board 48 is connected to a control circuit (not shown) provided in a control circuit board 87, which will be described later.

Structure of Mechanism Plate Next, the structure of the mechanism plate 49 arranged on the back side of the pinball game machine 1 will be explained with reference to FIG.

First, the overall outline of the mechanism plate 49 will be explained. The mechanism board 49 is provided with various mechanisms for discharging a predetermined number (for example, 16) of prize balls corresponding to the score established at the time the one game is completed. The mechanism plate 49 is composed of a substantially rectangular mechanism plate body 50 molded from synthetic resin and various mechanisms assembled thereto, and one side of the mechanism plate body 50 is attached to the game board holding frame 50.
It is pivotally supported on 2 and can be detached and opened/closed. Further, on the back side of the mechanism plate main body 50, mechanism plate attachments 51a to 51c are provided.
is provided so that it is fixed to the game board holding frame 12. Furthermore, in the center of the mechanism plate main body 50,
The window opening 8 corresponds to the above-mentioned entered prize ball collection cover 39.
6 is opened, and a ball collection gutter 84, which will be described later, is formed at a lower front position thereof. The window opening 86 allows the drum drive mechanism 40 and the drive motor 41 to protrude rearward. Further, the configuration of the ball collection gutter 84 will be described in detail later.

On the rear side of the mechanism plate main body 50, various mechanisms are provided for dispensing prize balls to the player, which are supplied from a supply mechanism (not shown) of the pinball game machine installation stand. These mechanisms will be explained below. On the upper part of the mechanism plate main body 50,
A prize ball tank 52 is fixed. This prize ball tank 52 is supplied with a large amount of prize balls from the above-described replenishment mechanism.

A guide gutter 53 is provided below the prize ball tank 52 for arranging the prize balls. The guide gutter 53 is installed at an angle so that the prize balls are arranged in two rows and flow down naturally. Further, a ball sensing plate 54 is pivotally supported on the upstream bottom surface of the guide gutter 53 so as to be swingable. When the prize ball is completely placed on the ball sensing plate 54, the upper end of the ball sensing plate 54 is pushed down against the biasing force of a weight (not shown). On the other hand, the ball sensing plate 5
When the prize balls are no longer placed on the ball sensing plate 4 due to lack of prize balls, the upper end of the ball sensing plate 54 is raised by the biasing force of the weight.

When the ball sensing plate 54 flips up, an actuation detector 56 disposed below it via the actuation lever 55
a and 56b are operated, the ball out lamp 37 is turned on to notify that fact, and a signal is sent to the management computer installed in the gaming hall, which operates the replenishment mechanism (not shown) and fills the prize ball tank 52. a predetermined number (for example, 4
00 pieces) of prize balls. In addition, the operation detector 56a
, 56b operates, the ball launcher 1 to be described later
10 or the batted ball supply device 120 may be configured to be stopped. In this case, the guide gutter 53 may be stopped immediately or after a predetermined number (16) of balls have been ejected. It is attached so that the wire 57 is connected. This curved line 57 is provided to change the direction of the prize balls flowing down the guide gutter 53 by 180 degrees and to weaken the earth pressure of the prize balls that are continuously flowing down. A ball extraction device 58 is provided at the bent part of the bending line 57, and when operated after closing, the prize balls stored in the prize ball tank 52 and the guide gutter 53 are discharged into the ball extraction passage 59, and the balls are removed. The player is guided outside the gaming machine 1.

Further, a deficiency detection plate 60 is swingably provided in a substantially downwardly inclined passageway portion downstream of the bent portion of the bent line 57. When there is a prize ball within the bending line 57, this scarcity detection plate 60 maintains a state in which the upper end is pressed by the prize ball and the lower end is flipped outward, and conversely, there are no prize balls within the bending line 57. Then, the upper end rotates upward due to its own weight, and the lower end hangs down almost vertically. Then, in such a hanging state, the control member 6, which will be described later,
6 is raised, the upper end of the control member 66 engages the lower end and acts to hold the control member 66 in the raised position;
Ultimately, the prize balls are no longer paid out.

