Measuring instrument and output adjustment method for article acquisition device

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a measuring instrument capable of: measuring, for each of arm parts, a force with which a plurality of arm parts of an article acquisition device grips an article; and presenting an index when the article acquisition device is adjusted. [Solution] This measuring instrument measures the output of an article acquisition device 50 provided with a plurality of arm parts 51 for gripping an article accommodated in an article accommodation section 20 of an article acquisition gaming device 1, and comprises: a plurality of abutment sections 120 that can be respectively abutted by the leading end sides of the plurality of arm parts 51 or the leading end sides of a plurality of measuring arm parts 51a provided in place of the plurality of arm parts 51; measurement units 130 that respectively measure forces with which the plurality of abutment sections 120 are pressed by the plurality of arm parts 51 or the plurality of measuring arm parts 51a abutting the abutment sections 120; and a display unit 150 that displays, for the respective abutment parts 120, indices based on measurement values measured by the measurement units 130.

Description

Output Adjustment Method for Measuring Instrument and Article Acquisition Device

[0001] The present invention relates to a measuring instrument for measuring the output of an article acquisition device including a plurality of arm portions that grip an article housed inside an article housing portion of an article acquisition game device, and an output adjustment method for an article acquisition device using the measuring instrument.

[0002] Conventionally, there is known an article acquisition game device in which a player operates an article acquisition device to acquire an article housed inside an article housing portion.

[0003] As such an article acquisition device of an article acquisition game device, for example, it can be attached to a movable base portion, and includes a plurality of arm portions for gripping an object, a drive mechanism corresponding to the arm portions, an elastic body connecting the arm portions and the drive mechanism, an arm axis position detection portion for detecting the position of an arm axis when the arm portion rotates, a drive mechanism position detection portion for detecting the position of an output axis of the drive mechanism, and a drive control portion for controlling the drive of a motor included in the drive mechanism based on the position of the arm axis and the position of the output axis. A proposed object gripping device (see Patent Document 1).

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-45204

[0005] By the way, in the object gripping device of Patent Document 1, the strength of the force for gripping an article by a plurality of arm portions is controlled by a drive mechanism connected to the arm portions via an elastic body. However, in a plurality of object gripping devices, even if the strength of the force for gripping an article is set to be the same, there is a problem that the strength of the force for gripping an article does not become the same due to individual differences between the object gripping devices. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to measure the force for gripping an article by a plurality of arm portions for each of the plurality of object gripping devices and adjust them individually based on the measurement results.

[0006] However, there is a problem that there is no measuring instrument for measuring the force for gripping an article by a plurality of arm portions in an object gripping device.

[0007] The present invention was made to solve the aforementioned problems in the prior art, and aims to provide a measuring instrument that can measure the gripping force of each of the multiple arms of an item acquisition device and provide an indicator for adjusting the item acquisition device.

[0008] (1) A measuring instrument for measuring the output of an item acquisition device, which is equipped with a plurality of arms for gripping an item stored inside the item storage section of an item acquisition game device, comprising: a plurality of contact points to which the tip ends of the plurality of arms or the tip ends of a plurality of measuring arms provided in place of the plurality of arms can each contact; a measuring unit for measuring the force exerted by the plurality of arms or the plurality of measuring arms that have come into contact with the contact points; and a display unit for displaying an index based on the measured value measured by the measuring unit for each of the contact points.

[0009] In configuration (1), the measuring instrument for measuring the output of an item acquisition device, which has multiple arms for gripping items stored inside the item storage section of the item acquisition game device, comprises multiple contact points, a measuring unit, and a display unit. The multiple contact points are each capable of contacting the tip ends of the multiple arms or the tip ends of multiple measuring arms provided in place of the multiple arms. The measuring unit measures the force exerted by the multiple arms or measuring arms that contact each of the multiple contact points. The display unit displays an index based on the measured value measured by the measuring unit for each contact point.

