JPH1033811A - Pachinko island base - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pachinko island base for smoothly performing the returning operation of balls. SOLUTION: A storage tank 15, an auxiliary tank 27, upper gutters 17, 25 and 38 for communicating the storage tank 15 and the auxiliary tank 27 and a shutter device 51 provided in the middle of the upper gutter 25 are provided inside this pachinko island base 1 and the shutter device 51 is drive-controlled by a ball amount sensor 23 provided in the storage tank 15. Thus, after the storage amount of the storage tank 15 becomes more than a fixed amount, since the shutter device 51 is opened and return balls returned from a ball returning device 3 are directly returned to the auxiliary tank 7 through the upper gutters 17, 25 and 38, even in the case that the large amount of gift balls are returned in a short time, the returning operation of the balls is smoothly performed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of recycling used balls discharged from a plurality of pachinko machines arranged in a row through a collecting gutter, a storage tank, a ball lifting device, and a supply gutter. The present invention relates to a pachinko island stand provided with a ball return device for returning a pachinko ball obtained by a player in a central portion of a side surface thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a pachinko island stand of a type in which a prize ball acquired by a player is returned to a ball returning device attached to an island edge or a center portion of a side surface of the pachinko island stand has been provided to the market. In particular, when the ball return device is provided at the center of the side surface of the pachinko island stand, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
As shown in the number, etc., the returned balls returned from the ball return device are temporarily stored in the storage tank connected to the ball return device, and then the balls in the storage tank are supplied to the supply gutter by the ball discharging device. It was to be shipped to an auxiliary tank located at the island end.

[0003]

However, as described above, all the returned balls returned from the ball returning device are temporarily stored in the storage tank, and then supplied to the auxiliary tank via the ball discharging device and the supply gutter. If a large number of prizes are returned in a short period of time, such as immediately before closing a store, the delivery capacity of the ball-lifting device cannot keep up with the return of prize balls, and there is room in the auxiliary tank. Nevertheless, there is a problem that the storage tank becomes full and a state in which the return operation to the ball returning device cannot be performed during the return of the prize ball occurs. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pachinko island in which a ball returning device is provided at a center portion of a side surface thereof, in which a ball returning operation is smoothly performed. In providing a platform.

[0004]

An example of the solution adopted by the present invention to achieve the above object will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. The used balls discharged from the machine 2 are collected by a gutter 2
6, is configured to be circulated through storage tanks 14 and 15, a ball-lifting device (not shown), and supply gutters 7 and 8, and returns a pachinko ball obtained by the player to the center of the side surface thereof. In the pachinko island stand 1 provided with the ball returning device 3 to be provided, the ball returning device 3 further returns the inside of the pachinko island stand 1 when the storage amount of the storage tanks 14 and 15 becomes more than a certain value. And an upper gutter 1 provided from the upper part of the storage tank 15 to the auxiliary tank 27 for guiding return balls to the storage tank 15 and the auxiliary tank 27.
7, 25, and 38 and a shutter device provided in the middle of the upper gutter 25 and capable of preventing or allowing the return ball to flow into the auxiliary tank 27 according to the storage amount of the storage tanks 14, 15. 51 and a small reducing machine 32 for pumping the pachinko balls stored in the auxiliary tank 27 to the recovery gutter 26, and that the storage tanks 14 and 15 have a certain amount of storage. A ball quantity sensor 23 to be detected is provided, and the drive of the shutter device 51 and the small reduction machine 32 is controlled by the ball quantity sensor 23.

[0005] With this configuration, the pachinko balls returned from the ball return device 3 are guided to the auxiliary tank 27 side via the upper gutters 17 and 25. 51 is provided to prevent the return balls from flowing into the auxiliary tank 27 until the storage amount of the storage tanks 14 and 15 is equal to or more than a certain value. Therefore, the return balls are dropped into the storage tank 15. Therefore,
The returned balls are stored in the storage tanks 14 and 15 preferentially. When the storage amount of the storage tanks 14 and 15 becomes equal to or more than a predetermined value, the ball amount sensor 23 provided in the storage tank 15 is operated, and in conjunction with this, the shutter device 51 is operated.
Is driven to open and the return ball can flow down on the upper gutter 25, so that the return ball is stored in the auxiliary tank 27. Further, when the storage amount of the auxiliary tank 27 becomes equal to or more than a certain value, the ball amount sensor 3 provided in the auxiliary tank 27
1 is operated, and in conjunction with this, the small reduction machine 32 is efficiently driven without idling, and the return balls in the auxiliary tank 27 are pumped to the recovery gutter 26 and returned to the circulation path. That is, in the pachinko island stand 1 according to the present invention,
The returned balls returned from the ball return device 3 are first supplied to the storage tanks 14 and 15, and are returned to the storage tanks 14 and 15.
After the storage amount becomes equal to or more than a certain value, the auxiliary tank 27 is supplied directly to the auxiliary tank 27 without passing through a doffing and feeding device (not shown). It can be used effectively, and even if a large number of prize balls are returned in a short time, the operation of returning the balls can be performed smoothly. In addition, the control of the small reduction machine 32 may be controlled only by the ball amount sensor 23 provided in the storage tank 15.

