JP6220563B2 - Ball feeder for gaming machine and gaming machine having the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball feeder for a gaming machine and a gaming machine including the same.

  Generally, a ball tray that temporarily stores game balls is provided below the gaming area of the gaming machine, and the guide path communicates with the configuration in which the game balls stored in the ball tray are guided. Has been placed. Furthermore, a ball feeding device that sends out the game ball guided to the guide path and a ball launching device that launches the game ball sent out by the ball feeding device toward the game area are provided. It is possible to send out the game balls stored in the tray to the ball launching device.

  In this type of configuration, the launching device is often arranged at a position higher than the lower end position of the guide path in consideration of the workability of the player and the efficiency of the parts arrangement. The game ball guided to the position is lifted upward. In addition, as a technique regarding the ball feeding device, for example, there is a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1.

JP 2003-33480 A

  The intermittent feeding device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a game in which a crank mechanism 7 which is mounted on a rotating shaft 15 of a reciprocating motor 1 and includes a rotating plate 8, a crankpin 9, and the like, and a tip is reciprocated by the crank mechanism 7. And a rocking lever 2 for intermittently delivering a ball. Further, the swing lever 2 is formed with a ball receiving portion 4 at the tip thereof. The ball receiving portion 4 receives a game ball sent from the guide 5 when lowered, and sends the game ball to the outlet 6 when raised. To send out. In the swing lever 2, a stopper for waiting the game ball supplied from the guide 5 when the ball receiver 4 is raised is formed below the ball receiver 4.

  However, in this configuration, since the stopper is formed as a part of the swing lever 2, the swing lever 2 is raised and lowered while receiving a load (ball pressure) from the game ball waiting on the guide 5. become. That is, when the game ball is on standby, a load (ball pressure) from the game ball is always applied to the swing lever 2 when the swing lever 2 is operated. There is a possibility that a situation in which the ball cannot be smoothly fed without being reliably lifted or a game ball cannot be accepted without being reliably lowered to the normal take-in position may occur. As described above, when a large load is continuously applied to the ball feeding member (lifting member) when the game ball is sent upward, the operation of the ball feeding member becomes unstable, and the smooth ball feeding operation is inhibited. A configuration that can effectively solve such problems is desired.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and in a ball feeding device for a gaming machine capable of feeding a game ball from a low position to a high position, the game ball is greatly changed from a waiting game ball to a ball feeding member. An object of the present invention is to provide a configuration capable of suppressing the ball pressure from being continuously applied and stably operating the ball feeding member.

The ball feeder for gaming machines of the present invention is
A receiving portion that receives the game ball; and a discharge portion that is disposed at a higher position than the receiving portion and that is configured as a portion that discharges the game ball. The game ball received by the receiving portion is sent out from the discharge portion. A ball feeder for a gaming machine,
A ball passing part configured to be able to take in game balls and having a ball passing part through which the game ball can pass and a ball stopper part capable of blocking the passage of the game ball are provided, and the game ball from the receiving part side can be taken into the ball passing part It is possible to displace between a take-in displacement and a blocking displacement in which a game ball from the receiving part side cannot pass through the ball passing part and a flow of the game ball from the receiving part side is blocked by the ball stopping part A ball cutting member configured in
The ball cutting member is configured to be interlocked with the ball cutting member, and includes one or a plurality of ball receiving portions, and the game ball that has passed through the ball passing portion when the ball cutting member is in the blocking displacement is used as the ball receiving portion. Ball feeding that moves in a predetermined path between a receiving position and a position where a game ball accommodated in the ball receiving portion is sent to the discharging portion when the ball receiving portion is in a position communicating with the discharging portion. Members,
A drive source for driving the ball feeding member;
A switching mechanism for switching the ball cutting member between the take-in displacement and the blocking displacement;
Equipped with a,
The ball cutting member is lower in the position of the ball passing portion at the time of the blocking displacement than the position of the ball passing portion at the time of the taking displacement, The game ball is conveyed so as to be lowered from the reception position of the game ball by the ball passage portion .

  A gaming machine according to the present invention includes the above-described ball feeding device for gaming machines.

In the present invention, the gaming machine ball feeder, the sphere cutting member capable of displacement in the cut-off displacement and taking the displacement is provided, the spherical cutting member, when the take-displacement, from the receiving side It functions to pass the game ball that it accepts, and to send out the game ball held in the ball passage portion to the ball feeding member and to block the flow of the subsequent game ball when it is in the blocking displacement. In this way, when a game ball is sent out from the ball cutting member toward the ball feeding member, a part of the ball cutting member (ball stopper) blocks the flow of the subsequent game ball. The feeding is not hindered by the pressure, and the game ball is smoothly fed from the ball cutting member toward the ball feeding member. In addition, since the ball cutting member is interposed between the subsequent game ball and the ball feeding member, it is difficult for the ball pressure from the subsequent game ball to be directly applied to the ball feeding member. Therefore, the operation of the ball feeding member is hardly hindered by the ball pressure from the subsequent game ball, and the ball feeding member operates smoothly and stably.

Further, in the present invention, the sphere passing portion is configured to be able to capture the game ball, spherical cutting member, than the position of the sphere passing portion when the write displacement preparative, the position of the sphere passing portion when the blocking displacement Alternatively, the game ball may be transported so as to be lowered from the reception position of the game ball by the ball passage portion at the time of taking-in displacement.
In this configuration, since the game ball received in the ball passage portion can be lowered by the take-in displacement, it can be lowered, so that the direction of the force from the subsequent game ball to flow toward the ball cutting member (i.e., , Diagonally downward) and can be moved downward without as much as possible. Therefore, the load when transferring the game ball from the receiving position is significantly smaller than the configuration in which the subsequent game ball is pushed away and moved upward, and the transfer of the game ball by the ball cutting member is smooth and stable. It can be carried out.

In the present invention, the ball feeding member is configured to be rotatable about a predetermined rotation axis, and includes an inner peripheral wall configured in a cylindrical shape centering on the rotation axis, and to the ball receiving portion. A configuration may be adopted in which a spherical flow path is provided as a subsequent flow path, and the ball receiving portion is recessed outward from the inner peripheral wall of the spherical flow path. Then, the game ball that has passed through the ball passage portion at the predetermined first rotation position is received on the inner peripheral wall of the ball channel, and the game ball received in the ball channel is removed from the first rotation position. The ball is held on the inner peripheral wall of the ball flow path until a predetermined range of rotation, and the held game ball is sent to the ball receiving portion at the second rotation position rotated by the predetermined range. The structure may be such that when the receiving part is in a rotational position communicating with the discharging part, the game balls accommodated in the ball receiving part are sent to the discharging part.
In this configuration, when the game ball that has passed through the ball passage portion is received by the ball feeding member, the game ball continues to be positioned on the cylindrical inner peripheral wall formed in the ball flow path until it rotates by a certain range. Therefore, the game ball sent to the ball feed member is not immediately sent out by the ball feed member, and the game ball sent to the ball feed member is caught between the ball feed member and the feed passage. This can be effectively suppressed. Since the game ball sent onto the inner peripheral wall is stably received after a certain time, the ball receiving unit discharges the received game ball without hindering the operation of the ball cutting member and the ball feeding member. Smooth and stable delivery toward the outlet is possible.

Further, in the present invention, the switching mechanism is configured to operate by receiving a driving force for driving the ball feeding member by the driving source, and to alternately switch the ball cutting member between the take-in displacement and the blocking displacement in conjunction with the driving force. It may be.
In this configuration, not only the ball feeding member but also the ball cutting member can be displaced using the drive source as power, and the switching operation of the ball cutting member can be stably performed while suppressing the number of parts.

  In the present invention, the ball feeding device for gaming machines can be configured as a device that sends gaming balls to the launching device for gaming machines. By doing in this way, the above-mentioned profit can be enjoyed in the part which sends out a game ball to the game machine launching device.

FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a gaming machine provided with a ball feeder for gaming machines according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a state in which the front frame is opened in the gaming machine of FIG. FIG. 3 (A) is a perspective view of the gaming machine ball feeder according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the rear side and obliquely upward, and FIG. 3 (B) shows the gaming machine ball feeder. It is the perspective view which looked at the apparatus from the front side and diagonally upward. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the gaming machine ball feeder of FIG. 3 as viewed from the rear and obliquely upward. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the gaming machine ball feeder of FIG. 3 as viewed from the front side and obliquely upward. FIG. 6 is a front view of the ball feeding device for the gaming machine of FIG. 3, and shows a state when the ball cutting member is in the blocking position. 7A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an AA cross section of FIG. 6, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a BB cross section of FIG. FIG. 8A is a side view of the ball feeder for the gaming machine of FIG. 3, and shows a state when the ball cutting member is in the blocking position. FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a CC cross section of FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the DD cross section of FIG. 8A, and FIG. 9B is a cross section schematically showing the EE cross section of FIG. 8A. FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross section taken along the line CC of FIG. 8A when the ball-cutting member is at the receiving position, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of the ball-cutting member at the receiving position. It is sectional drawing which shows schematically the DD cross section of FIG. 8 (A) at the time. FIG. 11 illustrates the direction of the force (ball pressure) from the succeeding game ball applied to the game ball held in the ball passing portion when the ball cutting member is in the receiving displacement in the ball feeder for the gaming machine of FIG. It is explanatory drawing. FIG. 12 (A) is a perspective view of the gaming machine ball feeder according to the second embodiment of the present invention as seen from the rear side and obliquely upward, and FIG. 12 (B) shows the gaming machine ball feeder. It is the perspective view which looked at the apparatus from the front side and diagonally upward. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the gaming machine ball feeder shown in FIG. 12 as viewed from the rear and obliquely upward. FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the gaming machine ball feeder of FIG. 12 as viewed from the front side and obliquely upward. FIG. 15 is a front view of the ball feeder for the gaming machine of FIG. 12, and shows a state when the ball cutting member is in the blocking position. 16A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the AA cross section of FIG. 15, and FIG. 16B is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the BB cross section of FIG. FIG. 17A is a side view of the ball feeder for the gaming machine of FIG. 12, and shows a state when the ball cutting member is in the blocking position. FIG. 17B is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a CC cross section of FIG. 18A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the DD cross section of FIG. 17A, and FIG. 18B is a cross section schematically showing the EE cross section of FIG. 17A. FIG. FIG. 19A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a CC cross section of FIG. 17A when the ball-cutting member is in the receiving position, and FIG. 19B is a cross-sectional view of the ball-cutting member in the receiving position. It is sectional drawing which shows schematically the DD cross section of FIG. 7 (A) at the time.

[First embodiment]
Hereinafter, a ball feeder 11 for a gaming machine according to the present invention and a gaming machine 1 including the same will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Outline of the gaming machine)
First, the outline of the gaming machine 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the gaming machine 1 is configured as a pachinko machine, and includes a frame-shaped outer frame 2 that forms an outer shell. On the front side of the outer frame 2, one side is a hinge 2a, The inner frame 3 is supported by a structure that can be pivotally supported via 2a and can be opened to the front side. A game board 5 in which a game area 5a is formed by the guide rail 8 is mounted on the inner frame 3, and a game machine launching device (hereinafter simply referred to as a launching device) 10 is provided below the game board 5. A front frame 4 having a glass frame 6 and a ball tray frame 7 is provided on the front side of the inner frame 3. A glass frame 6 forming a part of the front frame 4 is provided with a transparent plate such as glass, and is attached to the inner frame 3 through a hinge 2b so as to be opened and closed. The ball tray frame 7 is attached to the inner frame 3 through a hinge 2c so as to be freely opened and closed. The game ball B is stored on the front surface thereof, and the stored game ball B is rectified to the launching device 10. A ball tray 9 to be supplied is provided. A ball launching handle 19 for adjusting the launching force of the game ball B is provided on the lower right side of the ball tray 9.

  In addition, as a means for supplying the game ball B stored in the ball tray 9 to the launching device 10, a ball feeding device 11 for gaming machines (hereinafter also referred to as a ball feeding device 11) according to the present invention is provided. The game balls B flowing down from the ball receiving tray 9 through a predetermined flow path are taken in one by one and sent out one by one toward the launch position 100 of the launch device 10. The launching device 10 hits the game balls B sent out by the ball feeding device 11 one by one and launches them toward the game area 5a.

  In the present specification, the vertical direction in the gaming machine 1 means the direction (the vertical direction in the representative example shown in FIG. 1 and the like) in which the game ball B flows down in a manner along the board surface of the game board 5. . Further, the left-right direction means a direction (horizontal direction in the representative example shown in FIG. 1 and the like) orthogonal to the up-down direction in a mode along the board surface of the game board 5. Further, the front-rear direction means a direction orthogonal to the board surface of the game board 5 (horizontal direction in the representative example shown in FIG. 1 and the like), the player side of the game board 5 is the front side, and the back side of the game board 5 ( The opposite side of the game area 5a) is the rear side.

