JP2000288236A - Hockey game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To provide a hockey game machine that can be enjoyed not only by healthy persons but also by elderly persons and persons with disabilities. SOLUTION: A pack 6 is fired from the back of the game board 3 toward the front. The player returns the puck with the racket 15 from the near side of the game board 3. An operation panel 7 is provided on the front side of the game board 3 to input player's personal data and a target score. The front side of the game board 3 is protruded like an eave, and a space 8 is secured below it. By having the lower limbs enter the space 8, even a player sitting on a chair can take a posture in which a player can easily play a game.
The handrail 10 can be used to move the body during the game.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hockey game machine using a disc-shaped pack.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A hockey game machine is known as a game machine for playing by actually moving a body in an amusement park or the like. The hockey game machine uses a disc-shaped puck, and the puck is floated above the board by air from a number of air blowout holes provided on the board, and two players aim at an opponent's goal on the board. Play alternately with rackets and compete for points based on the number of packs placed in the opponent's goal. This console encourages players to exercise moderately and is especially popular among young people.

[0003] The above hockey game machine always requires two players, and the game cannot be enjoyed unless the skills of the players are competitive. Under such circumstances, a hockey game machine described in Japanese Patent No. 2686048 has been proposed. According to this, the player can enjoy the game under the setting of the skill level according to his / her own skill, and can perform an appropriate exercise.

[0004]

However, the hockey game machine described above is intended only for healthy people, mainly young people, and for example, a disabled person who needs a wheelchair or a wheelchair if not needed. Elderly people with lower limb motor function can hardly enjoy the game.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has as its object the purpose of making it possible for a disabled person or an elderly person to enjoy a game while performing an appropriate exercise according to his / her athletic ability. It is to provide a game machine.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention projects a front side of a game board on which a puck fired by a puck launcher and returned by a player moves, in an eaves-like manner, A space is provided for receiving the legs of a player sitting on a chair. Therefore, even a disabled person who needs a wheelchair or an elderly person who cannot stand standing during the game can enjoy a hockey game while sitting on a chair. In addition, by providing a handrail extending in the width direction in front of the game board, it is possible to support the body using this handrail. In addition, a reflective photo sensor is provided along the width of the game board in front of the game board to measure how much the player has moved while playing the game and to inform the player. It is good to arrange.

In order to increase the degree of difficulty of the game, it is effective to change the position of the pack launcher in the width direction of the game board in addition to adjusting the firing speed and firing interval of the pack. Further, by displaying the movement position of the pack launcher to the player on the display, a new interest can be included in the game. Furthermore, if a plurality of sensors for detecting the passage of the puck along the left and right edges of the game board are provided, there is a possibility that the plurality of sensors will be detected when the returned pack moves along the edge of the game board. is there. In this case, it is possible to effectively use all signals obtained from the sensors, but in order to further enhance the gameability, it is better to enable only the signals from the sensors where the passage of the pack is first detected. .

[0008]

1 and 2 show the appearance and a schematic cross section of a main part of a hockey game machine to which the present invention is applied. Game console body 2
The upper surface of the game board 3 is a game board 3, and the game board 3 is inclined at about 3 to 5 ° so that the back side becomes lower. The game board 3 is provided with a large number of fine air blowing holes 3a, and communicates with the air chamber 5 below the air blowing holes 3a. When the blower 4 installed inside the game machine main body 2 is operated and pressurized air is sent into the air chamber 5 covered with the game board 3, air is blown out from the air blowout hole 3a. With this blowing air,
A floating force is applied to the pack 6 on the game board 3. In FIG. 2, illustration of the air blowing holes 3a is omitted in order to prevent the drawing from being complicated.

An operation panel 7 is provided on the front side of the game board 3. The operation panel 7 has a coin insertion slot 7a, a credit card insertion slot 7b, an operation dial 7c, and touch keys 7d. In the coin insertion slot 7a and the card insertion slot 7b, insertion of a coin or insertion of a prepaid card, which is a condition for starting the game, is performed. The operation dial 7c is operated by the player to set the skill level, and can select any of advanced, intermediate, and elementary. The touch keys 7d are used when inputting personal data of the player, for example, data such as age, gender, and athletic ability. These personal data are referred to when the game is over to determine the success or failure of the game, and when the player measures the distance the player has moved his or her body during the game and evaluates the amount of exercise.

The front side of the game machine main body 2 is largely hollowed below, and a part of the front side of the game board 3 and the operation panel 7 protrude like an eave. Thus, the game machine body 2
By securing a space 8 in the width direction below the front side of the player, even a player sitting on a wheelchair 9 can play a game with his or her legs inserted into the space 8 as shown in FIG. be able to. In addition, in the case of an elderly person who finds it difficult to stand still during the game, it is possible to play the game while sitting on a chair.