[0006] The storage tanks 14 and 15 are provided as a pair on the left and right of the lower part of the doffing and feeding device (not shown).
The auxiliary tanks 27 and 92 are provided with the pair of storage tanks 1.
By providing the prize ball outside one or both of them, even if a larger amount of prize balls are returned in a short time, the ball can be returned smoothly.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the structure of the pachinko island stand 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing the internal structure of the pachinko island stand 1, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view showing the internal structure of the central portion of the pachinko island stand 1.

In the figure, a pachinko island stand 1 has a number of pachinko machines 2 arranged in a back-to-back direction, as is well known.
A ball lending machine (not shown) is sandwiched between the pachinko machines 2 so as to correspond to the pachinko machines 2 on a one-to-one basis. In the center of the pachinko island stand 1, a ball-lifting device (not shown) that is constantly driven after the power is turned on is provided upright. The endless conveyance belt is driven to rotate by a lower drive pulley having a built-in motor, and a ball introduced from an introduction gutter 5 provided below the conveyance belt is brought into contact with a polishing cloth mounting door by frictional force of the conveyance belt. Then, it is raised and finally discharged into the upper tank 6 from the discharge port at the upper end. Further, when one of the prize balls obtained by the player is returned, a receipt in which the number of the returned balls is numerically issued is issued to one side of the center of the pachinko island stand 1 (position adjacent to the ball-lifting device). A ball return device 3 is provided. The ball return device 3 is provided with a return prevention member 4 driven based on a detection output from a ball amount sensor 24 in a non-priority storage tank 15 described later. This indicates that when the amount of the balls stored in the storage tanks 14 and 15 and the auxiliary tank 27 reaches the full state, the return of the further balls is stopped. In addition to the display like the return preventing member 4, the return opening of the ball return device 3 may be completely closed.

At both ends of the bottom of the upper tank 6, left and right supply gutters 7, 8 which are inclined downward toward both ends of the pachinko island stand 1 are connected. 2 and a ball separator 33 corresponding to a ball lending machine (not shown). As a result, the polished balls that have been polished and pumped by a ball pumping device (not shown) flow out from both ends of the bottom surface of the upper tank 6 to the supply gutters 7 and 8, and thereafter, are separated by the ball separator 33 into pachinko machines. 2 is supplied to a well-known prize ball tank (not shown) and a ball lending machine (not shown) provided at an upper portion of the back of the camera. In addition, in the said ball separator 33, as is well known,
A counting device for counting the number of replenished balls is provided, and a signal of the number of replenished balls is sent from the counting device to a management computer (not shown) provided in the game arcade.

On the bottom surface of the upper tank 6, a drop port (not shown) is formed on the supply gutters 7 and 8 through which the ball flows out when the ball is full. A return passage body 10 is provided at the position. The recirculation passage body 10 uses a small amount of prize balls in the pachinko machine 2 and does not need to supply the balls to the supply gutters 7 and 8. As a result, when the stored balls in the upper tank 6 fall from the drop openings, the excess Are returned to the storage tanks 14 and 15 installed on both lower sides of a doffing and feeding device (not shown). Thus, the reflux passage body 10 in the illustrated embodiment includes:
A priority passage body 11 communicating with one storage tank 14 and a non-priority passage body 12 communicating with the other storage tank 15 are connected. This is because the excess balls that have fallen into the recirculation passage body 10 are preferentially guided to the priority passage body 11 and stored in one storage tank 14, and the storage tank 14 becomes full and the priority passage body 11 is also full. When it becomes, it can be guided to the non-priority passage body 12 and stored in the other storage tank 15. That is, in the illustrated embodiment, the left storage tank 14 functions as a priority storage tank for storing balls preferentially, and the right storage tank 15 functions as a non-priority storage tank. When the priority passage body 11, the non-priority passage body 12, and the recirculation passage body 10 are full of balls, the portion has a capacity to store about 20,000 balls. Also,
An emergency stop sensor (not shown) is provided at an upstream position of the non-priority passage body 12, and when the balls are stored to that position, the drive motor of the ball lifting device is emergency stopped. .

An upper end of the return pipe 13 is connected to an upper portion of the return passage body 10 and faces below the drop port (not shown). The recirculation pipe 13 receives a ball falling from a drop port and is guided to an inclined bottom surface 19 slightly downstream from the non-priority storage tank 15. The priority of the inflow of the ball into the return pipe 13 is the highest priority, and the ball that has fallen from a drop port (not shown) is preferentially guided to the downstream side of the non-priority storage tank 15. I will However, non-priority storage tank 1
When the balls are stored on the downstream side of 5 and reach the outlet portion of the return pipe 13, any further balls stay in the return pipe 13 without being guided, and when the return pipe 13 is completely filled with the balls. , A return passage body 10 from a drop port (not shown)
The ball that has fallen is guided to the priority passage body 11. Thus, in general, while many storage balls remain on the priority storage tank 14 side, there are many cases in which no storage balls remain on the non-priority storage tank 15 side. There is a drawback that the supply of the balls to 5 is different between the left and right sides, and the efficiency of lifting the balls is deteriorated. In order to solve such a drawback, a part of the balls is preferentially guided to the non-priority storage tank 15 side through the reflux pipe 13 so that the introduction gutter 5 of the ball lifting and feeding device (not shown) is left and right. The ball is evenly supplied from the ball to improve the efficiency of ball lifting.

