JPH1071260A - Ball interchange device for pachinko platform - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ball interchange device which has a simple structure with a high strength, which can reduce the energy of Pachinko balls flowing down through the device. SOLUTION: The upper interchange trough 70 bridging between adjacent interchange tanks, being inclined moderately toward the middle therebetween, a lower arch-like trough 71 bridging between the lower parts of the adjacent interchange tanks, and having its upper middle part which is connected to and abuts against the lower middle part of the upper interchange trough 70, Pachinko balls flowing down therethrough are guided in crossing in the center crossing part. With this arrangement, the upper interchange trough 70 formed linearly, is supported from below by the arch structure of the lower interchange trough 71 so as to ensure a sufficient strength, and the speed thereof can be retarded by an arcuate part of the lower interchange trough 71 which extends in a substantially horizontal direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pachinko machine for circulating used balls discharged from a plurality of pachinko machines arranged in a row through an out ball guiding gutter, a storage tank, a ball lifting device and a supply gutter. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ball-switching device for a pachinko island that is an island stand that is crossed between adjacent pachinko island stands to exchange pachinko balls.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, when returning a prize ball obtained by a player, it is not necessary to carry the prize ball to a prize exchange area provided in a corner of a game hall. The so-called independent island pachinko island stand, which is returned to a ball return device attached to the like, is increasing. In such a pachinko island stand, a difference in the amount of pachinko balls held for each island stand is likely to occur due to the amount of returned prize balls, and as a device for equalizing this, the present applicant has Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-168173 has proposed an equalizing device (ball exchange device) for equalizing the amount of pachinko balls supplied to a pachinko island.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, two straight connecting gutters are crossed between the upper tanks (AC tanks). If a pachinko ball stays inside, the connecting gutter may be twisted or bent by the weight, and a specially prepared support member must be provided to prevent this. There was a disadvantage that it was not good either. In addition, since the connecting gutter is formed in a straight line, the downward force of the pachinko balls flowing down inside increases,
There is a disadvantage that the ac tank on the receiving side is damaged by pachinko balls flowing down the connecting gutter. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a pachinko island that has a simple structure, has sufficient strength, and can reduce the downward force of a pachinko ball flowing down the inside thereof. An object of the present invention is to provide a ball exchange device.

[0004]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a solution adopted by the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. Of used balls discharged from the tank through an out ball guiding gutter 10 (see FIG. 2), storage tanks 11 and 12 (see FIG. 2), a ball-lifting device 5 (see FIG. 2), and a supply gutter (not shown). In the pachinko island stand 1 to be used for recirculation, the ball exchange device of the pachinko island stand 1 which is crossed between the adjacent pachinko island stands 1 and aims to exchange pachinko balls, AC upper gutter 70 gently inclined toward the center above the AC tanks 7
And an AC lower arch gutter 71 formed in an arch shape, which is inserted into a lower portion between the adjacent AC tanks 7 and is connected at the lower center of the AC upper gutter 70 at the upper center thereof.
And a pachinko ball flowing down at the center intersection of the AC upper gutter 70 and the AC lower arch gutter 71 is guided in an intersecting manner.

[0005] With this configuration, the AC upper gutter 70 formed in a straight line is supported from below by the arch structure of the AC lower arch gutter 71 formed in an arch shape, thereby ensuring sufficient strength. Even if the pachinko ball stays in the AC upper gutter 70 and the AC lower arch gutter 71, the ball is not twisted or bent by its weight. Therefore, there is no need to support the AC gutter with a separately prepared supporting member as in the related art, which simplifies the structure and is preferable in aesthetic appearance. Further, the AC lower arch gutter 71 guides the pachinko balls received in a cross shape from the AC upper gutter 70 provided in a gently inclined shape so as to reduce the speed of the pachinko balls in a substantially horizontal direction and gradually increase the speed. Therefore, it is possible to weaken the downward force of the pachinko balls flowing down as compared with the inclined AC gutter that is guided linearly as in the related art, and it is possible to suppress an accident that the AC tank 7 on the receiving side is damaged.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, a stopper is provided at the connection between the AC tank 7 and the AC upper gutter 70 to prevent or allow the pachinko balls from flowing into the AC upper gutter 70. A device 61 (see FIG. 7) is provided, and a ball amount sensor S1 provided in the storage tanks 11, 12 (see FIG. 2).
Through S5 (refer to FIG. 2), the stopper device 61 (FIG. 7).
When the storage amount in the storage tanks 11 and 12 (see FIG. 2) of the pachinko island stand 1 is not sufficient, the stopper device 61 of the adjacent pachinko island stand 1 is driven to open. When the pachinko balls are allowed to flow in and the storage amount in the storage tanks 11 and 12 is near full, the stopper device 61 of the adjacent pachinko island stand 1 is driven to close to prevent the flow of pachinko balls. it can.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, a schematic configuration of a pachinko island stand 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a relationship between a plurality of pachinko island stands 1, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an internal structure of one pachinko island stand 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pachinko island stand 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped frame structure, and the pachinko machine 2 is arranged at the center in the longitudinal side of the pachinko machine, as is well known.
Further, on the pachinko island stand 1, a ball return device 3 for returning the pachinko balls obtained by the pachinko machine 2 is provided in a side of the pachinko machine 2 in one side of the pachinko machine storage unit 4 in the center thereof. However, it is desirable that the ball return device 3 is provided on the side of the second row of pachinko machines in which the later-described non-priority storage tank 12 is incorporated. This is because the storage tank 12 on the non-priority side, which is almost never full under normal business conditions.
This is because it is possible to reliably return the prize balls from the ball return device 3 to the ball. A return port is formed in the ball return device 3, and the pachinko balls (prize balls) returned from the return port are guided onto an upper gutter 21 described later. Further, although not shown, the return opening of the ball return device 3 is driven to open and close by an electric drive source (for example, a motor or a solenoid).

