JPH0683744B2 - Amusement machine - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a pachinko gaming machine represented by a gaming machine, and particularly relates to a pachinko gaming machine represented by a gaming machine in which a ball discharging device can be easily repaired and replaced. .

[Prior Art and its Problems] As is well known, a prize ball discharging device of a pachinko gaming machine arranged in a game store is required to discharge a predetermined number of prize balls for each winning ball. .

Therefore, the pachinko ball ejection device that requires reliable ball ejection has a counting function for counting the pachinko balls ejected to the saucer or the storage tank, and the pachinko ball ejection when a predetermined number of pachinko balls are ejected. It is required to have a stopper function to stop.

As a discharge device with a ball counting function that has been conventionally used conventionally, the weight of the pachinko ball that flows down in the course of the pachinko ball passage from the supply chute that forms part of the island equipment to the pachinko ball discharge port There is one in which a ratchet wheel that rotates by one pitch per one is faced, and the rotation is stopped when the ratchet wheel rotates by a predetermined angle. In addition, a swingable ball sheath that can store a predetermined number of pachinko balls is arranged at the top of the device, and the ball sheath is rocked every time a coin is inserted or whenever a pachinko ball wins. There is known one in which a predetermined number of stored pachinko balls are discharged.

This kind of conventional pachinko ball discharging device has sufficiently high accuracy when only its counting function is seen, but there is a problem that the storage space becomes large because the number of mechanical parts is large.

In addition, the conventional prize ball discharging device is composed of a plurality of components, which are individually attached to predetermined positions on the back mechanism board of the pachinko gaming machine (for example, the operating member, the drive source, etc. are individually mounted). It was attached to the back mechanism board)
Therefore, the installation work is troublesome, and the frequency of operation is relatively high, so it is relatively easy to cause trouble.Even if the discharge device breaks down, it is troublesome to repair it because the discharge device was mounted on the back mechanism panel with a complicated structure. There was a problem.

[Object of the Invention] The object of the present invention is to be able to easily and surely attach to a desired attaching position, and also to easily perform repair and replacement in the event of a failure, and prevent problems such as ball clogging. Another object of the present invention is to provide a pachinko gaming machine typified by a gaming machine equipped with a ball discharging device that can reliably flow down.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[Summary of the Invention] The present invention provides a guide trough for connecting a supply trough that guides a ball before discharge from above and a discharge trough that allows a ball after discharge to flow down, and a guide trough that intersects with the guide trough. A ball discharge device is configured by an operating member for controlling the discharge of the balls by allowing or blocking the passage of the balls flowing down in a line in the guide trough and the driving source of the operating member. In addition, the ball discharge device is automatically positioned at a desired mounting position by simply assembling these into a holding body to form a unit, and by providing a position restricting means for restricting the mounting position. The present invention enables reliable attachment and easy repair and replacement when a failure occurs.

[Embodiment] FIGS. 1 to 3 show an embodiment of a main part of a ball discharging device according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, a gutter component 1 that constitutes the main part of the pachinko ball ejection path and a ball ejection device 2 for blocking or releasing the flow of pachinko balls that flow down in the pachinko ball ejection path are held. The holding body 3 is integrally formed. A solenoid 21 is fixed to the holder 3 as a driving means of the ball discharging device 2.

The gutter component member 1 includes a gently inclined alignment gutter 11 and
The adjusting gutter 13 extending substantially vertically downward from the lower end of the aligning gutter 11 and an adjusting part at the connection part between the aligning gutter 11 and the adjusting gutter 13 for changing the direction of the flowing ball about 90 degrees. 12, a guide gutter 14 extending obliquely downward about 45 degrees from the lower end of the flow control gutter 13, and a discharge gutter 15 extending substantially vertically downward from the end of the guide gutter 14. ing.

A pair of support pieces 16 are projected from the outer wall of the gutter component 1 in the vicinity of the boundary between the guide gutter 14 and the discharge gutter 15, and the support shaft 4 is horizontally mounted between the support pieces 16.

Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, two pachinko ball discharge paths are formed. Corresponding to these two discharge paths, a pair of pachinko balls serving as operating members are provided on the support shaft 4. A fan-shaped downflow prevention member 22 is rotatably mounted. A pair of solenoids 21 is provided corresponding to the flow-down prevention member 22. Then, the tip end of this flow-down prevention member 22,
It enters through a slit provided in the inner wall portion of the gutter component member 1 and projects into the guide gutter 14. The rear end portion of the downflow prevention member 22 is connected to the front end portion of the plunger 21a of the solenoid 21 via a link member 23. As the plunger 21a expands and contracts, the downflow prevention member 22 is supported by the spindle 4a.
It is reciprocally rotated around and its tip is adapted to enter or retract into the guide gutter 14.

