JPH0321280A - Pinball playing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To economically prevent the generation of a fault by heat by providing a frictional force releasing means for releasing the frictional force between a support member and an emitting force regulating member by a frictional force imparting member on the basis of releasing conditions. CONSTITUTION:A rotating operation member 48 is rotated to rotate a rotating transmission member 62, and a handle rotation detector part 71 is turned on. The ON signal of the handle rotation detector 71 is used as a set signal to start a timer 95. When the rotating operation member 48 is rotated by a player, it is made into contact with a tough detecting plate 58, and thus this contact is detected by a touch detecting circuit 96, and its detection signal is used as a reset signal of the timer 95. If the rotating operation member 48 is in contact with the touch detecting plate 58 simultaneously with its rotating operation, the timer 95 is never started. When the hand of the player is separated from a ball shooting operation device 20, the timer 95 is set to start, and after the lapse of a fixed time, a time-up signal is delivered, and an exciting signal of a comparative time is delivered to the coil wire 41 of a releasing mechanism 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a pinball game machine that is capable of adjusting the firing force of balls of a batting ball launcher according to the amount of operation of a firing force adjusting member.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, the firing force of a batted ball is adjusted by adjusting the biasing force of a batting lever spring of a batting ball firing device according to the amount of rotation of a rotation operating member (launching force adjusting member) of a batting ball firing operating device. Pinball game machines with adjustable structures are available on the market. In such a pinball game machine, in order for the player to maintain the desired firing force of the ball, the player must rotate the rotating operating member a certain number of times against the biasing force of the ball hitting lever spring. The player had to keep it at 13i, which caused the problem that the player would become more fatigued if the game lasted for a long time. In order to reduce this fatigue, a foreign object such as a coin or a matchstick is forcibly inserted into the small gap between the rotation operation member and the gripping member that supports the rotation operation member to fix the rotation operation member. The players who play the game do not leave behind, and therefore the rotating operation member turns in a short period of time! ll
There have been problems in that the operation cannot be performed smoothly, or the rotary operation member and its surroundings become full of scratches in a short period of time compared to other members.

In order to solve these problems, the applicant first filed a patent application! In Japanese Patent Application No. 1-3553 and Japanese Patent Application No. 1-26453, an invention for fixing a rotating operation member was proposed.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In both of the above two inventions, in order to fix the rotation operating member at an arbitrary rotation position, power is supplied to an electrical device such as an electromagnet during the fixation period. As the game continues, it consumes a lot of power, making it uneconomical. In addition, if the game continues for a long time, the electrical equipment generates heat, and the heat generated tends to cause the electrical equipment to break down.

This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a fixing structure for a firing force adjustment member that is economical and difficult to break down even when games are played continuously for a long time. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a pinball game machine having the following features.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the pinball game machine according to the present invention is capable of adjusting the firing force of the ball of the batting ball launcher according to the amount of operation of the firing force adjusting member. A support member that supports the firing force adjusting member; a frictional force applying member that always applies a frictional force between the supporting member and the firing force adjusting member; The present invention is characterized by comprising a frictional force releasing means for releasing the frictional force between the support member and the firing force adjusting member caused by the frictional force applying member.

[Function] Since the firing force adjusting member and the support member that supports the firing force adjusting member always maintain their mutual positions by frictional force by the frictional force applying member, the player can move the firing force adjusting member by applying frictional force. When the firing force adjusting member is rotated against the frictional force of the applying member, the firing force adjusting member is fixed at the operated position. That is, even if the operation of the firing force adjusting member is stopped at this position, the firing force adjusting member is held by the frictional force. When a predetermined release condition is met, the frictional force releasing means is activated to release the frictional force between the support member and the firing force adjusting member caused by the frictional force applying member, so that the firing force adjusting member returns to its original state. Can return to position.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the firing force adjusting member is always fixed by frictional force, and only when releasing the fixation, the frictional force releasing means consisting of an electric device or the like is operated, which is economical. At the same time, failures due to heat generation do not occur.