(Configuration of ball feeder for gaming machine)
Next, the ball feeder 11 for gaming machines will be described.
The gaming machine ball feeder 11 includes a supply path 68d (receiving portion) for receiving the game ball B, and a discharge port 62b (discharge) configured as a portion that is disposed at a higher position than the supply path 68d and discharges the game ball B. And the game ball B received through the supply path 68d is sent out from the discharge port 62b.

First, an outline of the ball feeder 11 will be described.
The ball feeding device 11 mainly includes a case 60, a ball cutting member 20, a ball feeding member 30, a motor 40, and a motor bracket 50 (switching mechanism).
The ball cutting member 20 includes a ball passage portion 20f that can hold the game ball B and a ball stopper portion that can block the passage of the game ball B, as shown in FIGS. 20e, and a game ball B sent from the supply path 68d side (accepting part side) can be taken into the ball passage part 20f (FIG. 10B) and sent from the supply path 68d side. The game ball B cannot be taken into the ball passage portion 20f, and the ball stop portion 20e blocks the flow of the game ball B from the supply path 68d (FIGS. 7B and 9A). It is configured to be displaceable. Further, the ball feeding member 30 is configured to be interlocked with the ball cutting member 20, and includes one or a plurality of (two in the example of FIG. 8B) ball receiving portions 30f and is centered on a predetermined rotation axis G. When the ball cutting member 20 is in a blocking displacement and the ball receiving portion 30f is in a rotational position communicating with the ball passing portion 20f at the blocking displacement, the ball receiving portion 30f is changed to the ball receiving portion 30f. When the game ball B is received and the ball receiving portion 30f is in a rotational position communicating with the delivery path 70b and the discharge port 62b (discharge portion), the game ball B accommodated in the ball receiving portion 30f is removed from the discharge portion. It is configured to discharge. Further, the motor 40 (drive source) is configured to rotate by driving force applied to the ball feeding member 30, and the motor bracket 50 (switching mechanism) takes the ball cutting member 20 into the take-in displacement and the cutoff displacement. It is the structure which switches to. The case 60 is configured to accommodate and hold members such as the ball cutting member 20, the ball feeding member 30, the motor 40, and the motor bracket 50 (switching mechanism) inside. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 10 and the like, each component constituting the ball feeding device 11 will be described in detail.

  The case 60 forms an outer shell of the ball feeder 11 and is configured in a box shape by, for example, a resin material, and as shown in FIG. 3B, a supply path 68d for receiving the game ball B, 3 (A), a discharge port 62b that is arranged at a position higher than the supply path 68d (in the vertical direction, a position higher than the supply path 68d) and configured to discharge the game ball B is provided. ing. As shown in FIG. 2, the case 60 is exposed on the rear side of the front frame 4 (specifically, the rear side of the ball receiving frame 7) so as to be visible when the front frame 4 is opened (see FIG. 2). It is fixed with. The case 60 is arranged on the front side of the launching device 10 with the front frame 4 closed.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the case 60 includes a front passage frame 68 that forms the front surface portion (front surface portion) of the case 60 and a back surface passage cover 62 that forms the back surface portion (rear surface portion) of the case 60. It is equipped with. Between the front passage frame 68 and the back passage cover 62, a motor base 66, a middle case 64, and a back passage constitution portion 70 are disposed. The front passage frame 68, the motor base 66, the middle case 64, and the back surface passage cover 62 are each configured in a substantially circular plate shape, and are assembled in a form that overlaps the front and rear, so that the case 60 as a whole is substantially cylindrical. And a configuration in which the outer surface portion (front surface portion) of the front passage frame 68 and the outer surface portion (back surface portion) of the back surface passage cover 62 are respectively arranged in the front and rear directions along the board surface of the game board. It has become.

  The front passage frame 68 is assembled to the front side of the motor base 66 by a fastening member such as a screw, and the motor base 66 is assembled to the front side of the middle case 64 by a fastening member such as a screw. The middle case 64 is assembled to the front side of the back surface passage cover 62 by a fastening member such as a screw, and the back surface passage constituting portion 70 is disposed between the middle case 64 and the back surface passage cover 62. The front and rear of the motor 40 are covered by the front passage frame 68 and the motor base 66 and the motor 40 is held. The motor base 66 and the middle case 64 cover the front and rear of the motor bracket 50 and the ball cutting member 20. The motor bracket 50 and the ball cutting member 20 are held. Further, the front and rear of the ball feeding member 30 are covered by the middle case 64 and the back surface passage cover 62, and the ball cutting member 20 is rotatably held.

  In the case 60, the motor 40 is mostly accommodated in a space closed by the front passage frame 68 and the motor base 66, and the rotary shaft portion 40b is inserted in the through hole 66c. Is held so that it can rotate. Further, the motor bracket 50 is assembled to the rotating shaft portion 40b of the motor 40 so as to be able to rotate in a space closed by the motor base 66 and the middle case 64. Further, the ball cutting member 20 can be rotated around the rotation shaft 22 assembled between the motor base 66 and the middle case 64, and the above-mentioned motor bracket 50 is placed in its own through-hole 20b. The motor base 66 and the middle case 64 are held in a space so as to be housed. Further, the ball feeding member 30 is assembled to the motor bracket 50 so as to be able to rotate around the rotation axis of the rotation shaft portion 40 b, and can rotate in the space between the middle case 64 and the back surface passage cover 62. So that it is held.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the front passage frame 68 is a plate-shaped front plate portion 68 a that is disposed substantially parallel to the rear side surface of the front frame 4 (specifically, the rear side surface of the ball receiving frame 7). And a peripheral wall portion 68b projecting rearward from the outer periphery of the front plate portion 68a, and a predetermined space is formed inside the peripheral wall portion 68b so that components can be assembled and accommodated from the rear side to the inside. Yes. A recess 68c that is recessed forward is formed on the upper left side of the front plate portion 68a, and the motor 40 is assembled and housed in the recess 68c from the rear side. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the front passage frame 68 protrudes from the front side of the front plate portion 68 a to the front side, and includes a guide protrusion 68 e. The guide protrusion 68e has a shape in which two columnar portions protruding forward are connected by a plate-like portion facing in the vertical direction. The guide protrusion 68e functions so as to be loosely inserted into a guide portion 80b of a ball removal shutter 80, which will be described later, and to control the operation of the ball removal shutter 80 only in the left-right direction. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 9B, a supply path 68d which is a spherical path extending in the front-rear direction on the lower side and the right side (right side when viewed from the front side) is formed on the rear side of the front plate portion 68a. The game ball B that flows in from the right end when viewed from the front side is guided to the left side. Further, the left end portion of the supply path 68d communicates with a ball hole 68f that is a ball path extending in the vertical direction, and the ball hole 68f guides the game ball B flowing in from the supply path 68d downward. Is configured to do. In this configuration, the supply path 68 d corresponds to an example of “accepting unit” and functions to receive the game ball B in the ball feeding device 11.

  4 and 5, the motor base 66 includes a circular plate portion 66a that is substantially parallel to the front plate portion 68a of the front passage frame 68, and a peripheral wall portion 66b that protrudes rearward from the outer periphery of the plate portion 66a. A predetermined space is formed on the inner side of the peripheral wall portion 66b so that components can be assembled and accommodated from the rear side. A circular through hole 66c is formed at the center of the plate portion 66a, and a rotary shaft portion 40b of the motor 40 described later is inserted into the through hole 66c. In addition, a supply port 66d whose opening shape is a substantially square shape is formed at a position below the through-hole 66c and toward the right (rightward when viewed from the front side). This supply port 66d is arranged so as to communicate with the ball passage portion 20f as shown in FIG. 10B when a ball cutting member 20 described later is taken in, and at this time, a game from the supply path 68d. The sphere B passes through the supply port 66d and is taken into the sphere passage portion 20f. Further, a groove portion (hole portion) 66e that is recessed forward is formed at the left side (left side as viewed from the front side) of the through hole 66c, and the rotation shaft 22 that serves as the rotation center of the ball cutting member 20 is formed. One end of the is fitted. The other end of the rotating shaft 22 is fitted in a groove (hole) 64g (FIG. 5) formed in the front surface of the middle case 64, which will be described later. The rotating shaft 22 is held between the base 66 and the middle case 64. Then, the rotating shaft 22 and the through hole 20d of the ball cutting member 20 are fitted with each other so that the ball cutting member 20 rotates (swings) about the rotating shaft 22.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the middle case 64 includes a circular plate portion 64a substantially parallel to the plate portion 66a of the motor base 66, and a peripheral wall portion 64b protruding rearward from the outer periphery of the plate portion 64a. A predetermined space is formed inside the peripheral wall portion 64b so that components can be assembled and accommodated from the rear side. In addition, a circular through hole 64c is formed at the center of the plate portion 64a, and a motor bracket 50 (described later) is disposed through the through hole 64c. In addition, a spherical passage 64d is formed in a notch shape below the through hole 64c and adjacent to the peripheral wall portion 64b, and the spherical passage member 20 described later includes a spherical cutting member 20 shown in FIGS. It is arranged so as to communicate with the ball passing portion 20f of the ball cutting member 20 when the blocking position as shown in FIG. When the ball passage 64d and the ball passage portion 20f communicate with each other and the ball receiving portion 30f also communicates, the game ball B accommodated in the ball passage portion 20f passes through the ball passage 64d. It is sent out to the ball receiving portion 30f. Further, a concave chamber 64h bulging outward and opening the inner side is formed on one side (right side in FIG. 10A) of the peripheral wall portion 64b, and a sensor 64i for positioning the rotation of the ball feeding member 30 is provided. Further, an upper contacted portion 64f and a right contacted portion 64e are formed on the front surface of the plate portion 64a. The upper-side contacted portion 64f is cut when the ball-cutting member 20 is further rotated (rotated counterclockwise when viewed from the front side) than when the ball-cutting member 20 is taken in (see FIG. 10B). It comes in contact with the member 20, thereby restricting further upward rotation of the ball cutting member 20. Further, the right abutted portion 64e comes into contact with the ball cutting member 20 when the ball cutting member 20 is in the cut-off position, whereby the ball cutting member 20 is further rotated downward ( (Clockwise rotation as viewed from the front side) is regulated (see FIG. 9A). In the present specification, “counterclockwise” and “clockwise” refer to the counterclockwise and clockwise directions when the ball feeder 11 is viewed from the rear side, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the back surface passage cover 62 includes a circular substantially plate-like back plate portion 62 a disposed substantially parallel to the plate portion 64 a of the middle case 64, and the game ball B to the discharge path. A discharge port 62b for discharging and a pair of notches 62c and 62c are provided. Further, the discharge port 62b is configured as a through-hole penetrating in the thickness direction (front-rear direction) of the back plate portion 62a at a position closer to the upper side than the center of the back plate portion 62a, and is large enough to allow the game ball B to pass therethrough. It has become. Further, the pair of notches 62c and 62c is configured as an elongated through hole having a narrower width than the game ball B, and when the ball feeder 11 is viewed from the rear side as shown in FIG. In addition, a part of the case can be visually recognized through the notches 62c and 62c.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a back surface passage constituting portion 70 is provided on the front side of the back surface passage cover 62, and the game ball B delivered from the ball feeding member 30 is discharged from the back surface passage cover 62. It is configured to guide to the outlet 62b. The back surface passage constituting part 70 includes a main body part 70a formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and a delivery path 70b for guiding the game ball B to the rear side (see also FIG. 7A). The delivery path 70b includes two plate-like portions that are substantially parallel to the left-right direction, and is inclined so that the upper end of the plate-like portion is in a low position toward the rear. That is, the upper ends of the two plate-shaped portions constitute the bottom portion of the delivery path 70b, and the bottom portions are configured to become lower as they approach the discharge port 62b. The rear end portion of the delivery path 70b (specifically, the rear end portions of the two plate-like portions described above) is arranged closer to the lower side in the opening of the discharge port 62b. The rear passage cover 62 is assembled.
In this configuration, the discharge port 62b and the delivery path 70b correspond to an example of a “discharge unit” and function to discharge the game ball B sent into the ball feeding device 11.

