JPH06154403A - Game ball discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a game ball discharge device capable of correctly discharging a designated number of game balls even if a sprocket is rotated by using a game ball which naturally falls along a guide path. CONSTITUTION:Sprockets 41, 42 are rotated by game balls which flow down along guide paths 30, 31 for guiding the game balls which flow in a casing. The rotation of the sprockets 41, 42 is transmitted to an input shaft 71 of an electromagnetic clutch through a first gear 51 and a second gear 52. When an electric current is applied to the electromagnetic clutch, the input shaft 71 becomes free and rotates, following the rotation of the sprockets. When a designated number of game balls are discharged and the electromagnetic clutch is put in the non-current carrying state, the input shaft 71 is braked by an output shaft fixed to the case of the electromagnetic clutch. The braking is directly transmitted to the sprockets through the gears 51, 52, so that a designated number of game balls can be discharged correctly.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a game ball discharging device for awarding a game ball or renting a game ball.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a pachinko gaming machine, a storage tank for storing pachinko balls is attached to the upper rear surface of the gaming board,
This storage tank is connected to a pachinko ball (game ball) discharging device via a guideway or the like. Then, the pachinko balls in the storage tank are sent out to a supply plate or the like on the front of the game board by a pachinko ball discharging device as prize balls or ball rental balls.

A conventional game ball discharging device is, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
There is a ball cutting device described in No. 4-62182. The ball cutting device has a sprocket arranged at a side of a notch formed on one side of a ball discharge path, and a sprocket claw is rotated by a ball pressure of a ball passing through the ball discharge path and falling. The rotation of this sprocket is controlled by a stopper that locks the sprocket claw. Specifically, when the sensor that detects the presence or absence of a game ball to be discharged does not detect the game ball, the stopper is locked to the sprocket claw, and when the sensor detects the game ball, the stopper is the sprocket. The game ball is ejected from the claw.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional example, since the game balls are discharged while checking each one, there is a problem that it takes time to discharge a predetermined number. Further, if the stopper repeatedly engages with and disengages from the sprocket claws, problems will occur in their durability. This means that the correct number of game balls cannot be discharged. Therefore, in the present invention, the delivery mechanism for delivering the game ball is directly connected to the braking mechanism via the follower mechanism that follows the delivery mechanism, and the delivery mechanism is braked to utilize the natural fall of the game ball. Even so, it is an object of the present invention to provide a game ball discharging device capable of accurately discharging a predetermined number of game balls.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a delivery mechanism for delivering a game ball guided through a guide passage, a driven mechanism for rotating in response to the delivery mechanism, It comprises a rotating mechanism that rotates according to the driven mechanism and a braking mechanism that includes a braking mechanism that brakes the rotation of the rotating mechanism when a predetermined number of game balls are discharged. A second invention is the game ball discharging device according to the first invention, wherein the braking mechanism is constituted by an electromagnetic clutch.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the delivery mechanism is rotated by the ball pressure of the game ball guided through the guide passage, the rotating means is also rotated through the driven mechanism. Then, when a predetermined number of game balls are discharged, the braking means brakes the rotation of the rotating means, and as a result, the rotation of the delivery mechanism is stopped. According to the second aspect, the delivery mechanism is braked by the electromagnetic clutch via the driven mechanism.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of a pachinko gaming machine as a gaming machine used in the gaming ball discharging device 6 according to the present invention. 3 to 7 show an embodiment of the game ball discharging device 6 according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the entire pachinko gaming machine as seen from the front, and FIG. 2 is a rear view of the pachinko gaming machine. In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 indicates a pachinko gaming machine, 2
A ball lending machine for pachinko ball lending is shown by, and the gaming machine 1 and the ball lending machine 2 are integrally assembled.
The ball lending machine 2 has a card reader, a ball lending control device (not shown), etc. built therein, and the ball lending control device is a ball ejection control device 5 that constitutes a back mechanism 3 of a pachinko gaming machine.
(See FIG. 2). Then, the player inserts the prepaid card into the card insertion / ejection slot 2a, and the conversion button 2b
When is pressed, a signal relating to the ball lending is exchanged between the ball lending control device and the ball ejection control device 5, and the game ball ejection device 6 connected to the ball ejection control device 5 lends a game ball (pachinko ball). Is to be done.

