Game ball lifting device

Abstract

To provide a game ball lifting device that can smoothly supply game balls to a shooting device.SOLUTION: A game ball lifting device 1 includes a regulating device 50 that is provided between an end of a first passage P1 and an end of a second passage P2 toward a lower end of a spiral shaft 40 and sends game balls PB guided to the first passage P1 one by one to the lower end of the spiral shaft 40. The regulating device 50 includes: a rotating body 52 that is supported rotatably in a predetermined direction, has a receiving portion capable of receiving one game ball PB on its outer periphery, rotates in the predetermined direction after one game ball PB is introduced into the receiving portion while the receiving portion faces the first passage P1 side, and sends the game ball PB in the receiving portion to the second passage P2 while the receiving portion faces the second passage P2 side; and an intermittent rotation device that intermittently rotates the rotating body so that a period during which the receiving portion does not face the first passage side is longer than a period during which the receiving portion faces the first passage side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a game ball lifting device that sends game balls that have been launched from a launching device of a gaming machine and then guided below the launching device back to the launching device. [Background technology]

[0002] A gaming ball lifting device has been proposed that sends gaming balls, which have been launched from a launching device of a gaming machine and then guided to a first passage located below the launching device, back to the launching device (see Patent Document 1 below). The gaming ball lifting device of Patent Document 1 (hereinafter referred to as the "conventional device") includes a spiral shaft extending in the vertical direction. The spiral shaft has a spiral flange on its outer circumferential surface. In other words, the spiral shaft has a spiral groove. This conventional device also includes a guide rail extending parallel to the spiral shaft. The spiral shaft is driven to rotate at a constant speed in a predetermined direction by an electric motor. Gaming balls guided below the launching device are supplied to the lower end of the spiral shaft. The gaming balls then enter the groove in the spiral shaft. As the spiral shaft rotates, the gaming balls rise along the guide rail and are guided to the launching device.

[0003] In the above-described conventional device, a restricting device (gate device) is provided midway along the passage extending toward the bottom end of the spiral shaft (between the end of the first passage and the end of the second passage leading toward the bottom end of the spiral shaft) to restrict the progress of the gaming balls so that the gaming balls are sent one by one to the bottom end of the spiral shaft. This restricting device has a rotor supported rotatably around an axis extending in the vertical direction. A plurality of receiving portions are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the rotor. These receiving portions are provided at equal intervals around the rotor. Each receiving portion can accommodate one gaming ball. A gaming ball is introduced into one receiving portion with the receiving portion facing the end of the first passage. Then, as the rotor rotates, the receiving portion faces the end of the second passage, and the gaming ball is sent from the receiving portion to the second passage. In other words, the gaming ball rolls out of the receiving portion due to its own weight and / or centrifugal force and travels along the second passage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-117462 Summary of the Invention

[0005] The rotor of the regulating device of the above-mentioned conventional device rotates at a constant rotational speed. Therefore, the period during which the gaming ball is directed toward the first passage and can be reliably received is extremely short. In other words, the gaming ball may be bounced off the side of the rotor (the partition wall between two adjacent receiving sections) and may not be properly received. Therefore, there is a risk that the ball may be stagnated when being sent to the launching device.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a game ball lifting device that can smoothly supply game balls to a launching device. In the description of each component of the present invention below, the reference numerals of corresponding parts in the embodiment are written in parentheses to facilitate understanding of the present invention, but each component of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to the configuration of the corresponding parts indicated by the reference numerals in the embodiment.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the game ball lifting device (1) of the present invention sends game balls (PB) that have been launched from the launching device (BS) of a gaming machine (PM), collected, and guided to a first passage (P1) provided below the launching device back to the launching device. This game ball lifting device is a shaft-shaped member extending in the vertical direction, and has a spiral groove (43) on its outer circumferential surface, and Multiple game balls The game ball machine includes a spiral shaft (40) capable of storing game balls in a spiral shape, a drive device (20) that rotates and drives the spiral shaft, and a regulating device (50) that is provided between the end of the first passage and the end of a second passage (P2) that leads to the lower end of the spiral shaft and sends the game balls that have been guided into the first passage one by one to the lower end of the spiral shaft. The regulating device is a rotating body (522) supported so as to be rotatable in a predetermined direction, and has a receiving portion (Ra) on its outer periphery that can receive one game ball, and the rotating body is configured so that one game ball is introduced into the receiving portion when the receiving portion is facing the first passage side, and the regulating device rotates in the predetermined direction, and the game ball in the receiving portion is sent to the second passage when the receiving portion is facing the second passage side, and the receiving portion is a period during which the light source is not directed toward the first passage Compared to The period during which the light is directed toward the first passage is and an intermittent rotation device (51, 523) that rotates the rotor intermittently so as to lengthen the rotor. The intermittent rotation device includes a Geneva mechanism, and the drive device rotates the spiral shaft and also rotates a first-stage rotating body of the Geneva mechanism via a reduction mechanism. .