In consideration of such a use form, the height of the game board 3 is preferably about 70 to 90 cm, and the space 8 is 55 to 70 cm in height and 3 in depth.
About 0 to 50 cm, preferably about 40 to 50 cm is good. Further, in order to allow the player to exercise moderately, the width of the game board 3 is preferably set to about 100 cm to 180 cm in consideration of the installation space of the game machine. When two or three players can play the game at the same time, the width may be 200 cm or more.

A handrail 10 is provided on the front side of the operation panel 7. The handrail 10 has a pipe fixed along the width direction of the game board 3, and is particularly useful for a player who plays a game while sitting on a chair while moving the upper body without placing a large burden on the lower body. Become. At the front edge of the game machine main body 2, a movement measuring device 11 in which a number of reflective photosensors are arranged along the width direction is provided. Each photosensor emits near-infrared light toward the player, receives the reflected light, and detects the position of the player. By monitoring and integrating individual detection signals from the photo sensor during the game period, the moving distance of the player can be measured.

A monitor CRT 10 is provided at the back of the game board 3. The monitor CRT 10 is used as a display for displaying the progress of a game and the like, and may use a liquid crystal display panel or a CRT projection screen.

Slits 13 and 14 through which the puck 6 passes are formed on the back side and the front side of the game board 3. The puck 6 fired from a puck launcher, which will be described later, or the puck 6 hit by the player with the racket 15 passes through the slit 13 on the back side. The slit 14 on the front side is an outgate for receiving a pack that has been shot by the pack launcher and has failed to hit back. Slit 13,
An in-gate sensor 16 and an out-gate sensor 17 for photoelectrically detecting the passage of the puck 6 are provided on the inner surface of the upper wall constituting the
Is provided. A plurality of these sensors 16 and 17 are provided along the longitudinal direction of the slits 13 and 14. In particular, the ingate sensor 16 on the back side determines the position of the pack returned by the player with respect to the longitudinal direction of the slit 13. It is used to detect whether it has passed.

In the state that a gap is formed between the side wall contacting the left and right edges of the game board 3 and the upper surface of the game board 3, five gates vertically and six gates horizontally above the slit 13 on the back side. A unit 18 is provided. These gate units 18 are provided with a gate number display 18a for displaying numbers "1" to "16" by a liquid crystal panel, a 7-segment LED, or the like as shown in the figure. The in-gate sensor 16 is used for each of the six gate units 18 on the rear side, and detects under which gate unit 18 the pack has passed. Similarly, each of the gate units 18 provided along the left and right edges of the game board 3 is also provided with an in-gate sensor 16 composed of a reflection type photo sensor, and photoelectrically detects a pack passing directly below. The configuration and function of these gate sensors are described in
It is also described in detail in JP-A-686048.

Although not shown in the drawings, in order to prevent the ingate sensor 16 from being fraudulently operated, the game board 3 except for an area necessary for the player to operate the racket 15 is used. It is desirable to cover a wide area on the back side of the camera with a transparent cover plate.

As schematically shown in FIG.
A pack launcher 20 is provided at the back of the box. The pack launcher 20 is attached to a movable table 21 that slides along a pair of guide rods 21 installed in the width direction of the game board 3, and the pack 6 is passed through the slit 13 to move the pack 6.
Fire up. Further, inside the game machine main body 2, there are provided an air supply duct 23 for feeding pressurized air from the blower 4 to the air chamber 5, a pack collection belt 24, and the like. The pack collecting belt 24 conveys the pack 6 that has fallen through the slits 13 and 14 to the far side inside the game machine main body 2 and collects the pack 6 at one place. The packs collected by the pack collection belt 24 are stored in a collection bucket and supplied to the pack launcher 20 as needed. A pack delivery belt 25 and a pack elevator 26 are used to supply the collected pack to the pack launcher 20.

Above the gate unit 18 on the back side, LE
A launch table position indicator 28 in which D is arranged in a line is provided. As described above, when the pack launcher 20 moves in the width direction of the game board 3, the movement position is detected by a launch pad position sensor described later, and the detection signal constitutes the launch pad position indicator 28. The LED turns on. Thereby, the current position of the pack launcher 20 can be notified to the player.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the pack launcher 20. The movable table 22 is supported by the guide rod 21 so as to be movable in the width direction (the direction of the arrow X) of the game board 3. Mobile platform 2
A motor 30 such as an AC servomotor is used to move the motor 2. A feed screw 31 is directly connected to a spindle of the motor 30, and the feed screw 31 is screwed to a female screw formed on the movable base 21. By rotating the motor 30 forward and backward, the movable table 21 can be appropriately moved in the arrow X direction. The signal piece 21 a is fixed to the moving table 21, and is detected by a plurality of photosensors 32 arranged along the moving direction of the moving table 21. These photosensors constitute a launch pad position sensor, and the operation of the launch pad position indicator 28 is controlled by the detection signal.

