JPH04322676A - Variable prize winning ball device of pinball machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a variable prize winning ball device of a pinball machine capable of taking various inflow paths of the prize winning balls from a ball receiving member to a prize winning space. CONSTITUTION:While an inlet 22 of a prize winning space 34 is formed over the almost total lengths of opened ball receiving members 26a, 26b, distributing members 36a, 36b moving along the upper surfaces of opened ball receiving members 26a, 26b are provided. Thus, a prize winning ball P1 is induced to the prize winning space 34 not only from tail ends of the ball receiving members 26a, 26b but also from the upper ends so that various inflow paths of the prize winning ball from the ball receiving members 26a, 26b to the prize winning space 34 can be provided.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a variable winning ball device for a pinball game machine, which is equipped with a pair of ball receiving members and a winning space into which winning balls received when the ball receiving members are opened are guided. It is something.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a variable winning ball device for a pinball game machine, which includes a pair of ball receiving members and a winning space into which winning balls received when the ball receiving members are opened are guided, for example,
In the case of a type in which a pair of ball receiver members can be opened and closed between an upright state and a horizontal state, the entrance of the winning space is formed on the inside of the ball receiver member when the ball receiver member is in the upright state. Most of the winning balls caught by the ball receiving member were guided into the winning space from the end of the ball receiving member.

0003

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] Therefore, the inflow path of winning balls from the ball receiving member to the winning space is constant, and the state of the winning balls when passing through the end of the ball receiving member changes from the state of the winning balls in the winning space. It was easy to guess the behavior of players, which halved the players' interest. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and is a variable winning ball device for a pinball game machine that can attract players' interest by changing the inflow path of winning balls from the ball receiving member to the winning space. Our goal is to provide the following.

0004

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention includes a pair of ball receiver members and a winning space into which the winning balls received when the ball receiver members are opened are guided. In the variable winning ball device for a pinball game machine, the entrance of the winning space is formed over almost the entire length of the ball receiving member when the ball receiving member is opened, and moves along the upper surface of the ball receiving member when the ball receiving member is opened. The invention is characterized in that it is provided with a distribution member that distributes the information.

[0005]

[Operation] The winning balls received when the ball receiving member is opened,
The balls collide with each other by the distribution member moving along the upper surface of the ball receiving member, and are guided from the collision position to the rear winning space. In other words, since the winning balls are guided to the winning space not only from the end of the ball receiving member but also from the upper end, the winning balls can take various inflow routes from the ball receiving member to the winning space, which attracts players' interest. be able to.

[0006]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, with reference to FIG. 7, the configuration of the game board 1 of a pinball game machine (in the illustrated case, a pachinko game machine) to which the variable winning ball device 20 according to the embodiment is applied will be described. A game area 3 is constituted by partition rails 2 set up in a substantially circular shape on the game board 1, and a variable winning ball device 20, which constitutes the main part of this embodiment, is arranged approximately in the center of the game area 3. . This variable winning ball device 20 includes a pair of ball receiving members 2
6a, 26b, distribution members 36a, 36b that move along the upper surfaces of the ball receiving members 26a, 26b, a winning space 34 into which the winning balls received by the ball receiving members 26a, 26b flow down, and the winning ball. A plurality of (three) winning holes 62, 6 including a specific winning hole 62 provided at the bottom of the space 34
3a and 63b. In addition, variable winning ball device 2
The detailed structure of 0 will be explained later.

Further, an electric accessory 6 is arranged below the variable winning ball device 20, and starting ports 4a and 4b for the electric accessory are arranged on the left and right sides of the electric accessory 6. Electric accessory switches 5a and 5b are attached to the electric accessory starting openings 4a and 4b, and are designed to detect a hit ball that has won a prize in the electric accessory starting openings 4a and 4b. Then, when the electric accessory switches 5a and 5b are turned on, a predetermined period of time (for example,
2.2 seconds), the electric accessory 6 opens twice for a minute time (for example, 0.6 seconds). The electric accessory 6 has a pair of opening/closing wings, and the opening/closing wings are driven to open and close by the electric accessory solenoid 7. Further, the electric accessory 6 has a built-in starting winning ball detection switch 8 that detects a hit ball received while the opening/closing wing is open.

[0008] However, the starting winning ball detection switch 8 is turned off.
If N, the ball receiving member 26a of the variable winning ball device 20,
26b is opened twice for a short period of time (for example, 0.5 seconds). Then, when the winning balls accepted by the two opening operations are guided to the specific winning hole 62, a jackpot game state occurs. When the jackpot game state is reached, the ball receiving members 26a and 26b either open and close a predetermined number of times (for example, 18 times) within a predetermined time (for example, 27 seconds), or a predetermined number of pieces ( For example, the opening/closing operation is performed until 10 winning balls are generated (hereinafter, this is referred to as an opening/closing cycle). When an accepted winning ball is guided to a specific winning hole 62 while such an opening/closing cycle is being executed, the current opening/closing cycle is immediately stopped and the opening/closing cycle is continued to proceed to the next opening/closing cycle. The continuation number of times is a predetermined number of times (for example, 15 times) on the condition that the winning ball enters the specific winning hole 62 during the opening/closing cycle. Therefore, in a jackpot game state, a large amount of winning balls can be generated in a short period of time.