The priority storage tank 14 and the non-priority storage tank 15 are provided with ball quantity sensors 20 to 24 (hereinafter, 20 are S1 and 21 are S, respectively) for detecting the storage ball quantity.
2, 22 may be expressed as S3, 23 may be expressed as S4, and 24 may be expressed as S5). The storage state of the balls is first stored from the upstream side to the downstream side of the priority storage tank 14 in order.
Next, the non-priority storage tank 15 is sequentially stored from the upstream side to the downstream side. Therefore, the ball amount sensor S1 constitutes a lower limit sensor for detecting a case where the stored amount is the smallest, and the ball amount sensor S5 includes the priority storage tank 14, the auxiliary tank 27,
It constitutes an upper limit sensor for detecting that the storage amount of the non-priority storage tank 15 has reached the upper limit, and is for prohibiting the return operation of the ball return device 3. Also,
A ball quantity sensor S arranged upstream of the ball quantity sensor S5
Numeral 4 is for driving and controlling the shutter device 51.
When the storage amount of the non-priority storage tank 15 becomes one step short of reaching the upper limit, the ball that is increased and returned is added to the auxiliary tank 2.
It leads to the 7 side. In FIG. 1, ball amount sensors other than the ball amount sensors with reference numerals are also drawn, but these ball amount sensors are used only for displaying the stored amount.

On the other hand, in addition to the priority storage tank 14 and the non-priority storage tank 15, an auxiliary tank 27 is provided on one side of the non-priority storage tank 15. This auxiliary tank 27 is capable of storing return balls returned from the ball return device 3 when the storage amounts of the priority storage tank 14 and the non-priority storage tank 15 are equal to or more than a certain value. The upper collecting gutter 28 that collects used balls discharged from the out-ball tank 9 formed at the lower part of each pachinko machine 2 and guides the collected balls to the non-priority storage tank 15 side is inclined. . The upper recovery gutter 28 is formed in a U-shape whose upper part is open, and the downstream end thereof is connected to the non-priority storage tank 15 via the recovery gutter 26. As is well known, the out ball tank 9 is provided with a counting device for counting the number of refilled balls, and the counting device sends a refill ball number signal to a management computer (not shown) provided at the game hall. Is sent. The auxiliary tank 27 is provided with a ball amount sensor 31 (hereinafter, also referred to as S7) for detecting the stored ball amount. This sensor S7 is connected to a small reduction machine 32 described later.
Is provided for controlling the drive of the motor (for preventing idling).

In order to further increase the storage capacity of the auxiliary tank 27, an upper shelf 46 is provided at the top of the auxiliary tank 27.
Are formed. This upper shelf 46 is for pachinko island stand 1
It is attached so as to be inclined downward toward the island end, and the space above the auxiliary tank 27 can be used as a ball storage space. Specifically, an upper shelf ball separator 44 is attached in the middle of the supply gutter 8, and when the space below the upper gutter 38 of the auxiliary tank 27, which will be described later, is full of balls and can no longer be stored, The balls are supplied to the upper shelf 46 via the hose 45. With this configuration, the upper gutter 38
Since the balls can be stored in the space above, the amount of stored balls as the pachinko island stand 1 as a whole can be further increased.

As described above, a ball lending machine (not shown) is provided between the pachinko machines 2 arranged in a row on the pachinko island stand 1 so as to correspond to the pachinko machines 2 on a one-to-one basis. Have been pinched. Therefore, when a player uses a ball rental machine,
A coin or a prepaid card may be accidentally dropped into the pachinko island stand 1. If such foreign matter enters the ball circulation path and breaks, for example, a ball frying device (not shown), the balls are not used in a circulating manner, which hinders the operation of the pachinko island stand 1. The configuration employed by the present embodiment to prevent such a situation will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a configuration for preventing foreign matter from entering the pachinko island stand 1.

In the figure, a counter table 41 on which a gift box (not shown) or the like is placed protrudes from the center of both sides of the pachinko island stand, and a lower portion thereof is covered with a waist plate 42. An open gap 57 is formed between the counter tables 41 on both sides, and a circulation path for balls such as the priority storage tank 14, the non-priority storage tank 15, and the auxiliary tank 27 is formed below the gap 57. Have been. The gap 57 is closed by the protective net 54 so that foreign matter does not enter from the gap 57. Specifically, first, a key-shaped mounting member 55 is mounted inside the counter tables 41 on both sides with screws 56 at appropriate intervals. Then, the protection net 54 is fitted from above the support pillar 53 and locked to the mounting bracket 55, so that the protection net 54 is placed on the gap 57. With this configuration, since the opened gap 57 is closed, even if a coin or the like is accidentally dropped into the gap 57, it is blocked by the protection net 54 and the ball circulation path of the storage tanks 14, 15 and the like. , And does not affect the business in the pachinko island stand 1.

Next, the detailed structures of the priority storage tank 14, the non-priority storage tank 15, and the auxiliary tank 27 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIGS. 4 and 5.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the non-priority storage tank 15, the auxiliary tank 27, and the ball return device 3, and FIG. 5 shows the operation of the non-priority storage tank 15, the auxiliary tank 27, and the ball return device 3. It is a top view.