A doffing and feeding device storage unit 4 is formed substantially at the center of the pachinko island stand 1, and a doffing and feeding device 5 is stored and installed in the doffing and feeding device storage unit 4. The ball lifting device 5 according to the present embodiment lifts pachinko balls by a belt-shaped transport belt (not shown in detail), and the belt-shaped transport belt is installed in the vertical direction with respect to the pachinko island stand 1. The pachinko balls are then transported to the top. An upper tank 6 for temporarily storing the pumped pachinko balls is provided above the ball pumping device 5. From the upper tank 6, supply gutters (not shown) are provided on the left and right in an inclined shape so that pachinko balls flow down from the upper tank 6. This supply gutter is provided with a distribution chute (not shown) corresponding to each pachinko machine 2 so as to take in pachinko balls flowing down the supply gutter. The pachinko balls taken in by the distribution chute are counted by a counting device (not shown) provided at the lower part of the distribution chute, and then supplied to a prize ball tank (not shown) provided at an upper rear surface of the pachinko machine 2 to be played. Used as a prize ball paid out to the player by the player. Note that FIG.
In the figure, a pachinko island rental machine 1 not provided with a ladle ball rental machine is illustrated, but when a configuration is provided in which a ladle ball rental machine is provided so as to be sandwiched between the respective pachinko machines 2, this platform is provided. A distribution chute is provided so as to correspond to a lending machine.

The above-mentioned upper tank 6 has the structure shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 2, an AC tank 7 constituting a ball AC device inserted between a plurality of pachinko islands 1 is provided so as to communicate with each other. The ball exchange device includes an AC tank 7 and an AC tank 7 of the pachinko island stand 1 adjacent to the AC tank 7.
And an arc-shaped lower AC gutter 71 for receiving an AC ball from the AC tank 7 of the adjacent pachinko island 1 into a lower portion of the AC tank 7. I have. The above-described upper tank 6 and AC tank 7 are covered with a cover body 8, but it is desirable that this cover body 8 be detachably mounted. Also, the upper tank 6 and the AC tank 7
The ball exchange device including is described in detail later.

On the other hand, storage tanks 11 and 12 are provided on the lower side of the pachinko island stand 1 and on both sides of the doffing and feeding device 5. The storage tanks 11 and 12 are formed larger as a larger amount of pachinko balls are stored. In particular,
The number of pachinko balls stored in the storage sections of the storage tanks 11 and 12 is such that the number of pachinko machines 2 installed on the pachinko island stand 1 can sufficiently cope with various game states (for example,
(150,000 to 200,000 each).

Thus, the used balls discharged from each pachinko machine 2 are discharged downward from a ball discharge nozzle (not shown) of the out-ball box 9 having a counting function. In the pachinko machine 2 at a position facing the storage tanks 11, 12, the ball discharge nozzle is inclined downward from the downstream end (to the center of the island) toward the upstream end at the center of the storage tanks 11, 12. In the pachinko machine 2 which is disposed facing the out ball guiding inner gutter 13 provided and is separated from the storage tanks 11 and 12, the out ball guiding gutter 10 which is inclined downward from the island end toward the storage tanks 11 and 12 is provided. It is arranged to face. The out ball guiding gutter 10 is connected to a merging box 14 attached to the outside of the upstream end side walls of the storage tanks 11 and 12, and the out ball guiding inner gutter 13 is also connected to the merging box 14. 14 is connected to an out ball guiding / merging gutter 15 which is arranged along the lower part of one side wall of the storage tanks 11 and 12 toward the introduction gutter 18 of the ball lifting / feeding device 5. Therefore, the used balls discharged from each pachinko machine 2 are:
It is preferentially guided to the entrance portion of the ball lifting device 5 through the out ball guiding inner gutter 13 or the out ball guiding gutter 10, the merging box 14, and the out ball guiding merging gutter 15. However, the left and right storage tanks 11 and 12 have slightly different structures due to the arrangement of the doffing and feeding device 5 as described later, which will be described in detail later.