[0009] Furthermore, during the opening/closing operation of the ball receiving members 26a, 26b at the time of starting winning and during the jackpot game state, the distributing members 36a, 36b also close to the ball receiving members 26a, 26.
It is designed to move along the upper surface of b. Therefore, the winning balls received by the ball receiving members 26a, 26b are guided into the winning space 34 not only from the end portions of the ball receiving members 26a, 26b but also from the upper end portions, as will be described later. There is.

In the game area 3, in addition to the above-mentioned variable winning ball device 20, electric accessory starting ports 4a, 4b, and electric accessory 6, there are winning holes 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, and windmills 11a to 1.
1f is provided. Among the windmills 11a to 11f, the windmills 11a and 1 are arranged on the left and right sides of the upper part of the variable winning ball device 20.
Windmill lamps 12a and 12b are built into 1b. In addition, the winning openings 9a and 9b are arranged on the left and right sides of the center of the variable winning ball device 20, and the shoulder lamps 13a and
13b is built-in. In addition, winning openings 10a, 10b
are arranged on the left and right sides of the lower part of the variable winning ball device 20,
A windmill with a lamp is attached at the bottom. The lamps of the windmill with lamps are called sleeve lamps 14a and 14b. In addition, side lamps 1 are provided at both left and right ends of the gaming area 3.
5a and 15b are arranged, and an out port 16 is provided at the bottom of the gaming area 3 to collect the balls that do not win. The shoulder lamps 13a, 13b and sleeve lamps 14 mentioned above
a, 14b and the side lamps 15a, 15b are driven to display in a predetermined manner at the time of the start winning or the jackpot game state. Although not shown, there are also guide rails for guiding balls on the game board, rail decoration lamps 17 (only the numbers shown in FIG. 8) provided on the outside of the section rail 2, and rail decoration lamps 17 provided on the upper front of the pinball game machine. The game effect lamp 18 (only the reference numeral is shown in FIG. 8) etc. are also driven to display in a predetermined manner at the time of start winning or the jackpot game state. Although not shown, the pinball game machine is equipped with a speaker to generate sound effects according to the game state.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, the structure of the variable prize winning ball device 20, which constitutes the main part of this embodiment, will be explained. As shown in FIG. 3, the variable winning ball device 20 has a mounting board 21 that is attached to the surface of the game board 1, and a winning opening 22 that serves as an entrance to a winning space 34 is provided in the mounting board 21. . The winning aperture 22 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the vertical direction as a whole, but the left and right sides of the almost central portion bulge out in a semicircular shape. Ball bearing members 26a and 26b are rotatably supported on the bulging portions, and when ball bearing members 26a and 26b are opened, ball bearing members 26a and 26b are rotatably supported.
Almost the entire length of 26b is communicated with the winning space 34.

[0012] Further, an obstacle receiving frame 23 is provided protruding from the upper front surface of the mounting board 21 along the upper edge and left and right edges of the prize entry opening 22, and an upper decorative plate 24 is fixed to the front surface of the obstacle receiving frame 23. There is. In addition, a prize opening 25 is formed on the rear surface of the upper decorative plate 24 and behind the upper side of the obstacle receiving frame 23.
A hit ball caught on the upper side of the obstacle receiving frame 23 is taken in as a winning ball.

A pair of ball receiving members 26a and 26b are provided below both sides of the obstacle receiving frame 23 so as to be openable and closable. When the ball receiving members 26a and 26b are closed, they are in an upright state, and their tips are opposed to the left and right lower ends of the obstacle receiving frame 23, so that they do not receive balls, and when they are opened, they are in a horizontal state, allowing the game to be played. It is designed to catch the ball falling through area 3. In addition, the ball receiving members 26a, 26b are formed with backflow prevention protrusions 27a, 27b that protrude inward at their tips, and are received by the ball receiving members 26a, 26b and collide with distribution members 36a, 36b, which will be described later. The winning balls are prevented from flowing back into the game area 3 again.

Further, fan-shaped shielding plates 28a and 28b are integrally formed on the upper outer sides of the ball receiving members 26a and 26b, and block the upper half of the bulge of the prize entry opening 22 when closed. It looks like this. In addition, the lower half of the bulge of the winning opening 22 is provided with transparent decorative plates 33a and 3 that transmit light.
3b is fixed. However, the ball bearing members 26a, 2
6b is opened, the shielding plates 28a, 28b cover the front surfaces of the transparent decorative plates 33a, 33b, so if the shielding plates 28a, 28b are formed so that no light passes through, the transparent decorative plates 33a, The light passing through 33b can be blocked or passed each time the ball receiving members 26a, 26b are opened and closed. Note that the transparent decorative plates 33a, 3
3b, decorative LEDs 70a, 70b and accessory lamps 74a, 74b, which will be described later, are arranged, and the light emitted from them passes through the winning space 34 to the transparent decoration board 33.
a, 33b are illuminated.