[0010] According to the configuration of (1), the tip ends of the multiple arms of the item acquisition device, or the tip ends of multiple measuring arms provided in place of the multiple arms, are brought into contact with the multiple contact points of the measuring instrument, and the item acquisition device is made to output a gripping force for the item. As a result, a force is applied to the tip ends of the multiple arms or the tip ends of the multiple measuring arms in the closing direction (towards each other), pressing against the multiple contact points. The measuring instrument then measures the force pressing against each of these multiple contact points using its measuring unit, and displays an index based on the measured value on the display unit for each contact point. Therefore, it is possible to provide a measuring instrument that can measure the gripping force of the multiple arms of the item acquisition device for each arm and provide an index for adjusting the item acquisition device.

[0011] (2) The measuring instrument according to (1), further comprising a calculation means for calculating a correction value for a predetermined reference value for each arm portion or each measuring arm portion based on the measured value, wherein the display means displays the correction value as the index.

[0012] In configuration (2), the measuring instrument further comprises a calculation unit. Based on the measured values, the calculation unit calculates a correction value relative to a predetermined reference value for each arm section or each measuring arm section. The display unit displays the correction value as an index.

[0013] According to the configuration of (2), the force with which an item is gripped by multiple arms or multiple measuring arms is displayed as an index, which is a correction value relative to a predetermined reference value based on the measured value for each arm or measuring arm. This makes it possible, for example, to set the predetermined reference value as a desirable optimal value for the force with which an item is gripped by the item acquisition device (e.g., a theoretical value or the average value measured by multiple units during the development of the item acquisition device), and to set the correction value as the difference between the optimal value and the measured value. In this case, by adjusting the output of each arm in the item acquisition device so that the difference is zero, it becomes possible to set the output of all multiple arms to the optimal value. Therefore, it becomes easier to adjust the force with which an item is gripped by multiple arms in the item acquisition device.

[0014] (3) A method for adjusting the output of an item acquisition device using the measuring instrument described in (1) or (2), wherein the arm portion of the item acquisition device is replaced with a measuring arm portion having a curved side surface provided on the tip side, the contact portion of the measuring instrument is pressed with the curved side surface of the tip surface, and the output of the item acquisition device is adjusted based on the indicator displayed on the display portion of the measuring instrument.

[0015] In configuration (3), the method for adjusting the output of an item acquisition device using a measuring instrument involves replacing the arm portion of the item acquisition device with a measuring arm portion that has a tip member with a curved side on the tip side. The contact portion of the measuring instrument is then pressed against the curved side of the tip member, and the output of the item acquisition device is adjusted based on an indicator displayed on the display portion of the measuring instrument.

[0016] In this case, if the tip of multiple arms of the item acquisition device is equipped with claws, and these claws are used to grip the measuring instrument and press against the contact area of ​​the measuring instrument, if the claws are not made to contact the contact area at a right angle, some of the rotational force applied to the base of the arm may escape, and it may not be possible to properly apply the rotational force applied to the base of the arm to the contact area.

[0017] Therefore, the measuring instrument must be precisely positioned so that the claws of the multiple arms of the item acquisition device contact the contact points of the measuring instrument at a right angle. This precise positioning of the measuring instrument reduces the efficiency of measuring the output of the item acquisition device.

[0018] According to the configuration of (3), the measuring arm has a curved side surface at the tip member that contacts the contact portion of the measuring instrument. Therefore, regardless of which part of the side surface of the tip member contacts the contact portion, the rotational force applied to the base end of the measuring arm can be appropriately applied to the contact portion. As a result, when measuring the output of the item acquisition device, by replacing multiple arm portions with multiple measuring arm portions, it becomes less necessary to position the measuring instrument as precisely as when the arm portions are not replaced, thus improving the efficiency of the work of measuring the output of the item acquisition device.

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a measuring instrument that can measure the gripping force of each arm of an item acquisition device and indicate an indicator for adjusting the item acquisition device.

[0020] This figure illustrates the appearance of an item acquisition game device capable of measuring the output of an item acquisition device using a measuring instrument according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates an item acquisition device capable of measuring the output of an item acquisition device using a measuring instrument according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates a measuring instrument according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a flowchart illustrating a method for adjusting the output of an item acquisition device using a measuring instrument according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is an example of an adjustment screen according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5(a) shows an example of an adjustment start screen, and Figure 5(b) shows an example of an indicator input screen.