The storage tanks 11 and 12 are respectively connected to overflow boxes 22 for returning the pachinko balls overflowing from the upper tank 6 and the AC balls flowing from the AC tank 7 to the lower part. The overflow box 22 is a rectangular parallelepiped box provided so as to use the space adjacent to the doffing and conveying device 5, and the inside thereof is vertically partitioned by a branch partition 23. The branch partition 23 is provided close to one side of the overflow box 22 and forms a box priority passage 22a by alternately providing a plurality of flow-down plates in a stepwise manner in a passage on one side communicating with the wide area thereof. A plurality of flow-down plates are alternately provided in steps on the other side of the passage that communicates with the narrow region to form the box non-priority passage 22b.

However, the pachinko balls overflowing from the upper tank 6 and the AC balls flowing from the AC tank 7 are preferentially guided to the box priority passage 22a. It overflows into the priority passage 22b. And
Box priority passage 22a and box non-priority passage 22b
Is the storage tank 11 on the left (hereinafter referred to as priority storage tank 11).
And the storage tank 12 on the right (hereinafter,
(It may be referred to as a non-priority storage tank 12). Thus, in the present embodiment,
Since the overflow mechanism is formed in a box shape instead of the conventional flexible pipe, the generation of noise due to the returned pachinko balls can be extremely reduced. Has a storage function of storing about 20 to 30,000 pieces), so that a space that has not been used conventionally can be effectively used as a storage space inside the pachinko island stand 1. In FIG. 2, the overflow box 2
2 is drawn on the front side of the doffing and conveying device 5, but this is to show the structure of the overflow box 22 in detail. Formed on the side.

A plurality of storage level detection sensors S1 to S5 (see FIG. 2) for detecting the amount of stored balls are provided on the inner side walls of the storage tanks 11 and 12, respectively. According to the experiments by the applicants, the storage tanks 11 and 12
Changes in the storage of pachinko balls in the storage tanks 11 and 12
It was found to be staying from the upstream side. For this reason, the storage level detection sensors S1 to S5 are arranged substantially linearly in a horizontal direction, and the storage level detection sensor S1 disposed upstream of the priority storage tank 11 detects the lower limit of the storage amount, while the storage level detection sensors S1 to S5 are non-priority. The storage level detection sensor S5 disposed downstream of the storage tank 12 detects the upper limit of the storage amount. Then, based on the detection signals of the detection sensors S1 to S5, the storage level indicators 24 attached to the outside of both ends of the pachinko island stand 1 store the storage tanks 11, 12 respectively.
The number of balls stored in the pachinko island table 1 is equalized by controlling the opening / closing of the stopper device 61 of the ball exchange device while notifying the stored amount inside.

Here, the detailed structure of the storage tanks 11 and 12 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, priority storage tank 1
1 and the non-priority storage tank 12 have slightly different structures, but the same reference numerals are given to components having the same function. The storage tanks 11 and 12 cause the balls received from the overflow box 22 to flow down on the upper gutter 21 and sequentially store the balls from the upstream side on the bottom surface inclined toward the ball-lifting device 5, and doff the stored balls. It leads to the introduction gutter 18 of the feeding device 5. However, the balls stored in the priority storage tank 11 are placed on the bottom surface of the priority storage tank 11 because the introduction gutter 18 of the ball discharging device 5 is arranged in a direction facing the bottom surface of the non-priority storage tank 12. It is guided to the small lifting device 20 from the communicating lower connecting gutter 19, and is supplied to the non-priority storage tank 12 by the small lifting device 20.

In the priority storage tank 11, there is formed an out ball guiding internal gutter 13 for receiving a used ball from the pachinko machine 2 arranged substantially at the center as described above. Out balls flowing down the guiding inner gutter 13 and the out ball guiding gutter 10 are transferred to the connecting gutter 16 via the merging box 14 and the out ball guiding merging gutter 15,
It is sent to the non-priority storage tank 12 from the connecting gutter 16. As described above, the priority storage tank 11 sends the received pachinko balls to the non-priority storage tank 12 via the small-sized lifting device 20 or the communication gutter 16 instead of directly leading out the pachinko balls to the doffing and feeding device 5. That is, the pachinko island stand 1 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the pachinko balls received in the storage tanks 11 and 12 are collectively guided from the storage tank 12 side to the ball-lifting device 5. This is the introduction gutter 1
8 is directed only toward one of the storage tanks 12 in order to smoothly flow the balls into the doffing and conveying device 5 so that the doffing and discharging device 5 can sufficiently exhibit its lifting capability.

