JP2017012260A - Inclinometer - Google Patents

Abstract

An inclinometer of a type fixed to a measurement surface is improved so that an inclination angle of a panel surface can be accurately measured.
An inclinometer includes a rod-shaped base. Abutting portions 120 that are rotatable with respect to the base 110 are suspended from both ends of the base 110. The contact portion 120 is provided with an inclination angle measurement unit 130 that measures the inclination of the contact portion 120. A fixing part 140 including a suction cup is provided in the center of the base 110 in the length direction. The inclinometer is used in a state where the fixing unit 140 is fixed to the surface of the glass plate of the gaming machine, and measures the inclination angles at a plurality of locations on the surface of the glass plate at a time.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an inclinometer used for measuring the vertical of a pachinko gaming machine or measuring an inclination angle from the vertical.

  In pachinko gaming machines (in the present application, pachinko gaming machines may be simply referred to as “gaming machines”), it is known that the amount of balls can be adjusted by giving an appropriate inclination to the board surface. By changing the installation angle of the pachinko machine's board surface, the drop speed of the balls changes, and the angle of nails and objects provided on the board surface changes. As a result, the way the ball is moved by the nail of the ball moving on the board and the way of passing the accessory change, so that the ball can be adjusted. By attaching an appropriate inclination to the board surface of the gaming machine when attaching the pachinko gaming machine or adjusting the inclination angle afterwards, the effect of adjusting the ball can be obtained more easily.

In consideration of such points, the inventors have disclosed JP-A 63-226385, JP-A 63-226386, JP-A 10-80563, JP-A 2002-062131, JP-A 2011-115288, and the like. Have applied for. These relate to a device for fixing a pachinko gaming machine to a pachinko gaming machine installation unit (for example, a facility generally called “island”) with a variable inclination angle.
These instruments are as follows.
The gaming machine is used in a state of being attached to the pachinko gaming machine installation unit as described above. At that time, the lower part of the gaming machine is generally fixed to the pachinko gaming machine installation unit so as not to move. On the other hand, the upper part of the gaming machine is attached to the pachinko gaming machine installation unit so as to be movable back and forth using the above-described appliance. By appropriately operating such equipment, the upper side of the gaming machine can be appropriately moved back and forth with respect to the lower side of the gaming machine, and can be positioned at an appropriate position in the front-rear direction. Thereby, the inclination angle of the gaming machine can be made variable.

Each of these devices is useful, but when using these devices, it will be necessary to check the vertical position of the pachinko machine and check the inclination angle, and the accuracy of measurement is also required. Will be.
In view of such circumstances, an inclinometer, which is a device for measuring the inclination angle of a board surface of a pachinko gaming machine, has been conventionally proposed. The applicant of the present application has also proposed inclinometers disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2009-195564 and 2014-77705.

All existing inclinometers, including the inclinometer proposed by the applicant, measure how much the gaming machine is inclined with respect to a certain vertical axis.
The inclinometer proposed by the applicant in the past includes an abutting member having a certain length. The contact member has a length direction along the direction of the maximum inclination line of the measurement surface of the gaming machine (for example, the direction along the vertical direction when the gaming machine is viewed from the front). Along. In this state, the abutting member is inclined along the measurement surface of the gaming machine because the gaming machine is tilted somewhat backward. The inclinometer is provided with an inclination angle measuring unit for measuring the inclination angle of the contact member. By measuring the inclination angle of the contact member at the inclination angle measuring unit, the inclination angle of the measurement surface of the gaming machine is measured, and as a result, the inclination angle of the board surface of the gaming machine is measured.

The inclinometer as described above is significant in that the inclination angle of the gaming machine can be measured. However, there are points to be improved.
In such an inclinometer, it is extremely important that the contact member is along the measurement surface of the gaming machine so as to be parallel to the maximum inclination line. If this cannot be ensured, the inclination angle of the contact member measured by the inclination angle measuring unit will be incorrect, and as a result, the inclination angle of the board surface of the gaming machine measured will be incorrect. For this reason, in the inclinometer, various measures are taken in order to bring the contact member along the maximum inclination line of the measurement surface of the gaming machine.

On the other hand, with an inclinometer, the inclinometer is removably fixed to a gaming machine or a pachinko gaming machine installation unit to which the gaming machine is attached in order to free up the operator's hand when measuring the board surface of the gaming machine with the inclinometer. Things are also done. However, when a part of the inclinometer is detachably fixed to a gaming machine or a pachinko gaming machine installation unit to which the gaming machine is attached, the abutting member is It becomes impossible to follow the measuring plane of the gaming machine so that the direction is parallel to the maximum inclination line of the measuring plane of the gaming machine.
When the inclinometer is detachably fixed to a gaming machine or a pachinko gaming machine installation unit to which the gaming machine is attached, the problem is where the inclinometer is fixed. It is most intuitive for the operator to fix it to the measurement surface (this is the surface of the board surface or the surface of the glass plate covering the board surface), and pachinko machine installation It is convenient because it can be fixed regardless of the structure of the unit.
However, there are not many techniques for detachably fixing the inclinometer to the measurement surface, and when the inclinometer is fixed to the measurement surface, the contact member has a length direction that is the maximum inclination line of the measurement surface of the gaming machine. As far as the applicant knows, there is no technology that can be used to measure the exact inclination angle of the board so that it can be aligned with the measurement surface of the gaming machine in a state parallel to the direction of Is the actual situation.