[0008] In one aspect of the game ball lifting device of the present invention, the intermittent rotation device is configured to rotate the rotating body by a predetermined angle each time the spiral shaft rotates once.

[0011] In the game ball lifting device of the present invention, the rotor rotates intermittently so that the period during which the receiving section faces the end of the first passage is longer than other periods. Therefore, when a game ball launched from the launching device returns to the first passage, the receiving section is more likely to be facing the first passage than in conventional devices. Therefore, the game ball is smoothly received in the receiving section and then sent to the second passage. Therefore, according to the present invention, game balls can be smoothly supplied to the launching device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a pachinko machine to which a game ball lifting device according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the game ball lifting device of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view of the spiral shaft. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rotating body as seen from above. [Figure 6B] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rotating body as seen from below. [Figure 7] 10 is a plan view showing how game balls are sent from the first passage to the second passage. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing how a rotor rotates intermittently. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A gaming ball lifting device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below. First, an outline of a pachinko machine PM will be described as a gaming machine to which the gaming ball lifting device 1 is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the pachinko machine PM is a device having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape extending vertically. In the following description, the height direction (vertical direction) of the pachinko machine PM will be referred to as the up-down direction. The width direction of the pachinko machine PM will be referred to as the left-right direction, and the depth direction of the pachinko machine PM will be referred to as the front-rear direction.

[0014] As shown in the figure, the pachinko machine PM comprises a game board BD, a launching device BS, etc. The game board BD is a roughly rectangular plate-like member extending in the vertical direction. The game board BD is positioned so as to face the player. In other words, the thickness direction of the game board BD coincides with the front-to-back direction.

[0015] The launching device BS is disposed below the game board BD. The launching device BS launches the game balls PB one by one toward the game board BD. The game ball lifting device 1 (see FIG. 2) of this embodiment is disposed near the launching device BS.

[0016] Next, we will explain the configuration of the game ball lifting device 1. The game ball lifting device 1 includes a frame 10, an electric motor 20, a reduction gear 30, a spiral shaft 40, and a regulating device 50, as shown in FIG.

[0017] The frame 10 is a support member that supports the electric motor 20, the reduction gear 30, the spiral shaft 40, and the regulating device 50, which will be described later. The frame 10 extends in the vertical direction. The frame 10 is made of synthetic resin. Each part of the frame 10 is manufactured as a separate part, and the frame 10 is formed by assembling these parts.

[0018] The electric motor 20 is fixed to the upper surface of the bottom plate 11 of the frame 10. The drive shaft 21 of the electric motor 20 is inserted into a through-hole provided in the bottom plate 11 and protrudes below the bottom plate 11. A constant amount of power is supplied to the electric motor 20. This causes the drive shaft 21 of the electric motor 20 to rotate at a constant speed.

