JP4596519B2 - Object gripping device and game device using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an object gripping device and a game device that uses the same to grip a prize and move it in a payout direction to acquire a prize.

  A prize acquisition game device such as a so-called crane game machine for the purpose of acquiring a prize stored inside the case is interesting in its operation, and the player's willingness to challenge by using characters and the like that are popular with the prize Therefore, it is installed and widely used in various game centers and shopping centers.

  Such a prize acquisition game device acquires a prize by moving a prize gripping device called a catcher to a prize position by a moving device, gripping and hanging the prize, transporting it to a prize paying exit, and dropping it. It can be done.

  This prize gripping device can grip a prize by opening and closing a pair of gripping arms by an opening / closing drive mechanism, for example.

  In such a prize acquisition game device, various prizes are handled. When changing the prize to be handled, if the size, weight or shape of the prize is changed, the size of the grip arm is changed accordingly. To be done.

In general, the grip arm is attached to the base portion so as to be rotatable with a screw or the like.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-239669

  In such a prize acquisition game device, when changing the size of the gripping arm according to the size, weight or shape of the prize to be handled, the gripping arm must be replaced by removing the screw or the like each time. In other words, the replacement takes time and effort.

  In addition, the gripping force of the prize by the gripping arm changes depending on the size of the gripping arm because the weight of the gripping arm is added, and it is troublesome to manually adjust the gripping force every time the gripping arm is replaced. .

  Further, in such a prize acquisition game device, the prize gripping device is moved in the X-axis and Y-axis directions along the moving rail, and when the size of the gripping arm is changed, the movement in the X-axis direction is performed. The limit position changes, and it is troublesome to manually adjust the limit position each time the gripping arm is replaced.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a prize gripping apparatus and a game apparatus using the same that can easily perform the replacement of the gripping arm without taking time and effort.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a prize gripping device capable of automatically recognizing the type of gripping arm when the gripping arm is replaced, and a game device using the same.

  Still another object of the present invention is to provide a prize gripping device capable of automatically adjusting the movement limit position in the X-axis direction of the gripping arm when the gripping arm is replaced, and a game device using the same. is there.

In order to achieve the above object, an object gripping device of the present invention includes a plurality of gripping arms for gripping an object attached to a base unit that can be raised and lowered in a suspended state.
An object gripping device having an opening / closing drive device that opens and closes the gripping arm to perform a gripping operation,
An arm attaching / detaching portion for holding a base end portion of the gripping arm is provided at the grip arm mounting position of the base portion;
The arm detachable portion is provided with a fitting portion that fits with a proximal end portion of the gripping arm,
The base end portion of the grip arm is provided with a fitted portion that fits with the fitting portion,
A plurality of types of gripping arms having different sizes can be exchanged in the arm attaching / detaching portion,
The base part is provided with a sensor for discriminating the kind of gripping arm fitted to the arm attaching / detaching part .

  According to the present invention, the engagement between the fitted portion provided at the base end portion of the gripping arm and the fitting portion provided at the arm detaching portion is released, and the base end portion of the gripping arm is pulled out from the arm detaching portion. The grip arm can be easily removed, and the base end of a new grip arm can be inserted into the arm detachable part to engage the grip arm fitted part and the arm detachable part easily. In addition, the gripping arm can be attached in a short time.

In addition, the type of gripping arm inserted into the arm attachment / detachment part can be automatically identified and recognized by the sensor, and the gripping force adjustment of the gripping arm can be automatically performed based on the recognition of this gripping arm It becomes.

  In this case, an arm discriminating unit corresponding to the type of each gripping arm can be provided at the base end of the gripping arm.

  With such a configuration, the type of the gripping arm can be easily recognized by determining the arm determination unit provided at the base end of each gripping arm by the sensor.

In this case, the arm detachable portion is provided with a slide member so as to be pushed out by the arm determining portion and protrude from the arm detachable portion,
The sensor may be provided on the base portion so that the slide member protruding from the arm attaching / detaching portion can be detected.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is not necessary to provide the sensor at the arm attaching / detaching portion, so that the sensor wiring can be designed without concern.

  Furthermore, the gripping arm need not be formed larger than necessary.

