JPH11114144A - Device for detecting passing object - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new device structure capable of increasing degrees of freedom of design for surely detecting passing objects by causing two locking parts for holding objects passing through an object passage to be driven into a different state from before, and of achieving changes of device design and miniaturization. SOLUTION: A first movable member 16 is freely slidably formed and has a through hole 16b formed in its center. A first locking part for winning balls 30 is formed at the open edge 16c of the through hole 16b. A second movable member 17 is freely rotationally pivoted to a pivot 14, and a locking end 17a projected to face a communicating opening 10f is formed at the lower end of the second movable member 17. An interlocking shaft 18 is fixed in a position slightly above the locking end 17a, and a coil spring 19 is resiliently placed between the second movable member 17 and the open edge of a through hole 15b in a transmission link member 15.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for detecting a passing object, and more particularly to an apparatus structure suitable for detecting a winning ball of a pachinko machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a pachinko machine is provided with a prize ball detecting device for counting prize balls and paying out prize balls in accordance with the counted number. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-40985 discloses a configuration of a winning ball detecting device.
As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-182042 and the like, two locking portions are provided on the upstream and downstream sides along the ball path of the winning ball so as to alternately protrude into the ball path. The two locking portions are operated by a driving device including a solenoid or the like. The two locking portions alternately protrude into the ball passage by a driving device or an interlocking mechanism, and the winning ball flowing down in the ball passage is held by one of the locking portions.

Normally, when the driving device is stopped, the locking portion on the downstream side projects into the ball passage to hold a winning ball, and in this state, a detection sensor for detecting the presence of the winning ball is arranged. ing. When the presence of the winning ball is detected by the detection sensor, the driving device is driven to retract the downstream locking portion from the ball passage, and the winning ball held so far is discharged downstream, The upstream locking portion projects into the ball passage to hold the next winning ball, thereby preventing a plurality of winning balls from being released at one time. Next, when the driving device is stopped again, the downstream locking portion protrudes and the upstream locking portion retracts at the same time, and the winning prize held by the upstream locking portion until then is locked by the downstream locking portion. It is held by the stop. Then, the winning ball is detected again by the detection sensor, and the signal is sent to the control device to operate the driving device again.

Each time a winning ball is detected by the detection sensor,
The above-mentioned control device sends one drive pulse to the drive device in order to release the winning ball as described above, and sends a command to the prize ball payout device arranged in another part,
It is configured to emit a certain number of prize balls.

As an interlocking mechanism for interlocking the two locking portions each time the drive device operates, a single member having two locking portions is rotated so that one of the two locking portions is rotated. In some cases, only one protrudes into the ball passage. Also,
A rotating member provided with one locking portion is connected to the driving device, and another rotating member provided with the other locking portion meshes with and is driven by this other rotating member like a cam. When one of the rotating members is rotated by the driving device, one of the locking portions protrudes into the ball passage, and at the same time, the other rotating member moves in conjunction with the other locking portion from within the ball passage. Some are configured to be evacuated.

[0006]

By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional winning ball detecting device, two locking portions are provided on a single rotating member or a rotating portion provided with one locking portion. Since the member and the rotating member provided with the other locking portion are combined with each other, one locking portion operates and at the same time the other locking portion operates in reverse. For this reason, for example, at the almost same time that the counted winning balls are released by the retreat of the downstream locking portion, the upstream locking portion must stop the next winning ball, The operation margin cannot be made large in the movement of the locking part, and the degree of freedom in the design of the shape, the interval, the operation angle, or the shape of the ball passage, etc. of the two locking parts for reliable operation is increased. It is small, and there is a problem that it is difficult to change the design such as changing the shape of the detection device according to another device.

Further, since the interlocking mechanism for reliably operating as described above, particularly the design range for the shape, interval, center of rotation, etc. of the two locking portions is narrow, the size of the detecting device must be reduced. Is extremely difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to drive two locking portions for holding a passing object passing through an object passage in a different state from the related art. Another object of the present invention is to realize a new device structure that can increase the degree of freedom of design for reliably detecting a passing object, change the design of the device, and reduce the size of the device.

