JPH0744966B2 - Ball dispensing device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ball dispensing device,
For example, the present invention relates to a ball payout device for paying out a predetermined number of prize balls according to a ball payout command signal output based on a winning ball generated in a game section of a pachinko gaming machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known in pachinko game machines, when a player hits a ball into the game section one by one with a launcher provided at the bottom of the game board, the player collides with an obstacle nail and changes direction at random. A predetermined number of prize balls are given to the player by entering the winning area with a certain probability while falling. Conventionally, such a prize ball payout is generally attached to the back surface of the game board, and a mechanical payout device or solenoid that operates by transmitting the physical force generated by the prize ball moves into the prize ball waiting trough. Do杆ball dispensing apparatus for discharging separated a predetermined number of balls by swinging the (Japanese Utility Model 52-13185 Patent Publication No.
Report ).

[0003]

Therefore, in the conventional pachinko game machine using the mechanical ball payout device, the structure of the back side set board attached to the back side of the game board becomes complicated, and the assembly is troublesome and occupied. The space becomes large and it is not possible to have a sufficient empty space behind the game board. That is,
The effective use space of the back of the game board is narrowed, and maintenance and inspection of the back set board becomes difficult. Moreover, since the prize balls are paid out by transmitting the physical force, the speed is slow. In addition, since the swing rod type ball dispensing device using a solenoid also uses springs to return, the dispensing speed is slow and accurate when the speed is increased.
There was a problem that it was difficult to pay out the number of balls .

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made under the background as described above, and is provided at the lower end of the guide path for guiding the balls in the preliminary storage portion for storing the balls supplied from above, in the guide path. A downflow blocking member that can be converted into a first state that blocks the natural downflow of the sphere and a second state that allows the downflow of the ball is swingably disposed, and is activated based on a predetermined command signal. Rotation drive means and rotation conversion means that abuts against the flow-down prevention member and swings the flow-down prevention member by being rotated by the rotation drive means, and the rotation conversion based on the generation of the command signal. By converting the rotational movement of the means into continuous swing of the downflow preventing member so that a predetermined number of balls flow out downward, the preliminary balls of the guide path are separated one by one by the downflow preventing member and discharged. Be able to be accurate In addition to enabling reliable delivery, the force of the driving means is indirectly transmitted to the downflow prevention member via the rotation converting means, thereby preventing a runaway outflow due to a failure and improving the reliability of the delivery operation. The purpose is to The above and other objects and novel characteristics of the present invention are
It will be apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0005]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show a configuration example of a back mechanism board of a pachinko gaming machine having a ball payout device according to the present invention. The game board 1 provided with a plurality of winning areas and obstacle nails on the front is a box-shaped machine frame 10 by attaching the front frame to a butterfly.
Is attached rotatably, and a back mechanism board 2 is attached to the back surface of the game board 1. The back mechanism board 2 is formed on the back surface of the back surface setting board 20 which is attached to the back surface of the game board 1 in front of the game board 1 at regular intervals so that the hit balls hit from the winning area can flow down. It is configured by polymerizing various mechanisms to be set.

At the lower part of the back side setting board 20, the collecting shelf 2 is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the center.
1 is provided, and a winning ball discharge path 22 communicating with the space between the back surface setting board 20 and the game board 1 is formed in the center of the gathering shelf portion 21, and the winning area provided in the game board 1 is formed. The winning balls that have entered the space on the back of the game board 1 are collected by the collecting shelf 21 and discharged through the winning ball discharging path 22 to the outside of the machine. Winning ball discharge path 22
The winning ball detector 23 is provided in the middle of the, and the winning ball passing therethrough is electrically detected by the winning ball detector 23, and the ball payout device 30 to be described later is operated for each winning ball, and the winning ball is predetermined. Pay out a number of prize balls.

