JPH09140907A - Ball supplying system for pinball game machine island - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent adjacent islands from ball shortage in a ball supplying system provided with an inter-island supplying means by providing a conveyer to deliver selectively balls to at least two adjacent islands adjacent to an island or deliver balls at the same time to the adjacent islands. SOLUTION: Lift polishing devices 8 are disposed in the central parts of respective islands and tanks 5 are respectively disposed on the upper parts of the devices 8. Transfer conveyers 6, 7 are disposed on the side parts of the upper part tank 5 to span the central part so that balls can be supplied from an island to the other island or vise versa. After balls lifted by the lift polishing device 8 are stored in the upper part tank 5, the balls are supplied through left and right main flow gutters 15a, 15b to respective pinball machines, while when the main flow gutters are fully filled with balls, outflow balls are adapted to flow to a ball path 20 and a guide gutter 21 for a preliminary tank. Also, balls are guided to a gift winning ball counting tank 26 through a gift winning ball counting tank guide gutter 25, vertical guide gutter and horizontal guide gutter.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ball supply system for an island equipped with a ball game machine. More specifically, the present invention relates to a ball replenishing system for an island equipped with a ball game machine in which a conveyor capable of bidirectionally transferring balls is arranged between the islands.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a pachinko hall, a group of ball game machines in which a plurality of ball game machines are lined up and arranged in two rows with their backs facing each other is called an island. Pachinko halls are constructed by installing multiple units with this island as one unit.
Balls (also called balls and pachinko balls) used in ball game machines are usually used by customers to exchange balls for coins or bills at ball lending machines installed between ball game machines. Put in

Play with a ball game machine using this ball,
Customers can get balls, which are usually called prize balls. The prize balls are released from the ball game machine and are not necessarily returned to the installation island where the ball game machine is installed, so the number of balls in stock and the number of circulations are different and unevenly distributed depending on the island. If this uneven distribution is left as it is, the prize balls may not be released depending on the island.

Therefore, it is necessary to average the number of balls on each island, and many methods for averaging the number of balls have been proposed. For example, in the pachinko ball possession level averaging device proposed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-24110, a prize ball counter is installed on each island, and the customer puts the prize ball into the prize ball counter. Count and return the prize ball after this count to the island,
When the amount of pachinko balls held reaches a certain level or more, the use of the prize ball counter is stopped and averaged.

In the same manner, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-32687 discloses a gate for enabling or stopping the use of the exchange ball counter (prize ball counter) by increasing or decreasing the amount of balls in the exchange ball pool tank. If the amount of balls in the out-ball tank decreases, the supply balls in the replenishing ball pool tank are guided to the polishing lift when the amount of balls in the out-ball tank decreases, and if the amount of balls in the replenishing ball pool tank decreases, the exchange balls in the exchange tank pool replenishing pool When the amount of balls introduced into the tank and the amount of balls in the exchange ball pool tank decreases, the gate member is activated to enable the exchange ball counter.

The above ball replenishing system can prevent excessive balls from flowing back into the island, and it is necessary to place a gutter in the underground or ceiling where the balls are transferred to prevent imbalance of balls between islands. Therefore, it has excellent characteristics such as being aesthetically pleasing. However, in the actual pachinko hall, the difference in the frequency of use of ball game machines depending on the popularity of customers,
Due to differences in the amount of prize balls released, the absolute amount of balls often becomes insufficient.

For this reason, it is necessary to manually remove balls from the excessive islands and supplement them to the small islands. The balls added additionally may become excess balls at the end of business, and these excess balls must be manually moved again to average the islands.
For this reason, there is a method of arranging a tank for storing balls on the island, but simply arranging it cannot deal with a ball breakage or the like. Optimal design is required such as the location of the island tank, the layout of the lift for lifting the balls, and the capacity.

In order to solve these problems, the applicant of the present invention has proposed a ball game machine installation island in which various tanks and lifts are arranged on the island to make the flow of balls smooth (Japanese Patent Application No. 6-23).
5968). However, since the system proposed in the above system is composed of a gutter that moves the balls by gravity between the islands, the flow of the balls is unilaterally determined and the supply method is restricted.

