Bowling game apparatus for flying disc

The present invention relates to a bowling game apparatus for a flying disc and, more particularly, to a bowling game apparatus, for a flying disc, which is automated such that a user does not have to set bowling pins and recover a thrown flying disc. Since the user does not have to set the bowling pins and recover the flying disc, user convenience is enhanced. The bowling game apparatus has a simple structure and thus can be manufactured at a low cost and can easily be installed in a limited space.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a U.S. National Phase of International Application No. PCT/KR2019/017591 entitled “BOWLING GAME APPARATUS FOR FLYING DISC,” and filed on Dec. 12, 2019. International Application No. PCT/KR2019/017591 claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0167157 filed on Dec. 21, 2018. The entire contents of each of the above-listed applications are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a bowling game apparatus for a flying disc, and more particularly, to an automated bowling game apparatus for a flying disc so that a user does not directly set a bowling pin and collect a thrown flying disc.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

A flying disc is a circular plate-shaped ride that anyone of all ages may easily throw and receive in the open air and two or more people may enjoy. The flying disc has been popularized and known as official sports events using a flying disc, such as an ultimate game and a disc golf game, which are the currently official sports events.

In general, a game using a flying disc is limited to a game where two or more users throw a flying disc and exchange the flying disc with the third party or a game such as throwing the flying disc on a specific target plate and hitting the specific target plate. Accordingly, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-063672 (Water bowling equipment and beach bowling equipment, Sep. 11, 2010) discloses a mechanism for playing a game in which a player whose lower body is submerged underwater throws a disc-shaped disc to a bowling pin erected in a position spaced apart by a predetermined distance and hits the bowling pin.

However, the conventional bowling game apparatus using a flying disc is based on a method of throwing a flying disc after a user directly erects a bowling pin, and has a problem in that since the thrown flying disc is not set to be automatically recovered or bowling pins that are collapsed by being hit with the flying disc are not set to be automatically erected, a user needs to directly set the bowling pins and collect the flying disc.

DISCLOSURE

Technical Problem

The present invention has been conceived to solve the above problems, and is to provide an automated bowling game apparatus for a flying disc so that a user does not directly set a bowling pin and collect a thrown flying disc.

Technical Solution

In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention provides an automated bowling game apparatus that includes a recovery conveyor configured to drop a thrown flying disc downward and automatically collect the dropping flying disc, and drops a flying disc seated on a bowling pin that has been hit and collapsed to a recovery conveyor using rotation, vibration, air injection, and the like.

Advantageous Effects

According to the configuration described above, the present invention has an advantage in that the user need not directly set the bowling pin and collect the flying disc to increase the user's convenience and the bowling game apparatus has a simple structure to be manufactured at low cost and to be easily installed in a narrow space.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Best Mode

In one general aspect, a bowling game apparatus for a flying disc configured to automatically collect the flying disc that hits bowling pins erected spaced apart at a certain distance and then is dropped, includes: a body part configured to include a pin deck having a pin insertion groove inserted thereinto for erecting a bowling pin on an upper surface thereof; a swash plate provided on at least one of a front or a rear of the body part and having an inclined surface inclined at a predetermined angle with a ground; and a recovery conveyor configured to be provided in a lateral direction of the body part and the swash plate to collect the flying disc dropping by the swash plate.

The pin deck may further include a rotation shaft extending in the lateral direction so that both ends thereof are rotatably fixed to the body part, in which the pin deck may be rotated in front and rear directions with respect to the rotation shaft to drop the flying disc seated on the pin deck onto the swash plate.

The bowling game apparatus may further include: a pin setter unit configured to set the bowling pin erected on the pin deck and to prevent the bowling pin from being separated when the pin deck rotates, including a winding motor that applies tension to the pin up string connected to the bowling pin, in which the pin deck may further include a through hole perforated so that a pin up string connected to a lower portion of the bowling pin penetrates downward of the pin insertion groove.

The pin deck may further include a plurality of air injection holes formed to inject air of a predetermined pressure upward when rotating in the front and rear directions to cause the flying disc that has not dropped after the rotation of the pin deck to deviate from the pin deck.

The body part may further include a vibrator configured to vibrate the pin deck in a lateral direction when the pin deck rotates in the front and rear directions to cause the flying disc that has not dropped after the rotation of the pin deck to deviate from the pin deck.

The body part may further include a skip board configured to be provided in front of the pin deck and formed so that a front portion thereof is inclined downward by a predetermined angle.

The swash plate may include a front swash plate provided in front of the body part and a rear swash plate provided at a rear of the body part, and the pin deck may be driven to rotate backward, and the skip board is driven to rotate forward.

The rear swash plate may further include a collision prevention surface that is formed so that a front portion thereof is inclined at a predetermined angle in order to prevent the collision with the rotating pin deck.

