JP6867615B2 - Tiltmeter - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an inclinometer used to measure the verticality of a pachinko gaming machine or to measure an inclination angle from the vertical.

It is known that in a pachinko gaming machine (in the present application, the pachinko gaming machine may be simply referred to as a "gaming machine"), the ball ejection can be adjusted by giving an appropriate inclination to the board surface. By changing the installation angle of the board of the pachinko machine, the falling speed of the ball changes, and the angle of the nails and accessories provided on the board changes. As a result, the way the ball is flipped by the nail that moves on the board and the way the accessory passes are changed, so the ball output can be adjusted. By giving an appropriate inclination to the board surface of the pachinko machine when installing the pachinko game machine and making it possible to adjust the inclination angle after the fact, the effect of adjusting the payout can be obtained more easily.

In consideration of these points, the inventors have taken into consideration such points as JP-A-63-226385, JP-A-63-226386, JP-A-10-80563, JP-A-2002-062131, JP-A-2011-115288, etc. I am applying for. These relate to a device for fixing a pachinko game machine to a pachinko game machine installation unit (for example, a facility generally called an "island") with a variable inclination angle.
These appliances are as follows.
The gaming machine is used in a state of being attached to the pachinko gaming machine installation unit as described above. At that time, the lower part of the gaming machine is generally fixed so as not to be movable with respect to the pachinko gaming machine installation unit. On the other hand, the upper part of the gaming machine is attached to the pachinko gaming machine installation unit so as to be movable back and forth by using the above-mentioned equipment. By appropriately operating such an instrument, the upper part of the gaming machine can be appropriately moved back and forth with respect to the lower part of the gaming machine, and can be positioned at an appropriate position in the front-rear direction. As a result, the tilt angle of the gaming machine can be made variable.

Each of these devices is useful, but when using these devices, it is necessary to check the verticality of the pachinko machine and its tilt angle, and the accuracy of measurement is also required. Will be done.
In consideration of such circumstances, an inclinometer, which is a device for measuring the inclination angle of a pachinko gaming machine, for example, a board surface, has been conventionally proposed. The applicant of the present application also proposes an inclinometer disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-195564 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-77705.

All existing inclinometers, including the inclinometer proposed by the applicant, measure how much the gaming machine is tilted with respect to a vertical axis.
The inclinometers proposed by the applicant in the past include contact members having a certain length. The abutting member is placed on the measuring surface of the gaming machine so that its length direction is along the direction of the maximum inclination line of the measuring surface of the gaming machine (for example, the direction along the vertical direction when the gaming machine is viewed from the front). Be followed. In this state, the contact member is in a state of being tilted along the measurement surface of the gaming machine because the gaming machine is slightly tilted backward. The inclinometer is provided with an inclination angle measuring unit for measuring the inclination angle of the contact member. By measuring the tilt angle of the contact member with the tilt angle measuring unit, the tilt angle of the measurement surface of the gaming machine is measured, and as a result, the tilt angle of the board surface of the gaming machine is measured.

The inclinometer as described above is meaningful in that it can measure the inclination angle of the gaming machine. However, there are some points that need to be improved.
In such an inclinometer, it is extremely important that the contact member is aligned with the measurement surface of the gaming machine so as to be parallel to the maximum inclination line. If this cannot be ensured, the tilt angle of the contact member measured by the tilt angle measuring unit will be incorrect, and as a result, the tilt angle of the board surface of the gaming machine will be incorrect. Therefore, in the inclinometer, various measures are taken to make the contact member follow the maximum inclination line of the measurement surface of the gaming machine.

On the other hand, in the inclinometer, in order to free the operator's hand when measuring the board surface of the game machine with the inclinometer, the inclinometer is detachably fixed to the game machine or the pachinko game machine installation unit to which the game machine is attached. Things are also being done. However, when a part of the inclinometer is detachably fixed to the gaming machine or the pachinko gaming machine installation unit to which the gaming machine is attached, if the fixing is not performed accurately, the contact member has a length thereof. It becomes impossible to follow the measurement surface of the gaming machine so that the direction is parallel to the maximum inclination line of the measurement surface of the gaming machine.
When the inclinometer is detachably fixed to the gaming machine or the pachinko gaming machine installation unit to which the gaming machine is attached, the problem is where to fix the inclinometer. According to the research of the inventor of the present application, the inclinometer is tilted. It is most intuitive for the operator to fix it on the measurement surface (this is the surface of the board or the surface of the glass plate that covers the board) to be measured, and the pachinko machine is installed. It is convenient because it can be fixed regardless of the structure of the unit.
However, there are not so many techniques for detachably fixing the inclinometer to the measuring surface, and when the inclinometer is fixed to the measuring surface, the contact member is attached to the maximum inclination line in the length direction of the measuring surface of the gaming machine. At least as far as the applicant knows, there is no technology to make it possible to measure the accurate tilt angle of the board surface so that it can be aligned with the measurement surface of the gaming machine in a state parallel to the direction of. Is the reality.

An object of the present invention is to improve an inclinometer of a type fixed to a measurement surface so that the inclination angle of a board surface can be accurately measured.