In FIG. 1, a priority storage tank 14 and a non-priority storage tank 15 are formed in a large rectangular parallelepiped shape having an open upper surface, each having a capacity capable of storing about 150,000 to 160,000 balls. is there. This priority storage tank 1
4 and the bottom of the non-priority storage tank 15 have an inclined bottom surface 1 for guiding the stored balls to an introduction gutter 5 of a doffing device (not shown).
8, 19, and at the middle of the downstream end, there are provided depressurizing plates 34, 35 inclined downward and forward.
Below the depressurizing plates 34, 35 and the inclined bottom surfaces 18, 1
Guidance gutters 36 and 37 are provided to guide the balls stored in 9 to a ball outlet 52 provided on one side of the front wall of the non-priority storage tank 15. In addition, upper gutters 16 and 17 that are inclined downward from the front end to the rear end are provided above the priority storage tank 14 and the non-priority storage tank 15. The upper gutters 16 and 17 (only one upper gutter 17 is shown in FIG. 4, but the other upper gutter 16 has the same structure) are formed by connecting a plate-like member having an open center to the priority storage tank 14 and the non-priority storage tank. 15, the center of the front end of which is provided with the priority passage body 11 and the non-priority passage body 12.
A connecting plate 17a through which a pachinko ball flowing down from the bottom flows down, and a triangular flow dividing plate 17b protrudes from the center of the lower portion of the connecting plate 17a. For this reason, the priority passage body 11
The pachinko balls returned from the non-priority passage body 12 fall on the connecting plate 17a, are then divided right and left by the diverter plate 17b, and are guided to the downstream side through the upper gutter 17.

The above-described configuration is the same for the priority storage tank 14 and the non-priority storage tank 15, but the following configuration is added to the non-priority storage tank 15 in addition to the above-described configuration. That is, as described above, since the ball return device 3 is installed on the non-priority storage tank 15 side, the ball returned from the ball return device 3 is passed through the connection gutter 50 provided on the lower rear side of the ball return device 3. Although the ball is discharged to the upper gutter 17 and guided to the downstream side, when the ball returned from the ball return device 3 and the ball overflowed from the non-priority passage body 12 overlap, the ball from the non-priority passage body 12 is discharged. Overflow holes 17c are provided on the left and right sides of the connecting plate 17a to prevent the stagnation. Further, in the non-priority storage tank 15, the ball that has flowed down the downstream end of the upper gutter 17 is collected at the center of the rear wall, and a ball outlet 40 that guides the ball collected at the center to the outside of the non-priority storage tank 15 is provided. Is formed. The overflow hole 17c and the ball outlet 40 described above.
Does not exist in the priority storage tank 14. A connection upper gutter 25 having a U-shaped cross section is connected to the ball outlet 40 described above. The connection upper gutter 25 is inserted obliquely between the ball outlet 40 and the ball inlet 43 formed on the upstream end face of the auxiliary tank 27. Also, the connection upper gutter 25
Is provided with a shutter device 51 described later.

The auxiliary tank 27 provided on one side of the priority storage tank 15 is formed in a large rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open upper surface, similarly to the priority storage tank 14 and the non-priority storage tank 15, and has an inclined bottom. A bottom surface 29 is formed, and can store a predetermined amount (for example, 100,000) of balls. In addition, an upper gutter 38 that is inclined downward toward the end of the pachinko island stand 1 is provided above the auxiliary tank 27. The upper gutter 38 has substantially the same structure as that of the upper gutter 17 and is formed on the inner side surface of the auxiliary tank 27. The upstream side of the upper gutter 38 communicates with the ball inlet 43, and the downstream side thereof has an auxiliary It communicates to just before the downstream end face of the tank 27. A triangular flow dividing plate 47 is attached to the U-shaped portion of the upper gutter 38, and the balls flowing from the ball inlet 43 are divided into upper and lower gutters 38 formed on both inner sides of the auxiliary tank 27. Is to lead to. In addition, the height position of the upper gutter 38 is set to
5 because it is provided in a continuous inclined shape from the upper gutter 17,
It is provided at a relatively low position. For this reason, the space above the upper gutter 38 is wasted, and the upper shelf ball separator 44 and the hose 45 are used to effectively use the idle space.
The ball is released and stored in such as.

The operation of the non-priority storage tank 15, the auxiliary tank 27 and the ball returning device 3 configured as described above will be described below with reference to FIG. First, the balls returned from the ball return device 3 provided at the center of the side surface of the pachinko island stand 1 are discharged to the connection gutter 50 attached to the lower part of the back surface of the ball return device 3. The ball discharged to the connection gutter 50 and the ball that has fallen down the non-priority passage body 12 rolls on the upper gutter 17 provided on the upper part of the non-priority storage tank 15 and inclined downward toward the island end. At the downstream end thereof, it is collected at the ball outlet 40 and discharged to the connection upper gutter 25 connecting the ball outlet 40 on the non-priority storage tank 15 side and the ball inlet 43 on the auxiliary tank 27 side. Further, the ball flowing down on the connection upper gutter 25 is retracted by the shutter device 51,
It passes through the ball inlet 43 and is guided to the upper gutter 38 provided above the auxiliary tank 27 and inclined downward toward the island end. The ball introduced into the upper gutter 38 is, as described above,
The flow is divided and guided to both insides of the auxiliary tank 27 by the flow dividing plate 47, and finally falls on the inclined bottom surface 29 formed at the lower part of the auxiliary tank 27, and is stored in the auxiliary tank 27.

