JP4487677B2 - Sprocket rotation stop position control method, ball dispensing device dispensing control method, ball dispensing device, and ball hopper - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a control method for controlling, for example, payout of a winning ball of a pachinko gaming machine or payout of a ball rental of a ball rental apparatus, and more specifically, by controlling the sprocket rotation stop position to a regular position with high accuracy. The present invention relates to a sprocket rotation stop position control method that eliminates biting, a ball payout control method, a ball payout device, and a ball hopper.

  Conventionally, a pachinko gaming machine or the like has been provided with a ball payout device that pays out a winning ball or pays out a ball of a ball rental device when a game ball enters a winning opening. This ball dispensing device includes a sprocket for individually feeding balls, a drive motor for rotationally driving the sprocket, a counting detection sensor for counting balls dispensed by the rotation of the sprocket, and the like.

  In this case, for sprocket rotation control, a stepping motor is generally used as a sprocket drive motor to realize a constant payout speed and stable ball payout as disclosed in Patent Document 1. The pulse control that outputs the number of pulses that can be rotated by the rotation angle is adopted.

  However, when such pulse control is employed, the payout control is performed by outputting a certain number of pulses, and thus the following problems have occurred.

  A ball dispensing device for driving a sprocket arranged in an alignment passage for aligning and flowing down balls and rotating the balls guided from the upstream side one by one by the sprockets of the sprocket to the downstream side to pay out a specified number When the ball is rolled on the inclined surface of the alignment passage and guided to the ball dispensing device, it may flow temporarily discontinuously due to the friction of the ball, etc. There may be a case where the distance between the balls is slightly opened and the distance between the ball feeding and the sprocket feeding claw becomes incompatible. In this case, ball biting is likely to occur. In addition, the output of the motor may be disturbed due to a step-out phenomenon that occurs due to load fluctuations. If such an improper step-out phenomenon occurs, the sprocket rotation position cannot be accurately detected even if the ball biting is canceled immediately after that, so it rotates by outputting a certain number of pulses. However, the sprocket does not rotate at the intended position, and the ball is bitten again. This is because the position of the sprocket is shifted to a position delayed from the intended position due to the step-out phenomenon caused by the load fluctuation of the motor, and the sprocket is rotated as it is. Furthermore, when clogging occurs, a clogging release operation by an attendant is required each time, and in the case of a gaming machine, there is a problem that the game is interrupted and the operating rate of the gaming machine is reduced.

No. 8-11140

  In view of this, the present invention eliminates these problems even when the sprocket is stopped from rotating and scatters from the determined normal position and always accurately positions the sprocket at the normal rotation stop position. An object of the present invention is to provide a sprocket rotation stop position control method, a ball payout device payout control method, a ball payout device, and a ball hopper that can ensure reliable and stable payout control avoiding ball biting.

According to the present invention, an alignment passage for rolling and aligning balls on an inclined surface is provided, and a ball guided from the upstream side by driving a sprocket provided to the alignment passage is moved one by one by a feed claw of the sprocket. A sprocket rotation stop position control method for rotating and feeding to the downstream side and stopping the rotation when the specified number of pieces flows down, and a slit for detecting the rotation position of the sprocket feed claw on the rotation axis of the sprocket Are provided at equal intervals, and a rotation position detection sensor for detecting the rotation position of the sprocket based on detecting a slit of the encoder rotation plate is provided, and the rotation position detection sensor is equivalent to one ball. rise detection signal of the encoder rotating plate of the slit serving as a feed amount detection position or when one is detected the falling detection signal, the rolling of the alignment passageway The ball passing trajectory in which the tip of the feeding claw of the rotation trajectory is closest to the bottom surface of the alignment path is the intersection region of the two trajectories where the rotation trajectory of the sprocket feeding claw overlaps the ball passing trajectory of the ball passing direction. wherein the rotation of the sprocket at intersections is a rotary stop position control method of the sprocket set to stop.

  Here, the crossing position of the tip of the feed claw of the rotation trajectory closest to the ball passing trajectory closest to the bottom surface of the alignment passage means that the tip of the feed claw penetrates most deeply in the ball height direction and the feed claw is inclined. This is the contact position where the ball passing on the surface is most stably received, and this position is set as the rotation stop position of the sprocket.

  According to this invention, at the time of ball rotation feeding, the feed claw that has been waiting for rotation until then and has received the ball becomes the rotation reference position, and the feed claw that is the rotation reference position is always the same initial stage suitable for feeding the first ball. Since the feed angle is set, rotation feed suitable for individual ball feed is possible. For this reason, the rotation feeding operation | movement of the ball | bowl without a possibility of a ball biting can be maintained.

  In this case, it is conceivable to increase the contact with the ball by providing the feeding claw long, but if the feeding claw is long, it becomes difficult for the toe to enter between the balls that continuously flow down, and the ball bite is likely to occur. Conversely, if the feed pawl is shortened to avoid biting the ball, the tip of the toe enters a shallow space between the balls, resulting in unstable rotational feed. Therefore, a normal claw length set at a position extending to near the middle height of the ball is suitable for the length of the feed claw.

Further , when determining the position to stop the rotation of the sprocket, the position at which the rotation position detection sensor detects one of the rising detection signal or the falling detection signal of the slit that becomes the feed amount detection position for one ball is the sprocket. Because it is set at the rotation stop position, it can be detected with high accuracy.

  Specifically, one pitch between slits from the detection position of the first slit to the detection position of the next slit is set as the feed amount for one ball by the sprocket. Further, when detecting one slit, the timing corresponding to the light transmission start time and the light transmission end time (light shielding start time) of the opening serving as the transmission space of the slit is captured by the rising detection signal or the falling detection signal. Therefore, one point of the space is detected with high accuracy, not the intermediate point of the transmission space of the slit, and stop control is performed according to the position of the one point.

  For this reason, unlike pulse control, high-accuracy stop control using an encoder can be performed. Therefore, there is no risk of biting the ball.

Therefore, the rotation stop position of the sprocket is set to be a position suitable for receiving the ball, even if the rotation stop position of the sprocket for some reason as the deviation so, may stop controlling the sprocket to the rotational stop position Therefore, even if it is adversely affected by the step-out phenomenon due to the load fluctuation of the motor, the rotation can be stopped at the normal position with high accuracy. For this reason, even if the feed claw rotates in a position slightly deviated from the intended angle, when the rotation stops, as a result, it stops at the normal rotation stop position so as to absorb the deviation. The rotation stop position of the subsequent sprocket is always constant, and stable ball dispensing can be performed regardless of the positional deviation of the feed claw.

In another configuration of this invention, the alignment passageway to align by rolling the ball on the inclined surface is provided, sends the balls guided from the upstream side by driving a sprocket which is oppositely arranged to said alignment path of the sprocket A payout control method for a ball payout device that feeds a specified number of pieces by rotating them one by one with a claw, wherein a slit for detecting the rotational position of the sprocket feed claw is formed on the rotation axis of the sprocket. An encoder rotation plate provided at equal intervals and a rotation position detection sensor for detecting the rotation position of the sprocket based on detecting a slit of the encoder rotation plate are provided, and the number of balls designated by the rotation feed of the sprocket is set. when paid out, the rotational position detection sensor for detecting a rotational position of the feed pawl of the sprocket is synchronized with the sprocket as the feed amount detection position for one piece balls Rise detection signal of the slit of the serial encoder rotating plate or one stops the rotation of the sprocket at a position detecting the falling detection signal, Ball passing track of the passing direction of the balls this stop position for rolling the alignment path, Further, among the intersecting regions of the two loci where the rotation trajectories of the sprocket feed claws overlap, the rotation of the sprockets is brought to the intersection with the ball trajectory where the tip of the feed pawl of the rotation trajectory is closest to the bottom surface of the alignment passage. It is a payout control method of the ball payout device set to stop .