Next, the ball cutting member 20 will be described.
The ball cutting member 20 takes in the game ball B sent through the supply path 68d of the front passage frame 68 into the ball passage portion 20f when the take-in displacement is as shown in FIGS. 10B and 11. 7B and FIG. 9A, the flow of the game ball B sent through the supply path 68d of the front path frame 68 (specifically, at the time of blocking displacement as shown in FIGS. 7B and 9A) Is configured to be able to block the flow down) which attempts to enter the ball cutting member 20. As shown in FIGS. 9A and 10B, the ball cutting member 20 is held rotatably about a rotation shaft 22 along the front-rear direction, and interlocks with the ball feeding member 30. Are arranged as follows. In addition, the ball cutting member 20 is rotated (biased) downward (clockwise in FIGS. 9 and 10) by its own weight. 9 (A) and 10 (B), the rotation center of the ball cutting member 20 is conceptually indicated by the symbol H.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 9 (A) and the like, the ball cutting member 20 has an annular shape as a whole, a plate portion 20 a that is substantially parallel to the plate portion 66 a of the motor base 66, and a plate portion A through hole 20b penetrating the central portion of 20a in the front-rear direction, an actuated portion 20c projecting leftward (left side as viewed from the front side) in the upper right portion (upper right side when viewed from the front side) of the through hole 20b, An insertion hole 20d penetrating in the front-rear direction at the left end of the portion 20a, a ball stopper 20e constituting the lower right portion of the plate portion 20a, and a ball passage portion 20f penetrating in the front-rear direction at the lower end of the plate portion 20a. ing. Further, a right abutting portion 20g protrudes from the right end of the ball cutting member 20, and abuts against the right abutted portion 64e of the middle case 64 to restrict the downward rotation of the ball cutting member 20. A weight 20j is embedded in the right abutting portion 20g, and is surely urged to rotate downward so as to return to a reference displacement (blocking displacement) as shown in FIG.

  Engagement protrusions 30e of a ball feed member 30 (to be described later) and a motor bracket 50 are accommodated in the through hole 20b of the ball cutting member 20 so as to be inserted in the front-rear direction. The motor bracket 50 is configured to rotate around the axis G in the through hole 20b. A rotation shaft 22 is inserted in the insertion hole 20d formed in the vicinity of the left end of the ball cutting member 20 in the front-rear direction, and the ball cutting member 20 rotates about the rotation shaft 22 as a central axis. It is like that.

  The ball passage portion 20f has an inner peripheral surface formed as a substantially cylindrical surface and has a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction. When the game ball B is fed into the ball passage portion 20f, the game ball B is accommodated therein. It has a configuration that can be held. Further, the game ball B functions to be sent out to the ball receiving portion 30f side at a predetermined position and a predetermined state as shown in FIG. 8B. Moreover, the inner wall part comprised in the cylindrical shape in the ball | bowl passage part 20f is comprised so that a diameter may become large as it goes to the back side, and it is a cutoff displacement like FIG. 8 (B) and FIG. 9 (A). The bottom part of the inner wall part when it becomes is inclined to become a lower position as it becomes the rear side. That is, at the time of the blocking displacement as shown in FIGS. 8B and 9A, a force is applied to cause the game ball B in the ball passage portion 20f to flow backward. The ball stopper 20e is configured as a plate-like portion adjacent to the upper right of the ball passage 20f around the through-hole 20b (upper right when viewed from the front in the blocking displacement as shown in FIG. 9A). It arrange | positions so that the board part 66a side of 66 may be faced. The ball stopper 20e covers most of the supply port 66d of the motor base 66 to the extent that the game ball B cannot pass during the blocking displacement as shown in FIG. Block B from passing. On the other hand, at the time of taking-in displacement as shown in FIG. 10B, the game ball B is blocked by retreating from the position of the supply port 66d so that most of the ball stopper 20e does not cover the opening of the supply port 66d. To release.

Next, a structure for swinging the ball cutting member 20 will be described.
As described above, the ball cutting member 20 has the take-in displacement that allows the game ball B sent from the supply path 68d side to be taken into the ball passage portion 20f, and the game ball B sent from the supply path 68d side. It is configured to be displaceable into a blocking displacement in which the flow of the game ball B that has been unable to be taken into the passage portion 20f and is fed from the supply path 68d side by the ball stopper 20e is blocked. In this swinging operation, a pressing action is applied from the engaging projection 30e of the ball feed member 30 to the actuated portion 20c of the ball cutting member 20 at the reference displacement (blocking displacement) as shown in FIG. The entire ball feeding member 20 rotates upward (counterclockwise), and at this time, the displacement is taken in as shown in FIG. On the other hand, at a predetermined time further rotated from the state of FIG. 10B, the pressing action is not applied to the actuated portion 20c from the engaging projection 30e, and the ball feeding member 30 is lowered by its own weight and is lowered as shown in FIG. It returns to the reference displacement (blocking displacement) as in A). As described above, the ascending operation and the descending operation of the right side portion (the right side portion when viewed from the front side) of the ball feeding member 30 are alternately repeated.

  Specifically, the lower side (lower surface portion) of the actuated portion 20c is arranged on the rotation locus of the engaging protrusion 30e that rotates about the axis G when the ball-cutting member 20 is in the blocking displacement. As shown in FIG. 9A, when the engaging protrusion 30e comes into contact with the lower surface portion of the actuated part 20c, the engaging protrusion 30e is pressed upward to push up. To receive. Then, the actuated portion 20c is lifted by being pushed up in this manner, and the ball cutting member 20 is rotated counterclockwise around the rotation shaft 22 as shown in FIG. 10B. When the ball-cutting member 20 is lifted in this way, the operated part 20c is in contact with and engaged with the engaging protrusion 30e (the operated part 20c is in the rotation locus of the engaging protrusion 30e) for a certain period of time. As shown in FIG. 10B, the game ball B communicates with the ball passing portion 20f through the supply port 66d. The displacement (position) of the ball cutting member 20 when communicating in this way corresponds to the take-in displacement (take-in position).

  Then, when the engaging protrusion 30e that gives the push-up action further rotates from the position shown in FIG. 10B, the operated part 20c is retracted from the rotation locus of the engaging protrusion 30e. 30e passes under the actuated part 20c and escapes to the left side (left side of the position of the actuated part 20c when viewed from the front side as shown in FIG. 10B). Since the pushing force is not applied to the actuated part 20c from the time when it is pulled out until the engagement projecting part 30e hits the acted part 20c next time, the ball cutting member 20 including the actuated part 20c is It descends by its own weight, and the ball cutting member 20 rotates clockwise as shown in FIG. 10 (B) to FIG. 9 (A). Then, as shown in FIG. 9A, the ball cutting member is moved to a position where the right end (right contact portion 20g) of the ball cutting member 20 contacts a part of the middle case 64 (right contact portion 64e). When 20 is lowered, the right contact portion 20g of the ball cutting member 20 is in the middle case until the engaging projection 30e hits the operated portion 20c next time (ie, as shown in FIG. 9A). 64 is supported by the right side abutting portion 64e). Thus, the displacement (position) in which the right contact portion 20g of the ball cutting member 20 is supported by the right contact portion 64e of the middle case 64 and the game ball B cannot enter the ball passage portion 20f through the supply port 66d. ) Corresponds to the breaking displacement (cutting position).

  In this configuration, the motor bracket 50, the engaging protrusions 30e and 30e, and the actuated portion 20c correspond to an example of a “switching mechanism”, and the ball cutting member 20 is switched between the take-in displacement and the shut-off displacement. To work. Specifically, each time the ball feeding member 30 rotates around the axis G one time (360 degrees), each engaging protrusion 30e, 30e acts to push up the actuated part 20c once, so The switching operation is performed so that the take-in displacement is twice per (360 degrees).

Next, the ball feeding member 30 will be described.
The ball feed member 30 receives the game ball B sent from the supply path 68d to the ball cut member 20 from the ball cut member 20, moves the game ball B to a higher position than the received position, and discharges it from the feed path 70b. It works like that. The ball feeding member 30 receives driving force from the motor 40 and rotates (specifically, rotates clockwise) about a rotation axis G extending in the front-rear direction (a direction orthogonal to the board surface of the game board). The game ball B thus received is rotated while being accommodated in the peripheral edge of the game ball B (see FIGS. 8B and 10A).

  4, 5, 8 </ b> B, and 10 </ b> A, the ball feeding member 30 is disposed along a plane direction orthogonal to the rotation axis G, and the plate portion 64 a of the intermediate case 64. A circular plate portion 30a disposed substantially in parallel is provided, and a substantially annular peripheral wall portion 30b protruding rearward from the outer periphery of the plate portion 30a. Further, on the rear side surface of the plate portion 30a, a projecting groove portion 30c whose center portion is recessed forward is formed at the center of the plate portion 30a, and at a radially outer position away from the groove portion 30c by a predetermined distance, A pair of through holes 30d, 30d penetrating in the front-rear direction is formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a pair of engaging projections 30e and 30e projecting forward at a radially outer position away from the center of the plate 30a by a predetermined distance on the front surface of the plate 30a. Is formed. Engagement protrusions 30e and 30e are provided at symmetrical positions on the front side of the ball feeding member 30 via an axis G, and the engagement protrusions 30e and 30e can rotate a roller on a shaft pin protruding from the base. It is configured to be inserted, and by providing a roller, the frictional load at the time of contact engagement with the actuated portion 20c is reduced. Also, one engagement protrusion 30e is disposed at a position rotated 180 degrees from the other engagement protrusion 30e (position rotated 180 degrees around the axis G), and has a symmetrical structure about the axis G. It has become.

  Further, ball receiving portions 30f and 30f having a shape recessed toward the center of the plate portion 30a are formed so as to cut out a part of the peripheral wall portion 30b. As shown in FIG. 4, the peripheral wall portion 30 b of the ball feeding member 30 is configured as a substantially cylindrical wall portion protruding from the peripheral portion of the plate portion 30 a, and two predetermined positions (in the peripheral portion of the plate portion 30 a ( The peripheral wall portion 30b is not provided at the positions of the ball receiving portions 30f and 30f. As shown in FIG. 5, the ball receiving portions 30f and 30f are configured as concave portions recessed rearward on the front surface side of the ball feeding member 30, and as shown in FIG. 8B, the delivery path 70b. And a recess opened outward in the radial direction centered on the axis G so as to communicate with the discharge port 62b (discharge portion) (that is, a structure in which the radially outer ends of the ball receiving portions 30f and 30f are open). It has become. Further, when the game ball B is sent to the delivery path 70b (discharge part), the upper side of the game ball B is supported on the rear end side of the peripheral wall part 30b and temporarily retained in the delivery path 70b to suppress the flow force. Thus, a tongue piece 30g is provided. One ball receiving portion 30f is arranged at a position rotated 180 degrees from the other ball receiving portion 30f (position rotated 180 degrees around the axis G), and has a symmetrical structure about the axis G. ing. Further, a detection piece 30h that is detected by the sensor 64i of the middle case 64 protrudes from the peripheral wall portion 30b that is shifted by 90 degrees from the ball receiving portions 30f and 30f so as to control the rotational position of the ball feeding member 30. .

  A central shaft 32 serving as a rotation center of the ball feeding member 30 is fitted into the groove portion 30c from the rear side (see also FIG. 7A). The central shaft 32 protrudes forward from the hole 70 c in a state where the rear end portion is fitted in the hole 70 c located near the center of the back surface passage constituting portion 70, and the center of the ball feeding member 30. The front side of the unit is rotatably supported. On the other hand, the central portion on the rear side (back side) of the ball feeding member 30 is rotatably held by the motor bracket 50 and the motor 40. Specifically, the projecting portions 50e and 50e of the motor bracket 50 are fitted into the through holes 30d and 30d formed near the center of the ball feeding member 30 from the front side, and further, the ball feeding member 30 has the front side toward the front side. Engaging projections 30e and 30e formed so as to protrude are fitted into the notches 50d and 50d of the motor bracket 50, and the motor bracket 50 is fixed to the ball feed member 30 with such a fitting structure. Yes.

  In the ball feeding member 30 configured in this way, the ball cutting member 20 is in a blocking displacement and the ball receiving portion 30f is in the blocking displacement as shown in FIGS. 7 (A), 8 (B), and 9 (A). The game ball B is received from the ball passage portion 20f to the ball receiving portion 30f when the rotation position is in communication with the current ball passage portion 20f. That is, as shown in FIGS. 8B and 9A, when one of the ball receiving portions 30f reaches the lower end position, the ball receiving portion 30f and the ball passage 64d of the inner case 64 communicate with each other, and the ball cutting member 20 Since is in communication with the ball passage portion 20f at the time of the blocking displacement, the game ball B in the ball passage portion 20f flows into the ball receiving portion 30f from the front side through the ball passage 64d. The game ball B is accommodated in a space surrounded by the inner wall portion of the ball receiving portion 30 f, the peripheral wall portion 64 b of the middle case 64, and the plate portion 64 a of the middle case 64. Then, along with the movement of the ball receiving portion 30f according to the rotation of the ball feeding member 30, the game ball B accommodated in the ball feeding portion 30f gradually moves along the inner wall of the peripheral wall portion 64b as shown in FIG. The ball receiving portion 30f is transported to an upper position (a position above the axis G) where the ball receiving portion 30f communicates with the delivery path 70b. Then, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the ball receiving portion 30f reaches a rotational position communicating with the delivery path 70b, the game ball B accommodated in the ball receiving portion 30f falls to the delivery path 70b. At the same time, it is received by the tongue piece 30g and temporarily stays, and with the rotation of the ball feeding member 30, the tongue piece 30g also rotates to release the delivery path 70b, rolls through the delivery path 70b, and is discharged from the discharge port 62b. . In this configuration, when the ball receiving portion 30f is displaced to the highest rotational position, the upper end portions (inclined portions) of the two plate-like portions constituting the delivery path 70b constitute the bottom portion of the ball receiving portion 30f. In this case, the game ball B in the ball receiving portion 30f is guided to the discharge port 62b so as to roll on the upper end portion (inclined portion).