Next, the shutter device 51 provided in the middle of the connection upper gutter 25 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a side view of the shutter device 51, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an attached state of the small reduction machine 32. In the figure, a shutter device 51 includes a motor 70 that can be rotated forward and backward, a shutter plate 71 driven by the motor 70, and a shutter device support base 72 that attaches the shutter device 51 to the back surface of the connection upper gutter 25. Have been. Then, shutter plate 7
When 1 is located below, the ball flowing down on the connection upper gutter 25 rolls as it is on the downstream side, but when the motor 70 is driven and the shutter plate 71 jumps out onto the connection upper gutter 25, FIG. As shown, the flow of the ball on the connection upper gutter 25 is dammed. For this reason, the ball returned from the ball return device 3 on the connection upper gutter 25 and the non-priority passage body 12
When the overflow balls from the stagnate and the balls also fill the upper gutter 17 provided in the storage tank 15,
The ball that has not stopped staying on the upper gutter 17 falls to the inclined bottom surface 19 of the non-priority storage tank 15 and is stored in the non-priority storage tank 15.

Next, a description will be given, with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, of a small reducing machine 32 provided adjacent to the auxiliary tank 27 and for discharging balls stored in the auxiliary tank 27 to the recovery gutter 26. . FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the operation of the small reduction machine 32.

In the figure, a small reduction machine 32 is a conveyor type lifting device, which supports a transfer path 59 on a substrate 64 in an inclined manner, and has an introduction gutter 58 at one lower side of the transfer path 59.
, And a discharge gutter 60 connected to the other upper side. A conveyor belt 61 in which ball locking projections are formed in parallel is provided so as to rotate around the conveying path 59, and the turning drive is performed by a motor 62 provided on a substrate 64.
This is performed by a V-belt 63 which is stretched between a pulley (not shown) fixed to the output shaft and a roller (not shown) for driving the conveyor belt 61.

The compact reducing machine 32 constructed as described above
Has an introduction gutter 58 connected to the ball outlet 52 of the auxiliary tank 27 and a discharge gutter 60 facing a passage plate 66 formed at the bottom of a box 65 communicating with the recovery gutter 26. The balls stored in the auxiliary tank 27 can be smoothly lifted onto the collection gutter 26. In addition, the capacity of the small reducing machine 32 to transport balls is not so large, and it is not possible to transport a large number of balls in a short time.

The configuration of the pachinko island stand 1 has been described above. Next, the circulation operation of the balls in the pachinko island stand 1 will be described. First, the balls polished and fed by a ball lifting device (not shown) are stored in an upper tank 6, and each pachinko machine 2 and a ball lending machine (not shown) are supplied from the upper tank 6 through supply gutters 7, 8. ). The used balls used in the pachinko machine 2 are collected in a collecting gutter 26.
(Pachinko machine 2 at a position that does not correspond to priority storage tank 14 and non-priority storage tank 15), or is directly preferentially guided downstream of priority storage tank 14 and non-priority storage tank 15, By being pumped again by a ball pumping device (not shown), it circulates inside the pachinko island stand 1. When the balls discharged and stored in the upper tank 6 overflow, and the balls flow out to the return pipe 13, the balls are discharged onto the inclined bottom surface 19 of the non-priority storage tank 15, and are stored in the non-priority storage tank 15. 15 are stored. When it flows out to the return passage body 10, it is guided to the priority passage body 11 preferentially and stored in the priority storage tank 14, and then guided to the non-priority passage body 12 and stored in the non-priority storage tank 15.

Next, the operation of the shutter device 51 and the small reduction machine 32 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing control of the shutter device 51 and the small reduction device 32. FIGS. 10 and 11 are operation explanatory diagrams of the shutter device 51 and the small reduction device 32.

First, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the priority storage tank 14 becomes full and the non-priority storage tank 15
When the balls are also stored, it is determined in step 10 whether or not the ball amount sensor S4 provided in the non-priority storage tank 15 is ON.
Shutter device 5 provided in the middle of the connection upper gutter 25
The first shutter plate 71 is opened, and the return ball and the overflow ball flow down on the connection upper gutter 25 and are stored in the auxiliary tank 27. In this case, since a certain amount of balls are stored in the non-priority storage tank 15,
Small reduction machine 3 that transports the balls inside to non-priority storage tank 15
2 (displayed as mini-lift) is not driven (step 1
2).

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, even if the priority storage tank 14 is full,
5 does not reach a certain amount, and the ball quantity sensor S4
If not, the connection upper gutter 25 is set in step 13.
The motor 70 of the shutter device 51 provided in the middle is driven, the shutter plate 71 is closed, the flow of the balls on the connection upper gutter 25 is blocked, and the returned balls and overflow balls are stored in the non-priority storage tank 15. Falls on the inclined bottom surface 19 and is stored in the non-priority storage tank 15. In this case, since there is room to store the balls in the non-priority storage tank 15, it is determined in step 14 whether or not the ball amount sensor S7 in the auxiliary tank 27 is ON. At 15, the small reduction machine 32 is driven, and the balls in the auxiliary tank 27 are pumped to the collection gutter 26 and stored in the non-priority storage tank 15. If the storage amount in the auxiliary tank 27 is small and the ball amount sensor S7 is not ON, the small reduction machine 32 is not driven (step 1).
6).

As described above, the drive of the shutter device 51 is linked with the ball amount sensor S4 of the non-priority storage tank 15, so that the return balls flow into the auxiliary tank 27 in accordance with the storage amount of the non-priority storage tank 15. Can be blocked or tolerated. In addition, by linking the drive of the small reducer 32 with the ball amount sensor S4 of the non-priority storage tank 15 and the ball amount sensor S7 of the auxiliary tank 27, the small reducer 32 can be efficiently driven without running idle. . The control of the small reduction machine 32 may be performed only by the ball quantity sensor S4, or another sensor (for example, a sensor for detecting the ball quantity at the upper part of the small reduction machine 32) instead of S7 and S4 May be controlled.