  According to the present invention, when a ball is dispensed from the ball dispensing device, the sprocket is stopped when the designated number of balls is dispensed by the rotational feed of the sprocket. At this time, the position where the tip of the sprocket feed claw intersects the ball passage locus closest to the bottom surface of the alignment passage is set as the rotation stop position of the sprocket, so the tip of the feed claw is the most in the ball height direction. The sprocket can be rotated and stopped at a position where it can penetrate the deepest and the feed claw can most stably receive the ball passing on the inclined surface. For this reason, even if the sprocket is rotated and the next ball payout operation is executed, the rotation of the sprocket with the fixed pitch pitching claw is inserted in order between the balls in order to stabilize individual ball feeding. Can be done.

Further , a rotation position detection sensor for detecting the rotation position of the sprocket feed pawl is used to detect the rising detection signal or the falling detection signal of the slit of the encoder rotating plate synchronized with the sprocket which is the feed amount detection position for one ball. The sprocket rotation stop position is set at a position where the tip of the feed claw penetrates deepest in the ball height direction so that the feed claw can most stably receive the ball passing on the inclined surface. It is set. For this reason, even if the sprocket is rotated to execute the next ball payout operation, the tip of the feed claw with a constant pitch enters the space in order to stabilize the individual ball feed. Can be done.

According to another configuration of the present invention, an alignment passage for rolling and aligning balls on an inclined surface is provided, and a ball guided from the upstream side by driving a sprocket provided to the alignment passage is fed to the sprocket of the sprocket. Is a ball dispenser that feeds a specified number of pieces by rotating them one by one on the basis of an encoder having slits for detecting the rotational positions of the sprocket feed claws on the rotation axis of the sprocket at regular intervals A rotation plate, a rotation position detection sensor for detecting the rotation position of the sprocket based on detecting a slit of the encoder rotation plate, and a count detection sensor for counting the number of balls dispensed by the rotation feed of the sprocket; , the rise detection signal of the slit of the encoder rotating plate the rotational position detecting sensor is feed amount detection position for one piece balls or falling detection signal, When detecting one, the ball passing track of the passing direction balls which roll the alignment passageway of the intersections of the two trajectory rotation locus of the feeding pawl of the sprocket overlaps, the tip of the feed pawl of the rotation locus The ball dispensing apparatus includes a control unit that stops the rotation of the sprocket at a position intersecting with a ball passing locus closest to the bottom surface of the alignment passage.

  According to the present invention, when a ball is dispensed from the ball dispensing device, the motor is driven to rotate the sprocket so as to dispense the balls one by one downstream, thereby detecting that the designated number of balls has been dispensed. When the sensor counts, the control unit can stop the rotation of the sprocket and finish the payout.

  In this case, when the rotation position detection sensor detects that the tip of the sprocket feed claw has reached the intersection position with the ball passing locus closest to the bottom surface of the alignment passage, the sprocket rotation stop position is set. For this reason, it is possible to most stably receive the ball in which the tip of the feed claw penetrates most deeply in the ball height direction and the feed claw passes on the inclined surface.

  If a ball dispensing device having such a sprocket rotation stopping function is used, the sprocket rotation stop position after ball dispensing is always constant, and stable ball dispensing can be performed regardless of the position deviation of the feed claw. For this reason, it is possible to realize a reliable and stable dispensing of the ball without biting.

  Also, when the balls are dispensed from the ball dispensing device, the count detection sensor counts that the specified number of balls has been paid out by driving the motor and rotating the sprocket to pay out balls one by one. Then, the control unit stops the rotation of the sprocket and ends the payout.

Further , a rotation position detection sensor for detecting the rotation position of the sprocket feed pawl is used to detect the rising detection signal or the falling detection signal of the slit of the encoder rotating plate synchronized with the sprocket which is the feed amount detection position for one ball. When one is detected, the sprocket rotation stop position is set. For this reason, it is possible to most stably receive the ball in which the tip of the feed claw penetrates most deeply in the ball height direction and the feed claw passes on the inclined surface.

In another configuration of this invention, and a storage tank in which a large number of balls, and the alignment portion for aligning leading downstream while rolling on the inclined surface by its own weight a ball that is stored in the storage tank A ball dispensing device for rotating and feeding the balls rolling on the inclined surface one by one with a sprocket on the inclined downstream side of the alignment portion is provided on one inclined surface. The ball hopper is a ball hopper configured to include a control unit that controls a rotation stop position of the sprocket of the ball dispensing device.

  According to the present invention, since the storage tank, the alignment passage, and the ball dispensing device can be arranged on one inclined surface and the ball hopper can be provided integrally, the passage length and height direction can be shortened. Miniaturization can be achieved. Further, since the ball goes straight in the same inclination direction and the direction of the ball does not change, there is no drop or direction change at the time of the ball flow, and smooth straight movement suitable for the ball flow can be performed. If such a ball hopper ball dispensing device is provided with a control unit that controls the rotation stop position of the sprocket, a highly reliable ball hopper free of ball biting can be constructed.

  According to this invention, when the rotation of the sprocket is stopped, the sprocket can be controlled to stop at the normal rotation stop position even if the rotation stop position of the sprocket is shifted for some reason. Therefore, the rotation can be stopped with high accuracy without being adversely affected by the step-out phenomenon due to the load fluctuation of the motor. Therefore, the rotation stop position of the sprocket after ball delivery is always constant, and stable ball delivery can be performed regardless of the position deviation of the feed claw. For this reason, the rotation feeding operation | movement of the ball | bowl without a possibility of a ball biting can be maintained.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a ball hopper 11 mounted on an upper part on the back side of a pachinko machine 11A of a pachinko machine. As shown in FIG. 2, the ball hopper 11 is configured by integrating an upstream storage tank 12 and a downstream ball dispensing device 13, and these are arranged on the base end side of a large storage tank 12 that is installed horizontally. It has a single structure in which a small ball dispensing device 13 is connected.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the above-described storage tank 12 has a tapered concave shape whose upper surface is opened, and balls are replenished from a replenishment mechanism (not shown) above the upper surface opening portion. Store balls. The balls stored in the storage tank 12 are configured to roll by their own weight and be guided from the upstream side to the downstream ball dispensing device 13.

  In this case, an alignment passage 14 is formed in the front stage of the ball dispensing device 13 in order to smoothly pass the balls from the upstream side to the downstream side. As shown in FIG. 4, the alignment passage 14 is formed integrally with the storage tank 12, and is provided with a long and narrow alignment passage 14 protruding from the tip of the storage tank 12.

  By the way, from the tank bottom surface in the upstream storage tank 12 to the bottom surface from which the balls of the downstream ball dispensing device 13 are dispensed, there is provided a long identical inclined passage L that is gently inclined in the same inclination direction and goes straight.

  This same inclined passage L is connected by setting the bottom surface of each passage through which balls P roll and pass in the order of the storage tank 12, the alignment passage 14, and the ball dispensing device 13 to a gentle inclination angle in the same inclination direction. It is a passage. For this reason, the ball rolls gently from the upstream side to the downstream side by its own weight. In particular, since it is a path that goes straight in the same inclination direction, there is no drop or direction change at the time of ball flow, and smooth straight movement suitable for ball flow can be achieved.