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

First, with reference to FIG. 3, the relationship between the batted ball firing operation device 20 and the batted ball firing device 80 according to the embodiment and the front frame 1 of a pachinko game machine as an example of a pinball game machine will be explained.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the ball firing operating device 20 separated from the front frame 1. In the figure, a door holding frame 2 is provided around the front frame l of the pachinko gaming machine along the frame-shaped frontage thereof. An opening 3 is formed in one side of the lower part of the front frame 1, and a batted ball firing operation device 20 and a batted ball firing device qO are installed in relation to each other so as to support this opening 3. That is, around the frontage 3,
Fastening screw through holes 4a to 4c, positioning holes 5a and 5b, wiring extraction hole 6, etc. are drilled, and the fastening screw through hole 4
Fastening screws 298 to 29c protruding from the batted ball launch operating device 20 are inserted into a to 4C, and the fastening screws 29a
~29c pass through fastening screw insertion holes 83a~83c drilled on the ball launching device 80 side, and are integrally fastened and fixed to each other by sandwiching the front frame 1 with nuts 84 (see Fig. 4). There is. Further, in the positioning holes 5a and 5b, a positioning protrusion 89a protruding from the batted ball launch operating device 20 side,
69b and positioning protrusions 82a, 82b protruding from the ball launcher 80 side are inserted from the front and back directions of the opening 3, so that their absolute positions relative to the front frame 1 are uniquely determined. It is easy to decide. Furthermore, a wiring convergence cover 73 provided in connection with the batted ball launch operating device 20, which will be described later, is passed through the wiring draw-out hole 6, and a batting ball motor 99 (not shown; only symbols are shown in FIG. 6), which will be described later. ) is connected to a relay board (not shown) fixed to the back surface of the board.

Further, in the lower part of the front frame 1, an excess ball discharge opening 7, fastening screw through holes 8a to 8c, and a positioning hole 8d are opened and bored on the left side of the opening 3 in the drawing. That is, at the lower front of the front frame 1, a surplus ball tray 14 is provided in parallel with the batted ball launch operation device 20, and in order to attach this surplus ball tray 14, the surplus ball release opening 7 and the fastening screw through hole described above are used. 8a to 8C are formed. To explain this in detail, a surplus ball tray mounting plate 9 and a surplus ball tray 14 are disposed on the left side of the batted ball firing operating device 20 in the drawing. In the surplus ball receiving tray mounting plate 9, fastening screw insertion holes 10a to 10c are formed at predetermined intervals with different heights at the drilling positions, and surplus prize balls are discharged into the center of the holes 10a to 10c. A surplus ball discharge port 12 corresponding to the surplus ball discharge opening 7 is provided on the back side of the surplus ball tray mounting plate 9 on the left side in the drawing, which corresponds to the positioning hole 8d drilled in the front frame 1. A positioning projection 11 is provided in a protruding manner to determine the unique position of the excess ball tray mounting plate 9 with respect to the front frame 1.

Further, the surplus ball receptacle 4 is formed with a surplus ball storage section 15 for storing surplus prize balls discharged from the surplus ball discharge port 12. In addition, on the rear side of the surplus ball tray 14,
Fastening screws 18a to 16c are provided protrudingly, and the fastening screws 16
a to 16c are the fastening screw insertion holes 10 of the surplus ball tray mounting plate 9
a to 10c and the fastening screw through holes 8a to 8c of the front frame 1 and are tightened from the rear of the front frame 1 with MM members (nuts) not shown, thereby removing the surplus ball tray 14 and the surplus ball tray mounting plate 9. is integrally and strongly fixed to the front frame 1. The portion of the surplus ball tray mounting plate 9 that the surplus ball tray 14 comes into contact with is formed into a substantially planar shape, and the other portions are formed to bulge out as a whole. In other words, although details are not shown in the drawings, these parts are formed so that the back side becomes an unformed space to reinforce the surplus ball tray mounting plate 9. In addition, a receiving shelf 13 is integrally formed on the surplus ball receiving tray mounting plate 9, and the receiving shelf 13 is protruded at right angles to the mounting plate 9.
By supporting a part of the lower part of the surplus ball receiving tray 14, the receiving shelf 13 functions as a reinforcing member against the vertical load applied to the surplus ball receiving tray 14.