[0009] Further, there has been proposed one using a circulating and conveying means using a conveyor between islands (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-234).
No. 32). Since this conveyor is of the circulation type, both forward and backward circuits are required, so that the apparatus becomes large. Further, in this conventional conveyor structure, the central island can only supply balls to one adjacent island, so that when both adjacent islands are empty, only one adjacent island can be supplied. Therefore, one of the neighboring islands may be out of stock, which may be a nuisance to customers.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been invented in the above technical background and achieves the following objects.

An object of the present invention is to provide a ball replenishing system for an island with a ball game machine having a structure in which the movement of balls between islands can be replenished selectively to both adjacent islands at the same time. .

Another object of the present invention is to provide a ball replenishing system for an island equipped with a ball game machine having a structure in which balls can be replenished simultaneously from the islands on both sides adjacent to the island even if the balls are empty. is there.

[0013]

The present invention employs the following means to achieve the above object.

A ball game machine installation island in which a plurality of ball game machines are installed, and a plurality of tanks for storing balls to be supplied to the ball game machine and the balls in the tank are set upward. A pumping and polishing device for pumping and polishing, a supply path for supplying the balls pumped by the pumping and polishing device to the ball game machine as a prize ball, and a discharge from the ball game machine In a ball supply system of a ball game machine installed island, which comprises a recovery path for recovering the recovered balls and an inter-island supply means for transferring the balls between the installed islands, a supply system arranged between the islands. Of the ball-ball game machine-installed island, characterized in that the ball is selectively distributed to at least two adjacent islands adjacent to the island, or includes a conveyer capable of simultaneously distributing to the adjacent island. It is a ball supply system.

The conveyor is preferably arranged between the islands and is capable of transferring the balls bidirectionally. More preferably, the conveyor is a horizontal conveyor having an endless belt.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an oblique-axis projection view in which a ball supply system for a ball game machine installation island of the present invention is arranged in a pachinko hall. In the present embodiment, one island block consists of three islands, and a plurality of island blocks are arranged and installed in a pachinko hall. The island block 1 is composed of an island 1, an island 2 and an island 3.

The prize ball counters 4 are arranged at the ends of the islands 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The prize ball counter 4 is a counter for throwing in and counting prize balls acquired by the player. Further, a lifting and polishing apparatus 8 is arranged at the center of each of the islands 1, 2, and 3. The lifting / polishing device 8 is for polishing a ball hit by a player by mixing it with an abrasive and lifting it at the top.

An upper tank 5 is arranged above the lifting and polishing apparatus 8 of the island 1. From the side of the upper tank 5, the island 2
A transfer conveyor 6 for moving balls is arranged on the side of the upper tank 5 of the bridge. The transfer conveyor 6 is capable of bidirectionally supplying balls from the island 1 to the island 2 or from the island 2 to the island 1. The transfer direction is switched by changing the rotation direction of the motor that drives the transfer conveyor 6.

Similarly, from the side of the upper tank 5 of the island 2,
On the side of the upper tank 5 of the island 3, a transfer conveyor 7 for moving balls is arranged in a bridge. Transfer conveyor 7
Can supply balls from island 2 to island 3 or from island 3 to island 2 in both directions. Therefore, the balls can be distributed in either direction depending on the situation of each island. Eventually, the balls will equalize the amount of balls held among the islands 1, 2, and 3.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view when the island 2 is cut in the longitudinal direction. The lifting / polishing device 8 is a device for lifting a ball from a storage tank arranged on the floor to the upper part and for removing dirt such as oil and dust during the lifting. The main pump 10 of the lifting / polishing device 8 has a cylindrical cross section, and the lower part thereof has a horizontal portion and is arranged vertically in succession thereto. The lower part of the main pipe 10 communicates with a pellet storage tank 11 that stores pellets.

The pellet storage tank 11 is a tank for storing pellets. A sub spring (not shown) is arranged in a spiral shape in the lower horizontal portion of the main pipe 10, and one end of the sub spring is connected to the output shaft of the sub motor 12. Since the upper portion of the horizontal portion of the main pipe 10 is open, balls enter the sub spring portion from this open portion. A spiral spring 14 (see FIG. 4) is inserted in the vertical portion of the main pipe 10.