Next, the motor 40 will be described.
The motor 40 is constituted by a known direct current motor or stepping motor that can be rotated in a steady manner, and receives the power supply from a motor drive circuit (not shown) to rotate the rotary shaft portion 40b at a constant rotational speed. The ball feeding member 30 indirectly fixed to the shaft portion 40b is rotated. As shown in FIG. 4, the motor 40 includes a main body portion 40a that receives a power supply from the outside and generates a driving force, and a rotating shaft portion 40b that transmits the rotational driving force generated in the main body portion 40a to other members. It has. The main body portion 40a is assembled in the recess 68c of the front passage frame 68, and the rotary shaft portion 40b configured as a drive shaft is disposed in a configuration that is inserted through the through hole 66c of the motor base 66 from the front side. The rotating shaft portion 40b is fitted and fixed in the through hole 66c of the motor bracket 50 so that the rotating shaft portion 40b and the motor bracket 50 rotate integrally according to the driving of the rotating shaft portion 40b. It is configured. The motor 40 and the control circuit are configured such that the rotation speed of the motor 40 (rotation speed of the rotation shaft portion 40b) rotates at a speed corresponding to the rotation angle (operation angle) of the ball launch handle 19 (see FIG. 1), for example. (Both not shown). In this configuration, the motor 40 corresponds to an example of a “drive source” and functions to rotationally drive the ball feeding member 30. Note that the ball feeding member 30 may be attached to the rotating shaft portion 40 b of the motor 40 and directly rotated by driving the motor 40.

Next, the motor bracket 50 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the motor bracket 50 is configured in a disk shape as a whole, is disposed along a surface direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction, and is substantially parallel to the plate portion 66 a of the motor base 66. A plate portion 50a, a peripheral wall portion 50b that protrudes rearward from the outer periphery of the plate portion 50a, and a cylindrical shaft 50c that protrudes forward from the center of the front side of the plate portion 50a are provided. The motor 40 is configured to be fitted to the rotating shaft portion 40b. In addition, a pair of cutout portions 50d and 50d are formed in a configuration in which a part of the peripheral wall portion 50b is cut out, and the above-described protrusions 50e and 50e are located at the rear side at a predetermined distance radially outward from the cylindrical shaft 50c. It protrudes to the side. As shown in FIG. 9, the notches 50d and 50d are configured as recesses that are recessed inward in the radial direction around the axis G, and one notch 50d is a position rotated 180 degrees from the other notch 50d. It is arranged at (position rotated 180 degrees around the axis G) and has a substantially weight type (saddle-shaped bellows), and has a symmetrical structure with the axis G as the center.

  The motor bracket 50 thus configured rotates integrally with the rotation shaft portion 40b around the axis G because the rotation shaft portion 40b of the motor 40 is fitted and fixed to the cylindrical shaft 50c. Further, as described above, the engaging protrusions 30e and 30e of the ball feed member 30 are loosely fitted in the notches 50d and 50d, and the protrusions 50e and 50e are fitted in the through holes 30d and 30d of the ball feed member 30. The motor bracket 50 and the ball feeding member 30 assembled in this way receive the driving force of the motor 40 and rotate integrally. Further, the engaging protrusion 30e of the ball feeding member 30 is arranged to protrude forward from the motor bracket 50, and rotates around the axis G in the through hole 20b of the ball cutting member 20. As described above, the roller portion of the engaging protrusion 30e acts to come into contact with the operated portion 20c of the ball cutting member 20 and push it up at the predetermined rotational position.

Next, the ball removal shutter 80 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 3A, 4, 5, 7 B, and 9 B, a ball removal shutter 80 is provided on the lower end side of the front passage frame 68, and the front passage The game ball B stored in the supply path 68d of the frame 68 is configured to be discharged (ball removal) to the outside. As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 9B, the ball removal shutter 80 is configured as a bottom portion that guides the game ball B from the supply path 68d to the supply port 66d when the ball removal is not performed. The guide part 80a and the guide part 80b which guides the movement to the left-right direction are provided. The guide portion 80a is formed in a plate shape, and is inclined so that the upper surface becomes a lower position as it goes rearward. As shown in FIG. 5 and the like, the guide portion 80b is formed over substantially the entire left and right direction of the ball removal shutter 80 as a long groove (hole) formed by an outer frame protruding forward. And the guide part 80b is hold | maintained at the front channel | path frame 68 so that the guide part 80b can move relatively to the left-right direction along the guide protrusion 68e by loosely inserting the guide protrusion 68e. In other words, the guide portion 80b is configured to reciprocate in the left-right direction with movement in the up-down direction being restricted by the guide protrusion 68e. Further, a spring member 82 is provided that can always urge the guide portion 80b to the left side (left side as viewed from the front side). When the ball shutter 80 is not operated, the guide member 80a and the guide member 80b are moved to the left end position shown in FIG. 3B and FIG. Is maintained at a position where the guide portion 80a can guide the game ball B from the supply path 68d to the supply port 66d). On the other hand, when the guide portion 80a and the guide portion 80b are displaced to the right against the urging of the spring member 82, the guide portion 80a retreats from the position where the ball hole 68f is blocked, and the supply path 68d and the ball hole 68f are retracted. Communicate. At this time, “ball removal” is possible in which the game ball B in the supply path 68d is discharged through the ball extraction hole 68f.

(Ball feeding operation of a ball feeding device for gaming machines)
Next, the ball feeding operation of the ball feeding device 11 will be described.
The ball feeding device 11 is arranged so as to follow a guide path (not shown) continuing from the ball tray 9 and is arranged so as to take in the game ball B sent through this guide path into the supply path 68d. When the ball cutting member 20 is at the reference position (blocking displacement) as shown in FIG. 9A, the game ball B taken into the supply path 68d is not sent to the ball cutting member 20 side, and the supply path 68d. Will wait in the inside. In this case, the leading game ball B closest to the ball cutting member 20 contacts the ball stopper 20e and stays in the supply path 68d, and the subsequent game ball B follows the leading game ball B and supplies the supply path 68d. Stored inside.

  When the ball feed member 30 is further rotated from the reference position (blocking displacement) as shown in FIG. 9A by driving the motor 40, the rotation of the engaging protrusions 30e and 30e of the ball feed member 30 is interlocked. Thus, the actuated portion 20 c of the ball cutting member 20 is pushed up, and the ball cutting member 20 rotates clockwise about the axis H of the rotation shaft 22. And by this rotation operation, the ball cutting member 20 becomes the taking-in displacement shown in FIG. When shifting from the reference position (blocking displacement) shown in FIG. 9 (A) to the take-in displacement shown in FIG. 10 (B), the ball passing portion 20f and the ball stopper 20e rise. By this raising operation, the ball stopper 20e is separated from the supply port 66d, the supply port 66d is opened, and the raised ball passage 20f and the supply port 66d communicate with each other to allow the game ball B to pass. As a result, the game ball B (the first game ball B waiting on the supply path 68d at the time of the interruption displacement) that has been located on the guide portion 80a passes through the supply port 66d and enters the ball passage portion 20f. It is captured.

  Then, when the ball feed member 30 is further rotated from the take-in displacement as shown in FIG. 10B by driving the motor 40, the engagement protrusion 30e of the ball feed member 30 is below the actuated portion 20c as described above. The ball-cutting member 20 is rotated counterclockwise about the axis G by its own weight due to the loss of the force that pushes up the actuated part 20c from the position (contact position), and the actuated part 20c descends, The transition is again made to the cutoff displacement as shown in FIG. When shifting from the take-in displacement shown in FIG. 10 (B) to the blocking displacement shown in FIG. 9 (A), the ball passing portion 20f that has received the game ball B by the take-in displacement operates so as to move downward. Moves to a lower position than the receiving position at the insertion displacement. When the reference position (blocking displacement) is reached again, as shown in FIGS. 7A, 8B, and 9A, the ball passage portion 20f communicates with the ball passage 64d, and further, the ball receiving portion. When the rotation position at which 30f communicates is reached, the game ball B accommodated in the ball passage portion 20f is sent out from the ball passage portion 20f to the ball reception portion 30f and is held in the ball reception portion 30f. On the other hand, in the blocking positions shown in FIGS. 7A, 8B, and 9A, the ball passage portion 20f and the supply port 66d do not communicate with each other, and the supply port 66d is blocked by the ball stopper 20e. Therefore, the subsequent game ball B stays in contact with the ball stopper 20e.

  Then, when the ball feeding member 30 is further rotated after the game ball B is received in the ball receiving portion 30f as shown in FIG. 7A, the ball feeding member 30 is moved to the ball receiving portion 30f as shown in FIG. 10A. While accommodating the game ball B, the game ball B is conveyed toward the discharge port 62b at a high position. In addition, at the time of conveyance of FIG. 10A, the switching to the above-described take-in displacement is performed in parallel, and the ball cutting member 20 is interlocked with the rotation operation of the ball feeding member 30 as shown in FIG. Then, it shifts again to the take-in displacement. Then, the transport operation of the game ball B by the ball feeding member 30 and the next take-in operation are performed at the same time.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, when the game ball B transported by the ball receiving portion 30f reaches the delivery path 70b (that is, when the ball receiving portion 30f is in a rotational position communicating with the delivery path 70b), the ball receiving portion 30f. The game ball B accommodated in the ball falls on the delivery path 70b and is received by the tongue piece 30g and temporarily stays therewith. As the ball feed member 30 rotates, the tongue piece 30g also rotates to release the delivery path 70b and send it out. It passes through the path 70b and is discharged from the discharge port 62b toward the launching device. When one ball receiving portion 30f reaches the discharge position in this manner, the other ball receiving portion 30f is in a position communicating with the ball passing portion 20f and receives the game ball B from the ball passing portion 20f. .

(Main effects of the first embodiment)
The ball feeder 11 for a gaming machine according to the present configuration is provided with a ball cutting member 20 that can be displaced into a take-in displacement and a shut-off displacement. The game ball B is taken into the inside (in the ball passage portion 20f) from the 68d (accepting portion) side, and at the time of blocking displacement, the game ball B held in the ball passage portion 20f is sent to the ball feeding member 30 and the subsequent It functions to block the flow of the game ball B. In this way, when the game ball B is sent out from the ball cutting member 20 toward the ball feeding member 30, a part of the ball cutting member 20 (ball stopper 20e) blocks the flow of the subsequent game ball B. The ball pressure from the game ball B is not hindered by the ball pressure, and the game ball B is smoothly fed from the ball cutting member 20 toward the ball feed member 30. Further, since the ball cutting member 20 is interposed between the subsequent game ball B stored in the supply path 68d and the ball feed member 30, the ball pressure from the subsequent game ball B is directly applied to the ball feed member 30. It becomes difficult to join. Therefore, the operation of the ball feeding member 30 is hardly hindered by the ball pressure from the subsequent game ball B, and the ball feeding member 30 operates smoothly and stably.