In such a case, a moving mechanism that allows the base portion to move in the X-axis and Y-axis directions along the moving rail;
Control means for controlling the movement limit position of the base portion in the X-axis direction according to the type of the gripping arm determined by the sensor can be provided.

With such a configuration, the movement limit position of the base portion in the X-axis direction can be automatically controlled by the control means in accordance with the type of gripping arm determined by the sensor.

  A game apparatus according to the present invention uses any of the object gripping apparatuses described above.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a game apparatus that can be easily replaced in a short time and that can automatically perform grip arm type recognition, movement limit position control in the X-axis direction, and the like. be able to.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIGS. 1-8 is a figure which shows the prize acquisition game device which concerns on one embodiment of this invention.

  FIG. 1 is an external view showing a crane game machine as a prize acquisition game using the prize gripping device according to the present embodiment.

  In the crane game machine 10, a substantially upper half of the housing 12 is surrounded by a transparent plate 14 such as an acrylic plate, for example, and a game space 16 is formed therein, and the floor of the game space 16 is placed with prizes. Field 18 is designated.

  A prize payout opening 20 is provided in a part of the prize placing field 18, and a prize takeout opening 22 communicating with the prize payout opening 20 is provided in the lower front portion of the housing 12.

  In addition, a plurality of prizes 24 are placed on the prize placement field 18, and a prize gripping apparatus 26 that grips the prizes 24 and a prize gripping apparatus 26 are suspended and moved above the game space 16. A moving mechanism 28 is provided, and an operation unit 30 is provided on the front surface of the housing 12.

  Note that a control unit 32 that integrally controls the operation of the crane game machine 10 is provided inside the housing 12.

  The prize gripping device 26 is located at the lower end of the moving mechanism 28 and is openable and closable so that the prize 24 on the prize placement field 18 can be gripped.

  The moving mechanism 28 can be moved in the X and Y axis directions (left and right and front and rear directions) along the X axis rail 34 and the Y axis rail 36 which are moving rails, and the prize grasping device 26 is provided via an extendable member 38. The prize gripping device 26 can be moved up and down in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) by winding and unwinding the wire 39 in the elastic member 38.

  The operation unit 30 includes a coin insertion slot 40, a start button 42 for starting a game, and an operation button 44 for moving the prize gripping device 26.

  Then, the player presses the start button 42 of the operation unit 30 and operates the operation button 44 to move the prize gripping device 26 from the home position in the X axis direction and the Y axis direction by moving the moving mechanism 28. When the positioning in the XY-axis direction is performed, the prize gripping device 26 automatically starts the lowering operation in the Z-axis direction under the control of the control unit 32, and after the lowering is finished, the prize gripping operation is performed.

  Thereafter, the gripped prize 24 is lifted and conveyed toward the prize payout exit 20, and the prize 24 held just above the prize payout exit 20 is opened.

  Then, the prize 24 is dropped to the prize payout opening 20 so that the player can take out the prize 24 from the prize takeout opening 22, and then the prize gripping device 26 automatically returns to the home position.

  Next, details of the prize gripping device will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the prize gripping device in a state where the gripping arm is opened and closed, and FIG. 3 is a side view of a part of the prize gripping device in a state where the gripping arm is closed. is there.

  The prize gripping device 26 includes a base portion 46, a gripping arm 48, an opening / closing driving device 50, and a sensor 74 that determines an arm type such as a photo interrupter.

  The base portion 46 is connected to the lower end of the expansion / contraction member 38 (see FIG. 1), and can be moved up and down by winding and unwinding the wire 39.

  The grip arms 48 are for gripping the prize 24, and are attached in a suspended state so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction around the rotation shaft 54 on both sides of the base portion 46, and the lower end side is opened and closed.

  The grip arm 48 can be attached to and detached from the base portion 46, and the grip arm 48 having a different size, for example, a large grip arm 48a, a medium grip, according to the size, weight or shape of the prize. The arm 48b and the small gripping arm 48c can be exchanged.

  Specifically, the arm detachment that allows the base end portion 52 of the gripping arm 48 to be inserted and held at the mounting position of the gripping arm 48 of the pair of opening and closing members 56 for opening and closing the gripping arm 48 that is rotatably provided on the base portion 46. Each part 54 is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, each arm attaching / detaching portion 54 is formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape corresponding to the shape of the base end portion 52 of the gripping arm 48, and the base end portion 52 of the gripping arm 48 inserted therein. A fitting portion 58 is provided to be fitted to the.