By the way, the above-mentioned ball bearing members 26a, 26
b, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, is supported by pivot shafts 29a, 29b extending rearward, and
Link members 30a, 30b (
However, the vertical movement of the ball receiving member solenoids 32a, 32b is controlled by the ball receiving member solenoids 32a, 32b (32b is not shown). , 26b. In this case, when the ball receiving member solenoids 32a and 32b are turned on, the ball receiving member 26
a, 26b are in the open state, but at that time, as shown in FIG. 4, the outer lower ends of the shielding plates 28a, 28b are connected to the standing walls 60a, 6 which are the upper ends of the lower prize receiving frame 60, which will be described later.
It is in a state where it is in contact with the outside of 0b. On the other hand, when the ball bearing member solenoids 32a and 32b are turned off,
The ball bearing members 26a, 26b are in a closed state, but at this time, as shown in FIG.
It is in a state of being in contact with the inside of 60b. In this way, the rotation range of the ball bearing members 26a, 26b is the vertical wall 60a,
60b, the lower ends of the ball bearing members 26a and 26b, and the shielding plate 28
a, 28b.

As shown in FIG. 1, the winning balls received by the ball receiving members 26a and 26b are placed between a side wall 21a protruding toward the rear of the mounting board 21 along the winning opening 22 and the side wall. The player is guided to a winning space 34 formed by a rear wall 21b that closes the rear end surface of the ball rolling plate 21a.
is lying down. As shown in FIG. 1, when the ball receiving members 26a, 26b are opened, the upper ball rolling plate 35 lies on the same plane as the ball receiving members 26a, 26b, and also lies on the same plane as the ball receiving members 26a, 26b. , 26b. A drop opening (falling toward a lower ball rolling plate 55 to be described later) having a width wider than the depth of the upper ball rolling plate 35 is formed at the rear of the upper ball rolling plate 35. There is. Therefore, the winning balls received by the ball receiving members 26a, 26b and jumping over the distribution members 36a, 36b, which will be described next, reach the upper ball rolling plate 35, and then reach the rear falling hole. The ball falls from the ball onto the lower ball rolling plate 55 and is guided to either the specific winning opening 62 or the normal winning opening 63a, 63b.

Further, the winning space 34 is provided with distribution members 36a and 36b that move between both ends of the above-mentioned upper ball rolling plate 35 and the intermediate portions of the ball receiving members 26a and 26b. As described above, the distribution members 36a, 36b move along the upper surface of the ball receiving members 26a, 26b, and their rear ends pass through the rear wall 21b constituting the prize winning space 34 and extend to the support shafts 37a, 37b. It is supported by a shaft. Furthermore, a distribution member solenoid 40a, which will be described later, has a rear end from its shaft support.
, 40b, the connecting member 3 moves in the left and right direction.
8a and 38b are universally jointed. The connecting members 38a, 38b connect to the distribution solenoids 40a, 40b (however, 40b
are connected to (not shown).

[0018] Therefore, the distribution member solenoids 40a, 4
When 0b is turned on, as shown in FIG. 1, the connecting members 38a and 38b move inward, so the tips of the distribution members 36a and 36b move horizontally outward, and the most The moved position is the ball receiving member 26a, 26
It is located above the middle part of b. Furthermore, as mentioned above,
When the distribution members 36a, 36b are driven, the ball receiving members 26a, 26b are already in the open state.
The distribution members 36a, 36b are smoothly moved to the outside. On the other hand, when the distribution member solenoids 40a and 40b are turned off, as shown in FIG.
Since the distributing members 8a and 38b are moved outward, the tips of the distributing members 36a and 36b move inward in the horizontal direction and stop at a position above the upper ball rolling plate 35.

The above-mentioned distribution members 36a and 36b constitute a part of the character, and are given the design of straight arms when viewed from the front. For this reason, the distribution member solenoids 40a and 40b are sometimes referred to as arm solenoids. In addition, at the front upper part of the rear wall 21b of the winning space 34, a character's face member 4 is provided.
2 is fixed to the mounting plate 41. This mounting plate 41 is
As shown in FIG. 5, the rear wall 21 forming the winning space 34
It is fixed to a boss protruding from the upper part of the rear wall 21b, and a predetermined distance is maintained between it and the rear wall 21b. and,
A vertical sliding member 43 that slides vertically is arranged within the interval.

The vertical sliding member 43 has in front thereof a glasses member 44 which is located in front of the face member 42 and has a design of the character's glasses. This eyeglass member 44 is attached to the face member 4 at the position where the vertical sliding member 43 has moved downward.
2, the face member 4 is in the state of wearing glasses (see FIGS. 3 and 5), and the face member 4 is in the position where the vertical sliding member 43 has moved upward.
2, and the glasses are removed (see FIGS. 4 and 6). Further, a support shaft 45b that protrudes rearward from both sides of the lower part of the face member 42 includes:
Cloak member 4 to which the design of the character's cloak is given
5 is rotatably supported on a shaft, and the lower end of the vertical sliding member 43 slides between the support shafts 45b. As shown in FIG. 4, the lower end of the mantle member 45 protrudes inside the support shaft 45b, so when the vertical sliding member 43 moves downward, the lower end of the mantle member 45 is pushed down and the mantle member 45 is moved. It is hidden behind the rear surface of the face member 42 (see FIGS. 3 and 5), and when the vertical sliding member 43 moves upward, the cloak member 45 opens outward under its own weight (see FIGS. 4 and 6). reference). That is, by vertically moving the vertical sliding member 43, the character's face changes between a state where the glasses are on and no cloak is present, and a state where the glasses are removed and the character's cape is present. In addition, the cloak member 4
5 is open, the cloak member 45 is stopped by a stop pin 45a protruding from the front surface of the rear wall 21b.