Further, the side wall of the guide trough 14 is bulged to the outside to form an accommodating portion 17, into which the falling ball detector 5 composed of a transmissive optical sensor is inserted. For the storage unit 17,
The details are shown in FIG. Further, FIG. 7 shows a slit 19 for advancing the downflow preventing member 22 which is formed continuously with the housing portion 17.

In addition, on the upper part of the holding body 3, wiring lines for concentrating the lead wires drawn out from the solenoid 21 and the falling ball detector 5 at one place and connecting with the control device of the pachinko gaming machine and the like from the front are provided. A connector 6 is provided so that they can be collectively connected.

Further, in this embodiment, the ball discharging device 2 unitized as described above and the upper end of the gutter constituting member 1, that is, the inlet of the aligning gutter 11 which constitutes the starting end of the discharging path, is shown by a chain line A in FIG.
As shown by, the end of the supply gutter 10 for guiding the balls in the storage tank 7 for pachinko balls is connected.

Moreover, a positioning locking piece 11a as a position regulating means is projected on the upper side of the starting end of the alignment gutter 11, and a mounting portion 11b is provided on the lower side thereof, so that the end of the supply gutter 10 is engaged. It is possible to prevent the vertical displacement when being damaged. Further, since the locking piece 11a is provided only on the upper side of the alignment gutter 11, the insertion end of the alignment gutter 11 and the end of the supply gutter 10 can be simply inserted by inserting the ball discharge device 2 from the front side. Can be engaged. In this embodiment, the locking piece 11a for positioning is provided on the upper side of the starting end of the alignment gutter 11, but a similar locking piece can be provided at the end of the supply gutter 10.

In the vicinity of the terminal end of the supply gutter 10, there is a stepped pressure reducing portion 18
Are formed.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment in which the supply gutter 10 having the pressure reducing portion 18 is unitized together with the gutter component 1 and the ball discharging device 2.

In this embodiment, each gutter member forming the two flow-down paths in the above-described embodiment and the flow-down blocking member corresponding to each flow-down path.
A solenoid 22 and a solenoid 21 as its driving means are held between a pair of parallel plates 24, respectively. The two parallel plates 24 are integrally connected to each other by a connecting rod 25. In addition, the supply gutter 10 is a parallel plate
It is placed on a connecting rod 25 arranged at the rear end of 24.

As a result, the gutter component 1, the ball discharging device 2 and the supply gutter 10 are integrally held between the two sets of parallel plates 24, and one-touch as a ball discharging device in the pachinko gaming machine or the ball lending machine around it. It becomes possible to install the device in a compact form.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, stopper pins 26 are provided on the side portions of the flow-down prevention member 22 and are supplied to the arc-shaped guide holes 24a formed in the parallel plate 24, and the flow-down prevention member 2
The rotation range of 2 is regulated. In addition, the pin 27 extending horizontally below the front end of the parallel plate 24 is provided with a downflow prevention member 22.
A spring 28 is stretched between the tip of the spring and the return spring 21b in the solenoid 21 to assist the rotation of the downflow prevention member 22, and the downflow prevention member 22 is swiftly rotated at the end of the discharge. It is possible to prevent the discharge of. However, when the spring 28 is provided, it is possible not to provide the return spring 21b in the solenoid 21.

In the above embodiment, the supply gutter 10 and the alignment gutter 11 can be considered as one alignment gutter. In that case, the decompression unit 18 is provided in the middle of the alignment gutter.

Next, the operation of the flow-down path (1) and the ball discharging device configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

When the fan-shaped downflow prevention member 22 enters the guideway 14 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5, the pachinko balls B aligned in the downflow path (1) are the most advanced balls B ₁ downflow. Blocking member
It is stopped by touching the outer peripheral surface of 22.