Next, each item of the batted ball launch operating device 20 and the batted ball launch device 80 will be explained.

The striking ball launch operating device 20 includes a mounting board 21 and an operating mechanism 22.
It is composed of. The mounting board 21 is composed of a first mounting board 23a and a second mounting board 23b, as shown in FIG. It is composed of a member 56 and a front gripping member 60. These relationships are such that the mounting board 21 is attached to the front frame 1.
The rear gripping member 30 is attached to the mounting board 21, the rotation operation member 48 is supported by the rear gripping member 30 and the middle gripping member 56, and the middle gripping member 56 is attached to the rear gripping member 3.
0, and the front gripping member 60 is attached to the middle gripping member 56. Further, these members are molded from synthetic resin.

Mounting Board As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting board 21 is made up of a first mounting board 23a and a second mounting board 23b which are bonded together in a polymeric manner. In this way, attach the mounting board 21 to 2
By dividing the first mounting board 23a and the second mounting board 23b into different materials or colors, it is possible to arbitrarily combine them to create a decorative effect on the lower front of the pachinko machine. In addition, as will be described later, the structure of the back surface of the mounting board 21 can be made complicated. Of course, the mounting board 21 may be formed integrally without being divided into two parts.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 2, the first mounting board 23a and the second mounting board 23b are overlapped at their lower portions.

Incidentally, a truncated cone-shaped support column 26 is provided protruding from the front surface of the second mounting board 23b. An insertion hole 27 is bored in the center of the support column 26, through which an operation rotation shaft 54, which will be described later, is inserted.

On the other hand, a laterally long cover member 24 is attached to the upper part of the front surface of the first mounting board 23a. A display section is provided inside the cover member 24 to display that a rotation operation member 48, which will be described later, is in a fixed state.
The display section is lit on a fixed display 25. Further, a single-shot push button 28 is provided on the right side of the first mounting board 23a in the drawing. The single-shot push button 28 is used to intermittently drive a ball motor 99 of a ball launcher 80, which will be described later. Note that on the back side of the single-shot push button 28, a single-shot switch 72 is provided correspondingly, as shown in FIG. When ゜ is pressed, the circuit is opened and the rotation of the ball hitting motor 99 is stopped. Further, the single-shot pushbutton 28 is arranged slightly to the upper right of the operating mechanism 22 so that it can be pressed while the rotary operating member 48 of the operating mechanism 22 is being operated. As described above, the operating mechanism operating mechanism 22 includes the rear gripping member 30 fixed to the mounting board 21, the rotating operation member 48, the middle gripping member 5Q, and the front gripping member 60.

The rear gripping member 30 is formed by integrally molding a cylindrical base and a bowl-shaped outer peripheral edge, and the base has a support pillar fitting in the center along the outer peripheral shape of the support pillar 26. A hole 31 is passed through in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, three connecting columns 32a to 32c are protruded from the inside of the bowl-shaped outer peripheral edge. The bases of the connecting columns 32a to 32c are slightly thicker than the distal ends. This is because it is necessary to withstand the load applied by the player through the middle gripping member 56 and the front gripping member 60, so it is better to form it as thick as possible.

