JPH0416699Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Technical field of the invention] This invention collects pachinko balls from each pachinko machine on a pachinko island in a gutter at the bottom of the island, polishes the balls, and then transports them using a lift. This relates to a ball return and replenishment device for a pachinko island stand that supplies balls to the main tank on the island stand from which the balls are returned to each pachinko machine as replenishment balls. The present invention relates to a ball return supply device that can prevent the occurrence of a shortage of balls.

[Prior art] In general, in pachinko halls, a gutter is installed below an island stand where many pachinko machines are installed side by side to collect and flow down the balls hit by players, and a ball polishing machine installed at the downstream end of the gutter After polishing the hit balls, they are lifted up by the main lift and supplied to players again (prize ball preparation balls).
This amount is now being returned to each pachinko machine.

By the way, the operating status of each island is not constant depending on the state of the pachinko machines with customers, and the balls hit by the machines and the balls supplied are not necessarily balanced.

For this reason, when there are few prize balls given to players and many balls hit, there is a problem that excessive balls accumulate in the island bottom gutter and overflow from the island bottom gutter, and the prize balls are not received as much as the other balls hit. If there are many balls, there will be a shortage of supply balls, and in order to replenish them, it is necessary to install a large replenishment tank called a ball field in another place inside the bottom, which takes up valuable space inside the store. The drawback was that it required a large amount of investment.

[Purpose of invention]

The present invention has been developed in view of the current situation, and can effectively prevent balls from overflowing from the bottom gutter even when players have few prize balls and many batted balls. To provide a ball return and replenishment device for a pachinko island stand which can suppress the shortage of replenishment balls as much as possible even when there are many balls and can greatly reduce the installation space of a ball field.

[Summary of the idea]

In this invention, a main tank is provided on the island stand to supply pachinko balls from the lift and feed them to each pachinko machine, and a sub-tank to which pachinko balls are supplied from the lift only when the main tank is full. A first switch that closes when the accumulation of pachinko balls on the island bottom gutter exceeds a predetermined amount detects when the main tank is full. A second switch that opens when the sub-tank is full, and a third switch that opens when the sub-tank is full are provided, and the second switch and the third switch are connected in series, and the first switch is connected in parallel to them. The present invention is characterized in that it is connected in series to a motor for driving a lift, thereby effectively preventing overflow of balls from the island bottom gutter and shortage of supply balls.

[Example of idea]

The present invention will be described below based on an illustrated embodiment.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a pachinko island stand on which a large number of pachinko machines 2 are arranged side by side. Below this island stand 1, an island bottom gutter 3 extending obliquely in the longitudinal direction is arranged, and each pachinko machine Pachinko balls 4 discharged from the machine 2 are collected and sent to a ball polishing machine 5.
The balls 4 polished by the ball polishing machine 5 are lifted together with the ball polishing machine 5 via a lift 7 driven by a motor 6, and transferred to a main tank 8 and a sub-tank 9 installed on the island stand 1 by a switching mechanism 1.
It is designed to be selectively supplied by 0.
The balls 4 supplied to the main tank 8 are returned and replenished to each pachinko machine 2 via the supply gutter 8a as shown in FIG. 1, and the balls 4 supplied to the sub-tank 9 will be explained in detail later. The water is returned and replenished to the island bottom gutter 3 via the supply mechanism 11 described above.

As shown in FIG. 1, the switching mechanism 10 includes a hopper 10a that receives the balls 4 from the lift 7, and a downward slope from a discharge port (not shown) at the lower end of the hopper 10a toward each tank 8, 9. If there is space above the main tank 8, the hopper 10
The balls 4 from a are guided to a chute 10b and supplied to the main tank 8. When the balls 4 supplied to the main tank 8 fill the tank 8 and further fill the chute 10b to its upper end, the balls 4 from the hopper 10a are guided to the chute 10c and supplied to the sub tank 9. It's becoming like that. That is, the balls 4 from the lift 7 are supplied to the sub tank 9 on the condition that the main tank 8 is full. At the upper ends of both tanks 8 and 9, there is a normally closed switch 1 that opens when the tanks 8 and 9 are full.
2 and 13 are installed respectively, and both switches 12,
13 is incorporated into the control circuit of the motor 6.