At this time, two balls B ₁ and B ₂ are housed in the guide gutter 14 and three balls B ₃ , B ₄ and B ₅ are housed in the adjusting trough 13 so that the guide gutter 14 can be housed.
The dimensions of 14 and diversion trough 13 are determined respectively. Moreover, the uppermost ball B ₅ in the adjusting trough 13 is the balls B ₆ , B ₇ in the alignment trough 11.
It is pushed by and is brought into contact with the tapered adjusting portion 12. When pressed toward the adjusting unit 12, the ball
B ₅ receives the repulsive force from the adjusting unit 12, and the repulsive force is transmitted to the ball B ₅ and the balls B ₄ , B ₃ ... Which are below the ball B _5, and acts to push them up. As a result, the downflow prevention member 22
Is retracted from inside the guide trough 14 as indicated by a broken line c in FIG. 5, due to the repulsive force from the adjusting section 12 and the weight of the sphere, the balls B _{1 to} B ₅ inside the adjusting trough 13 and the guide trough 14 are It begins to flow down quickly.

When the spheres B _{1 to} B ₅ flow down, the spheres B ₆ , B ₇ ... In the alignment gutter 11 continue to flow down. Then, at the exit of the alignment gutter 11, it first collides with the adjusting part 12 to reduce the downflow speed, and the downflow direction is converted from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction by approximately 90 °, and the flow adjusting part 13
to go into. Since the acceleration is performed by its own weight there, a space between the ball and the subsequent ball decelerated by the adjusting unit 12 is secured. Therefore, the output waveform of the detector 5 is as shown in FIG. 6, and the detection interval t ₁ of the spheres B _{3 to} B _{5 in} the diversion trough 13 is t _1.
The detection interval t _{2 of} the succeeding spheres B ₆ , B _7, ... Is wider than that of.
As a result, for example, when the solenoid 21 is demagnetized at the time when the ball B ₇ is detected, even if there is a delay in the operation of the downflow prevention member 22, it becomes possible to prevent the downflow before the ball B ₇ passes. .

On the other hand, since the aligning trough 11 is provided with the decompression section 18, the ball pressure due to the weight of the upstream sphere transmitted through the spheres B ₁₁ , B ₁₂ , ... on the upstream side of the decompression section 18 acts in the horizontal direction. Therefore, a considerable part is absorbed by the decompression unit 18. As a result, the ball pressure transmitted to the ball B ₁₁ in the stopped (standby) state is hardly transmitted to the balls B _{1 to} B ₅ in the diversion trough 13 and the guide trough 14, so that the pressure acting on the downflow prevention member 22 is also reduced. Get smaller. As a result, the flow-down prevention member 22 can be retracted with a comparatively small force. The inclination angle of the alignment gutter 11 is preferably about 7 °. Further, in the downflow path, the center O ₅ of the sphere B ₅ located at the uppermost position of the diversion trough 12 in a state where the downflow is blocked by the downflow prevention member 22 is a sphere B ₆ aligned in the alignment gutter 11. as will be positioned below the extension line of the center line connecting the center O ₆ ~ O ₁₀ of .about.B _10, the dimensions of the induction gutter 14 and adjusting flow trough 13 is determined. Therefore, the waiting balls B _{6 to} B ₁₀
The pressure transmitted from B ₅ to B ₅ creates a component force that pushes down ball B ₅ . As a result, when the downflow prevention member 22 retracts, the uppermost ball B ₅ of the diversion gutter 13 is sandwiched between the following ball B ₆ and the outer wall 13a of the diversion gutter 13, and the balls B ₁ to It is not that be are prevented from trying to flow down to follow the stream of B _4.

The falling ball detector 5 provided in the middle of the guiding trough 14 is arranged so that the detection optical axis F thereof is located slightly off the center of the sphere flowing down in the trough. When the detection optical axis F is positioned so as to pass through the center of the sphere, when a plurality of spheres continuously flow down, the pulse interval of the detection signal becomes narrow and accurate counting may not be possible. . However, in this embodiment, as described above, by shifting the detection optical axis F from the center of the sphere, accurate counting becomes possible.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the downflow prevention member 22 is attached so that the rotation surface of the fan-shaped downflow prevention member 22 coincides with the downflow locus of the center of the downflowing sphere, and the gutter 14 is guided downward from above. It is moved so as to enter inside, and stops the falling ball. Therefore, the stopper force (for example, the fourth portion) that limits the rotation range of the downflow blocking member 22 against the impact force that acts on the downflow blocking member 22 when the downflowing ball stops.
In the figure, the end of the guide hole 24a or the downflow prevention member 22
Since it can be received by the slit end of the guide gutter 14 which enters, it is possible to easily provide strength enough to withstand the shock that acts at the time of stop.