A support shaft 33 is fixed to the movable table 21, and a launch table base 35 is pivotally mounted on the support shaft 33 by the support shaft 33. A gear 36 is fixed to the launch table base 35, and a drive gear 38 of a launch table swing mechanism 37 meshes with the gear 36. The launch table swing mechanism 37 has a built-in stepping motor, for example, and the launching table base 35 swings in the direction of the arrow Y by driving the stepping motor. In order to swing the launch pad base 35 smoothly, the launch pad base 3
A ball caster 35a is mounted on the bottom surface of the fifth caster. A launch chute 40 is fixed to the front end of the launch table base 35. The shooting chute 40 also incorporates a shooting pack sensor 41 that photoelectrically detects the passage of the pack.

The pack firing mechanism comprises a pair of firing rollers 45a, 45 rotatably mounted on a firing table base 35.
b, gears 46a, 46b, gears 47, 48, drive gear 4
9, a firing motor 50 and a pack loading belt 51. The firing rollers 45a, 45b are respectively gears 46a,
46b, and is rotatable around the shafts 52a, 52b. The shafts 52a and 52b are gears 47 and 48
Are fixed to swing levers 54a and 54b which are pivotally mounted on the support shafts, and are urged by a spring 55 so as to approach each other. The swing range of the shafts 52a, 52b is regulated by long holes 57a, 57b formed in the cover plate 56, and the firing rollers 45a, 45
Positioning is performed so that the interval between the peripheral surfaces of 5b is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the pack 6.

Behind the pack loading belt 51, the pack 6
Is provided with a cylindrical magazine 58 having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter. An opening 58a for allowing the pack 6 to pass through is formed in the lower part on the front side of the magazine 58, and an opening 58b for allowing the pack loading plate 59 to enter and leave is formed in the lower part on the back side of the magazine 58. The magazine 58 can store about 10 sheets by stacking the packs 6. Note that the number of stacked packs 6 can be changed as appropriate by changing the height of the magazine 58. For example, when 16 packs 6 are used per game, 16 packs 6 Can also be stored.

The pack loading plate 59 enters the magazine 58 by driving the rotary solenoid 60,
Only the lowermost pack 6 in the magazine 58 is moved onto the pack loading belt 51. When the pack loading belt 51 is in the operating state, the pack 6 is conveyed forward and sent by the firing motor 50 between the pair of firing rollers 45a and 45b rotating in the direction of the arrow. Note that the magazine 58 can be provided at a position close to the firing rollers 45a and 45b, and the pack 6 can be fed between the firing rollers 45a and 45b only by being pushed out by the pack loading plate 59. Further, in order to drive the pack loading plate 59, the pack loading plate 59 may be reciprocated once by one rotation of the motor using a motor and a crank mechanism.

The firing rollers 45a and 45b are frictionally engaged with the outer periphery of the pack 6, and vigorously push the pack 6 to the shooting chute 40.
To send out. At this time, the shafts 52a and 52b move away from the outer diameter of the pack 6 against the urging of the spring 55, but the urging force of the spring 55 presses the peripheral surfaces of the firing rollers 45a and 45b against the peripheral surface of the pack 6. The rotation of the firing rollers 45a and 45b is efficiently transmitted to the pack 6, and the pack 6 can be fired according to the rotation speed.

Although not shown, the magazine 58 is provided with two pack sensors that detect the pack 6 photoelectrically. One of them outputs a pack supply signal when the number of packs in the magazine 58 becomes three,
The other outputs a supply stop signal when the magazine 58 is full of packs.

A bucket 62 and a pack supply belt 63 are used to supply the magazine 58 with the pack 6. The bucket 62 is for receiving the pack 6 supplied from the pack elevator 26, and when receiving the supply of the pack 6, the movable platform 22 moves to a predetermined position where the pack elevator 26 is installed. The pack replenishing belt 63 is installed slightly away from the pack discharge opening provided at the bottom of the bucket 62 than the thickness of one pack. Then, when the pack supply belt 63 is operated, the packs 6 are fed into the magazine 58 one by one through the chute 64.

The bucket 62 is provided with a sensor for detecting whether or not the number of packs stored therein is equal to or larger than the number of packs consumed during one game. Pack capacity sensors used for this purpose include:
A photo sensor that photoelectrically monitors the pack storage level in the bucket 62, a weight sensor that detects the weight of the stored pack, and the like can be used. When the replenishment signal is output from the pack capacity sensor, the movable table 22 moves to the predetermined replenishment position as described above, and receives the replenishment of the pack from the pack elevator 26.

FIG. 4 schematically shows the pack delivery belt 25 and the pack elevator 26 for replenishing the bucket 62 with the pack 6. The pack 6 that has fallen into the game machine main body 2 through the slits 13 and 14 during the game is sent to the collection bucket 65 by the pack collection belt 24 that is constantly operating during the game, and is stored there. Is done. An opening is formed in the bottom surface of the collection bucket 65,
A pack delivery belt 25 is provided so as to face the opening.