Further, at the downstream part of the bending line 57, a vertical part 6 having a substantially vertical shape is provided.
1 is formed, and a stepped portion is formed at the end thereof. This stepped portion acts to weaken the earth pressure so that the upper ball stopper 64 of the prize ball dispensing device 62, which will be described later, operates smoothly.

A prize ball dispensing device 62 is connected to the downstream side of the bending line 57. The prize ball dispensing device 62 receives a predetermined number of prize balls, and transfers the predetermined number of prize balls to the score processing device 71.
It pays out in conjunction with the movement of the player. The prize ball dispensing device 62 includes a prize ball storage cylinder 63 that stores a predetermined number of prize balls in two vertical rows, an upper ball stopper 64 and a lower work stopper 65 that open and close the upper and lower entrances of the prize ball storage cylinder 63. a control member 66 that alternately opens and closes the upper ball stopper 64 and the lower work stopper 65; and the control member 66.
and an actuating member 67 that moves up and down. The operating member 67 is pivotally supported at its rear end and is rotatable, and an interlocking rod 68 that is connected to the score processing device 71 and moves up and down is fixed to the intermediate portion thereof. In addition, the above-mentioned prize ball dispensing device 62 is provided centrally on the mounting board 69 and is removable by the fixing member 70, so in the event of a failure etc., the mounting board 69 can be removed from the mechanism board main body 50. What is necessary is to remove it, replace it, and fix it with the fixing member 70.

The score processing device 71 includes a rotating member 72 that operates the interlocking rod 68 described above, a prize ball payout solenoid 73 that rotates the rotating member 72, and a locking member 74 that prevents the rotating member 72 from moving blindly. The prize ball dispensing confirmation detector 75 is activated by the rotation of the rotating member F2. The prize ball payout confirmation detector 75 derives a subtraction signal to the score counter based on the fact that a predetermined prize ball has been paid out, and if this is continuously turned on, e.g. , when the deficiency sensing plate 60 and the control member 66 are engaged and a blockage occurs on the guide gutter 53, the operation detectors 56a and 56b are turned OFF.
Therefore, the batted ball firing device 110 and the batted ball supply device 120 are in a state where they can fire batted balls, and if this state continues, the game can proceed, but the prize balls corresponding to the points will not be paid out. Therefore, when the prize ball payout confirmation detector 75 is in the ON state continuously for a certain period of time, the prize ball payout solenoid 73
In addition to disabling the ball, it is necessary to take measures to prevent the ball from being fired. In this case, the disabling of the ball firing may be performed immediately or may be performed after the firing of 16 balls is completed.

By the way, the score processing device 71 is driven by the score information stored in the score counter when the game is established, and every time the signal of the prize ball payout confirmation detector 75 is derived, "1" is added from the value of the game score counter. '', and when the value of the game score counter reaches 0, a stop command is issued to the prize ball payout solenoid 73, and the payout of prize balls is stopped.

The prize balls paid out from the prize ball putting-out device 62 are discharged into a prize ball putting-out passage 76. A guide amount lower 7 is provided at the lower end of the prize ball dispensing passage 76, and this guide amount lower 7 communicates with the batted ball supply tray 90 via the communication port 20 formed in the game board holding frame 12 and the prize ball dispensing lower. ing. In addition, a communication gutter 78 is provided on one side of the guide lower part 7 to communicate with the surplus ball passage 79, and the surplus prize balls are transferred to the surplus ball passage 7.
It is designed to lead to 9. The surplus ball passage 79 is connected at its lower end to a connection gutter 83 attached to the back surface of the front frame 3, and guides surplus prize balls to the surplus ball receiving tray 11. Further, a fullness sensing member 81 is provided on one side wall of the surplus ball passage 79 so as to be swingable about the upper end thereof. Thus, when the surplus ball passage 79 is filled with prize balls, the fullness sensing member 81 is pressed by the prize balls and swings. Further, a fullness detector 82 is provided at a position opposite the fullness sensing member 81. Then, when the fullness sensing member 81 is swung, the fullness detector 82 is turned off, and the operation of the prize ball dispensing solenoid 73 of the score processing device 71 is stopped. Therefore, when the fullness sensing member 81 operates, prize balls are no longer dispensed. In this case as well, it is desirable to disable the ball firing immediately or to disable the ball firing after firing 16 balls. . Furthermore, a bell 80 is provided in the surplus ball passage 79 to generate a sound when it collides with the prize balls.

