JPH0738292B2 - Pachinko ball detection sensor - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a pachinko ball detection sensor which is provided at a winning opening of a pachinko machine and used to detect passage of a pachinko ball.

<Prior Art> Conventionally, there are various types of sensors as this type of sensor. For example, an optical type using a photodetector is provided with a detection hole with a diameter that allows pachinko balls to pass through, and the light projecting element in the photodetector is provided on one side of this detection hole and the light receiving element is located at the opposite position. The elements are arranged to form an optical path in the radial direction of the detection hole. In the pachinko ball detection sensor having such a configuration, when the pachinko ball passes through the detection hole, the light path of the photodetector is momentarily interrupted by the pachinko ball, so that the amount of light received by the light-receiving element changes, which results in the pachinko ball. The passing of a ball is detected.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, since the light projecting element and the light receiving element in the above photodetector are opposed to each other across the detection hole, the light receiving surface of the light receiving element is particularly exposed to the outside. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is easily affected by ambient light and may malfunction.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and by configuring the photodetector to be housed inside the case body, an optical pachinko ball that is not affected by ambient light and does not cause a malfunction. An object is to provide a detection sensor.

<Means for Solving Problems> The pachinko ball detection sensor of the present invention has a case body provided with a detection hole having a hole diameter through which a pachinko ball can pass,
A light detector consisting of a light emitting element and a light receiving element is housed and arranged, and a movable piece having a convex curved surface at one end is formed between the detection hole and the photodetector. It is deployed while being biased to project. This movable piece opens the optical passage when the convex curved surface portion projects in and out of the detection hole, and the other end portion on the optical passage side projects the convex curved surface portion into the detection hole, and the convex curved surface portion recedes from the detection hole. It is supported so that it can reciprocate so as to block the optical path when it is turned on.

<Operation> When the pachinko ball does not pass through the detection hole, the convex curved surface portion of the end of the movable piece on the detection hole side projects into the detection hole, and the other end opens the optical path of the photodetector. When the pachinko ball passes through the detection hole, the pachinko ball comes into contact with the convex curved surface portion of the end portion on the detection hole side, so that the convex curved surface part retreats from the detection hole and the other end portion is the light of the photodetector. Block the passage. As a result, the amount of light received changes due to the light receiving element, and the passage of the pachinko ball is detected.

In this case, since the photodetector is housed inside the case body, it is not affected by the ambient light, and no malfunction due to the ambient light occurs. In addition, since the protruding part of the movable piece toward the detection hole side is formed in a convex curved surface, friction that occurs when the movable piece contacts the pachinko ball is reduced, and the movable piece reliably detects light by contacting the pachinko ball. It is displaced toward the container side, and the passage of the pachinko ball is accurately detected by the photodetector.

<Embodiment> FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a pachinko ball detection sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

This pachinko ball detection sensor is arranged inside a winning opening in a pachinko machine, and has a thin plate-shaped synthetic resin case body 1 with a detection hole 3 having a hole diameter through which a pachinko ball 2 can pass. It is opened through in the thickness direction.

In this case body 1, one side portion of the detection hole 3 serves as a housing portion 4 for incorporating the constituent members. Inside the housing portion 4, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. Each component such as the container 5, the printed circuit board 6, the movable piece 7, and the leaf spring 8 is accommodated and arranged.

The photodetector 5 includes a light projecting element 9 including a light emitting diode,
The light emitting element 9 and the light receiving element 10 are positioned and fixed so that the light emitting surface 11 and the light receiving surface 12 face each other.
The printed circuit board 6 is fixed inside the case body 1, and the connection pins 13 and 14 of the light projecting element 9 and the light receiving element 10 are soldered to the printed circuit board 6.

The movable piece 7 is made of a synthetic resin material such as plastic and formed in a rod shape, and is reciprocally disposed inside the mounting hole 15 formed in the case body 1. One end of this mounting hole 15 communicates with the detection hole 3 in the orthogonal direction, and the other end communicates with a position where the light projecting element 9 and the light receiving element 10 face each other. Movable piece 7
Has one end formed in a convex curved surface shape, and this convex curved surface portion serves as a ball detection portion 7a protruding and retracting in the detection hole 3, and the other end is a shutter portion 7b protruding and retracting in the optical path 16 of the photodetector 5. Is said. As a result, when the pachinko ball 2 does not pass through the detection hole 3, the ball detection unit 7a projects into the detection hole 3 and the shutter unit 7b opens the optical passage 16, and when the pachinko ball 2 passes through the detection hole 3. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the ball detection unit 7a comes in contact with the passing pachinko ball and retracts from the detection hole 3, and the shutter unit 7b projects toward the photodetector 5 to block the optical path 16. To do.

The leaf spring 8 is housed and arranged in a spring mounting chamber 17 that communicates with the mounting hole 15, and is connected to the movable piece 7 so as to constantly bias the movable piece 7 in the direction of the detection hole 3. Therefore, when the pachinko ball 2 passes through the detection hole 3, the movable piece 7 compressively deforms the leaf spring 8 and displaces in the direction of the photodetector 5, and the pachinko ball 2 moves.
After passing through the detection hole 3, the movable piece 7 is displaced in the direction of the detection hole 3 by the restoring force of the leaf spring 8. The leaf spring 8 can be replaced with a coil spring.

FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the photodetector 5 is of a reflection type. The light projecting element 9 and the light receiving element 10 in the photodetector 5 are slightly inclined and fixed toward the reflecting surface 18 at the facing position.
An optical path 16 is formed so that the light from is reflected by the reflecting surface 18 and received by the light receiving surface 12. Therefore, when the pachinko ball 2 does not pass through the detection hole 3, the shutter portion 7b of the movable piece 7
The optical path 16 is opened, but when the pachinko ball 2 passes through the detection hole 3, the shutter portion 7b projects between the light receiving surface 12 and the reflecting surface 18 to block the optical path 16.

FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, in which the surface mount type is used as the light projecting element 9 and the light receiving element 10 in the photodetector 5, and the optical path 16 of the photodetector 5 is It is formed by the optical fiber 19. The light projecting element 9
The light receiving element 10 and the light receiving element 10 are mounted on the surface mounting substrate 20, and since such mounting can be performed by an automatic machine,
Easy to manufacture and inexpensive to manufacture. The optical fiber 19 has a U-shape, and both end surfaces 19a,
Reference numeral 19b designates the light projecting surface 11 of the light projecting element 9 and the light receiving surface 1 of the light receiving element 10.
The two are located opposite each other. In this embodiment, the shutter portion 7b of the movable piece 7 is projected and retracted between the one end surface 19b of the optical fiber 19 and the light receiving surface 12, but it is configured to be projected and retracted between the light projecting surface 9 and the optical fiber 19. May be.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

When the pachinko ball 2 is not currently passing through the detection hole 3, the movable piece 7 is urged toward the detection hole 3 by the leaf spring 8 so that the ball detection portion 7a at one end protrudes into the detection hole 3. There is.
On the other hand, the shutter portion 7b at the other end of the movable piece 7 is retracted from between the light projecting element 9 and the light receiving element 10 in the photodetector 5 to open the optical path 16. Therefore, the light from the light projecting surface 11 reaches the light receiving surface 12 through the optical path 16, and the amount of light received by the light receiving element 10 becomes a large value.

Next, when the pachinko ball 2 passes through the detection hole 3, the ball detection portion 7a of the movable piece 7 contacts the pachinko ball 2. This contact causes the ball detector 7a to escape from the detection hole 3, so that the movable piece 7
Is pushed into the mounting hole 15 against the spring force of the leaf spring 8.
As a result, the leaf spring 8 is compressed and deformed, the movable piece 7 is displaced in the direction of the photodetector 5, and the shutter portion 7a is moved by the light projecting element 9.
The light path 16 of the photodetector 5 is blocked by projecting between the light receiving element 10 and the light receiving element 10. Therefore, the light from the light projecting surface 11 is blocked by the shutter portion 7b, and the amount of light received by the light receiving element 10 decreases,
The passage of the pachinko balls 2 is detected by the change in the amount of received light.

When the pachinko ball 2 passes the detection hole 3, the movable piece 7 returns to the detection hole 3 by the restoring force of the deformed leaf spring 8 and the ball detection portion 7a projects into the detection hole 3 and
The shutter portion 7b opens the optical path 16.

In the above case, since the photodetector 5 is housed inside the case body 1, the amount of light received by the light-receiving element 10 does not change due to ambient light, and malfunction due to ambient light does not occur. In addition, since the ball detection unit 7a is formed in a convex curved surface shape, friction generated when it comes into contact with a pachinko ball passing therethrough is reduced, and the ball detection unit 7a reliably retracts from the detection hole 3 by contacting the movable piece 7. The optical path 16 is displaced.

The same operation is performed in each of the second and third embodiments to detect the passage of the pachinko ball 2, and the description thereof will be omitted here.

<Effect of the Invention> As described above, according to the present invention, the pachinko ball passing through the detection hole operates the movable piece so that the end of the movable piece is projected and retracted into the optical passage of the photodetector provided in the case body. ,
The photodetector is not affected by ambient light, and there is no risk of malfunction. Also, since the part of the movable piece protruding into the detection hole is formed in a convex curved surface, friction generated when the pachinko ball contacts the movable piece is reduced, and the movable piece is reliably displaced to the photodetector side. It becomes possible. As a result, the photodetector can detect the passage of the pachinko ball accurately, and has the remarkable effect of achieving the object of the invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a pachinko ball detection sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a line III-III in FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view showing the detection state of a pachinko ball,
FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view thereof, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are horizontal sectional views showing another embodiment of the present invention. 1 ... Case body, 2 ... Pachinko ball 3 ... Detection hole, 5 ... Photodetector, 7 ... Movable piece, 9 ... Light emitting element, 10 ... Light receiving element, 16 ... Optical path

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A photodetector comprising a light projecting element and a light receiving element is housed and arranged in a case body having a detection hole having a hole diameter through which a pachinko ball can pass, and the detection hole and the photodetector. The movable piece having one end formed in a convex curved surface shape is disposed in a state of being biased so that the convex curved surface portion projects into the detection hole, and the movable piece is The light path is opened when the curved surface portion appears in and out of the detection hole, and the other end portion of the light path side projects the convex curved portion into the detection hole, and the light path is opened when the convex curved surface portion recedes from the detection hole. A pachinko ball detection sensor that is supported so that it can reciprocate so as to shut off.