  The fitting part 58 includes a fitting piece 60 and a fitting releasing rod 62 as fitting members.

  The fitting piece 60 is for engaging with the base end portion 52 of the gripping arm 48, has a cylindrical shape whose upper surface is a tapered surface 60 a, and is a rod that penetrates the lower surface of the arm attaching / detaching portion 54. 66, and is biased upward by a spring 64 attached to the rod 66.

  The fitting piece 60 and the fitting release rod 62 are circular in cross section, the diameter of the fitting piece 60 is large, and the diameter of the fitting release rod 62 is smaller than the diameter of the fitting piece 60. Yes.

  The fitting release rod 62 penetrates the upper surface of the arm attaching / detaching portion 54, and the upper end portion 66 a operated to release the engagement between the fitting piece 60 and the gripping arm 48 is the upper surface of the arm attaching / detaching portion 54. Further, the lower end is connected to the upper surface of the fitting piece 60, and the fitting piece 60 can be pushed down against the biasing force of the spring 64 by pressing down the upper end 66a (operation part). ing.

  The base end portion 52 of the grip arm 48 is formed with a fitted portion 68 that protrudes in the horizontal direction and engages with the fitting portion 58 at a substantially central position in the vertical direction of the end face.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the fitted portion 68 is formed with a tapered portion 68 a that is in contact with the tapered surface 60 a of the fitting piece 60 so as to be able to push down the fitting piece 60. A fitting hole 70 having a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the fitting piece 60 that allows the fitting piece 60 to be engaged by penetrating in the vertical direction at substantially the center is formed from the tip side to the fitting hole 70. A slit 72 having a width corresponding to the diameter of the fitting release rod 62 and allowing the fitting release rod 62 to pass therethrough is formed.

  Therefore, when the gripping arm 48 is attached, as shown in FIG. 4, when the proximal end portion 52 of the gripping arm 48 is inserted into the arm detachable portion 54 as shown by the arrow, the tapered portion 68a of the fitted portion 68 is obtained. Is brought into contact with the tapered surface 60a of the fitting piece 60 and the fitting piece 60 is pushed down.

  When the base end portion 52 is further inserted, the fitting release rod 62 moves to the position of the fitting hole 70 through the slit 72 while the fitting piece 60 is pushed down, and the spring is moved to the position of the fitting hole 70. Due to the urging force of 64, the fitting piece body 60 is raised and engaged with the fitting hole 70, and the fitting state shown in FIG.

  In this case, since the diameter of the fitting piece 60 is larger than the width of the slit 72, the fitting piece 60 can be maintained in a reliable fitting state without passing through the slit 72 and coming out.

  When removing the gripping arm 48, as shown in FIG. 6, when the upper end portion 66 a of the fitting release rod 62 is pressed, the fitting piece 60 is pushed down and comes out of the fitting hole 70.

  In this state, the base end portion 52 of the gripping arm 48 may be pulled out from the arm attaching / detaching portion 54 as indicated by an arrow.

  As described above, the gripping arm 48 can be attached and detached without using a fixing means such as a screw, and the gripping arms 48 of different sizes can be easily and quickly replaced without using a tool.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, as the plurality of types of gripping arms 48 having different sizes are exchanged, the arm attachment / detachment portion 54 is attached to the arm 74 by the sensor 74 provided on the base portion 46 for determining the arm type. The type is discriminated according to the arm discriminating part of the gripping arm 48 inserted.

  The sensor 74 for discriminating the arm type includes a first discrimination sensor 74a and a second discrimination sensor 74b, and the grip arm 48 depends on the shape of the base end portion 52 of the grip arm 48 inserted into the arm attachment / detachment portion 54. The type of is to be determined.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the shape of the base end portion of the grip arm 48 is, for example, a large grip arm 48a, as shown in FIG. , 76b has a length up to the tip of the fitted portion 68.

  In the middle gripping arm 48b, as shown in FIG. 5B, a notch 78a is formed at the tip of the left side wall 76a toward the base end 52b, and the tip of the right side wall 76b is covered. It has the length to the front-end | tip part of the fitting part 68. FIG.