  In this case, if the inclination angle of the same inclined passage L is made small and the inclination is made gentle, the rolling speed of the balls becomes slow, and the supply of the balls to the downstream side tends to be delayed. On the other hand, if the inclination angle of the same inclined passage L is increased to make the inclination abrupt, the rolling speed of the ball becomes faster, and the load due to gravity on the ball flowing down continuously on the downstream side increases. As a result, it is suitable to roll at a gentle inclination angle of, for example, about 5 to 8 degrees. For this reason, the ball rolling here has a small speed difference and flows down stably.

  Therefore, since the same inclined passage L is a passage that goes straight diagonally downward, it extends longer in the horizontal direction than in the vertical (height) direction. For this reason, it suffices to occupy less space in the height direction for installation, and the passage becomes a path whose length in the height direction is shortened, and a compact installation that allows a wide space at the center of the back side of the pachinko machine 11A becomes possible. .

  The three elements connected in the order of the storage tank 12, the alignment passage 14, and the ball dispensing device 13 are arranged in series in the passage direction, and are integrally held by the holding plate 15 in a horizontally long manner. A horizontal payout unit 16 is provided. Further, since the horizontal dispensing unit 16 can be handled as a single item, the assembly work to the pachinko machine 11A is facilitated.

  The holding plate 15 of the horizontal paying unit 16 has a horizontally long flat plate shape shorter than the width of the pachinko machine 11A. The storage tank 12 and the ball paying device 13 are provided with an alignment passage 14 on one side of the holding plate 15. Are attached to the back side of the pachinko machine, and both sides of the holding plate 15 are effectively used as attachment surfaces. Further, in this case, since the attachment is made through one holding plate 15, the number of parts is reduced, and the attachment is simplified. Furthermore, since the storage tank 12 and the ball dispensing device 13 are exposed on the back surface side of the holding plate 15 when viewed from the back surface side of the pachinko machine 11A, maintenance inspection by a staff member is facilitated.

  Furthermore, since the horizontal payout unit 16 has the same gentle sloping passage L that is long in the lateral direction, the overall length is long in the lateral direction and becomes a rectangular parallelepiped, and the height direction of the passage L is shortened. it can. For this reason, it can be incorporated into the upper position on the back side of the vertical pachinko machine in a horizontally long manner. For this reason, a large mounting space for other components can be secured below the horizontal dispensing unit 16 mounted on the back side of the pachinko machine. Further, by connecting the three elements in series, it is not necessary to bend or turn the passage like the S-shaped passage when guiding the ball to the ball dispensing device 13 on the downstream side, and it can be provided linearly. . For this reason, the entire passage length is shortened to reduce the size.

  Further, a ball dispensing port 17 from the horizontal dispensing unit 16 is provided on the lower surface of one end portion of the unit 16 located on the end side of the passage of the ball dispensing device 13 so that the ball is dispensed downward from the dispensing port 17. It is configured. For this reason, the side space of the unit can be fully utilized. A ball lowering passage 18 (see FIG. 1) is connected to the dispensing port 17, and the balls dispensed thereby are dispensed to a tray (not shown) on the front surface of the pachinko machine below.

  A tank switch SW1 and a ball presence / absence detection switch SW2 are arranged on the bottom surface of the storage tank 12 located on the upstream side of the above-described same inclined passage L to detect the accommodation state of the balls in the tank 12. Yes.

  At the tip of the storage tank 12 on the downstream side, the left and right walls of the tip are tapered so that the stacked balls stored in the tank 12 are gradually aligned and flowed down. An elongated passage at the downstream end portion of the passage 12a extends long forward, and this extended portion is provided in the alignment passage 14.

  The alignment passage 14 forms a left passage 14a and a right passage 14b having two rows of concave grooves with the left and right wall surfaces and a partition plate 33 between them.

  In this case, the bottom of the alignment passage 14 is provided with an exclusion port 14c that is opened in a lattice shape to exclude foreign matter. By providing this exclusion port 14c, even if foreign matter is mixed in the storage tank, the foreign matter will drop from the exclusion port 14c and be removed when it moves to the alignment passage 14 on the downstream side. For this reason, it is possible to avoid the biting of the balls due to the mixing of foreign matters by always passing only the balls P.

  The balls guided irregularly here are aligned in two rows by the alignment passage 14 having the two rows 14a and 14b described above and an overlap limiting roller 19 which will be described later.

  The overlap limiting roller 19 described above is provided as an aligning portion 20 that aligns the balls by breaking the overlap of the balls above the alignment passage 14. The aligning portion 20 allows the upper cantilever support shaft 21 orthogonal to the passage direction to rotate in the passage direction around the tilting fulcrum, and suspends a freely overlapping overlap limiting roller 19 below the shaft 21. By providing this overlap limiting roller 19, it is possible to suppress overload by breaking the overlap of balls when delivering balls from the storage tank 12 to the ball dispensing device 13 via the downstream alignment passage 14. A flow guide function suitable for ball delivery is obtained. The above-described overlap limiting roller 19 may be provided so as to be freely pivotally supported, or may be configured to be rotated by transmitting a rotational force in order to increase the breaking force.

  Then, the aligned balls are guided in two rows to the ball dispensing device 13 located on the downstream side thereof. In this case, the front end portion 14d of the alignment passage 14 extends to the position of the ball dispensing device 13, and the upstream storage tank 12 and the downstream ball dispensing device 13 are arranged via the alignment passage 14 as shown in FIG. Are connected by the same inclined passage L linearly. Further, the ball dispensing device 13 is provided so as to be attachable / detachable from the horizontal dispensing unit 16 to facilitate maintenance and inspection inside the ball dispensing device 13.

  The above-mentioned storage tank 12 is configured to roll a large number of stored balls P by its own weight and guide it to the downstream narrowing passage 12a. The narrowing passage 12a is laterally directed toward the center in the width direction. Are formed in an inverted C shape with the width direction gradually narrowed down.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a top plate 22 is provided at the upper part on the downstream side of the storage tank 12. The top plate 22 can be formed of a flat plate having a length that covers the alignment passages 14 and the upper surfaces of the ball dispensing devices 13. At the upstream end of the top plate 22, a receiving piece (corresponding to the downstream side of the storage tank 12) that faces the upper side of the storage tank from the upper side and receives the upper layer part of the ball P that overlaps and moves ( 23) is suspended.

  By providing this receiving piece 23, the flow of the upper layer part of the ball P in a piled state is prevented. For this reason, only the ball P of the lower layer can be caused to flow down, and thereafter, the flow rate of the number of balls can be sufficiently reduced and supplied to the downstream side. Thereby, it becomes the flow which reduced the ball pressure to the downstream, and can ensure the smooth flow suitable for supply of the ball P from the storage tank 12 to the alignment channel | path 14 side.

  Further, since the top plate 22 is provided, the balls P supplied to the storage tank 12 jump up vigorously, and even if they reach the alignment passage 14 or the ball dispensing device 13, they are blocked by the top plate 22 and do not jump in. And the possibility of inducing malfunction.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the partition plate 33 is gradually raised from the bottom toward the downstream side from the upstream side of the alignment passage 14 corresponding to the terminal side of the narrowing passage 12a. The top of the partition plate 33 has a smooth arc shape in the ridge line direction, and the end side that is most raised is extended to the position of the subsequent overlap limit roller 19, and the overlap limit roller continues following the partition action of the partition plate 33. Alignment guides are provided at 19 positions. And this partition plate 33 partitions the inside of a ditch | groove into right and left, and the left channel | path 14a and the right channel | path 14b which are paralleled in 2 rows are formed.