  Further, in this configuration, the ball cutting member 20 is lower in the position of the ball passage portion 20f at the time of the blocking displacement than the position of the ball passage portion 20f at the time of the intake displacement. When the game ball B is lowered from the reception position of the game ball B by the ball passage portion 20f (that is, the position where the ball passage portion 20f is arranged at the time of take-in displacement as shown in FIG. 10B). It is configured to carry. In this configuration, since the game ball B received in the ball passing portion 20f can be moved down by the take-in displacement, it can be lowered from the subsequent game ball B that is about to flow toward the ball cutting member 20. It is possible to move it downward without countering the direction of the force (that is, diagonally downward) as much as possible. Therefore, the load when the game ball B is transferred from the receiving position is significantly smaller than the configuration in which the subsequent game ball B is pushed away and moved upward, and the transfer of the game ball B by the ball cutting member 20 is smooth. And it can be performed stably.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, when the ball cutting member 20 is taken in and displaced, the game ball B1 that has flowed into the ball passage portion 20f is held in the ball passage portion 20f. In this take-in displacement, the bottom of the ball passage portion 20f is positioned lower than the bottom of the adjacent supply path 68d (ie, the guide portion 80a), and the guide portion 80a adjacent to the ball passage portion 20f is located on the ball cutting member 20 side. Since it is inclined so as to become a lower position as it approaches, the subsequent game ball B2 located on the guide part 80a tries to roll toward the ball passing part 20f side, and the subsequent game on the guide part 80a A pressing force is applied obliquely downward from the ball B2 to the game ball B1 in the ball passage portion 20f (see the arrow at the contact position of the game balls B1 and B2).
In this configuration, such a force relationship is generated at the time of taking-in displacement, and then the pressing action from the engaging protrusion 30e is released as described above, so that the ball cutting member 20 rotates clockwise by its own weight. Will be displaced to the blocking displacement. That is, the ball passing portion 20f and the game ball B1 inside the ball passing portion 20f are lowered in a state in which a pressing force having a downward component is applied from the subsequent game ball B2 to the game ball B1 in the ball passing portion 20f. In order to displace toward the shut-off displacement, the ball passing portion 20f and the game ball B1 are smoothly displaced to a lower position (position at the time of the shut-off displacement) while utilizing an obliquely downward force from the subsequent game ball B2. Can do.
In the case where the ball passage portion 20f is configured to have a higher position at the time of the blocking displacement than at the time of the take-in displacement without being configured in this way (that is, the ball passage portion 20f is removed from the take-in displacement). When the transition is made from the take-in displacement to the shut-off displacement, the succeeding game ball B2 is pushed away to some extent against the force from the succeeding game ball B2 (that is, the diagonally downward force). However, the ball passing portion 20f and the game ball B1 must be pushed upward. In this case, when the pressing force from the game ball B2 is large, the ball passage portion 20f and the game ball B1 do not rise smoothly, or the rise of the ball passage portion 20f and the game ball B1 is obstructed, so However, in this configuration, such a problem can be solved more reliably.

  Further, the switching mechanism used in the ball feeding device 11 operates by receiving a driving force by which the motor 40 rotationally drives the ball feeding member 30, and the ball cutting member 20 is taken in and displaced in conjunction with the driving force. It is the structure which switches alternately. In this configuration, not only the ball feeding member 30 but also the ball cutting member 20 can be displaced by using the motor 40 as power, and the switching operation of the ball cutting member 20 can be stably performed while suppressing the number of parts.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment that embodies a ball feeder 211 for a gaming machine and a gaming machine including the same according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The ball feeder 211 according to the present embodiment is provided in a gaming machine having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment in the same arrangement as that of the first embodiment (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Therefore, the same parts as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 as appropriate.

(Configuration of ball feeder for gaming machine)
The game machine ball feeder 211 has a supply path 268d (receiving portion) for receiving the game ball B, and a discharge port 262b (discharge) configured as a portion that is disposed at a higher position than the supply path 268d and discharges the game ball B. And the game ball B received through the supply path 268d is sent out from the discharge port 262b.

First, the outline of the ball feeder 211 will be described.
The ball feeding device 211 mainly includes a case 260, a ball cutting member 220, a ball feeding member 230, a motor 240, and a motor bracket 250 (switching mechanism).
The ball cutting member 220 includes a ball passage portion 220f that can hold the game ball B and a ball stopper portion that can block the passage of the game ball B, as shown in FIGS. 220e, and a game ball B sent from the supply path 268d side (accepting part side) can be taken into the ball passage part 220f (FIG. 19B) and sent from the supply path 268d side. When the game ball B cannot be taken into the ball passage portion 220f and the flow of the game ball B from the supply path 268d is blocked by the ball stop portion 220e (FIGS. 16B and 18A). It is configured to be displaceable. The ball feeding member 230 includes one or a plurality of (two in the example of FIG. 16B) ball receiving portions 230f and is configured to be rotatable about a predetermined rotation axis I. The member 230 is configured to be interlocked with the ball cutting member 220, and forms one or a plurality (two in the example of FIG. 16B) of ball receiving portions 230f and 230f and a flow path that continues to the ball receiving portion 230f. And an inner peripheral wall (inner peripheral wall portion) 230i (spherical channel) that is configured to be rotatable about a predetermined rotation axis I, and the game ball B is a ball when the ball cutting member 220 is cut off. The game ball B is received by the ball receiving portion 230f at a predetermined rotational position where the game ball B flows down from the passage portion 220f onto the ball flow passage and is guided from the ball flow passage to the ball receiving portion 230f. Communicates with the discharge port 262b (discharge section) The ball receiving part 230f in stowed game ball B has a configuration to be sent out to the discharge port 262b (discharge portion) when a that rotational position. Further, the motor 240 (drive source) is configured to rotate by driving force applied to the ball feeding member 230, and the motor bracket 250 (switching mechanism) takes the ball-cutting member 220 into the take-in displacement and the cut-off displacement. It is the structure which switches to. The case 260 is configured to house and hold members such as the ball cutting member 220, the ball feeding member 230, the motor 240, and the motor bracket 250 (switching mechanism). Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 12 to FIG. 19 and the like, each component constituting the ball feeding device 211 will be described in detail.

  The case 260 forms an outer shell of the ball feeding device 211, and is configured in a box shape by, for example, a resin material. As shown in FIG. 12B, a supply path 268d for receiving the game ball B, 12 (A), a discharge port 262b that is arranged at a position higher than the supply path 268d (in the vertical direction, higher than the supply path 268d) and configured to discharge the game ball B is provided. ing. Similar to the ball feeder 11 of the first embodiment, the case 260 is exposed on the rear side of the front frame 4 (specifically, the rear side of the ball receiving frame 7) so that it can be seen when the front frame 4 is opened. The state is fixed (see FIG. 2). In addition, the case 260 is arranged on the front side of the launching device 10 with the front frame 4 closed as in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the case 260 includes a front cover 269 that forms the front surface portion (front surface portion) of the case 260, and a back surface passage cover 262 that forms the back surface portion (rear surface portion) of the case 260. I have. A front passage frame 268, a motor base 266, and an intermediate case 264 are disposed between the front cover 269 and the back surface passage cover 262. The front cover 269, the front passage frame 268, the motor base 266, the middle case 264, and the back surface passage cover 262 are each configured in a substantially circular plate shape, and are assembled in a form that overlaps the front and rear. As a whole, it has a substantially cylindrical box shape, and the outer surface portion (front surface portion) of the front cover 269 and the outer surface portion (back surface portion) of the back surface passage cover 262 are respectively arranged in the front and rear directions along the board surface of the game board. It is the composition which becomes.

  The front cover 269 is assembled to the front side of the front passage frame 268 by a fastening member such as a screw, and the front passage frame 268 is assembled to the front side of the motor base 266 by a fastening member such as a screw. The motor base 266 is assembled to the front side of the middle case 264 by a fastening member such as a screw, and the middle case 264 is assembled to the front side of the back surface passage cover 262 by a fastening member such as a screw. . The front and rear of the motor 240 are covered and held by the front passage frame 268 and the motor base 266, and the motor base 266 and the middle case 264 cover the front and rear of the motor bracket 250 and the ball cutting member 220. The motor bracket 250 and the ball cutting member 220 are held. Further, the front and rear of the ball feeding member 230 are covered by the middle case 264 and the back surface passage cover 262, and the ball cutting member 220 is rotatably held.

  In the case 260, the motor 240 is mostly accommodated in a space closed by the front passage frame 268 and the motor base 266, and the rotary shaft portion 240b is inserted in the through hole 266c. Is held so that it can rotate. Further, the motor bracket 250 is assembled to the rotation shaft portion 240b of the motor 240 so as to be able to rotate in a space closed by the motor base 266 and the middle case 264. Further, the ball cutting member 220 can be rotated around a rotation shaft 222 assembled between the motor base 266 and the middle case 264, and the above-described motor bracket 250 is placed in its own through hole 220b. The motor base 266 and the middle case 264 are held in a space so as to be housed. Further, the ball feeding member 230 is assembled to the motor bracket 250 so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis of the rotation shaft portion 240b, and can be rotated in the space between the middle case 264 and the back surface passage cover 262. So that it is held.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the front cover 269 includes a plate-shaped front plate portion 269 a that is disposed substantially parallel to the rear side surface of the front frame 4 (specifically, the rear side surface of the ball receiving frame 7). A peripheral wall portion 269b that protrudes rearward from the outer periphery of the front plate portion 269a, and inside the peripheral wall portion 269b so that the ball-shutter shutter 280 and the front passage frame 268 can be assembled and accommodated from the rear side. A predetermined space is formed. As shown in FIG. 14, the front cover 269 has a through-hole 269c penetrating in the front-rear direction on the lower side and the right side of the front plate portion 269a. Specifically, the through hole 269c is cut out so as to form a groove extending in the left-right direction, and a guided portion 280e of a ball removal shutter 280, which will be described later, is loosely inserted to operate the ball removal shutter 280. Is controlled to be limited to a predetermined range in the left-right direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the front passage frame 268 is a plate-shaped front plate portion 268 a that is disposed substantially parallel to the rear side surface of the front frame 4 (specifically, the rear side surface of the ball receiving frame 7). And a peripheral wall portion 268b projecting rearward from the outer periphery of the front plate portion 268a, and a predetermined space is formed inside the peripheral wall portion 268b so that the motor 240 can be assembled and housed from the rear side. ing. Further, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 18B, the front passage frame 268 is a spherical passage extending in the front-rear direction on the lower side and the right side (right side when viewed from the front side) on the rear side of the front plate portion 268a. A supply path 268d is formed, and is configured to guide the game ball B flowing in from the right end side as viewed from the front side to the left side. Further, the left end portion of the supply path 268d communicates with a ball hole 268f that is a ball path extending in the vertical direction, and the ball hole 268f guides the game ball B flowing in from the supply path 268d downward. Is configured to do. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the front passage frame 268 is formed with a guide groove 268e that penetrates the wall portion on the front side of the supply path 268d in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the guide groove 268e is formed in the left-right direction at a position below the plate portion that forms the supply path 268d and faces in the vertical direction (that is, the portion where the game ball B rolls leftward in the supply path 268d). It is the structure which was notched so that it might become the extending groove | channel. Then, a guide part 80a of a ball shutter 280, which will be described later, is loosely inserted into the guide groove 268e, thereby functioning to control the operation of the ball shutter 280 only in the left-right direction. In this configuration, the supply path 268 d corresponds to an example of “accepting unit”, and functions to receive the game ball B in the ball feeding device 211.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the motor base 266 includes a circular plate portion 266a that is substantially parallel to the front plate portion 269a of the front cover 269, and a peripheral wall portion 266b that protrudes rearward from the outer periphery of the plate portion 266a. A predetermined space is formed on the inner side of the peripheral wall portion 266b so that components can be assembled and accommodated from the rear side. In addition, a circular through hole 266c is formed at the center of the plate portion 266a, and a rotation shaft portion 240b of a motor 240 described later is inserted into the through hole 266c. In addition, a supply port 266d whose opening shape is a substantially rectangular shape is formed at a position below the through hole 266c and toward the right side (right side when viewed from the front side). This supply port 266d is arranged so as to communicate with the ball passage portion 220f as shown in FIG. 19B when a ball cutting member 220 described later is taken in, and at this time, a game from the supply path 268d. The sphere B passes through the supply port 266d and is taken into the sphere passage portion 220f. In addition, a groove (hole) 266e that is recessed forward is formed at a position above the through hole 266c so that one end of the rotation shaft 222 that serves as the rotation center of the ball cutting member 220 is fitted. It has become. The other end of the rotating shaft 222 is fitted into a groove (hole) 264g (FIG. 14) formed in the front surface of the middle case 264, which will be described later. With such a structure, the motor A rotating shaft 222 is held between the base 266 and the middle case 264. Then, the rotation shaft 222 and the through hole 220d of the ball cutting member 220 are fitted to each other so that the ball cutting member 220 rotates (swings) about the rotation shaft 222.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the motor base 266 is provided with a protruding portion 266f protruding forward, on the front surface of the plate portion 266a, on the upper side and on the right side of the through hole 266c. The projecting portion 266f is inserted into a central shaft hole 280c of a ball shutter 280, which will be described later, and rotates (swings) about the central shaft hole 280c of the ball shutter 280. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the motor base 266 is formed with an engaging portion 266g that engages with one end of the spring member 224 at a position on the left side and on the lower side of the through hole 266c. Specifically, 266g has an L shape and is configured to be inserted into one end of a spring member 224 formed in a ring shape and fix the spring member 224. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the motor base 266 is formed with a recess 266h bulging outward on the left side of the peripheral wall 266b and opening the inside, and a sensor for positioning the rotation of the ball feeding member 230 in the recess 266h. 266i is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the middle case 264 includes a circular plate portion 264a substantially parallel to the plate portion 266a of the motor base 266, and a peripheral wall portion 264b protruding rearward from the outer periphery of the plate portion 264a. A predetermined space is formed inside the peripheral wall portion 264b so that components can be assembled and accommodated from the rear side. In addition, a through hole 264c is formed in the center of the plate portion 264a. The through hole 264c is formed by connecting a circular notch and a notch extending to the right side thereof. The portion 230e is inserted. Further, a spherical passage 264d is formed in a cutout shape below the through hole 264c and above the peripheral wall portion 64b. Specifically, the spherical passage 264d is cut out in a substantially rectangular shape, and a substantially plate-like protruding wall 264h that protrudes downward and to the right is formed at the right and upper corners. The ball passage 264d is arranged so as to communicate with the ball passage portion 220f of the ball cutting member 220 when a ball cutting member 220 described later is in the blocking position as shown in FIGS. 17B and 18A. ing. When the ball passage 264d and the ball passage portion 220f communicate with each other and the ball passage 264d and the ball passage hole 230j communicate with each other, the game ball B accommodated in the ball passage portion 220f is transferred to the ball passage. It passes through H.264d and is sent out on the inner peripheral wall 230i. Further, the protruding wall 264h suppresses the flow of the game ball B to the front side when the ball passage 264d and the ball passage portion 220f communicate with each other, and the game is moved forward from the notch-shaped portion on the left side of the ball passage 264d. It functions to let the sphere B flow down. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the middle case 264 is formed with a recess 264g recessed rearward on the front side of the plate portion 264a above the through hole 264c. The rotating shaft 222 is fitted in the recess 264g. In the present specification, “counterclockwise” and “clockwise” are counterclockwise and clockwise directions when the ball feeder 211 is viewed from the rear side, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the back surface passage cover 262 includes a circular substantially plate-like back plate portion 262a disposed substantially parallel to the plate portion 264a of the middle case 264, and the game ball B to the discharge path. A discharge port 262b for discharging, a pair of notches 262c, 262c, and a receiving groove 262f for receiving the game ball B from the front side are provided. Specifically, the discharge port 262b is configured as a through hole penetrating in the thickness direction (front-rear direction) of the back plate portion 262a at a position closer to the upper side than the center of the back plate portion 262a, and the game ball B passes therethrough. The game ball B is guided to the rear side with a possible size. In addition, the discharge port 262b is formed such that the bottom wall portion and the side wall portion extend from the back plate portion 262a to the front side, and is inclined so that the bottom wall portion is in a low position toward the rear. Further, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a protrusion 262 e is formed on the bottom surface of the discharge port 262 b so as to be inclined toward the rear. Further, the pair of notches 262c, 262c are configured as long hole-like through holes having a narrower width than the game ball B, and when the ball feeder 211 is viewed from the rear side as shown in FIG. In addition, a part of the case can be visually recognized through the notches 262c and 262c. In addition, a groove (hole) 262d that is recessed rearward is formed at a position below the front outlet 262b of the back plate portion 262a, and is one end of the rotating shaft 232 that serves as the rotation center of the ball feeding member 230. Part is to be fitted. The receiving groove portion 262f is formed at a position below the groove portion 262d, and includes an upper wall portion facing in the vertical direction and a side wall portion extending downward from the left and right end portions of the upper wall portion. And the receiving groove part 262f accommodates the game ball B which flows through the ball | bowl passage hole 230j of the ball | bowl feeding member 230, and flows down to the back side from a back side with a part of inner peripheral wall 230i. In this configuration, the discharge port 262 b corresponds to an example of a “discharge unit”, and functions to discharge the game ball B sent into the ball feeding device 211.