  This invention makes it the subject to improve the inclinometer of the type fixed to a measurement surface so that the inclination angle of a board surface can be measured correctly.

The inclinometer in the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is as follows.
The present invention is an inclinometer for measuring an inclination angle of a board surface of a gaming machine, and is brought into contact with a measurement surface which is either a board surface of the gaming machine or a glass surface which is a surface of a glass plate in front of the board surface. Measuring an inclination angle of a virtual axis that is a virtual axis in a fixed positional relationship with respect to the contact member when the contact member is contacted with the measurement surface. An inclination angle measuring means provided on the contact member, and a base provided with a fixing means connected to the contact member and capable of detachably fixing to the measurement surface. It becomes.
The abutting member of the inclinometer is attached to the base so as to be rotatable about a first axis, which is a first axis, and causes the abutting member to abut on the measurement surface. The abutting member is rotated along the measurement surface with respect to the base by gravity, and the virtual axis in each of the abutting members is a portion of the measurement surface in a portion where the abutting member exists. To be parallel to the maximum inclination line (the line along the direction where the inclination of the measurement surface passing through a certain point on the measurement surface is the largest. For example, if a drop of water is applied, the line is along the direction in which the water flows down) It is supposed to move.
The inclinometer includes an abutting member and an inclination angle measuring means, but the functions required for these are the same as those of the conventional one, and may be the same as the conventional one. On the other hand, this inclinometer is provided with a fixing means that is detachably fixed to the measurement surface, and measures the inclination angle of the measurement surface while being fixed to the measurement surface.
As described above, the inclination angle measuring means provided in the contact member measures the inclination angle of the virtual axis. Therefore, the inclination angle cannot be measured accurately unless the virtual axis is parallel to the maximum inclination line of the measurement surface.
On the other hand, when the abutting member is attached to the base so as to be rotatable about the first axis, which is the first axis, the abutting member abuts (or is intended to abut) on the measurement surface. Each member rotates along the measurement surface with respect to the base by gravity, and the virtual axis of each contact member moves so as to be parallel to the maximum inclination line of the measurement surface in the portion where the contact member exists. By doing so, the tilt angle can be accurately measured by the tilt angle measuring means provided in each contact member.
The tilt angle measuring means is sufficient if it can measure the tilt angle. However, the tilt angle measuring means includes means (for example, a liquid crystal display) for allowing the operator to confirm the measured tilt angle by visual observation, for example. Is preferred.
It should be noted that the adjustment of the position or angle of the virtual axis can be achieved automatically and substantially accurately if the frictional force with the measurement surface is ignored due to gravity. Not strong.
Note that the measurement surface on which the inclination angle is measured by this inclinometer is the board surface of the gaming machine or the surface of the glass plate. When measuring the inclination angle of the board surface of the gaming machine, no problem occurs, but when measuring the inclination angle of the surface of the glass plate, whether the inclination angle of the glass plate can be regarded as the inclination angle of the board surface There's a problem. However, in a gaming machine that is an industrial product mass-produced in a factory, the board surface and the surface of the glass plate can be regarded as parallel, and even if the gaming machine is twisted, the parallel This relationship is not expected to have a significant impact. Therefore, by measuring the inclination angle of the surface of the glass plate, indirectly measuring the inclination angle of the board surface provided in the gaming machine, or by capturing the inclination angle of the surface of the glass plate as the inclination angle of the board surface. No major problems are expected.
The abutting member is attached to the base so as to be rotatable about a second axis, which is a second axis. When the abutting member is brought into contact with the measurement surface, the contact member Each of the contact members is rotated by gravity so that the lower part of the contact member approaches the measurement surface with respect to the base, and the virtual axis of each of the contact members is in a portion where the contact member exists. The measurement surface may be moved so as to be parallel to the maximum inclination line of the measurement surface. For example, the second axis is orthogonal to the first axis, and is parallel when the tilt angle of the gaming machine is measured with an inclinometer. If the abutting member can be rotated with the second axis as an axis so that the lower part of the abutting member approaches the measurement surface, the lower part of the abutting member is appropriately positioned with respect to the measurement surface. The contact member can be made to follow the measurement surface in a state where the virtual axis of the contact member is parallel to the maximum inclination line. In addition, the rotation of the contact member is caused by gravity, so that the adjustment can be made substantially accurately and the adjustment is automatically performed.

The abutting member is a rod-shaped rod-shaped body having the imaginary axis as its length direction, and is attached to the base in the vicinity of the upper end thereof.
By making the contact member a rod-shaped body, it becomes easy to make the length direction of the contact member and the length direction of the virtual axis coincide (or be parallel). Thereby, especially when the length direction of the rod-shaped body and the length direction of the virtual axis coincide with each other, the virtual axis is measured at the portion where the contact member exists by visually observing the contact member. An operator can intuitively check whether the surface is parallel to the maximum inclination line of the surface.
Further, if the contact member is a rod-like body and the vicinity of the upper end thereof is attached to the base, the torque for rotating the contact member caused by gravity with respect to the base increases. A force that moves the abutting member to a position that is parallel to the maximum inclination line of the measurement surface in the position is easily given as a larger force.