  Further, the top of the partition plate 33 has a ball distribution inclined surface 34 that is inclined only on one side of the passage adjacent to the ridgeline direction, for example, on the left passage 14a side in FIG.

  This ball distribution inclined surface 34 is an inclined surface formed so that the balls P can easily move from the top of the partition plate 33, and as shown in FIG. Inclined.

  Further, the ball distribution inclined surface 34 is provided so as to be shifted from the center position in the passage width direction. For this reason, even if the ball P gets on the top of the partition plate 33 at the top of the partition plate 33, the contact point 35 between the center of the ball P and the top of the partition plate 33 is shifted from the center of the ball and deviates. The center of gravity of the ball is displaced in the direction and the ball is displaced. For this reason, at the top part of the partition plate 33, it becomes a left-right asymmetric inclined surface where a ball does not stay. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11, even if the intermediate ball P1 riding on the top of the partition plate 33 comes into contact with another ball P2 and is position-controlled, the ball distribution action in which the height of the center of gravity displaces directly downward. And stay is avoided.

Next, the ball distribution operation of the ball distribution inclined surface 34 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The balls guided to the alignment passage 14 from the upstream side flow down through both the passages 14a and 14b which are divided into left and right by the partition plate 33 and parallel to the left and right. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, the intermediate ball P1 positioned on the upper surface of the partition plate 33 due to the contact between the intermediate ball P1 positioned on the upper surface of the partition plate 33 and the left and right balls P2, P3 of the both passages 14a, 14b. Even if a force that restricts the movement of the intermediate ball P1 in the counter-flow downward direction is received by receiving the force in the flow direction of the left and right balls P2 and P3, the intermediate ball P1 located at the center is the top of the partition plate 33. Since the ball distribution inclined surface 34 provided on the surface acts as a rolling force in one inclination direction, the clogging phenomenon on the partition plate 33 is naturally avoided. As a result, the ball flow in the process of flowing down the alignment passage 14 is improved regardless of the presence of the partition plate 33, and a stable alignment operation without clogging can be promoted.

  Further, the downstream side of the partition plate 33 raised for the partition is extended to the subsequent overlap limiting roller 19 that limits the flow of the upper layer balls flowing down in the stacked state. For this reason, the balls divided in the left and right directions are parallel to the downstream side, and the upper layer balls in the stacked state reaching the downstream side are restricted in height by the overlap limiting roller 19 and supplied to the ball dispensing device 13 on the downstream side. It flows down to the downstream side at a constant stacking height suitable for the above.

  In particular, as a specific ball distribution function of the ball distribution inclined surface 34, as shown in FIG. 13, the intermediate ball P <b> 1 with a ball on the upper surface of the partition plate 33 is formed by the partition plate 33 rising at the center of the passage. On the upper surface, a force in a direction opposite to the flow direction is applied to the intermediate ball P1, and the rolling force of the intermediate ball P1 in the reverse flow direction and the rolling force of the balls P2 and P3 flowing down both the passages 14a and 14b are When they contact each other, as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 13, the ball contact point between the slanted contact point 36 where the lower surface of the intermediate ball P1 is in contact with the upper surface of the partition plate 33, and both the left and right balls P2, P3. Even if the intermediate ball P1 tries to stay at the position of the upper surface of the partition plate 33 due to the support of a total of three points 37 and 38, the center of gravity displacement action in the direction of breaking the three-point support of the ball itself works, and one passage Since it rolls to the 14a side, the ball biting is eliminated beforehand.

Next, the ball dispensing device 13 that performs a ball dispensing operation will be described.
The ball dispensing device 13 has a feeding portion 24 and a detecting portion 25 in this order along the same inclined passage L following the alignment passage 14 on the downstream side of the storage tank 12.

  The above-mentioned feeding portion 24 has a sprocket 26 provided on the upper surface of the terminal end portion of the same inclined passage L, and the balls guided between the sprocket 26 and the same inclined passage L are discharged continuously one by one in the rotational direction. Is.

  Further, the balls guided between the above-described sprocket 26 and the same inclined passage L below it are fed one by one as the sprocket 26 rotates. For this reason, a plurality of balls supplied continuously are continuously paid out without interruption.

  This sprocket 26 has semicircular concave portions and convex portions (feed claws) suitable for ball feeding on the outer peripheral surface alternately in the circumferential direction. Then, the sprocket 26 is rotated at a constant speed suitable for dispensing by the driving force of a dispensing motor (not shown). As a result, the balls P introduced here are separated by the feed claws one by one with the rotation of the sprocket 26 and are individually fed while being held by the recesses.

  The above-described detection unit 25 is configured by arranging, for example, proximity sensors near the end position of the same inclined path L as the two count detection sensors S1 corresponding to the two rows of paths for counting the balls that have been paid out. When the balls are paid out through the same inclined passage L, the counting detection sensor S1 counts the balls immediately after the passing through.

  Further, in the front stage of the ball dispensing device 13, a flat plate-like overlap prevention cover 27 that restricts the overlap of balls between the bottom surface of the same inclined passage L and the upper facing surface thereof is provided above the same inclined passage L. is doing. This overlap prevention cover 27 is a reverse-shaped flat plate provided along the same inclined passage L at a height interval allowing one ball to pass above. This overlap prevention cover 27 prevents the balls from overlapping so that the alignment just before the sprocket 26 is complete.

  Further, a ball passage restriction lever 28 for restricting the flow of balls is disposed at a position immediately before the ball dispensing device 13. As shown in FIG. 14, the ball passage restriction lever 28 is provided by pivotally supporting the upper end portion of the ball passage restriction lever 28 on a support shaft 29 protruding from a side wall of a drive unit U2 described later. When the support shaft 29 is provided as a rotation fulcrum and the lower end portion of the lever 28 is allowed to rotate up and down and moved to the up and retracted position, there is no restriction in the same inclined passage L, so the ball P When the passage is allowed and moved downward, the same inclined passage L is closed perpendicularly to the same inclined passage L, the passage of the ball P is restricted, and the supply of the ball P to the ball dispensing device 13 is stopped. To do.

  The lower end portion of the ball passage restriction lever 28 is formed in an arc shape that is in surface contact with the spherical surface of the ball P and can perform a stable receiving action. Further, it also serves as a guide passage that makes it easy to discharge the ball P directly below during a ball removal operation to be described later.

  On the other hand, the upper end portion of the ball passage restriction lever 28 has a fan shape, and a lower elastic locking piece 30 for elastically locating and positioning the lever 28 when the lever 28 is tilted upward is provided in the fan-shaped portion, When the lower elastic locking piece 30 corresponds to the engagement pin 31 protruding from the side wall of the drive unit U2, the ball passage restriction lever 28 is elastically held at the upward movement retracted position. Thereby, the passage of the balls is permitted and the balls are continuously supplied to the ball dispensing device 13.

  Similarly, an upper elastic locking piece 32 for elastically locating and positioning the lever 28 when the lever 28 is tilted downward is provided in the fan-shaped portion at the upper end of the lever. The ball passage restriction lever 28 is elastically held at the downward movement restriction position. In this case, the lower end of the lever 28 closes the same inclined passage L to restrict the passage of the balls P. In this manner, the ball flow restriction lever 28 can be tilted to either the upward movement retracting position or the downward movement restriction position, so that the ball flow can be released or stopped.

  FIG. 15 shows a structure for detecting the rotational position of the sprocket 26 of the ball dispensing device 13, and an encoder rotary plate 40 as an optical rotary encoder is mounted on the rotary shaft 39 of the sprocket 26 provided on the upper surface of the alignment passage 14. The slits 41 provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the encoder rotating plate 40 are projected and detected by a rotational position detection sensor S2 provided with a projector and a light receiver (not shown).