Incidentally, a release mechanism 33 serving as a friction force release means is housed in the rear grip member 30 so as to be surrounded by the three connecting columns 32a to 32c described above. The release mechanism 33 constitutes the main part of this embodiment, and is composed of a conductive yoke 34 and a coil body 40 housed inside the yoke 34. The conductive yoke 34 is provided with a plurality of spring storage holes 35a to 35c near the outer periphery of its front surface into which springs 36a to 36c are inserted, and a locking piece 37a that is latched to the connecting columns 32a to 32c on the outer periphery of the front end thereof. ~37c is provided protrudingly. The front ends of the springs 36a to 36c are connected to a first metal plate 43, which will be described later.
The first metal plate 43 is always pressed forward. Further, a donut-shaped coil storage section 38 is formed in the yoke 34, and the coil main body 40 is housed and fixed in the coil storage section 38. Furthermore, a shaft insertion hole 39 is bored in the center of the yoke 34, through which an operating rotation shaft 54, which will be described later, passes through. By the way, a coil wire 41 is wound around the coil main body 40 stored in the coil storage section 38. When a current is passed through the coil wire 41, a magnetic force is generated, which causes the yoke 34 to move. It is made into an electromagnet. Note that the coil wire 4l is drawn out from the outer peripheral side surface of the yoke 34.

Furthermore, a first metal plate 43 is arranged in front of the rear gripping member 30. As described above, this first metal plate 43 is always urged forward by the springs 36a to 36c, but when a current is supplied to the coil wire 41, the yoke resists the urging force of the springs 36a to 36C. It is designed to be attracted to 34. In addition, semicircular locking recesses 44a to 44c are formed on the outer periphery of the first metal plate 43, and the locking recesses 44a to 44c are tilted by the connecting columns 32a to 32c, and a shaft through which the operating rotation shaft 54 passes through the center thereof. An insertion hole 45 is formed. The locking recesses 44a to 44c serve as guides for movement of the first metal plate 43 when it is attracted to or released from the yoke 34. Note that it is preferable that at least the front surface of the first metal plate 43 be finished with small irregularities rather than a mirror finish. This is to maintain the frictional force with the clutch plate 46, which will be explained next. A clutch plate 46 is arranged in front of the first metal plate 43. One surface (rear surface) of this clutch plate 46 is in contact with the first metal plate 43, and the other surface (front surface) is a second metal plate 53 fixed to the rear surface of a rotation operation member 48, which will be described later.
The metal plates 43 and 53 are in contact with each other.
This creates a frictional force between the two. Further, a shaft insertion hole 47 is formed in the center of the clutch plate 46 so that the operation rotation shaft 54 passes through the shaft insertion hole 47 . Note that the clutch plate 64 is
It may be constructed of asbestos, polymer resin, or metal plate.

A rotation operating member 48 is arranged in front of the clutch plate 46. On the outer peripheral surface of this rotation JJ operating member 48,
Finger hooks 49a to 49c are integrally formed. The finger hook portions 49a to 49c are made wider in the front and back direction by that portion, so that the player can easily hang his or her fingers thereon. Further, a shaft-fitting insertion tube portion 50 is formed at the center of the rotation operation member 48 . The front end of the operating rotation shaft 54 is fitted into the shaft-fitting cylindrical portion 50 . After inserting the yoke 34, the first metal plate 43, and the clutch plate 46 into the operation rotation shaft 54, the stopper 42 (E The yoke 34, the first metal plate 43, and the clutch plate 46 are supported between the rotating operation member 48 and the stopper 42 by fixing the ring).

Further, on the front side of the rotation operation member 48, concentric outer peripheral raised projections 51 and inner peripheral raised projections 52 are protruded.

Connecting post penetration slits (not shown) through which the connecting posts 32a to 32c pass are formed between the outer circumferential raised protrusion 51 and the inner circumferential raised protrusion 52. This connecting column penetration slit is an arcuate long hole, and the rotation operating member 48 can only be rotated within the angular range of this long hole.

Further, a second metal plate 53 is fixed to the rear surface of the rotation operation member 48. As described above, this second metal plate 53 comes into contact with the front surface of the clutch plate 46.
Springs 36a to 36c provided on the yoke 34
When the first metal plate 43 and the clutch plate 46 are urged forward by the urging force, a frictional force is generated between the first metal plate 43 and the clutch plate 46. Of course, at this time, frictional force is also generated between the first metal plate 43 and the clutch plate 46. Then, the springs 36a to 36C1 first
The metal plate 43, the clutch plate 46, and the second metal plate 53 constitute a frictional force applying member.