[0021] The present invention will be described in more detail below using preferred embodiments. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0022] The measuring instrument according to this embodiment measures the output of an item acquisition device that has multiple arm sections for gripping items stored inside the item storage section of the item acquisition game device. First, an item acquisition game device capable of measuring the output of the item acquisition device using the measuring instrument according to this embodiment will be described.

[0023] [Configuration of the Item Acquisition Game Device] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the appearance of an item acquisition game device in which the output of the item acquisition device can be measured by a measuring instrument according to one embodiment of the present invention. The item acquisition game device 1 comprises a base 10 installed on the floor, an item storage section 20 placed on the base 10 and containing items (prizes, etc.) inside, with walls and other surfaces made of a translucent material (for example, glass, etc.), a moving device 30 provided in the upper interior of the item storage section 20, a vertical moving device 40 attached to the moving device 30 and moving the item acquisition device 50 (described later) in the vertical direction, an item acquisition device 50 capable of acquiring items, and a control unit 60 that controls the operation of the item acquisition game device 1.

[0024] The item acquisition game device 1, for example, based on the player's operation of an operating unit 11 such as a switch provided on the base 10, moves the vertical movement device 40 in the left-right and front-back directions using a moving device 30 provided in the upper part of the inside of the item storage unit 20, then moves the item acquisition device 50 downward using the vertical movement device 40, grasps an item (not shown) placed inside the item storage unit 20 with a pair of arms 51 of the item acquisition device 50, moves the item onto a drop-off opening 12 provided on the base 10, then opens the pair of arms 51 and drops the item into the drop-off opening 12, thereby discharging the item to the outside. In this way, the player can acquire an item placed in the item storage unit 20.

[0025] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 1, the item acquisition game device 1 includes a plurality of booths 5 (two in the example shown in Figure 1) arranged in a predetermined direction (left and right in the example shown in Figure 1). The item acquisition game device has an item storage section 20 that is partitioned into booths 5, and each booth 5 is equipped with an operation unit 11, a moving device 30, an up and down moving device 40, an item acquisition device 50, and a drop-off opening 12. With this configuration, one item acquisition game device can accommodate as many players as there are booths 5 (two in the example shown in Figure 1), each playing the item acquisition game.

[0026] The operation unit 11 is located on the front side of the base 10 and includes switches and the like to receive player input in the item acquisition game. The operation unit 11 transmits various information (for example, information regarding the operation of the item acquisition device 50) in response to the player's input to the control unit 60. The operation unit 11 also has a display means (for example, a liquid crystal panel) that displays various information (for example, an adjustment screen for adjusting the output of the item acquisition device 50).

[0027] The moving device 30 moves the vertical moving device 40 and the item acquisition device 50 in a predetermined direction (for example, left-right direction or front-rear direction) under the control of the control unit 60. The vertical moving device 40 moves the item acquisition device 50 in a predetermined direction (for example, up-down direction) under the control of the control unit 60.

[0028] The item acquisition device 50 opens and closes a pair of arm sections 51 under the control of the control unit 60, and grips an item by closing the pair of arm sections 51 with a preset output.

[0029] The control unit 60 controls the operation of the item acquisition game device 1. More specifically, the control unit 60 receives various information from, for example, a server that manages the item acquisition game device 1 or an administrator terminal operated by the administrator of the item acquisition game device 1, and controls the item acquisition game played by the player based on settings derived from the received information.

[0030] Furthermore, the control unit 60 switches between a game mode in which the item acquisition game device 1 can be executed and a maintenance mode, and controls the operation of the item acquisition game device 1 in each mode.

[0031] In this embodiment, "game mode" is a mode in which a player can play an item acquisition game, and is an example of a first mode. That is, the first mode is not limited to the so-called "game mode," but is a mode in which the item acquisition game device 1 is operated based on the player's actions.