  When the slit 41 portion of the encoder rotating plate 40 to be detected using the rotational position detection sensor S2 is detected, the portion that is allowed to project by taking correspondence with the feed claw 26a of the sprocket 26 is represented by a white portion and closed. The portion to be shaded is shown as a black area as a light shielding area. Then, the balls P guided from the upstream side by rotationally driving the sprocket 26 are rotated and fed one by one by the feed claws 26a of the sprocket 26 one by one.

  FIG. 16 is a control circuit block diagram of the ball hopper 11, and the entire pachinko machine 11 </ b> A is controlled by a control unit (not shown) mounted on the main board 51. For example, when there is a winning ball signal from the control unit of the control board 52, the control unit of the main board 51 outputs a payout signal to the control board 52 side, and the ball hopper 11 through the control unit of the control board 52. The payout signal is output to the payout motor M. The payout motor M is composed of a stepping motor that can freely rotate forward and backward, and rotates and stops according to a payout signal. Then, the driving force of the payout motor M is transmitted to the sprocket 26 via a speed reduction mechanism (not shown), and the rotation of the sprocket 26 is controlled to a speed suitable for payout.

  The rotational position of the sprocket 26 is detected by a rotational position detection sensor S2 through a slit 41 provided in an encoder rotating plate 40 that rotates in conjunction with the payout motor M, whereby the rotational state of the sprocket 26 and the rotational angle of the stopped position are detected. Is detected. In this case, there is one slit 41 for each angle at which the ball P is disengaged from the feed claw 26a of the sprocket 26 and can be rolled by its own weight, and depending on the number of slits 41 detected by the rotational position detection sensor S2, Check the number of P paid out and the payout status.

  When a control unit (not shown) mounted on the control board 52 designates, for example, 15 prize balls by rotating the sprocket 26, the count detection sensor S1 indicates that the designated number has been paid out. When counting is performed, the sprocket 26 is stopped from rotating, and has a control function for always stopping the sprocket 26 at a constant stop position. As shown in FIG. 15, the control function is such that the rotation trajectory 43 of the sprocket feed claw 26 a overlaps the ball trajectory 42 in the passing direction of the balls P that are aligned and aligned in a row in the alignment passage 14. Of the intersecting regions of the two trajectories 42 and 43, the intersection position 44 of the rotation trajectory 43 with the ball passing trajectory 42 where the tip of the feeding claw 26a is closest to the bottom surface of the alignment passage is set as the rotation stop position of the sprocket 26. Then, the rotation of the sprocket 26 is stopped.

  By setting the rotation stop position of the sprocket 26, the accuracy of the rotation stop position of the sprocket 26 is increased to promote stable payout. For example, even if the rotation stop position of the sprocket 26 is shifted due to a step-out phenomenon caused by a load fluctuation of the payout motor M, the sprocket 26 can be controlled to stop at the rotation stop position, so that the sprocket 26 can be accurately positioned at a normal position. The rotation can be stopped. Thus, even if the feed claw 26a rotates at a position slightly deviated from the intended angle, the sprocket 26 rotates after the ball has been dispensed as a result of stopping at the rotation stop position so as to absorb the deviation. The stop position is always constant, and the ball can be dispensed stably regardless of the positional deviation in the rotation direction of the feed claw 26a.

  In particular, at the time of ball rotation feeding, the feed claw 26a that has been waiting for rotation and received the ball P until then becomes the rotation reference position, and the feed claw 26a that is the rotation reference position is always suitable for feeding the first ball. Because it is at the same initial feed angle, it is possible to perform rotational feed suitable for individual ball feed. For this reason, it is possible to maintain the ball dispensing operation without the risk of biting the ball.

The detection signal of the rotational position detection sensor S2 used for the rotation stop control of the sprocket 26 at this time can be acquired as follows.
As shown in FIG. 17, the rotational position detection sensor S2 changes from the final position of the transmission portion of the slit 41 to the closed portion in the light transmission and light shielding sensor signals that become the feed amount detection position for one ball. The position where one pitch from the corresponding falling detection signal (falling edge signal) 45 to the next falling detection signal 45 is detected is set as the rotation stop position of the sprocket 26.

  In addition, the position where one pitch from the rising detection signal 46 corresponding to the initial position of the transmission part of the slit 41 to the next rising detection signal 46 is detected can be set as the rotation stop position of the sprocket 26.

  In this case, one pitch between both slits from the detection position of the first slit to the detection position of the next slit is set as the feed amount for one ball by the sprocket. In addition, when detecting one slit, the detection timing corresponding to the light transmission start time and the light transmission end time (light shielding start time) of the opening that becomes the transmission space of the slit is set as either a rising detection signal or a falling detection signal. Depends on what. Therefore, if one pitch of the detection signal is obtained, rotation stop information can be obtained accurately. Therefore, when detecting the slit 41, one point of the opening portion of the slit opening length of the transmission portion is detected with high accuracy, and stop control is performed at the position of that point.

  If the detection is not performed at one point in the slit, a detection error is generated by the opening length of the slit. By avoiding this and detecting at a single point, high-accuracy stop control can be performed, and there is no possibility of ball biting.

Next, referring to the explanatory diagrams of the ball dispensing operation in FIGS. 17A to 17E, which shows the dispensing control of the ball hopper 11 until the ball is dispensed by rotating the sprocket 15 degrees at a time. I will explain.
At the time of ball payout standby, as shown in FIG. 17 (A), the ball P is in contact with the feed claw (claw portion) 26a of the sprocket 26 of the ball payout device 13, and the rotational position detection sensor S2 is in standby. The state which has detected the light-shielding position of the encoder rotating plate 40 is represented.

  In this case, the number of claws of the sprocket 26 is equally divided into six in the circumferential direction, and when the sprocket 26 rotates 60 degrees, the feed claw 26a rotates one pitch, and one ball is rotated by this one pitch rotation amount. It is configured to take out.

  When the ball is paid out from the payout standby state, first, the control unit of the main board 51 rotates the payout motor M in the payout direction, and drives the connected sprocket 26 in the payout direction to execute the ball payout operation.

  When this ball dispensing operation is executed, as shown in FIG. 17 (B), the sprocket 26 rotates 15 degrees in the dispensing direction (left rotation in the figure), and at this time, a detection signal with a change still cannot be obtained. .

  Subsequently, when the sprocket 26 is rotated by 15 degrees and rotated by 30 degrees from the reference position, as shown in FIG. 17C, the balls are taken into the recesses between the feed claws of the sprocket 26. become. At this time, the rotational position detection sensor S2 detects the rising detection signal 46.

  Subsequently, the rotational position detection sensor S2 is rotated until it detects the next slit. When the sprocket 26 is further rotated 15 degrees and rotated 45 degrees from the reference position, as shown in FIG. 17 (D), the ball is just before being released from the concave portion of the sprocket 26. The ball P is not paid out from the device 13.

  When the encoder further rotates 15 degrees and then rotates 60 degrees from the reference position, the rotational position detection sensor S2 detects the falling detection signal 45 of the slit 41 as shown in FIG. The sprocket 26 is stopped at the position at which the falling detection signal 45 is detected.

  As a result, the ball P is released from the recess of the sprocket 26 between FIGS. 17D and 17E, that is, the sprocket 26 is within a range of 45 to 60 degrees from the reference position, and one ball is paid out. The balls are counted by the count detection sensor S1. The operation of taking out one such ball is repeated to pay out the designated number of balls.