The game board 1a on the front side of the game machine 1 is provided with a game area 1b. In the game area 1b, for example, a variable display device for executing a variable display game for generating a right of special game, a player is provided. A variable prize winning device or the like for performing a special game is provided (not shown). The variable display device, the variable winning device, etc. are the back mechanism 3 of the pachinko gaming machine.
It is connected to the game board control device 4 (see FIG. 2) constituting the above, and each operation is controlled. The game board control device 4 is connected to the ball discharge control device 5, and the ball discharge control device 5 controls the game ball discharge device 6 on the basis of the prize ball data from the game board control device 4 to obtain a predetermined number. I am trying to pay out the prize balls.

The game ball discharging device 6 has two guideways 3b.
The game balls are supplied from the storage tank 3a via the game balls, and the balls or prize balls discharged from the game ball discharging device 6 are supplied to the pachinko game machine 1 via the downflow gutter 7 at the front side of the supply plate 1c. To be supplied to.

Next, a configuration example of the game ball discharging device 6 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 is a perspective view of the game ball discharging device 6 from the left oblique direction, FIG. 4 is a perspective view from the left oblique direction showing the internal mechanism of the game ball discharging device 6, and FIG. It is a perspective view from the right oblique direction showing the internal mechanism of the game ball discharging device 6.

As shown in FIG. 3, the outer shape of the game ball discharging device 6 is constituted by a casing 10 which can be divided into a left case 11, a middle case 12, a right case 13 and a wiring cover 14. Guide passages 30 and 31 (described later) that guide the game balls that have flowed into the casing 10 and the game balls that flow down along the guide passages 30 and 31 are divided into a predetermined number of game balls and discharged. An ejecting mechanism (described later) is installed.

Each case 1 constituting the casing 10
1, 12, 13 and the cover 14 are formed of a material that allows the inside to be seen through, for example, transparent synthetic resin. Therefore, the internal structure and mechanism of the casing 10 can be visually checked. The flat surface of the casing 10 is provided with game ball entrances 15 and 16 corresponding to the two guideways 3b, and the bottom surface is provided with game ball exits 17 and 18 (see FIG. 4). Has been. And these game ball entrance 15,1
Guide passages 30 and 31 are provided to guide the game balls from 6 to the game ball outlets 17 and 18. A relay board 19 for relaying the connection line from the ball discharge control device 5 is attached to the front surface portion 6A of the casing 10,
Discharge sensors 90 and 91 (described later) are attached below the relay board 19, respectively. Further, guide passage openings 20 and 21 for facing the guide passages 30 and 31 are provided on the wall surfaces 10b and 10c therebelow, respectively. The guide passages 30 and 31 are directly communicated with the outside through the guide passage openings 20 and 21 as described above, so that it is possible to quickly deal with jamming and the like, and the openings 20 and 21 are described above. It serves as a dust outlet for the passages 30 and 31.

The discharge sensor 90, 91 is a mechanism 4 for delivering a game ball flowing down along the guide passage 30, 31.
When it is sent out by 0 (described later), the game ball is detected, and an optical sensor is used for each.
The discharge sensors 90 and 91 are ball detecting means mounting portions 90B provided on the side walls 10b and 10c of the casing 10,
It is designed to be detachably attached via 90C (described later). Therefore, since the discharge sensor can be attached or removed from the outside, it is not necessary to disassemble the game ball discharging device even if the sensor is incorporated in the reverse direction at the time of manufacture. Further, even if the sensor is broken during the operation of the game machine, the sensor that has failed can be removed and replaced with a normal sensor without disassembling the device. Since the relay board 19 is also attached to the front surface of the device as described above in the game ball discharging device 6 according to this embodiment, the signal lines 90a and 91a are directly connected to the relay substrate after the discharge sensor is mounted. 19 can be connected.