In front of the rotation operation member 48, an intermediate grip member 56 is arranged as shown in FIG. This middle gripping member 56 is
From the front, insert the screws 57 into the connecting columns 32a to 32c.
By screwing into the rear gripping member 30, the rotational operation member 48 is rotatably supported with respect to the rear gripping member 30. Therefore, as a support member that supports the rotating operation member 48,
In this embodiment, they are the rear gripping member 30 and the middle gripping member 56.

Further, a touch detection plate 58 is provided on the entire outer periphery of the middle gripping member 56.
is attached. This touch detection plate 58 is connected to the middle grip member 5
A metal member attached to the entire outer circumference of the player 6 detects when the player's hand touches it. One end of the touch wiring 59 that contacts the touch detection plate 58 is fixed to the touch detection plate 58 by the screw 57. The other end of the touch wiring 59 is fixed with a screw to the front end of the operation rotation shaft 54 made of a conductive material.

Further, a front gripping member 60 is detachably attached to the front surface of the middle gripping member 56.

In the batted ball firing operation device 20 configured as described above, by rotating the rotation operation member 48, the operation rotation i1idl 54 also rotates, and the movement is caused by the rotation transmission member 62 and the interlocking transmission member described later. 66 to the ball launcher 80, and the launch force of the ball can be adjusted. The second metal plate 5 is fixed to the rotating operation member 48.
3 and a first metal plate 43 that is locked to the rear gripping member 30 that supports the rotation operation member 48 are arranged opposite to each other via the clutch plate 46, and the first metal plate 43 is connected to the springs 36a to 36C.
Since they are always biased forward, a frictional force is generated between them. Therefore, some force is required when rotating the rotation operation member 48, but when you release your hand from the rotation operation member 48, Even if the rotation operation member 48 is rotated, it will be fixed at the rotated position. For this reason, one rotation operation member 4
8 to obtain a desired elastic force, the rotating operation member 48 can be fixed in a state where no or almost no force is required to hold it.

On the other hand, when the predetermined release condition is met, the release mechanism 33
As a result, the above-mentioned fixed state of the rotation operating member 48 is released. In other words, when current is supplied to the coil body 40 of the release mechanism 33, the yoke 34 becomes an electromagnet.
The metal plate 43 is attracted against the urging force of the springs 36a to 36c. For this reason, a slight gap is created between the first metal plate 43 and the clutch plate 46, and the frictional force is eliminated, so that the rotation operation member 48 is able to operate the biasing spring 68 provided on the interlocking transmission member 66, which will be described later. Due to the biasing force, it returns to its original position. In addition, in this example, the cancellation conditions are as follows:
As will be described later, current is supplied to the coil body 40 when a predetermined period of time (for example, one minute) has elapsed since the player stopped touching the touch detection plate 58. Next, the structure of the back surface of the mounting board 21 will be explained mainly with reference to FIG. The mounting board 21 has fastening screws 29a to 29c installed on both left and right sides of the center thereof, and as described above, the fastening screws 29a to 29c are connected to the fastening screw through holes 4a to 4C of the front frame 1 and the ball launcher 80 side. The batted ball launch operating device 20 is firmly fixed to the front frame 1 by passing through the fastening screw insertion holes 83a to 83c and being fastened with a fastening member. Furthermore, the single-shot switch 72 is mounted on the mounting board 21.
Wiring from the handle rotation detector 71, which will be described later,
The coil wire 41 of the release mechanism 33 and the touch wiring 64, which will be described later, are aligned so that they do not jump out, and these wirings are converged by the wiring convergence cover 73e. A terminal member 74 is connected to the tip of the k wire converged by the wire convergence cover 73, and is drawn out to the back surface of the front frame 1 through the wire extraction hole 6 of the front frame 1 described above. A glaze receiving member 61, which is housed in the rear part of the insertion hole 27 of the toothpick support column 26 shown in FIG. A semicircular rotation transmission member 62 is fixed to the portion by a screw 63 with a washer. Further, when the washer-equipped screw 63 is fastened, the touch wiring 64 is also fastened at the same time. Therefore, the touch detection plate 58&: when the player's hand comes into contact with the touch wiring 59, the operation rotation shaft 54
, and is sent to a touch detection circuit 96, which will be described later, via the touch wiring 64. Further, the rotation transmission member 62 has one end to which one end of the cable 65 is locked, and an abutment protrusion 70 with which the actuator of the handle rotation detector 71 abuts is formed at the other end.