Further, in the priority storage tank 11, the reason why the two upper and lower communication gutters connected to the non-priority storage tank 12 are provided is that the connection gutter 16 connected to the upper out ball guiding / merging gutter 15 is used. A relatively high position, specifically, a position higher than the bottom surface of the non-priority storage tank 12, in order to preferentially guide the dirty pachinko balls to the doffing and conveying device 5 without storing them in the priority storage tank 11. It is necessary to provide. Otherwise, the out balls that flow down the out ball induction merging gutter 15 cannot naturally flow down to the non-priority storage tank 12 side. On the other hand, if the bottom surface of the priority storage tank 11 is matched with the height position of the out ball merging gutter 15, the pachinko balls stored in the priority storage tank 11 naturally flow down to the non-priority storage tank 12 via the communication gutter 16. However, since the position of the bottom surface is increased, there is a disadvantage that the storage amount in the priority storage tank 11 is reduced accordingly. For this reason, the height position of the bottom surface of the priority storage tank 11 is lowered to increase the storage amount, and the lower communication gutter 19 communicating with the bottom surface is increased.
Is connected to the small lifting device 20 and is sent to the non-priority storage tank 12 by the small lifting device 20.

Note that a storage ball guiding gutter 17 is provided on one side of the bottom surface of the priority storage tank 11. The storage ball guide gutter 17 takes in the pachinko balls stored in the priority storage tank 11 and takes the balls stored in the upstream part or the middle part thereof and guides them to the downstream side. The function of uniformly guiding the pachinko balls stored in the priority storage tank 11 to the lower connecting gutter 19 so that the pachinko balls do not stay in one place is exhibited.
Similarly, a storage ball guiding gutter 17 is provided also on the bottom surface of the non-priority storage tank 12, and the pachinko balls stored in the non-priority storage tank 12 are uniformly guided to the introduction gutter 18. However, the upper part of the storage ball guiding gutter 17 provided on the non-priority storage tank 12 side has an out ball guiding merging gutter 15.
Are provided so as to overlap with each other, and the outlet of the out ball guiding / merging gutter 15 is closer to the introduction gutter 18 than the outlet of the storage ball guiding / merging gutter 17. Covers the upper part of the ball flowing out of the storage ball guiding gutter 17 and stops the ball of the storage ball guiding gutter 17, so that the out ball flowing down the out ball guiding merging gutter 15 is preferentially guided to the introduction gutter 18. It is supposed to be.

In this embodiment, the priority of pachinko balls guided to the introduction gutter 18 is as follows. First,
The types of pachinko balls guided to the introduction gutter 18 are the following four types. Pachinko balls stored on the bottom plate of the non-priority storage tank 12. A pachinko ball that flows down the out ball guide merging gutter 15 of the non-priority storage tank 12. Pachinko balls stored on the bottom surface of the priority storage tank 11 and sent to the non-priority storage tank 12 by the small lifting device 20. The pachinko balls sent down to the non-priority storage tank 12 by the connecting gutter 16 flowing down the out ball guide merging gutter 15 of the priority storage tank 11.

Of these, the pachinko balls that are introduced into the introduction gutter 18 most preferentially are the pachinko balls that are guided directly to the introduction gutter 18 through the non-priority storage tank 12.
The second is a pachinko ball that is guided from inside the priority storage tank 11 to the non-priority storage tank 12 through the communication gutter 16. The third is a pachinko ball that is stored in the priority storage tank 11 and then guided into the non-priority storage tank 12 via the small-sized lifting device 20. The fourth is a pachinko ball stored in the non-priority storage tank 12.

Further, the doffing and feeding device 5 in the present embodiment
Has a capacity of 15000 pieces / min as its lifting capacity, and the small-sized lifting apparatus 20 has a capacity of 10000 pieces / min. The following is a description of how the above balls are sorted under the premise that there is such a lifting ability. That is, the average number of pachinko machines 2 installed on the pachinko island stand 1 is four in total.
Since the number is around 0, the maximum number of balls is 4,000 / min, and the number of pachinko balls is 10,000 / min. Therefore, the number of pachinko balls is 1000 pieces / min. That is, in the pachinko island stand 1 of the present embodiment, approximately 4000 used balls (and pachinko balls) discharged from the plurality of pachinko machines 2 arranged in one minute are discharged with the highest priority,
Next, from the priority storage tank 11 to the non-priority storage tank 12,
Approximately 10,000 return balls (pachinko balls) transferred per minute are pumped out, and the remaining approximately 1,000 return balls and return balls (pachinko balls) stored in the non-priority storage tank 12 at the end. Is to be transported.