On the other hand, the ball collecting gutter 84 is formed on the front surface of the mechanism plate main body 50 as described above, and the batted balls collected by the ball collecting gutter 84 pass through the discharge ball passage 85 to the outside of the pinball game machine 1. It is discharged.

Furthermore, a control circuit board 87 is attached to the back surface of the mechanism board main body 50 to control the game content and the operation of the shot balls, which will be described later. Note that the board for controlling the game and the board for controlling the firing operation may be formed separately, and each may be housed and installed in a separate housing case.

Next, the ball hitting control mechanism, which is important in controlling the game of this pinball game machine 1, will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1A to 5. The batted ball IIJ control mechanism is integrated into the front door plate 6 and includes a batted ball supply tray 90, a batted ball launcher 110, and a batted ball feeder 120.

Battered Ball Supply Pan First, the structure of the batted ball supply pan 90 will be explained with reference to FIG. 4. The batted ball supply tray 90 is fixed to the front surface of the front door plate 6, and is located in the batted ball storage section 9 facing the prize ball output lower.
1 and a batted ball alignment gutter 92 that is formed continuously with the batted ball storage section 91 and that aligns the batted balls in a line and causes them to flow down. The upper surface of the batted ball alignment gutter 92 is covered with a cover member 93. A ball leveling part 94 is formed at the upstream end of the cover member 93 and is bent upward at the connecting part between the hit ball storage part 91 and the hit ball alignment gutter 92. , is provided to align the hit balls that are stored one above the other in the hit ball storage section 91.

Further, a window portion 95 is formed over substantially the entire length of the cover member 93 through which the cover member 93 can be seen. This window portion 95 is
In order to prevent players from mistaking the stoppage of ball firing due to a lack of balls to mean that there are no balls left, the system is constructed so that the presence or absence of balls can be easily confirmed, and in the case of the illustrated embodiment, a transparent The holes may be made of a long and thin material.

Further, on the outside of the batted ball alignment gutter 92 of the batted ball supply tray 90, a batted ball launch stop indicator 96 is provided to notify that the batted ball launch operation has been stopped. This batted ball launch stop indicator 96 is activated (lights up) when a predetermined number (16) of batted balls are no longer present on the batted ball alignment gutter 92, but the batted ball launch stop indicator 96 is activated (lights up) when a predetermined number (16 balls) of batted balls are no longer present on the batted ball alignment gutter 92. It may also be activated while the system is stopped.

Furthermore, a hit ball detector 97 is provided on the bottom of the hit ball alignment gutter 92.
is coming. This hit ball detector 97 is the first
As shown in Fig. A, the ball alignment gutter 92 is provided at a position where a predetermined number of balls (the 16th ball) from the first ball (the ball located immediately in front of the ball supply device 120 described later) stop. , installed in such a way that it cannot be easily tampered with. Therefore, when the hit ball detector 97 detects the presence of a hit ball just before starting the game, it is possible to play a game with a predetermined number of balls, so the hit ball launching device 110 and the hitting ball supply device 1 described later
20 can be activated to perform a firing operation. Conversely, just before starting the game, the hit ball detector 9
7 does not detect the presence of a hit ball, it is impossible to play a game with a predetermined number of balls, so the hit ball supply device 120 is disabled so that no firing operation can be performed. The presence or absence of a hit ball is determined specifically when the hit ball detector 97 is turned on continuously for a predetermined period of time T after the game start signal is received. , when the ball is not ONL continuously for a predetermined time T1, it is determined that there is no ball hit.