The inclinometer in the present invention for solving the above problems is as follows.
The present invention is an inclinometer for measuring the inclination angle of the board surface of a game machine, and is brought into contact with a measuring surface which is either the board surface of the game machine or the glass surface which is the surface of the glass plate in front of the board surface. When the contact member is brought into contact with the measurement surface, the inclination angle of the virtual axis, which is a virtual axis having a fixed positional relationship with respect to the contact member, is measured. It has an inclination angle measuring means provided on the abutting member and a base provided with a fixing means connected to the abutting member and capable of detachably fixing to the measuring surface. It becomes.
Then, the contact member of the inclinometer is rotatably attached to the base with the first axis, which is the first axis, as an axis, and the contact member is brought into contact with the measurement surface. At that time, the contact member rotates with respect to the base along the measurement surface due to gravity, and the virtual axis in each of the contact members is formed on the measurement surface in the portion where the contact member exists. Make it parallel to the maximum inclination line (the line along the direction of the largest inclination of the measurement surface passing through a certain point on the measurement surface. For example, if a water drop is attached to it, the line along the direction in which it flows down). It is designed to move.
This inclinometer is provided with a contact member and an inclination angle measuring means, but the functions required for these are the same as those of the conventional one, and may be the same as those of the conventional one. On the other hand, this inclinometer is provided with a fixing means that is detachably fixed to the measurement surface, and measures the inclination angle of the measurement surface in a state of being fixed to the measurement surface.
As described above, the inclination angle measuring means provided on the abutting member measures the inclination angle of the virtual axis. Therefore, the tilt angle cannot be measured accurately unless the virtual axis is parallel to the maximum tilt line of the measurement surface.
On the other hand, when the contact member is rotatably attached to the base with the first axis, which is the first axis, as an axis, and the contact member is brought into contact with (or is about to be made to) the measurement surface, contact is made. Each member rotates along the measurement surface with respect to the base due to gravity, and the virtual axis of each of the contact members moves so as to be parallel to the maximum inclination line of the measurement surface in the portion where the contact member exists. By doing so, the inclination angle can be accurately measured by the inclination angle measuring means provided on each contact member.
The tilt angle measuring means may be any one capable of measuring the tilt angle, but is provided with means (for example, a liquid crystal display, etc.) for allowing the operator to visually confirm the measured tilt angle, for example. Is preferable.
It should be noted that the adjustment of the position or angle of the virtual axis can be achieved almost accurately and automatically by gravitational force if the frictional force with the measurement surface is ignored, so that a new work load is applied to the operator. Do not force.
The measurement surface on which the inclination angle is measured by this inclinometer is the surface of the board of the gaming machine or the surface of the glass plate. When measuring the tilt angle of the board surface of the game machine, no problem occurs, but when measuring the tilt angle of the surface of the glass plate, can the tilt angle of the glass plate be regarded as the tilt angle of the board surface? There's a problem. However, in a gaming machine, which is an industrial product mass-produced in a factory, it is possible to consider that the surface of the board and the surface of the glass plate are parallel, and even if the gaming machine is twisted, they are parallel to each other. It is considered that there is no significant impact on the relationship. Therefore, by measuring the inclination angle of the surface of the glass plate, the inclination angle of the board surface of the gaming machine can be indirectly measured, or the inclination angle of the surface of the glass plate can be regarded as the inclination angle of the board surface. It is unlikely that any major problems will occur.
The contact member is rotatably attached to the base with the second axis, which is the second axis, as an axis, and when the contact member is brought into contact with the measurement surface, the contact member is said to be in contact with the measurement surface. Each of the contact members rotates due to gravity so that the lower part of the contact member approaches the measurement surface with respect to the base, and the virtual axis in each of the contact members is in a portion where the contact member exists. It may be moved so as to be parallel to the maximum inclination line of the measurement surface. For example, the second axis is orthogonal to the first axis and is parallel to the tilt angle of the gaming machine when measured with an inclinometer. If the contact member can rotate about the second axis so that the lower part of the contact member approaches the measurement surface, the lower part of the contact member can be appropriately positioned with respect to the measurement surface. , The contact member can be aligned with the measurement surface in a state where the virtual axis of the contact member is parallel to the maximum inclination line. Moreover, by causing the rotation of the contact member to be caused by gravity, the adjustment can be made substantially accurately, and the adjustment can be automatically performed.

The contact member is a rod-shaped rod whose length direction is the virtual axis, and is attached to the base near the upper end thereof.
By forming the abutting member into a rod-shaped body, it becomes easy to make the length direction of the abutting member and the length direction of the virtual axis coincide with (or make them parallel). As a result, in particular, when the length direction of the rod-shaped body and the length direction of the virtual shaft coincide with each other, the virtual shaft can be measured at the portion where the contact member exists by visually observing the contact member. Workers will be able to intuitively check whether the surface is parallel to the maximum inclination line.
Further, if the contact member is a rod-shaped body and the vicinity of the upper end thereof is attached to the base, the torque for rotating the contact member generated by gravity with respect to the base becomes large, so that each of the contact members has a virtual axis. It becomes easier to apply a force for moving the contact member to a position parallel to the maximum inclination line of the measurement surface in the position portion as a larger force.