As a fixing means, if the measurement surface is a board surface of a gaming machine, the suction cup, the adhesive, or the inclinometer to be absorbed by a smooth portion where there is no nail etc. on the board surface is attached to the nail so that it does not fall. Means for locking can be employed. When the measurement surface is the surface of a glass plate, a suction cup to be adsorbed on the surface or an adhesive can be used as the fixing means.
In addition, examples of the fixing means include means capable of detachably fixing the inclinometer to the glass plate using a gap between the glass plate and a generally resin-made decorative frame provided around the glass plate. Can do. For example, there is a slight gap between the back surface of the decorative frame and the front surface of the glass plate. If the plate inserted into the gap is used as a fixing means, it is inserted between the back surface of the decorative frame and the front surface of the glass plate, and sandwiched between the two so that the inclinometer is attached to the glass plate (more precisely, the glass plate). It can be detachably fixed to the board and the decorative frame.
Further, the fixing means does not necessarily perform detachable fixing with respect to the measurement surface, and does not have to perform detachable fixing in contact with the measurement surface. For example, a gap exists between a gaming machine and a pachinko gaming machine installation unit (generally an island). By using such a gap, for example, the upper surface of the gaming machine (or the frame in which the gaming machine is fitted) and the upper surface of the gaming machine (or the frame in which the gaming machine is fitted) of the pachinko gaming machine installation unit. A member provided with a plate that can be horizontally inserted into a gap between the lower surface of the substantially horizontal plate positioned further above the plate can be used as the fixing means. The fixing means is, for example, an L-shaped metal fitting having an L-shaped cross section, and the other side of the L-shaped metal fitting is inserted into the gap described above by adopting a configuration in which the other part of the inclinometer is attached to one side thereof. In this way, the other side of the L-shaped metal fitting can be locked in the gap, and the other part of the inclinometer attached to one side of the L-shaped metal fitting lowered below can be suspended. is there.
Furthermore, the fixing means may be detachably fixed to the pachinko gaming machine installation unit without touching the pachinko gaming machine.

The inclinometer of the present invention includes a biasing unit that biases the contact member against the measurement surface when the base is detachably fixed to the measurement surface by the fixing unit. May be.
If the base is simply fixed to the measurement surface by the fixing means, the contact member may be lifted off the measurement surface. If such a situation occurs, the contact member is provided on the contact member that has been lifted from the measurement surface. The tilt angle measured by the tilt angle measuring means may be inaccurate.
If there is an urging means for urging the abutting member against the measurement surface, the possibility of such a problem occurring can be reduced. The urging means for urging the contact member against the measurement surface may be one that urges only the contact member against the measurement surface, or a base to which the contact member is attached or a part thereof. Alternatively, the contact member may be urged against the measurement surface.

There may be one or more abutting members attached to the base. When there are a plurality of contact members, each contact member is provided with an inclination angle measuring means.
This has the following advantages:
The present inventor who has been researching inclinometers has found that even if the inclination angle of a gaming machine is accurately measured using an existing inclinometer, adjustment of the ball may not be performed as desired. .
As a result of the inventor's repeated research on the reason, the gaming machine has a certain size, so that the whole of the gaming machine may be twisted. I found out.
For example, the above-described device for attaching the upper part of the gaming machine to the pachinko gaming machine installation unit while positioning in the front-rear direction is a plurality of locations in the width direction (left-right direction) above the gaming machine (for example, the gaming machine There are cases where the position of the gaming machine in the front-rear direction can be positioned at two locations near both edges in the width direction. In such a case, the position of the gaming machine in the front-rear direction may be different at a plurality of locations where the gaming machine and the pachinko gaming machine installation unit are fixed. In such a case, the gaming machine is twisted. In such a case, the gaming machine may have different inclination angles at different positions of the gaming machine, for example, a portion near the right edge of the gaming machine and a portion near the left edge. Even if the inclination angle is measured or the inclination angle of the gaming machine is adjusted as intended, a result that the adjustment of the payout cannot be performed as intended can occur.
As a result of such research, the inventor of the present application measures the inclination angles at a plurality of positions on the board surface of the gaming machine in order to accurately grasp the inclination angle of the gaming machine even if the gaming machine is twisted. I concluded that it was necessary.
The inclinometer including a plurality of abutting members includes a plurality of abutting members each having an inclination angle measuring unit corresponding to a conventional inclinometer. Therefore, the inclination angles of a plurality of locations of the gaming machine can be measured at a time. Thus, according to this inclinometer, even if the gaming machine is twisted, the inclination angle of the gaming machine can be measured individually, so that the inclination angle of the gaming machine can be made higher than before. It is possible to accurately grasp the game machine and to remove the twist of the game machine by appropriately adjusting the position of the game machine with respect to the pachinko machine installation unit.
Moreover, this inclinometer can handle a plurality of contact members as a single unit by attaching them to the base. Even with a conventional inclinometer, it is possible to grasp the inclination angle of different locations of a gaming machine by measuring the inclination angle of one gaming machine at different locations using one or a plurality of inclinometers. It is possible. However, it is troublesome to measure the inclination angles of a plurality of locations of a gaming machine in order with one inclinometer, and it is inconvenient to measure the inclination angles of a plurality of locations of a gaming machine with a plurality of inclinometers. There are some things that cannot be done by one worker. The inclinometer according to the present invention is convenient because it handles a plurality of contact members attached to the base as one body, and one worker can measure the inclination angles at a plurality of locations of the gaming machine at one time.