The above-mentioned vertical sliding member 43 is attached to the rear wall 21.
5, one end of a lever member 46 is engaged with the rear part that protrudes outward from the guide groove 43a. are combined. The lever member 46 is provided so as to be swingable in the vertical direction about a support shaft 47, and its upper end above the support shaft 47 is connected to an upper character solenoid 48. Therefore, when the upper character solenoid 48 is turned on, the tip of the lever member 46 moves upward as shown in FIG. Member 46
The tip of the vertical sliding member 43 is moved downward as shown in FIG. In addition, since the upper character solenoid 48 moves the glasses member 44,
It is also called a spectacle solenoid.

Further, below the face member 42 and in a part of the rear wall 21b, a rotary plate 49 formed in a substantially dogleg shape is provided. The rotary plate 49 is disposed between the pair of distribution members 36a and 36b, and is rotatably supported by a support shaft 52 at a position rearward of the rear wall 21b. The upper part of the shaft is connected to the lower character solenoid 53. However, the solenoid 53 for the lower character
The body 50 including the character's legs is displayed on the surface of the rotary plate 49 facing the winning space 34 when the
is fixed and the lower character solenoid 53 is turned on.
A torso 51 including the character's legs is fixed to the surface of the rotary plate 49 that faces the winning space 34 when the character is in the position. The two types of torsos 50 and 51 of this character are as follows: as shown in FIG. 3, the torso 50 represents the state when the character is standing, and as shown in FIG. This indicates the state of being.

Furthermore, a retaining protrusion 54 is provided protruding from the lower end of the surface of the rotary plate 49 to which the body 51 is fixed. This retaining protrusion 54 faces a communication opening 56 that communicates an upper passage 55a and a lower passage 55b of the lower ball rolling plate 55, which will be described next, when the lower character solenoid 53 is turned on. A predetermined number (in this embodiment, a maximum of three) of winning balls are parked in the opening 56.

By the way, all the winning balls received by the ball receiving members 26a, 26b and guided to the winning space 34 reach the lower ball rolling plate 55 forming the bottom surface of the winning space 34. The lower ball rolling plate 55 is provided so as to be inclined downward from the rear to the front of the winning space 34, and
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, it is formed in two stages, upper and lower. And, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper passage 55a of the lower ball rolling plate 55 has a plurality of winning openings 62, 63a, 63 which will be described later.
b, the lower passage 55b has a plurality of prize openings 6
2, 63a, and 63b, they mainly face the central specific winning hole 62. Further, the upper passage 55a and the lower passage 55b communicate with each other through a communication opening 56 provided at the center of the rear part of the upper passage 55a.

When the lower character solenoid 53 is OFF, the communication opening 56 is closed at the lower end of the body 50, as shown in FIG. 5, and when the lower character solenoid 53 is ON, the communication opening 56 is closed as shown in FIG. 6
As shown in FIG.
The winning ball P2 that has landed is kept there. Then, when the lower character solenoid 53 is turned OFF and the parked state is released, the parked winning ball P
2 is guided to either the specific winning opening 62 or the normal winning opening 63a, 63b through the lower passage 55b. Note that the lower character solenoid 53 may be displayed as a torso solenoid.

[0026] On the left and right sides of the lower passage 55b mentioned above, there are number displays LE for displaying the number of times the opening/closing cycle continues.
D58 and a number display LED 59 for displaying the number of winning balls won by the variable winning ball device 20 during one opening/closing cycle are provided so as to face the front. In this case, the number of times display L
The ED58 needs to display a two-digit number (up to 15), but when the number of continuations reaches two digits, it is indicated by blinking the first number.

A lower winning receiving frame 60 is formed at the lower front of the lower ball rolling plate 55 to form a plurality of winning openings. This lower prize receiving frame 60 is provided so as to protrude forward from the lower edge of the prize winning opening 22 toward the mounting board 21 along the left and right edges, and its upper end is connected to the vertical walls 60a, 60.
b. In addition, a pair of partition walls 61 are erected at the center of the lower side of the lower prize receiving frame 60, and the area sandwiched by the partition walls 61 constitutes a specific winning opening 62, and both outer sides of the partition walls 61 are They constitute normal winning openings 63a and 63b. Note that a lower decorative plate 64 is fixed to the front surface of the lower winning frame 60.

All the winning balls accepted by the variable winning ball device 20 as described above are guided to either the specific winning hole 62 or the normal winning hole 63a, 63b, but the specific winning hole 62 is In order to generate a jackpot game state based on the winning at the start winning time and to establish the continuation condition based on the winning at the opening/closing cycle, a specific winning ball detection switch 65 is provided as shown in FIG. 7, and, 1
A winning ball detection switch 66 is provided in order to detect winning balls that have won in the variable winning ball device 20 during the opening/closing cycle.

