JP-7857039-B2 - crane game machine

JP7857039B2JP 7857039 B2JP7857039 B2JP 7857039B2JP-7857039-B2

Inventors

魏銘山
魏▲トン▼穎

Assignees

寶凱電子企業股▲分▼有限公司

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20241213
Priority Date: 20240813

Claims (8)

It comprises a housing, an operating unit, and a control unit. The aforementioned enclosure has a designated storage space inside for accommodating prizes. The aforementioned operating unit is located within the aforementioned storage space and comprises a crane mechanism, a catcher mechanism, and a motor. The crane mechanism is provided at the top of the storage space, The catcher mechanism is provided on the crane mechanism so that it can be moved by the crane mechanism, and is configured to be able to grab the prize. The motor is connected to the catcher mechanism and is configured to perform a downward movement in which the catcher mechanism moves downward, and an upward movement in which the catcher mechanism moves upward after the downward movement has been performed. At least one of the aforementioned descent and ascent has multiple sections, The speed at which the catcher mechanism moves in one of the plurality of sections is different from the speed at which the catcher mechanism moves in at least one of the other plurality of sections. The control unit is signal-connected to the operation unit and includes an operation interface and a setting interface. The operating interface can control the movement of the catcher mechanism by the crane mechanism and transmit commands related to the lowering stroke to the motor so that the motor begins to drive the lowering stroke of the catcher mechanism. The setting interface is signal-connected to the motor and is configured to set the movement speed of the catcher mechanism in at least one of the sections of the descending stroke and the ascending stroke . The enclosure comprises a bottom plate and a surrounding wall that extends upward from the periphery of the bottom plate and together with the bottom plate defines the housing space. The initial position of the catcher mechanism is separated from the bottom plate of the housing by a predetermined distance. The setting interface of the control unit can set the movement speed of the catcher mechanism in each of the plurality of sections in at least one of the descending stroke and the ascending stroke according to the predetermined distance. The catcher mechanism of the aforementioned operating unit comprises a main body, a towing rope, a claw, and a position limiting part. The aforementioned towing rope has one end connected to the motor, The aforementioned claw portion is connected to the other end of the towing rope and is for grasping the prize. The position limiting portion is located below the main body, has a through hole through which the towing rope passes, and has a contact surface that faces downward and is inclined with respect to a hypothetical horizontal plane. A crane game machine characterized by the following features.
The motor of the operating unit operates at a predetermined rotational speed, enabling the catcher mechanism to move at a speed corresponding to the rotational speed. There is a positive correlation between the rotational speed and the torque of the motor. The crane game machine according to feature 1.
The upward stroke of the catcher mechanism has a plurality of sections arranged in chronological order, The catcher mechanism is capable of moving faster in one of the plurality of sections than in another section that follows that section. The crane game machine according to feature 2.
The upward stroke of the catcher mechanism has a plurality of sections arranged in chronological order, The catcher mechanism can move slower in one of the plurality of sections than in another section that follows that one section. The crane game machine according to feature 2.
The upward stroke of the catcher mechanism has a plurality of sections arranged in chronological order, The catcher mechanism is capable of moving faster in one of the plurality of sections than in another section that follows that section. The crane game machine according to feature 1 .
The upward stroke of the catcher mechanism has a plurality of sections arranged in chronological order, The catcher mechanism can move slower in one of the plurality of sections than in another section that follows that one section. The crane game machine according to feature 1 .
The control unit further includes an adjustment interface, The adjustment interface can be used to adjust the gripping force of the catcher mechanism during the upward stroke of the catcher mechanism. The crane game machine according to feature 1.
The upward stroke of the catcher mechanism is divided into several stages. The gripping force of the catcher mechanism in one of the aforementioned stages is different from the gripping force of the catcher mechanism in at least one of the other aforementioned stages. The crane game machine according to feature 7 .

Description

This invention relates to a crane game machine that uses a catcher to grab prizes. A crane game machine is a device that provides a game where players insert coins to gain a play right, and then use that right to operate a catcher to reach a desired position inside a display case, attempting to grab a prize placed inside the case. If the player successfully grabs the prize and ejects it from the dispenser, they win the prize. The following describes the configuration of a conventional crane game machine, referring to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a side view showing the configuration of a conventional crane game machine 1. A conventional crane game machine 1, as shown in Figure 1, comprises a casing 10 defining an internal space 100 for housing multiple prizes, a catcher mechanism 11 positioned within the internal space 100 for grasping prizes, and an operating interface 12 connected to the casing 10 for controlling the movement and operation of the catcher mechanism 11. Here, the prizes housed in the internal space 100 of the casing 10 are not limited and may be various types of items (i.e., items with different appearances, weights, densities, etc.). Assuming that the catcher mechanism 11 is set to reliably grasp the prize, in order to strike a balance between attracting customers and generating profit, the owner/manager of the crane game machine 1 must, after deciding on the prize to be placed in the internal space 100, adjust not only the specifications of the catcher mechanism 11 but also the parameters of the catcher mechanism 11, such as its gripping force, agility of movement, descent speed, and ascent speed, according to the actual characteristics of the prize. Furthermore, in recent years, the market related to crane games has become increasingly competitive, so it is common practice to frequently change prizes in response to market demand. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-138754 This is a side view showing the configuration of a conventional crane game machine.This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a crane game machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.This is a partial side view showing the configuration of the operation unit according to the embodiment.This is a perspective view showing the configuration of the position limiting section of the catcher mechanism according to the embodiment.This diagram shows the relationship between speed and time when the catcher mechanism according to this embodiment is grasping a relatively heavy prize and moving it upward.This diagram shows the relationship between speed and time when the catcher mechanism according to this embodiment is grasping a relatively light prize and moving it upward.This is a schematic diagram showing the setting interface of the control unit according to the embodiment, which adjusts the movement speed of the catcher mechanism according to a predetermined distance between the initial position of the catcher mechanism and the bottom plate. The crane game machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The configuration of an embodiment of the crane game machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. Here, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a crane game machine according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a partial side view showing the configuration of the operation unit 3 according to the embodiment, and Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the position limiting unit 324 of the catcher mechanism 32 according to the embodiment. One embodiment of the crane game machine is applied to the grabbing of prizes with a wide range of weights, and as shown in Figure 2, it comprises a housing 2, an operation unit 3, and a control unit 4. As shown in Figure 2, a storage space 200 for accommodating prizes is defined inside the enclosure 2. The operating unit 3 is located within the storage space 200 and is used to grab the prizes stored within it. The control unit 4 is electrically connected to the operating unit 3 and controls the movement of the operating unit 3. Here, the enclosure 2 and the operation unit 3 are physical mechanisms, while the control unit 4 is a combination of hardware and software (e.g., firmware) for controlling, operating, adjusting, and setting the operation unit 3. The enclosure 2, as shown in Figure 2, comprises a base plate 21 and surrounding walls 22. The surrounding walls 22 extend upward from the periphery of the base plate 21 and, together with the base plate 21, define the storage space 200. The owner/manager of the crane game machine can freely place various types of prizes (for example, prizes differing in price, size, shape, weight, etc.) in the storage space 200. Here, the more specific configurations and arrangements of the enclosure 2, which serves as the casing for the crane game machine, such as the discharg