When a plurality of contact members are provided, the base in the inclinometer of the present invention may be a rod-shaped rod-shaped body. In this case, one contact member may be provided at each end of the base. In this case, two sets of abutting members and inclination angle measuring means can be made. In particular, by making the total weight of the two sets of abutting members and inclination angle measuring means the same, the inclinometer It can be used in a stable state.
When the base is a rod-shaped rod-like body and one contact member is provided at each end of the base, the fixing means is provided at the center in the length direction of the base that is a rod-like body. Also good. In this way, when the fixing means is fixed to the measurement surface, the inclinometer can be easily balanced in the left-right direction. In particular, the total weight of the two sets of contact members and the inclination angle measuring means is the same. If you do, stability will improve.

The perspective view which shows the structure of the game machine in which the inclination-angle of the board surface is made by the method of one Embodiment of this application, and the island to which the said game machine was attached. The perspective view of the inclinometer by one Embodiment of this application. FIG. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of the inclinometer shown in FIG. 2. The front view of the inclinometer shown in FIG. The left view of the inclinometer shown in FIG. The top view of the inclinometer shown in FIG. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the 1st leg member of the inclinometer shown in FIG. The perspective view which shows the arrangement | positioning state of the spirit level contained in the inclinometer shown in FIG. The longitudinal cross-sectional view for demonstrating the structure of the fixing | fixed part and base which are included in the inclinometer shown in FIG. The side view for demonstrating the use condition of the inclinometer shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, a description will be given of a general configuration of a gaming machine in which the inclination angle of the board surface is measured by an inclinometer described later according to this embodiment and an island to which the gaming machine is attached.
In FIG. 1, 300 is a gaming machine.
The gaming machine 300 includes a board surface 301 on which balls move on the surface.
A number of nails 302 are erected on the board surface 301. Although not limited to this, in the gaming machine 300 according to this embodiment, many nails 302 are erected on the left side of the board surface 301, and hardly exist in the right half of the board surface 301 in particular. .
Further, the board surface 301 is provided with a partition plate 303 for determining a range in which the balls can move on the board surface 301. The ball moves in a substantially circular range surrounded by the partition plate 303. Although not necessarily limited to this, in this embodiment, the height of the partition plate 303 from the board surface 301 (the width of the partition plate 303) is constant in all portions in the length direction.
Although the board surface 301 of the gaming machine 300 is covered with a glass plate as is well known, the glass plate is not shown in FIG. 1 because it is transparent. Also, below the gaming machine 300, there are generally a tray for receiving a ball consisting of an upper plate and a lower plate, and a handle used for an operation for driving the ball, which are related to the present invention. In addition, since both are well known, the illustration is omitted.

The gaming machine 300 is usually fixed to a structure called an island 400 in a hall. The island 400 may be made of metal, but in many cases is made of wood, and has a structure in which a large number of gaming machines 300 can be attached in parallel.
In addition to the island 400, a ball lending machine that lends gaming balls to the user, a call lamp that informs the user and the hall clerk about the state of the gaming machine, balls supplied to the ball lending machine and gaming machine, and a gaming machine A ball circulation mechanism for collecting the balls that are detached from the ball and circulating the balls is attached as necessary, but illustration of these is also omitted.
The gaming machine 300 is attached to the island 400 via a member called a frame 500. Although the frame 500 may be made of metal, it is usually made of wood, and has a rectangular shape with four plates as four sides. The gaming machine 300 is fixed to the island 400 by fixing the frame 500 to the island 400 while the gaming machine 300 is fixed to the front surface. Specifically, the island 400 includes a lower plate 401 on which the frame 500 is placed, and an upper plate 402 parallel to the lower plate 401 positioned on the upper side of the frame 500. The plate corresponding to the side is fixed to the lower plate 401, and the plate corresponding to the upper side is fixed to the upper plate 402 by using a suitable means such as a nail or a dedicated metal fitting, respectively, so that it is fixed to the island 400. . At that time, the board surface 301 of the gaming machine 300 is given an inclination that falls slightly backward. In some cases, the inclination angle can be changed afterwards, as already described in the background art section of the present application.

Next, the inclinometer will be described.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inclinometer, FIG. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view, FIG. 4 is a front view, FIG. 5 is a left side view, and FIG.
The inclinometer in this embodiment includes a base 110, a contact part 120, an inclination angle measurement part 130, and a fixing part 140.