The upper end of the spiral spring 14 is connected to the main motor 13 via a gear. After all, when the sub motor 12 and the main motor 13 are driven to rotate,
The pellets and balls made of synthetic resin for adsorbing dirt in the pellet storage tank 11 are sent to the upper part. A lifting device 8 is provided with a slat-shaped separating device, which is a kind of sieve for separating balls and pellets, and is a separating mechanism in which steel wires are arranged in parallel. These are publicly known and are not the gist of the present invention, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the connection of the upper tank 5 and other tanks. The upper tank 5 is made of a sheet metal material so as to cover the entire upper portion of the lifting and polishing apparatus 8. The balls lifted by the lifting and polishing device 8 fall into the upper tank 5 and are stored. The bottom portion of the upper tank 5 is connected to the left and right main gutters 15a and 15b.

The main flow gutters 15a and 15b serve as prize balls by supplying balls to a ball game machine installed with the backs facing each other in two rows. Bellows pipes and the like are connected to the main stream gutters 15a and 15b via mini storage tanks (not shown) arranged corresponding to the respective positions in order to supply prize balls to the respective ball game machines. It is for supplying prize balls to the ball game machine, respectively.

The main stream gutters 15a and 15b become full when there are more balls pumped by the lifting polishing device 8 than the number of balls from which the prize balls flow from the main gutters 15a and 15b. Main stream gutter 15a, 1
When 5b is full, the ball fills the upper tank bottom 16 and rises to the position of the chain double-dashed line 17 in FIG. When the balls rise to this position, a square tube-shaped ball passage 20 made of a sheet metal material is arranged at the central position of the upper tank 5.

The ball passage 20 is connected to a spare tank guide gutter 21. The spare tank guide gutter 21 communicates with the spare tank 22, and the balls overflowing in the upper tank 5 flow into the spare tank 22 through the spare tank guide gutter 21 to fill the same. This flow of balls can be stopped by the ball stop device ST3. In the ball stopping device ST3, a ball stopping plate is moved up and down by a motor, and when the ball stopping plate is operated to stop the flow of the balls, the balls are stopped from flowing into the spare tank 22.

On the other hand, a prize ball counting tank guide gutter 25 is branched from the middle of the ball passage 20. The prize ball counting tank guide gutter 25 is in communication with the prize ball counting tank 26 via a vertical guide gutter 25a and a horizontal guide gutter 25b (see FIG. 2). The balls from the upper tank 5 enter from the upper part of the ball passage 20, fill the reserve tank 22, or are blocked by the ball stopping device ST3, and flow into the prize ball counting tank guide gutter 25, and finally, the prize ball counting tank 22. (See FIGS. 2 and 4).

Eventually, the balls overflowing in the upper tank 5 will first flow into the ball passage 20 with the highest priority, and these balls will continue until the spare tank 22 is filled. When the spare tank 22 is full, it flows into the prize ball counting tank guide gutter 25, and further flows into the prize ball counting tank 26.

Since the bottom plate 27 of the reserve tank 22 is inclined, the balls roll on it. A ball stop device ST2 is arranged in the preliminary tank 22 in the front in the rolling direction of the balls. In the ball stopping device ST2, a ball stopping plate is moved up and down by a motor. The upper end of the rack is connected and fixed to the lower end of the ball stop plate. The rack is engaged with a pinion (not shown) that is rotatably driven by a reversibly rotatable motor, and is vertically driven by the rotation of the motor.

In the ball stopping device ST2, the balls are stopped in the preliminary tank 22 when the ball stopping plate is raised. On the side surface of the upper tank 5, another island and a joint 30 are connected to the transfer conveyors 6 and 7. It drops from the joint 30 to the ball supply pipe 31 and is communicated with the forked guide gutter 32. The joint 30 is a funnel for connecting the transfer conveyors 6 and 7 and guiding the balls into the island. The lower end of the bifurcated guide gutter 32 has discharge ports 33 and 34 (see FIG. 2). The discharge port 33 is connected to the auxiliary tank 22, and the balls flow into the auxiliary tank 22. Since the discharge port 34 is connected to the island tank 50, the balls flow into the island tank 50.