[0032] Furthermore, "Maintenance Mode" is a mode in which the administrator of the item acquisition game device 1 (for example, an employee of the store where the item acquisition game device 1 is installed) can perform various settings on the item acquisition game device 1 (for example, settings to adjust the output of the movement device 30, the vertical movement device 40, and the item acquisition device 50, etc.), and is an example of the second mode. In other words, the second mode is not limited to the so-called "Maintenance Mode," but is a mode in which various settings can be performed on the item acquisition game device 1.

[0033] Furthermore, in maintenance mode, the control unit 60 sets the output of the item acquisition device 50 based on the operator's operation using a measuring instrument, for example, as described later, and in game mode, it executes the item acquisition game based on this setting.

[0034] In game mode, the control unit 60 executes the item acquisition game by controlling the operation of the moving device 30, the vertical moving device 40, and the item acquisition device 50 based on various information corresponding to the player's operations transmitted from the operation unit 11, for example.

[0035] Next, an item acquisition device 50 capable of measuring output using a measuring instrument according to this embodiment will be described. [Configuration of the item acquisition device] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an item acquisition device capable of measuring output using a measuring instrument according to one embodiment of the present invention. The item acquisition device 50 comprises a plurality of arm sections 51, a base 52, a first drive mechanism 53, and a second drive mechanism 54.

[0036] The base 52 is connected to the vertical movement device 40 at its upper end, rotatably supports a plurality of arm sections 51, and has a first drive mechanism 53 and a second drive mechanism 54 attached to it.

[0037] Multiple (two in the example shown in Figure 2) arm portions 51 are each rotatably supported at their upper ends by the base 52, arranged facing each other, and gripping articles with claws provided at their lower ends. In this embodiment, two arm portions 51 are provided, but the system is not limited to this, and three or more arm portions 51 may be provided.

[0038] The first drive mechanism 53 is provided on the base 52 for each arm portion 51 and comprises a first link portion 531 and a first drive unit 532 (arm torque motor), and applies a gripping force to the multiple arm portions 51.

[0039] The first drive unit 532 is composed of a torque motor and is controlled by the control unit 60, which applies rotational force to the first link unit 531.

[0040] The control unit 60, for example, is composed of a computer and controls the rotational force of the first drive unit 532 so that the sum of the closing torque generated by the weight of the arm unit 51 (the force that causes the tips of the multiple arm units 51 to return to the state in which they are closest to each other) and the torque generated by the first drive unit 532 (the rotational force that opposes the closing torque) becomes a preset torque (the output of the item acquisition device 50).

[0041] The second drive mechanism 54 is provided on the base 52, one for each of the multiple arm sections 51, and is controlled by the control unit 60 to move each of the multiple arm sections 51 simultaneously by the same amount, thereby increasing or decreasing the distance between the tips of the multiple arm sections 51.

[0042] Next, the measuring instrument according to this embodiment will be described. [Configuration of Measuring Instrument] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the measuring instrument in one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, a part of the pipe of the vertical movement device 40 is omitted.

[0043] The measuring instrument 100 measures the output of the article acquisition device 50 that includes a plurality of arm parts 51 for gripping an article housed inside the article housing part 20 of the article acquisition game device 1. When measuring the output of the article acquisition device 50, the measuring instrument 100 may be gripped by the plurality of arm parts 51 (see FIG. 2). However, in the example shown in FIG. 3, instead of the plurality of arm parts 51 of the article acquisition device 50, a plurality of measuring arm parts 51a are attached, and the measuring instrument 100 is gripped by the plurality of measuring arm parts 51a.

[0044] The measuring arm part 51a has a dimension from the base end (the part that engages with the first link part 531 (see FIG. 2) and is given a turning force) to the tip end that is substantially the same as that of the arm part 51, and is formed with substantially the same weight as the arm part 51. At the tip end, instead of the claws provided on the arm part 51, a tip member 51b having a circular end face when viewed from the front-back direction and formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the front-back direction is provided.