The variable prize winning ball device 20 has a large number of light emitting members such as lamps and LEDs in addition to the structure described above. Specifically, as shown in FIG.
There are multiple decorative LEDs 67 (hereinafter referred to as decorative LED-A) on the rear side of the
Decorative LEDs 68a and 68b (hereinafter, sometimes indicated as decorative LED-B) are provided on the left and right rear walls 21b of the face member 42. In addition, a decorative LED 69a is provided at the rear of the rear wall 21b corresponding to the upper half of the left and right bulges of the entry prize opening 22.
69b (none of which is shown; however, only the reference numerals are shown in FIG. 8, and hereinafter may be referred to as decorative LED-C), and decorative LEDs 70a, 70b (none shown;
However, only the reference numeral is shown in FIG. 8, and hereinafter may be referred to as a decorative LED-D) is provided, and a decorative LED 71a that illuminates the left and right rear walls 21b above the upper passage 55a of the lower ball rolling plate 55 is provided. , 71b (only 71a is shown in Figure 5; however, all the symbols are shown in Figure 8, hereinafter, decoration L
ED-E) is provided. Among the above-mentioned decorative LEDs, accessory lamps 72a and 72b (hereinafter referred to as accessory lamps A) are located at approximately the same positions as the four decoration LED-B to decoration LED-E, and behind the rear wall 21b. ), accessory lamps 73a, 73
b (hereinafter sometimes referred to as accessory lamp B), accessory lamps 74a, 74b (hereinafter sometimes referred to as accessory lamp C), accessory lamps 75a, 75b (hereinafter referred to as accessory lamp D) ) are provided for each. Therefore, for example, the transparent decorative plates 33a, 3
The corresponding positions of 3b are the decorative LED-D and the accessory lamp C.
This means that the light is coming from behind. It should be noted that only 74a and 75a of the accessory lamps are shown in FIG. 5, and only the symbols of the other accessory lamps are shown in FIG.

The variable winning ball device 20, electric accessory 6, etc. provided on the game board 1 described above are controlled by a game control circuit consisting of a microcomputer 80 shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing the game control circuit in block configuration. In the figure, the game control circuit includes a microcomputer 80 as a control center, and this microcomputer 80 includes an MPU 81 that can execute control operations according to a predetermined procedure, and a ROM 82 that stores operation program data of the MPU 81. , a RAM 83 in which necessary data can be written and read, and an input/output circuit 84. The input/output circuit 84 is connected to a starting winning ball detection switch 8, electric accessory switches 5a and 5b, a specific winning ball detection switch 65, and a winning ball detection switch 66 via a switch circuit 85, and the solenoid circuit 86
The ball bearing member solenoids 32a, 32b, the arm solenoids 40a, 40b, the torso solenoid 53, the glasses solenoid 48, and the electric accessory solenoid 7 are connected through the LED circuit 87. The LED 59 and the decorative LEDs A to E are connected, and the game effect lamp 18 and the windmill lamp 12 are connected through the lamp circuit 88.
a, 12b, rail decorative lamp 17, side lamp 15
a, 15b, shoulder lamps 13a, 13b, sleeve lamps 14a
, 14b and accessory lamps A to D are connected. In addition,
Although not shown, a speaker is also connected via a sound circuit. Furthermore, various voltages are supplied to the game control circuit described above from the power supply circuit.

A specific example of the operation of the game control circuit described above will be explained with reference to the timing charts and explanatory diagrams shown in FIGS. 9 to 14. FIG. 9 shows an example of an electric accessory switch 5 after winning either of the electric accessory actuating ports 4a and 4b.
This shows the operating state of the electric accessory solenoid 7 when either a or 5b is turned on. Then, either of the electric accessory switches 5a and 5b is turned on and the starting signal S1
When the electric accessory solenoid 7 is derived, the electric accessory solenoid 7 is turned ON for a time t1 (for example, 0.600 seconds) twice with an interval of a time t2 (for example, 1.000 seconds). Therefore, the opening and closing wing pieces of the electric accessory 6 open twice.