As a fixing means, when the measuring surface is the board surface of the gaming machine, the suction cup, the adhesive, or the inclinometer that adsorbs to a smooth part of the board surface where there is no nail or the like is attached to the nail so as not to fall. A locking means can be adopted. When the measurement surface is the surface of a glass plate, a suction cup or an adhesive to be adsorbed on the surface can be used as a fixing means.
In addition, as the fixing means, there is a means in which the inclinometer can be detachably fixed to the glass plate by using the gap between the glass plate and the generally resin decorative frame provided around the glass plate. Can be done. For example, there is a slight gap between the back of the decorative frame and the front of the glass plate. If the plate inserted into the gap is used as a fixing means, the inclinometer can be attached to the glass plate (more accurately, glass) by inserting it between the back surface of the decorative frame and the front surface of the glass plate and sandwiching it between the two. It can be detachably fixed (to the board and the decorative frame).
Further, the fixing means does not necessarily have to be detachably fixed to the measurement surface, and may not necessarily be detachably fixed to the measurement surface. For example, there is a gap between the gaming machine and the pachinko gaming machine installation unit (generally an island). Utilizing such a gap, for example, the upper surface of the gaming machine (or the frame into which the gaming machine is fitted) and the upper surface of the gaming machine (or the frame into which the gaming machine is fitted) of the pachinko gaming machine installation unit. A member having a plate that can be inserted horizontally into a gap between the substantially horizontal plate and the lower surface of the plate located further above the above can be used as the fixing means. The fixing means is, for example, an L-shaped metal fitting having an L-shaped cross section, and by adopting a configuration in which the other part of the inclinometer is attached to one side thereof, the other side of the L-shaped metal fitting is inserted into the above-mentioned gap. This makes it possible to lock the other side of the L-shaped bracket in the gap and allow the other part of the inclinometer attached to one side of the L-shaped bracket that is lowered below it to hang down. is there.
Further, the fixing means may be detachably fixed to the pachinko gaming machine installation unit without touching the pachinko gaming machine.

The inclinometer of the present invention includes an urging means for urging the abutting member with respect to the measuring surface when the base is detachably fixed to the measuring surface by the fixing means. You may.
It is conceivable that the contact member floats from the measurement surface simply by fixing the base to the measurement surface by the fixing means, and if such a situation occurs, the contact member is provided in the state of floating from the measurement surface. The tilt angle measured by the tilt angle measuring means may be inaccurate.
If there is an urging means for urging the abutting member against the measurement surface, the possibility of such a defect can be reduced. The urging means for urging the abutting member with respect to the measurement surface may be one that urges only the abutting member with respect to the measuring surface, or a base or a part thereof to which the abutting member is attached. The contact member may be urged against the measurement surface.

The number of abutting members attached to the base may be one or a plurality. When there are a plurality of contact members, each contact member is provided with an inclination angle measuring means.
This has the following advantages:
The inventor of the present application, who is conducting research on an inclinometer, has noticed that even if the inclination angle of a gaming machine is accurately measured using an existing inclinometer, it may not be possible to adjust the ball ejection as desired. ..
As a result of repeated research by the inventor of the present application on the reason, since the gaming machine has a certain size, a twist may occur in the whole, and the twist causes the ball ejection to be unable to be adjusted accurately. I found that it was.
For example, the above-mentioned device for attaching the upper part of the gaming machine to the pachinko gaming machine installation unit while positioning the gaming machine in the front-rear direction is provided at a plurality of locations (for example, in the left-right direction) above the gaming machine. It may be possible to position the position of the gaming machine in the front-rear direction at two locations near both edges in the width direction). In such a case, the positions of the gaming machines in the front-rear direction may be different at a plurality of places where the gaming machine and the pachinko gaming machine installation unit are fixed. In such a case, the gaming machine is twisted. In such a case, the inclination angle of the gaming machine may be different between the different positions of the gaming machine, for example, the portion near the right edge of the gaming machine and the portion near the left edge of the gaming machine. Even if the tilt angle is measured or the tilt angle of the gaming machine is adjusted as intended, the result may be that the ball ejection cannot be adjusted as intended.
From the results of such research, the inventor of the present application measures the inclination angles of a plurality of points on the board surface of the gaming machine so that the inclination angle of the gaming machine can be accurately grasped even if the gaming machine is twisted. I concluded that it was necessary.
An inclinometer including a plurality of abutting members includes a plurality of abutting members having an inclining angle measuring means, which corresponds to a conventional inclinometer. Therefore, the tilt angles of a plurality of places of the gaming machine can be measured at one time. As a result, according to this tilt meter, even if the gaming machine is twisted, the tilt angles of a plurality of places of the gaming machine can be individually measured, so that the tilt angle of the gaming machine can be measured more than before. It can be grasped with high accuracy, and the twist of the gaming machine can be removed by appropriately adjusting the position of the gaming machine with respect to the pachinko gaming machine installation unit.
Moreover, this inclinometer can handle a plurality of contact members as a unit by attaching them to the base. Even with a conventional inclinometer, it is possible to grasp the inclination angle of a game machine at a different place by measuring the inclination angle of one game machine at a different place using one or a plurality of inclinometers. It is possible. However, it is troublesome to measure the tilt angles of a plurality of places of a gaming machine in order with one inclinometer, and it is inconvenient to measure the tilt angles of a plurality of places of a gaming machine with a plurality of inclinometers. There are some things that one worker cannot do. The inclinometer according to the present invention is convenient because it handles a plurality of contact members attached to the base as a unit and one worker can measure the inclination angles of a plurality of places of the gaming machine at one time.