[0019] The reduction gear 30 is provided on the underside of the bottom plate portion 11. As shown in FIG. 3 , the reduction gear 30 is composed of a plurality of spur gears (a first gear 31, a second gear 32, a third gear 33, and a fourth gear 34). These gears are rotatably supported around an axis (a component of the frame 10) extending in the vertical direction. The first gear 31 is attached to the tip of the drive shaft 21. The fourth gear 34 is attached to the lower end of a spiral shaft 40, which will be described later. The rotational driving force of the electric motor 20 is transmitted to the spiral shaft 40 via the first gear 31, the second gear 32, the third gear 33, and the fourth gear 34.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 4, the spiral shaft 40 includes a shaft portion 41 extending in the vertical direction and a spiral flange portion 42 provided along the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 41. In other words, a spiral groove portion 43 extending in the vertical direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the spiral shaft 40. The groove width of the groove portion 43 is slightly larger than the diameter of the game ball PB. The groove depth of the groove portion 43 is smaller than the diameter of the game ball PB.

[0021] The regulating device 50 includes a well-known Geneva mechanism. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the regulating device 50 is composed of a Geneva gear 51 and a rotor 52. The Geneva gear 51 is a spur gear, and is supported rotatably around an axis extending in the vertical direction. The number of teeth of the Geneva gear 51 is the same as the number of teeth of the fourth gear 34. In other words, the gear ratio of the two gears is 1:1.

[0022] A protrusion 51a having a semicircular shape in plan view is formed in a first region of two substantially semicircular regions bounded by a straight line passing through the center of the upper surface of the Geneva gear 51 (see FIG. 8). The central axis of the protrusion 51a and the central axis of the Geneva gear 51 are arranged coaxially.

[0023] Furthermore, a cylindrical protrusion 51b is provided in a second region on the upper surface of the Geneva gear 51, which is opposite to the first region in which the protrusion 51a is provided. The protrusion 51b is arranged on a straight line connecting the circumferential center of the protrusion 51a and the center of the Geneva gear 51 in a plan view. The protrusion 51b is arranged on the outer circumferential edge of the Geneva gear 51.

[0024] The rotor 52 has an integrally formed support plate portion 521, an upper half portion 522, and a lower half portion 523. The support plate portion 521 is a plate-like portion that is circular in plan view.

[0025] As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the upper half portion 522 is formed on the upper surface of the support plate portion 521. In a plan view, the upper half portion 522 has a substantially cross shape. The upper half portion 522 is arranged coaxially with the support plate portion 521. Four recesses Ra are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the upper half portion 522. The wall surfaces of the recesses Ra are perpendicular to the upper surface of the support plate portion 521 and are recessed toward the center of the upper half portion 522 in a plan view. The radius of curvature (degree of curvature) of the recesses Ra is substantially the same as the radius of the game ball PB. A portion of one game ball PB can be accommodated in the recesses Ra. The recesses Ra correspond to the receiving portion of the present invention.

[0026] The lower half 523 is formed on the lower surface of the support plate 521. The lower half 523 has four grooves GP each extending in the radial direction of the support plate 521. These grooves GP are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the support plate 521. The groove width of the grooves GP is approximately the same as the diameter of the protrusions 51b. Recesses Rb are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the lower half 523 in portions located between two grooves GP adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the lower half 523. The wall surfaces of the recesses Rb are perpendicular to the lower surface of the support plate 521 and are recessed toward the center of the lower half 523 in a plan view. The radius of curvature (degree of curvature) of the recesses Rb is approximately the same as the radius of the outer circumferential surface of the protrusions 51a of the Geneva gear 51. The Geneva gear 51 and the rotor 52 are arranged so that the recesses Rb and the protrusions 51a can fit together.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 7 , a first passage P1 and a second passage P2 for guiding the gaming ball PB to the lower end of the spiral shaft 40 are formed on the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 11 of the frame 10. The width and height of the first passage P1 and the second passage P2 are slightly larger than the diameter of the gaming ball PB. The first passage P1 extends substantially in the front-rear direction, and the second passage P2 extends substantially in the left-right direction. The regulating device 50 having the above-described configuration is disposed so that the upper half 522 of the regulating device 50 is located between the first passage P1 and the second passage P2. That is, the Geneva gear 51 and the lower half 523 are located on the lower surface side of the bottom plate portion 11. The Geneva gear 51 meshes with the fourth gear 34. That is, the Geneva gear 51, like the spiral shaft 40, is rotated by the electric motor 20.