A game ball discharging device 6 constructed as described above.
Is a one-touch back mechanism of the pachinko gaming machine through the mounting portion 24 so that the discharge sensors 90, 91 and the relay board 19 face the back surface of the gaming machine, that is, the front portion 6A. It can be attached to and detached from 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, inside the casing 10, the guide passages 30 and 31 (see FIG. 4) are provided at the joint between the left case 11 and the middle case 12, and at the joint between the middle case 12 and the right case 13, respectively. 7) is also molded,
A delivery mechanism 40 for delivering the game balls guided in the guide passages 30 and 31 toward the game ball outlets 17 and 18, respectively.
And a driven mechanism 50 that rotates by being driven by the delivery mechanism 40.
And a braking mechanism 70 (see FIG. 5) for braking the driven mechanism 50. Therefore, the guide passage 3 is formed by the delivery mechanism 40, the driven mechanism 50, and the braking mechanism 70.
A discharge mechanism for discharging the game balls flowing down along 0, 31 by dividing the game balls into a predetermined number of game balls is configured.

The delivery mechanism 40 includes a pair of sprockets 41, 42 (hereinafter, referred to as the sprocket 41 as a representative example) in which a plurality of notches 45 formed so as to deliver the game balls are provided at equal intervals on the outer circumference. Yes) is the guide passage 3
The shaft 46 is mounted on the shaft 46 so as to face 0, 31. Each sprocket 41 has eight notches 4
5 are provided, and each notch 45 of each sprocket is axially mounted so that each notch 45 has a phase difference of an angle (22.5 degrees) corresponding to 1/2 of the notch in the rotation direction. Then, these sprockets 41 are integrally rotated by the natural fall of the game balls, and the game balls that have entered the notches 45 are alternately sent out downward.

The driven mechanism 50 includes the sprocket 41.
And a sprocket 42. The first gear 51 is pivotally mounted between the sprocket 42 and the sprocket 42, and the second gear 52 is meshed with the first gear 51. . Here, the shaft attachment means that the sprocket 41, the sprocket 42, and the first gear 51 are fixed to the shaft 46, respectively.

The braking mechanism is composed of a braking gear 72 meshing with the second gear 52 and an electromagnetic clutch 70A (see FIG. 5). The electromagnetic clutch 70A is a closed type spring clutch that is unlocked when energized. When the spring clutch is not energized, the output shaft (not shown) and the input shaft 71 are fastened by the built-in springs, and the rotation of the input shaft 71 is transmitted to the output shaft. Further, the spring releases the input shaft 71 when energized, so that the rotation of the input shaft 71 is not transmitted to the output shaft. The braking gear 72 is fixed to the input shaft 71. In the present invention in which such an electromagnetic clutch is used in the braking mechanism 70, the output shaft is fixed so that it cannot rotate. Therefore, the input shaft 71 is grasped by the output shaft and braked when it is not energized, and the input shaft 71 rotates according to the driven mechanism 50 when it is energized. In this embodiment, the input shaft 71 constitutes the rotating means according to the present invention, and the spring and the output shaft constitute the braking means according to the present invention. An open type spring clutch or a step clutch may be used as the electromagnetic clutch. Alternatively, a driven shaft may be mechanically meshed with the driven shaft by using a dog clutch, a conical clutch, or the like having a fixed driven shaft side.

A game ball discharging device 6 constructed as described above
Is based on the discharge command signal from the ball discharge control device 5,
When the electromagnetic clutch 70A is energized, its input shaft can shift to a free state. Then, the splots 41 and 42 start to rotate by the ball pressure of the game balls, and the game balls in the guide passages 30 and 31 are fed into the notches 45 of the sprocket one by one and sent out. Then, the discharge number is counted based on the detection signals of the discharge sensors 90 and 91, and when a predetermined number is discharged, the electromagnetic clutch 70A is not energized based on the discharge stop signal from the ball discharge control device 5. As a result, the rotation of the input shaft is braked, the braking gear 72, the second gear 52, and the first gear 51 are respectively braked, and the rotations of the sprockets 41 and 42 are braked. Has become. As described above, in the game ball discharging device 6 according to the present invention, unlike the conventional example, there is no need for an operation that requires a timing for locking the stopper to the sprocket. That is, in the game ball discharging device 6 according to the present invention, when the predetermined number is counted, it suffices to simply de-energize the electromagnetic clutch 70A. Can be discharged accurately.