When a plurality of contact members are provided, the base in the inclinometer of the present invention may be a rod-shaped rod-shaped body. In this case, one contact member may be provided at both ends of the base. In this case, two sets of abutting members and tilt angle measuring means can be formed. In particular, by making the total weight of the two sets of abutting members and the tilt angle measuring means the same, the inclinometer can be used. It can be used in a stable state.
When the base is a rod-shaped rod-shaped body and one contact member is provided at both ends of the base, the fixing means is provided at the center of the rod-shaped body in the length direction. May be good. By doing so, when the fixing means is fixed to the measuring surface, the inclinometer can be easily balanced in the left-right direction. Therefore, in particular, the total weight of the two sets of contact members and the inclining angle measuring means is the same. If so, the stability will be improved.

The perspective view which shows the structure of the gaming machine which measures the inclination angle of the board surface by the method of one Embodiment of this application, and the island to which the gaming machine is attached. A perspective view of an inclinometer according to an embodiment of the present application. A partially exploded perspective view of the inclinometer shown in FIG. The front view of the inclinometer shown in FIG. The left side view of the inclinometer shown in FIG. The plan view of the inclinometer shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the first foot member of the inclinometer shown in FIG. The perspective view which shows the arrangement state of the spirit level included in the inclinometer shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of the fixed portion and the base included in the inclinometer shown in FIG. The side view for demonstrating the use state of the inclinometer shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, a gaming machine whose inclining angle of the board surface is measured by an inclinometer described later according to this embodiment, and an outline configuration of an island to which the inclining angle is attached will be described.
Reference numeral 300 in FIG. 1 is a gaming machine.
The gaming machine 300 includes a board surface 301 in which balls move on the surface thereof.
A large number of nails 302 are erected on the board surface 301. Although not limited to this, in the gaming machine 300 according to this embodiment, many nails 302 are erected on the left side of the board surface 301, and are hardly present particularly above the right half of the board surface 301. ..
Further, the board surface 301 is provided with a partition plate 303 for determining the range in which the ball can move on the board surface 301. The ball will move within a substantially circular area surrounded by the partition plate 303. Although not necessarily limited to this, in this embodiment, the height of the partition plate 303 from the board surface 301 (width of the partition plate 303) is constant in all portions in the length direction.
As is well known, the board surface 301 of the gaming machine 300 is covered with a glass plate, but since the glass plate is transparent, it does not appear in FIG. Further, below the gaming machine 300, there is also a plate generally composed of an upper plate and a lower plate for receiving a ball, and a handle used for an operation for launching a ball, but these are related to the present invention. Since there is no such thing and all of them are well known, the illustration is omitted.

The gaming machine 300 is usually fixed to a structure called an island 400 in a hall. The island 400 may be made of metal, but in many cases it is made of wood and has a structure in which a large number of gaming machines 300 can be mounted in parallel.
In addition to the island 400, a ball lending machine that lends game balls to users, a call lamp that informs the user and hall clerk of the status of the game machine, a ball lending machine, and a game machine that supplies balls. A ball circulation mechanism for collecting the balls that have come off the ball and circulating the balls is appropriately attached as needed, but the illustration of these is also omitted.
The gaming machine 300 is attached to the island 400 via a member called a frame 500. The frame 500 is usually made of wood, although it may be made of metal, and has a rectangular shape with four plates as four sides. By fixing the frame 500 to the island 400 while the gaming machine 300 is fixed to the front surface thereof, the gaming machine 300 is fixed to the island 400. Specifically, the island 400 has a lower plate 401 for mounting the frame 500 and an upper plate 402 parallel to the lower plate 401 located above the frame 500, but the frame 500 is below the lower plate 401. The plate corresponding to the side side is fixed to the lower plate 401, and the plate corresponding to the upper side thereof is fixed to the upper plate 402 by using appropriate means such as nails and special metal fittings, respectively, to fix the island 400. .. At that time, the board surface 301 of the gaming machine 300 is given an inclination so as to slightly fall backward. The tilt angle may be ex post facto changeable, as already described in the background art section of the present application.

Next, the inclinometer will be described.
A perspective view of the inclinometer is shown in FIG. 2, a partially disassembled perspective view is shown in FIG. 4, a front view is shown in FIG. 4, a left side view is shown in FIG. 5, and a plan view is shown in FIG.
The inclinometer in this embodiment includes a base 110, an abutting portion 120, an inclination angle measuring portion 130, and a fixing portion 140.