[0045] The article acquisition device 50 has a plurality of measuring arm parts 51a attached instead of the plurality of arm parts 51. When the plurality of measuring arm parts 51a approach each other in the left-right direction and grip the measuring instrument 100, the side surfaces curved so as to bulge inward (toward the center side of the article acquisition device 50) of the tip members 51b abut against and press against a contact part 120 (to be described later) of the measuring instrument 100.

[0046] The measuring instrument 100 includes a main body 110, a plurality of contact parts 120 formed on the side surface of the main body 110, a measuring part 130 provided inside the main body 110, a calculation part 140 provided inside the main body 110, a display part 150 provided on the main body 110, and an auxiliary part 160 that can be arranged on the upper part of the main body 110.

[0047] The main body 110 is formed in a box shape and houses various functional parts (control parts of the measuring part 130, calculation part 140, display part 150, etc.) inside.

[0048] The plurality of contact portions 120 are formed on the side surface of the main body 110, and the tip sides of the plurality of arm portions 51 (see FIG. 2) or the tip sides of the plurality of measurement arm portions 51a provided in place of the plurality of arm portions 51 can each be in contact. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 3 (when there are two of the plurality of arm portions 51 (see FIG. 2) and the plurality of measurement arm portions 51a), the contact portions 120 are formed in a notch shape having the same height and the same dimensions on the left and right side surfaces of the main body 110.

[0049] Thus, if the measuring instrument 100 is gripped and lifted by the plurality of arm portions 51 or the plurality of measurement arm portions 51a, even if the measuring instrument 100 slips downward, the claws of the arm portions 51 or the tip members 51b of the measurement arm portions 51a will catch on the contact portions 120, preventing the gripped measuring instrument 100 from falling and interrupting the operation of measuring the output of the article acquisition device 50. In the example shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the article acquisition device 50 includes two arm portions 51 and two contact portions 120 are provided, but this is not limiting. It may be assumed that the article acquisition device 50 includes three or more arm portions 51 and three or more contact portions 120 may be provided.

[0050] The measurement unit 130 measures the force (predetermined output set in the first drive unit 532 (arm torque motor) + the self-weight of the arm portion 51 or the measurement arm portion 51a) by which the plurality of arm portions 51 (see FIG. 2) or the plurality of measurement arm portions 51a that are respectively in contact with the plurality of contact portions 120 press the plurality of contact portions 120. Specifically, the measurement unit 130 is composed of pressure sensors provided for the plurality of contact portions 120 respectively, and measures the force pressing the contact portions 120 by an arbitrary method (resistance film method, capacitance method, piezoelectric element method, optical method, etc.).

[0051] The calculation unit 140 calculates a correction value relative to a predetermined reference value for each arm section 51 (see Figure 2) or measuring arm section 51a, based on the measurement value measured by the measurement unit 130. In this embodiment, the "predetermined reference value" is a value that serves as a reference for equalizing the force with which multiple arm sections 51 or multiple measuring arm sections 51a press against the contact section 120. Specifically, the predetermined reference value may be, for example, a theoretical value, an average value obtained by measuring multiple units during the development of the item acquisition device, a measurement value when the contact section 120 is not being pressed (for example, 0), a value set in advance by a manager (for example, an employee of a store where the item acquisition game device 1 is installed), or a measurement value from any of the multiple arm sections 51 or multiple measuring arm sections 51a.

[0052] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the "correction value" may be the difference between the measurement value measured by the measurement unit 130 and a predetermined reference value, or it may be an internal command value that is set in advance to correct this difference.

[0053] The display unit 150 is composed of a display, with the screen 150a positioned on the front of the main unit 110. More specifically, the display unit 150 displays an index based on the measured value measured by the measurement unit 130 for each contact unit 120. In this embodiment, the "index based on the measured value" may be the measured value itself or a correction value calculated by the calculation unit 140.

[0054] Specifically, the display unit 150 displays, for example, an index based on the measurement value of the measuring unit 130 provided for the left contact portion 120 (in the example shown in Figure 3, "-2") on the left side (near the left contact portion 120) on the screen 150a, and an index based on the measurement value of the measuring unit 130 provided for the right contact portion 120 (in the example shown in Figure 3, "+5") on the right side (near the right contact portion 120).

