JP4182553B2 - Displacement control device for launch operation part of pachinko machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a displacement control device for a launch operation unit that controls the displacement of a launch operation unit that adjusts the launch intensity of a pachinko ball in a pachinko gaming machine.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A player who plays a game with a pachinko machine often launches a pachinko ball aiming at a specific location in order to generate a so-called jackpot. In this way, in order to launch at a specific location, the launching operation section (the most commonly used launching handle that is currently most commonly used) is fixed at a fixed position. It is necessary to keep. However, since the urging force to return to the initial position always acts on the launch operation unit, the player must keep fixing the position of the launch operation unit against this urging force, If you play for a long time, your wrists and arms will get very tired. For this reason, there are not a few players who fix the position of the firing operation unit by forcibly inserting coins or the like into the slight gap of the firing operation unit. If the position is fixed, the firing operation unit and the like are damaged earlier than other parts, and the replacement cycle becomes very short.
[0003]
Therefore, in recent years, a pachinko gaming machine has been proposed in which the position of the launch operation unit is fixed by using gear meshing or electromagnet adsorption. In such a pachinko gaming machine, for example, a push button or the like is provided around the launch operation unit, and the player fixes the position of the launch operation unit by operating the push button. In this way, since the position of the firing operation unit is fixed by operating a push button or the like, fatigue of the wrist or arm can be reduced without causing damage to the firing handle or the like.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in a pachinko machine, for example, there are a plurality of safe holes for winning a pachinko ball in order to generate a big hit, or a safe hole to be awarded in order to generate a big win and a big win are made to win In such pachinko machines, the firing strength of the pachinko ball, that is, the position of the firing operation unit is not fixed at one place, and the fixing and changing of the position are repeated. Sometimes you have to. For this reason, operation of a push button etc. may be troublesome.
[0005]
Then, an object of this invention is to provide the displacement control apparatus of the launch operation part of the pachinko machine which can perform the operation which fixes the position of the launch operation part, and the operation which changes easily and smoothly.
[0006]
[Means for solving the problems and effects of the invention]
In order to achieve such an object, the displacement control device of the launch operation unit of the pachinko gaming machine according to the present invention adjusts the launch intensity of the pachinko ball according to the displacement amount of the launch operation unit that is operated and displaced by the player. A displacement control device for a launch operation unit of a pachinko machine that is provided in a possible pachinko gaming machine and controls the displacement of the launch operation unit, and a position fixing means for fixing the position of the launch operation unit in a normal state, and a game An operation force detecting means for detecting an operation force applied to the firing operation section by the player, and a time required for the player to adjust the firing strength after the operation force detection means detects an operation force of a predetermined value or more. And a fixing release means for releasing the fixing by the position fixing means until a predetermined time set in advance is passed .
[0007]
In the displacement control device for the launch operation portion of the pachinko gaming machine according to the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as “launch operation portion displacement control device”), the position of the launch operation portion is normally fixed by the position fixing means. When a player operates the launch operation unit to launch a pachinko ball or change the launch intensity, a certain amount of force is applied to the launch operation unit, and this force is detected by the operation force detection means. Detected. When the magnitude of the force detected by the operating force detecting means is equal to or greater than a predetermined value set in advance, the fixing by the position releasing means is released by the fixing releasing means, and the player can freely release the firing operation section. It becomes possible to be displaced .
[0008]
In this way, in the launch operation unit displacement control device according to the present invention, since the position of the launch operation unit is normally fixed, the player can play a game by firing a pachinko ball with a constant launch intensity. In addition, when the player applies force to operate the firing operation unit, that is, when the player makes an intention to change the firing strength, the position is released and the position is changed, that is, the firing strength. You can make changes. Therefore, the player can easily and smoothly perform an operation of fixing and changing the position of the firing operation unit.
[0009]
By the way, a normal player takes about 4 seconds to set the desired firing intensity by operating the firing operation unit. Specifically, first adjust the position of the launch operation unit with an approximate register, confirm the launch intensity of the pachinko ball at that position, and then gradually displace the launch operation unit while checking the launch intensity Make final fine adjustments. Here, when the fixing release means is configured to allow the position to be fixed again when the magnitude of the detected operating force is not equal to or greater than the predetermined value described above, the position of the firing operation unit is adjusted during fine adjustment. Will be fixed. For this reason, in order to perform the fine adjustment by releasing the fixing, it is necessary to apply a strong force to the launch operation unit. However, if the fixing is released while the force is applied, the fixing is released. In the meantime, the player displaces the firing operation unit in the direction in which the force is applied. Therefore, when a player who plays a game by adjusting the firing intensity very precisely operates the launch operation unit that behaves in this way, the operation may feel uncomfortable.