The outline of the pachinko island stand 1 according to the embodiment has been described above. As described above, the pachinko island stand 1 according to the present embodiment has a ball exchange device inserted between adjacent pachinko island stands 1. Has been passed. Therefore, a detailed structure of the ball exchange device will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 is a perspective view showing a relationship between the upper tank 6 and the AC tank 7, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of the upper tank 6, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the flow of balls in the upper tank 6 and the AC tank 7, and FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the AC tank 7 and the AC upper gutter 70 and the AC lower arch gutter 71. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an intersection between an AC upper gutter 70 and an AC lower arch gutter 71, and FIG.
Is a pachinko island stand 1 showing a different embodiment of the ball exchange device.
It is a perspective view of.

As described above, the ball AC device includes an AC tank 7, an AC upper gutter 70 gently connected from the AC tank 7 to the AC tank 7 of the adjacent pachinko island stand 1, and an adjacent pachinko machine. It is composed of an arch-shaped AC lower arch gutter 71 for receiving an AC ball from the AC tank 7 of the island stand 1 at a lower portion of the AC tank 7, and firstly, the AC tank 7 and the AC tank 7 are closely related to each other. The upper tank 6 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, the upper tank 6 has a box-like shape in which a ball inlet 30 for receiving the balls discharged by the ball discharging device 5 is formed on one upper side thereof. The inside of which is branched and formed into a branch space 31 and an overflow space 32 by a branch vertical plate 33. The diversion space 31 is a space into which the pachinko balls flowing from the ball inlet 30 enter first, and the diversion space 3
The pachinko balls entering 1 fall while being weakened downward by step plates 34 to 36 provided so as to be inclined inward alternately, from the stepped bottom plate 37 constituting the bottom surface of the branch space 31. It is led to a replenishment outlet 38 opened on one side wall of the upper tank 6. This supply outlet 38
Is connected to a pachinko machine 2 and a supply gutter (not shown) for supplying balls to the pachinko machine lending machine arranged one side (right side in FIG. 2) from the center of the pachinko island stand 1.

A lower guide side plate 39 which is inclined toward the other side wall of the upper tank 6 is provided on the branch vertical plate 33 side of the step plate 36 provided above the stepped bottom plate 37. A supply connection port 48 is opened at a position corresponding to the tip of the side plate 39. The supply connection port 48 has a supply connection cylinder 41 inserted between the supply tank 48 and the AC tank 7.
Is connected. The downstream end of the supply connecting cylinder 41 is connected to a receiving port 55 of the AC tank 7, and the receiving port 55 and a supply outlet 58 described later are communicated. This supply outlet 58 is located on the other side of the center of the pachinko island stand 1 (FIG. 2).
(A left side) is connected to a replenishing gutter (not shown) for replenishing balls to the pachinko machine 2 and the betting machine.

Further, the branch vertical plate 3 of the uppermost step plate 34
On the third side, an upper guide side plate 40 that is inclined toward the other side wall of the upper tank 6 is provided, and an AC communication port 49 is opened at a position corresponding to the tip of the upper guide side plate 40. The AC communication tube 49 is connected to the AC communication port 49 and is inserted between the AC communication port 49 and the AC tank 7. A stopper plate 40a is fixed immediately above the AC communication port 49 of the upper guide side plate 40.
The balls which flowed from step 0 and which passed through the step plate 34 and the upper guide side plate 40 are surely guided downward so as not to flow out from the AC communication port 49, and only the balls which overflowed to the upper guide side plate 40 are exchanged. This is for flowing out to the communication port 49.

On the other hand, the upper end of the branch vertical plate 33 is located slightly above the upper guide side plate 40, and the overflow space 32 branched by the branch vertical plate 33 is provided.
Also, step plates 43 to 46 which are alternately inclined inward are provided. The step plates 43 to 46 are for guiding the ball overflowing from the upper end of the branching vertical plate 33 downward while weakening the momentum of the ball. The lowermost step plate 46 projects forward and forms the bottom surface of the overflow guide gutter 47. ing. The lower end of the overflow guide gutter 47 is connected to the box priority passage 2 of the overflow box 22.
2a. Note that members (rubber, synthetic resin, etc.) for reducing the impact of the falling ball are attached to the upper surfaces of the step plates 43 to 45 provided in the overflow space 32. It may be attached to the step plates 34 to 36 or the step-like bottom plate 37 provided.