[0028] Next, the manner of rotation of the rotor 52 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Note that Fig. 8 is a plan view of the regulating device 50, and in this drawing, the support plate portion 521 and the upper half portion 522 of the rotor 52 are omitted, and attention is focused on the fitting portion between the Geneva gear 51 and the lower half portion 523 of the rotor 52.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 8(A), when the convex portion 51b of the Geneva gear 51 enters the groove GP, the concave portion Rb and the convex portion 51a are not engaged. Therefore, rotation of the rotor 52 is permitted. As shown in FIG. 8(B), when the Geneva gear 51 rotates counterclockwise in a plan view with the convex portion 51b engaged in the groove GP, the convex portion 51b presses the side wall portion of the groove GP in the circumferential direction of the rotor 52. Therefore, the rotor 52 rotates clockwise in a plan view. When the Geneva gear 51 and the rotor 52 rotate 90°, the convex portion 51b disengages from the groove GP as shown in FIG. 8(C). At that point, the convex portion 51a begins to engage with the concave portion Rb, thereby restricting the rotation of the rotor 52. Then, when the Geneva gear 51 rotates another 270°, it returns to the state shown in FIG. 8(A).

[0030] In this way, the rotor 52 rotates by 90° during one-quarter of the period T during which the spiral shaft 40 and the Geneva gear 51 make one rotation, and remains stationary for the remaining three-quarters of the period T. In other words, the rotor 52 rotates intermittently. Note that the Geneva gear 51, which constitutes the Geneva mechanism, always rotates at a constant speed, but the rotational speed of the rotor 52 is not constant but varies depending on the rotational angle position. Specifically, the rotational speed of the rotor 52 (lower half 523) increases from the state shown in FIG. 8(A) and reaches a maximum in FIG. 8(B). Then, the rotational speed of the rotor 52 (lower half 523) begins to decrease from the state shown in FIG. 8(B) and reaches "0" in FIG. 8(C).

[0031] In this embodiment, the convex portion 51a is configured to have a semicircular shape in a plan view. However, the convex portion 51a may be configured to be slightly extended in the circumferential direction and have a C-shape in a plan view. As a result, when the convex portion 51b is fitted into the groove portion GP, ​​the end of the convex portion 51a is still fitted into the recess portion Rb. Then, when the Geneva gear 51 rotates a little from this state, the convex portion 51a disengages from the recess portion Rb. Also, the convex portion 51a begins to fit into the recess portion Rb a little before the convex portion 51b disengages from the groove portion GP. This makes it possible to suppress deviation (vibration) in the rotational direction of the rotating body 52 when the rotating body 52 starts to rotate and stops. In this case, it is preferable to set the diameter of the convex portion 51b slightly smaller than the groove width of the groove portion GP.

[0032] The game ball PB launched from the launching device BS is collected and guided to the first passage P1 of the game ball lifting device 1. While the upper half 522 of the regulating device 50 is stationary, the recessed portions Rb are directed toward the end of the first passage P1, as shown in FIG. 7(A). In this state, the wall between adjacent recessed portions Rb of the upper half 522 penetrates into the connection (corner) between the first passage P1 and the second passage P2. Therefore, the width of the connection is narrower than the width of other parts of the first passage P1 and the second passage P2, and the game ball PB cannot pass through that part.

[0033] The game ball PB, which has been received in the recessed portion Rb and whose entry into the second passage P2 has been restricted, is pushed toward the second passage P2 by the upper half portion 522 as the rotor 52 begins to rotate from the state shown in FIG. 7(A). Then, as shown in FIG. 7(B), with the recessed portion Rb facing the second passage P2, the game ball PB rolls out of the recessed portion Rb due to its own weight and centrifugal force and travels along the second passage P2. That is, the game ball PB is sent from the recessed portion Rb to the second passage P2. At this timing, the rotational speed of the rotor 52 reaches its maximum. Furthermore, the initial positions of the rotational direction of the spiral shaft 40 and the rotor 52 are set so that the recessed portion Rb faces the second passage P2 at the timing when the upper surface of the flange portion 42 of the spiral shaft 40 and the upper surface of the second passage P2 substantially coincide (or at a timing slightly before this timing (see FIG. 4)).