FIG. 10 shows the operation when the electric accessory 6 is opened twice by the above-described operation and the ball is received by the electric accessory 6 (starting winning). In the figure, a ball hits the electric accessory 6 and the start winning ball detection switch 8 is turned to OFF.
N, a starting signal S2 is derived. Starting signal S2
is derived, first, t6 time (for example, 1.000
seconds), the ball bearing member solenoids 32a, 32b
changes the ON state for time t7 (for example, 0.512 seconds) to t8
This is done twice at an interval of time (for example, 0.500 seconds). Therefore, the ball bearing members 26a and 26b perform the opening and closing operation twice. Moreover, the opening and closing operations of the distribution members 36a and 36b are performed in conjunction with the opening and closing operations of the ball bearing members 26a and 26b. That is, after the starting signal S2 is derived, the arm solenoid 4
t3, where 0a and 40b are longer than the t6 time.
When the time (for example, 1.256 seconds) has elapsed, the ON state for time t4 (for example, 0.256 seconds) is performed twice with an interval of time t5 (for example, 0.756 seconds). Therefore, the horizontal movement of the distribution members 36a and 36b is performed twice. In addition, in this case, the distribution member 36a,
36b starts to move slightly later than the start of opening of the ball receiver members 26a and 26b, and the movement ends when the ball receiver members 26
This is done simultaneously with the completion of opening of a and 26b.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the winning balls P1 received by the ball receiving members 26a, 26b when the distribution members 36a, 36b are moving to the outermost side are It flows into the winning space 34 from the upper end through the bulging part of the winning opening 22, and the rotating shafts 29a, 29b
It passes under the ball rolling plate 55 and reaches the upper passage 55a of the lower ball rolling plate 55. On the other hand, the winning balls that were accepted at the same time as the ball receiving members 26a and 26b were opened are still being held by the distributing members 36a and 26b.
Since this is before the movement of the ball bearing member 26b, the ball bearing member 26a,
26b and is guided backward from that end to the winning space 34, or the distribution members 36a, 3
After jumping over 6b and moving to the upper ball rolling plate 35, the ball is guided to the winning space 34. However, when the winning balls reach the ends of the ball receiving members 26a and 26b, the distribution member 36
When the balls a and 36b start moving, the winning balls collide with the distribution members 36a and 36b and are moved to the ball receiving members 26a and 36b.
26b and attempts to jump out into the game area 3 again, but the backflow prevention protrusions 27a and 27b protruding from the tips of the ball receiving members 26a and 26b prevent this jumping out, and in many cases, Similar to the winning ball P1 shown in FIG. 1, the winning ball is guided into the winning space 34 from the upper end of the ball receiving members 26a, 26b. In addition, the ball receiving members 26a, 26b and the distribution member 36a
, 36b are driven and controlled by different solenoids, so by adjusting the drive timing of each solenoid at the design stage, the subsequent inflow path of the winning balls received by the ball receiving members 26a, 26b, and by extension, ,
It is possible to set the winning rate etc. to the specific winning hole 62 to a desired value.

In addition, in FIG. 10, the ball bearing member 26a,
The time t9 until the two opening and closing operations of 26b are completed is:
Even if the next hit ball turns on the starting winning ball detection switch 8,
The ON is treated as invalid, and the ball bearing members 26a, 26b
After the opening/closing operation is completed twice, until a predetermined time t10 (for example, 3,000 seconds) has elapsed, the special winning ball will be activated until the winning ball turns on the specific winning ball detection switch 65. This is the effective operating time of the detection switch 65.

Ball receiver member 26a based on the above-mentioned starting prize
, 26b during the opening/closing operation and the winning ball is entered into the specific winning hole 62 (jackpot game state), the operation is shown in FIG. In the figure, when the winning balls accepted by the variable winning ball device 20 at the time of starting winning are guided to the specific winning hole 62 and the specific winning ball detection switch 65 is turned on, a continuation signal R1 is derived. Even if the continuation signal R1 is derived, the ball bearing members 26a and 26b are not immediately opened and closed, but first, the fuselage solenoid 53 is operated for a time t13 (for example, 0.300 seconds) until the opening and closing operation is started. ) and the OF of t14 time (e.g. 0.300 seconds)
After repeating the F state multiple times (three times in the case shown),
It becomes ON state. Therefore, when the game board 1 is viewed from the front, the body 51 is seen, and the retaining protrusion 54 is visible.
has entered the communication opening 56.

Further, after the derivation of the continuation signal R1, when the time t11 (for example, 2.4 seconds) has elapsed before the opening/closing operation is started, the eyeglass solenoid 48 is turned on. As a result, the glasses member 44 rises and becomes invisible, and
The cloak member 45 is in an open state. Note that the eyeglass solenoid 48 is turned on t12 hours (for example, 0.600 seconds) before the opening/closing operation of the ball holder members 26a, 26b is started.
Therefore, the fuselage solenoid 52 is continuously turned on before time t15 (for example, 0.900 seconds). Therefore, since the shape of the character looks completely different to the player, the game state can be known by the change in the character. In this embodiment, when the character takes off his glasses and changes to a flying state, it is possible to know that the opening/closing cycle will start soon and that the winning balls can be parked.

[0037] After the continuation signal R1 is derived,
When time t16 (for example, 3,000 seconds) has elapsed, the ball receiving member solenoids 32a, 32b and the arm solenoids 40a, 40b perform the opening/closing operation in complete synchronization. In this case, the ON time and OFF time of each solenoid are divided into the first half (1st to 10th times) and the second half (11th to 18th times), and the ON time of the first half is t17 time (for example, 0.712 seconds). , and the OFF time in the first half is t18
time (for example, 0.900 seconds). Also, the second half of O
The N time is t19 time (for example, 0.800 seconds), and the second half OFF time is t20 time (for example, 0.60 seconds).
0 seconds). In addition, when the number of winning balls received during the opening/closing operation of the ball receiving members 26a and 26b reaches 6, or when the opening/closing operation ends 16 times before 6 winning balls are received, the eyeglass solenoid 48 and the body The solenoid 53 is turned off at the same time. As a result, the character returns to its original state and the retaining protrusion 54 also retreats, so the winning balls that were retained in the communication opening 56 flow down the lower passage 55b. In this case, the lower passage 55b is mainly the specific winning opening 6.
2, there is a high possibility that the player will be guided to the specific winning hole 62 and that the continuation right will be established. Furthermore, Figure 1
1 shows a timing chart when a winning ball received during the opening/closing operation of the ball receiving members 26a, 26b is not guided to the specific winning hole 62, and when it enters the specific winning hole 62 on the way, , the driving of each solenoid is stopped, and the same operation as that immediately after the continuation signal R1 is derived is started. Also, when the 18 opening/closing cycles are completed, the effective operating time t10 of the specific winning ball detection switch 65 is counted in the same manner as described above.