The handle rotation detector 71 provided in association with the rotation transmission member 62 functions as a normally open switch, and the rotation transmission member 6'2 rotates so that the abutting protrusion 70 and the actuator no longer come into contact with each other. Then, the motor circuit is closed and the rotation of the ball hitting motor 99, which will be described later, is started.

A circular interlock transmission member 66 is connected to the other end of the cable 65, one end of which is connected to the rotation transmission member 62. This interlocking transmission member 66 is rotatably supported by being fixed to the mounting board 21 with screws. A biasing spring 68 is interposed in the interlocking transmission member 66, and always urges the interlocking transmission member 66 to rotate clockwise when viewed from FIG.

In other words, the rotation operation member 48 is urged to return to its original position. Further, the interlocking transmission member 66 is formed with a sector-shaped engagement hole 67 centered on the shaft. Three engagement holes 67 are formed, and when the mounting board 21 and a ball launcher 80 (described later) are opposed to the front frame 1, a retaining rotation member 9 provided on the ball launcher 80 side (described later) is inserted.
It is designed to be mated to 0. Thereby, the rotational movement of the rotational operation member 48 on the side of the batted ball firing operation device 20 can be transmitted to the side of the batted ball firing device 80 to adjust the rebound force.

Note that the mounting board 21 has the positioning holes 6 of the front frame 1.
Positioning protrusions 69a and 69b at position k corresponding to a and 5b
is installed protrudingly.

Next, the batted ball firing device 80 provided at a position corresponding to the batted ball firing operating device 1g20 described above will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

The ball launcher 80 includes an opening 3 provided in the front frame 1.
It is attached to the back side of the mounting board 81.
It is organized in a centralized manner. The mounting board 81 is made of a substantially square metal plate, and has positioning protrusions 82a.
, 82b, fastening screw insertion holes 83a to 83c, and the like are drilled or protruded, respectively. positioning protrusion 82a,
82b corresponds to the positioning holes 5a, 5b drilled in the front frame 1 as described above, and 82b corresponds to the positioning holes 5a, 5b formed in the front frame 1.
This is for absolute positioning with respect to the front frame 1. As described above, the fastening screw insertion holes 83a to 83c are also fastening screws 29a to 29 provided on the batted ball launch operating device 20 side.
c is inserted, and the batted ball launch operating device 20 and the batted ball launch device 80 are attached to each other so as to support the front frame 1 by tightening with nuts 84 from the rear of the mounting board 81. .

The mounting board 81 also includes a firing position 9 of the firing rail 91.
A ball batting rod 85 that bounces the batted ball that is waiting at the base 2 is rotatably supported, and a biasing spring 8 that imparts a resilient force to the batting ball rod 85.
6 is also provided. One end of the biasing spring 86 is locked to a drive lever 87, and the other end is locked to a winding member 89. The drive lever 87 is adapted to engage and disengage with a rotating cam 88 fixed to the motor shaft of a ball-striking motor 99 (not shown) fixed to the rear side of the mounting board 81, and this engagement and disengagement causes the ball-striking rod to rotate. 85 is rotated back and forth within a predetermined angle range. However, since the stroke of the ball hitting rod 85 is always the same, the company needs to adjust the biasing force of the biasing spring 86 in order to adjust the elastic force, but this is done as follows. Ru. That is, the winding member 89 that is locked to the other end of the biasing spring 86 is connected to the interlocking transmission member 6.
The locking rotation member 90, which is rotated by engaging with the player 6, is configured to be rotatably engaged with the locking rotation member 90 by means of gears, so that when the rotation operation member 48 is rotated by the player,
The winding member 89 is rotated by the operation rotation shaft 54, the rotating transmission member 62, the cable 65, the interlocking transmission member 66, and the engagement rotation member 90 so as to strengthen the biasing force of the biasing spring 86.