The gap between the upper surface of the pack delivery belt 25 and the opening of the collection bucket 65 is slightly wider than the thickness of one pack 6. A pair of guide plates 66 are provided on both side edges of the pack delivery belt 25 at intervals slightly wider than the outer diameter of the pack 6. By driving the pack delivery belt 25, the packs 6 are driven one by one unless the collection bucket 65 stores a large amount of packs 6 so that an excessive load is not applied to the pack delivery belt 25. 26.

The pack elevator 26 has a rectangular tubular cover 67 having a receiving port 67a formed below and a discharge port 67b formed above, and a belt 68 which moves in accordance with a predetermined circulation path therein. Thin blades 69 are attached to the belt 68 at regular intervals, and the belt 68 is driven in synchronization with the pack delivery belt 25. The pack 6 supplied from the receiving port 67 a by the pack delivery belt 25 is held by the belt 68 and the wing plate 69 and rises together with the belt 68. And the outlet 6
At 7b, the pack 6 falls from the belt 68 to the chute 70. In the vicinity of the receiving port 67a and the discharging port 67b, rollers that are in contact with the belt surface on the side where the blade plate 69 is attached are used.
Since it is in contact with only the side edge of No. 8, there is no hindrance to the movement of the blade 69.

As described above, when the number of packs stored in the bucket 62 attached to the pack launcher 20 becomes equal to or less than the specified level, the moving table 22 is driven by the motor 30.
Moves to the supply position. Then, by monitoring the signal piece 21a with the photo sensor 32, it is confirmed that the movable table 22 has moved to the supply position, and then the driving of the pack delivery belt 25 and the pack elevator 26 is started. When the pack capacity sensor detects that the pack 6 has been replenished to the specified amount in the bucket 62, the driving of the pack delivery belt 25 and the pack elevator 26 is stopped.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a display screen displayed on the monitor CRT 12. The number of packs used is displayed at the top. The number of packs used per game is 16, and as the number of used packs increases, the scale is displayed in a bar graph format so as to increase. A bingo table 72 in which numbers “1 to 16” are arranged in a 4 × 4 matrix at the center is displayed. The number displayed on each square is randomly determined for each game. When the puck 6 returned by the player in the course of the game passes through any of the gate units 18, the same number as that displayed on the gate number display 18a is displayed on the bingo table 72 so that it can be identified. Is done. Although the figures are shown as circled numbers in the drawings, the display form can be changed in color tone, blinked, or an appropriate display method can be used.

In the display screen, "Hit" indicates that the pack returned by the player is one of the gate units 18.
, And “Out” is counted up each time the puck enters the slit 14 on the front side of the game board 3. These displays serve as indices indicating how much the player can return the pack. In addition, a speaker is built in the vicinity of the monitor CRT 12, and an appropriate message is displayed by voice.
GM etc. are flown.

As the game score, for example, a line score and a pack score are set. The line score is “100 points” when four types of numbers arranged in vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines on the bingo table 72 are aligned for one line.
Is given, and "1000 points" are obtained when all the lines are aligned. The pack score is awarded “5 points” when the returned pack 6 passes through any of the gate units 18, and when all 16 packs of one game can be returned to the gate unit 18, a total of “80 points” is given. Is obtained.

Each of these scores is referred to as “Line Scor
"e" and "Pack Score" are displayed on the display screen as the game progresses. The “target score” can be set by the player through an input operation on the operation panel 7 prior to the game. Then, when the target score set by the player is cleared, the game is successful, and for example, a privilege as described later is given.

The "difficulty level" in the display screen indicates the level of the overall difficulty level of the game, and is determined according to the skill level selected by the player and the skill level. Determined from the target score. That is, the lower limit and the upper limit of the target score are determined by selecting the skill level, and the player can set the target score within the range. The game difficulty can be adjusted by adjusting the firing speed of the pack 6, the firing interval, the moving range of the pack firing table 22, the variable range of the pack firing angle by the firing table swing mechanism 37, and the like.

Further, separately from the operation of the operation dial 7c, the adjustment range such as the pack firing speed and the firing interval is automatically determined also by the personal data input by the player by operating the touch key 7d. This is a function for reflecting the age, sex, and athletic ability difference of the player in the game. Therefore, for example, in a healthy person and a disabled person,
Even if the same skill level is selected, the difficulty of the actual game is different depending on each of the above adjustments. Note that the target score can be set in the same manner in any case.

If the score obtained at the end of the game clears the target score set by the player, a privilege is given as described above, and the print server 75 provided back to back with the hockey game machine is used. Then, the number of prints according to the target score can be obtained.