Next, the operation of the ball returning device 3 (displayed as a counter) in the pachinko island stand 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the control of the use state of the ball returning device 3, and FIGS. 13 and 14 are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the ball returning device 3.

First, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the amount of balls returned from the ball returning device 3 increases, and
When the storage amount in the non-priority storage tank 15 is almost full, it is determined in step 20 whether or not the ball quantity sensor S5 in the non-priority storage tank 15 is ON.
If so, in step 21, the return prevention member 4 provided in the ball return device 3 is driven to prevent the return of the ball to the ball return device 3. Then, the timer is reset in step 22, the timer is started in step 23, it is determined in step 24 whether the predetermined time has elapsed by the timer, and when it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, When the return preventing member 4 is driven to open in step 25, the ball can be returned to the ball returning device 3 again. Note that the timers set in steps 22 and 23 determine the time during which the amount of balls stored in the storage tank 15 is sufficiently reduced (for example, 10 minutes).
Minute) is set, but instead of setting the timer, the return may be prohibited until the ball quantity sensor (for example, S4) is turned off.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, when almost no balls are stored in any of the priority storage tank 14, the non-priority storage tank 15 and the auxiliary tank 27, the priority storage is first performed in step 26. It is determined whether or not the ball quantity sensor S1 provided in the tank 14 is turned off. If the ball quantity sensor S1 is turned off, the ball quantity sensor S1 is provided in the ball returning devices 80 and 82 of the pachinko island stand (other island) facing in step 27. The return blocking members 81 and 83 are driven, and the ball return device 8
The return of the ball to 0,82 is prevented, and the return of the ball to the ball return device 3 of the own island is urged. Then, the timer is reset in step 28, the timer is started in step 29, and it is determined in step 30 whether or not the predetermined time by the timer has elapsed. When it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, in step 31 When the return blocking members 81 and 83 of the other island are opened and driven, the balls can be returned to the ball returning devices 80 and 82 of the facing pachinko island again. The timer set in steps 28 and 29 is set to a time (for example, 10 minutes) in which the amount of balls stored in the priority storage tank 14 is sufficiently increased. The return may be promoted until the sensor (for example, S2) is turned on.

As described above, the operation of the ball return device 3 is linked with the ball amount sensor S5 of the non-priority storage tank 15, and the operation of the facing ball return devices 80 and 82 is controlled by the ball amount of the non-priority storage tank 15. Sensor S5 and priority storage tank 14
By interlocking with the ball quantity sensor S1, the ball quantity can be made uniform between adjacent pachinko islands.

Although the configuration and operation of the pachinko island stand 1 according to the embodiment have been described above, in the above-described embodiment (hereinafter, referred to as the first embodiment), one auxiliary tank 27 is provided in the non-priority storage tank 15. Although the one provided adjacently is shown, as shown in FIG. 16, an embodiment in which two auxiliary tanks 92 and 27 are provided adjacent to the priority storage tank 14 and the non-priority storage tank 15, respectively (hereinafter referred to as a second storage tank).
Embodiment). The configuration of the second embodiment in which the two auxiliary tanks 92 and 27 are provided adjacent to the priority storage tank 14 and the non-priority storage tank 15, respectively, will be briefly described. Note that, among the configurations according to the second embodiment, a detailed description of the configurations common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, auxiliary tanks 92 and 27 are provided adjacent to the priority storage tank 14 and the non-priority storage tank 15, and a priority is provided at the upper center of the auxiliary tank 92 via a collection gutter 91. An upper recovery gutter 93 communicating with the storage tank 14 extends in an inclined manner. An upper gutter 16 is formed on the upper side of the inner side surface of the priority storage tank 14 so as to guide the balls dropped from the priority passage body 11 to the downstream side. The upper gutter 16 is inserted obliquely between the priority storage tank 14 and the auxiliary tank 92, and is connected to the inside of the auxiliary tank 92 via a connection upper gutter 90 provided with a shutter device 96 (C1) in the middle thereof. It communicates with an upper gutter 39 formed on the upper side surface. The balls stored in the auxiliary tank 92 roll on the inclined bottom surface 94 and are pumped to the collection gutter 91 by the small reduction machine 95 (K1).

The operation of the shutter devices 96 (C1) and 51 (C2) and the small reduction devices 95 (K1) and 32 (K2) in the pachinko island stand configured as described above will be described.
This will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the control of the shutter devices 96 and 51 and the small reduction devices 95 and 32. FIGS. 16 to 21 are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the shutter devices 96 and 51 and the small reduction devices 95 and 32. . In the following description, the auxiliary tanks 92, 2
7 is expressed as a first auxiliary tank 92 and a second auxiliary tank 27, and the shutter devices 96 and 51 are used as the first shutter device 9
6, expressed as the second shutter device 51, and a small reduction machine 9
5 and 32 are referred to as a first small reduction machine 95 and a second small reduction machine 32.

First, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the priority storage tank 14 becomes full and the non-priority storage tank 1
When the balls are also stored in the non-priority storage tank 15, it is determined in step 40 whether or not the ball amount sensor S4 provided in the non-priority storage tank 15 is ON. Already contains a certain amount of balls,
The second small reducing machine 32 for discharging the balls in the second auxiliary tank 27 to the non-priority storage tank 15 is not driven (step 4).
1). Then, in step 42, it is determined whether or not the ball amount sensor S6 provided in the first auxiliary tank 92 is ON. If it is ON, the first auxiliary tank 92 is already full of stored balls. In step 43, connect the upper gutter 2
5, the shutter plate 51 of the second shutter device 51 provided in the middle is opened, and the second auxiliary tank 2 on the opposite side is opened.
Let the ball flow into 7. As shown in FIG. 17, when the amount of balls returned from the ball return device 3 increases and the storage amount in the non-priority storage tank 15 becomes nearly full, it is determined whether or not the ball amount sensor S5 is ON. If it is determined and turned on, the return preventing member 4 provided in the ball returning device 3
Is driven to prevent the ball from being returned to the ball returning device 3.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 18, even if the priority storage tank 14 is full, the storage amount in the non-priority storage tank 15 does not reach a certain amount, and the ball amount sensor S4 is turned on. If not, in step 44, the shutter plate 71 of the second shutter device 51 is closed, the flow of the balls on the connection upper gutter 25 is blocked, and the returned balls are stored in the non-priority storage tank 15. Then, when the storage amount of the non-priority storage tank 15 increases, the ball amount sensor S3 provided in the non-priority storage tank 15 is turned on in step 45.
It is discriminated whether or not it is ON. If it is ON, a certain amount of balls are also stored in the non-priority storage tank 15, so the first ball provided in the middle of the connection upper gutter 90 in step 46. With the shutter plate of the shutter device 96 opened, the balls flow into the auxiliary tank 92. In this case, since the storage amount of the priority storage tank 14 has already reached nearly full, the first small reductor 95 that discharges the balls in the first auxiliary tank 92 to the priority storage tank 14 is not driven (step 47). . However, if balls remain in the second auxiliary tank 27, the ball quantity sensor S8 provided in the second auxiliary tank 27 in step 48 to increase the number of stored balls in the non-priority storage tank 15 further. It is determined whether or not it is ON, and if it is ON, step 49
Drives the second small reduction machine 32. In this case, FIG.
As shown in (2), when no ball remains in the auxiliary tank and the ball amount sensor S8 is not ON, the second small reduction machine 32 is not driven (step 50).

Further, as shown in FIG. 15, if the priority storage tank 14 is full, the non-priority storage tank 15 hardly stores any balls, and if the ball amount sensor S3 is not ON, the step The first shutter device 96 at 51
The shutter plate is closed to prevent the balls from flowing into the first auxiliary tank 92, and the balls returned from the ball return device 3 are stored in the non-priority storage tank 15. Then, in a step 52, it is determined whether or not the ball amount sensor S8 provided in the second auxiliary tank 27 is ON,
If so, in step 53 the second small reduction machine 32
Is driven to lift the balls in the second auxiliary tank 27 to the non-priority storage tank 15. In this case, since the priority storage tank 14 is already full, the first small reducing machine 95 on the opposite side is not driven (step 54). If the ball amount sensor S8 provided in the second auxiliary tank 27 is not ON, the second small reduction machine 32 is stopped in step 55, and provided in the first auxiliary tank 92 on the opposite side in step 56. It is determined whether or not the detected ball quantity sensor S7 is ON. When this ball amount sensor S7 is ON,
As shown in FIG. 20, at step 57, the first small reduction machine 9
5 is driven and not turned on, the first small reducer 95 is not driven, as shown in FIG. 21 (step 58). In this case, since the balls are hardly stored in any of the priority storage tank 14, the non-priority storage tank 15, the first auxiliary tank 92, and the second auxiliary tank 27, the facing ball returning device 80 , 82 provided in the ball return device 8 are driven.
The return of the ball to 0,82 is prevented, and the return of the ball to the ball return device 3 to the own island is urged.

As described above, the pachinko island stand 1 according to the second embodiment is described.
Has been described, and the control is summarized as follows. That is, the priority of storage is in the order of the priority storage tank 14 → the non-priority storage tank 15 → the first auxiliary tank 92 → the second auxiliary tank 27, and the driving of the first shutter device 96 related to the first auxiliary tank 92 is performed. By interlocking with the ball amount sensor S3 in the non-priority storage tank 15, the flow of the increased ball amount into the first auxiliary tank 92 according to the stored amount of the non-priority storage tank 15 is prevented or permitted. Further, by driving the second shutter device 51 of the second auxiliary tank 27 in conjunction with the ball amount sensor S4 upstream of the ball amount sensor S3 and the ball amount sensor S6 of the first auxiliary tank 92. The flow of the increased amount of balls into the second auxiliary tank 27 can be prevented or allowed in accordance with the storage amounts of the first auxiliary tank 92 and the non-priority storage tank 15.

On the other hand, the operation of the first small reduction machine 95 related to the first auxiliary tank 92 is controlled by the ball amount sensor S3 in the non-priority storage tank 15, the ball amount sensor S8 in the second auxiliary tank 27, and the first auxiliary tank 92. By interlocking with the ball amount sensor S7 inside, the first small reduction machine 95 can be efficiently driven without running idle, and the driving of the second small reduction machine 32 related to the second auxiliary tank 27 is not performed. The ball amount sensor S3 and the second auxiliary tank 27 in the priority storage tank 15
By interlocking with the inside ball amount sensor S8, the second small reduction machine 32 can be efficiently driven without running idle.