The base 110 is to which the contact portion 120 is attached. Although not limited thereto, the base 110 in this embodiment is made of metal and is a rod-like body extending in a substantially horizontal direction. The base 110 is plate-shaped and includes ribs for reinforcement purposes on the top and bottom thereof.
The vicinity of both ends of the base 110 is bent in a crank shape, and both ends thereof are front end portions 111 that are stepped downward toward the rear as compared with the vicinity of the center. The tip 111 is for attaching the contact part 120. That is, the contact portions 120 are respectively attached to both ends in the length direction of the base 110 of this embodiment. Therefore, the inclinometer in this embodiment includes two contact portions 120. But the contact part 120 is not restricted to two, One may be sufficient. If more abutment portions 120 are attached to the base 110, the shape, size, etc. of the base 110 can be appropriately changed accordingly.
In this inclinometer, the contact portions 120 are attached near both ends of the base 110, and the inclination angle of the measurement surface near both ends of the base 110 is measured as will be described later. If the place where the inclination angle on the measurement surface is measured is too close, the twist generated in the gaming machine 300 may not appear in the measurement value. Considering this point, it is preferable that the length of the base 110 is about 30 cm. However, since it does not make sense for the length of the base 110 to exceed the length of the gaming machine 300 in the left-right direction, the length of the base 110 is from 30 cm to a length that is 10 cm smaller than the length of the gaming machine 300 in the left-right direction. An appropriate selection may be made within the range.
Each of the distal end portions 111 is provided with a distal end hole 112 which is a hole used for fixing the contact portion 120. The tip hole 112 is circular, although not limited thereto.
Although not limited to this, a base hole 113 that is a circular hole is formed in the center of the base 110 in the length direction.

The contact portion 120 includes a square pipe 121 that is a metal cylindrical body having a rectangular cross section. A lid 122 is attached to the top and bottom of the square pipe 121. The lid 122 is made of resin, although not limited to this.
Holes 123 are provided in the vicinity of the upper ends of the square pipes 121 at positions corresponding to each other. The hole on the back side of the square pipe 121 does not appear in the figure. The hole 123 is used for attaching the contact portion 120 to the base 110.

Each of the square pipes 121 of the contact portion 120 is attached to the base 110 so as to be rotatable with respect to the base 110 near the upper end thereof. The method of attaching the contact portion 120 to the base 110 is as follows.
A first leg member 114 having a predetermined length in the front-rear direction is disposed on the back side of the base 110. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7, the first leg member 114 has a nut 114A threaded on its inner peripheral surface, and its outer surface is covered with a cap 114B formed of resin. It has become a thing. As will be described later, the first leg member 114 is brought into contact with the measurement surface when the inclination angle of the measurement surface is measured using this inclinometer. The back side of the first leg member 114 has a dome shape in order to reduce the contact area when it is brought into contact with the measurement surface and to stabilize the contact with the measurement surface. The first leg 114 can move in the front-rear direction with the base 110, although it is slightly.
Various attachments 124 are inserted inside the square pipe 121. The mounting bracket 124 is a leaf spring, a ball bearing, or the like, and mainly has a function of maintaining the relative positional relationship between the square pipe 121 and the base 110 in the front-rear direction when being mounted on the base 110 in a desired positional relationship. It has a function of increasing the ease of rotation of the contact portion 120 with respect to the base 110. Each of these mounting brackets 124 has a hole, and can be penetrated by a shaft bolt described later.
The shaft bolt 125 is threaded at the tip, and can be screwed into a nut 114A of the first leg member 114. From the front side of the square pipe 121, the hole 123 on the front side of the square pipe 121, the above-described holes provided in each of the various mounting brackets 124, and the holes on the rear side of the square pipe 121 are passed through, and the tip of the pipe is then inserted The contact portion 120 is attached to the base 110 by being screwed into the nut 114 </ b> A of the one-leg member 114. At this time, the head of the shaft bolt 125 enters the space inside the square pipe 121 from the hole 123 on the front side of the square pipe 121.
In this state, the contact portion 120 can rotate around the center of the shaft bolt 125. That is, the contact portion 120 can rotate with respect to the base 110. The contact portion 120 is rotated, for example, in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4, that is, in a plane parallel to the paper surface.

A second leg member 126 is provided at a portion near the lower end of the back surface of the square pipe 121 in the contact portion 120. Similar to the first foot member 114, the second foot member 126 is brought into contact with the measurement surface when the inclination angle of the measurement surface is measured using an inclinometer. The rear surface side of the second leg member 126 has a semicircular cross section in order to reduce the frictional force generated between the second leg member 126 and the measurement surface by reducing the contact area when it is brought into contact with the measurement surface. .
As described above, the square pipe 121 has a rectangular cross section, and the front surface and the rear surface thereof are parallel to each other. The distance from the rear end of the second leg member 126 to the back surface of the square pipe 121 is equal to the distance from the rear end of the first leg member 114 to the back surface of the square pipe 121. That is, when the inclination angle of the measurement surface is measured, when the rear end of the first foot member 114 and the rear end of the second foot member 126 positioned therebelow are brought into contact with the measurement surface, the square pipe 121 is obtained. And the measurement surface are substantially parallel. That is, when an appropriate straight line parallel to the length direction of the square pipe 121 is a virtual axis that is a virtual axis, the inclination angle of the measurement surface is measured by measuring the inclination angle of the virtual axis. Will be able to.