After all, balls from other islands are fed and polished by the polishing device 8.
And is pumped to the upper tank 5. The ball stopping device ST2 arranged on the front surface of the spare tank 22 is for turning on / off the flow of balls in the spare tank 22 and controlling the flow of the balls into the ball intake port 35 of the lifting and polishing apparatus 8. A proximity sensor SW1 for detecting the presence / absence of a ball at that position is arranged in the spare tank 56 (see FIG. 2).

When the proximity sensor SW1 detects a ball, the ball stop device ST3 is closed to stop the inflow of the ball. When the proximity sensor LS3 cannot detect a ball, the backup tank 22
It means that there are not enough balls, so the ball stop device S
Open T3 and let the balls flow in. That is, priority is given to storing balls in the spare tank 22 as much as possible. As a general rule, the ball stopping device ST2 does not open unless there are insufficient balls in the upper tank 5.

A prize ball counter 4 is provided at one end of each island 1, 2 and 3.
The prize ball counter 5 counts the number of prize balls, and its structure and function are well known, and the description thereof will be omitted. The customer inserts the prize ball into the input port 39 of the prize ball counter 5. The prize ball counter 4 counts this number and discharges the balls to the prize ball counter tank 26 from the outlet 41 on the back surface thereof.

The prize ball counter tank 26 is a tank mainly for storing the balls from the prize ball counter 4. Since the bottom surface 27 of the prize ball counter tank 4 is inclined, it flows into the ball intake port 28 provided in the bottom surface 27. Since the island tank 50 is arranged vertically side by side with the prize ball counter tank 4, and the island tank wall 51 is arranged between them, the prize ball counter tank 4 and the island tank 50 are not communicated with each other.

Therefore, between the prize ball counter tank 26 and the island tank 50, the prize ball counter tank 2 at a low position is provided.
A small lift 52 for lifting balls is arranged in an island tank 50 located at a position higher than 6. Small lift 5
2 is a low-lift and large-capacity lift. A small lift 52 is provided below the ball intake 28 of the prize ball counter tank 26.
And the balls are taken in from this ball intake port 28 (FIG. 2).

The ball intake port 28 is formed so as to open on the upper surface of one end of the cylindrical transfer cylinder 53. The transport cylinder 53 extends to a position above the island tank 50. The ball outlet 54 at the tip of the transfer cylinder 53 is opened on the upper surface of the island tank 50. A spiral body (not shown) is inserted and arranged in the transport cylinder 53. One end of the spiral body is connected to the output shaft of the carry motor 55. Eventually, the balls in the prize ball counter tank 26 are taken into the transfer cylinder 53 from the ball inlet 28, are lifted by the spiral body, and are discharged from the ball outlet 54.

A proximity switch SW2 is arranged at an intermediate position in the depth direction of the island tank 50. Proximity switch SW
When 2 becomes unable to detect balls, the island tank 50 has a shortage of balls, and the transport motor 55 is activated to lift the balls from the prize ball counter tank 26 and transfer them to the island tank 50. A proximity switch LS is arranged at a position above the island tank 50. When the proximity switch LS detects a ball, the conveyance motor 55 is stopped because it is full. Therefore, as long as there are balls in the prize ball counter tank 26, the transport motor 55 is driven until the island tank 50 is full.

The striking ball guide gutter 45 is a gutter for discharging a striking ball from each of the ball game machines arranged on both sides of the island from a bellows tube for discharging a striking ball attached to the back surface thereof. (See FIG. 2). The balls hit from each ball game machine directly flow into the spare tank 22 and the island tank 50.
When the ball stopping device ST1 and the ball stopping device ST2 are opened, the balls are introduced into the lifting and polishing device 8 and the balls are circulated.

Inter-island supply system 60 The upper tank 5 is divided into upper and lower parts by upper and lower partition plates 61. Since the partition plate 61 is inclined from the horizontal, when a ball is placed on this partition plate 61, the ball rolls forward. Therefore, a ball passage 63 is formed on the partition plate 61. A transfer lift 62 is arranged between the lower part of the upper tank 5 and the upper and lower partition plates 61. The transfer lift 62 transfers the balls stored in the lower portion of the upper tank 5 to the upper and lower partition plates 61 at the upper position.

