JPH0458973A - Premium ball discharge device for pinball machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To decrease the fault extending over a long period and to allow a game custom to obtain a satisfactory sense caused by discharge of a prize ball by driving successively plural electromagnetic solenoids, based on a storage value for storing electrically a generated prize-winning ball, and discharging the prize balls of a prescribed number of pieces. CONSTITUTION:After the game is started, whether a prize-winning ball is generated or not is always monitored by an interruption processing, and when there is the prize-winning ball, the number of prize-winning balls is stored in the corresponding prize-winning counter. In the case there is a storage value in a 7-piece prize-winning counter D1, solenoids S1, S2 corresponding to two opening/closing members 21a, 21b are driven successively and six pieces of prize balls are discharged from a prize ball discharge device 20. By including the returned prize-winning ball, seven pieces of prize balls are discharged to a game customer. After two solenoids S1, S2 are driven successively '1' is subtracted from a value of the 7-piece prize-winning counter D1.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention provides a prize ball discharging device for a pachinko machine that electrically stores generated winning balls and discharges a predetermined number of prize balls based on the stored value. It is related to.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, the winning balls that have been generated are detected by a winning detection sensor, the detection signal is electrically stored, and the prize ball case is opened and closed based on the stored value to determine the predetermined number ( For example, a prize ball ejecting device for a pachinko machine that ejects 13 prize balls has been provided on the market. In such a prize ball ejecting device, an opening/closing member that opens and closes alternately is provided above and below two rows of prize ball cases formed in a vertical cylindrical shape, and the opening/closing member is driven by an electric drive source, e.g. Types that were driven by solenoids were common. Then, the predetermined number of 13 prize balls are placed in two rows of prize ball cases.
Divide into 7 pieces and 6 pieces and store them.
They were to be expelled at - time.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, in the above-mentioned prize ball discharging device, since the prize ball case is formed vertically, the earth pressure of a large number of prize balls stored on the upstream side of the prize ball case, and There was a problem in that the load due to the earth pressure of the prize balls stored in the prize ball case was constantly applied to the opening/closing member, solenoid, etc., which hindered the smooth operation of the opening/closing member and made it more likely to break down after long-term use. . Particularly in cases where a large number of winning balls are generated in a short period of time, such as in recent pachinko machines, failures may occur in a short period of time as the prize balls are continuously ejected. Furthermore, since a predetermined number of prize balls in the prize ball case are ejected at once, there is a problem in that the player feels less satisfied with the ejection of the prize balls.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a pachinko machine that is free from malfunctions over a long period of time and that provides players with a sense of satisfaction when the prize balls are ejected. An object of the present invention is to provide a prize ball ejecting device.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a pachinko machine that electrically stores winning balls that have been generated and discharges a predetermined number of prize balls based on the stored value. In the prize ball ejecting device, the prize ball ejecting device includes a plurality of opening/closing members that are arranged at a bent part of a guide gutter that guides the prize balls downward by dividing them into three or more rows, and that alternately appear and disappear into the guide gutter. and a plurality of electromagnetic solenoids that swing the plurality of opening/closing members, respectively, and ejects the predetermined number of prize balls by sequentially driving the plurality of electromagnetic solenoids based on the stored value. It is characterized by the fact that

[Function] When a winning ball is generated, the winning ball is electrically stored. Then, a plurality of electromagnetic solenoids are sequentially driven based on the stored values to swing the opening/closing member and eject a predetermined number of prize balls in total. At this time, a plurality of opening/closing members are arranged at the bending part of the guide gutter and are divided into three or more rows to store a predetermined number of prize balls, so the earth pressure of the prize balls applied to each opening/closing member is weakened. The load on the electromagnetic solenoid connected thereto is also reduced. Therefore, even if used for a long period of time, failures are unlikely to occur. Further, since the electromagnetic solenoid sequentially swings the opening/closing member, a predetermined number of prize balls can be ejected in parts, giving the player a satisfying feeling as if the prize balls are constantly being ejected.

[Examples] Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, the structure of a pachinko machine 1 to which a prize ball ejecting device 20 according to an embodiment is applied will be explained with reference to FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of the pachinko machine. In the figure, a mechanism plate 2 is arranged on the back side of a pachinko machine 1, as is well known. This mechanism board 2 is provided with various mechanisms for processing the winning balls generated in the pachinko machine 1 into one piece and discharging a predetermined number of prize balls corresponding to the winning ball. For this reason, the mechanism board 2 includes a collection gutter 3 for collecting winning balls, a prize ball tank 8 for discharging prize balls,
A guide gutter 9, a prize ball discharge device 20, a discharge gutter 10, and a communication gutter 14 are provided.