By the way, the downstream end of the batted ball alignment gutter 92 is up to the position immediately in front of the batted ball supply device 120 as described above, and the bottom surface of the downstream end of the batted ball alignment gutter 92 is shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
As shown in the figure, a ball removal valve 98 is slidably provided. In this ball valve 98, the lower end of a connecting member 101 is connected to a retaining portion 99 at the rear end via an elongated member 100, and the upper end of the connecting member 101 is fixed to an operating member 102. The operating member 102 can be slid against the biasing spring 103 by being manually operated by the player from the front side of the front door plate 6.

Therefore, the player slides the operating member 102 (first
(to the right in the figure), the ball removal valve 98 also moves to the right. A discharge path 104 is formed below the ball removal valve 98.
An outlet 10 opened in the front door plate 6 corresponding to the end of 4
5 is arranged opposite to the return port 106 (see FIG. 6). Therefore, when the player slides the operation member 102 to move the ball removal valve 98, the balls stored in the ball supply tray 90 are transferred to the discharge path 104 and the discharge port 1.
05, the surplus balls are discharged into the tray 11 through the return port 106. A supply port 107 is provided in the front door plate 6 corresponding to the downstream end of the batted ball alignment gutter 92, and the batted balls flow into the batted ball supply device 120 from this supply port 10f. The hit ball alignment gutter 92 may be one that aligns the hit balls in multiple rows, or may be provided on the back side of the front door plate 6.

Battered Ball Launching Device Next, the configuration of the batted ball launching device 110 will be explained with reference to FIG. The ball launcher 110 includes a launch rail 14
This is a drive device for firing a ball at a firing position 15, and is operated by operating the operating handle 10. In FIG. 1, a ball launcher 110 is installed on a rectangular mounting board 111, and a ball rod 112 having a hammer tip 112a at its tip is attached to one end of a support shaft 113 (
It is rotatably supported on the rear surface side of the mounting board 111. The hammer tip 112a faces the firing position 15, and strikes the ball waiting at the firing position 15. Furthermore, although not shown in the drawings, the support shaft 113 is provided with a coiled spring that applies an elastic force to the ball hitting rod 112. Further, a light shielding plate 114 is formed at the lower end of the ball batting rod 112, and at a position where the batting ball rod 112 is tilted, the light shielding plate 114 turns a ball batting rod operation state detector 118 (described later) from ON to OFF. When 112 returns, turn it from OFF to ON.

A ball hitting motor 115 is provided on the mounting board 111 for imparting reciprocating rotational motion to the ball hitting rod 112. Further, a tentacle detection circuit 116 is disposed on the rear surface of the ball-striking motor 115, and the circuit of the ball-striking motor 115 is closed when the player touches a touch switch (not shown) provided on the operating handle 10. ing.

Further, on the rear side of the mounting board 111, the batting rod 112 is provided.
Abutting rubbers 117a and 117b are fixed in a vertically intersecting manner to restrict the rotation range of the.

Furthermore, the light shielding plate 114 is provided on the rear side of the mounting board 111.
A light emitting/receiving type batting rod operating state detector 118 that is turned on and off by the following is fixed.

This batting rod operating state detector 118 is normally in an ON state, and becomes an OFF state when the batting rod 112 tilts and the light shielding plate 114 intervenes. Thus, when the ball rod 112 returns, it changes from OFF to ON, and when this change occurs, an excitation signal is sent to a ball feeding solenoid 126 of a ball feeding device 120, which will be described later. In addition,
The batting rod operating state detector 118 is covered by a cover 119 so as not to be activated by light from the outside.

Hitted Ball Supply Device Next, the structure of the hit ball supply device 120 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, a batted ball supply device 120
is composed of a frame-shaped mounting board 125 fixed to the back surface of the front door plate 6 and a ball supply device main body 121 directly mounted to the back surface of the front door plate 6.