An inclination angle measurement unit 130 is provided in front of each contact portion 120. The inclination angle measuring unit 130 is for measuring the inclination angle of the virtual axis described above.
The tilt angle measurement unit 130 may be anything as long as it can measure the tilt angle of the virtual axis. For example, a tilt angle measuring device including a tilt sensor that measures tilt by an electrical or electronic mechanism, a computer, and a display controlled by the computer is attached to the contact portion 120 and the tilt angle measuring unit 130 It is possible to do. In addition, the inclination angle measurement unit 130 in this embodiment is provided below each contact portion 120, but the inclination angle measurement unit 130 may be provided anywhere on the contact portion 120. However, the inclination angle measuring unit 130 in this embodiment has a certain amount of weight, and is heavier than, for example, the contact portion 120. Thereby, the contact portion 120 is given a large torque for rotating with respect to the base 110 by gravity.
Although not limited to this, the inclination angle measuring unit 130 in this embodiment is configured as follows.
As shown in the partially exploded view of FIG. 3, the inclination angle measurement unit 130 includes a case 131 that covers the entire inclination angle measurement unit 130, and four small cases 132 that are accommodated in the case 131. Yes. The case 131 is not limited to this, but has a rectangular opening 131A in this embodiment so that the four small cases 132 can be viewed from there.
The four small cases 132 are fixed on a support plate 133 which is attached to the front surface of the square pipe 121, but is not limited to a rectangular plate. The upper surface of the support plate 133 is perpendicular to the virtual axis. Each small case 132 has an elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the length direction thereof is adapted to the front-rear direction of the inclinometer.
Each small case 132 is a box made of a transparent material, for example, resin, and as shown in FIG. 7, a level level 132A in which the angle is gradually changed is accommodated. . Although not limited to this, the level 132A is a known bubble tube level in which a gas is confined in a liquid filled in an elongated case.
As shown in FIG. 7, the height from the upper surface of the support plate 133 at the front end of the level 132A is made to be the same, but the height from the upper surface of the support plate 133 at the front end of the level 132A is 7 is inclined in a stepwise manner so as to increase as the level 132A located at the back in FIG. The difference in angle between the adjacent levels 132A is not necessarily constant, but is constant in this embodiment. In this embodiment, four levels 132A are used, but it is natural that this is not limited to four.
Although not limited to this, the four levelers 132A can be used when the inclination of the square pipe 121 or the imaginary axis to the rear is 3 minutes, 3.5 minutes, 4 minutes, or 4.5 minutes in the case of the penetrating method. It shows the horizontal.
Although not shown, the case 131 is associated with each level 132A, and a letter or symbol indicating how much the virtual axis A is inclined when the level 132A is horizontal is attached. .

Next, the fixing unit 140 will be described.
The fixing unit 140 is for detachably fixing the measurement surface. The measurement surface in this embodiment is the surface of a glass plate provided in the gaming machine 300. In other words, the inclinometer of this embodiment indirectly measures the inclination angle of the board surface 301 provided in the gaming machine 300 by measuring the inclination angle of the surface of the glass plate. In the gaming machine 300 that is an industrial product mass-produced in the factory, it is possible to assume that the board surface 301 and the surface of the glass plate are parallel, and even if the gaming machine 300 is twisted, Since it is considered that there is no great influence on their parallel relationship, it is considered that the problem caused by taking the inclination angle of the surface of the glass plate as the inclination angle of the board surface 301 is not so great.
The fixing unit 140 is fixed to a measurement surface that is the surface of the glass plate. The fixing unit 140 includes a suction cup (not shown) for enabling this. The suction cup is fixed in a support member 141 having a bowl-shaped inner and outer surface. A known or well-known suction cup can be used as long as it can be detachably fixed to the measurement surface and can support the weight of the inclinometer when fixed to the measurement surface. The suction cup is made of rubber or resin, for example.
In addition, although the fixing | fixed part 140 of this embodiment is equipped with the suction cup fixed to a measurement surface, as long as the fixing | fixed part 140 can be fixed to a measurement surface, a suction cup is not necessarily essential. For example, using a gap between a glass plate as a measurement surface and a generally resin decorative frame provided around the glass plate, a means for detachably fixing the inclinometer to the glass plate is replaced with a suction cup. Can be provided. For example, there is a slight gap between the back surface of the decorative frame and the front surface of the glass plate. A plate to be inserted into the gap is provided as a substitute for a suction cup, and it is inserted between the back of the decorative frame and the front of the glass plate, and sandwiched between the two, so that the inclinometer is attached to the glass plate (more precisely, the glass It can be detachably fixed to the board and the decorative frame.
More specifically, the other side to which the fixing unit 140 is fixed is not limited to the measurement surface. For example, a gap exists between a gaming machine and a pachinko gaming machine installation unit (generally an island). By using such a gap, for example, the upper surface of the gaming machine (or the frame in which the gaming machine is fitted) and the upper surface of the gaming machine (or the frame in which the gaming machine is fitted) of the pachinko gaming machine installation unit. It is possible to provide a member having a plate that can be inserted horizontally in a gap between the lower surface of the substantially horizontal plate located further above the suction cup instead of the suction cup. More specifically, an L-shaped metal fitting having an L-shaped cross section is used as a suction cup, and one side of the L-shaped metal fitting is inserted into the above-described gap, thereby locking one side of the L-shaped metal fitting into the gap. Can be. Further, the fixing unit 140 may be detachably fixed to the pachinko gaming machine installation unit without touching the pachinko gaming machine.