Further, at a position near the downstream end of the island bottom gutter 3,
As shown in FIG. 1, a normally open switch 14 is provided which closes when the accumulated amount of balls 4 exceeds the relevant position.
built into the control circuit.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the supply mechanism 11 is installed on a replenishment pipe 15 whose upper end is connected to the bottom of the sub-tank 9, and on a ball introduction gutter 16 that is continuous with the island bottom gutter 3. It is equipped with a replenishment tank 18 for dropping the balls 4 from the pipe 15 into the ball introduction gutter 16 via the discharge chute 17, and between the ball introduction gutter 16 and the discharge chute 17, there is a replenishment tank 18 as shown in FIG. A valve mechanism 19 is installed in which opens and closes the outlet of the discharge chute 17 depending on the amount of balls 4 on the ball introduction gutter 16.

As shown in FIG. 2, this valve mechanism 19 consists of a rocking plate 19a which is pivoted to be able to swing up and down using a part of the bottom of the ball introduction gutter 16 as a fulcrum on the upstream side thereof, and a rocking plate 19a which has one end connected to the supply tank 18. A valve member 19b is pivoted to the frame body so as to be able to swing up and down, and has its tip facing the discharge chute 17.
, a connecting rod 19c that operatively connects the tip of the swing plate 19a and the tip of the valve member 19b, and a weight 19d provided on the swing plate 19a. If there are no balls 4 on the top (including the case where there are no more than a predetermined number of balls), the rocking plate 19a swings upward as shown by the chain line in FIG. 2, and the valve member 19b
opens the outlet of the discharge chute 17, while the rocking plate 1
When there are balls 4 on 9a (including the case where there are more than a predetermined number of balls), the rocking plate 19a and the valve member 19b swing downward as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, and the valve member 19b moves downward. The outlet of the discharge chute 17 is closed by the valve member 19b.

Note that a spring may be used in place of the heavy peg 19d.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a ball introduction gutter 20 is installed between the replenishment tank 18 configured in this way and the entrance of the ball polishing machine 5, and a ball introduction gutter 20 is installed in the upper part of the ball introduction gutter 20, as shown in FIGS. An auxiliary replenishment tank 22 having a discharge chute 21 is installed, and this auxiliary replenishment tank 22 has an island platform 1 as shown in FIG.
Balls 4 are supplied from a small tank 23 installed above through a supply pipe 24, and balls 4 are also supplied to the small tank 23 from a ballpark (not shown).

Further, between the ball introduction gutter 20 and the discharge chute 21, as shown in FIG. 2, a valve mechanism 25 having the same structure as the valve mechanism 19 is installed. Depending on the presence or absence of discharge chute 2
It is designed to open and close the first exit.

FIG. 3 shows a control circuit diagram of the motor 6, in which E is the power supply, SW is the main switch, 6 is the motor for driving the ball polishing machine 5 and the lift 7, and 1
2 is a switch installed in the main tank 8, 13
14 is a switch installed in the sub-tank 9, 14 is a switch installed in the bottom gutter 3, and 26 is a motor lamp that lights up when the motor 6 is activated. The switches 12 and 13 are connected in series, and these A switch is connected in parallel, and this and the motor 6 are further connected in series.

FIG. 4 is a table showing the operation of the control circuit shown in FIG. 3, and the operation will be explained below with reference to this table.

When the balance between the prize balls given to the player and the balls hit is maintained, and there are no more balls 4 than necessary accumulated on the island bottom gutter 3, that is, when it is normal, the ball is installed in the island bottom gutter 3. The switched switch 14 is turned OFF.

In this state, if the main tank 8 is not full of balls 4, that is, if the switch 12 is turned on, the motor will start running regardless of whether the sub tank 9 is full of balls 4 or not. 6 is supplied with electricity, and the ball 4 is lifted by a lift 7. The lifted balls 4 are preferentially supplied to the main tank 8 by the switching mechanism 10. This effectively prevents a shortage of prize balls.

On the other hand, if the switch 14 is in the OFF state and the main tank 8 is full of balls 4, that is, if the switch 12 is in the OFF state,
Regardless of whether or not the sub-tank 9 is full of balls 4, power supply to the motor 6 is cut off and lifting of the balls 4 by the lift 7 is stopped.