The collecting gutter 3 is provided in an inclined manner at the lower part of the mechanism plate 2 so as to collect the generated winning balls in one place, but in this embodiment, the generated winning balls are divided into two types. A winning detection sensor 4.5 is provided to detect each of the collected winning balls. The number of prize balls ejected by the winning balls detected by one winning detection sensor 4 is "7", and the number of prize balls ejected by the winning balls detected by the other winning detection sensor 5 is "7". 13'' pieces. Note that the detection signal of the winning detection sensor 4.5 is stored in the RAM 32 of the control circuit described later. Furthermore, the winning balls that have passed through the winning detection sensor 4.5 are returned to the player via the return gutter 6a, 6b. In other words, in this example,
The winning ball is also one of the predetermined number of prize balls to be ejected. The one return gutter 6a mentioned above is
The return gutter 6b is connected to an upper tray (not shown) provided on the front of the pachinko machine 1, and the other return gutter 6b is connected to a lower tray (not shown). Depending on the situation, it is possible to switch to either return gutter 6a or 6b for use.

Further, at the lower part of the collection gutter 3, there is provided an out ball gutter 7 for guiding batted balls that do not become winning balls, that is, out balls.

On the other hand, above the mechanism plate 2, in order to eject the prize ball,
A prize ball tank 8 for storing a large amount of prize balls is installed, and a guide gutter 9 is provided below the prize ball tank 8, tilting in one direction, through which the prize balls flow down while being aligned. The inside of the guide gutter 9 is partitioned so that the prize balls are arranged in at least three rows and flow down. In this embodiment, the liquid is divided into four rows of alignment passages 9a to 9d and allowed to flow down. Further, the guide gutter 9 is bent downward at its end portion, and a prize ball ejecting device 20, which constitutes the main part of this embodiment, is provided at the bent portion. This prize ball ejecting device 20 will be described in detail later.

A discharge gutter 10 is connected to the downstream end of the guide gutter 9.

The discharge gutter 10 has its upper end connected to the above-mentioned four rows of aligned passages 9a.
It is formed to be relatively wide so as to connect to the downstream end of ~9d, but it is formed to be narrow so as to converge the prize balls discharged slightly downstream. In the narrowed part of the discharge gutter 10, there is provided a ball jam detection sensor 11 that detects that the ejected prize balls have jammed, and is driven by a tamper prevention solenoid 12 below the ball jam detection sensor 11. A stop lever 13 is provided. When the ball jam detection sensor 11 is turned on, electromagnetic solenoids 25a to 25 forming the prize ball ejecting device 20 described later are activated.
The drive of d is disabled, and the ejection of prize balls is stopped even if there is a memorized value of winning balls. Further, the fraud prevention solenoid 12 is driven by turning on a sensor (for example, a magnet sensor, a glass door opening sensor, etc.) that detects fraud in a pachinko game. When the anti-tampering solenoid 12 is activated, the stop lever 13 enters the ejection gutter 10, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, to prevent the ejected prize balls from falling. When the prize balls are prevented from falling, the ball jam detection sensor 11 is activated, so that no more prize balls are ejected. Therefore, even if a fraudulent act is committed, prize balls will not be illegally discharged to the player. Note that when the stop lever 13 closes the discharge gutter 10, the flow path is changed and the prize balls to be discharged are transferred to the pachinko machine 1.
It may also be released on the back side.

The downstream end of the discharge gutter 10 described above is connected to an upper tray (not shown). Further, when the upper tray is full of prize balls, the prize balls are guided to the lower tray via the connecting bridge 14.

In addition to the above-described configuration, the mechanism board 2 includes a game control circuit that controls the operation of various winning devices provided on the game board, and a prize ball ejection circuit that controls the operation of the prize ball ejecting device 20 based on the winning balls described above. A control circuit board box 15 is attached that houses a circuit board on which a control circuit is formed separately or integrally. In this case, the circuit board constituting the prize ball ejection control circuit is stored in a separate board box and the mechanism board 2 is
It may be placed on the back side of the .