A ball stopping device ST4, which is a weir for stopping the movement of the balls, is arranged on the upper and lower partition plates 61. Ball stop device S
T4 is for preventing the balls from moving on the partition plate 61. A branch shutter 64 is provided at the exit of the ball passage 63 so as to be swingable around a shaft 65. The swing of the branch shutter 64 about the axis 65 is driven by a solenoid. The solenoid is a type that can take 3 positions,
The branch shutter 64 is selectively positioned between the neutral position and the left and right positions.

The ball coming out of the ball passage 63 is the branch shutter 6
4 and is distributed from the branch shutter 64 to either the transfer conveyor 6 or the transfer conveyor 7. The transfer conveyor 6 transfers the balls to the island 1, and the transfer conveyor 7 transfers the balls to the island 3.
Transfer to When it is not necessary to transfer the balls to either the island 1 or the island 3, the branch shutter 64 is set to the neutral position and the ball stop device ST4 is operated to the stop position so that the balls roll on the branch shutter 64. prevent.

When it is necessary to send the ball to either the island 1 or the island 2, the branch shutter 64 is set to the neutral position and the ball stop device ST4 is operated to the open position. Therefore, the balls roll on the branch shutter 64 and are supplied to both the transfer conveyor 7 and the transfer conveyor 6 and to both the island 1 and the island 3.

Transport Lift 62 FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing the details of the transport lift. The upper and lower sides of the conveyor belt 70 are supported by pulleys 71 rotatably supported by a machine frame on shafts 72. Pulley 7
1 is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) to rotationally drive the conveyor belt 70. A plurality of ball holding claws 72 are formed on the surface of the conveyor belt 70. The balls P are held between the ball holding claws 72, and the lower balls P of the upper tank 5 are lifted up. Since the structure and function of the transfer lift 62 are known (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 53-78183, etc.), detailed description of the structure is omitted.

Method for Detecting Ball Level of Each Island As can be understood from the above description of the structure, each island 1,
In 2 and 3, there are a spare tank 22 and a prize ball counter tank 2
6, an island tank 50 and an upper tank 5 are arranged.
Each tank has the function of storing and supplying certain balls. As can be seen from the description of the flow structure of the balls, the balls are filled first in the reserve tank 22. Whether the spare tank 22 is full or has decreased from full is detected by the proximity switch SW1 provided in the spare tank 22.

When the spare tank 22 is full, the island tank 50 is secondly filled. Island tank 50
Is full or is decreasing from full is detected by the proximity switch SW2 provided in the island tank 50. When the island tank 50 is full, the prize ball counter tank 26 is filled with the third priority. Freebie ball counter 2
Whether or not 6 is full or has decreased from full is detected by the proximity switch SW3.

The ball level of the upper tank 5 is detected by the proximity switch SW4 arranged in the upper tank 5. Each sensor as described above, that is, each proximity switch SW
In the state of 1, SW2, SW3, SW4, the level of the ball amount of each island 1, 2, 3 is determined. FIG. 3A is a table showing a determination method when determining the amount of balls on each island in the state of each proximity switch. The proximity switch SW1 of the spare tank 22 is OF
The F state, that is, the state in which no balls can be detected is determined to be the state with the smallest amount of balls, and this is set as the level LL.

The level L is set when the proximity switch SW1 is ON, that is, when the reserve switch 22 is full and the proximity switch SW2 of the island tank 50 and the proximity switch SW3 of the prize ball counter tank 26 are OFF. This state means that only the spare tank 22 is full.