In the upper tank 6 configured as described above, the pachinko balls pumped by the ball pumping device 5 are guided from the ball inlet 30 to the diversion space 31, and thereafter, the step plates 34 to 36 and the stepped plates are formed. From the bottom plate 37 to the supply outlet 38 with the highest priority, it is supplied to one side supply gutter. Since the number of pachinko balls used in the supply gutter on one side is far greater than the number of pachinko balls used by the ball lifting device 5, the balls that have flowed into the diversion space 31 are immediately stored and accumulated, The accumulated balls are firstly a middle step plate 36 and a lower guiding side plate 3.
The liquid flows out from the supply port 9 to the supply connection port 48, and is supplied from the supply outlet 58 to the supply gutter on the other side via the supply connection cylinder 41 and the AC tank 7 as described above. Since the number of pachinko balls to be pumped is obviously larger than the number of pachinko balls used in the above-mentioned left and right supply gutters, the diversion space 31 further accumulates pachinko balls. It is led to the AC tank 7 by being guided to the upper guide side plate 40 and the stopper plate 40a. The balls guided to the AC tank 7 are supplied to the adjacent pachinko island 1 through an AC upper gutter 70 as described later. In this case, the maximum number is 6,000 pieces / minute (3000 pieces / minute for one AC upper gutter 70 alone, but there are two on the left and right sides). Thus, since the number of pumping is larger than the sum of the number of supply to the left and right supply gutters and the AC tank 7, the number of pachinko balls further accumulates in the diversion space 31, and the accumulated balls are It jumps over the upper end of the branch vertical plate 33, flows out into the overflow space 32, and is guided from the overflow guide gutter 47 to the overflow box 22.

That is, in the present embodiment, as long as the ball lifting device 5 is lifting balls at a normal lifting capacity (15000 pieces / min), supply to the left and right supply gutters and the AC tank 7 is not performed. Even in the state where the maximum value has been reached, the balls are constantly circulated from the overflow space 32 to the overflow box 22.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3, 5, 6, and 7, the AC tank 7 communicated with the upper tank 6 is provided in a horizontal direction slightly above the center of the rectangular parallelepiped box. The feed space 50 and the feed space 51 are branched by the branch horizontal plate 52, and a receiving port 53 and a feed port 54 are opened so as to face the feed space 50. Inlet 5
Reference numeral 3 designates a connection of the downstream end of the AC communication cylinder 42, and a feed port 54 is formed on each of the left and right side walls adjacent to the side wall on which the reception port 53 is formed, and will be described later. The upper end of the AC upper gutter 70 to be connected is connected. Thus, a passage for guiding the pachinko balls received from the receiving port 53 to the feeding port 54 is formed in the feeding space 50, and the path is provided with a passage forming plate 50a (see FIG. 5). It is formed by doing. The AC upper gutter 70 is connected to the outside of the feed port 54 as described above, and a stopper device 61 is attached between the feed port 54 and the AC upper gutter 70. The stopper device 61 includes a motor 62 as shown in FIG.
A lifting plate 63 that is raised and lowered by the motor 62
And a guide piece 64 for guiding the operation of the elevating plate 63. And this stopper device 61
Open / close drive is controlled based on signals from the ball quantity sensors S1 to S5 provided in the storage tanks 11 and 12 of the own island and the ball quantity sensors S1 to S5 provided in the storage tanks 11 and 12 of the other islands. .

The receiving space 51 is provided with a receiving port 55, a supply port 58, and a receiving port 59. The receiving port 55 is connected to the downstream end of the supply connecting cylinder 41, and a supply port 58 is formed in a lower part of the side wall facing the receiving port 55. And the entrance 5
In the receiving space 51, a pair of partitioning plates 56 are erected so that the pachinko balls 5 are connected to the supply outlet 58, and the pachinko balls received from the receiving inlet 55 are guided only to the supply outlet 58. In the space formed by the pair of partition plates 56, an inclined bottom surface 57 is provided on the bottom surface thereof, which is inclined downward toward the supply outlet 58, and a step plate 57a is provided on the upper portion of the supply outlet 58 in a reversely inclined shape. Provided, reception 5
The pachinko ball received from 5 is temporarily received by the step plate 57a to reduce the momentum, and then discharged from the supply outlet 58 by the inclined bottom surface 57. The receiving port 59 faces the space outside the pair of partition plates 56.
The end of the AC lower arch gutter 71 is connected and fixed to the outside of the receiving port 59, and the pachinko balls received from the AC lower arch gutter 71 are received in the outer space of the partition plate 56, and then constitute the bottom surface. It is discharged to the outside of the AC box 7 from a drop port 60a formed in the center of the bottom plate 60.
The pachinko balls discharged from the falling port 60a are guided to a box priority passage 22a of the overflow box 22, as shown in FIG.