Moreover, since the ball B _{1 at the} lowermost end comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the fan-shaped downflow prevention member 22 and is stopped, the ball B _{1 at the} lowermost end is between the outer peripheral surface of the downflow prevention member 22 and the wall surface of the guide gutter 14. Even if the flow stop member 22 is stopped in such a manner as to bite into, the flow-down prevention member 22 moves away while rotating the ball B ₁ on its outer peripheral surface when retracting. Therefore, the flow-down prevention member 22 can be retracted with a relatively small force, and the sphere is not caught between the flow-down prevention member 22 and the wall surface of the guide gutter 14 and does not become stuck.

Further, the line connecting the rotation center of the flow-down prevention member 22 and the center O ₁ of the sphere B ₁ at the lowermost end in the guide trough 14 is arranged so as to be horizontal. Therefore, immediately ball B ₁ is enabled under a stream when the end of the falling-blocking member 22 is disengaged from the outer periphery of the ball B _1, blocking force from ball B ₁ is lowered slightly shear with the rotation of the flow-down preventing member 22 is outside And there is no such thing as starting the flow.

Further, in the above embodiment, the angle α formed between the flow control trough 13 and the guide flow gutter 14 may be in the range of 0 to 90 °, but if it is set to about 45 °, the flow is accelerated in the flow control trough 13. The speed of the falling ball is not significantly reduced, and the load applied to the falling prevention member 22 when stopped can be reduced.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the flow-down blocking member 22 and the guide gutter are provided while the flow-down blocking member 22 blocks the flow-down of the sphere.
The distance d between the vertical line G passing through a point separated by the diameter of the sphere from the point of contact with the ball B _{1 at} the bottom of 14 and the wall 15a of the discharge gutter 15
Is smaller than the radius r of the sphere and larger than r-rcosα (r-rcosα <d <r), the position of the terminal end 14a of the guide trough 14 is determined. As a result, the downflow prevention member 22
When the ball enters the guide trough 14 and blocks the flow of the ball, the last discharged ball is discharged by being pushed by the end face 22a of the flow blocking member 22, and the end 14a of the guide trough 14 is discharged. When it reaches, it can flow down into the discharge gutter 15 and escape from the flow-down blocking member 22. Therefore, the final discharge ball remains in the guide trough 15 forever and does not hinder the flow-down prevention member 22 from entering, and quick discharge can be stopped.

However, the guide gutter 14 may be extended like the chain line E.

When a spring 28 is used as a means for giving a force to cause the downflow prevention member 22 to enter the guide trough 14, the spring 28 is a broken line C in FIG. As shown by, the end of the downflow prevention member 22 is
It is preferable to arrange the line of action D of the spring 28 so as to be substantially at right angles to the end face 22a of the downflow preventing member 22 when it starts to enter 14. As a result, the downflow prevention member 22 moves the guide gutter 14
When it comes into contact with the inner sphere, the rotation speed is maximized and the falling sphere can be stopped in a crisp manner.

In addition, the height a of the alignment gutter 11 that constitutes the flow-down path, the adjusting unit 12
The relationship between the height b of the flow control b and the height c of the flow control trough 13 is expressed as a ≧ c> b
It is desirable to form so as to obtain stable downflow speed and sphere spacing. Further, when the diameter of the sphere is 11 mm, the most appropriate values of the heights a, b, and c are a = 12.
The flow-down experiment revealed that mm, b = 11.3 m, c = 11.7 mm.

Next, FIGS. 8 to 10 show modified examples of the rotation return means of the flow-down prevention member 22.

In the above-described embodiment, the return spring 21b (see FIG. 2) in the solenoid 21 or the spring 28 (see FIG. 4) locked to the tip of the downflow prevention member 22 is used to return the rotation of the downflow prevention member 22. ing.

On the other hand, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the stopper pin 26 (fourth protrusion) for restricting the rotation position, which is provided on the side portion of the downflow prevention member 22, is provided.
And a pin 27 between the parallel plates 24, a return spring 28 is stretched.

Also, in the embodiment of FIG.
Forming a locking piece 22a in the shape of a letter, and this locking piece 22a and solenoid
A return spring 28 is stretched between a locking piece 21c protruding from the main body of 21.

Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 10, a coil spring 28 'is fitted to the rotary shaft 4 of the flow-down blocking member 22, and one end of the coil spring 28' is fitted to a locking portion 22b formed on the side surface of the flow-down blocking member 22. ,
Further, the other end is locked to a locking portion 15b formed on the outer wall of the discharge gutter 15 to apply a turning force to the blocking member 22.

In this case, if the coil spring 28 'and the rotating shaft 4 are loosely fitted, the restoring force is not constant, so that the coil spring 28' is fitted to the end of the rotating shaft 4 with a large diameter. It is preferable to form the joint portion 4a.