The base 110 is to which the contact portion 120 is attached. Although not limited to this, the base 110 in this embodiment is made of metal and is a rod-shaped body extending in a substantially horizontal direction. The base 110 has a plate shape and is provided with ribs above and below the base 110 for the purpose of reinforcement.
The vicinity of both ends of the base 110 is bent in a crank shape, and both ends thereof are tip portions 111 that are one step lower toward the rear than the vicinity of the center thereof. The tip portion 111 is for attaching the contact portion 120. That is, the base 110 of this embodiment is attached with the contact portions 120 at both ends in the length direction. Therefore, the inclinometer in this embodiment includes two contact portions 120. However, the number of contact portions 120 is not limited to two, and may be one. If more contact portions 120 are attached to the base 110, the shape, size, and the like of the base 110 can be appropriately changed accordingly.
In this inclinometer, contact portions 120 are attached near both ends of the base 110, and as will be described later, the inclination angle of the measurement surface near both ends of the base 110 is measured. If the place where the inclination angle is measured on the measurement surface is too close, the twist generated in the gaming machine 300 may not appear in the measured value. Considering this point, the length of the base 110 is preferably about 30 cm. However, since it is meaningless if the length of the base 110 exceeds the length of the gaming machine 300 in the left-right direction, the length of the base 110 is from 30 cm to 10 cm smaller than the length of the gaming machine 300 in the left-right direction. It may be selected appropriately within the range of.
Each of the tip portions 111 is provided with a tip hole 112, which is a hole used for fixing the contact portion 120. The tip hole 112 is circular, but not limited to.
A base hole 113, which is a circular hole, is formed in the center of the base 110 in the longitudinal direction, although not limited to this.

The contact portion 120 includes a square pipe 121 which is a metal tubular body having a rectangular cross section. Lids 122 are attached to the top and bottom of the square pipe 121. The lid 122 is made of resin, but is not limited to this.
Holes 123 are provided near the upper front and rear ends of the square pipe 121 at positions corresponding to each other. The hole on the back side of the square pipe 121 is not shown in the figure. The hole 123 is used to attach the contact portion 120 to the base 110.

Each of the square pipes 121 of the contact portion 120 is attached to the base 110 so as to be rotatable with respect to the base 110 near the upper end thereof. The method of attaching the contact portion 120 to the base 110 is as follows.
A first foot member 114 having a constant length in the front-rear direction is arranged on the back surface side of the base 110. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7, the first foot member 114 has a threaded nut 114A on its inner peripheral surface, and its outer surface is covered with a cap 114B formed of resin. It has become a thing. As will be described later, the first foot member 114 is brought into contact with the measurement surface when measuring the inclination angle of the measurement surface using this inclinometer. The back surface side of the first foot member 114 has a dome shape in order to reduce the contact area when the first foot member 114 is brought into contact with the measurement surface and to stabilize the contact with the measurement surface. The first foot portion 114 can be slightly moved in the front-rear direction together with the base 110.
Various mounting brackets 124 are inserted inside the square pipe 121. The mounting bracket 124 is a leaf spring, a ball bearing, or the like, and mainly has a function of keeping the relative positional relationship between the square pipe 121 and the base 110 in the front-rear direction when mounted on the base 110 in a desired positional relationship. It has a function of increasing the ease of rotation of the contact portion 120 with respect to the base 110. All of these mounting brackets 124 are provided with holes and can be penetrated by shaft bolts described later.
The shaft bolt 125 is threaded at its tip so that it can be screwed into the nut 114A of the first foot member 114. From the front side of the square pipe 121, the hole 123 on the front side of the square pipe 121, the above-mentioned hole provided in each of the various mounting brackets 124, and the hole on the rear side of the square pipe 121 are passed through, and then the tip thereof is inserted. The contact portion 120 is attached to the base 110 by screwing it into the nut 114A of the one-foot member 114. At this time, the head of the shaft bolt 125 enters the space inside the square pipe 121 through the hole 123 on the front side of the square pipe 121.
In that state, the contact portion 120 can rotate about the center of the shaft bolt 125. That is, the contact portion 120 can rotate with respect to the base 110. The rotation of the contact portion 120 is performed, for example, in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4, that is, in a plane parallel to the paper surface.

A second foot member 126 is provided at a portion of the contact portion 120 near the lower end of the back surface of the square pipe 121. Like the first foot member 114, the second foot member 126 is brought into contact with the measurement surface when measuring the inclination angle of the measurement surface using an inclinometer. The back surface side of the second foot member 126 has a semicircular cross section in order to reduce the contact area when it is brought into contact with the measurement surface and to reduce the frictional force generated with the measurement surface. ..
As described above, the square pipe 121 has a rectangular cross section, and the front surface and the rear surface thereof are parallel to each other. The distance from the rear end of the second foot member 126 to the back surface of the square pipe 121 is equal to the distance from the rear end of the first foot member 114 to the back surface of the square pipe 121. That is, when the rear end of the first foot member 114 and the rear end of the second foot member 126 located below the rear end of the first foot member 114 are brought into contact with the measurement surface when measuring the inclination angle of the measurement surface, the square pipe 121 And the measurement surface are almost parallel. That is, when an appropriate straight line parallel to the length direction of the square pipe 121 is used as the virtual axis, which is the virtual axis, the inclination angle of the measurement surface is measured by measuring the inclination angle of the virtual axis. Will be possible.