[0055] The auxiliary part 160 is a shaft member that can be positioned on the upper part of the main body 110, and its upper end abuts against the lower surface of the base 52 of the item acquisition device 50, and is a member that adjusts the position in which the item acquisition device 50 grips the measuring instrument 100. The length of the auxiliary part 160 is formed to a dimension corresponding to the length from the base end to the tip of the arm part 51 or the measuring arm part 51a.

[0056] Here, the position of the measuring instrument 100 is not fixed relative to the item acquisition device 50, and if the relative positions of the two shift up, down, left, or right, the force pressing the contact portion 120 at the tip of each of the multiple arm portions 51 or multiple measuring arm portions 51a becomes uneven, causing an error in the indicator used to adjust the output of the item acquisition device 50.

[0057] According to this embodiment, the auxiliary part 160 fixes the item acquisition device 50 and the measuring instrument 100, so that the measuring instrument 100 can be fixed to the item acquisition device 50 in a position appropriate for measurement, thereby enabling accurate measurement. Furthermore, by fixing the item acquisition device 50 and the measuring instrument 100 with the auxiliary part 160, it is possible to suppress the influence of the force applied by one arm portion 51 or measuring arm portion 51a on the contact portion 120 on the measured value of the force applied by the other arm portion 51 or measuring arm portion 51a on the contact portion 120.

[0058] Furthermore, by positioning the auxiliary section 160 on the upper part of the main body 110, when measuring the output of the item acquisition device 50 with the measuring instrument 100, the vertical movement device 40 lowers the item acquisition device 50 until the upper end of the auxiliary section 160 contacts the lower surface of the base 52. Then, by gripping the measuring instrument 100 with the arm section 51 or measuring arm section 51a, it becomes possible to appropriately press the contact section 120 with the tip of the arm section 51 or measuring arm section 51a. This improves the efficiency of the work of measuring the output of the item acquisition device 50.

[0059] The measuring instrument 100 may also include a communication unit capable of sending and receiving various types of information with the item acquisition game device 1. In this case, the communication unit consists of a wired communication device, a short-range communication device capable of wireless communication, or a communication device capable of communication via a network, and transmits information indicating the measured value measured by the measuring unit 130 and information indicating the correction value calculated by the calculation unit 140 to the item acquisition game device 1.

[0060] In this case, the control unit 60 of the item acquisition game device 1 may set the output of the item acquisition device 50 based on the information indicating the measured value and the information indicating the correction value received from the measuring instrument 100.

[0061] Next, a method for adjusting the output of the item acquisition device 50 using the measuring instrument 100 will be described. Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the method for adjusting the output of the item acquisition device using the measuring instrument in one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is an example of an adjustment screen in one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5(a) shows an example of an adjustment start screen, and Figure 5(b) shows an example of an indicator input screen. The adjustment screen is displayed on the display means of the operation unit 11 (see Figure 1) in an item acquisition game device 1 capable of performing the output adjustment method of the item acquisition device 50 using the measuring instrument 100.

[0062] When the administrator of the item acquisition game device 1 (for example, an employee of the store where the item acquisition game device 1 is installed) wants to adjust the output of the item acquisition device 50, they switch the item acquisition game device 1 to maintenance mode, display the initial adjustment screen (not shown) on the display means of the operation unit 11, and select to adjust the output of the item acquisition device 50. Then, the adjustment screen transitions from the initial adjustment screen (not shown) to the adjustment start screen shown in Figure 5(a).

[0063] Then, in the example shown in Figure 5(a), when the administrator selects "Yes: Confirm" on the adjustment start screen, the output adjustment of the item acquisition device 50 is started in the item acquisition game device 1 (step S1 shown in Figure 4).

[0064] In step S2, triggered by the selection of "Yes: Confirm" on the adjustment start screen in step S1, the control unit 60 of the item acquisition game device 1 controls the vertical movement device 40 to move the item acquisition device 50 to the adjustment position.