In addition, since springs generally have a non-uniform restoring force due to variations in the manufacturing process and changes over time, variations occur in the rotation speed of the downflow prevention member 22 for each product (ball discharge device), and the downflow prevention timing is delicate. There is a risk of slippage.
In view of this, in this embodiment, a plurality of locking recesses are provided in the locking portion 15b of the discharge gutter 15, and the position of the recess for locking one end of the coil spring 28 'is changed so that the rotation return force is gradually increased. It can be adjusted. As a result, it is possible to eliminate variations in the rotation speed of the flow-down prevention member 22 and discharge balls with higher accuracy.

FIG. 11 shows another structural example of the rotation driving means for the flow-down prevention member 22.

In this embodiment, as the rotation driving means for the flow-down prevention member 22, a pulse motor capable of forward and reverse rotation instead of the solenoid 21 is used.
21 'and the rotary shaft of this pulse motor 21'
A fan-shaped downflow prevention member 22 is directly attached to 21a '.
Further, in order to determine the home position of the pulse motor 21 ', that is, the rotational end position of the downflow blocking member 22, detectors 30 and 31 such as optical sensors for detecting the rotational position of the downflow blocking member 22 are provided. It is most desirable to provide two detectors so that the forward and backward positions can be detected respectively as shown in the figure, but the detector 31 on the backward side is omitted and the forward side as shown in FIG. It is also possible to use only the detector 30 of FIG.

FIG. 12 to FIG. 14 show another embodiment of the rotational position restricting means of the flow-down blocking member 22.

In the embodiment of FIG. 12, the forward direction position regulation of the flow-down prevention member 22 is performed by the lower end portion 19a of the slit 19 formed in the guide trough 14, and the backward direction position regulation is performed by the solenoid 21.
The restriction block 21d is provided at the rear of the inside of the plunger 21a.
It is carried out by stopping the retreat of every time.

In the embodiment of FIG. 13, the position regulation in the forward direction is the same as that in FIG. 12, but the position regulation in the backward direction is provided with the regulation piece 3a on the holding body 3 (see FIG. 2) of the ball discharging device 2. I am doing it.

Furthermore, in the embodiment of FIG. 14, the tip of the locking piece 22a of the return spring 28 provided at the base of the flow-down prevention member 22 is
By contacting the outer wall of the discharge gutter 15, the position is regulated in the backward direction.

Further, in FIG. 15, the stopper pin 26, which is provided on the side surface of the flow-down prevention member 22 so as to regulate the position of the flow-down prevention member 22 in the forward direction,
Is shown by directly contacting the outer wall of the guide gutter 14.

16 to 18 show specific examples of the flow-down prevention member 22.

The downflow prevention member 22 shown in FIG. 16 is formed so that the contact surface 22c that enters the guide trough 14 and prevents the downflow of the ball is flat in the thickness direction.

On the other hand, the downflow prevention member 22 shown in FIG.
A slit 22d is formed in the center of c along the circumferential direction. As a result, the weight of the downflow prevention member 22 can be reduced, and the driving force of the solenoid can be reduced.
The falling ball B is abutting surface 22c at two points as shown in FIG.
Therefore, it is possible to suppress the movement in the width direction within the guide gutter 14 and stop the falling ball B at the center of the gutter.

Further, in the flow-down prevention member 22 shown in FIG. 18, instead of forming a slit in the contact surface 22c, one side half is cut out along the circumferential direction. As a result, the weight of the downflow prevention member 22 can be further reduced, and the downflow ball B is pushed to one side of the guiding gutter 14 and stopped to restrict the position in the width direction. When the gutter is curved to the left or right (right side in the drawing) below the member 22, the flow can be smoothly performed.

Next, a specific application example of the ball discharging device configured as described above will be described.

FIG. 19 shows an embodiment in which the ball discharging device according to the present invention is applied to a prize ball discharging device of a pachinko gaming machine.

A reserve sphere storage tank 41 is arranged above the back mechanism board 40, and a guide gutter 42 for automatically aligning and guiding the reserve spheres inside is connected to one end of the storage tank 41. The guide gutter 42 has two passages, is gently inclined, and is provided with a pendulum type ball seal 43 and a pressing type ball seal 44 on the way, whereby the spare ball flows down the guide gutter 42. It is lined up in two rows.