As is well known, the printing apparatus 75 is composed of a video camera, a video printer, and an image processing apparatus, and image data obtained by capturing an image of a person standing in front of the machine and character data prepared in advance. And image data of celebrities and provide several sticker prints. The higher the set target score, the more image data of a character or celebrity that can be combined with one's own image can be selected, and other types of prints can be obtained. In addition, since the age and gender of the player are input from the operation panel 7 as data, the type of other image data that can be combined with the user's face may be determined using these data.

As a privilege, a play using a karaoke apparatus can be set. In this case, the number of music pieces may be increased as the target score increases. In addition, the songs that can be selected are changed according to the age and gender of the input personal data, and further, for duet songs, the gender of the player is selected from among songs in which professional male singers or female singers sing in advance. May be selected in consideration of the music.

As a method of giving a privilege, for example, a card issuer is preferably built in the back of the card insertion slot 7b, and a play card in which the content of the privilege is magnetically recorded is issued. Each play privilege may be obtained by inserting the play card into each of the above devices that provide the benefit. When these privilege providing devices are provided in a hockey game machine, the play cards are not necessarily required because data can be electrically exchanged between the two devices.

At the bottom of the display screen, the amount of exercise of the player is displayed as the game progresses. The movement amount of the player is measured by the movement measuring device 11 based on how much the player moves his body left and right during the game. In addition to adding the movement distance to the momentum scale,
A calorie consumption etc. according to the moving amount can be added. When the game is over, refer to the acquired score, the amount of exercise and the personal data of the player, and display an appropriate comfort message on the display screen, for example, "Your athletic ability is equivalent to a 35-year-old healthy person." If displayed, the interest of the game can be further enhanced.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the electrical configuration of the hockey game machine. CPU 77 is a memory 78
The entire game machine is controlled according to a sequence program stored in the ROM area of the game machine. RAM of the memory 78
The area is used as a working memory for storing data and flags obtained from each mechanism during the course of the game.

The coin sensor 79 determines whether or not the coin inserted through the coin insertion slot 7a is appropriate, and inputs a start preparation signal to the CPU 77 when detecting that the coin is appropriate. The card reader / recorder 80 reads data from the prepaid card inserted into the card insertion slot 7b, and when the card is valid, similarly reads the data from the CPU 77.
Input a start preparation signal. As a result, the operation input from the operation panel 7 is validated, and the player can input personal data and set the skill level and the target score.

The pack transfer controller 82 monitors signals from a pack capacity sensor 83 provided on the bucket 62 and two types of pack sensors 84 provided on the magazine 58, and respectively supplies the pack supply belt 63 via a motor. , The operation of the pack elevator 26 and the delivery belt 25 are controlled. Thereby, the magazine 58 does not become empty from the start to the end of the game, and the game can be played continuously. The pack collection belt 22 is continuously driven from the time when the start preparation signal is input to the CPU 77 to the time when the game ends.

The monitor driver 85 receives the display signal from the CPU 77 and causes the monitor CRT 12 to display an appropriate display screen. Before the game is started, a display for demonstration and a display of a best ten score of the game performed in the past are displayed. During the game, a game progress screen is displayed as shown in FIG. 5, and at the end of the game, a display or a comfort display according to the game result is performed.

The pack gate driver 88 controls 16 gate units 18 installed on the game board 3. Each time a new game is started, a gate number "1 to 16" is displayed on each gate number display 18a. The gate number is assigned by CPU7
The game is performed using a random number generator built in 7, and the gate number is randomly changed for each game. Similarly, the number arrangement in the bingo table 72 on the display screen is also randomly replaced.

Each of the gate units 18 has a small speaker 89 incorporated therein, and generates a unique electronic sound in response to an audio signal from the CPU 77. The tone of each electronic sound is determined according to the number displayed on the gate number display 18a. Therefore, for example, the approximate position of the gate unit 18 on which the number “1” is displayed can be identified by recognizing the sound.

The launch pad controller 90 drives the actuators including the motors 30 and 50 and the rotary solenoid 60 in response to a signal from the CPU 77, and the launch pad moving mechanism 91, the launch pad swing mechanism 37, the pack loading plate 59, and the pack Loading belt 51, firing roller 45
a, 45b are controlled. The launch table moving mechanism 91 includes the pair of guide rods 21 and the feed screw 3 described above.
The movement position of the launch pad 22 is detected by a launch pad position sensor 32 and displayed to a player by a launch pad position indicator 28.

The operation of the hockey game machine will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIG. By inserting a proper coin or inserting a prepaid card, C
A start preparation signal is input to the PU 77, and the input operation from the operation panel 7 is validated. When the player inputs personal data and a target score and operates a game start key, a game start signal is input to the CPU 77, and a game execution process is started. When 16 packs have been used, the game ends, and a game end process is performed. If you operate the game start key without entering personal data or setting the target score,
The game may be started by automatically setting the difficulty level to a standard level of a healthy person.