[0009]

Means taken by the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems are as follows: an object passage configured to guide a passing object along a predetermined path; And a first locking portion for holding the passing object at the first position in the protruding state, and being able to appear and retract at a location adjacent to the first locking portion on the upstream side in the object passage. And a second locking portion for holding the passing object at a second position upstream of the first position in the protruding state, and the first locking portion retracts from the object passage. Before the passing object is allowed to pass, the second locking portion projects into the object passage so that the passing object cannot pass, and the second locking portion is retracted from the object passage. Before the passing object can pass, the first locking portion An interlocking mechanism that protrudes into the object passage and operates so that the passing object cannot pass therethrough; a driving source for driving at least one of the first locking portion or the second locking portion; A detecting device for a passing object, comprising: detecting means for detecting a passing object disposed at at least one of the first position and the second position.

According to this means, the period in which the first locking portion locks the passing object and the period in which the second locking portion locks the passing object overlap with each other. Since the operation margin of the interlocking mechanism for operating the portion and the second locking portion can be increased, the degree of freedom in device design can be increased, and the design change and size reduction of the device can be easily achieved. Can be.

Here, one of the first locking portion and the second locking portion is connected so as to operate in accordance with a driving portion of the drive source, and the other is driven by an elastic member in accordance with the driving portion. Is preferably connected to

According to this means, one of the first locking portion and the second locking portion is connected, and the other is connected via the elastic member. It can be linked like a means. In this case, since only an elastic member needs to be interposed, the configuration can be made extremely easily, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the size can be further reduced.

In this case, there is also provided a driven member connected to the driving section, wherein the first locking section or the second locking section is provided.
It is desirable that one of the locking portions is connected to the driven member, and the other is connected to the driven member via an elastic member.

According to this means, since the two locking portions are configured to operate via the common driven member, the two locking portions are formed without making each member of the interlocking mechanism complicated. The parts can be operated appropriately, and the operation can be easily optimized by independently adjusting the operation of the two locking parts with respect to the driven member.

In this case, the driven member is further mounted so as to be rotatable about a predetermined fulcrum, and the first locking portion and the second locking portion are operated by the rotation of the driven member. It is preferable that the other of the first locking portion or the second locking portion is attached to be rotatable about the fulcrum.

According to this means, the one of the two locking portions connected via the elastic member operates at a timing different from that of the driven member, and cannot be integrated. However, since it is pivotally supported at a common fulcrum with the driven member, it is not necessary to separately provide a pivot support portion and a guide surface, so that it is possible to reduce the number of parts of the apparatus, simplify the structure, and reduce the size. .

The one of the two locking portions which is connected without the intermediary of the elastic member can be integrated with the driven member, thereby reducing the number of parts and simplifying the structure. In addition, downsizing can be achieved.

When the first locking portion and the second locking portion are respectively rotated, the first locking portion and the second locking portion performing different operations are rotated at different pivot positions. Although it is customary to move the locking mechanism, this increases the size of the interlocking mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to rotate one of the two locking portions and operate the other linearly (translationally). preferable. In this case, a motion conversion mechanism that performs a mutual conversion between a rotational motion and a translational motion is required to operate at least one of the two locking portions. However, the interlocking mechanism can be made compact as a whole. It is possible.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of a passing object detecting apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the detection device of the present embodiment in a state where no voltage is applied. The case body 10 constituting the hard plastic storage case has a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a length of 35 mm in the vertical direction in the drawing, a length of 55 mm in the horizontal direction in the drawing, and a thickness of about 12 mm in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. Is a solenoid accommodating portion 10 accommodating a plunger type solenoid 11 constituting a driving device.
a mechanism accommodating portion 10b accommodating a link mechanism constituting an interlocking mechanism driven by a solenoid;
A ball passage 10c that forms an object passage that passes through zero, and a sensor housing 10d that fits and holds a detection sensor 31 that forms detection means for detecting the presence of the winning ball 30.
Are integrally formed by resin molding. The illustrated fitting frame 10e is a frame-shaped structure for fitting and fixing the solenoid 10.