During the above-mentioned opening/closing cycle, the ball receiver members 26a, 26b and the distribution members 36a, 36b open and close in complete synchronization, so the ball receiver members 26a, 2
Even if the winning balls are won at the same time as the ball 6b is released, the distribution members 36a and 36b have already started to move, so most of them are moved to the ball receiving members 26a and 26 as shown in FIG.
It will be guided to the winning space 34 from the upper end of b. Then, very exceptionally, some winning balls are held by the ball receiving member 26a,
It is led to the prize winning space 34 from the end of 26b.

The operation of each opening/closing cycle during the jackpot game state repeats the above-mentioned operation, but the operation is slightly different in the final opening/closing cycle. FIG. 12 shows a timing chart of each member during the final opening/closing cycle. To briefly explain this, when the final continuation signal R15 is derived, the number of winning balls at the 14th continuation is 6. All solenoids 48, 53, 40a
, 40b, 32a, and 32b are immediately stopped. Therefore, after the derivation of the continuation signal R15, the eyeglass solenoid 48 is turned on when time t11 has elapsed;
N time is not continuous and t21 time (e.g. 0.6
00 seconds) and turns OFF when time t21 elapses. Furthermore, after deriving the continuation signal R15, time t13 and t
After repeating ON/OFF for 14 hours, the fuselage solenoid 53 is turned ON, but the ON time is not continuous, but only for t22 time (for example, 0.900 seconds),
When time t22 has elapsed, it is turned off. In other words, in the final opening/closing cycle, the opening/closing cycle proceeds without changing the form of the character. Therefore, if the opening/closing cycle is progressing without the character changing, this means that it is notified that the opening/closing cycle is the final opening/closing cycle. In addition, the ball receiving member 26a
, 26b and the distribution members 36a, 36b are exactly the same as in other opening/closing cycles.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, the operations of the lamps, LEDs, and speakers displayed according to each gaming state will be explained. The circles in the figure indicate the lighting status.
A display with a cross inside a circle indicates that the display is blinking at 1/2 cycle, and a double circle indicates that the light is moving.

First, in the normal game state where the power is turned on and the game state in which the balls hit the prizes in the electric accessory operating ports 4a and 4b, the decorative LED provided on the variable prize winning ball device 20 -
B and decoration LED-A are lit and moved in a 4-s cycle. Further, both the number display LED 58 and the number display LED 59 are lighting up 0. In addition, although the sound effect is not uttered in the normal gaming state, the electric accessory actuation port 4a,
When winning 4b, sound effect A is emitted.

Next, when the hit ball enters the electric accessory 6,
That is, at the time of starting winning, all the lamps except the game effect lamp 18, the windmill lamps 12a and 12b, and the rail decoration lamp 17, and all the decoration LEDs except decoration LED-A and B flash alternately at 100ms intervals. However, the decorative LED-B and the decorative LED-A light up and move at a relatively fast cycle of 480 ms. Further, both the number display LED 58 and the number display LED 59 light up to display 0. Furthermore, sound effect B is emitted from the speaker.

Next, in the jackpot game state, there is a first stage from when the specific winning ball detection switch 65 is turned on until time t16 has elapsed (until the ball receiving members 26a and 26b are released), and the ball receiving member 26a is activated. , 26b, and a third stage, which is the second half of the opening/closing cycle of the ball bearing members 26a, 26b.
ED, sound effects are activated.

First, in the first stage, all lamps and decorative LEDs-C, D, and E flash at 48ms intervals in synchronization, and decorative LEDs-B and A light up and move at an even faster cycle of 352ms. do. Furthermore, the number of times display LED 58 is
The number of continuations is displayed, and the number display LED 59 lights up and displays 0. Furthermore, sound effect C is emitted from the speaker.

In the second stage, as shown in FIG. 13, all the lamps perform a blinking display at a cycle consisting of different combinations of ON time and OFF time (details will not be explained). Further, the decorative LEDs-C, D, and E blink at a period of 60 ms ON time and 120 ms OFF time, and the decorative LED-B and A light up and move at a 1.6 ms period. The number display LED 58 and the number display LED 59 are
The number of continuations and the number of prizes won are displayed for each. Furthermore, in the second stage except for the final episode, sound effect D is uttered.