FIG. 8 shows an outline of the game execution process. The difficulty of the game is adjusted according to the personal data and the skill level input by the player. The difficulty adjustment items include the firing speed of the pack, the swing width of the firing angle of the pack,
There are changes in pack firing intervals and launch pad movement patterns. The firing speed of the pack can be changed by adjusting the rotation speed of the firing rollers 45a and 45b, and the firing interval of the pack can be changed by adjusting the driving interval of the rotary solenoid 60. The swing width of the firing angle of the pack can be adjusted by drive control of the launch table swing mechanism 37 and the movement pattern of the launch table can be adjusted by drive control of the motor 30 that operates the launch table moving mechanism 91.

The firing speed of the pack has the greatest influence on the adjustment of the difficulty level, for example, from 3 m / sec to 6 m
/ Sec range from 1 to 10 difficulty levels. The firing angle of the puck is the least difficult when the angle of firing the puck is fixed straight at 0 ° toward the player, then the firing angle is randomly changed within a range of 5 ° left and right, and then 10 ° left and right. The degree of difficulty is increased as the swing width is changed within the range of 5 ° and the range of swing width to the left and right is increased by 5 °.
There are different difficulty levels.

The firing interval of the pack is, for example, 2 seconds at the highest difficulty level, and then decreases as the firing interval increases at 2.5 second intervals, 3 second intervals, and 0.5 second intervals. Five difficulty levels are set. The highest difficulty level in the launch pad movement pattern is to change the movement direction and the movement width completely at random, and to keep the launch pad position indicator 28 inactive.
The one with the lowest difficulty level corresponds to not moving the movable table at all. And between these difficulty levels, the moving direction changes at random, but the moving width of each time is limited to a certain range. Combination with the moving direction, and also the launch pad position indicator 28
The ten difficulty levels are set depending on whether or not is operated.

The data for adjusting these difficulty levels is stored in the ROM area of the memory 78 as control data of the actuator used for each adjustment. Then, it is read by the CPU 77 as appropriate according to the player's personal data and the selected difficulty level. In order to finally determine the firing angle of the pack and the moving width and moving direction of the launch pad, a random element is required. For this, a random number generator is incorporated in the CPU 77 and the random Based on the numerical value, change the firing angle of each firing at random within a predetermined angle range,
Also, the moving amount of the moving table may be changed randomly or the moving direction within a predetermined moving range.

Depending on the combination of the personal data input by the player and the selected skill level, the difficulty level is set, for example, according to the following table.

[0056]

[Table 1]

After the difficulty level has been set as described above, the blower 4 operates to start blowing air from the air blowing holes 3a of the game board 3. Next, it is confirmed whether or not the number of packs required for at least one game is prepared in the bucket 62. If not enough, after the movable table 22 is sent to the replenishment position by the drive of the motor 30, the delivery belt 25 and the pack elevator 26 are driven, and the pack is supplied from the collection bucket 65 to the bucket 62.

Subsequently, the CPU 77 assigns a gate number to each of the 16 gate units 18 and creates a bingo table 72. For this processing, a random number generator in the CPU 77 is used, and a random gate number is assigned to each gate unit 18 for each game. Thereby, a gate number is displayed on each gate number display 18a,
At the same time, a bingo table 72 in which gate numbers “1 to 16” are randomly arranged is displayed on the monitor CRT 12.

After the game start preparation processing is completed, when the player performs a game start operation, a countdown display is displayed on the monitor CRT 12 informing that the game is to be started, and is incorporated in the gate unit 18. An electronic sound indicating a game start is also emitted from the speaker 89. Subsequently, the CPU 77 executes a pack firing process.

The pack is fired according to the flowchart shown in FIG. According to the difficulty level determined as described above, the setting of the firing speed of the pack and the setting of the firing interval for one game to be performed subsequently are performed. These settings are not changed until one game ends. Firing motor 50 at a speed corresponding to the firing speed of the pack
Is started, and the pack loading belt 51 is driven. Subsequently, the position of the launch table 22 and the firing angle of the pack are determined in a manner according to the difficulty level. These setting modes are updated every time the pack is fired unless the respective difficulty levels are the lowest “1”.

When the pack loading plate 59 makes one reciprocating movement by driving the rotary solenoid 60, the pack 6 in the lowermost layer in the magazine 58 is moved to the pack loading belt 5.
Extruded on one. When the pack 6 is fed between the firing rollers 45a and 45b by the pack loading belt 51,
The pack 6 vigorously passes through the shooting chute 40 and the game board 3
Fired on. When the passage is detected by the firing pack sensor 41, the count value of the firing pack number counter prepared in the RAM area of the memory 78 is counted up.

After the passage of the pack 6 is detected by the launch pack sensor 41, the launch table base 35 swings by the driving of the launch table swing mechanism 37, and the launch chute 40 is momentarily swung. Thereby, the shooting chute 40
Is directed sideways to prevent the puck 6 returned by the player from entering the shooting chute 40. Note that a shutter may be provided at the firing port of the firing chute 40, and after the pack is fired, the shutter may be closed by driving a solenoid or the like. Thus, the same process is repeated until one pack firing process is completed and the number of shots reaches 16 sheets.