A drive shaft 12 constituting a drive unit is housed in a central hole of the solenoid 11 so as to be able to protrude and retract, and an upper surface of the solenoid 11 and an engagement flange portion 1 at a tip end of the drive shaft 12 are provided.
2a, the coil spring 13 as an elastic member is elastically mounted in a compressed state, and the coil spring 13 urges the drive shaft 12 in a direction to escape from the solenoid 11, so that the drive shaft 12 is engaged when the voltage is not applied. It stops with the flange portion 12a abutting against the inner surface of the case body 10.

The engaging flange portion 12a is engaged with an engaging portion 15a of a transmission link member 15 which is a driven member rotatably mounted on a support shaft 14 press-fitted into the case body 10. . A connection shaft 15c is formed on the support shaft 14 below the transmission link member 15, and the connection shaft 15c is connected to a connection portion 16a formed at the end of the first working member 16 and formed of a long hole. On the other hand, the insertion hole 1
5b are formed, and a second working material 17 is formed in the insertion hole 15b.
The interlocking shaft 18 is fixedly inserted into the shaft.

The first movable member 16 is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape except for the connecting portion 16a, and is configured to be linearly slidable on the inner surface of the case body 10. The first movable member 16 is configured to cross the lower opening of the ball passage 10c by a sliding motion along the inner surface of the case body 10, and a substantially square-shaped passage is provided at the center of the first movable member 16. A hole 16b is formed, and the lower opening of the ball passage 10c is opened and closed by the above-described sliding movement. The opening edge portion 16c of the through hole 16b forms a first locking portion.

The second movable member 17 is rotatably supported on the support shaft 14 like the transmission movable member 15. At the lower end of the second movable member 15, a communication opening 10 for connecting the mechanism housing portion 10b of the case body and the ball passage 10c is provided.
A locking end portion 17a that constitutes a second locking portion protruding leftward in the figure is formed to face f. Second movable member 17
The interlocking shaft 18 is fixed at a position slightly higher than the locking end portion 17a, and a coil spring 19 inserted through the interlocking shaft 18 is provided.
Is elastically mounted between the second movable member 17 and the left opening edge of the insertion hole 15b in the transmission link member 15. A retaining ring 18a is fitted to an end of the interlocking shaft 18, and the retaining ring 18a allows the transmission link member 15 and the second
The movable member 17 is not separated more than a certain distance.

The detection sensor 31 is a proximity switch that magnetically detects the winning ball 30, but a known reed switch or micro switch can also be used. The detection hole 31a formed in the detection sensor 31 is just the ball path 1
0c.
When the winning sphere 30 is placed in a, a detection signal is transmitted to a control device (not shown) via the signal terminal 31b.

Next, the operation of the counter device having the above configuration will be described. In this embodiment, first, when the winning ball 30 flows down in the ball passage 10c in the state shown in FIG. 1, the winning ball 30 is blocked by the opening edge 16c of the first movable member 16, and the detection sensor 31 Stops inside the detection hole 31a. Here, when the plurality of prize balls 30 flow down the ball passage 10c sequentially, the prize balls 30 at the stop position are stopped.
Are sequentially deposited on the surface.

Next, the detection sensor 31 detects the presence of the bottom winning ball 30 and sends a detection signal to a control device (not shown). A command to send out the ball is sent, and a drive pulse is also sent to the solenoid 11 for the detection device of the present embodiment. When the solenoid 11 receives a drive pulse, the drive shaft 12 is pulled into the center hole of the solenoid 11, whereby the transmission link member 15 rotates clockwise in the drawing.