When the biasing force of the biasing spring 86 becomes strong, the batting rod 85
Since the return momentum to the firing position 92 is increased, the ball can be hit more strongly. Therefore, by adjusting the amount of rotation of the rotation operation member 48, the biasing force of the biasing spring 86 can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the firing force of the batted ball.

By the way, the release mechanism 33 provided in the batted ball launch operating device 20 is controlled by the control circuit shown in FIG. 5. To explain this, when the player rotates the encyclical operation member 48, the rotation transmission member 62
The handle rotation detection device 71 is turned on. The ON signal of the handle rotation detector 71 is determined by the timer 9.
It is used as a set signal to activate 5. Further, when the player normally rotates the rotation operation member 48,
Since it is in contact with the touch detection plate 58 attached to the outer periphery of the middle gripping member 56, the contact is detected by the touch detection circuit 96, and the detection signal is used as a reset signal for the timer 95. Therefore, if the player contacts the touch detection plate 58 at the same time as the rotation operation member 48 is rotated, the timer 95 will not be activated.

The rotating operation member 48 stops at the rotated position due to the mutual frictional force between the clutch plate 46, the first metal plate 43, and the second metal plate 53, as described above.

Further, the detection signal from the touch detection circuit 96 is used as a set signal for the display drive circuit 98, and therefore,
The fixed display 25 built into the cover member 24 of the batted ball firing operating device 20 is lit via the display drive circuit 98, thereby informing the player that the rotating operating member 48 is held at the rotating position. I am informing you.

By the way, when the player releases his/her hand from the batted ball firing operation device 20, the touch detection plate 58 is no longer in contact with the touch detection plate 58, so that the reset signal is no longer derived from the touch detection circuit 96. Even if the player releases his hand from the batted ball firing operation device 20, the rotation operation member 48 is held at the rotation position as described above, so the handle rotation detector 71 remains ONL/. . Therefore, the timer 95 is set and activated, and a time-up signal is derived after a certain period of time (for example, one minute) has elapsed. This time-up signal is introduced into the one-shot circuit 97, and a relatively short-time excitation signal is derived from the fifth one-shot circuit 97 to the coil wire 41 of the release mechanism 33. When an excitation signal is sent to the coil wire 41, the yoke 34 becomes an electromagnet, and the first metal plate 43 is attracted against the biasing force of the springs 36a to 36C. Therefore, as described above, the first metal plate 43, The frictional force between the clutch plate 46 and the second metal plate 53 disappears, and the rotation operating member 48 returns to its initial position. Note that the time-up signal sends a reset signal to the display drive circuit 98, thereby turning off the fixed display 25. A specific example of the operation of the control circuit described above is shown in the time chart of Figure 6. To explain this, in the first half of this time chart, when the rotation operation member 48 is rotated (ACT), the handle rotation detector 71 is turned ON.
/ At the same time, power is supplied to the control circuit. However, if the player performs a rotation operation without touching the touch detection plate 58 at this time, the ball hitting motor 99 is ONL.

Further, the timer 95 is activated because a set signal is sent from the handle rotation detector 71 (shaded area). When the timer 95 times up, a one-shot signal is derived from the one-shot circuit 97, and current is supplied to the coil wire 41 based on this signal. Then, the rotation operation member 48 returns to the initial position, and the handle rotation detector 71 and the power source are also turned off.