[0010]
Therefore, as described in claim 1 , the fixing release means is set in advance as a time required for the player to adjust the firing strength after the operating force detection means detects an operating force of a predetermined value or more. until the elapse of a predetermined time that is, Ru is configured so as to release the fixing by the position fixing means.
[0011]
In the case where the launch operation unit displacement control device according to the present invention is configured in this manner, a predetermined time (for example, the above-described 4 seconds) elapses after an operation force having a magnitude greater than a predetermined value is detected. In the meantime, since the position of the launch operation unit is released, fine adjustment can be freely performed. Therefore, the player can more easily and smoothly perform an operation of changing the position of the firing operation unit, that is, an operation of changing the firing strength.
[0012]
Here, as the launch operation unit, not only the rotation operation type launch handle that is most commonly used at present, but also, for example, a slide operation type that operates the launch operation unit in the front-rear, left-right, or up-down direction, etc. Can be adopted.
In particular, when a rotating operation type launching handle is employed, as described in claim 2 , the launching operation unit is a launching handle that is rotated by a player, and the position fixing means is The rotation position of the firing handle is fixed by fixing the shaft of the firing handle, the operating force detecting means detects the axial torque applied to the shaft as the operating force, and the fixing release means is When the magnitude of the shaft torque detected by the operating force detection means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value set in advance, the fixing by the position fixing means may be released.
[0013]
In such a configuration, the rotation position of the firing handle is normally fixed by the position fixing means, and the shaft torque generated on the shaft of the firing handle is operated by the player operating the firing handle. When the force detection means detects and the magnitude of the shaft torque is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the player freely turns the launching handle when the fixing release means releases the fixed rotation position. it becomes as it is.
[0014]
Here, as the position fixing means, for example, a member that fixes the shaft by directly pressing a rubber plate or the like on the shaft itself can be adopted, but since the surface area of the shaft is not so large, by pressing the rubber plate or the like The frictional force obtained is not too great. Further, when the shaft itself is rubbed, the shaft may be deformed.
[0015]
Therefore, when the firing operation part is a turning operation type firing handle, the position fixing means sandwiches and fixes the brake disc attached to the shaft and the brake disc as described in claim 3. It is even better if it is constituted by a disc brake device comprising a brake pad.
[0016]
In the case of such a configuration, the brake pad firmly holds the brake disk having a large surface area, so that a large frictional force can be obtained. Therefore, the shaft can be securely fixed. Further, since the brake disc is rubbed, there is no possibility that the shaft itself is deformed. Therefore, stable performance can be maintained over a long period of time.
[0017]
By the way, when a certain amount of axial torque is applied to the shaft, the shaft is twisted in proportion to the magnitude of the axial torque. Therefore, when the firing operation unit is a turning operation type firing handle, the shaft torque detecting means may be constituted by a semiconductor strain gauge attached to the shaft as described in claim 4 .
[0018]
Here, the position where the semiconductor strain gauge is attached is preferably the surface of the shaft where twisting is most prominent and easy to attach, and particularly preferably between the firing handle and the rotational position fixing means.
In such a configuration, the semiconductor strain gauge attached to the shaft detects torsion in proportion to the magnitude of the axial torque, and the fixing release means is used when the torsion magnitude is a predetermined value or more. Release the fixing by the position fixing means. Since the semiconductor strain gauge has high detection accuracy, when it is used as an axial torque detection means, it can accurately detect whether the player is applying force to the launch handle, and whether the shaft is unlocked It is possible to more accurately determine whether or not. Therefore, an operation for changing the rotation position of the firing handle, that is, an operation for changing the firing intensity can be performed more easily and smoothly. Furthermore, when a semiconductor strain gauge is employed as the operation force detection means, the operation force detection means can be made extremely small and light, and therefore the overall firing operation unit displacement control device can be reduced in size and weight. . In addition, since it can be attached simply by bonding to the shaft, the attaching operation is very easy.
[0019]
In addition to the semiconductor strain gauge, the operating force detection means includes, for example, a gear disc at two points on the shaft, and a torsion that detects the phase difference between the two gear discs, that is, the torsion angle, using an electromagnetic pickup. A displacement type torque sensor can be employed. However, since two sets of gear-shaped discs and electromagnetic pickups must be installed, the configuration becomes more complicated than that of a semiconductor strain gauge, leading to an increase in the size of the operation force detecting means and the firing operation unit displacement control device as a whole.
[0020]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, the configuration of the displacement control device of the launch operation unit of the pachinko machine to which the present invention is applied will be described.