[0043]

As is apparent from the above description, in the present invention, used balls discharged from a plurality of pachinko machines arranged in line are collected by a collecting gutter, a storage tank, a ball lifting device, and In the pachinko island stand which is configured to be circulated through the supply gutter and provided with a ball return device for returning a pachinko ball obtained by the player in the center of the side surface, inside the pachinko island stand, Furthermore, an auxiliary tank capable of storing return balls returned from the ball return device when the storage amount of the storage tank becomes equal to or more than a certain value, and an auxiliary tank provided from the upper portion of the storage tank to the auxiliary tank and storing the return balls. An upper gutter leading to the tank and the auxiliary tank, a shutter device provided in the middle of the upper gutter and capable of preventing a return ball from flowing down on the upper gutter, and a pachi stored in the auxiliary tank A small reduction machine which pumped co ball to the collection trough, provided with a, a ball quantity sensor that storage amount is detected that has reached a certain amount of the storage tank is provided,
By controlling the drive of the shutter device and the small reducing machine by the ball amount sensor, the returned ball returned from the ball return device is first supplied to the storage tank, and after the storage amount of the storage tank has reached a certain value or more. , It is supplied directly to the auxiliary tank without passing through the doffing device, so that the auxiliary tank can be used effectively regardless of the lifting capacity of the doffing device, and a large number of prize balls can be returned in a short time Is done,
The ball can be returned smoothly.

The auxiliary tank is also provided with a ball amount sensor for detecting that the stored amount has reached a predetermined amount, and the small reducing machine is operated by the ball amount sensor and the ball amount sensor provided in the storage tank. By controlling the driving, it is possible to efficiently drive the small reduction machine without causing it to idle.

Further, the storage tank is provided in a pair on the left and right of the lower portion of the doffing and conveying device, and the auxiliary tank is provided outside one or both of the pair of storage tanks, so that the storage tank can be provided in a short time. Even when a large amount of prize balls are returned, the operation of returning the balls can be performed smoothly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an internal structure of a pachinko island stand.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view showing an internal structure of a central portion of the pachinko island stand.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a configuration for preventing foreign matter from entering the pachinko island stand.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a relationship among a storage tank, an auxiliary tank, and a ball returning device.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the operation of a storage tank, an auxiliary tank, and a ball return device.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the shutter device.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an attached state of the small reduction machine.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the operation of the small reduction machine.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing control of a shutter device and a small reduction machine.

FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory view of a shutter device and a small reduction machine.

FIG. 11 is an operation explanatory view of the shutter device and the small reduction device.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing control of a use state of the ball return device.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the ball return device.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory view of the operation of the ball return device.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing control of a shutter device and a small reduction machine.

FIG. 16 is an operation explanatory view of the shutter device and the small reduction machine.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory view of the operation of the shutter device and the small reduction machine.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory view of the operation of the shutter device and the small reduction machine.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory view of the operation of the shutter device and the small reduction device.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory view of the operation of the shutter device and the small reduction device.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory view of the operation of the shutter device and the small reduction device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pachinko island stand 3 Ball return device 4 Return prevention member 6 Upper tank 7, 8 Supply gutter 10 Reflux passage body 11 Priority passage body 12 Non-priority passage body 13 Reflux pipe 14 Priority storage tank 15 Non-priority storage tank 16, 17 Upper gutter 25 Connection upper gutter 26 Recovery gutter 27 Auxiliary tank 28 Upper recovery gutter 32 Small reduction machine 38, 39 Upper gutter 50 Connection gutter 51 Shutter device 80, 82 Ball return device 90 Connection upper gutter 91 Recovery gutter 92 Auxiliary tank 93 Upper recovery gutter 95 Small reduction machine 96 Shutter device

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A method for recycling used balls discharged from a plurality of pachinko machines arranged in a line through a collection gutter, a storage tank, a doffing device, and a supply gutter. In a pachinko island stand provided with a ball return device for returning a pachinko ball acquired by a player in the center of the side surface, inside the pachinko island stand, further, when the storage amount of the storage tank is equal to or more than a certain amount, An auxiliary tank capable of storing return balls returned from the ball return device, an upper gutter provided from the upper part of the storage tank to the auxiliary tank and guiding the return balls to the storage tank and the auxiliary tank, and an intermediate part of the upper gutter A shutter device that is provided on the upper gutter and that can prevent the return balls from flowing down on the upper gutter, and a small reducing machine that pumps the pachinko balls stored in the auxiliary tank to the recovery gutter, The ball quantity sensor for detecting that the storage amount in serial storage tank has reached a predetermined amount is provided, pachinko and controls driving the shutter device and small reduction machine by 該玉 quantity sensor Isle of Eternal Youth. 2. The auxiliary tank is also provided with a ball amount sensor for detecting that the stored amount has reached a certain amount, and the small reducing machine is operated by the ball amount sensor and the ball amount sensor provided in the storage tank. The pachinko island stand according to claim 1, wherein drive control is performed. 3. The storage tank is provided in a pair on the left and right of the lower part of the doffing and conveying device, and the auxiliary tank is provided outside one or both of the pair of storage tanks. Item 6. The pachinko island stand according to item 1.