Next, the ball cutting member 220 will be described.
The ball cutting member 220 is configured to be able to take in the game ball B sent through the supply path 268d of the front passage frame 268 into the ball passage portion 220f at the time of taking-in displacement as shown in FIG. 19B. 16B and 18A, the flow of the game ball B sent through the supply path 268d of the front passage frame 268 (specifically, the ball) It is configured to be able to block the flow down) trying to enter the cutting member 220. As shown in FIGS. 18A and 19B, the ball cutting member 220 is rotatably held around a rotation shaft 222 along the front-rear direction, and interlocks with the ball feeding member 230. Are arranged as follows. The ball cutting member 220 is rotated (biased) downward (clockwise in FIGS. 18 and 19) by the elastic force of the spring member 224. In FIG. 18A, the rotation center of the ball cutting member 220 is conceptually indicated by the symbol J. Further, in the present specification, “counterclockwise” and “clockwise” are counterclockwise and clockwise directions when the ball feeder 211 is viewed from the rear side, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 18 (A), etc., the ball cutting member 220 has an annular shape as a whole, a plate portion 220a that is substantially parallel to the plate portion 266a of the motor base 266, and a plate portion. A through-hole 220b that penetrates the central portion of 220a in the front-rear direction, and a substantially cylindrical object that extends in the front-rear direction at a right end (right end as viewed from the front side) of the through-hole 220b and a position that is substantially the center in the vertical direction Action part 220c. The ball cutting member 220 protrudes in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape from the insertion hole 220d penetrating in the front-rear direction at the upper end of the plate portion 220a and at the approximate center in the left-right direction, and from the lower right portion of the plate portion 220a to the front side. A ball stop portion 220e and a ball passage portion 220f constituting a part of a through hole 220b extending in the front-rear direction at the lower end of the plate portion 220a are provided. Further, the ball cutting member 220 includes an engagement portion 220i with which one end of the spring member 224 is engaged on the left side of the ball passage portion 220f. Specifically, 220i has an L-shape and is configured to be inserted into one end of a spring-shaped spring member 224 to fix the spring member 224. The ball-cut member 220 is always leftward. It is energized to promote clockwise rotation so as to return to the reference displacement (cut-off displacement) as shown in FIG.

  An engagement protrusion 230e of a ball feed member 230, which will be described later, and a motor bracket 250 are accommodated in the through hole 220b of the ball cutting member 220 so as to be inserted in the front-rear direction. The motor bracket 250 is configured to rotate around the axis I within the through hole 220b. A rotation shaft 222 is inserted in the insertion hole 220d formed in the vicinity of the upper end of the ball cutting member 220 in the front-rear direction, and the ball cutting member 220 rotates about the rotation shaft 222 as a central axis. It is like that.

  The ball passage portion 220f is formed in a substantially U-shape when viewed from the front-rear direction, and includes a bottom surface portion that faces in the up-down direction and a side wall portion that rises upward from the left and right ends of the bottom surface portion. Further, a space is formed by the bottom surface portion and the side wall portion, and when the game ball B is fed into the ball passage portion 220f, the game ball B can be accommodated and held inside. Also, the game ball B functions to be sent out to the ball receiving portion 230f side at a predetermined position and a predetermined state as shown in FIG. Further, the bottom surface portion of the ball passage portion 220f is inclined so as to become a lower position as it becomes the rear side when the displacement is cut off as shown in FIGS. 16 (A) and 16 (B). That is, at the time of the blocking displacement as shown in FIGS. 17B and 18A, a force that causes the game ball B in the ball passage portion 220f to flow backward acts. The ball stopper 220e is adjacent to the right side of the ball passage 220f around the through hole 220b (right side as viewed from the front side in the blocking displacement as shown in FIG. 18A) (specifically, the ball passage 220 f), and is formed so as to face the plate portion 266 a side of the motor base 266. The ball stopper 220e covers most of the supply port 266d of the motor base 266 so that the game ball B cannot pass from the front side at the time of the blocking displacement as shown in FIG. Is blocked from passing the game ball B. On the other hand, when the take-in displacement is as shown in FIG. 19B, the game ball B is blocked by retreating from the position of the supply port 266d so that most of the ball stoppers 220e do not cover the opening of the supply port 266d. To release.

Next, a structure for swinging the ball cutting member 220 will be described.
As described above, the ball cutting member 220 is configured such that the game ball B sent from the supply path 268d side can be taken into the ball passage portion 220f, and the game ball B sent from the supply path 268d side is a ball. It is configured to be displaceable into a blocking displacement in which the flow of the game ball B fed from the supply path 268d side by the ball stop portion 220e cannot be taken into the passage portion 220f and is blocked. In this swinging operation, a ball is applied by applying a pressing action from a pressing part 250d of a motor bracket 250, which will be described later, to the operated part 220c of the ball cutting member 220 at the reference displacement (cut-off displacement) as shown in FIG. The feed member 220 rotates counterclockwise about the rotation axis I (see FIG. 19B), and at this time, the take-in displacement is as shown in FIG. 19B. On the other hand, at a predetermined time after further rotation from the state of FIG. 19B, the pressing action is not applied from the pressing part 250d to the operated part 220c, and the ball feeding member 230 is rotated clockwise by the bias of the spring member 224. It rotates to return to the reference displacement (blocking displacement) as shown in FIG. Thus, the counterclockwise rotation and the clockwise rotation of the ball feeding member 230 are alternately repeated.

  Specifically, the actuated portion 220c is arranged on the rotation locus of the pressing portion 250d that rotates about the axis I when the ball-cutting member 220 is in the blocking displacement, and FIG. ), When the pressing portion 250d comes into contact with the actuated portion 220c, it is pressed upward by the pressing portion 250d to receive a pushing-up action. Then, the actuated portion 220c is lifted by being pushed up as described above, and the ball cutting member 220 rotates counterclockwise around the rotation shaft 222 as shown in FIG. 19B. When the ball cutting member 220 is lifted in this way, the actuated portion 220c is in contact engagement with the pressing portion 250d (the actuated portion 220c is in the rotation locus of the pressing portion 250d) for a certain period of time, as shown in FIG. As shown in (B), the game ball B communicates through the supply port 266d so as to enter the ball passage portion 220f. The displacement (position) of the ball cutting member 220 when communicating in this way corresponds to the take-in displacement (take-in position).

  Then, when the pressing portion 250d that gives the pushing-up action further rotates from the position of FIG. 19B, the operated portion 220c is retracted from the rotation trajectory of the pressing portion 250d. Will pass to the left side (left side of the position of the actuated portion 220c when viewed from the front side as shown in FIG. 19B). Since the pushing force is not applied to the actuated portion 220c from the time when it is removed until the pressed portion 250d hits the actuated portion 220c next time, the ball cutting member 220 including the actuated portion 220c is a spring member. By the urging force of 224, it is rotated clockwise as shown in FIG. 19 (B) to FIG. 18 (A). Then, as shown in FIG. 18A, when the ball cutting member 20 is rotated counterclockwise to the extent that the biasing force from the spring member 224 is not exerted (that is, the elastic force is not generated in the spring member 224), Next, until the pressing portion 250d hits the operated portion 220c, this standby state is maintained (that is, the state where the urging force is not applied from the spring member 224 as shown in FIG. 18A). It will be. Thus, the displacement (position) at which the ball cutting member 220 is not applied with the urging force from the spring member 224 and the game ball B cannot enter the ball passage portion 220f through the supply port 266d becomes the blocking displacement (blocking position). Equivalent to. Note that in the blocking displacement state, the ball cutting member 220 is rotated counterclockwise to the extent that the biasing force from the spring member 224 is not exerted, and the left side wall portion protruding to the rear side of the ball passage portion 220f is set in the middle. The ball cutting member 220 may be displaced by rotating it counterclockwise until it comes into contact with the left end of the ball passage 264d of the case 264.

  In this configuration, the motor bracket 250 and the actuated portion 220c correspond to an example of a “switching mechanism” and function to switch the ball cutting member 220 between a take-in displacement and a shut-off displacement. Specifically, each time the ball feed member 230 rotates around the axis I (360 degrees), each pressing portion 250d and pressing portion 250d act to push up the actuated portion 220c once. The switching operation is performed so that the take-in displacement is twice per (360 degrees).

Next, the ball feeding member 230 will be described.
The ball feed member 230 receives the game ball B sent from the supply path 268d to the ball cut member 220 from the ball cut member 220, moves the game ball B to a higher position than the received position, and discharges it from the discharge port 262b. It works like that. The ball feeding member 230 receives a driving force from the motor 240 and rotates (specifically, rotates clockwise) about a rotation axis I extending in the front-rear direction (a direction orthogonal to the board surface of the game board). The received game ball B is configured to rotate while being accommodated in the peripheral portion of the game ball B (see FIGS. 17B and 19A).