[0021]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view for explaining a structure of a main part of the firing operation unit displacement control device. FIG. 2 is a plan view for explaining the internal structure of the brake clamp. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a circuit of the firing operation unit displacement control device.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the firing operation unit displacement control device 1 of the present embodiment includes a firing handle 10, a shaft 20, a disc brake device 30, a microcomputer 50, and the like.
[0022]
The firing handle 10 is a well-known one for adjusting the firing strength of a pachinko ball in a pachinko machine. A ring-shaped tentacle sensor 12 is attached to the firing handle 10. The tentacle sensor 12 is for detecting whether or not the player is holding the launching handle 10, and is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-185276. In addition, since the structure of the tentacle sensor 12, an operation principle, etc. are generally known, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.
[0023]
The shaft 20 is used to transmit the rotation of the firing handle 10 to the wire guide 62 to cause the wire guide 62 to rotate synchronously. The wire 60 fixed to the wire guide 62 is connected to a spring (not shown) for biasing a hitting rod (not shown) that hits a pachinko ball via a pulley 64 or the like. When the player rotates the firing handle 10 clockwise, the shaft 20 and the wire guide 62 rotate, and the wire 60 is pulled. Along with this, the spring is extended to increase the firing strength. Since this configuration and the principle of operation are generally well known, detailed description is omitted.
[0024]
Further, a small diameter portion 20a thinner than the surrounding is formed in a part of the shaft 20, and a semiconductor strain gauge 22 for detecting the twist of the shaft 20 is attached to the small diameter portion 20a. The reason why the small diameter portion 20a is formed is to cause the shaft 20 to be twisted more remarkably and to improve the detection accuracy by the semiconductor strain gauge 22.
[0025]
The disc brake device 30 includes a brake disc 32 and a brake clamp 34. The brake disc 32 is a well-known disc-shaped member, and is fixed to the shaft 20 in the same manner as the wire guide 62, and rotates as the firing handle 10 rotates. The brake clamp 34 is used to clamp and fix the brake disc 32 between the fixed brake pad 36a and the movable brake pad 36b, and further includes a solenoid 38, a plunger 40, an exciting current supply cable 42, and the like. When an excitation current is supplied from an excitation power supply 46 to be described later via the excitation current supply cable 42 and the solenoid 38 is in an excited state, the plunger 40 is drawn into the solenoid 38. Then, the movable brake pad 36b is moved upward in FIG. 2 by the action of the lever with the fixed shaft X as a fulcrum, and the brake disc 32 is clamped and fixed.
[0026]
The microcomputer 50 is a well-known computer including a CPU 52, a ROM 54, a RAM 56, and the like. The tentacle sensor 12 and the semiconductor strain gauge 22 are connected via an input interface (hereinafter referred to as “input I / F”) 58 a and a detection content input cable 14. And is connected to the relay 44 via an output interface (hereinafter referred to as “output I / F”) 58b. The relay 44 is provided in an excitation current supply cable 42 that connects the excitation power supply 46 and the solenoid 38. The microcomputer 50 functions as the above-described fixing release means, and details will be described later.
[0027]
Next, the operation of the firing operation unit displacement control device of the present embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart.
First, the processing of the main routine shown in FIG. 4 will be described.
This process is started when power is supplied from a main power supply (not shown) of the pachinko gaming machine, and the CPU 52 reads and executes the processing procedure recorded in the ROM 54. In parallel with the following processing, the CPU 52 sequentially records the output value of the semiconductor strain gauge 22 in the RAM 56 at a predetermined cycle (for example, 8 milliseconds), thereby holding, for example, the latest 1000 output values. The average value α of the output values for 1000 times is sequentially calculated.
[0028]
When this process is started, the CPU 52 multiplies the average value of the past values by a constant n (for example, 7), adds the latest value, and adds the latest value to the weighted average value β obtained by dividing by n + 1. The average value α is substituted as an initial value (S10). Next, an absolute value δ (hereinafter referred to as “deviation δ”) of the difference between the average value α and the weighted average value β is calculated (S20). Then, it is determined whether or not the deviation δ is greater than or equal to a preset threshold value ε (S30). Here, the threshold ε is appropriately selected according to the flexibility of the shaft 20, the installation environment of the pachinko gaming machine, and the like. If the deviation δ is not equal to or greater than the threshold ε (“NO” in S30), the latest value x of the output value of the semiconductor strain gauge 22 is read from the RAM 56, and the value obtained by (7β + x) / 8 is newly weighted. The average value β is set (S35), and the process returns to S20. Then, the deviation δ is calculated again, and the processes of S35 and S20 are repeated until the deviation δ becomes equal to or greater than the threshold ε. Since the average value α is substituted for the weighted average value β in S10, the deviation δ calculated immediately after the process of S10 is 0, and “NO” is determined in S30, and the process of S35 is performed. It becomes.