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a ball firing device 16 for firing a ball is also provided at the lower part of the back of the pachinko machine 1.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4B, the detailed configuration of the prize ball ejecting device 20 that constitutes the main part of this embodiment will be described. It is provided at the bent part of No. 9. That is, four opening/closing members 21a to 21d are pivotally supported at the bent portion of the guide gutter 9 so as to be swingable about a support shaft 24, corresponding to the four rows of alignment passages 9a to 9d, respectively. The opening/closing member 21
Electromagnetic solenoids 25a to 25 are located on the back of the lower part of a to 21d.
d plungers 26a to 26d are connected. By the way, the opening/closing members 21a to 21d are formed in a curved shape along the bent part of the guide gutter 9, and have upper stopper pieces 22a to 22d (however, 22c and 22d are not shown) at their upper ends, and upper stopper pieces 22a to 22d (however, 22c and 22d are not shown) at their lower ends. Lower stopper pieces 23a to 23d
(However, 23c and 23d are not shown) projecting toward the alignment paths 9a to 9d, respectively. and,
The upper stopper pieces 22a to 22d and the lower stopper pieces 23a to 23d alternately move in and out of the alignment passages 9a to 9d, thereby ejecting several prize balls. In this embodiment, three prize balls are ejected by one opening/closing member 21a. Further, plungers 26 of the electromagnetic solenoids 25a to 25d
Springs 27a to 27d are provided around a to 26d, and when the electromagnetic solenoids 25a to 25d are in a non-energized state,
Lower stopper pieces 23a-2 of opening/closing members 21a-21d
3d is biased in the direction of entering into the alignment passages 9a to 9d.

In the prize ball discharging device 20 configured as described above, when the electromagnetic solenoid 25a is in a de-energized state as shown in FIG. , and the upper part 1 to the part 22a are in a state of being retracted from the alignment passage 9a. For this reason, the alignment path 9a
The prize balls flowing down remain stopped by the lower stopper piece 23a. At this time, the earth pressure of the prize balls staying in the alignment path 9a is weakened by the bent portion and is applied to the lower stopper piece 23a.

On the other hand, when the electromagnetic solenoid 25a is excited as shown in FIG. 4B, the plunger 26a is attracted against the biasing force of the spring 27a and moves the lower part of the opening/closing member 21a, so that the upper stopper piece 22a is aligned. Passage 9a
At the same time, the lower stopper piece 23a retreats from the alignment path 9a. As a result, the three prize balls that had accumulated on the downstream side of the upper stopper piece 22a are discharged. Note that when the electromagnetic solenoid 25a is excited, the earth pressure applied to the lower stopper piece 23a is weakened, so the load applied to the electromagnetic solenoid 25a is also reduced.
The burden on 5a is reduced and stable operation can be performed over a long period of time.

In addition, in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, one opening/closing member 21 is shown.
Although the operation of only a is shown, other opening/closing members 21b~
21d also performs exactly the same operation. Therefore, if there is a stored value based on the winning detection sensor 4 for the seven pieces, two of the four opening/closing members 21a,
If only the opening/closing member 21b operates sequentially and there is a stored value based on the winning detection sensor 5 for the 13 pieces, all four opening/closing members 21a to 21d are controlled to operate sequentially. By operating in this manner, 7 or 13 prize balls will be delivered to the player, including the returned prize balls.

The prize ball ejecting device 20 described above is controlled by the prize ball ejecting control circuit provided in the control circuit board box 15 as described above, and this prize ball ejecting control circuit is as shown in the block diagram shown in FIG. It is composed of That is,
A CPU 30 that executes a predetermined processing procedure, a ROM 31 that stores a program indicating the processing procedure,
It is composed of a RAM 32 that stores necessary data, an input circuit 33 that inputs various signals, an output circuit 34 that derives various output signals, and a clock generation circuit 35 that generates clock pulses. The input circuit 33 includes a 7-piece prize detection sensor 4 (hereinafter referred to as 7-piece sensor), a 13-piece prize detection sensor 5 (hereinafter referred to as 13-piece sensor), and a jammed ball detection sensor via waveform shaping circuits 36 and 37. A sensor 11 (hereinafter referred to as ball jam sensor) is connected. Further, the output circuit 34 is connected to electromagnetic solenoids 25a to 25d (hereinafter referred to as solenoid 81) via a driver 38.
~S4) is connected, and a tamper prevention solenoid 12 (hereinafter referred to as tamper solenoid) is connected via a driver 39.