In addition, above the back surface setting board 20, there is a reserve storage portion 24 for storing the balls before being dispensed by the ball dispensing device 30, and a ball from this reserve storage portion 24 to the ball dispensing device 30. A guide path 25 for automatically aligning and guiding the prize balls, a prize ball outlet path 26 for guiding the prize balls paid out by the ball payout device 30 to the saucer 9 provided on the front of the game board, and the saucer 9 is full. There is provided a diversion gutter 28 or the like that diverts the prize ball to the auxiliary saucer through the communication port 27 when it becomes. In this embodiment, as will be described later in detail, a ball payout device 30 including a pulse motor 31 and a sprocket 32 rotationally driven by the pulse motor 31 is provided, and a winning ball detection provided in the middle of the winning ball discharge path 22 is detected. Bowl 23
The controller 50, which receives the winning detection signal from the player as a payout command signal, operates the ball payout device 30 for each winning ball to pay out a predetermined number of prize balls.

Further, the ball payout device 30 and the prize ball discharge path 26 are attached so as to be offset to one side (in the embodiment, the hinge side) with respect to the back surface setting board 20, so that the center of the back surface setting board 20 is provided. A relatively wide space A is formed in the. In this empty portion A, the ball payout device 30 is configured as in the embodiment, and a compact electric type is used, so that the empty space A is provided side by side with the ball drop path 29 with respect to the rear surface setting board 20. It is possible to dispose them centrally in the device, and this is realized.

In the back mechanism board 2 shown in FIG. 2, 41 is a tread lever provided at the starting end of the guide path 25 so as to be tiltable, and 42 is the tread lever that is tilted by the weight of a ball in the preliminary storage section 24. A ball shortage detector that detects the presence or absence of a ball by detecting the tilted state of 41, and 43 and 44 are a ball seal and a ball retainer plate that are provided in the middle of the guideway 25 and assist in the rectification of the ball before payout. Further, 45 is a ball punching mechanism provided in the bending portion of the guide path 25, 46 is a bell for generating a refreshing sound when the prize balls flowing down from the ball payout device 30 collide, and 47 is a lower portion of the game board. This is an out gutter that allows the out balls collected from the out hole 19 of the above to flow down.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing one structural example of the electric ball payout device 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention . As shown in the drawing, the terminal end portion of the guide path 25 is bent obliquely downward and is provided with two outlets 25a and 25b. The outlet portion 25a, corresponding to 25b, the separation lever as falling blocking member each having the function of the stopper 36, 36 'are mounted for swinging by a shaft 37. Each of the separating levers 36 and 36 'has a shape including a stopper portion 36a and a concave portion 36b serving as an engaging portion, and is constantly urged by a spring 38 in a direction to push the stopper portion 36a downward. The tips of the stoppers 36a are respectively provided at the outlet 25 of the guide path 25.
The recesses 36b are positioned so as to have a slight gap with the open ends of a and 25b, and the recess 36b is formed to have a size such that a pachinko ball can engage with the recess 36b.

A contact portion 36c is formed at the rear of the separating levers 36, 36 ', and the contact portion 36c is formed.
Is a sprocket-like cam 39, 3 as a rotation converting means.
It is in contact with the outer circumference of 9 '. This cam 39, 39 '
Is fixed to a rotary shaft 31a of a motor 31 as a rotation driving means as shown in the figure. When the motor 39 rotates the cams 39 and 39 ', the protrusions on the outer circumference of the cams cause the separating levers 36 and 36' to move. The spring 3 is rotated downward.
Returned by 8. Moreover, the sprocket-shaped cam 3
9 and 39 'are out of phase with each other by 30 °, and when the contact portion 36c of the separating lever 36 is in contact with the concave portion of one cam 39, the separating portion is in the protruding portion of the other cam 39'. The contact portion 36c of the lever 36 'is configured to contact. As a result, when the motor 31 is driven, the separating levers 36 and 36 'are alternately rotated downward, and the spare balls in the outlet portions 25a and 25b are alternately separated one by one, so that the discharge gutters below can be separated. It is made to flow down into 34.