Note that if the sub-tank 9 is not full of balls 4, that is, if the switch 13 is turned on, the balls 4 may be lifted by the lift 7 and the balls 4 may be supplied to the sub-tank 9. However, the balls 4 supplied to the sub-tank 9 are returned to the island bottom gutter 3 side by the supply mechanism 11, and therefore the balls 4 just circulate between the sub-tank 9 and the island bottom gutter 3 unnecessarily. It's the economy.

Therefore, when the main tank 8 is full of balls 4, economical operation becomes possible by stopping the lift 4.

When there are few balls awarded to players and many balls hit, and a certain amount or more of balls 4 are accumulated on the bottom gutter 3, that is, when there is a risk of balls 4 overflowing from the bottom gutter 3, Switch 14 installed on island bottom gutter 3 is ON
becomes.

In this state, if the main tank 8 is not full of balls 4, that is, if the switch 12 is turned on, the motor 6 is supplied with electricity, and the ball 4 is lifted up by the lift 7. The lifted balls 4 are preferentially supplied to the main tank 8 by the switching mechanism 10. As a result, the island bottom gutter 3
This effectively prevents the balls 4 from overflowing or causing a shortage of prize balls.

On the other hand, if the switch 14 is ON and the main tank 8 is full of balls 4, that is, if the switch 12 is OFF, it is determined whether the sub tank 9 is full of balls 4 or not. The operation of the motor 6 is different.

That is, if the sub-tank 9 is not full of balls 4 and therefore the switch 13 is turned on, power is supplied to the motor 6 and the lift 4 is turned on.
The ball 4 is lifted and transported by. Lifted ball 4
is supplied to the sub tank 9 by the switching mechanism 10. The balls 4 supplied to the sub-tank 9 are normally returned to the island bottom gutter 3 side via the supply mechanism 11, but if a certain amount or more of balls 4 are accumulated on the island bottom gutter 3. In this case, the valve mechanism 19 operates as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, and the balls 4 are not supplied from the discharge chute 17 to the island bottom gutter 3 side. Therefore, the balls 4 lifted by the lift 7 are accumulated in the sub-tank 9 one after another. As a result, the number of balls 4 on the island bottom gutter 3 gradually decreases, and overflow of the balls 4 from the island bottom gutter 3 is effectively prevented.

When the switch 14 is ON and the switch 12 is OFF, and the sub-tank 9 is full of balls 4, that is, when the switch 13 is OFF, the power supply to the motor 6 is cut off and the lift 7
The lifting of the ball 4 by the ball 4 is stopped. This is because when both the main tank 8 and the sub-tank 9 are full of balls 4, if the lift 7 lifts the balls 4, there is a risk that the balls 4 will overflow from the hopper 10a of the switching mechanism 10, etc. In addition, if there are enough balls 4 stored in the main tank 8 and sub tank 9, the amount of balls 4 in the island stand 1 will always be approximately equal even if the temporary switch 14 is turned on. This is because there is almost no possibility that the ball 4 will overflow from the island bottom gutter 3 because it is constant.

By the way, when the number of prize balls to the player is extremely high and the number of balls hit is extremely low, the switch 14 of the island bottom gutter 3 is turned OFF, and the switch 12 of the main tank 8 and the sub tank 9 are turned OFF, as in the normal case described above. Both switches 13 are turned on, the lift 7 lifts the balls 4, and the balls 4 are supplied to the main tank 8. However, if the absolute amount of balls 4 on the island bottom gutter 3 is insufficient, even if the temporary lift 7 is driven, the amount of balls 4 supplied to the main tank 8 will be small, and eventually there will be a shortage of prize balls. There is a risk that this may occur.

Therefore, in this embodiment, an auxiliary supply tank 22 is installed between the supply tank 18 and the ball polishing machine 5, and balls 4 are supplied from a ball field (not shown) in preparation for an emergency.

That is, since the valve mechanism 25 built into the auxiliary supply tank 22 is arranged close to the ball polishing machine 5 as shown in FIG. 2, it is in a closed state as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, and balls 4 are not replenished from the discharge chute 21 to the ball introduction gutter 20.