The batted ball supply device main body 121 passes through an opening formed in the center of the mounting board 125 and is directly fixed to the back surface of the front door plate 6 so as to correspond to the supply port 107.
It is formed into a box frame shape with the side that contacts the front door plate 6 open. Thus, a soil feeding section 122 is formed to correspond to the supply port 107. This feeding soil placement part 122 is formed in the shape of a hole in which one ball can be stored,
A ball feeding protrusion 132 of a ball feeding member 130, which will be described later, is inserted into this hole.
It has started to appear in the. In addition, the soil loading section 12
2 is also formed with an opening, and a convex portion 139 of a feed strain sensing member 137, which will be described later, appears in and disappears from this opening. Furthermore, a guideway 123 is provided on one side (downstream side) of the feeding soil placement section 122 in an inclined manner, and a drop opening is provided at the downstream end of the guideway 123 and on the rear side of the batted ball supply device main body 121. 124 have been established. This drop opening 124 faces slightly upstream of the firing position 15 of the firing rail 14.

On the other hand, a mounting board 125 is attached so as to surround the batted ball supply device main body 121, and a ball feed solenoid 126 is attached below this mounting board 125.

The ball feed solenoid 126 is installed so that its plunger 127 can move substantially laterally, and is always biased to one side (the left side in FIG. 1A) by a spring 128 provided around the plunger 127. It is located. Further, a suppressing portion 129 is formed at the other end of the plunger 127.

On the other hand, the ball feeding member 13 is attached to the upper part of the ball feeding solenoid 126.
0 is supported by a support shaft 131. The ball feeding member 130 is formed in an "L" shape, and its bent portion is connected to the support shaft 1.
It is supported by 31 and can swing freely. Thus, a ball feeding protrusion 132 is provided at the tip of the long side of the ball feeding member 130 in an upwardly protruding manner, and the ball feeding protrusion 132 appears in and out of the feeding soil mounting portion 122 of the batted ball supply device main body 121. It looks like this. Note that the upper surface of the ball feeding protrusion 132 is an inclined surface 1 that is formed to be inclined toward the guide path 123.
It is 33. Further, a contact portion 134 is formed at the tip of the short side of the ball feeding member 130 so as to face the pressing portion 129 of the ball feeding solenoid 126, and when the ball feeding solenoid 126 is excited, the pressing portion 129 The abutting portion 134 is pressed, causing the ball feeding member 130 to swing. Further, a locking portion 135 is formed approximately in the center of the long side of the ball feeding member 130, and this locking portion 135
When the biasing spring 136 is locked, the ball feeding protrusion 132 of the ball feeding member 130 moves to the ball feeding device main body 12.
It is biased to a position where it enters the soil loading section 122 of No. 1. Since the ball feeding member 130 is configured as described above, the ball feeding protrusion 132 is caused to enter the soil feeding portion 122 by the biasing spring 136 in a normal state. Therefore, the first batted ball in the batted ball alignment gutter 92 is
As shown in FIG. B, the ball is stopped in a standby state above the ball removing valve 98 by contacting the side surface of the ball feeding protrusion 132. In response to this, the ball feeding solenoid 126 is energized and the pressing part 1
29 presses the contact portion 134, the ball feeding member 130 rotates counterclockwise about the support shaft 131 against the biasing force of the biasing spring 136. For this reason, the ball feeding protrusion 132 is in a state where it is retracted from the feeding soil placement section 122, so that the first ball of the batted ball alignment gutter 92 is moved to the feeding soil placement section 122.
It is placed on the upper surface of the ball feeding protrusion 132. Then, as the ball feeding solenoid 126 is de-energized, the ball feeding member 130 is activated by the biasing spring 13.
The ball is rotated clockwise again by the biasing force of 6, lifts the ball that was placed on the feeding soil placement section 122, and moves it to the guideway 123.
and send it out from the drop port 124 to the launch rail 14.