Next, the proximity switch SW2 of the island tank 50
Is ON, and the proximity switch SW1 of the spare tank 22 is ON, and the proximity switch SW of the prize ball counter tank 26 is further on.
Level 3 is when 3 is OFF. Next, level H when the proximity switch SW3 of the prize ball counter tank 26 is ON, the proximity switch SW1 of the other spare tank 22 is ON, and the proximity switch SW2 of the island tank 50 is ON.
And

Next, the proximity switch SW of the spare tank 22
1 is ON, the proximity switch SW2 of the island tank 50 is ON,
The proximity switch SW3 of the prize ball counter tank 26 is ON,
The level HH is set when the proximity switch SW4 of the upper tank 5 is ON, that is, when all the proximity switches are ON.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the ball management control device. The ball management control device 80 is a sequencer called a programmable controller. Each ball stop device ST1, ST2, ST3 and each proximity switch SW1, S
W2, SW3, and SW4 are connected to an MPU (central processing unit) 81 via an interface 82.

Each ball stop device ST1, ST2, ST3 is
The motor 86 is normally or reversely rotated via the amplifier 85 to move the shield plate up and down.

The transfer conveyor 6 and the transfer conveyor 7 are controlled by selecting the forward rotation, the reverse rotation, and the stop of the motor 88 via the amplifier 87. A system program for the operation described later of the ball management control device 80 is stored in a storage means such as the RAM 84 or the ROM 83. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of the ball management device 80 on the island 1. First, the states of the proximity switches SW1 to SW4 of each island 1 and island 2 are sensed to detect the levels (HH to LL) of both islands (SH).
1). Next, the ball amount levels of the island 1 and the island 2 are compared, and if they are the same, the transfer conveyor 6 is stopped (S3).

FIG. 8 shows the branch shutter 6 of the island 1 at this time.
4 shows the state of 4. Although the structure and function of the island 1 have been described above, the island 1 and the island 3 have basically the same function and structure, and therefore the island 1 and the island 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals as the island 2. The branch shutter 64 of the island 1 is in a neutral state and the transfer conveyor 6 is stopped. The ball stopping device ST4 also blocks the balls so that they do not flow out.

Next, the ball amount levels of the islands 1 and 2 are compared, and if the ball amount of the island 1 is large, the transfer conveyor 6 is activated to move the balls from the island 1 to the island 2. FIG. 9 shows the state of the island 1 when the balls are transferred from the island 1 to the island 2. Branch shutter 64
Is tilted to guide the balls and placed on the transfer conveyor 6 and transferred from the island 1 to the island 2 side. In this specification, the movement of balls between islands is referred to as movement, but the distribution and replenishment of balls are also used synonymously.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing an outline of the operation of the ball management device 80 of the island 2. First each island 1, island 2 and island 3
The state of each of the proximity switches SW1 to SW4 is sensed to detect the ball amount level (HH to LL) of the island 1, the island 2, and the island 3, and the respective ball amount levels are compared (S1 to S2). FIG.
(B) shows the moving direction of the ball when moving the ball between islands. In the present embodiment, when there is a difference in the ball amount level of level 1 or more between the islands, the balls are moved between adjacent islands, and when the ball amount level is the same, the movement of the balls is stopped and the ball amount levels are averaged.

Next, it is determined whether the ball amount level of the island 2 is the minimum among the island 1, the island 2 and the island 3 (S3). If the ball amount level of the island 2 is the minimum, the process returns to step S1. If the ball amount level of the island 2 is not the minimum, it is determined whether the island 1 is the minimum ball amount level and the island 1 and the island 3 are not at the same level (S4). If the ball amount level of the island 1 is the minimum, in order to move the balls from the island 2 to the island 1, the moving conveyor 6 is activated in that direction (S6). FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a transfer example of balls in a state where the island 1 has the minimum ball amount level. The transfer conveyor 6 transfers the balls from the island 2 to the island 1.
When the ball amount level of the island 3 is higher than the ball amount level of the island 2, the balls are transferred from the island 3 to the island 2. Island 3 to Island 2
The transfer control to the island is controlled by the control function of the island 3.

The control operation of the island 3 is the same as that of the island 1 described above, and the ball amount levels of the island 2 and the island 3 are compared and the island 1 and the island 2 are compared.
It is performed independently of the control of. Next, it is determined whether the island 3 is at the minimum ball amount level and the island 1 and the island 3 are not at the same level (S6). If the island 3 has the minimum ball amount level, the balls are moved from the island 2 to the island 3 (S7). Furthermore,
When none of the above, the island 2 has the highest amount of balls, and the islands 1 and 2 have the same amount of balls, so from the island 2 to the island 1, from the island 2 to the island 3. At the same time, the balls are transferred. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a situation where balls are simultaneously transferred from the island 2 to the island 1 and from the island 2 to the island 3.