[0065] In step S3, the control unit 60 of the item acquisition game device 1 controls the second drive mechanism 54 in the item acquisition device 50 positioned at the adjustment position to separate the tips of the multiple arm sections 51 from each other, open the multiple arm sections 51, and stop them.

[0066] In step S4, the administrator replaces the multiple arm sections 51 of the item acquisition device 50 with multiple measuring arm sections 51a.

[0067] In step S5, the administrator places the measuring instrument 100 directly below the item acquisition device 50. At this time, the administrator positions the measuring instrument 100 such that the contact portion 120 of the measuring instrument 100 is positioned directly below the tip member 51b of the measuring arm portion 51a attached to the item acquisition device 50. Then, the administrator turns on the switch of the measuring instrument 100 (to enable the measurement of the force applied by the measuring unit 130 to the contact portion 120).

[0068] In step S6, the measuring unit 130 of the measuring instrument 100 sets the value in this state (installed at the measurement position and with no pressure applied to the contact portion 120) to "0".

[0069] In step S7, the administrator selects "Start Measurement" on the initial adjustment screen (not shown) displayed on the display means of the operation unit 11. Then, the control unit 60 of the item acquisition game device 1 controls the second drive mechanism 54 in the item acquisition device 50 to bring the tip members 51b of the multiple measuring arm sections 51a closer together, close the multiple measuring arm sections 51a, and grip the measuring instrument 100 with the multiple measuring arm sections 51a.

[0070] At this time, the control unit 60 of the item acquisition game device 1 rotates a plurality of first drive units 532 (arm torque motors) that rotate each of the plurality of measuring arm portions 51a at a preset specified output, and presses the contact portion 120 of the measuring instrument 100 with the tip members 51b of the measuring arm portions 51a.

[0071] In step S8, the measuring unit 130 of the measuring instrument 100 measures the force exerted by the multiple tip members 51b on each of the multiple contact parts 120 in step S7 (a predetermined output set in the first drive unit 532 (arm torque motor) + the weight of the arm part 51 or measuring arm part 51a).

[0072] The calculation unit 140 of the measuring instrument 100 calculates a correction value relative to a predetermined reference value for each measuring arm portion 51a (contact portion 120) based on the measurement value measured by the measuring unit 130. The display unit 150 of the measuring instrument 100 displays the correction value calculated by the calculation unit 140 as an indicator on the screen 150a.

[0073] In step S9, the administrator inputs, for example, the same value as the indicator for each of the multiple arm parts (contact parts 120) displayed on the display unit 150 of the measuring instrument 100 in step S8, on the indicator input screen (see Figure 5(b)) displayed on the display means of the operation unit 11.

[0074] In step S10, the administrator replaces the multiple measuring arm sections 51a with multiple arm sections 51 in the item acquisition device 50.

[0075] Then, the administrator selects "end measurement" on the adjustment screen (not shown) displayed on the display means of the operation unit 11. As a result, the control unit 60 of the item acquisition game device 1 corrects the output of the first drive unit 532 based on the index input in step S9.

[0076] As described above, with the measuring instrument 100 of this embodiment, the tip ends of the multiple arm portions 51 of the item acquisition device 50, or the tip ends of the multiple measuring arm portions 51a provided in place of the multiple arm portions, are brought into contact with the multiple contact portions 120 of the measuring instrument 100, and the item acquisition device 50 outputs a force to grip the item. Then, a force is applied to the tip ends of the multiple arm portions 51 or the tip ends of the multiple measuring arm portions 51a in the closing direction (direction toward each other), pressing against the multiple contact portions 120. As a result, the measuring instrument 100 measures the force pressing against each of these multiple contact portions 120 using the measuring unit 130, and displays an index based on the measured value on the display unit 150 for each contact portion 120. Therefore, it is possible to provide a measuring instrument that can measure the gripping force of the multiple arm portions of the item acquisition device for each arm portion and show an index when adjusting the item acquisition device.