[0029]
If the deviation δ is equal to or greater than the threshold value ε (“YES” in S30), a large change has occurred in the output value of the semiconductor strain gauge 22, that is, the player has applied force to rotate the firing handle. It is determined that the shaft 20 is twisted, and the firing handle operation flag F is set (F ← 1) (S40). And it waits until 4 seconds pass (S50). Next, the firing handle operation flag F is reset (F ← 0) (S60), and the process ends.
[0030]
Next, the process of the solenoid control routine shown in FIG. 5 will be described.
Similarly to the main routine processing, this processing is also started when power is supplied from the main power supply of the pachinko gaming machine and the CPU 52 reads out and executes the processing procedure recorded in the ROM 54, and in parallel with the main routine processing. Done.
[0031]
When this process is started, the CPU 52 inputs the detection content of the tentacle sensor 12 (S110). And it is judged from the detection content of the tentacle sensor 12 whether the player is touching the launching handle 10 (S120). When it is determined that the player is touching the firing handle 10 (“YES” in S120), it is determined whether or not the firing handle operation flag F is set (S130). When the firing handle operation flag F is not set (“NO” in S130), the coil of the relay 44 is energized (S140). Then, the contact of the relay 44 is closed, and the excitation power supply 46 and the solenoid 38 are electrically connected. Then, the process ends.
[0032]
When the CPU 52 determines that the player has not touched the firing handle (“NO” in S120), or when the firing handle operation flag F is set (“YES” in S130), the relay 44 The coil is not energized (S150). Then, the contact of the relay 44 is opened, and the connection between the excitation power source 46 and the solenoid 38 is disconnected. Then, the process ends.
[0033]
Next, the operation when the player actually operates the firing handle will be described with reference to the timing chart shown in FIG.
In FIG. 6, the average value α, the weighted average value β, the deviation δ, the firing handle operation flag F, whether the player is touching the tentacle sensor 12, and whether the shaft 20 is fixed by the disc brake device 30 are shown in FIG. No is shown over time.
[0034]
First, power is supplied from the main power source to each part of the firing operation unit displacement control device, and the processing of the main routine and solenoid control routine described above is started.
Then, when the player touches the tentacle sensor 12 by grasping the launch handle 10 at time t0, first, “YES” is determined in S120. In addition, since the firing handle operation flag F is not set, “NO” is determined in S130. Then, the solenoid 38 is excited, the plunger 40 is pulled into the solenoid 38, the movable brake pad 36b holds the brake disc 32, and the rotational position of the shaft 20, that is, the rotational position of the firing handle 10 is fixed. .
[0035]
When the player applies a force to rotate the firing handle 10 at time t1, the average value α of the output of the semiconductor strain gauge 22 gradually increases. Further, the weighted average value β increases more than the average value α by the process of S35. As a result, the deviation δ also increases by the process of S20. The average value α is an average of the output for the past 1000 times, and may be regarded as a substantially constant value, but strictly speaking, it increases very slowly. Although it is not clear, the average value α gradually increases from time t1 to time t2 in the figure.
[0036]
When the deviation δ becomes equal to or greater than the threshold ε at time t2, the firing handle operation flag F is set (S40). Then, “YES” is determined in S130, and the solenoid 38 is de-energized, whereby the rotation position of the shaft 20 is released. Then, the player freely rotates the firing handle 10 to adjust the firing strength of the pachinko ball. At this time, since the axial torque applied to the shaft 20 is smaller than the axial torque when the rotational position of the shaft 20 is fixed, the output value of the semiconductor strain gauge 22 is also small. For this reason, the average value α and the weighted average value β gradually decrease. When the turning position is determined by the player at time t3, almost no axial torque is applied to the shaft 20, and the weighted average value β rapidly decreases and approaches the average value α. Accordingly, the deviation δ approaches 0 rapidly.
[0037]
Then, when 4 seconds elapse from time t2 and time t4 is reached, the firing handle operation flag F is reset and the shaft 20 is fixed again, so that the player can play a game by firing a pachinko ball with a constant firing strength. Do. At this time, the player does not need to hold the firing handle 10 but only touches the tentacle sensor 12 with one finger, for example. If the player wants to change the firing strength again after playing the game with this firing strength for a while, the player may apply force to rotate the firing handle 10 again. Then, the processing / operation from time t1 to time t4 is repeated. Then, when the player releases his hand from the firing handle 10 at time t5, the shaft 20 is released from being fixed again.