By repeating the firing of the pack 6, the number of the packs 6 in the magazine 58 is reduced. However, the number of the packs 6 prepared in the magazine 58 is determined during the firing process of the packs. Monitoring is performed by a timer interrupt shown in FIG. 10, and replenishment is appropriately performed from the bucket 62. As described above, the number of packs in the magazine 58 is determined by the pack transfer controller 82 monitoring signals from two types of pack sensors 84 provided in the magazine 58 and according to the signal state from these pack sensors 84. Thus, drive control of the pack supply belt 63 is performed.

After the pack firing processing, the pack passing monitoring processing shown in FIG. 11 is performed. The pack passage monitoring process is mainly performed to detect which gate unit 18 the pack 6 returned by the player has passed. Of course, it is also detected by the outgate sensor 17 that the player has lost the ball and entered the slit 14 on the front side of the game board.

When the firing of the pack is detected by the firing pack sensor 41, a delay process of, for example, “1 + α” seconds is performed, and then a monitoring timer starts measuring the time and an input provided for each gate unit 18 is performed. A signal change from the gate sensor 16 is monitored. Due to the delay processing of “1 + α” seconds, even if the pack 6 immediately after being fired passes through the in-gate sensor 16, it is not erroneously detected. The value of the “α” depends on the firing speed of the pack.
Adjusted automatically by U77.

When the passage of the pack 6 is detected by the in-gate sensor 16 or the out-gate sensor 17 during a period in which the monitoring timer is counting a predetermined time, a gate passage signal is sent to the CPU 7 through the pack gate driver 88.
7 is input. Every time this gate pass signal is input, the number of collection packs counter prepared in the RAM area of the memory 78 is counted up. The gate passing signals obtained from the gate sensors 16 and 17 when the pack passes have a pulse waveform corresponding to the size of the pack and its moving speed. Therefore, when an abnormal waveform that continues for a certain period of time or more is detected from the gate sensors 16 and 17, this is treated as an abnormal signal, and can be used, for example, for displaying an error message or for maintenance information.

When the gate passing signal is detected by the in-gate sensor 16 provided in the gate unit 18, the pack gate driver 88 further outputs
The gate number display 18a of the gate unit 18
The number code corresponding to the gate number displayed in is input to the CPU 77. The number codes sequentially obtained as the game progresses are written into the number code area prepared in the RAM area of the memory 78.

Further, the gate number corresponding to the number code written in the number code area is clearly displayed on the bingo table 72 of the monitor CRT 12, and the player can proceed with the game while observing the gate number. it can. When two or more packs pass through the same gate unit 18 during one game period, writing to the number code area is omitted, and the display of the bingo table 72 does not change. However,
The CPU 77 identifies that the signal is a gate passing signal from the in-gate sensor 16 and displays “Hi” in the display screen.
"t" is used to display the number of sheets and the pack score.

It should be noted that the monitoring timer is turned off
When a gate passing signal is obtained after the F, even if it is a detection signal from the in-gate sensor 16, the collected pack number counter is only counted up. The time measured by the monitoring timer is determined based on the firing speed of the pack and the time at which the player fires the racket.
The timing is determined in consideration of the timing detected by the in-gate sensor 16 when the puck 6 is hit back in the above. Therefore, the player once stops the fired puck 6 by some means, and thereafter, the desired gate unit 18
If you hit back toward
Since the FF is performed, the input of the number code is not performed, and the processing is performed as if the number was detected by the outgate sensor 17.

If a large number of packs 6 can be hit back toward the gate unit 18 during the progress of the game, the pack score is added and the bingo table 7
The number of gate numbers that are clearly displayed on the screen 2 also increases. Then, when the four gate numbers arranged on the vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines on the bingo table 72 are aligned, a line score of "100 points" per line is obtained and displayed on the display screen. When it is detected that 16 packs have been fired, one game ends.

FIG. 12 shows a flowchart of the game end processing. The firing of the 16th pack is the firing pack sensor 4
When the detection is made by 1, after the delay processing by the timer, the driving of the firing motor 50 and the pack loading belt 51 is stopped, and the operation of the blower 4 is stopped. Then, the coincidence between the number of fired packs and the number of collected packs is confirmed. When the numbers of these packs do not match, it means that the packs have been removed from the game board 3 for some reason, so that the game is processed and the game is over.

If the number of fired packs matches the number of collected packs, the game is successful if the acquired score is equal to or higher than the target score, and a message and a voice are displayed on the monitor CRT 12 or a speaker incorporated in the vicinity. Then, the card reader / recorder 80 is activated, and a play card is issued which magnetically records the contents of the privilege obtained by the success of the game. The player can use the print card device 75 using this play card.