An inclination angle measuring unit 130 is provided in front of each abutting unit 120. The tilt angle measuring unit 130 is for measuring the tilt angle of the virtual axis described above.
The tilt angle measuring unit 130 may be any as long as it can measure the tilt angle of the virtual axis. For example, an inclination angle measuring device including an inclination sensor for measuring an inclination by an electric or electronic mechanism, a computer, and a computer-controlled display is attached to the contact portion 120 to form an inclination angle measuring unit 130. It is conceivable to do. Further, although the inclination angle measuring unit 130 in this embodiment is provided below each contact portion 120, the inclination angle measuring unit 130 may be provided anywhere in the contact portion 120. However, the inclination angle measuring unit 130 in this embodiment has a certain amount of weight, and is heavier than, for example, the abutting unit 120. As a result, the contact portion 120 is provided with a large torque for rotating with respect to the base 110 due to gravity.
Although not limited to this, the inclination angle measuring unit 130 in this embodiment is configured as follows.
As shown in the partial decomposition view of FIG. 3, the inclination angle measuring unit 130 includes a case 131 that covers the entire inclination angle measuring unit 130, and four small cases 132 housed inside the case 131. There is. The case 131 has, but is not limited to, a rectangular opening 131A in which the four small cases 132 can be viewed.
The four small cases 132 are fixed on a support plate 133, which is a rectangular plate, but not limited to, attached to the front surface of the square pipe 121. The upper surface of the support plate 133 is perpendicular to the virtual axis. Each small case 132 has an elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape, and its length direction is along the front-rear direction of the inclinometer.
Each small case 132 is a box made of a transparent material, for example, resin, and as shown in FIG. 7, a spirit level 132A whose angle is gradually changed is housed inside the box. .. A spirit level 132A is a well-known spirit level in which a gas is trapped in a liquid filled in an elongated case.
As shown in FIG. 7, the heights from the upper surface of the support plate 133 at the front end of the spirit level 132A are all the same, but the height from the upper surface of the support plate 133 at the front end of the spirit level 132A is the same. , It is tilted stepwise so as to be as large as the spirit level 132A located at the back in FIG. 7. The difference in angle between adjacent spirit levels 132A does not necessarily have to be constant, but in this embodiment it is. In this embodiment, four spirit levels 132A are used, but it is natural that the number is not limited to four.
Although not limited to this, in the four spirit levels 132A, when the inclination of the square pipe 121 or the virtual axis to the rear is 3 minutes, 3.5 minutes, 4 minutes, or 4.5 minutes in the shakkanho method. It is designed to be horizontal.
Although not shown, the case 131 is provided with a letter or symbol indicating how much the virtual axis A is tilted when the spirit level 132A indicates horizontal in correspondence with each spirit level 132A. ..

Next, the fixing portion 140 will be described.
The fixing portion 140 is for forming a detachable fixing to the measurement surface. The measurement surface in this embodiment is the surface of the glass plate included in the gaming machine 300. That is, the inclinometer of this embodiment indirectly measures the inclining angle of the board surface 301 included in the gaming machine 300 by measuring the inclining angle of the surface of the glass plate. In the gaming machine 300, which is an industrial product mass-produced in a factory, it can be considered that the board surface 301 and the surface of the glass plate are parallel, and even if the gaming machine 300 is twisted, it can be regarded as parallel. Since it is considered that these parallel relationships are not significantly affected, it is considered that the problem caused by considering the inclination angle of the surface of the glass plate as the inclination angle of the board surface 301 is not so large.
The fixing portion 140 is fixed to the measurement surface which is the surface of the glass plate. The fixing portion 140 includes a suction cup (not shown) for making it possible. The suction cup is fixed in a support member 141 having a bowl-shaped inner and outer surfaces. A known or well-known suction cup can be used as long as it can be detachably fixed to the measurement surface and can support the weight of the inclinometer when fixed to the measurement surface. The suction cups are made of, for example, rubber or resin.
The fixed portion 140 of this embodiment includes a suction cup that is fixed to the measurement surface, but the suction cup is not always essential as long as the fixed portion 140 can be fixed to the measurement surface. For example, a suction cup is used as a means for detachably fixing the inclinometer to the glass plate by utilizing the gap between the glass plate as the measurement surface and the generally resin decorative frame provided around the glass plate. Can be provided. For example, there is a slight gap between the back of the decorative frame and the front of the glass plate. A plate to be inserted into the gap is provided as a substitute for a suction cup, and it is inserted between the back surface of the decorative frame and the front surface of the glass plate, and the inclinometer is inserted into the glass plate (more accurately, glass) by sandwiching it between the two. It can be detachably fixed (to the board and the decorative frame).
More specifically, the other side to which the fixing portion 140 is fixed is not limited to the measurement surface. For example, there is a gap between the gaming machine and the pachinko gaming machine installation unit (generally an island). Utilizing such a gap, for example, the upper surface of the gaming machine (or the frame into which the gaming machine is fitted) and the upper surface of the gaming machine (or the frame into which the gaming machine is fitted) of the pachinko gaming machine installation unit. It is possible to provide a member having a plate that can be inserted horizontally into the gap between the substantially horizontal plate and the lower surface of the plate located further above the suction cup instead of the suction cup. More specifically, an L-shaped metal fitting having an L-shaped cross section is used instead of a suction cup, and one side of the L-shaped metal fitting is inserted into the above-mentioned gap to lock one side of the L-shaped metal fitting in the gap. Can be done. Further, the fixing portion 140 may be detachably fixed to the pachinko gaming machine installation unit without touching the pachinko gaming machine.