The mounting board 125 also includes the batted ball supply device main body 12.
A light emitting/receiving type feeding ball detector 144 is attached to the upper side of the ball 1. This feed ball detector 144 is connected to the spindle 13
This is a famous device that detects the movement of the sending ball sensing member 137 that is supported by and oscillates by the ball feeding mechanism 8. The sending ball sensing member 137 has its rear end pivotably supported by the support shaft 138, and has a convex portion 139 formed with an abutting inclined surface 140 in the middle thereof. A biasing spring 1 is placed on the top surface of the
One end of the ball 41 is brought into contact with the member 41 and always urges the sending ball sensing member 137 downward. In addition, the sending ball sensing member 1
An arm piece 142 is formed on the tip side of the ball 37, and a light shielding plate 143 for operating the feed ball detector 144 is formed at the tip of the arm piece 142. Therefore, the feeding ball sensing member 137 is always in a lowered position due to the biasing spring 141 so that the light shielding plate 143 turns off the feeding ball detector 144, and is moved to the feeding soil placement section 122. When the hit ball is lifted by the ball sending member 130, it is pressed by the ball and swings upward, causing the light shielding plate 143 to retreat from the ball sending detector 144 and turn on. . This allows the number of balls to be fired to be counted.

Further, a relay terminal board 145 that relays the wiring from the ball feeding solenoid 126 and the ball feeding detector 144 is fixed to the upper side of the mounting board 125.
Connectors 146 are formed at 45 to connect terminals extending from the respective wirings.

Above the operation of the batted ball control mechanism, the batted ball supply tray 90, the batted ball launcher 110,
The operation of the batted ball control mechanism including the batted ball supply device 120 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1A to 5.

First, when the player throws the batted balls purchased into the batted ball supply tray 90, the batted balls flow down the batted ball alignment gutter 92 of the batted ball supply tray 90, and just before the supply port 107, the first batted ball hits the ball feeding protrusion. 13
It comes into contact with the side of 2 and stops. When the player rotates the operating handle 10 in such a state, the handle switches including a touch switch (not shown) turn ON, and the batting motor 115 of the batting ball launching device 110 rotates. When the ball-striking motor 115 is rotated, the ball-striking rod 112 tilts as shown in FIG.
8 from ON to OFF. At this time, the ball feed solenoid 126 of the batted ball supply device 120 is not yet energized. When the ball hitting motor 115 further rotates, the ball hitting rod 11
2 suddenly returns to its original position. At this time, the batting rod operation state detector 118 changes from OFF to ON.
By detecting this change, the ball feed solenoid 126 of the batted ball supply device 120 is energized. When the normal feed resolenoid 126 is energized, the ball feeding member 130 is retracted from the soil loading section 122, and the leading ball, which was stopped on the side surface of the ball feeding protrusion 132, is moved to the soil loading section 122. Move. Then, when the ball feed solenoid 126 becomes de-energized, the ball feed member 130 is again moved to the soil loading section 122 by the biasing force of the biasing spring 136, as shown in FIG.
As a result, the balls that have been waiting in the feeding soil placement section 122 are lifted up and sent out to the guide path 123, and guided to the launch rail 14 from the drop opening 124. Moreover, at this time, the sent ball sensing member 137 also swings, and the sent ball detector 144
from ON to OFF (see Figure 3). When this feed ball detector 144 changes from ON to OFF, a count up signal is derived and the value of the shot ball counter becomes "1".
Add by increments. Note that the first movement of the ball rod 112 does not cause the ball to be fired. That is, the batted ball firing operation and the batted ball supplying operation are such that after the hammer tip portion 112a of the batting ball rod 112 bounces the batted ball at the batted ball firing position 15, the next batted ball is sent to the firing rail by the batted ball supply device 120. 14. Therefore, the first firing action in the game is a blank firing. The reason why the supplied batted ball was not configured to fire immediately is that if the batted ball is configured to fire the batted ball that has just been supplied, the time that the batted ball is placed at the batted ball firing position 15 will increase. becomes shorter, so
This is because it may not be stable, and in that case, firing defects such as spotting may occur.