A ball discharging device according to the present invention unitized as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is provided as a prize ball discharging device 45 at the lower end of the guide gutter 42. The hit balls that entered the winning opening provided in the game board on the front of the pachinko gaming machine are collected on the back and collected in one place by the collecting rack 46, and the safe ball detector 47 detects it and issues an ejection command. When the signal is generated, the prize ball ejecting device 45 is activated to eject a predetermined number (eg, 13) of prize balls.
The discharged prize balls are discharged from the supply port 49 through the outlet gutter 48 into a supply plate (not shown) on the front surface of the game machine. When the supply tray is full, the prize balls are discharged to the lower tray (not shown) through the diversion gutter 50. When the tray is full, it is detected by the overflow detector 51, and the driving of the hitting ball launching device is stopped, for example.

52 is an out hole for collecting, in the back of the game board, the hit balls that have not been won in the winning opening among the hit balls that have been hit on the game board. Reference numeral 53 is a detector for detecting when there is no spare ball in the storage tank 41.

Next, an embodiment of a control device for controlling the ball ejection device according to the present invention to eject a predetermined number of balls will be described with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, the control of the ball discharging device is performed by using a CPU (microcomputer).

The CPU 200 includes a safe sphere detector 47 (first
The discharge request signal SO output from (see FIG. 19) is input. In addition, the CPU 200 is provided with a discharge ball detection signal S from a pair of detectors 5 provided in the flow path 1 of the ball discharge device 2.
Waveforms of 1 and S2 are shaped by the waveform shaping circuits 211 and 212, and then only normal detection signals are extracted and input through the filters 213 and 214.

The CPU 200 is internally provided with a ROM 201 that is a read-only memory and a RAM 202 that is a memory that can be read and written at any time. Among them, the ROM 201 has a program to be executed by the CPU 200 for controlling the sphere ejecting device and the spheres to be ejected through the two flow-down paths in the sphere ejecting device 2 in response to one ejection request signal SO. Stores fixed data such as the number (base number 1, 2) and wait time (discharge interval).

On the other hand, RAM202, based on the discharge ball detection signals S1, S2,
Memorize the cumulative number of balls discharged from each downflow route,
It provides the register area that constitutes the soft timer and the work area (work area) of the CPU200.

Further, the drivers 221, 222, 223, 224 are connected to the CPU 200, and when the discharge request signal SO is input, the drivers are
221 is driven to light the discharge display lamp LMP, and drivers 222 and 223 are driven to excite the solenoids SOL ₁ and SOL ₂ (21) as a pair of discharge driving means in the ball discharging device.

As a result, the downflow prevention member 22 is retracted from the downflow path 1, and a predetermined number of balls are discharged. When it is determined that there is no spare ball in the downflow route based on the discharge ball detection signals S1 and S2, the driver 224 is driven and an alarm device is sounded (alarm output). 230 is a power supply unit of the CPU 200.

Next, the ball ejecting device is operated by the control device,
An example of a control procedure for accurately discharging a desired number of balls will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

Note that FIG. 21 shows the configuration of the register area in the CPU 200 when the discharge processing is performed according to the flow of FIG.

When the CPU is activated, access is first started from the ROM 201, and the instructions of the program stored therein are sequentially read and executed. As a result, a series of discharge processing shown in FIG. 22 is started.

When the discharge process is started, first, the discharge request signal SO is read (routine R1), and it is determined whether or not there is a rising edge of the signal, that is, whether the discharge request signal SO has changed to a high level (routine R1). R2), RAM2 when there is an edge
One is added to the value of the instruction register (see FIG. 21) in 02 and the routine proceeds from routine (R3) to routine R4. When there is no signal edge, the routine jumps from R2 to R4. routine
At R4, the mode register in the RAM 202 is checked to determine whether or not the mode relating to the two downstream paths of the discharge system 1 and the discharge system 2, that is, the ball discharge device is "0". If the mode is "0", the process of the discharge system 1 is started.

Then, when the system starts to operate, the registers are set to "0", so the determination result in the first routine R4 is YES (Y) and the routine proceeds to routine R5.

In routine R5, the value of the instruction register in RAM202 is "0".
If it is “0”, the process proceeds to the process of the discharge system 1. If it is not “0”, that is, if ≠ 0, the routine is executed.
Move to R6. Therefore, when 1 is added to the instruction register in the routine R3, the routine always goes to the routine R6.

In the routine R6, the signal from the discharge ball detector of the discharge system 1 is checked to determine whether or not there is a ball in the downflow path. Look at the detector signal. Then, it is determined whether or not there is a sphere in the downflow path. If routines R6 and R7 determine that there are no balls, jump to routine R12 and sound an alarm.