  Further, in the small gripping arm 48c, as shown in FIG. 6C, a notch 78b is formed at the tip of the right side wall 76b toward the base end 52c, and the tip of the left side wall 76a is covered. It has the length to the front-end | tip part of the fitting part 68. FIG.

  Corresponding to the shape of the base end portions 52a, 52b, and 52c of the gripping arms 48a, 48b, and 48c, the arm attaching / detaching portion 54 is provided at positions corresponding to the side walls 76a and 76b of the base end portions 52a, 52b, and 52c. A pair of sensor dogs 80a and 80b, which are slide members, are attached so as to be slidable in the horizontal direction, and are urged by a spring 82 in the protruding direction.

  Therefore, when the large gripping arm 48a is attached to the arm attaching / detaching portion 54, both sensor dogs 80a, 80b are pushed by the side walls 76a, 76b, and the protruding amount increases.

  In addition, when the middle gripping arm 48b is attached, the sensor dog 80a on the side where the notch 78a is located does not protrude, and only the sensor dog 80b increases in protrusion.

  Furthermore, when the small gripping arm 48c is attached, the sensor dog 80b on the side where the notch 78b is located does not protrude, and only the sensor dog 80a increases in protrusion.

  The first discrimination sensor 74a and the second discrimination sensor 74b can detect the sensor dogs 80a and 80b having increased protrusion amounts when the gripping arm 48 is in the fully closed state.

  As a result, for example, when both the first discrimination sensor 74a and the second discrimination sensor 74b are OFF, the gripping arm 48 is not attached, and the first discrimination sensor 74a and the second discrimination sensor 74b are not attached. When both are ON, the large gripping arm 48a is attached, when the first discrimination sensor 74a is OFF, and when the second discrimination sensor 74b is ON, the medium gripping arm 48b is attached. When the first determination sensor 74a is ON and the second determination sensor 74b is OFF, it is determined that the small gripping arm 48c is attached.

  In addition, since the movement limit positions of both ends of the grip arm 48 in the X-axis direction change depending on the size of the grip arm 48, the control unit is controlled according to the size of the grip arm 48 recognized by the sensor 74 that determines the arm type. 32 is used to control the movement limit position.

  The opening / closing driving device 50 performs opening / closing driving of the gripping arm 48 and adjustment of the gripping force, and is provided in each of the pair of gripping arms 48.

  Each open / close drive device 50 includes an electric motor 84 and a reduction gear 86 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

  The electric motor 84 uses a motor capable of low current control with a small initial torque.

  In order to generate a constant torque, by continuously supplying a constant current to the electric motor 84, the grip arm 48 can be opened and closed and the grip force can be adjusted.

  The reduction gear 86 is provided integrally with the first gear 86a attached to the output shaft of the electric motor 84, the second gear 86b meshing with the first gear 86a, and the second gear 86b. A third gear 86c and a fourth gear 86d meshing with the third gear 86c are provided, and an opening / closing member 56 is attached to the fourth gear 86d.

  Further, a position recognition sensor 88 for detecting the opening / closing position of the gripping arm 48 is connected to the fourth gear 86d, and the output of the electric motor 84 is changed according to the opening / closing position of the gripping arm 48.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the base portion 46 is provided with a fully open position restricting stopper 90 and a fully closed position restricting stopper 92 of the grip arm 48.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration for realizing functions centering on the prize gripping device of the crane game machine.

  The crane game machine includes a processing unit 94, an information storage medium 96, an opening / closing drive device 50, a moving mechanism 28, and a sensor 74 that determines an arm type.

  The processing unit 94 performs various processes such as control of the entire apparatus and instruction instruction to each block in the apparatus, and functions thereof are a CPU (CISC type, RISC type), DSP, ASIC (gate array). Etc.) or a given program.

  The processing unit 94 includes a control unit 98 and a storage unit 100.

  The control unit 98 includes a control unit 102 and an arm type determination unit 104. The control unit 102 controls the opening / closing operation of the grip arm 48 by the opening / closing drive device 50, and the arm type determination unit 104 determines the arm type. In response to the detection signal from the sensor 74, the type of the gripping arm 48 attached is discriminated, and the opening / closing operation and the gripping force of the opening / closing drive device 50 are adjusted according to the type of the gripping arm 48. .