  Between FIG. 17D and FIG. 17E, the sprocket 26 does not necessarily have to be rotated by 15 degrees, and after the ball is released from the recess of the sprocket 26, the next ball is the sprocket 26. The angle at which the sprocket is rotated may be any number of times as long as the sprocket is stopped at a position where it is not released from the recess.

  Therefore, as a control, rotation is performed until the falling detection signal 45 of the next slit is detected from the falling detection signal 45 of the slit 41, and the stop position of the sprocket 26 as shown in FIGS. 17 (A) and 17 (E). However, it is only necessary that the falling detection signal 45 of the slit 41 be at a position where the rotational position detection sensor S2 detects, and one ball P be paid out between them.

Next, a self-recovery operation in the case where the sprocket position is rotated to a position slightly delayed from the intended angle will be described with reference to FIG.
For example, in FIG. 18A showing a state immediately before the ball is released from the concave portion of the sprocket 26 (a position rotated by 45 degrees from the reference position), the position of the sprocket 26 at that time is slightly delayed (deviation). If the rotation angle of the feed claw 26a of the sprocket 26 is deviated by 5 degrees due to, for example, a step-out phenomenon due to a load fluctuation of the payout motor M, P is immediately before being released from the recess of the sprocket 26, and the ball P is not yet paid out from the ball dispensing device 13 at this time, and the ball is rotated and fed in a delayed manner.

  Further, when the encoder rotating plate 40 that rotates integrally with the sprocket 26 rotates 15 degrees and rotates from the 45 degree position to the 60 degree rotation position, as shown in FIG. The rotation stop position and a predetermined slit falling detection signal are detected, and at this time, the sprocket 26 is controlled to stop.

  In this manner, the sprocket 26 is rotated until the falling detection signal 45 of the next slit is detected from the falling detection signal 45 of the slit (until 60 degrees that is the rotation amount of one ball is detected). Control is made so that the rotation stop position when the rotation 26 is rotated always comes to the position where the falling edge detection signal 45 is detected. For this reason, even if the sprocket 26 is delayed by 5 degrees in the rotation direction at the time of FIG. 18A, the delay can be absorbed and the ball can be dispensed stably at the regular rotational feed timing.

  For this reason, if the rotation region is within the range of 45 to 60 degrees from the reference position, even if the sprocket 26 is displaced in the rotational direction, the displacement can be absorbed, and the next ball can be dispensed. Stable ball payout control can be performed so as not to be affected.

The payout processing operation of the ball payout device having such a payout control function will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
The ball P flowing down from the upstream storage tank 12 and guided to the ball dispensing device 13 is received at the position of the sprocket 26 and waits for dispensing. Thereafter, when there is an n ball payout command from the control unit of the main board 51 (step n1), the payout motor M is driven to rotate (hereinafter referred to as normal rotation) (step n2).

  After normal rotation and ball dispensing start, the rotation position detection sensor S2 performs normal rotation until it detects the falling edge detection signal of the encoder rotating plate 40 set by the dispensing command n times which is the specified number of times. (Step n3).

  Next, when the rotational position detection sensor S2 detects the falling detection signal 45 of the slit 41 set by the payout command n times, which is the specified number of times, the drive of the payout motor M is stopped (step n4).

  Since there is a time difference from when the driving of the dispensing motor M is stopped until the counting detection sensor S1 detects a ball, the process waits for a certain time (step n5).

  When the count detection sensor S1 detects n number of payout command balls after waiting for a certain time (step n6), the payout has been completed, and the process is terminated once until the next payout command is issued.

  If the counting detection sensor S1 does not detect the number n of payout command balls even after a certain period of time has passed, the payout command ball number is not reached, so that the shortage payout command is issued again and the balls are paid out ( Step n7).

  Thus, when performing the rotation stop control of the sprocket 26, the rotation stop accuracy is increased because the encoder control is used to detect one point of the falling detection signal 45 of the slit 41 and rotate the sprocket 26 a predetermined number of times. Suitable for paying out balls stably.

  Compared to the case where the sprocket is stopped by pulse control, the pulse control outputs a specified number of pulses, and the motor is rotated based on this, so there is no self-recovery function and errors are likely to occur. There is a difference.

  By the way, in this ball hopper 11, as shown in FIG. 20, a ball removal mechanism for emptying the ball hopper 11 by collecting all the balls present in the storage tank 12 and the same inclined passage L and emptying the ball hopper 11. 71 is provided. The ball removal mechanism 71 includes a slide mechanism 72 that slides the ball dispensing device 13 in the inclination direction of the same inclined passage L, and a slide operation unit 73 that causes the operator to slide the slide mechanism 72.

  When the ball dispensing device 13 is slid in the downstream direction by the ball removal mechanism 71, a ball removal opening 74 is formed between the bottom surface of the ball dispensing device 13 and the bottom surface of the same inclined passage L on the upstream side. Then, the ball is dropped directly from the same inclined passage L into the ball removal passage 75. And it is provided so that it may be balled through a balling passage 75 connected below the balling opening 74 (see FIG. 14).

  As shown in FIG. 21, the slide mechanism 72 includes a ball dispensing device 13 in which the units U1 and U2 of the dispensing unit U1 and the drive unit U2 are connected to the left and right and integrated with each other. It is provided to allow sliding in the direction.

  When sliding, as shown in FIG. 22 and FIG. 23, a guide rail 76 extending from the inner wall surface of the holding plate 15 is engaged with a guide rail 77 extending from the drive unit U2, so that the ball dispensing device 13 is engaged. The ball hopper 11 is supported so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 24, the guide rail 77 is stably slidably guided by engaging a pair of guide protrusions 76 with the elongated holes 78 on both sides opened in series along the sliding direction. The opening length of the long hole 78 substantially corresponds to the slide length, and the guide projection 76 comes into contact with one end surface 78a of the long hole 78 and is regulated to slide.

  This ball dispensing device 13 includes a coil spring 81 stretched between a locking projection 79 projecting from the side surface of the guide rail 77 and a locking projection 80 projecting from the inner wall surface of the holding plate 15 shown in FIG. It is urged | biased by the direction which opens the doffing opening 74 by the tension | pulling action. Normally, the coil spring 81 is supported in a state in which a biasing action is applied in a direction in which the ball opening 74 is opened from the closed state.

  As shown in FIG. 26, the position restriction and the position restriction release of the slide position at this time include a connecting lever 83 having a push button part 82 as a slide operation part, and a slide release mechanism for releasing the slide restriction at the ball dispensing position. 84 is executed in combination.

  As shown in FIGS. 20, 26 and 28, the connecting lever 83 extends long along the passage direction, and an intermediate shaft 85 perpendicular to the passage direction is attached to the lower portion of the top plate 22 at an intermediate portion of the lever. The intermediate lever 85 is attached to the tilting fulcrum so that the connecting lever 83 is allowed to tilt up and down in the form of a seesaw.

  A push button portion 82 that can be pushed with a fingertip is provided on the upper surface of the base end portion of the connecting lever 83, and the push button portion 82 projects to a push button window 86 opened on the upper surface of the top plate 22 so as to be pressed. Mounted.

  On the opposite side of the lever tip, a long and narrow lever claw 87 projects from one side of the branch and parallel, and this lever claw 87 is detachably provided on a fixed claw 88 provided in the drive unit U2. In a normal ball payout state, the lever claw 87 is caught by the fixed claw 88 and is regulated to slide. An excessive tilt restricting piece 89 protrudes from the other end of the lever branching side by side, and the excessive tilt restricting piece 89 comes into contact with the lower surface of the top plate 22 and interlocks with the pressing operation of the push button portion 82. This prevents excessive tilting when the connecting lever 83 tilts.