The prize ball ejecting operation executed by the above-described prize ball ejecting control circuit will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 7A and 7B.

FIG. 7A shows the main routine of the prize ball ejection operation,
FIG. 7B shows an interrupt process that is interrupted during the main routine process. First, after the power is turned on, the main routine is executed, and the process shown in FIG. 7, B is interrupted every time there is an interrupt signal. Therefore, to explain the interrupt processing shown in FIG. 7B, it is determined whether the seven sensors are ON/OFF (step 530), and
If so, "1" is added to the value of the seven winning prize counter D1 (step 531). Next, after the above process is completed, or if the 7 sensors are not ONL,
It is determined whether or not the 13 sensors are ONL (step 532), and if they are ON, the 13 individual award counter D2 is
"1" is added to the value of (step 533). After the above process is completed, or if 13 sensors are not turned on, the interrupt process ends. In other words, after starting the game,
Whether or not a winning ball has occurred is always monitored by the above-mentioned interrupt processing, and when there is a winning ball, the number of winning balls is stored in the corresponding winning counter.

Next, I will explain the main routine of prize ball ejection.
First, it is determined whether or not the value of the 7 individual award counter D1 stored by the above-mentioned interrupt process is greater than "0" (step Sl). If it is greater than "0", the following steps 32 to SIO are performed. is processed and set to "0"
When this happens, the process advances to step Sll, which will be described later. If the value of the 7 individual prize counter D1 is greater than "0", timer 7 is first set (step S2), and then solenoid S1 is turned on (step S3). The ON state of solenoid S1 remains 1 until timer t times up! When the timer t times up, the solenoid S1 is turned off (step S35). Here, the timer t is the opening/closing member 21a.
A time sufficient for ejecting the three prize balls stored in the ball is set, for example, about 0.3 seconds. After the solenoid S1 is turned off, the solenoid S2 is driven in the same way as the solenoid S1 in steps 86 to S9. In this way, when the 7 individual award counter D1 has a stored value, the two opening/closing members 21
a, 2! Solenoids S, S2 corresponding to b are sequentially driven to eject six prize balls from the prize ball ejecting device 20, and seven prize balls are ejected to the player, including the returned winning balls. That will happen. In addition, two solenoids S,
, S2 are sequentially driven, the seven individual award counters D1
"1" is subtracted from the value of (step 510).

Next, it is determined whether or not the value of the 13 prize winning counter D2 is greater than "0" (step 511). If it is greater than "O", the following processes from step S12 to step S28 are executed, and "0" is determined. ”, the step S
Return to 1. Therefore, the value of the 13 individual award counter D2 is “
0'', all solenoids 31 to S
4 are sequentially driven. That is, in steps 312 to S15, the solenoid SL is turned ON for t time, and after that, in steps 316 to S19, the solenoid S2 is turned ON for t hours, and after that, in steps 320 to S23, the solenoid S3 is turned ON for t hours. , After that, in steps 324 to 327, the solenoid S4 is turned on for a period of time t. In this way, 13 individual prize counters D2
If there is a stored value, all the opening/closing members 21a to 2
Solenoids S1 to S4 corresponding to 1d are sequentially driven to eject 12 prize balls from the prize ball ejecting device 20, and 13 prize balls including the returned winning balls are ejected to the player. It turns out. In addition, all solenoids 81
~ After S4 is sequentially driven, 13 winning prize counters D
After “1” is subtracted from the value of 2 (step 528),
Returning to the first step S1, the main routine is executed.

The operation of the prize ball discharging device 2o according to the embodiment has been described above, but according to this embodiment, the opening/closing members 21a to 2
1d is arranged at the bent part of the channel 9, and is divided into three or more rows to store a predetermined number of prize balls, so the earth pressure of the prize balls applied to each opening/closing member 21a to 21d becomes weaker.
The load applied to the electromagnetic solenoids 25a to 25d connected thereto is also reduced. Therefore, even if used for a long period of time, failures are unlikely to occur. In addition, electromagnetic solenoids 25a to 25
Since the opening/closing members 21a to 21d are sequentially swung, a predetermined number of prize balls can be divided and ejected, giving the player a feeling of satisfaction as if the prize balls were being ejected all the time.

In the above embodiment, two types of prize balls are ejected, but more types of prize balls may be ejected. For example, prize classification gutter 4 shown in FIG.
By providing 0, the winning balls generated can be classified into multiple types.