The first sprocket 41 is provided between the two sprockets 41.
Since the gear 51 of the above is attached to the gear 51 and the braking mechanism 70 is connected to the gear 51, the braking mechanism 70 should be arranged in the space between the two sprockets 41 and 42. You can Therefore, the casing width in the direction of the shaft 46 can be narrowed. Further, as a result of the first gear 51 being coaxially mounted between the two sprockets 41, the delivery mechanism 40 becomes a unit, and as will be described later, the work of assembling the delivery mechanism 40 is extremely simple. Become.

Next, referring to FIG. 6, the sprocket 4 will be described.
The arrangement relationship between 1 and the discharge sensor 90 will be described. Thirty
Is a guide passage, 30a is a notch for allowing the sprocket 41 to face the guide passage 30, 90 is a discharge sensor, B is a game ball, and 41 is a sprocket. Here, the solid line of the sprocket 41 shows the normal position where the sprocket stops, and the dotted line shows the sprocket 4 capable of supporting the game ball.
The position of 1 (hereinafter referred to as the maximum position) is shown, and the chain line shows the position of the sprocket 41 when the game ball falls. Also, the reference numeral 90A indicates the optical axis of the discharge sensor 90. It is preferable that the discharge sensor 90 is attached so that the optical axis 90A of the discharge sensor 90 is located within the radius of the ball (the diameter of the game ball is 11 mm) from the lowermost end of the game ball at the maximum position. In this embodiment, the optical axis 90 is located about 3 mm below the lowermost end of the game ball B.
It is attached so that A is located. When detecting the game ball, it is desirable to detect the game ball after discharge from the game ball before being sent to the sprocket. in this case,
If the sensor is attached to the regular position, it may be erroneously detected when the game ball hits the sprocket and bounces off, or if it is installed below the maximum position, more than a predetermined number of game balls may be discharged. is there. In such a case, it becomes difficult to control the stop timing of the sprocket. Therefore, in this embodiment, the optical axis 90A is set at a position (hereinafter referred to as a detection position) that is within a radius of the game ball, for example, about 3 mm lower than the lowest end of the game ball at the maximum position, and the discharge sensor 90 is attached. ing.

Next, an assembling method of the game ball discharging device 6 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. The right case 13 includes an electromagnetic clutch housing chamber 13b for housing the electromagnetic clutch 70A, a bearing portion 13c for mounting the delivery mechanism 40, and a shaft 13d for mounting the second gear 52.
And are formed integrally with the case. Also, the middle case 1
A table 1 on which the electromagnetic clutch 70A is attached to 2
2a is integrally molded. So, first, middle case 1
The bottom plate 70a of the electromagnetic clutch 70A is fixed to the table 12a provided in No. 2, and the middle case 12 and the right case 13 are assembled. Next, on the drawing, the parts that make up the internal mechanism are
Insert from the left. Specifically, the second gear 52 is used as the shaft 13d, and the shaft 46 of the delivery mechanism 40 is used as the bearing 46a.
Each of them is attached to the bearing portion 13c via. In this case, since the delivery mechanism 40 is unitized, only the second gear 52 is meshed with the first gear 51 at the time of mounting, and difficult alignment is unnecessary. The bearing 46a is made of a member that can keep the rotation speed of the sprocket 41 constant, for example, silicon rubber (the same applies to the bearing 46b described later). This is to make the rotational speed of the sprocket 41 stable even if the free fall of the game ball is used, without being affected by the uncertainty.

Next, the wiring of the electromagnetic clutch 70A is pulled out from the opening 11a of the left case 11, the other bearing 46b is attached to the shaft 46, and the cases 11, 12, and Fasten 13. Next, the relay board slide part 1 that is created as a result of fastening each case
The relay board 19 is slid from 0 to 0a.
Then, the wiring is routed to the recess 11b of the left case 11 and the wiring cover 14 is attached to the left case 11 via the hook 14a. As described above, in the game ball discharging device 6 according to this embodiment, the main part of the internal mechanism can be attached from one direction of the device (left direction in this embodiment), so that the assembly process of the device can be reduced.