Next, a procedure for performing ball removal will be described.
First, the operator pushes down the ball passage restriction lever 28 with a fingertip, and moves the lower end portion of the ball passage restriction lever 28 to the downward movement restriction position. Thereby, the lower end portion of the ball passage restriction lever 28 is orthogonal to the same inclined passage L, restricts the passage of the ball flowing through the same inclined passage L, and temporarily stops the flow of the ball P from the upstream side.

  After the passage is closed, as shown in FIGS. 27 and 29, when the operation button portion 82 exposed on the upper surface of the connecting lever 83 is pressed with a fingertip, the lever claw 87 as the slide release mechanism 84 is fixed to the fixed claw 88. More off. Based on this slide release operation, the ball dispensing device 13 slides in the downstream direction from the ball dispensing position to the ball extraction position, and a ball extraction opening 74 is opened at the bottom of the passage. As soon as the bead opening 74 is opened, the beading operation is started.

  In this case, in order to remove the ball P from the restricted passage state of the balls P, the balls connected on the same inclined passage L are dropped directly below the inclined direction, for example, an air bridge is formed in the inclined direction by the pressure applied to the inclined direction. It is difficult to do. However, when the ball dispensing device 13 is slid, the position restriction in the tilt direction is instantaneously released, and the pressure between the balls in the tilt direction can be released. For this reason, dropping resistance can be eliminated and the ball P can be dropped naturally by its own weight.

  Further, when the ball opening portion 74 is opened, the ball passage restriction lever 28 faces the ball opening portion 74, and the ball that flows down can be smoothly dropped by changing the direction from the inclined direction to directly below.

After this ball removal, the balls roll on the inclined surface of the same inclined passage L from the upstream side to the downstream side, and thereafter the ball is naturally extracted.
In addition, even if one or two balls P remain on the sprocket 26 of the ball dispensing device 13 located downstream from the ball opening 74, an operation knob that protrudes outside the dispensing unit U1. If the operator rotates 90, the sprocket 26 guides it to the bead opening 74 and can completely discharge it.

  When all the balls are collected by the ball hopper 11, the operator grasps the ball dispensing device 13 and slides it in the reverse direction so as to push it back to the position before the slide. Returning to the position, at this time, the lever claw 87 engages with the fixing claw 88 and the position is restricted, and at the same time, the doffing opening 74 is closed. Thereafter, when the ball passage restricting lever 28 is pulled up to the up and retracted position, the same inclined passage L is opened again, the ball flows, the ball is supplied to the ball dispensing device 13 on the downstream side, and the next ball is dispensed. Provided.

  Next, a rotation type ball removing structure that opens only the ball dispensing opening 74 by rotating only a part of the dispensing unit U1 without sliding the ball dispensing apparatus 13 will be described. Only the portion that is rotated and beaded out differs from the first embodiment, and the other structures are the same, so only the different portions will be described. Moreover, about the structure similar to Example 1, description is abbreviate | omitted using the same code | symbol.

  First, as shown in FIG. 30, the turned-out dispensing unit U1 is integrally unitized by incorporating the sprocket 26 and the counting sensor S in the dispensing casing 91. The payout unit U1 is detached from the drive unit U2 and integrally connected so as to be divided. Further, the payout unit U1 is provided so as to be rotatable in a state of being connected to the drive unit U2.

  The sprocket 26 built in the payout unit U1 is supported at one end portion of the rotary shaft 92, the rotary shaft 92 of which is pivotally supported so as to penetrate the payout casing 91 in the passage width direction and protrudes outward of the payout casing 91. Is extended for connection to the drive unit U2, and the other end is extended to the attachment portion of the operation knob 90 for manual rotation.

  When connecting and positioning the units U1 and U2, the side wall surface of the drive unit U2 is used as a mounting reference surface 93 for positioning the dispensing unit U1 in a plane, and a shaft hole for driving transmission is provided in the mounting reference surface 93. 94 is opened. When connecting the payout unit U1 to the drive unit U2, the rotary shaft 92 having the detent key surface 95 of the payout unit U1 is inserted into the shaft hole 94, and when the insertion is completed, the payout unit U1 The side wall surface of the dispensing casing 91 corresponds to the mounting reference surface 93 of the drive unit U2, and the height, passage direction, and width direction in the connecting direction between the units U1 and U2 are positioned.

  Next, when positioning the dispensing unit U1 in the circumferential direction, a positioning pin 96 protrudes from the mounting reference surface 93 above the shaft hole 94, and the dispensing unit U1 is rotated in the ball dispensing direction (right in the figure). When the first pin-corresponding recess 97 for ball payout positioning projecting from the upper portion of the payout unit U1 is fitted to the positioning pin 96 in the circumferential direction, the payout unit is prevented from rotating at that position. U1 is positioned at the ball dispensing position in the circumferential direction.

  In this circumferential positioning operation, the rotation shaft 92 and the shaft hole 94 have already determined the alignment between the units U1 and U2 other than the circumferential direction. If it is rotated in the pin-corresponding direction along 93, circumferential positioning can be performed. When the first pin-corresponding recess 97 is fitted to the positioning pin 96, the circumferential positioning is completed.

  Furthermore, the upper part of the payout unit U1 has a second pin-corresponding concave portion 98 for positioning the ballout, and the payout unit U1 is rotated in the ballout direction (left rotation in the figure) to correspond to the second pin. When the concave portion 98 rotates in the same direction and is fitted to the positioning pin 96, it is prevented from rotating at that position, and the payout unit U1 is positioned at the ball removal position in the circumferential direction. At this time, a bead opening portion 74 having a space in which a ball can be dropped is opened between the bottom surface of the alignment passage 14 and the bottom surface of the inclined passage of the dispensing unit U1.

  Thus, the payout unit U1 has a rotation mechanism that is rotated in a rotation range in which the first pin-corresponding recess 97 and the second pin-corresponding recess 98 are prevented from rotating around the positioning pin 96 during rotation. Normally, the payout unit U1 is positioned in the first pin-corresponding concave portion 97, and the mounting position thereof is detachably fixed by a unit connecting lever 99 as a lock mechanism.

  As shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, the unit connecting lever 99 is provided so as to freely tilt in the vertical direction by pivotally supporting the base end portion of the lever 99 on a support shaft 100 protruding from the mounting reference surface 93. . Then, an elongated arc-shaped elastic engagement piece 101 is formed on the free end side provided to freely tilt, and the elastic engagement piece 101 is formed on the outer arc surface of the first pin corresponding recess 97. By providing the unit 102 so as to be freely disengaged, the two units U1 and U2 are integrally connected to each other when they are locked together.

  When the unit connecting lever 99 is pulled upward with the support shaft 100 as the tilting fulcrum, the engagement between the locking step portion 102 and the elastic engagement piece 101 is released, and the payout unit U1 is allowed to be detached.

Next, a procedure for performing ball removal will be described.
Prior to ball removal, the ball passage restriction lever 28 is pushed down to the downward movement restriction position to close the same inclined passage L. Thereby, the flow of the ball P from the upstream side is once restricted.

  Subsequently, the unit connection lever 99 is moved up and retracted to unlock the payout unit U1. As a result, the payout unit U1 is disengaged from the drive unit U2 and is allowed to rotate. An operator grasps the dispensing unit U1 that is allowed to rotate, and rotates the dispensing unit U1 in the ball removing direction.