  Further, the control means 102 performs movement limit position control of both ends in the X-axis direction by the movement mechanism 28 according to the determination result of the type of the gripping arm 48 by the arm type determination unit 104.

  The information storage medium 96 is an information storage medium that can be read and used by a computer, and stores information such as various programs and data.

  In the present embodiment, information for performing a prize acquisition game, information for recognizing a prize holding state, information for adjusting the holding force of the holding arm 48, and the like are stored.

  Further, a plurality of gripping force values corresponding to the size of the gripping arm 48 are stored in advance, and the gripping force value can be set by selecting the gripping force value corresponding to the size of the gripping arm 48. I have to.

  Further, the movement limit positions of both ends of the base portion 46 in the X-axis direction corresponding to the size of the gripping arm 48 are stored, and the movement limit position corresponding to the size of the gripping arm 48 can be selected and set. It has become.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified into various forms within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

  For example, although three types of gripping arms can be exchanged in the above-described embodiment, two types or four or more types of gripping arms can be exchanged.

  In the above-described embodiment, the sensor dog is projected according to the shape of the end of the gripping arm, and this is detected by a sensor that discriminates the arm type such as a photo interrupter. Etc., and the shape of the end of the gripping arm may be directly detected by the distance sensor or the like.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where a prize is gripped has been described, but an object gripping apparatus that grips another object may be used.

1 is an external view showing a crane game machine using a prize gripping device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic front view of the prize holding apparatus which made the state which opened the holding | grip arm and closed. It is the schematic front view which made a section of a prize grasping device in the state where a grasping arm was opened a section. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which attaches a holding | gripping arm to an arm attaching / detaching part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which attached the holding arm to the arm removal | desorption part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which removes a holding | grip arm from an arm attaching / detaching part. (A) is the shape of the base end of the large gripping arm, (B) is the shape of the base end of the medium gripping arm, and (C) is a partial perspective view showing the shape of the base end of the small gripping arm. It is. It is a functional block diagram of the crane game machine centering on the prize holding device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Crane game machine 26 Prize holding device 28 Moving mechanism 34 X-axis rail 36 Y-axis rail 46 Base part 48 Grasping arm 48a Large-sized gripping arm 48b Medium-sized gripping arm 48c Small-sized gripping arm 50 Opening-closing drive device 52, 52a, 52b, 52c Base end portion 54 Arm attachment / detachment portion 60 Fitting piece body 62 Fitting release rod 64 Spring 70 Fitting hole 72 Slit 74 Sensor 80 for discriminating arm type Sensor dog 102 Control means

Claims (5)

A plurality of gripping arms for gripping an object attached in a suspended state so as to be openable and closable on a base portion that can be raised and lowered;
An object gripping device having an opening / closing drive device that opens and closes the gripping arm to perform a gripping operation,
An arm attaching / detaching portion for holding a base end portion of the gripping arm is provided at the grip arm mounting position of the base portion;
The arm detachable portion is provided with a fitting portion that fits with a proximal end portion of the gripping arm,
The base end portion of the grip arm is provided with a fitted portion that fits with the fitting portion,
A plurality of types of gripping arms having different sizes can be exchanged in the arm attaching / detaching portion,
2. An object gripping apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a sensor for discriminating a kind of gripping arm fitted to the arm attaching / detaching portion is provided on the base portion. In claim 1,
An object gripping device, wherein an arm discriminating unit corresponding to the type of each gripping arm is provided at a base end portion of the gripping arm. In claim 2,
The arm detachable portion is provided with a slide member so as to be pushed out by the arm discriminating portion and protrude from the arm detachable portion,
The object gripping device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is provided on the base portion so as to detect the slide member protruding from the arm attaching / detaching portion. In any one of Claims 1-3,
A moving mechanism that allows the base portion to move along the moving rail in the X-axis and Y-axis directions;
An object gripping apparatus comprising: control means for controlling a movement limit position of the base portion in the X-axis direction according to the type of the gripping arm determined by the sensor.   A game device using the object gripping device according to claim 1.

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