The structure of the upper tank 6 and the AC tank 7 is as follows.
The AC upper gutter 70 and the AC lower arch gutter 71, which have the above-described structure, will be described next with reference to FIGS. 1, 7, and 8. FIG.
One end of the AC upper gutter 70 is connected and fixed to the feed port 54 of the AC tank 7, and the other end is gently inclined toward substantially the center between the adjacent pachinko island stands 1 and downward at the tip. AC lower opening 73 is formed. Therefore, the AC upper gutter 70 is fixedly extended from the AC tank 7 of the adjacent pachinko island stand 1, respectively. On the other hand, the AC lower arch gutter 71 is constituted by a single arc-shaped gutter whose both ends are connected and fixed to the receiving port 59 of the adjacent AC tank 7, and an AC upper opening 74 is formed at the top of the arc. Have been. The AC upper opening 74 and the AC lower opening 73 communicate face-to-face with each other to guide the pachinko balls flowing down in an intersecting manner.
In order to reliably connect the AC upper opening 74 and the AC lower opening 73, a connector 75 that wraps and fixes the outer peripheries of the two AC upper gutters 70 and the AC lower arch gutter 71 is fixed. Note that the AC upper gutter 70 and the AC lower arch gutter 71 are made of a metal gutter member having a U-shaped cross section with an open upper surface and a material such as semi-rigid urethane adhered to the inner periphery of the gutter member. By covering the lid cover plate to which the material is adhered from the upper surface, the cover member is configured as a cylindrical material having a rectangular cross section as a whole, and exhibits a noise reduction effect. Further, a sensor 72 is provided at the lower end of the AC lower arch gutter 71 (immediately before the receiving port 59), and the sensor 72 monitors a flowing state of the AC ball, a failure of the stopper device 61, and the like. Note that rubber or a synthetic resin may be adhered below each urethane material to improve the vibration absorption.

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), a cover for covering the upper tank 6 and the AC tank 7 is provided. Although the AC upper gutter 70 and the AC lower arch gutter 71 are shown penetrating through the body 8, as shown in FIG. 9, a connection rubber 81 is provided at the penetrating portion of the cover body 8 to provide a beautiful appearance of the ball AC apparatus. And an embodiment that improves stability (hereinafter, referred to as a second embodiment). In the second embodiment, a connection rubber 81 is provided in a portion of the tank cover 80 that covers the upper tank 6 and the AC tank 7 through the AC upper gutter 70 and the AC lower arch gutter 71 so as to cover the upper tank 6 and the AC tank 7. Gutter 70
And the base of the AC lower arch gutter 71 is covered. With this configuration, the AC upper gutter 70 and the AC lower arch gutter 71 can be stably supported, and the beauty of the ball AC device can be improved. In addition, AC upper gutter 70 and AC lower arch gutter 71
In the case where they are configured to be slidable in order to change the connection position, the connection rubber 81 can cover the slide groove.

Thus, the ball AC device in the embodiment described above includes an AC upper gutter 70 gently inclined toward the center above the adjacent AC tanks 7 and an AC upper gutter 70 between the adjacent AC tanks 7. , And an AC lower arch gutter 71 formed in an arch shape and connected at the lower center of the AC upper gutter 70 at the lower center thereof and in contact with the AC upper gutter 70. Since the pachinko balls flowing down inside at the central intersection with the center 71 are guided in a cross shape, the AC upper gutter 70 formed in a straight line is formed into an AC lower arch gutter 71 formed in an arch shape.
Can be secured from below by the arch structure, and can secure sufficient strength. Even if the pachinko ball stays in the AC upper gutter 70 and the AC lower arch gutter 71, it is twisted or bent by its weight. There is no. Therefore, there is no need to support the AC gutter with a separately prepared supporting member as in the related art, which simplifies the structure and is preferable in aesthetic appearance. In the structure according to the present embodiment, if a ball is clogged at any part of the AC lower arch gutter 71 or on the downstream side thereof and the ball flows backward through the AC lower arch gutter 71, the ball is sent out. AC lower arch gutter 71 in the side AC tank 7
, The entire AC lower arch gutter 71 is not filled with balls, and the load can be reduced accordingly. Further, even if a thin material is used as a member constituting the AC upper gutter 70 and the AC lower arch gutter 71, sufficient strength can be obtained for the arch structure, and overall cost reduction can be achieved. it can.

The AC lower arch gutter 71 is an arc-shaped portion extending in a substantially horizontal direction for a pachinko ball received crosswise from the AC upper gutter 70 provided at a gentle slope so as to reduce the speed and gradually increase the speed. As a result, it is possible to reduce the downward force of the pachinko balls flowing down as compared with the inclined AC gutter that is guided linearly as in the related art, and it is possible to suppress an accident that the AC tank on the receiving side is damaged.

At the connection between the AC tank 7 and the AC upper gutter 70, a stopper device 61 for preventing or allowing the pachinko balls from flowing into the AC upper gutter 70 is provided, and the storage tanks 11, 12 are provided. Ball sensor S provided in
The opening and closing of the stopper device 61 is controlled by 1 to S5. With this configuration, when the storage amount in the storage tanks 11 and 12 of the pachinko island stand 1 is not sufficient, the stopper device 61 of the adjacent pachinko island stand 1 is driven to open to allow the pachinko balls to flow therein. When the storage amounts in the storage tanks 11 and 12 are near full, the stopper device 6 of the adjacent pachinko island stand 1 is used.
1 can be blocked to prevent the inflow of pachinko balls.