A connection portion 142 is provided on the front side of the support member 141. The connecting portion 142 is for connecting a front pillar to be described later. In this embodiment, a hinge to be described later is provided between two plates.
The front pillar 143 is a metal prism extending substantially in the vertical direction. The front pillar 143 is connected to the connecting portion 142. The front pillar 143 is hinge-connected to the connecting portion 142 at its lower end. The connecting portion 142 is rotatable about the hinge shaft 142A (see FIG. 9) as an axis in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. A plate-like first plate 144 is provided at the upper end of the front column 143 so as to be perpendicular to the length direction of the front column 143.
The first plate 144 is provided with two holes 144A threaded on the inner peripheral surface thereof arranged in the front-rear direction at the center in the width direction.
The fixing portion 140 also includes a rear member 145. The rear member 145 is fixedly connected to the first plate 144.
The rear member 145 includes a second plate 145A having a rectangular shape in plan view that is fixed to the first plate 144, and a third plate 145B having a rectangular shape in front view that extends downward from the front end of the second plate 145A. Yes.
The second plate 145A is provided with two holes 145A1 arranged in the front-rear direction in the center in the width direction. The rear member 145 has the bottom surface of the second plate 145A in close contact with the top surface of the first plate 144, and the two holes 145A1 of the second plate 145A are overlapped with the two holes 144A of the first plate 144. The tip of the screw 146 that passes through 144A is screwed into the hole 145A1, thereby being fixed to the first plate 144.
Thereby, the relative positional relationship of the front pillar 143, the 1st board 144, and the rear member 145 becomes a fixed relationship, and is uniquely determined.
Although not limited thereto, a rectangular hole 145B1 is provided below the third plate 145B in this embodiment. The hole 145B1 is used to connect the base 110 to the fixing portion 140.

As shown in FIG. 9, the front end of the screw 147 also shown in FIG. 3 is inserted into the hole 145B1 provided in the third plate 145B from the front side of the third plate 145B. The front end of the screw 147 is screwed to a guide member 148 that is positioned between the third plate 145 </ b> B and the front pillar 143. The guide member 148 is a rod-shaped member extending in the front-rear direction of the inclinometer, but is not limited to this, and in this embodiment, the guide member 148 is a columnar member, and has a circular cross-sectional hole for screwing with a screw 147 at its front end. 148 </ b> A, and a head 148 </ b> B that is coaxial with the front part of the front end and has a larger diameter than that of the front part. The diameter of the portion of the guide member 148 other than the head portion 148 </ b> B is somewhat smaller than the base hole 113 of the base 110, and the head portion 148 </ b> B is larger in diameter than the base hole 113.
When the screw 147 is screwed into the guide member 148, the guide member 148 is passed through the base hole 113 of the base 110 from the back side of the base 110 in advance. Thereby, the base 110 in the inclinometer is attached to the fixing portion 140 in a state where the base hole 113 is penetrated by the guide member 148.
On the other hand, a coil spring 149 is provided on the front side of the base 110 of the guide member 148. The coil spring 149 always applies a biasing force toward the rear side to the base 110. When the screw 147 is screwed into the guide member 148, the guide member 148 is passed through the base hole 113 of the base 110 from the back side of the base 110, and the coil spring 149 is passed through the guide member 148 in advance. As shown in FIG. 9, a coil spring 149 can be arranged. The coil spring 149 has a role of applying the biasing force in the above-described direction to the base 110, and can be replaced with another elastic body if it is possible.
As described above, the base 110 can be moved back and forth along the guide member 148 by being guided by the guide member 148 through the base hole 113, but the base hole 113 is positioned at the head 148 </ b> B of the guide member 148. Therefore, the guide member 148 cannot move to the rear side of the head 148B. On the other hand, the base 110 is always given a biasing force directed backward from the coil spring 149. As a result, the base 110 moves the base 110 forward against the biasing force from the coil spring 149 against the base 110 while the rear surface of the base 110 abuts against the front surface of the head 148B of the guide member 148. When a forward force is applied to move to, it will move forward.
Further, as described above, the diameter of the portion other than the head portion 148 </ b> B of the guide member 148 is slightly smaller than that of the base hole 113 of the base 110. That is, there is some play between the base hole 113 and the portion of the guide member 148 other than the head 148B. As a result, the base 110 can be rotated or swung within a plane parallel to FIG. 9 with the approximate center in the length direction of the base hole 113 as an axis, for example, in the range of about 10 °. Such rotation or swinging of the base 110 is automatically performed by gravity acting on the base 110 and the contact portion 120. The rotation or swinging of the base 110 does not necessarily have to be performed at the base hole 113 portion. For example, by providing play at the shaft bolt 125 portion, it is performed at the shaft bolt 125 portion. Is also possible.

The usage method and operation of the inclinometer described above will be described.
The inclinometer is used to measure the inclination of the inclined surface in the gaming machine. As described above, the inclined surface in this embodiment is the surface of the glass plate (of course, the front surface of the glass plate), although not limited thereto.