  At this time, after the payout unit U1 is released from the circumferential fitting correspondence between the positioning pin 96 and the pin-corresponding recess 97, the payout unit U1 rotates in the ball removing direction, and the positioning pin 96 and the second pin-corresponding recess. The rotation stops at the doffing position corresponding to 98.

  Finally, when the operator pushes up the ball passage restriction lever 28 and moves it up and down, the flow restriction of the balls P is released and the ball is placed between the bottom surface of the alignment passage 14 and the bottom surface of the inclined passage of the dispensing unit U1. Can be opened, and the ball P can be continuously discharged from the bead opening 74 to be removed.

  As described above, when the ball is paid out, the sprocket can always be positioned and controlled at the regular rotation stop position, so that reliable and stable payout control can be ensured. Further, since the storage tank, the alignment passage, and the ball dispensing device are disposed on the same inclined passage, the ball hopper can be integrated and provided in a compact manner.

  In correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the configuration of the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and can be applied based on the technical idea described in the claims. Many embodiments can be obtained.

  For example, the stop control by the sprocket of the above-described embodiment has been described for one row of balls, but it can also be applied to the case of flowing down to two rows of balls.

The principal part rear view of the pachinko machine provided with the ball hopper of Example 1. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a ball hopper of Example 1. FIG. The perspective view which shows the ball hopper of Example 1. FIG. The perspective view which shows the flow of the ball in the storage tank of Example 1. FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a ball hopper according to Embodiment 1. FIG. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the ball paying-out state of the ball hopper of Example 1. FIG. The perspective view which looked at the ball hopper of Example 1 from the upper stream side. FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a storage tank according to the first embodiment. The principal part longitudinal cross-sectional front view which shows the ball partition state in the alignment path of Example 1. FIG. The principal part expansion longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the contact state of the partition plate of Example 1, and a ball | bowl. The principal part vertical side view which shows the ball partition state in the alignment path of Example 1. FIG. The principal part perspective view which looked at the ball partition state in the alignment path of Example 1 from the upstream. The perspective view which looked at the ball partition state in the alignment path of Example 1 from the diagonal upstream. The principal part longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the ball removal state of the ball hopper of Example 1. FIG. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. FIG. 3 is a control circuit block diagram of the ball dispensing device according to the first embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the rotation feed operation for one ball | bowl by the sprocket of Example 1, and the time chart of a rotation position detection sensor correspondingly. Explanatory drawing which shows the case where the position shift at the time of the rotation feed by the sprocket of Example 1 is self-recovered. 5 is a flowchart showing a ball payout processing operation according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view showing a ball removing mechanism incorporated in the ball hopper of the first embodiment. The principal part disassembled perspective view which shows the ball removal mechanism integrated in the ball hopper of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a relationship between a holding plate and a slide mechanism according to the first embodiment. The perspective view which shows the relationship between the ball delivery apparatus of Example 1, and a slide mechanism. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a state where the coil spring and the guide rail according to the first embodiment are locked. The principal part expansion perspective view which shows the latching state of the coil spring and holding plate of Example 1. FIG. The principal part longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the control state of the slide cancellation | release mechanism of Example 1. FIG. The principal part longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the cancellation | release state of the slide cancellation | release mechanism of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a main part showing a restricted state of the slide release mechanism according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part showing a release state of the slide release mechanism according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a main part showing a rotating type beading structure according to a second embodiment. The principal part perspective view which shows the rotation type bead removal state of Example 2. FIG. The principal part longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the rotation type bead removal state of Example 2. FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Ball hopper 12 ... Storage tank 13 ... Ball dispensing device 14 ... Alignment passage 26 ... Sprocket 26a ... Feed claw 41 ... Slit 42 ... Ball passage locus 43 ... Rotation locus 44 ... Crossing position 45 ... Fall detection signal 46 ... Rise detection Signal 52 ... Control board S2 ... Rotation position detection sensor L ... Same inclined passage

Claims (4)

An alignment passage for rolling and aligning balls on an inclined surface is provided, and a sprocket mounted on the alignment passage is driven to rotate the balls guided from the upstream side one by one by the sprocket feed pawls one by one. It is a sprocket rotation stop position control method for stopping rotation at the point when the specified number of pieces is sent down and
An encoder rotating plate provided with slits at equal intervals on the rotating shaft of the sprocket for detecting the rotating position of the feed claw of the sprocket, and a rotating position of the sprocket based on detecting the slit of the encoder rotating plate Rotation position detection sensor to detect
When the rotation position detection sensor detects one of the rising detection signal or the falling detection signal of the slit of the encoder rotating plate which becomes the feed amount detection position for one ball, the ball passing through the alignment passage passes. In the intersecting area of both loci where the rotation trajectory of the sprocket feed claw overlaps the ball trajectory in the direction, at the intersection with the ball trajectory where the tip of the feed claw of the rotation trajectory is closest to the bottom surface of the alignment path A sprocket rotation stop position control method set to stop the rotation of the sprocket. An alignment passage for rolling and aligning balls on an inclined surface is provided, and a sprocket mounted on the alignment passage is driven to rotate the balls guided from the upstream side one by one by the sprocket feed pawls one by one. A payout control method for a ball payout device that sends out a specified number of pieces,
An encoder rotating plate provided with slits at equal intervals on the rotating shaft of the sprocket for detecting the rotating position of the feed claw of the sprocket, and a rotating position of the sprocket based on detecting the slit of the encoder rotating plate Rotation position detection sensor to detect
When payout the specified number of balls by rotary feed of the sprocket, the rotational position detection sensor for detecting a rotational position of the feed pawl of the sprocket is synchronized with the sprocket as the feed amount detection position for one piece balls The rotation of the sprocket is stopped at the position where one of the rising detection signal or falling detection signal of the slit of the encoder rotating plate is detected , and this stop position is a ball passing locus in the passing direction of the balls rolling on the alignment passage. The rotation of the sprocket stops at the intersection of the trajectory where the rotation trajectories of the sprocket feed claws overlap and the ball passage trajectory where the tip of the rotation trajectory is closest to the bottom surface of the alignment path. A payout control method for the ball payout device set to be . An alignment passage for rolling and aligning balls on an inclined surface is provided, and a sprocket mounted on the alignment passage is driven to rotate the balls guided from the upstream side one by one by the sprocket feed pawls one by one. A ball dispensing device that feeds out a specified number of pieces,
An encoder rotary plate provided with slits at equal intervals for detecting the rotational position of the sprocket feed claw on the rotation axis of the sprocket ;
A rotational position detection sensor for detecting a rotational position of the sprocket based on detecting a slit of the encoder rotating plate ;
A counting detection sensor for counting the number of balls paid out by the rotational feed of the sprocket;
When the rotation position detection sensor detects one of the rising detection signal or the falling detection signal of the slit of the encoder rotating plate which is the feed amount detection position for one ball, the ball passing through the alignment passage is passed. In the intersecting region of the two loci where the rotation trajectory of the sprocket feed claw overlaps the ball trajectory in the direction, the tip of the feed claw of the rotation trajectory is at the intersection with the ball passage trajectory closest to the bottom surface of the alignment passage. A control unit for stopping the rotation of the sprocket ;
Ball dispensing device with A storage tank for storing a large number of balls, an alignment unit for guiding and aligning balls stored in the storage tank to the downstream side while rolling on the inclined surface by its own weight, and an inclined downstream side of the alignment unit A ball hopper comprising a ball dispensing device that continuously feeds balls that have been rolling on the inclined surface one by one with a sprocket and dispenses a specified number on one inclined surface,
A ball hopper comprising the ball dispensing device according to claim 3 .

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