In the above embodiment, the guide path 25 is formed in two lines so that the spare balls are alternately separated from the outlet portions 25a and 25b and flowed down one by one. Alternatively, only one separating lever 36 and one sprocket-shaped cam 39 may be provided correspondingly, and a predetermined number of prize balls may be dispensed by being driven by a motor. Moreover, although not shown in FIG. 3, a discharge ball detector 35 (see FIG. 4) is provided at the outlet portions 25a and 25b of the guide path 25. The discharge ball detector 35 includes a sensor for detecting whether or not there is a ball to be discharged next in the outlet portions 25a and 25b, and a sensor for confirming whether or not the ball is discharged. ing. These sensors can be configured using an optical sensor or a proximity switch.

When the winning detection signal output from the winning ball detector 23 is supplied to the control device 50 as a payout command signal, the ball payout device 30 outputs a drive signal (pulse power) from the control device 50. It As a result, the pulse motor 31 is rotationally driven to start the payout of the balls. At this time, the control device 50 confirms that the spare ball is present at the exit of the guide path 25 based on the detection signal from the discharge ball detector 35, and then starts the payout.
5, the discharge confirmation signal output for each discharge ball is received, the payout state is detected, it is determined that the number of prize balls has reached a predetermined number, and a payout end signal is output to the ball payout device 30.
Is designed to stop the rotation of.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a control system of the ball payout device 30 by the control device 50.
The winning detection signal (pulse) generated from the winning ball detector 23 corresponding to each winning ball is supplied to a storage circuit 51 as a storage unit, such as a counter, and counted to determine the number of winning balls. Remembered. Further, the detection signal from the discharge ball detector 35 in the ball payout device 30 is input to the control circuit 52 including a microcomputer (CPU) and the storage value of the storage circuit 51 becomes "1" or more. Then, a drive start signal for driving the motor 31 of the ball payout device 30 is output. Then, the motor 31 rotates to start the payout of the prize balls, and the detection signal (pulse) is sent from the detector 35 to the control circuit 52 for each prize ball.

The control circuit 52 counts this detection signal by, for example, an internal counter, and when the count value reaches a value preset in the internal setting device, it is determined that a predetermined number of prize balls have been paid out. Then, the motor drive stop signal is output, or the motor drive signal output is stopped to end the discharge. Further, if it is determined based on the detection signal from the discharge ball detector 35 that there is no ball to be paid out at the exits 25a and 25b at the end of the guideway 25 due to a ball jam or the like during the payout, control is performed. The circuit 52 immediately stops the motor 31, keeps the value of the counter as it is, and when the balls enter the outlets 25a and 24b, operates the motor 31 again to pay out the remaining prize balls. When one payout is completed, the control circuit 52 sends a signal to the storage circuit 51 to decrement (decrease) the stored content.

The control circuit 52 is based on the signal from the downflow abnormality detector 70 provided in the middle of the guideway 25.
I am monitoring the flow of abnormalities such as ball clogging and ball stopping ,
When an abnormal signal comes in, it is possible to prevent the ball payout device 30 from operating even if a winning detection signal comes in. It is preferable that the downflow abnormality detector 70 be provided in each of the rows of balls that are arranged in two rows in the guide path 25 and flow down.
Even if the payout of prize balls is stopped as described above, the number of winning balls is held in the memory circuit 51, and if there is a new winning during that time, it is detected, counted up and stored. Then, when the abnormality is eliminated, the payout of the prize balls is started again by the control signal from the control circuit 52. Further, in the above-described embodiment, by changing the set value of the setter in the control circuit 52, it is possible to pay out an arbitrary number of prize balls at one time.