If there are balls in both the discharge systems 1 and 2, the two solenoids in the ball discharging device are excited to start discharging (routine R8), and a lamp LM indicating that discharging is in progress.
Turn on P (routine R9). Also, the above routine R12
As a result of notifying that there is no ball in the downflow route at, when the clerk removes the state without a ball, the routine R10 stops the alarm output.

After the discharge is started as described above, the mode set in the mode registers of the discharge systems 1 and 2 in the RAM 202 is changed from "0" to "1", and the next discharge system 1 process (routine R21 ~ R32).

In the processing of the discharge system 1, first, the mode register related to the discharge system 1 is checked to determine whether the mode is "1" (routine R21). If the mode is "1", the routine proceeds to the next routine, the signal of the discharge ball detector is read, and it is determined whether or not there is an edge of the signal (R22, R23). Here, if there is no signal edge, the process of the discharge system 1 is terminated and the process of the discharge system 2 is started. When there is a signal edge, 1 is added to the value of the discharge register 1 in the RAM 202.
That is, the number of discharged balls is increased by 1 (routine R24).

Then, the value of the discharge register 1 is the predetermined radix 1
It is determined whether (the set number of balls of the discharge system 1) has been reached (routine R25), and if it has not reached, the process proceeds to the process of the discharge system 2 (routines R41 to R52).

In the processing of the discharge system 2, regarding the discharge system 2 of the ball discharging device,
In the same procedure as the processing in the discharge system 1 described above, the mode determination (R41) and the discharge ball detection signal check (R42, R
43), the discharge register is added (R44) and the number of discharged balls is checked (R45). If the number has not reached the predetermined number, the process proceeds to post-processing (routines R61 to R66).

In the post-processing, first look at the mode registers of the discharge systems 1 and 2 and determine whether the modes are both "2". If the modes are not "2", jump to R63 and set both modes here. It is determined whether it is "3". And
If the mode is not "3", the routine R1 ~ again
Return to the first discharge process consisting of R12.

When the number of discharged balls in the discharge system 1 of the ball discharge device reaches a predetermined number (base 1) while repeating the above procedure, it is determined to be YES in the routine R25 of the discharge system 1 processing, and the routine is executed. Proceed to R26, turn off the solenoid of discharge system 1, and then set wait timer 1 in RAM (routine R27)
After that, the mode 1 in the mode register 1 is changed to the mode 2 (routine R28). Similarly, when the number of discharged balls in the discharge system 2 reaches a predetermined number (base number 2), the routine R45 of the discharge system 2 process makes a determination of YES and proceeds to routine R46 to turn off the solenoid of the discharge system 2. Then, after setting the wait timer 2 in the RAM (routine R47), the mode 1 in the mode register 2 is changed to the mode 2 (routine R48).

After that, when the process shifts to the post-treatment, the exhaust system 1
Since it is determined that both modes of 2 and 2 have become "2", the routine proceeds to routine R62, the lamp LMP indicating the discharging is turned off, and then the processing returns to the first processing.

When the next discharge request signal comes in during the discharge process in the ball discharge device, the number of discharge requests is stored by reading the signal edge in routine R2 and adding the instruction register (routine R3).

When the discharge solenoid (R1 to R12) is returned after the discharge solenoid is turned off, the mode of the discharge systems 1 and 2 is "2" at that time, so the routine R4 directly jumps to the discharge system 1 process. Then proceed from routine R21 to R29, where
If YES is determined, the routine proceeds to the next routine R30, and the wait timer 1 is subtracted. Then, it is determined whether or not the wait timer 1 has become "0", and if it is not "0", the process of the discharge system 2 is entered. Even in the discharge system 2, the process related to the wait timer 2 (R41 → R49 →
After performing R50 → R51), move to post-processing. In the post-processing, the process proceeds from R61 to R62 and then returns to the first processing.

When a predetermined time elapses while repeating the above procedure, it is determined that the wait timers have become "0" in the routine R31 for the discharge system 1 processing and the routine R51 for the discharge system 2 processing, respectively, and the next The routine proceeds to routines R32 and R52, changes the mode in the mode register from "2" to "3", and shifts to post-processing. Then, in the post-processing, the routine
If it is determined to be YES in R63, the routine proceeds to the next routine R64 to subtract the instruction register. That is, the number of stored discharge request signals is reduced by "1" after a lapse of a fixed time after the end of one discharge process. Then, after clearing the values of the discharge registers 1 and 2 which store the number of discharge balls in each downflow route, the mode in the mode register is changed from "3" to "0" again.
, And then return to the first process (routine
R65, R66).