If the target score cannot be cleared, the game fails and no benefit is obtained, but a comfort message is displayed on the monitor CRT 12. This comfort message includes 1
The accumulated distance traveled by the player during the game is used. In the ROM area of the memory 78, several types of messages are prepared according to the movement total distance of the player and the difference in exercise ability depending on the sex, age, and presence / absence of disability of the player. An appropriate comfort message is selected and displayed based on the player's personal data and the accumulated movement distance measured by the movement measurement device 11. Of course, this comfort message may also be displayed when the game is successful.

As described above, this hockey game machine is designed so that it can be played while sitting on a chair, and for a player with such a handicap, the difficulty is determined according to the personal data input. Because it is devised to adjust automatically, many people can enjoy the game in the same way. In practicing the present invention, various changes can be made without being limited to the above embodiment. For example, when changing the difficulty,
Even during one game period, the firing speed of the pack can be changed variously, and the firing interval can be changed randomly.

Also, the number of packs used per game,
It is also possible to increase or decrease the number of gate units 18 as appropriate, and to determine the score, a score is set for each gate unit 18 and the score of the gate unit that the pack has passed is added, A horse racing game in which a horse number or a race car number is associated, and a player selects a predetermined one from among them, and proceeds to a goal corresponding to a gate unit passed by a puck toward a goal according to the score. Or it can take the form of a car racing game. In addition, it is also possible to display various marks and pictures instead of numbers on the display provided for each gate unit 18 and to give a score by a combination thereof. An embodiment may be adopted.

Further, in terms of hardware, for example, as a mechanism for replenishing the collected packs to the bucket 62, a coin hopper is improved, and a hopper device for sending out packs instead of coins is provided along with the collection bucket 65. However, if the pack is pushed up by the hopper device, the pack elevator 26 can be omitted.

[0077]

As described above, according to the hockey game machine of the present invention, the front side of the game board on which the player is located is protruded like an eave, and the leg of the game board is positioned below the game board even if the player is sitting on a chair. There is a space for the club to enter, so not only healthy people but also disabled and elderly people can easily enjoy hockey games, and by using the handrail provided on the front side of the game board It is possible to play the game without burden.

In order to give various people, from healthy persons to disabled persons or elderly persons, an opportunity to enjoy a hockey game, it is necessary to make the difficulty of the game widely adjustable. It is effective to be able to change not only the speed but also the firing position and the firing angle. When the firing position of the pack is changed, a new game characteristic is added by displaying the firing position to the player.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a hockey game machine embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view schematically showing a main part of an internal structure of the hockey game machine.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main part showing a structure around a pack launcher.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a pack supply mechanism.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a display screen.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically showing an electrical configuration of the hockey game machine.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing basic processing of the hockey game machine.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a game execution process.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a pack firing process.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a pack replenishment process by a timer interrupt.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a pack passage monitoring process.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a game end process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Game machine body 3 Game board 6 Pack 7 Operation panel 8 Space 12 Monitor CRT 15 Racket 18 Gate unit 20 Pack launcher 22 Moving table 24 Pack collection belt 25 Sending belt 26 Pack elevator 37 Swing mechanism 40 Launch chute 45a, 45b Launch Roller 51 Pack loading belt 59 Pack loading plate 62 Bucket 77 CPU

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A game board provided with a number of air blowing holes for floating a disk-shaped pack, the game board being inclined so as to become lower from the front side toward the back, and a game board provided on the back side of the game board. A pack launcher that fires a pack toward the front side on the board, a slit that is provided on the back side of the game board and receives a pack that is returned by the player from the front side to the back side, and entered this slit In a hockey game machine having a plurality of sensors for detecting a passage position of a puck and display means for receiving a signal from these sensors and displaying the progress of a game, the front side of the game board is projected in an eaves shape. A hockey game machine provided with a space below it for receiving a leg of a player sitting on a chair. 2. The hockey game machine according to claim 1, wherein a handrail extending in a width direction is provided on a front side of the game board. 3. The game machine according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of reflection-type photosensors are arranged on a front side of the game board along a width direction of the game board so as to measure a moving distance of the player in a lateral direction. 3. The hockey game machine according to 1 or 2. 4. The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the pack launcher is movably provided in a width direction of the game board.
3. The hockey game machine according to any one of 3. 5. The hockey game machine according to claim 4, further comprising an indicator for displaying the position of the puck launcher to a player. 6. An operation panel for setting a difficulty level of a game is provided on a front side of a game board, and a movement pattern of a pack launcher in at least one game is changed according to the difficulty level set by a player. The hockey game machine according to claim 4 or 5, wherein: 7. A plurality of sensors for detecting the passage of a pack along left and right edges of a game board are provided, and when the passage of a pack returned by a player is detected by two or more sensors, the pack is first detected. The hockey game machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein only a signal from a sensor that detects passage of the game is validated.