When the inclinometer is used, the operator holds the base 110 or the base 110 and the fixing unit 140, and sucks a suction cup (not shown) in the fixing unit 140 to an appropriate position on the measurement surface. As a result, the suction cup is fixed at a detachable position with respect to the measurement surface. Before or after fixing the suction cup to the measurement surface, the operator can make the square pipes 121 (or virtual axes) of the two contact portions 120 attached to both ends of the base 110 approach the most vertical. That is, the two contact portions 120 are adjusted so as to approach the maximum inclination line, in other words, to approach the most stable state by gravity. Such adjustment is automatically performed by gravity acting on the contact portion 120.
Further, at this time, the base 110 is automatically moved by the gravity acting on the base 110 and the contact portion 120 in the plane parallel to FIG. 9 with the approximate center in the length direction of the base hole 113 as an axis in FIG. Rotate around. Thereby, the lower part of the contact part 120 rotates so as to approach the measurement surface. As a result, the tip of the second foot 126 in each contact portion 120 correctly contacts the measurement surface.

It is assumed that the two contact portions 120 are both adjusted to a state that is closest to the vertical. In this state, the two pairs of the first leg member 114 and the second leg member 126 are in contact with the measurement surface. As a result, the tilt angle of the measurement surface can be correctly measured.
In this state, the first leg member 114, the second leg member 126, and the square pipe 121, which are positioned vertically, have a relationship as shown in FIG. In the figure, V is a vertical line and A is a virtual axis. Further, H is a horizontal surface that is a horizontal surface, and S is an extended surface that is a surface obtained by extending the support plate 133. X is a measurement surface.
The angle α formed by the vertical line V and the virtual axis A is equal to the angle β formed by the horizontal plane H and the extended surface S. The extent of the angle formed by the extension surface S and the horizontal plane H can be grasped by determining which of the four leveling devices 132A is horizontal. For example, in FIG. 10, since the second level 132A from the front is horizontal, only the level 132A of the four levels 132A indicates the level. Then, as described above, since the second level is horizontal when the tilt angle is 3.5 minutes, β at this time is 3.5 minutes. That is, the inclination angle of the virtual axis A at this time, that is, the angle formed by the virtual axis A and the vertical line V is 3.5 minutes. As described above, the case 131 is attached with characters or symbols indicating how much the virtual axis A is inclined when the level 132A indicates the level, corresponding to each level 132A.
By looking at it, the operator can grasp the inclinations of a plurality of inclined surfaces measured by each inclination angle measuring unit 130 at a time.

  After measuring the tilt angle of the gaming machine, the operator removes the inclinometer from the measurement surface.

In this embodiment, the measurement surface is the surface of the glass plate of the gaming machine, but the board surface 301 may be used as the measurement surface instead.
As described above, the fixing portion 140 includes a suction cup. Since there is a nail 302 on the board surface 301, there is a limit to the range in which the suction cup can be adsorbed to the board surface 301. However, the inclinometer of this embodiment is as described above by adsorbing the suction cup to an appropriate place on the board surface 301. It can be used in the usage method.
In addition, when the measurement surface is the board surface 301, it is also possible to replace the suction cup with which the fixing | fixed part 140 is provided with another thing. A nail 302 exists on the board surface 301. It is possible to replace the suction cup with a means that realizes detachable fixation with the nail 302 by locking or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 110 Base 120 Contact part 121 Square pipe 125 Shaft bolt 130 Inclination angle measurement part 131 Case 132 Small case 132A Level 140 Fixed part 141 Support member 143 Front pillar 148 Guide member 149 Coil spring

Claims (9)

An inclinometer that measures the inclination angle of the board surface of the gaming machine,
A contact member that is brought into contact with a measurement surface that is either a board surface of the gaming machine or a glass surface that is a surface of a glass plate in front of the board surface;
Provided in the contact member for measuring an inclination angle of a virtual axis that is a virtual axis in a fixed positional relationship with the contact member when the contact member is brought into contact with the measurement surface. Tilt angle measuring means,
A base provided with fixing means connected to the contact member and capable of detachably fixing to the measurement surface;
An inclinometer comprising:
The contact member is attached to the base so as to be rotatable about a first axis that is a first axis,
When the contact member is brought into contact with the measurement surface, the contact member is rotated along the measurement surface with respect to the base by gravity, and the virtual axis in each of the contact members is It moves so as to be parallel to the maximum inclination line of the measurement surface in the portion where the contact member exists,
Inclinometer. The abutting member is a rod-shaped rod-shaped body having the imaginary axis as its length direction, and is attached to the base in the vicinity of the upper end thereof.
The inclinometer according to claim 1. The fixing means is a suction cup;
The inclinometer according to claim 1. An urging means for urging the contact member against the measurement surface when the base is detachably fixed to the measurement surface by the fixing means;
The inclinometer according to claim 1. The measurement surface is the surface of the glass plate;
The inclinometer according to claim 1. A plurality of contact members each provided with the inclination angle measuring means are attached to the base.
The inclinometer according to claim 1. The base is a rod-like rod-shaped body, and the contact members are provided one by one at both ends of the base.
The inclinometer according to claim 6. The fixing means is provided at the center in the length direction of the base which is a rod-shaped body,
The inclinometer according to claim 7. The contact member is attached to the base so as to be rotatable about a second axis that is a second axis,
When the contact member is brought into contact with the measurement surface, each of the contact members is rotated by gravity so that the lower portion of the contact member approaches the measurement surface with respect to the base. The imaginary axis in each of the members moves so as to be parallel to the maximum inclination line of the measurement surface in the portion where the contact member exists.
The inclinometer according to claim 1.

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