When the player continuously operates the operating handle 1o as described above, the ball hitting motor 115 rotates continuously to bounce the ball and supply the ball. By the way, when the fired balls return along the guide rail 22 without reaching the game area 23 of the game board 21, most of them are guided to the foul opening 17 and cause the swinging member 18 to swing. ,
The foul ball detector 19 is activated. When this foul ball detector 19 is activated, a countdown signal is derived and the value of the fired ball counter is subtracted by "1". and,
As shown in Figure 5, the value of the above-mentioned fired ball counter is "
One game ends when a predetermined time period T2 has elapsed since the first change of the batting rod operating state detector 118 from OFF to ON after reaching 16''. Then, during the predetermined time T2, the operation of the ball feeding solenoid 126 of the ball feeding device 120 is stopped. At this time, the ball hitting motor 115 of the ball firing device 110 continues to rotate as long as the player operates the operating handle 10, causing the ball hitting rod 112 to reciprocate. Further, if the hit ball detector 97 has been operating for the predetermined time T□ after the predetermined time T2 has elapsed, in this embodiment, since the hit ball detector 97 is a proximity type detector, OF
When it is F, it means that the hit ball is located at the position where the hit ball detector 97 is installed, and the predetermined number (1
It is determined that 6) hit balls remain on the hit ball alignment gutter 92. Therefore, games can be played. By the way, in FIG. 5, if the hit ball detector 97 stops operating during the second game, the hit ball will pass over the hit ball detector 97 of the batted ball alignment gutter 92. This indicates that there are few batted balls remaining on the batted ball alignment gutter 97. When the second game ends in this state and a predetermined time T2 has elapsed, if the hit ball detector 97 remains in the ON state for the predetermined time T after the elapse, the hit ball detector 97 Since there are no batted balls on the batted ball alignment gutter 97, it is determined that the predetermined number of batted balls do not remain on the batted ball alignment gutter 92. For this reason, the ball feed solenoid 126 of the batted ball supply device 120 is disabled and cannot perform a firing operation, making it impossible to proceed to the next third game. However, in the operation description shown in FIG. 5, since points are scored in the second game, the prize ball payout solenoid 73 is activated after the predetermined time T2 has elapsed, and the prize balls are paid out from the prize ball payout device 62. The balls are aligned on the batted ball alignment gutter 92 and continuously for a predetermined time T.

When the hit ball detector 97 is turned off, it is again determined that a predetermined number of hit balls remain in the hit ball supply tray 9o, and the ball feeding solenoid 126 of the hit ball supply device 120 is activated to perform a firing operation. The third game can be continued. Note that when no points are scored in the second game, the player either borrows a new game plan and throws it into the batted ball supply tray 90, or gives up on continuing the game and operates the operating member 102. Te ball removal valve 98
The ball remaining in the ball alignment gutter 92 may be removed by driving the ball.

The embodiment has been described above. According to this embodiment, when there is a detection output from the hit ball detector 97 at the start of a game using a predetermined number of hit balls, a predetermined number of balls are sent to the hit ball supply tray 90. This means that more than a few balls remain,
The batted ball supply device 120 and the batted ball firing device tio are activated, and the firing operation of batted balls becomes possible, allowing a game using a predetermined number of batted balls to be played. Also, at the start of the game,
If there is no detection output from the hit ball detector 97, it means that only a predetermined number or less of hit balls remain in the hit ball supply tray 90.
The firing operation is disabled, making it impossible to play a game using a predetermined number of balls. In other words, in this embodiment, when the number of strokes remaining in the batted ball supply tray 90 becomes less than a predetermined number, the game is controlled so that the firing operation cannot be performed when starting the game, so the game is interrupted midway. Never.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, when the hit ball detector 97 is activated for a predetermined time T3 or more before the game starts, the hit ball firing operation is activated. The ball firing operation may be activated based on the fact that the device 97 has counted a predetermined number (16) of balls.
Alternatively, a detector that operates only when a predetermined number of balls are on the ball alignment gutter 92 (for example, a microswitch that is turned on only when a predetermined number of balls are present due to the operation of a balance) is provided, and the detector is detected. The ball firing may be activated based on the device being activated before the start of the game. Further, the position detected by the hit ball detector 97 is a predetermined number of "
It may be a position where the 20th object is detected instead of the 16th object, for example, the 20th object. Furthermore, the start switch 9 is configured to be turned on at the beginning of each game, and the hit ball detector 97 is configured to be turned on at the beginning of each game.
The firing of the ball may be activated based on the presence of the output of the start switch 9 and the output of the start switch 9.