In addition, a plurality of setters are provided in the control circuit 52 of the above-mentioned embodiment to make the set values different, and a prize detector is provided for each of a plurality of prize areas in the game section to distinguish the kinds of prizes. It is also possible to store in the storage circuit 51 and change the number of prize balls to be paid out according to the type (characteristic) of the winning. In the above embodiment,
When there are simultaneous or consecutive winning balls, the memory circuit 51 electrically stores the winning balls to accurately pay out the winning balls according to the number of winning balls. Instead of the memory circuit 51, a plurality of winning balls are physically stocked and a winning ball separator that reduces the winning balls one by one for each prize ball paying operation is provided in the middle of the winning ball discharge path 22. It is also possible to provide the winning ball detector 23 in the ball separator.

[0018]

As described above, the ball dispensing device according to the present invention has a ball lowering portion at the lower end of a guideway for guiding a ball in a preliminary storage portion for storing a ball replenished from above. as well as first and second states and swingably disposed convertible falling blocking member to allow the stream of balls to prevent gravity flow, rotary drive that is run on the basis of a predetermined command signal Means and rotation conversion means for abutting against the flow-down prevention member and rotating the flow-down prevention member by being rotated by the rotation drive means, the rotation operation of the rotation conversion means based on the generation of the command signal. Is configured so that a predetermined number of balls are caused to flow downward by converting the above into a continuous swing of the downflow prevention member, so that the preliminary balls of the guide path can be separated and discharged one by one by the downflow prevention member. Be accurate and With made possible through the solid payout,
By indirectly transmitting the force of the drive means to the downflow prevention member via the rotation conversion means, it is possible to prevent the flow-out flow due to a failure of the rotation drive means or the like and improve the certainty of the payout operation. . In addition, the flow prevention member and rotation drive
Various depending on the configuration that the rotation converting means is interposed between the means and
There is an advantage that various arrangement configurations are possible.

In the above explanation, the case where the present invention is mainly applied to the prize ball payout device of the pachinko gaming machine has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a predetermined number of balls are paid out when a coin or the like is inserted. It can be applied to rental machines. In this case, the pulse motor may be driven by using the detection signal of the inserted coin as the payout command signal. Further, it may be configured to generate a payout command signal and operate the ball payout device upon occurrence of a predetermined game state in the gaming machine.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG . 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a back surface set board on the back of a game board of a pachinko gaming machine to which a ball payout device is applied.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the ball payout device of the present invention .

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control system for a rear surface setting board to which the ball dispensing device of the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

20 back side setting board 30 ball dispensing device 24 spare tank (upper tank) 25 guide path 25a, 25b guide path outlet 31 rotation drive means (motor) 36, 36 'downflow blocking member ( separation lever )

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A first state in which a natural downward flow of a sphere is prevented at the lower end of a guideway for guiding a sphere in a preliminary storage part for storing a sphere replenished from above and a downward flow of the sphere. with the second state and can be converted into a falling-preventing member swingably provided to allow a rotation driving means is run on the basis of a predetermined command signal, the rotation in contact with the falling preventing member Rotation converting means for rocking the downflow blocking member by being rotated by the driving means, and converting the rotational operation of the rotation converting means based on the generation of the command signal into continuous rocking of the downflow blocking member. A ball payout device characterized in that a predetermined number of balls are caused to flow downward. 2. The guideways are formed in a plurality of lines, and the balls in the preliminary storage section are arranged in a plurality of rows to guide the flowdown blocking member, and each of the guideways in the plurality of lines is flowed down. The ball payout device according to claim 1, wherein the flow-down prevention members are arranged so as to oppose each other so as to intersect the ends. 3. The rotation converting means is operated by the rotation driving means so that the plurality of flow-down preventing members are sequentially swung so that the balls can flow down alternately from the plurality of guide paths. The ball dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the ball dispensing device is configured. 4. The flow-down preventing member has a stopper portion that faces the inside of the guide path and blocks the flow-down of the sphere before discharge, and a concave portion that allows one sphere to be engaged with the guide path by the swinging operation. The ball dispensing device according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the balls are separated and discharged one by one.