By repeating the above procedure, a predetermined number of balls are discharged by the ball discharging device according to the number of discharge request signals. The CPU interrupts once every 2 ms,
The discharge processing program according to the above flow is executed. Therefore, timer management becomes possible by counting the number of interrupts.

If it is desired to change the number of balls to be discharged once by the ball discharging device, it can be easily realized by rewriting the radix 1 and the radix 2 of the fixed data in the ROM 201.

[Effect] As described above, according to the present invention, a guide gutter for connecting a supply gutter that guides a ball before discharge from above and a discharge gutter that allows a ball after discharge to flow down, and a guide gutter that intersects with the guide gutter. Is provided so as to control the discharge of the balls by allowing or blocking the passage of the balls that flow down in a line in the guide trough, and the driving source of the operating members. Since the discharging device is configured, and these are integrally assembled to the holder to form a unit, and the position restricting means for restricting the mounting position is provided, the ball discharging device is automatically positioned at the desired mounting position. It can be installed easily and securely in the state, and even if a failure occurs, it is unitized, so the miniaturized ball discharging device is removed and the back mechanism board of a pachinko gaming machine typified by a gaming machine It can be easily repaired without being disturbed by other parts and members, and when the repair is impossible or difficult, the entire device can be easily replaced. Further, since it is unitized, it is possible to operate the gaming machine without playing it if the spare ball discharging device unit is attached while the ball discharging device is removed and repaired.

Further, the position regulating means makes the communication state of the connection points between the gutters proper, and it is possible to surely eliminate the inconvenience such as a ball stop that easily occurs at the connection points.

Further, if a detector housing for detachably attaching a falling ball detector for detecting a falling pachinko ball is provided in the middle of the guiding trough, the unit also includes the falling ball detector. In addition, it is possible to easily replace only the detector when the detector fails.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an inclined view showing an embodiment of a ball discharging device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the ball discharging device, and FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the same ball discharging device. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the ball discharge device, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the action of the flow-down path and flow-down prevention member, and FIG. 6 is a waveform showing the output waveform of the discharge detector. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a configuration example of the downflow path, and FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 are inclined views showing another embodiment of the rotation return means of the downflow prevention member. FIG. 11 is an inclined view showing another embodiment of the rotation driving means for the flow-down prevention member, and FIGS. 12, 13, 14, and 15 show other examples of the rotation position regulating means for the flow-down prevention member. FIG. 16, FIG. 17, FIG. 18 and FIG. 18 are explanatory views showing another configuration example of the flow-down prevention member, and FIG. 19 is a prize of the ball discharging device according to the present invention. A rear view showing a configuration example of a back mechanism board of a pachinko gaming machine used as a ball discharging device, FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a control device of the ball discharging device according to the present invention, and FIG. 21 is FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of a register area of a RAM in the CPU, and FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing an example of a control procedure of the ball discharging device by the CPU. 1 ... Downflow path (gutter component), 2 ... Ball discharge device, 5
…… Discharge detector, 11 …… Alignment gutter, 13 …… Adjustment gutter, 14 ……
Induction gutter, 15 ... Discharge gutter, 21 ... Solenoid, 22 ... Downflow prevention member, 26 ... Stopper pin.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A storage tank for storing balls is provided on an upper part of the back mechanism board, a supply gutter for guiding the balls is connected to the storage tank, and a ball discharging device is provided at an end portion of the supply gutter. A gaming machine having a discharge gutter for discharging discharged balls below the ball discharge device, wherein the ball discharge device allows a ball to flow down between the supply gutter and the discharge gutter. A guide gutter for communicating with the guide gutter, and an operating member for intersecting the guide gutter and controlling discharge of the ball by allowing or blocking passage of the ball flowing down in the guide gutter. A drive source for the operating member is provided, and the guiding trough, the operating member, and the driving source are organically combined by a holder to unitize the ball discharging device and regulate the mounting position of the ball discharging device. The position regulating means for More as the induction gutter is communicated in a proper state between the feed trough bottom and the derivation gutter upper end,
A game machine equipped with the above-mentioned unitized ball discharging device. 2. The sphere ejecting device is provided with a detector housing to which a downflow detector capable of detecting the downflow of the sphere is detachably attached, and the downflow detector is housed in the housing. The gaming machine according to claim 1, further comprising a discharging device.