  As shown in FIGS. 13, 14, 17 (B), and 19 (A), the ball feeding member 230 is disposed along the plane direction orthogonal to the rotation axis I and the plate portion 264 a of the middle case 264. A circular plate portion 230a that is arranged substantially in parallel, a substantially annular outer peripheral wall portion 230b that protrudes rearward from the outer periphery of the plate portion 230a, and an approximate protrusion that protrudes rearward along the inner side of the outer peripheral wall portion 230b. And an annular inner peripheral wall 230i. The plate portion 230a is formed with a pair of ball passage holes 230j, 230j that are cut out in the front-rear direction in a substantially fan shape. The ball passage holes 230j and 230j are symmetric with respect to the groove 230c. One sphere passage hole 230j is arranged at a position rotated 180 degrees from the other sphere passage hole 230j (position rotated 180 degrees about the axis I), and has a symmetrical structure about the axis I. ing. Further, the pair of ball passage holes 230j and 230j are formed along the inner peripheral wall 230i and adjacent to the inner peripheral wall 230i (that is, the ball passage holes 230j are on the radial side centered on the axis I). Are arranged so as to face the plate portion 264a of the inner case 264 from the rear side. When the ball-cutting member 220 is cut off and the ball passage portion 220f is in a positional relationship to communicate with the ball passage 264d of the middle case 264, the game ball B accommodated in the ball passage portion 220f is moved to the ball passage 264d. And the ball passage hole 230j, and is sent out on the inner peripheral wall 230i. Further, as the ball feeding member 230 rotates, the game ball B rolls while staying at the lowest point on the inner peripheral wall 230i (that is, the position vertically below the groove 230c). In addition, a pair of engaging protrusions 230e and 230e are formed on the rear surface of the plate portion 230a so as to protrude in a substantially arc shape toward the front side at the center of the plate portion 230a. Engagement protrusions 230e and 230e are provided on the front side of the ball feed member 230 at symmetrical positions via the axis I, and are fitted into engagement protrusions 230e and 230e in a pair of grooves 250d and 250d of a motor bracket 250 described later. Accordingly, the ball feeding member 230 rotates together with the motor bracket 250. Here, the inner peripheral wall 230i corresponds to an example of a “spherical flow path”, and functions as a flow path that continues from the spherical passage portion 220f to the spherical receiving portion 230f.

  Further, ball receiving portions 230f and 230f having a shape recessed toward the center of the plate portion 230a are formed so as to cut out a part of the outer peripheral wall portion 230b and the inner peripheral wall 230i. As shown in FIG. 13, the outer peripheral wall portion 230b of the ball feeding member 230 is configured as a substantially cylindrical wall portion protruding from the peripheral edge portion of the plate portion 230a, and two predetermined positions on the peripheral edge portion of the plate portion 230a. The outer peripheral wall portion 230b is not provided at (positions of the ball receiving portions 230f and 230f). Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the inner peripheral wall 230i protrudes along the inner side of the outer peripheral wall portion 230b and at a predetermined distance from the peripheral portion of the plate portion 230a (for example, a distance about the diameter of the game ball B). The inner peripheral wall 230b is not provided at two predetermined positions (positions facing the position where the outer peripheral wall portion 230b is not provided) in the peripheral portion of the plate portion 230a. It has become. The ball receiving portions 230f and 230f are configured as concave portions that are recessed rearward on the front surface side of the ball feeding member 230 as shown in FIG. 14, and as shown in FIG. 17B, the delivery path 270b. And a recess opened toward the radially outer side centering on the axis I so as to communicate with the discharge port 262b (discharge portion) (that is, a structure in which ends on the radially outer sides of the ball receiving portions 230f and 230f are opened). It has become. The one ball receiving portion 230f is disposed at a position rotated 180 degrees from the other ball receiving portion 230f (a position rotated 180 degrees around the axis I), and has a symmetrical structure centered on the axis I. ing. When the ball receiving portion 230f is positioned at the lowest point of the rotation position (that is, the vertically lower position of the groove portion 230c), the game ball B flows down from the inner peripheral wall 230i to the ball receiving portion 230f and is received. It has become.

  Further, on the rear side surface of the plate portion 230a, a projection-like groove portion 230c whose center portion is recessed forward is formed at the center of the plate portion 230a. The center shaft 232 is fitted from the rear side (see also FIG. 16A). The central shaft 232 protrudes forward from the groove 262d in a state where the rear end portion is fitted in the groove 262d located near the center of the back surface passage cover 262, and the front side of the central portion of the ball feeding member 230 Is supported rotatably. On the other hand, the central part on the rear side (back side) of the ball feeding member 230 is rotatably held by the motor bracket 250 and the motor 240. Specifically, the engaging protrusions 230e and 230e formed to protrude forward in the ball feeding member 230 are fitted into the grooves 250d and 250d of the motor bracket 250, and such a fitting structure is used. A motor bracket 250 is fixed to the ball feeding member 230. Further, one engagement protrusion 230e is disposed at a position rotated 180 degrees from the other engagement protrusion 230e (position rotated 180 degrees around the axis I), and has a symmetrical structure with the axis I as the center. It has become.

  In the ball feeding member 230 configured as described above, as shown in FIGS. 16A, 17B, and 18A, the ball cutting member 220 is cut off and the ball passing portion 220f is in the middle case 264. When the ball passage member 264d rotates and the ball passage 264d and the ball passage hole 230j communicate with each other, the game ball B passes through the ball passage 264d and the ball passage 264d. It passes through the hole 230j and is sent out onto the inner peripheral wall 230i. That is, when one of the ball passage holes 230j is at the lower end position, the ball passage hole 230j communicates with the ball passage 264d of the middle case 264, and when the ball cutting member 220 is in the cutoff displacement, it communicates with the ball passage portion 220f. The game ball B in the ball passage portion 220f passes through the ball passage 264d and then flows into the inner peripheral wall 230i through the ball passage hole 230j. Further, the game ball B is accommodated in a space surrounded by the rear surface of the plate portion 230 a of the ball feeding member 230 and the inner peripheral wall 230 i and the receiving groove portion 262 f of the back surface passage cover 262. As the ball feeding member 230 rotates, the game ball B rolls while staying at the lowest point on the inner peripheral wall 230i (that is, the vertically lower position of the groove portion 230c). Further, when the ball receiving portion 230f is positioned at the lowest point of the rotation position (that is, the vertically lower position of the groove portion 230c), the game ball B flows down from the inner peripheral wall 230i to the ball receiving portion 230f and is received. It has become. The game ball B is accommodated in a space surrounded by the inner wall portion of the ball receiving portion 230f, the peripheral wall portion 264b of the middle case 264, and the plate portion 264a. Further, with the movement of the ball receiving portion 230f according to the rotation of the ball feeding member 230, the game balls B accommodated in the ball feeding portion 230f gradually move along the inner wall of the peripheral wall portion 264b as shown in FIG. The ball receiving portion 230f is transported to an upper position (a position above the axis I) communicating with the discharge port 262b. Then, as shown in FIG. 16A, when the ball receiving portion 230f reaches a rotational position communicating with the discharge port 262b, the game ball B accommodated in the ball receiving portion 230f falls to the discharge port 262b. Discharged. In this configuration, when the ball receiving portion 230f is displaced to the highest rotational position, the bottom surface portion of the discharge port 262b constitutes the bottom portion of the ball receiving portion 230f. The game ball B is formed on the bottom surface of the discharge port 262b and is guided to the discharge port 262b so as to roll on the protrusion 262e and the bottom surface. If there is a game ball B that has returned as a foul ball at the launch position 100, the game ball B at the discharge port 262b is not sent to the launch position 100, and the game ball B at the ball receiving portion 230f is not sent to the discharge port 262b. Go around. Therefore, the subsequent game ball B is not received by the ball receiving portion 230f even if the ball receiving portion 230f comes to a predetermined position due to the rotation of the ball feeding member 230, and the previous game ball B enters the ball receiving portion 230f. As long as there is, it rolls while staying at the lowest point on the inner peripheral wall 230i (that is, the vertically lower position of the groove 230c), and waits. At this time, the game ball B in the supply path 268d also waits at the guiding portion 280a without being introduced from the supply port 266d onto the inner peripheral wall 230i. Thus, even if the launch fails, the succeeding game ball B waits without being caught or clogged.

Next, the motor 240 will be described.
The motor 240 is configured by a known direct current motor or stepping motor that can be rotated in a steady state, and receives power supply from a motor drive circuit (not shown) to rotationally drive the rotary shaft portion 240b at a constant rotational speed. The ball feeding member 230 indirectly fixed to the shaft portion 240b is rotated. As shown in FIG. 13, the motor 240 includes a main body 240 a that receives a power supply from the outside to generate a driving force, and a rotating shaft 240 b that transmits the rotational driving force generated by the main body 240 a to other members. It has. The main body portion 240a is assembled in a space formed by the front plate portion 68a and the peripheral wall portion 68b of the front passage frame 268, and the rotary shaft portion 240b configured as a drive shaft is forward of the through hole 266c of the motor base 266. It is arranged in a configuration that is inserted from the side. The rotating shaft portion 240b is fitted and fixed in the through hole 266c of the motor bracket 250, and the rotating shaft portion 240b and the motor bracket 250 are rotated integrally as the rotating shaft portion 240b is driven. It is configured. The motor 240 and the control circuit are configured such that the rotation speed of the motor 240 (rotation speed of the rotation shaft portion 240b) rotates at a speed corresponding to the rotation angle (operation angle) of the ball launch handle 19 (see FIG. 1), for example. (Both not shown). In this configuration, the motor 240 corresponds to an example of a “drive source” and functions to rotationally drive the ball feeding member 230. Note that the ball feeding member 230 may be attached to the rotating shaft portion 240 b of the motor 240 and directly rotated by driving the motor 240.

Next, the motor bracket 250 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the motor bracket 250 is configured in a disc shape as a whole, and is disposed along a surface direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction and has a substantially cylindrical main body portion 250 a and a main body portion 250 a. Are provided with a pair of pressing portions 250d and 250d protruding along a surface direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction. The main body 250a is formed with a shaft hole 250c penetrating in the front-rear direction from the central portion on the front side, and a pair of engagement holes 250e, 250e penetrating in a substantially arc shape in the front-rear direction around the shaft hole 250c. Has been. The shaft hole 250 c is configured to fit with the rotating shaft portion 240 b of the motor 240. Further, the engagement holes 250e and 250e are provided at symmetrical positions in the main body portion 250a via the axis I, and the engagement protrusions 230e and 230e of the ball feed member 230 are fitted, so that the ball feed member 230 and the motor bracket 250 are fitted. It is designed to rotate together. The pressing portions 250d and 250d are formed as substantially triangular prism-shaped protruding portions that protrude outward in the radial direction around the shaft hole 250c. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, the pressing portion 250 d formed on the right side when viewed from the front-rear direction includes a planar shape portion facing downward, and a ball cutting member extending upward from the right end of the planar portion. These are composed of arcuate portions that press the 220 acted portions 220c. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13, the pressing part 250d formed on the left side when viewed from the front-rear direction is at a position rotated 180 degrees from the pressing part 250d formed on the right side (position rotated 180 degrees around the axis I). It is arranged and has a symmetrical structure with the axis I as the center.

  The motor bracket 250 configured in this manner rotates integrally with the rotation shaft portion 240b around the axis I because the rotation shaft portion 240b of the motor 240 is fitted and fixed in the shaft hole 250c. Further, as described above, the engagement holes 250e and 250e have an integrated structure in which the engagement protrusions 230e and 230e of the ball feed member 230 are fitted, and the motor bracket 250 and the ball feed thus assembled are assembled. The member 230 receives the driving force of the motor 240 and rotates integrally. Further, the pressing portions 250d and 250d press the operated portion 220c upward to exert a pushing-up action when the motor bracket 250 is rotated and reaches a position where it contacts the operated portion 220c of the ball cutting member 220. It has become. When the motor bracket 250 further rotates and the operated part 220c is retracted from the rotation locus of the pressing part 250d, the pressing part 250d passes under the operated part 220c on the left side (as shown in FIG. 19B). When viewed from the side, it will come out to the left of the position of the actuated portion 220c.