In the above-described embodiment, the upper tank 6 and the AC tank 7 are formed as separate bodies, and both are connected by the supply connecting gutter 41 and the AC connecting gutter 42. The AC tank 7 may be integrally formed. That is, the supply connecting gutter 41, the AC connecting gutter 42, and the overflow guiding gutter 47 are removed, and the upper tank 6 and the AC tank 7 are integrally formed in close contact with each other. At this time, the height of the inner wall that separates the upper tank 6 and the AC tank 7 needs to be lower than the height of the branch vertical plate 33 of the upper tank 6. This is because pachinko balls should be guided to the feeding space 50 with priority over the overflow space 32. With such a configuration, it is possible to simplify the structure of the upper tank portion and increase productivity and reliability.

[0039]

As is apparent from the above description, in the present invention, an AC upper gutter gently inclined toward the center at the upper portion between adjacent AC tanks,
An AC lower arch gutter, which is formed in an arch shape and is connected to the lower center of the AC upper gutter and is connected to and abuts on the lower center of the AC upper gutter. Since the pachinko balls flowing down the center at the central intersection with the arch gutter are guided in an intersecting manner, the AC upper gutter formed linearly is formed by the arch structure of the AC lower arch gutter formed in an arch shape Sufficient strength can be ensured by being supported from below, and even if the pachinko balls stay in the AC upper gutter and the AC lower arch gutter, they will not be twisted or bent by their weight. Therefore, there is no need to support the AC gutter with a separately prepared supporting member as in the related art, which simplifies the structure and is preferable in aesthetic appearance.

The AC lower arch gutter guides the pachinko balls received crosswise from the AC upper gutter provided in a gently inclined shape so as to reduce the speed of the pachinko balls in a substantially horizontal direction and gradually increase the speed. Therefore, it is possible to weaken the downward force of the pachinko balls flowing down as compared with the inclined AC gutter that is guided linearly as in the related art, and it is possible to suppress an accident that the AC tank on the receiving side is damaged.

A stopper device is provided at the connection between the AC tank and the AC upper gutter to prevent or allow pachinko balls to flow into the AC upper gutter, and a ball quantity sensor provided in the storage tank is provided. By controlling the opening and closing of the stopper device, when the storage amount in the storage tank of the pachinko island stand is not sufficient, the stopper device of the adjacent pachinko island stand is driven to open to allow the pachinko balls to flow and the storage tank inside the storage tank. When the storage amount is near full, the stopper device 61 of the adjacent pachinko island stand is driven to close and the inflow of pachinko balls can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a relationship between a plurality of pachinko island stands 1;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of one pachinko island stand 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a relationship between an upper tank 6 and an AC tank 7.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the upper tank 6.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the AC tank 7.

6 is a perspective view showing the flow of balls in the upper tank 6 and the alternating current tank 7. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing the relationship between the AC tank 7 and the AC upper gutter 70 and the AC lower arch gutter 71.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an intersection between an AC upper gutter 70 and an AC lower arch gutter 71.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the pachinko island stand 1 showing another embodiment of the ball exchange device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pachinko island stand 2 Pachinko machine 3 Ball return device 4 Ball doffing device storage part 5 Ball doffing device 6 Upper tank 7 AC tank 10 Out ball guiding gutter 11 Storage tank (priority) 12 Storage tank (non-priority) 20 Small lift Feeding device 22 Overflow box 30 Ball inlet 31 Dividing space 32 Overflow space 33 Branch vertical plate 38 Supply outlet 41 Supply connection tube 42 AC connection tube 47 Overflow guide gutter 48 Supply connection port 49 AC connection port 50 Feeding space 51 Receiving space 53 Receiving Inlet 54 Feeding port 55 Receiving port 58 Supply outlet 59 Receiving port 61 Stopper device 70 AC upper gutter 71 AC lower arch gutter 75 Connector 80 Tank cover 81 Connection rubber

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A pachinko island that circulates used balls discharged from a plurality of pachinko machines arranged in a row through an out ball guiding gutter, a storage tank, a ball lifting device and a supply gutter, In a ball-switching device of a pachinko island that is crossed between alternating tanks of the adjacent pachinko island and aims to exchange pachinko balls, the ball-switching device is provided at a center on an upper portion between the adjacent AC tanks. An AC upper gutter that is gently inclined toward the AC upper gutter is formed in an arch shape that is connected to a lower portion between the adjacent AC tanks and that has an upper center connected and abutting at a lower center of the AC upper gutter. And a pachinko ball that is configured to include: a pachinko ball that flows down at the center intersection of the AC upper gutter and the AC lower arch gutter. of AC devices. 2. A connecting device between the AC tank and the AC upper gutter is provided with a stopper device which can prevent or allow the pachinko balls from flowing into the AC upper gutter, and is provided in the storage tank. The ball exchange device for pachinko island stand according to claim 1, wherein the opening and closing of the stopper device is controlled by a ball amount sensor.