When the transmission link member 15 rotates clockwise, the first movable member 16 moves to the left in the drawing, and at the same time, the second movable member 17 also rotates clockwise via the coil spring 19. At this time, before the opening edge 16c releases the winning ball 30 at the lowermost portion by the movement of the first movable member 16, the second movable member 17 contacts the inner wall of the mechanism accommodating portion 10b as shown in FIG. To stop the rotation. At this time, the locking end 17a of the second movable member 17 is connected to the ball passage 10c.
It is arranged so that the winning ball 30 immediately above the lowest winning ball 30 at the bottom can be locked.

Even if the second movable member 17 stops, the transmission link member 15 further rotates clockwise while compressing the coil spring 19, and moves the first movable member 16 to the left side in the figure. Eventually, as shown in FIG.
Is completely retracted from the lower opening of the ball passage 10c to release the winning ball 30 at the lowermost portion and drop it downward. At this time, the next winning ball 30 is locked and held by the locking end 17a of the second movable member 17.

The state shown in FIG. 2 continues for a time corresponding to the pulse width of the drive pulse from the above-described control device. However, when the time has elapsed, the solenoid 11 returns to the state where no voltage is applied again. Then, the drive shaft 12 starts to escape from the solenoid 12 by the elastic force of the coil spring 13, and the transmission link member 15 rotates counterclockwise in the figure. Transmission link material 1
When 5 rotates counterclockwise, the first movable member 16 starts to slide to the right in the figure, but the second movable member 17 is initially pressed against the inner wall of the mechanism housing 10b by the elastic force of the coil spring 19.

Eventually, as shown in FIG.
5 rotates counterclockwise to some extent, the coil spring 19
Is released, and the force for pressing the second movable member 17 based on the elastic force of the coil spring 19 is almost eliminated. At this time, the opening edge 16c of the first movable member 16 protrudes into the lower opening of the ball passage 10c, and the winning sphere 30 cannot already pass through the lower opening.

From the state shown in FIG.
5 rotates counterclockwise, the retaining ring 18a abuts the opening edge on the right side of the insertion hole 15b of the transmission link member 15 in the drawing, so that the transmission link member 15 and the second movable member 17 are not further separated. Therefore, the second movable member 17 rotates counterclockwise together with the transmission link member 15. Then, the locking end 17a is retracted from the ball passage 10c, and the winning ball 30 held by the locking end 17a is released and falls, and again engages with the opening edge 16c as shown in FIG. It is stopped and held. In this state, the detection sensor 31 detects the presence of the winning ball 30 again and sends a detection signal to the control device, and the same operation as described above is repeated.

According to the above-described embodiment, the excitation of the solenoid 11 causes the drive shaft 12 to move up and down, whereby the transmission link member 15 rotates. Since the transmission link member 15 is connected to the first movable member 16 and connected to the second movable member 17 via the coil spring 19, the transmission link member 15 directly causes the first movable member 16 to perform a sliding motion that is a translational motion. On the other hand, the second movable member 17 is rotated by the elastic force of the coil spring 19.

Before the opening edge 16c serving as the first locking portion provided on the first movable member 16 is retracted from the ball passage 10c serving as the object passage, the opening edge 16c is released before releasing the winning ball 30 serving as the passing object. 2 Locking end 17 which is a second locking portion of movable member 17
a is a ball passage 1 for locking and holding the upper winning ball 30.
0c. Conversely, after the opening edge 16c of the first movable member 16 protrudes into the ball passage 10c so that the winning ball 30 can be locked and held, the locking end portion 17a of the second movable member 17 becomes a ball. Evacuate from inside the passage 10c.