In the third stage, the game effect lamp 18
, a set of windmill lamps 12a and 12b, and a side lamp 15
a, 15b, sleeve lamps 14a, 14b, shoulder lamps 13a
, 13b, the blinking operation consisting of an ON time of 100ms and an OFF time of 300ms is displayed blinking so that the lighting timing is different, and other lamps and decorative LEDs
is displayed blinking at 100ms intervals. Also, sound effect E is being uttered. In addition, in the third stage, it seems that the number display LED 59 often displays the 10th winning ball, which is the highest number of winning balls, but the display of the 10th winning ball blinks 0 at 100ms intervals. It is meant to be expressed by displaying it. Thereby, it can be known that 10 winning balls have been generated.

Further, when the opening/closing cycle is ten times or more, the number display LED 58 displays only the first digit through the first to third stages described above, and the display mode is blinking at 100ms intervals. It is a display. Therefore, in the 10th to 15th opening/closing cycles,
0 to 5 will be displayed blinking, so that it can be distinguished from the lighting display in the first to fifth opening/closing cycles. Also, in the final opening/closing cycle, the second
In the stage, sound effect F is uttered instead of sound effect D, and in the third stage, no sound effect is uttered.

Next, when the jackpot game state ends,
For a certain period of time (3.000s), the game effect lamp 18,
Windmill lamps 12a, 12b, rail decoration lamps 17, side lamps 15a, 15b, sleeve lamps 14a, 14b,
Only the so-called board lamps of the shoulder lamps 13a and 13b are flashed at 100ms intervals, and the decorative LEDs B and A provided in the variable winning ball device 20 are also turned on and moved at 3s intervals. Further, the number display LED 59 lights up and displays 0, and the sound effect G is also emitted.

Further, when an abnormality occurs in the gaming machine including the variable winning ball device 20, only the rail decoration lamp 17 is turned on, and the decoration LEDs B, A and the number of times display L are turned on.
The ED 58 and the number display LED 59 maintain the state before the occurrence of the abnormality, and the sound effect H is uttered. Thereby, for example, by looking at the number display LED 58 or the number display LED 59, it is possible to know the gaming state at the time of occurrence of an abnormality.

The structure and operation of the variable winning ball device 20 according to the embodiment have been explained above, but according to this embodiment, the winning balls received when the pair of ball receiver members 26a, 26b are opened are placed in the ball receiver. It collides with the distribution members 36a, 36b moving along the upper surfaces of the members 26a, 26b, and is guided from the collided position to the rear winning space 34, so that it is not only from the ends of the ball receiving members 26a, 26b but also from the upper end. The winning balls can be guided to the winning space 34 even from the balls, and the winning balls can take various inflow routes from the ball receiving members 26a, 26b to the winning space 34, thereby attracting the interest of the players.

[0051] In the above-described embodiment, a type in which the ball bearing members 26a and 26b open and close is shown, but a type in which the ball bearing members 26a and 26b slide laterally may also be used.

[0052]

Effect of the Invention As is clear from the above explanation, in this invention, the entrance of the winning space is formed over almost the entire length of the ball receiver member when the ball receiver member is opened, and the entrance of the winning space is formed over almost the entire length of the ball receiver member when the ball receiver member is opened. Since the distribution member that moves along the upper surface of the ball receiver member is provided, the winning balls that are received when the ball receiver member is opened collide with the distribution member that moves along the upper surface of the ball receiver member, and the winning balls are sent backward from the collision position. The winning balls are guided to the winning space not only from the end of the ball receiving member but also from the upper end, and the winning balls can take various inflow routes from the ball receiving member to the winning space, which increases the player's It can attract interest.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the variable winning ball device cut in the horizontal direction when the ball receiver member of the variable winning ball device according to the embodiment is opened.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the variable winning ball device cut in the horizontal direction when the ball receiver member of the variable winning ball device according to the embodiment is closed.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the variable winning ball device when the ball receiver member is closed.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the variable winning ball device when the ball receiver member is opened.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side sectional view of the variable winning ball device taken in the vertical direction when the ball receiver member is closed.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side sectional view of the variable winning ball device taken in the vertical direction when the ball receiver member is opened.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the game area of the game board of the pinball game machine to which the variable winning ball device according to the embodiment is applied.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a game control circuit that controls game operations.

FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing the operation of the electric accessory at the time of winning the electric accessory starting opening.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing the operation of the variable winning ball device at the time of starting winning.

FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing the operation of the variable winning ball device in the opening/closing cycle of the jackpot game state.

FIG. 12 is a timing chart showing the operation of the variable winning ball device in the final opening/closing cycle portion of the jackpot game state.

FIG. 13 is a list diagram showing the aspects of lamps in each gaming state.

FIG. 14 is a list diagram showing the aspects of LEDs and sound effects in each game state.

[Explanation of symbols]

20 Variable winning ball device 26a, 26b Ball bearing member 34 Prize winning space 36a, 36b Sorting member

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1. A variable winning ball device for a pinball game machine comprising a pair of ball receiving members and a winning space into which winning balls received when the ball receiving members are opened are guided, wherein an entrance of the winning space is provided. is formed over almost the entire length of the ball receiver member when the ball receiver member is opened, and a distribution member that moves along the upper surface of the ball receiver member when the ball receiver member is opened is provided. Winning ball device.