Further, in the above embodiment, activation or disabling of the batted ball firing as an example of disabling the game was performed by controlling the batted ball supply device 120, but the batted ball firing device and the batted ball supply device are linked. In this type, the ball launcher 110 may be activated or deactivated. In addition, the batted ball launcher 110 or the batted ball supply device 120
Rather than activating or disabling them, they may be enabled at all times and may activate or disable a shutter that stops the ball being sent to the ball feed device. In short, any structure may be used as long as it can create a state in which a ball can be fired and a state in which it cannot be fired. Moreover, instead of disabling the firing of balls, the passing ball detectors 47a to 4
Detectors such as 79 may be disabled and the fired balls may be returned to the player. Furthermore, it is desirable that all the balls remaining in the ball supply tray 90 be configured to be able to be returned to the player, like the ball removal valve 98 as the ball removal device of this embodiment.

Further, in the above embodiment, the ball firing device is driven by the ball hitting motor 115, but it may be driven by a rotary solenoid or a linear solenoid driven by a pulse signal. In this case, the ball feed solenoid 126 of the hit ball supply device 120 may be activated based on the operation of the solenoid, or the ball feed solenoid 126 of the hit ball feed device 120 driven by the operation of the operating handle 10 may be activated. Alternatively, a solenoid may be used. Further, the batted ball supply device may be of a type that is interlocked with the batted ball ejecting device through a mechanical coupling mechanism. Further, the structure of the hit ball detector 97 is not limited to the proximity type, but may be constructed using a light projection/reception method, a micro switch equipped with a sensing plate, or the like.

Further, the pinball game machine may be a card-type pinball game machine, and in this case, when the player's ball data is equal to or less than a value corresponding to a predetermined number of balls hit before the start of the game. All you have to do is disable the game.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, the pinball game machine according to the present invention determines whether a predetermined number of balls have been hit by the ball launchable state determining means before starting a game using a predetermined number of balls. It is determined whether or not the ball can be fired, and if the ball is not ready to be fired, it is configured such that a game using a predetermined number of balls cannot be played, thereby eliminating the inconvenience of running out of playing pressure in the middle of one game. This will prevent the game from being interrupted.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1A to 3 are schematic front views showing the configuration and operation of a batted ball control mechanism comprising a batted ball supply tray, a batted ball ejecting device, and a batted ball supply device according to the embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the batted ball supply tray. , FIG. 5 is a time chart showing an example of the operation of the ball-hitting control mechanism, FIG. 6 is a front view of the pinball game machine according to the embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a schematic rear view of the pinball game machine. . 1.. Pinball game machine 21.. Game board 87.. Control circuit board (including means for determining the state in which the ball can be fired) 97.. Hitting ball detector (constituting a part of the means for determining the state in which the ball can be fired) 110.・Battered ball firing device (constituting a part of the non-gaming activating means) 120...Battered ball supply device (constituting a part of the non-gaming activating means)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A pinball game machine that fires a predetermined number of balls onto a game board and provides a predetermined gaming value based on the result of a game established by at least the predetermined number of balls, Before starting a game using the predetermined number of balls, a ball launchable state determining means determines whether or not the predetermined number of balls are ready to be launched; A pinball game machine comprising: a game disabling means for disabling a game using the predetermined number of hit balls based on a determination that the hit balls are not in a state where they can be fired.