A connecting portion 142 is provided on the front side of the support member 141. The connecting portion 142 is for connecting the front pillar described later, and in this embodiment, a hinge described later is provided between the two plates.
The front column 143 is a metal prism extending substantially in the vertical direction. The front pillar 143 is connected to the connecting portion 142. The lower end of the front pillar 143 is hinged to the connecting portion 142. The connecting portion 142 can rotate about the hinge shaft 142A (see FIG. 9) in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 9 with respect to the front pillar 143. At the upper end of the front pillar 143, a plate-shaped first plate 144 is provided so as to be perpendicular to the length direction of the front pillar 143.
The first plate 144 is provided with two holes 144A threaded on its inner peripheral surfaces arranged in the front-rear direction at the center in the width direction.
The fixing portion 140 also includes a rear member 145. The rear member 145 is fixedly connected to the first plate 144.
The rear member 145 is composed of a second plate 145A having a rectangular shape in a plan view and being fixed to the first plate 144, and a third plate 145B having a rectangular shape in front view extending downward from the front end of the second plate 145A. There is.
The second plate 145A is provided with two holes 145A1 arranged in the front-rear direction in the center in the width direction thereof. The rear member 145 has a hole in which the lower surface of the second plate 145A is brought into close contact with the upper surface of the first plate 144 and the two holes 145A1 of the second plate 145A are overlapped with the two holes 144A of the first plate 144. The tip of the screw 146 penetrating 144A is screwed into the hole 145A1 to be fixed to the first plate 144.
As a result, the relative positional relationship between the front pillar 143, the first plate 144, and the rear member 145 becomes a fixed relationship and is uniquely determined.
Below the third plate 145B, but not limited to this, a rectangular hole 145B1 is provided in this embodiment. The hole 145B1 is used to connect the base 110 to the fixing portion 140.

As shown in FIG. 9, the front end of the screw 147 also shown in FIG. 3 is inserted into the hole 145B1 provided in the third plate 145B from the front side of the third plate 145B. The front end of the screw 147 is screwed into a guide member 148 that is positioned between the third plate 145B and the front column 143. The guide member 148 is a rod-shaped member extending in the front-rear direction of the inclinometer, but is not limited to this, and is a member having a columnar shape in this embodiment, and has a hole having a circular cross section at the front end thereof for screwing with a screw 147. It is equipped with 148A and a head 148B at the rear end, which is coaxial with the portion in front of it and has a diameter larger than that in front of the portion. The diameter of the portion of the guide member 148 other than the head 148B is slightly smaller than that of the base hole 113 of the base 110, and the diameter of the head 148B is larger than that of the base hole 113.
When screwing the screw 147 into the guide member 148, the guide member 148 is passed through the base hole 113 of the base 110 in advance from the back side of the base 110. As a result, the base 110 in the inclinometer is attached to the fixing portion 140 in a state where the base hole 113 is penetrated by the guide member 148.
On the other hand, a coil spring 149 is provided on the portion of the guide member 148 on the front side of the base 110. The coil spring 149 always gives a rearward urging force to the base 110. When screwing the screw 147 into the guide member 148, the guide member 148 is passed through the base hole 113 of the base 110 from the back side of the base 110, and the coil spring 149 is passed through the guide member 148 in advance. It is possible to arrange the coil spring 149 as shown in 9. The coil spring 149 has a role of giving an urging force in the above-mentioned direction to the base 110, and if it is possible, it can be replaced with another elastic body.
As described above, the base 110 can move back and forth along the guide member 148 by guiding the base hole 113 to the guide member 148, but the base hole 113 is the head 148B of the guide member 148. Since the diameter is smaller than that of the guide member 148, the guide member 148 cannot move to the rear side of the head 148B. On the other hand, the base 110 is always provided with a rearward urging force from the coil spring 149. As a result, the base 110 moves the base 110 forward against the urging force from the coil spring 149 to the base 110 while keeping the rear surface in contact with the front surface of the head 148B of the guide member 148 in a normal state. When a positive force is applied, it will move forward.
Further, as described above, the diameter of the portion of the guide member 148 other than the head 148B is slightly smaller than that of the base hole 113 of the base 110. That is, there is some play between the base hole 113 and the portion of the guide member 148 other than the head 148B. As a result, the base 110 can be rotated or swung in a plane parallel to FIG. 9 in a range of some degree, for example, about 10 °, about the substantially center in the length direction of the base hole 113. The rotation or swaying of the base 110 is automatically performed by the gravity acting on the base 110 and the contact portion 120. It should be noted that the rotation or swing of the base 110 does not necessarily have to be performed in the portion of the base hole 113, and for example, by providing a play in the portion of the shaft bolt 125, it is performed in the portion of the shaft bolt 125. Is also possible.

The usage and operation of the inclinometer described above will be described.
An inclinometer is used to measure the inclination of an inclined surface in a gaming machine. As described above, the inclined surface in this embodiment is, but is not limited to, the surface of the glass plate (of course, the front surface of the glass plate).