On the other hand, in the second half of the time chart, the rotation operation member 4
8 is rotated, the player touches the touch detection plate 58, and then stops touching it. When the touch detection plate 58 is contacted immediately after the rotation operation of the rotation operation member 48 is started, the timer 95 is stopped and the ball hitting motor 99 is rotated, allowing the player to play the game. After that, when the player releases his/her hand from the touch detection plate 58, the above-mentioned timer 95 of Company II is activated.
After the time has elapsed, the release mechanism 33 acts to return the rotation operating member 48 to its initial position.

The embodiment has been described above, and according to this embodiment, the rotational operation member 48 as a firing force adjusting member can be freely rotated into the rear gripping member 30 and the middle gripping member 56 as supporting members. The first metal plate 43, the clutch plate 46, and the second
Since the metal plate 53 is provided, the rotating operation member 48 is held in the rotated position, so that the player does not get tired even when playing the game for a long time. Further, since the holding mechanism for the rotating operation member 48 is performed by a mechanical mechanism, no power is consumed while the rotating operation member 48 is held, which is economical, and failures due to heat generation do not occur. Further, when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the player releases the operation firing device 20, the release mechanism 33 is activated, and the frictional force caused by the first metal plate 43, the clutch plate 46, and the second metal plate 53 is reduced. Since the rotation operation member 48 is released, the rotation operation member 48 automatically returns to the initial position, and the next player can therefore newly adjust the desired firing force.

In the above-described embodiment, the predetermined release condition is that a predetermined period of time elapses after the touch detection plate 58 is no longer touched, but it may be canceled immediately after the touch detection plate 58 is no longer touched, or When the remaining amount of balls to be hit is less than a predetermined amount, or in the case of a type that detects a shot ball or a hit ball, it is canceled that there is no output of a shot ball or a hit ball within a certain period of time. May be used as a condition.

Furthermore, the pinball game machine may be a so-called card-type pinball game machine in which the game is played using cards that store ball data; in this case, if the score is below a predetermined number, It may also be set as a release condition when this happens.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above explanation, C1 the pinball game machine according to the present invention constantly prevents friction between the support member that supports the launch force adjustment member and the support member and the launch force m section member. It includes a frictional force applying member that applies force, and a frictional force releasing means that releases the frictional force between the support member and the firing force adjusting member caused by the frictional force applying member based on predetermined release conditions. Therefore, the firing force adjusting member is always fixed by frictional force, and only when releasing the fixation, the frictional force release means consisting of an electric device is operated, which is economical and prevents malfunctions due to heat generation. Does not occur.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a ball launch operating device including a rotation operating member as a launch force adjusting member according to an embodiment, and FIG.
3 is an exploded perspective view of the batted ball firing operating device; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the front frame of the pinball game machine, the batting ball firing operating device, and the batting ball firing device; FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the batting ball firing operating device and the batting ball firing device. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control circuit that drives the release mechanism of the rotating operation member, and FIG. 6 is a time chart showing an example of a specific operation of the control circuit. . 2 0 ・ 3 0 ・ 3 3 ・ 36a 43 46 4 8 53 56 80 95 ・Battered ball launch operation device ・Rear grip member (support member) ・Release mechanism (part of frictional force release means) ~36c...Spring ( Part of the frictional force applying member) ・First metal plate (part of the frictional force applying member) ・Clutch plate (
(part of the frictional force applying member), rotating operation member (firing force adjustment member), second metal plate (part of the frictional force applying member), middle gripping member (
Supporting member) ・Ball launching device ・Timer (part of frictional force release means)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A support member that supports the launch force adjustment member in a pinball game machine that can adjust the launch force of a ball of a batted ball launcher according to the amount of operation of the launch force adjustment member; A frictional force applying member that always applies a frictional force between the firing force adjusting member, and a frictional force applying member that applies a frictional force between the supporting member and the firing force adjusting member based on a predetermined release condition. A pinball game machine characterized by comprising: a friction force release means for releasing the friction force.