As described above, each case 11, 12, 1
As a result of fixing 3, the front part 6A of the game ball discharging device 6
The ball detection means mounting portions 90B and 90C are formed on the respective sides. The ball detecting means mounting portion 90B
Is a slide opening 11c provided on the left case 11,
It comprises a mounting portion for mounting an ejection sensor inserted through the slide opening 11c. Specifically, the mounting portion includes a slide portion 12b and a slide regulating portion 12d provided on the middle case 12, and a locking portion 11d provided on the left case 11. On the other hand, the ball detection means mounting portion 90C includes a slide opening portion 13g provided in the right case 13 and a mounting portion for mounting a discharge sensor inserted from the slide opening portion 13g. The mounting portion is specifically the right case 1
3, a locking portion 13h provided on the No. 3, a slide portion 12c provided on the middle case 12, and a slide regulating portion 12e
(Not shown).

When the discharge sensors 90 and 91 are pushed inward from the ball detecting means mounting portions 90B and 90C toward the inside of the casing 10, the tips of the discharge sensors 90 and 91 are regulated by the slide regulating portions 12d and 12e, respectively, and at the same time. The rear end portion 9 of each of the discharge sensors 90 and 91
0b and 91b are locked to the locking portions 11d and 13h, respectively. Therefore, since the discharge sensor is securely locked, its optical axis is not displaced.

In the above embodiment, the driven mechanism 50 is composed of the first gear 51 and the second gear 52, but the second gear 52 is omitted and the first gear 51 is replaced by the braking gear 72. It may be configured to be meshed. Furthermore, these gears 5
The electromagnetic clutch 7 is omitted by omitting 1, 52 and 72, respectively.
The 0A input shaft 71 and the shaft 46 may be directly connected. According to this structure, the driven mechanism 50 is omitted.

In the above embodiment, the gaming machine represented by the pachinko gaming machine has been described, but any gaming machine using a spherical gaming medium can be applied. In the above embodiment, the present invention is carried out with respect to a game ball discharging device for awarding a game ball or lending a game ball, but any device can be used as long as it is a device for separating the flowing down game balls. May be For example, it can be implemented in a winning ball payout device or the like that pays out the game balls that are the basis of the prize balls when the discharge of the prize balls is completed. Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the discharging mechanism is provided with the sending mechanism, the driven mechanism, and the braking mechanism, but any structure may be used as long as it is configured to discharge a predetermined number of game balls in a divided manner. Alternatively, the delivery mechanism may be driven by a motor.

[0029]

According to the invention described in claim 1, when the delivery mechanism is rotated by the ball pressure of the game ball guided through the guide passage, the rotating means is also rotated through the driven mechanism. Then, when a predetermined number of game balls are discharged, the braking means brakes the rotation of the rotating means, and as a result, the rotation of the delivery mechanism is stopped. That is, the rotation of the delivery mechanism is directly transmitted to the rotation means via the driven mechanism, and conversely, when the rotation of the rotation means is braked by the braking mechanism, the braking of the braking mechanism is directly transmitted to the delivery mechanism. It will be. Therefore, the present invention provides a game ball discharging device capable of accurately discharging a predetermined number of game balls without considering the timing for operating the stopper when the stopper is interposed as in the conventional example. be able to. Also in the invention described in claim 2, it is possible to provide a game ball discharging device capable of accurately discharging a predetermined number of game balls.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pachinko game machine to which a game ball discharging device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, as seen from diagonally front.

FIG. 2 is a back view of the pachinko gaming machine.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the game ball discharging device as viewed from the left oblique direction.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the gaming ball discharging device as seen from the left oblique direction.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the game ball discharging device as seen from the right oblique direction.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an arrangement relationship between a stopper and a discharge sensor that form the game ball discharging device.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the game ball discharging device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 6 Gaming Ball Discharge Device 30, 31 Guide Passage 40 Delivery Mechanism 50 Driven Mechanism 70A Electromagnetic Clutch 70 Braking Mechanism

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A delivery mechanism that delivers a game ball guided through a guide passage, a driven mechanism that rotates by following the delivery mechanism, a rotating means that rotates according to the driven mechanism, and a predetermined number of game balls are discharged. A game ball ejecting device comprising: a braking mechanism including a braking means for braking the rotation of the rotating means when the game ball is ejected. 2. The game ball discharging device according to claim 1, wherein the braking mechanism is an electromagnetic clutch.