When using an inclinometer, the operator has a base 110 or a base 110 and a fixed portion 140, and sucks a suction cup (not shown) on the fixed portion 140 at an appropriate position on the measurement surface. As a result, the suction cup is fixed at a position where it can be attached and detached with respect to the measurement surface. Before or after fixing the suction cup to the measuring surface, the operator makes sure that the square pipes 121 (or virtual shafts) of the two contact portions 120 attached to both ends of the base 110 are closest to the vertical. That is, the two contact portions 120 are adjusted so as to approach the maximum inclination line, in other words, to approach the most stable state due to gravity. Such adjustment is automatically performed by the gravity acting on the contact portion 120.
Further, at this time, the base 110 is automatically rotated by gravity acting on the base 110 and the contact portion 120 in a plane parallel to FIG. 9, with the substantially center in the length direction of the base hole 113 as an axis, and the clock in FIG. Rotate around. As a result, the lower part of the contact portion 120 rotates so as to approach the measurement surface. As a result, the tip of the second foot portion 126 in each contact portion 120 correctly abuts on the measurement surface.

It is assumed that both of the two contact portions 120 are adjusted to the state closest to vertical. In this state, the two sets of the first foot member 114 and the second foot member 126 are in contact with the measurement surface. As a result, the inclination angle of the measurement surface can be measured correctly.
In that state, the first foot member 114, the second foot member 126, and the square pipe 121 located above and below have a relationship as shown in FIG. In the figure, V is a vertical line and A is a virtual axis. Further, H is a horizontal surface which is a horizontal surface, and S is an extension surface which is an extension surface of the support plate 133. X is the measurement surface.
The angle α formed by the vertical line V and the virtual axis A is equal to the angle β formed by the horizontal plane H and the extension surface S. Then, the size of the angle formed by the extension surface S and the horizontal plane H can be grasped by which of the four spirit levels 132A indicates horizontal. For example, in FIG. 10, since the second level 132A from the front is horizontal, only this level 132A out of the four levels 132A shows horizontal. Then, as described above, the second spirit level is horizontal when the inclination angle is 3.5 minutes, so β at this time is 3.5 minutes. That is, the inclination angle of the virtual axis A at this time, that is, the angle formed by the virtual axis A with the vertical line V is 3.5 minutes. As described above, the case 131 is provided with letters or symbols indicating how much the virtual axis A is tilted when the spirit level 132A indicates horizontal in association with each spirit level 132A.
Looking at this, the operator can grasp the inclinations of a plurality of inclined surfaces measured by each inclination angle measuring unit 130 at a time.

After measuring the tilt angle of the gaming machine, the operator removes the inclinometer from the measuring surface.

In this embodiment, the measurement surface is the surface of the glass plate of the gaming machine, but the board surface 301 can be used as the measurement surface instead.
As described above, the fixing portion 140 included a suction cup. Since there are nails 302 on the board surface 301, there is a limit to the range in which the suction cup can be attracted to the board surface 301, but by adsorbing the suction cup to an appropriate place on the board surface 301, the inclinometer of this embodiment is as described above. Can be used in the usage of.
When the measurement surface is the board surface 301, the suction cup provided in the fixing portion 140 can be replaced with another one. A nail 302 exists on the board surface 301. The suction cup can be replaced with a means for realizing detachable fixing to the nail 302 by locking or the like.

110 Base 120 Contact part 121 Square pipe 125 Shaft bolt 130 Tilt angle measuring part 131 Case 132 Small case 132A Level 140 Fixed part 141 Support member 143 Front pillar 148 Guide member 149 Coil spring

Claims (5)

An inclinometer that measures the inclination angle of the board of a gaming machine.
At least one contact member that is brought into contact with the measuring surface, which is the surface of the glass plate in front of the board surface of the gaming machine.
Provided to the contact member for measuring the inclination angle of a virtual axis which is a virtual axis having a fixed positional relationship with respect to the contact member when the contact member is brought into contact with the measurement surface. Inclination angle measuring means and
A base that is connected to the abutting member and is provided with a fixing means that can be detachably fixed to the measuring surface.
It is an inclinometer that has
The contact member is a first axis having a positional relationship perpendicular to the measurement surface when the fixing means is fixed to the measurement surface with respect to the base. It is mounted rotatably around the first axis,
When the abutting member is brought into contact with the measuring surface, the abutting member rotates with respect to the base along the measuring surface due to gravity, and the virtual axis in each of the abutting members is the said. It moves so as to be parallel to the maximum inclination line of the measurement surface in the portion where the abutting member exists.
Tiltmeter. The contact member is a rod-shaped rod whose length direction is the virtual axis, and is attached to the base near the upper end thereof.
The inclinometer according to claim 1. The fixing means is a suction cup.
The inclinometer according to claim 1. It is provided with an urging means for urging the contact member with respect to the measuring surface when the base is detachably fixed to the measuring surface by the fixing means.
The inclinometer according to claim 1. The contact member has a positional relationship that is horizontal to the base and perpendicular to the first axis when the fixing means is fixed to the measurement surface. It is mounted rotatably around the second axis, which is the second axis.
When the abutting member is brought into contact with the measuring surface, each of the abutting members is rotated by gravity so that the lower part of the abutting member approaches the measuring surface with respect to the base, and the abutting member is brought into contact with the measuring surface. The virtual axis in each of the members moves so as to be parallel to the maximum inclination line of the measurement surface in the portion where the contact member exists.
The inclinometer according to claim 1.

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