Second Embodiment In the above-described first embodiment, the balls are moved between islands when the ball amount level is 1 or more, and the balls are averaged. If you move a ball with a ball level of 1 or higher, the ball will frequently move between islands. Some pachinko halls do not always break even if the balls are not moved frequently.
The ball may be moved to an adjacent island when the ball amount level is 2 or more.

In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 13, when the ball amount level is 2 or more, the balls move between the islands. However, when either Island 1, Island 2, or Island 3 is at the ball amount level LL, the absolute ball amount is small, so even if the ball amount level is 2 or less, the balls are moved from the adjacent island to replenish. To do. Further, when any of the island 1, the island 2, or the island 3 has the ball amount level HH, the ball amount level 2
Since the amount of balls is large even if it is below, move the balls to the neighboring island and carry them out.

Other Embodiments In the above embodiment, the ball amount level is detected in five stages, but it may be detected in five stages or less, or five stages or more. Further, the sensor for detecting the amount of balls may be based on another principle instead of the proximity switch described above. Further, instead of detecting the amount of balls by the sensor, the amount of balls may be detected by calculating the number of balls output and the number of balls entered.

Further, the concept of the present invention can be applied to islands having other structures and arrangements as long as the balls are stored by giving priority to each tank arranged on the island or another place as described above. .

[0062]

As described in detail above, the supply system for the ball-ball game machine-installed islands of the present invention selectively operates on adjacent islands.
Or, since balls can be replenished at the same time, even if the neighboring island runs out at the same time, the probability of running out of the balls is extremely reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a bird's-eye view showing a ball replenishing system of an island equipped with a ball game machine installed in a pachinko hall.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an island.

FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a state of a proximity switch when determining a level of a ball amount. FIG. 3B is a conceptual diagram showing the flow direction of the balls when the level is 1 or higher.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the flow of balls on the island 2.

5 (a) and 5 (b) show a transport lift, FIG. 5 (a) is a side view, and FIG. 5 (b) is an oblique-axis projection view showing details of a belt.

6 is a functional block diagram of a ball control device 80. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the island 1 of the ball control device 80.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which balls are not carried out from the island 1.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing a state of the island 1 when a ball is transferred from the island 1 to the island 2.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an outline of the control operation of the island 2 of the ball control device 80.

FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing an operation of the island 2 when transferring balls from the island 2 to the island 1 and from the island 3 to the island 1.

FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing an operation of the island 2 when balls are simultaneously transferred from the island 2 to the island 1 and from the island 2 to the island 3.

FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing a ball flow direction when the level is 2 or higher.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2, 3 ... Island 4 ... Gift ball counter 5 ... Upper tank 6 ... Transfer conveyor 7 ... Transfer conveyor 8 ... Lifting / polishing device 22 ... Spare tank 26 ... Gift ball counter tank 50 ... Island tank 64 ... Branch shutter

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A ball game machine installation island having a plurality of ball game machines installed, comprising: a plurality of tanks for storing balls to be supplied to the ball game machine; and the balls in the tank. A lifting and polishing device for lifting and polishing upwards, a supply path for supplying the balls pumped by the lifting and polishing device to the ball game machine as a prize ball, and the ball game machine In a ball supply system for a ball game machine installed island, which comprises a recovery path for collecting the balls discharged from the island and an inter-island supply means for transferring the balls between the installed islands, the ball supply system is arranged between the islands. The supply system includes a conveyor that selectively distributes the balls to at least two adjacent islands adjacent to the island, or includes a conveyor that can simultaneously distribute the balls to the adjacent islands. Island ball supply system. 2. The ball supply system for a ball game machine installed island according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor is arranged between the islands and is capable of transferring the balls bidirectionally. Ball supply system for islands with game machines installed. 3. The ball replenishing system for an island equipped with a ball game machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the conveyor is a horizontal conveyor having an endless belt.