[0034] When the rotor 52 rotates 90° from the state shown in FIG. 7(A), the rotor 52 stops and returns to the state shown in FIG. 7(A). The rotor 52 then remains stationary for a predetermined time (=T×3 / 4). Thus, the period during which the receiving portion Ra faces the first passage P1 is longer than the other periods (the period during which the rotor 52 rotates 90°). Note that the game balls PB that enter the first passage P1 during the period in which the rotor 52 is stationary remain stationary, aligned in a line within the first passage P1.

[0035] The game ball PB sent toward the lower end of the spiral shaft 40 enters the groove portion 43. Here, as described above, the groove depth of the groove portion 43 is set smaller than the diameter of the game ball PB. Therefore, when the game ball PB enters the groove portion 43 of the spiral shaft 40, a portion of the game ball PB is exposed (protruding outside the groove portion 43) (see FIG. 4). The frame 10 is provided with a linear guide rail GR extending parallel to the spiral shaft 40. With the exposed portion of the game ball PB engaged with the guide rail GR, the spiral shaft 40 rotates, whereby the game ball PB is transported (lifted) upward along the guide rail GR. In other words, the guide rail GR prevents the game ball PB from moving (sliding down) in the circumferential direction of the spiral shaft 40.

[0036] In the game ball lifting device 1 according to this embodiment, the rotor 52 rotates intermittently so that the period during which the recessed portion Ra (receiving portion) is facing the end of the first passage P1 is longer than other periods. Therefore, when the game ball PB launched from the launching device BS returns to the first passage P1, the receiving portion Ra is more likely to be facing the first passage P1 side than in conventional devices. In other words, in the game ball lifting device 1, the receiving portion Ra waits facing the first passage P1 side to receive the game ball PB that has returned to the first passage P1. Therefore, the game ball PB is smoothly received by the receiving portion Ra and then sent out to the second passage P2. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the game ball PB can be smoothly supplied to the launching device BS.

[0037] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the object of the present invention.

[0038] In the above embodiment, a Geneva mechanism is used as a mechanism for intermittently rotating the rotor 52, but other well-known mechanisms may be used instead. For example, an intermittent gear mechanism may be used instead of the Geneva mechanism. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1...game ball lifting device, PB...game ball, 40...spiral shaft, 51...geneva gear, 52...rotating body, Ra...recess, PM...pachinko machine

Claims

1. A game ball lifting device that recovers game balls after they have been launched from a launching device of a gaming machine and is guided to a first passage provided below the launching device, and sends the game balls back to the launching device, a spiral shaft, which is an axial member extending in the vertical direction and has a spiral groove on its outer circumferential surface, and is capable of storing a plurality of game balls in a spiral shape within the groove; a drive device that rotates the spiral shaft; a regulating device provided between an end of the first passage and an end of a second passage leading to the lower end of the spiral shaft, for sending the game balls guided into the first passage one by one to the lower end of the spiral shaft; Equipped with The regulating device is a rotating body supported so as to be rotatable in a predetermined direction, having a receiving portion on its outer periphery capable of receiving one game ball, the rotating body configured so that one game ball is introduced into the receiving portion with the receiving portion facing the first passage side, and the rotating body rotates in the predetermined direction, and the receiving portion faces the second passage side, and the game ball in the receiving portion is sent out to the second passage; an intermittent rotation device that intermittently rotates the rotor so that a period during which the receiving portion is directed toward the first passage is longer than a period during which the receiving portion is not directed toward the first passage; Equipped with the intermittent rotation device includes a Geneva mechanism, The drive device rotates the spiral shaft and also rotates the first stage rotating body of the Geneva mechanism via a reduction mechanism, in a game ball lifting device.

2. The game ball lifting device according to claim 1, The intermittent rotation device is configured to rotate the rotating body by a predetermined angle each time the spiral shaft rotates once.

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