Therefore, the opening edge 16c and the locking end 1
7a and the interlocking operation with the above timing shift,
Before the lower opening edge 16c releases the winning ball, the upper locking end 17a becomes in a position to hold the winning ball, and the upper locking end 17a opens the lower opening before releasing the winning ball. Since the edge 16c is in a position to hold the winning ball, the winning ball 3
Since it is completely impossible to fail to detect the winning ball 30 when two or more 0s pass at a time, it is possible to design the link mechanism, which is the interlocking mechanism, into a somewhat free shape and structure. And the degree of freedom in design can be increased. In addition, since the degree of freedom in design is improved, it becomes easy to change the shape of the device according to the mounting portion inside the pachinko machine or to reduce the size of the entire device.

In the present embodiment, in particular, by connecting the second movable member having the second locking portion to the drive side via an elastic member such as a coil spring, the above-described operation can be performed with an extremely simple structure. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the size can be further reduced. Here, the transmission link member 15 and the second movable member 17 are connected to a retaining ring 18.
are connected by an interlocking shaft 18 provided with a and a coil spring 19, and both ends of the coil spring 19 are fixed to the transmission link member 15 and the second movable member 17, so that both the retaining ring 18a and the interlocking shaft 18 are connected. It is also possible to make it unnecessary. Further, another elastic member such as a rubber material or an air bag can be used as long as a certain deformation stroke can be secured instead of the coil spring 19. Furthermore, instead of using the elastic member as described above, the timing of the operation between the first locking portion and the second locking portion by using a hydraulic cylinder, an air cylinder, a motor or other active driving means. A shift may be caused. In this case, it is preferable to reduce the size of the driving means by a micromachining technique.

[0036]

According to the present invention, the period in which the first locking portion locks the passing object and the period in which the second locking portion locks the passing object overlap each other. Since the operation margin of the interlocking mechanism for operating the locking portion and the second locking portion can be increased, the degree of freedom in device design can be increased, and the design change and miniaturization of the device can be easily performed. Can be planned.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which no voltage is applied to an embodiment of a passing object detection device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a voltage application state of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state during the operation of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Case body 10b Mechanism accommodation part 10c Ball passage 11 Solenoid 12 Drive shaft 13 Engagement flange part 14 Support shaft 15 Transmission link member 16 First movable member 16c Opening edge 17 Second movable member 17a Locking end 18 Interlocking shaft 18a Retaining ring 19 Coil spring 30 Winning ball 31 Detection sensor

Claims (4)

[Claims] An object passage configured to guide a passing object along a predetermined path; and an object passage formed to be able to protrude and retract from the object passage, and to hold the passing object at a first position in a protruding state. And a first locking portion, which is formed so as to be able to protrude and retract at a location adjacent to the first locking portion on the upstream side in the object passage, and in the protruding state, moves the passing object upstream from the first position. A second locking portion for holding the second locking portion at a second position on the side, and the second locking portion is retracted before the first locking portion is retracted from the object passage and the passing object can pass therethrough. The first locking portion protrudes into the object passage so that the passing object cannot pass therethrough, and the first locking portion is retracted from the object passage so that the first locking portion can move through the object before the passing object can pass therethrough. It moves into the passage so that the passing object cannot pass. An interlocking mechanism that operates, a driving source for driving at least one of the first locking portion or the second locking portion, and a passing object disposed at least at one of the first position or the second position. A passing object detection device, comprising: a detection unit for detecting. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein one of the first locking portion and the second locking portion is connected so as to operate according to a driving portion of the driving source, and the other is connected via an elastic member according to the driving portion. A passing object detecting device, which is connected so as to be driven. 3. The device according to claim 2, further comprising a driven member connected to the driving unit, wherein one of the first locking unit and the second locking unit is connected to the driven member, and the other is the other. A passing object detection device, which is connected to a driven member via an elastic member. 4. The driven member according to claim 3, wherein the driven member is rotatably mounted around a predetermined fulcrum, and the first locking portion and the second locking portion operate by the rotation of the driven member. The passing object detection device is configured in such a manner that the other of the first locking portion or the second locking portion is attached rotatably about the fulcrum.