On the other hand, when the amount of balls 4 on the island bottom gutter 3 is extremely reduced and the valve mechanism 25 becomes open as shown by the chain line in FIG. The balls are supplied from the discharge chute 21 of the tank 22 to the ball introduction gutter 20, effectively preventing a shortage of prize balls.

Therefore, even when there are few prize balls to the player and many balls hit, there is no risk of the balls 4 staying in the bottom gutter 3 and overflowing, and conversely, when there are many prize balls compared to the balls hit. Also, there is no risk of running out of supply balls. Furthermore, even when the number of prize balls is extremely large and it is not possible to supplement them with hit balls, balls 4 can be supplied from the ball field to effectively prevent a shortage of supply balls. And since supplies from this ballpark are extremely rare and the amount needed is small, a small storage tank installed at the ballpark is sufficient. Therefore, the amount of valuable space within the store that must be reserved as ballroom space is reduced, and the interior of the store can be used more effectively.

In the above embodiment, the valve mechanism 19 is incorporated into the supply mechanism 11, and the valve mechanism 19 controls the amount of balls 4 to be supplied from the sub-tank 9 to the island bottom gutter 3. If the ratio between the amount of balls 4 to be supplied to the island bottom gutter 3 from the sub tank 9 is set to an appropriate value, the valve mechanism 1
9 may be omitted. The valve mechanism 19 and the valve mechanism 25 of the auxiliary replenishment tank 22 are not limited to those shown and explained in the above embodiment, but may have similar effects, such as those opened and closed by switches installed in the ball introduction troughs 16 and 20. Any configuration may be used as long as it can be obtained.

In the embodiment described above, the switching mechanism 10 for preferentially supplying the balls 4 from the lift 7 to the main tank 8 includes the hopper 10a and chevron-shaped chute 10b, 1.
0c, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, depending on the weight of the balls 4 filled in the chute 10b, the shutter plate that normally closes the entrance of the chute 10c is switched to open the chute 10b.
The inlet of the shutter may be closed, or pressurized air may be used in place of the shutter plate, or the shutter plate or pressurized air may be switched with a switch.
Any mechanism may be used as long as the same effect can be obtained, such as interlocking with 2.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an auxiliary replenishment tank 22 is provided so that any shortage of replenishment balls can be replenished with balls from the ball field. If the small tank 23 is filled with balls 4 before opening, there is no need to set up a ball field.

[Effect of idea]

In this invention, when the main tank is full of balls sent from the lift, the balls supplied from the lift flow into the sub-tank, and the surplus balls are automatically pooled in the sub-tank, thereby preventing balls from overflowing and When the amount of balls on the bottom gutter falls below a predetermined amount, the balls stored in the sub-tank are automatically supplied to the ball supply system, thereby preventing a shortage of balls without waiting for replenishment from outside the island platform.

As described above, the present invention can rationally and automatically adjust the surplus or deficiency of balls within one's own island, making a great contribution to the rationalization of pachinko halls.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a ball return supply device showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view showing an enlarged downstream end of the island bottom gutter in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a motor control The circuit diagram, FIG. 4, is a table showing the operation of the control circuit. 1... Island stand, 2... Pachinko machine, 3... Island bottom gutter, 4... Pachinko ball, 5... Ball polishing machine, 6... Motor, 7... Lift, 8... Main tank, 9...
...Subtank, 10...Switching mechanism, 11...Supply mechanism, 12, 13, 14...Switch, 15...
Supply pipe, 18... Supply tank, 19... Valve mechanism, 22... Auxiliary supply tank, 23... Small tank.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The island bottom gutter is located below the pachinko island stand and is tilted in the longitudinal direction to collect the balls from each pachinko machine, the ball polishing machine installed at the downstream end of the island bottom gutter, and the pachinko balls discharged from the ball polishing machine. a motor for driving the lift, a main tank provided on a pachinko island stand for supplying pachinko balls supplied from the lift to each pachinko machine, and the main tank provided on the pachinko island stand. a sub-tank to which pachinko balls are supplied from the lift only when the sub-tank is full, and a supply mechanism that supplies the pachinko balls in the sub-tank to the island bottom gutter, and the supply mechanism includes a ball introduction gutter that communicates with the island bottom gutter. A ball return supply device for a pachinko island stand, characterized by comprising a valve mechanism that opens and closes depending on the amount of balls.