To briefly explain this with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, the prize classification gutter 40 is connected to the exit part of a collection cover 43 fixed to the back surface of the game board 41, and the inside thereof has a plurality of classification passages. It is divided into 45a to 45d. In each of the classification passages 45a to 45d, a plurality of winning openings 42 provided on the game board 41 are divided as appropriate, and each divided winning opening is guided to one of the classification passages 45a to 45d. There is. Win detection sensors 44a to 44d are provided along the way down the classification passages 45a to 45d, and detect winning balls passing through the classification passages 45a to 45d, respectively.

Therefore, if the number of electromagnetic solenoids 25a to 25d of the prize ball discharge device 20 to be driven is made different for each winning detection sensor 44a to 44d, it becomes possible to perform pressure evacuation operations for many types of prize balls. For example, the winning detection sensor 4 on both sides
The electromagnetic solenoids driven based on the detection signals 4a and 44d are three electromagnetic solenoids 25a to 25c,
The electromagnetic solenoids 25a to 25d are all electromagnetic solenoids 25a to 25d, which are driven based on the detection signal of the center winning prize detection sensor 44b, and the electromagnetic solenoids driven based on the detection signal of the other central winning prize detection sensor 44c are as follows. , two electromagnetic solenoids 25a and 25b,
Including the winning balls that will be returned, 10, 13,
It becomes possible to eject seven prize balls of three types.

In FIG. 9, an out ball gutter 7 for guiding out balls flowing out from an out port 46 is arranged on the side of the winning classification gutter 40.

The prize ball discharging device 20 according to the embodiment has been described above, and in this embodiment, a structure is shown in which the winning ball is returned as one of the prize balls. Similarly, all the prize balls may be taken in and ejected by the prize ball ejecting device 20. In this case, the number of prize balls to be stored in one opening/closing member (opening/closing member 21a in the above embodiment) that is operated regardless of the number of prize balls among the plurality of opening/closing members provided may be increased by one. . Additionally, the number of prize balls stored in the opening/closing member does not need to be limited to three as in the example, but the number of prize balls stored in one opening/closing member should also be ejected in correspondence with one winning ball. The maximum number of prize balls may be divided into at least three equal parts.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above explanation, in the prize ball discharging device according to the present invention, a plurality of opening/closing members are arranged at the bending part of the guide gutter and are divided into three or more rows. Since a predetermined number of prize balls are stored separately, the earth pressure of the prize balls applied to each opening/closing member is weakened, and the load on the electromagnetic solenoid connected thereto is also reduced. Therefore, even if used for a long period of time, failures are unlikely to occur. Further, since the electromagnetic solenoid sequentially swings the opening/closing member, a predetermined number of prize balls can be ejected in parts, giving the player a satisfying feeling as if the prize balls are constantly being ejected.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a pachinko machine to which a prize ball ejecting device according to an embodiment is applied, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a prize ball ejecting device according to an embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the prize ball ejecting device according to an embodiment. An enlarged perspective view of the device, FIGS. 4A and 4B are side views showing the operation of the prize ball ejecting device, and FIGS. 5A and 5B are views of the tamper prevention solenoid provided downstream of the prize ball ejecting device. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the prize ball ejection control circuit, FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are flow diagrams showing the operation of the prize ball ejection control circuit, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the prize ball ejection control circuit. FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the pachinko machine showing other mechanisms for
9 is a rear view showing the back structure of the game board of the pachinko machine of FIG. 8. FIG. 1. Pachinko machine 9. Guidance troughs 9a to 9d. Alignment path 20. Prize ball discharge device 21a to 21d. Opening/closing member 25a to 25d. Electromagnetic solenoid 30. CPU 31. ROM.
32 ・ ・ RAM Patent applicant Takeya Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A prize ball ejecting device for a pachinko machine that electrically stores generated winning balls and ejects a predetermined number of prize balls based on the stored value, wherein the prize ball ejecting device ejects the prize balls. A plurality of opening/closing members disposed at the bent portions of a guide gutter that guides flow down in three or more rows and alternately appearing and retracting within the guide gutter, and a plurality of electromagnetic solenoids that swing and drive the plurality of opening/closing members, respectively. A prize ball ejecting device for a pachinko machine, characterized in that the predetermined number of prize balls are ejected by sequentially driving the plurality of electromagnetic solenoids based on the stored value.