[0038]
Next, effects of the firing operation unit displacement control device will be described.
The firing operation unit displacement control device of the present embodiment is configured as described above and operates as described above, so that the following effects (1) to (5) are obtained.
(1) Since the rotation position of the launch handle 10 is fixed at normal times, the player can play a pachinko ball with a constant launch strength and the player can rotate the launch handle 10. When a force is applied to cause the rotation position to be fixed, the rotation position is released and the rotation position can be changed. Therefore, the player can easily and smoothly perform an operation of fixing and changing the rotation position of the launch handle.
[0039]
(2) The rotation position is fixed until 4 seconds have elapsed after the deviation δ, which is the absolute value of the difference between the average value α of the output of the semiconductor strain gauge 22 and the weighted average value β, exceeds the threshold value ε. The state in which is released is maintained, and fine adjustment can be performed freely. Therefore, the player can more easily and smoothly perform an operation of changing the rotation position of the firing handle 10, that is, an operation of changing the firing strength.
[0040]
(3) Since the rotational position of the shaft 20 is fixed by the disc brake device 30, it can be fixed securely. Further, since the brake disc 32 is rubbed, there is no possibility that the shaft 20 is deformed. Therefore, stable performance can be maintained over a long period of time.
[0041]
(4) Since the twist of the shaft 20 is detected by the semiconductor strain gauge 22 in order to detect the axial torque applied to the shaft 20, it is possible to accurately detect whether or not the player is applying force to the firing handle 10. It is possible to more accurately determine whether or not the shaft 20 is to be released. Therefore, the player can more easily and smoothly perform an operation of changing the rotation position of the firing handle 10, that is, an operation of changing the firing strength. Further, since the semiconductor strain gauge 22 is very small and light, the entire firing operation unit displacement control device 1 can be reduced in size and weight. Further, since the semiconductor strain gauge 22 can be attached simply by being bonded to the shaft 20, the attaching operation is very easy.
[0042]
(5) When the player is not touching the tentacle sensor 12, the coil of the relay 44 is not energized, and the exciting current is not supplied to the solenoid 38, so that waste of electric power can be prevented.
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be implemented in various modes.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view for explaining a structure of a main part of a firing operation unit displacement control device.
FIG. 2 is a plan view for explaining an internal structure of a brake clamp.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a circuit of a firing operation unit displacement control device.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of a main routine.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of a solenoid control routine.
FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing the operation of the firing operation unit displacement control device.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Launch operation part displacement control apparatus 10 ... Launch handle 12 ... Tentacle sensor 14 ... Detection content input cable 20 ... Shaft 20a ... Small diameter part 22 ... Semiconductor strain gauge 30 ... Disc brake device 32 ... Brake disc 34 ... Brake clamp 36a ... Fixed Brake pad 36b ... Movable brake pad 38 ... Solenoid 40 ... Plunger 42 ... Excitation current supply cable 44 ... Relay 46 ... Excitation power supply 50 ... Microcomputer 52 ... CPU 54 ... ROM 56 ... RAM 58a ... Input I / F 58b ... Output I / F 60 ... wire 62 ... wire guide 64 ... pulley X ... fixed shaft.

Claims (4)

Provided in a pachinko gaming machine capable of adjusting the firing intensity of the pachinko ball according to the amount of displacement of the launching operation unit that is operated and displaced by the player, and controls the displacement of the launching operation unit. A displacement control device comprising:
A position fixing means for fixing the position of the firing operation unit at a normal time ;
An operation force detecting means for detecting an operation force applied to the firing operation section by a player;
Fixing by the position fixing means after a predetermined time set in advance as a time required for the player to adjust the firing strength elapses after the operating force is detected by the operating force detection means. A displacement control device for a launch operation section of a pachinko gaming machine, comprising: The launch operation unit is a launch handle that is rotated by a player.
The position fixing means fixes the rotation position of the firing handle by fixing the shaft of the firing handle,
The operating force detection means detects an axial torque applied to the shaft as the operating force,
It said unlocking means to claim 1, characterized in that to release the fixing by the position fixing means when the magnitude of the axial torque detected by the operation force detection means is a preset predetermined value or more A displacement control device for a firing operation part of the pachinko gaming machine described. The position fixing means includes
A brake disc attached to the shaft;
The displacement control device for a launch operation portion of a pachinko gaming machine according to claim 2 , characterized in that the disc brake device comprises a brake pad for holding and fixing the brake disc. The operation force detection means, the firing operation of the displacement control structure of the pachinko game machine according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that it is constituted by a semiconductor strain gauge mounted on said shaft.

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