Next, the ball shutter 280 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 13, 14, 16B, and 18B, a ball-shutter shutter 280 is provided on the lower end side of the front passage frame 268, and a supply path 268d of the front passage frame 268 is provided. The game balls B stored in the game can be discharged (balls removed) to the outside. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the ball-shutter shutter 280 is formed in a columnar shape in the front-rear direction and extends in the radial direction about the center shaft hole 280c as a center of rotation. A supply path for the game ball B when the extension portion 280d and one end of the extension portion 280d (that is, the other end with respect to the one end where the central shaft hole 280c is formed) are erected from the rear side and the ball is not removed. And a guide part 280a configured as a bottom part that guides the supply port 266d from 268d. The central shaft hole 280c is inserted into the protruding portion 266f of the motor base 266 so that the ball-shutter shutter 280 rotates (swings) about the central shaft hole 280c. In addition, the guide portion 280a is formed in a plate shape, and is inclined so that the upper surface becomes a lower position as it goes rearward. In addition, a guided portion 280e that protrudes forward and is guided by the through hole 269c of the front cover 269 is formed on the front side of the guide portion 280a in the extending portion 280d. In addition, an engaging portion 280f that protrudes rearward and engages with the spring member 282 is formed at a position near the through hole 269c on the rear surface of the extending portion 280d.

  The spherical shutter 280 configured as described above is controlled by limiting the operation of the spherical shutter 280 to a predetermined range in the left-right direction when the guided portion 280e is loosely inserted into the through hole 269c. In addition, a spring member 282 is provided that can urge the guided portion 280e to the left side (specifically, counterclockwise when viewed from the rear side) when viewed from the front side. When not operated, the ball-shutter shutter 280 is located at a rotational position where the guided portion 280e contacts the left end of the through hole 269c of the front cover 269, and the guide portion 280a is moved by the biasing of the spring member 282. Maintained at the left end position shown in FIGS. 12B and 18B (the position where the guide portion 280a can block the ball hole 268f and the guide portion 280a can guide the game ball B from the supply path 268d to the supply port 266d). Is done. On the other hand, when the guide portion 280a and the guide portion 280b are displaced to the right against the urging force of the spring member 282 (when rotated in the clockwise direction), the guided portion 280e is inserted into the through hole of the front cover 269. The guide part 280a is retracted from the position where the ball hole 268f is closed, and the supply path 268d and the ball hole 268f communicate with each other. At this time, “ball removal” is possible in which the game ball B in the supply path 268d is discharged through the ball extraction hole 268f.

(Ball feeding operation of a ball feeding device for gaming machines)
Next, the ball feeding operation of the ball feeding device 211 will be described.
The ball feeding device 211 is arranged so as to follow a guide path (not shown) that continues from the ball tray 9 and is arranged so as to take the game ball B sent through the guide path into the supply path 268d. When the ball cutting member 220 is at the reference position (blocking displacement) as shown in FIG. 18A, the game ball B taken into the supply path 268d is not sent to the ball cutting member 220 side, and the supply path 268d. Will wait in the inside. In this case, the leading game ball B closest to the ball cutting member 220 abuts on the ball stopper 220e and stays in the supply path 268d, and the subsequent game ball B continues to the supply path 268d following the leading game ball B. Stored inside.

  When the motor bracket 250 is further rotated from the reference position (blocking displacement) as shown in FIG. 18A by driving the motor 240, the ball cutting member 220 is interlocked with the rotation operation of the pressing portion 250d of the motor bracket 250. The actuated portion 220 c is pushed up, and the ball cutting member 220 rotates clockwise about the axis J of the rotation shaft 222. Then, by this rotating operation, the ball cutting member 220 is brought into the take-in displacement shown in FIG. When shifting from the reference position (blocking displacement) shown in FIG. 18 (A) to the taking-in displacement shown in FIG. 19 (B), the ball passage portion 220f and the ball stopper portion 220e rise. By this raising operation, the ball stopper 220e is separated from the supply port 266d, the supply port 266d is opened, and the raised ball passage portion 220f and the supply port 266d communicate with each other to allow the game ball B to pass. As a result, the game ball B (the first game ball B waiting on the supply path 268d at the time of the blocking displacement) located on the guide portion 280a passes through the supply port 266d and enters the ball passage portion 220f. It is captured.

  When the motor 240 is driven to further rotate the motor bracket 250 from the take-in displacement as shown in FIG. 19B, the pressing portion 250d of the motor bracket 250 is positioned below the contacted portion 220c (contacted) as described above. The ball-cutting member 220 is rotated counterclockwise about the axis J by the urging of the spring member 224, and the operated portion 220c is lowered. Then, the transition to the cutoff displacement as shown in FIG. When the take-in displacement shown in FIG. 19 (B) shifts to the blocking displacement shown in FIG. 18 (A), the ball passing portion 220f that has received the game ball B by the take-in displacement operates so as to move downward. Moves to a lower position than the receiving position at the insertion displacement. When the reference position (blocking displacement) is reached again, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 18A, the ball passage portion 220f communicates with the ball passage 264d, and the ball feed member 230 further rotates to feed the ball. When the rotation position (first rotation position) at which the ball passage hole 230j of the member 230 and the ball passage 264d communicate with each other, the game ball B passes through the ball passage 264d and the ball passage hole 230j and is sent out onto the inner peripheral wall 230i. . The game ball B located on the inner peripheral wall 230i rolls while staying at the lowest point on the inner peripheral wall 230i (that is, the vertically lower position of the groove 230c) as the ball feeding member 230 rotates (see FIG. 19 (A)). When the ball receiving portion 230f is positioned at the lowest point of the rotation position (that is, the vertically lower position of the groove portion 230c), the game ball B flows down from the inner peripheral wall 230i to the ball receiving portion 230f, and the ball receiving portion. It will be held within 30f. On the other hand, in the blocking positions shown in FIGS. 16A, 17B, and 18A, the ball passage portion 220f and the supply port 266d do not communicate with each other, and the supply port 266d is blocked by the ball stop portion 220e. Therefore, the subsequent game ball B stays in contact with the ball stopper 220e.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 16A, when the ball feeding member 230 is further rotated after the game ball B is received in the ball receiving portion 230f, the rotation position (second rotation position) at which the ball receiving portion 230f is at the lowest position is obtained. In the vicinity of the second rotational position, the game ball B is received in the ball receiving portion 230f. Then, the ball feeding member 230 accommodates the game ball B in the ball receiving portion 230f and conveys the game ball B toward the discharge port 262b at the high position. Then, when the ball receiving portion 230f reaches a rotational position communicating with the discharge port 262b, the game ball B is discharged from the ball receiving portion 230f to the discharge port 262b. When the game ball B is transported, the above-described switching to the take-in displacement is performed in parallel, and the ball cutting member 220 is interlocked with the rotation operation of the ball feeding member 230 as shown in FIG. Shift to take-in displacement again. Then, the transport operation of the game ball B by the ball feeding member 230 and the next take-in operation are performed at the same time.

  As shown in FIG. 16A, when the game ball B conveyed by the ball receiving portion 230f reaches the discharge port 262b (that is, when the ball receiving portion 230f is in a rotational position communicating with the discharge port 262b), the ball receiving portion. The game ball B accommodated in 230f falls to the discharge port 262b and is discharged from the discharge port 262b toward the launching device. When one ball receiving portion 230f reaches the discharge position in this way, the other ball receiving portion 230f is in a position communicating with the ball passing portion 220f, and the game ball B is transferred from the inner peripheral wall 230i to the ball receiving portion 230f. The game ball B is received in the ball receiving portion 230f.

(Main effects of the second embodiment)
According to this configuration, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, when the game ball B that has passed through the ball passage portion 220f is received by the ball feed member 230, the game ball B continues to be positioned on the cylindrical inner peripheral wall 230i formed in the ball flow path until it rotates by a certain range. Become. Therefore, the game ball B sent to the ball feed member 230 is not immediately sent out by the ball feed member 230, and the game ball B sent to the ball feed member 230 is not connected to the ball feed member 230. It is possible to effectively suppress the ball biting between the two. Since the game ball B sent onto the inner peripheral wall 230i is stably received by the ball receiving portion 230f after a predetermined time, it accepts the ball cutting member 280 and the ball feeding member 230 without obstructing the operation. The game balls B can be smoothly and stably sent out toward the discharge port 262b.

[Other embodiments]
In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the ball passing portion formed on the ball cutting member once holds the game ball, and the ball passing portion descends by swinging and sends the game ball to the ball feeding member. Not limited. For example, the ball passing portion formed on the ball feeding member may not hold the game ball, and the game ball may be dropped by its own weight. In this case, the game ball may be sent when the ball receiving portion passes through the fall position.

  In the above embodiment, the ball feeding members (ball feeding members 30 and 230) that rotate are exemplified, but the operation of the ball feeding members is not limited to rotation. That is, it is only necessary that the game ball can be sent out from a receiving position where the game ball has been received to a predetermined discharge portion. For example, the game ball may be configured to swing or linearly reciprocate. Also good.

  In the above embodiment, as an example of the game machine ball feeding device according to the present invention, the configuration in which the game ball is sent to the gaming machine launching device is illustrated. However, the use and function of the game machine ball feeding device of the present invention are It is not limited to examples. For example, the ball feeding device for gaming machines according to the present invention may be applied to a ball dispensing device. In addition, when the ball feeding device for gaming machines having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is applied to the ball dispensing device, the ball feeding members (ball feeding members 30, 230) can function as the dispensing members. By controlling the rotation of the members (ball feeding members 30, 230), the number of balls to be sent out (number of payouts) can be adjusted. In such a payout device, since the payout is performed in a state where the ball pressure of the game ball stored in the ball tank is applied to the payout member, conventionally, the payout member malfunctions due to the ball pressure. As a result, the game ball is accidentally paid out or a load is applied to the payout member, so that the motor has to have a large driving force, resulting in high costs. However, by providing the ball cutting member as in the above embodiment, the payout member (ball feed member) can be released from the continuous ball pressure, so that smooth payout is possible even with a small torque, and the payout device is compact. Contributes to cost reduction.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Gaming machine 11, 211 ... Ball feeder 20,220,320 ... Ball cutting member 20e, 220e, 320e ... Ball stop part 20f, 220f, 320f ... Ball passing part 30,230 ... Ball feeding member 30e, 230e ... engagement protrusion (switching mechanism)
30f, 230f ... ball receiving portion 40, 240 ... motor (drive source)
50, 250 ... Motor bracket (switching mechanism)
62b, 262b ... discharge port (discharge unit)
68d, 268d ... Supply path (receiving part)
70b ... Sending route (discharge unit)
B, B1, B2 ... game balls G, I ... rotation axis

Claims (4)

A receiving portion that receives the game ball; and a discharge portion that is disposed at a higher position than the receiving portion and that is configured as a portion that discharges the game ball. The game ball received by the receiving portion is sent out from the discharge portion. A ball feeder for a gaming machine,
A ball passing part configured to be able to take in game balls and having a ball passing part through which the game ball can pass and a ball stopper part capable of blocking the passage of the game ball are provided, and the game ball from the receiving part side can be taken into the ball passing part It is possible to displace between a take-in displacement and a blocking displacement in which a game ball from the receiving part side cannot pass through the ball passing part and a flow of the game ball from the receiving part side is blocked by the ball stopping part A ball cutting member configured in
The ball cutting member is configured to be interlocked with the ball cutting member, and includes one or a plurality of ball receiving portions, and the game ball that has passed through the ball passing portion when the ball cutting member is in the blocking displacement is used as the ball receiving portion. Ball feeding that moves in a predetermined path between a receiving position and a position where a game ball accommodated in the ball receiving portion is sent to the discharging portion when the ball receiving portion is in a position communicating with the discharging portion. Members,
A drive source for driving the ball feeding member;
A switching mechanism for switching the ball cutting member between the take-in displacement and the blocking displacement ,
The ball cutting member is lower in the position of the ball passing portion at the time of the blocking displacement than the position of the ball passing portion at the time of the taking displacement, A ball feeding device for a gaming machine, which transports the gaming ball so as to be lowered from the receiving position of the gaming ball by the ball passing portion . The ball feeding member is configured to be rotatable around a predetermined rotation axis,
Including a spherical flow path that is a flow path that continues to the ball receiving portion and includes an inner peripheral wall configured in a cylindrical shape with the rotation axis as a center,
The ball receiving portion is configured to be recessed outward from the inner peripheral wall of the ball flow path,
A game ball that has passed through the ball passage portion at a predetermined first rotation position is received on the inner peripheral wall of the ball flow path, and the game ball received in the ball flow path is within a certain range from the first rotation position. The ball is held on the inner peripheral wall of the ball flow path until it rotates, and the held game ball is sent to the ball receiver at the second rotation position rotated by the predetermined range. 2. The ball feeding device for a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the game ball accommodated in the ball receiving portion is sent to the discharging portion when the rotation position is in communication with the discharging portion. . The switching mechanism operates by receiving a driving force for driving the ball feeding member by the driving source, and alternately switches the ball cutting member between the take-in displacement and the blocking displacement in conjunction with the driving force. The ball feeding device for a gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that. A gaming machine comprising the ball feeding device for a gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .

Images