[0077] Furthermore, the measuring instrument 100 displays a correction value for a predetermined reference value as an index, based on the measured value of each arm 51 or measuring arm 51a that grips an article with the multiple arm sections 51 or multiple measuring arm sections 51a. This makes it possible to set the correction value as the difference between the preferred value and the measured value, for example, if the predetermined reference value is set as a desirable preferred value for the gripping force of the article acquisition device 50 (for example, a theoretical value or the average value measured from multiple units during the development of the article acquisition device). In this case, by adjusting the output of each arm section in the article acquisition device 50 so that the difference is 0, it becomes possible to set the output of all multiple arm sections to the preferred value. Therefore, it becomes easier to adjust the gripping force of the article with the multiple arm sections of the article acquisition device.

[0078] Here, when the measuring instrument 100 is gripped by the claws provided at the tips of the multiple arm portions 51 of the item acquisition device 50, and these claws are brought into contact with the contact portion 120 of the measuring instrument 100 (described later) and pressed, if the claws are not brought into contact with the contact portion 120 at a right angle, some of the rotational force applied to the base end of the arm portion 51 (the part that engages with the first link portion 531 and to which a rotational force is applied) may escape, and there is a risk that the rotational force applied to the base end of the arm portion 51 may not be properly applied to the contact portion 120.

[0079] Therefore, the measuring instrument 100 must be precisely positioned so that the claws of the multiple arm portions 51 of the item acquisition device 50 contact the contact portion 120 of the measuring instrument 100 at a right angle. This precise positioning of the measuring instrument 100 reduces the efficiency of measuring the output of the item acquisition device 50.

[0080] According to the output adjustment method for the item acquisition device 50 of this embodiment, the measuring arm portion 51a has a curved side surface that bulges inward at the tip member 51b that contacts the contact portion 120 of the measuring instrument 100. Therefore, regardless of which part of the side surface of the tip member 51b contacts the contact portion 120, the rotational force applied to the base end of the measuring arm portion 51a can be appropriately applied to the contact portion 120. As a result, when measuring the output of the item acquisition device 50, by replacing multiple arm portions 51 with multiple measuring arm portions 51a, it becomes less necessary to position the measuring instrument 100 as precisely as if it were not replaced, thus improving the efficiency of the work of measuring the output of the item acquisition device 50.

[0081] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the contents of the above embodiments. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. Furthermore, it is clear from the claims that such modified or improved forms are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0082] 1 Item acquisition game device 5 Booth 10 Base 11 Operation unit 12 Drop-off opening 20 Item storage unit 30 Moving device 40 Vertical movement device 50 Item acquisition device 51 Arm unit 51a Measuring arm unit 51b Tip member 52 Base 53 First drive mechanism 54 Second drive mechanism 60 Control unit 100 Measuring instrument 110 Main body 120 Contact unit 130 Measuring unit 140 Calculation unit 150 Display unit 150a Screen 160 Auxiliary unit 531 First link unit 532 First drive unit

Claims

1. A measuring instrument for measuring the output of an item acquisition device, which is equipped with a plurality of arms for gripping an item stored inside the item storage section of an item acquisition game device, comprising: a plurality of contact points to which the tip ends of the plurality of arms or the tip ends of a plurality of measuring arms provided in place of the plurality of arms can each contact; a measuring unit for measuring the force exerted by the plurality of arms or the plurality of measuring arms that have come into contact with each of the plurality of contact points; and a display unit for displaying an index based on the measured value measured by the measuring unit for each of the contact points.

2. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, further comprising a calculation unit that calculates a correction value for a predetermined reference value for each arm portion or each measuring arm portion based on the measured value, wherein the display unit displays the correction value as the index.

3. A method for adjusting the output of an article acquisition device using the measuring instrument described in claim 1 or 2, comprising: replacing the arm portion of the article acquisition device with a measuring arm portion having a curved side surface provided on the tip side; pressing the contact portion of the measuring instrument with the curved side surface of the tip surface; and adjusting the output of the article acquisition device based on the indicator displayed on the display portion of the measuring instrument.

Images