The pin deck may further include a passage guide block formed to surround a front side of a plurality of bowling pins aligned to have a predetermined height and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

The bowling game apparatus may further include: a dropping wall configured to be provided in at least one of rear or side directions of the body part, the swash plate, and the recovery conveyor to drop the flying disc deviated without hitting the bowling pin onto the swash plate or the recovery conveyor.

The dropping wall may further include a shock absorbing member provided on an inner side surface of the dropping wall to absorb the shock of the hitting flying disc.

The pin insertion groove of the pin deck may include a stepped portion in which an outer side portion of a cross section in a vertical direction is vertically formed, and a curved portion in which an inner side portion of the cross-section is formed to be recessed downward.

MODE FOR INVENTION

The present invention may be variously modified and have several exemplary embodiments. Therefore, specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be illustrated in the accompanying drawings and be described in detail. However, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to a specific exemplary embodiment, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

It is to be understood that when one component is referred to as being “connected to” or “coupled to” another component, one component may be connected directly to or coupled directly to another component or be connected to or coupled to another component with the other component interposed therebetween.

Unless indicated otherwise, it is to be understood that all the terms used in the specification including technical and scientific terms have the same meaning as those that are generally understood by those who skilled in the art.

It should be understood that the terms defined by the dictionary are identical with the meanings within the context of the related art, and they should not be ideally or excessively formally defined unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Hereinafter, a technical spirit of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

However, the accompanying drawings are only examples shown in order to describe the technical idea of the present invention in more detail. Therefore, the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to shapes of the accompanying drawings.

FIGS.1and2are perspective views illustrating a bowling game apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, andFIG.3is a plan view illustrating the bowling game apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Referring toFIGS.1to3, a bowling game apparatus1000according to the embodiment of the present invention may be configured to include a bowling pin100, a body part200, a swash plate300, a recovery conveyor400, and a dropping wall500. After the flying disc10, which is thrown toward the bowling pin erected on a pin deck210provided on the upper surface of the body part200, hits the bowling pin100, the flying disc10drops to the recovery conveyor400by the swash plate inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the ground and is automatically recovered and is automatically recovered, so there is no need for a user to collect the flying disc directly, which increases the user's convenience and makes it possible to enjoy the bowling game more conveniently.

In more detail, the body part200includes the pin deck210provided with a pin insertion groove211for erecting the bowling pin100, and due to the nature of the flying disc that is thrown from a user and flies, it is preferable that the upper surface on which the pin deck210is provided is formed so as to be spaced apart from the ground by a predetermined height. In this case, the pin deck210has 10 pin insertion grooves211spaced apart from each other by a certain distance provided on the upper surface thereof, and the 10 bowling pin100are inserted into the 10 pin insertion grooves211and erected, so a user may play a bowling game in which he/she throws the flying disc toward the bowling pin100and the thrown flying disc10hits the bowling pin100, thereby collapsing the bowling pin100. In this case, the number and alignment of pin insertion grooves211provided in the pin deck210are not limited to the illustrated shape, and various modifications may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

In addition, the body part200may further include a skip board220that is provided in front of the pin deck210in a direction in which the flying disc10flies, prevents the flying disc10, which is thrown from the user and flies, from dropping by hitting the front surface of the body part200, and guides the hitting flying disc to fly upward so as to hit the bowling pin100. In this case, the skip board220is formed to have a slope inclined downward by a predetermined angle, so the flying disc10is guided to slide along the upper surface of the inclined skip board220to fly upward. As a result, the flying disc10is prevented from dropping by hitting the front surface of the body part200, and the flying disc10hitting the bowling pin100is seated in front of the body part200so that the flying disc is prevented from dropping downward and then a progress path of the thrown flying disc is prevented from being obstructed.

The swash plate300is configured to guide the flying disc10hitting the bowling pin100to the recovery conveyor400, and may be provided on at least one of the front or the rear of the body part, and provided to have an inclined surface forming a predetermined angle with respect to the ground. The swash plate300is formed to be located at a lower position from the ground than the pin deck210of the body part200, and the pin deck210or the flying disc10dropping from the dropping wall500slides downward along the inclined surface forming the predetermined angle with respect to the ground to drop to the recovery conveyor400provided in a lateral direction of the body part and the swash plate. In addition, the swash plate300is formed in a shape having a triangular cross-section in the front and rear directions to guide the flying disc10dropping to the swash plate300to drop in the lateral direction in left and right directions, and the angle with respect to the ground is formed at an acute angle. In this case, the shape of the swash plate300may be modified to have various shapes or forms without departing from the gist of the present invention for guiding the dropping flying disc10to the recovery conveyor400.

The recovery conveyor400is configured to transporting and recovering the flying disc10slid downward along the swash plate300to the front. Preferably, the recovery conveyor400may be configured by a conveyor aligned in the front and rear directions and belt-driven. However, the shape and driving means of the recovery conveyor400are not limited and the recovery conveyor400may be modified in various forms to transport and recover the flying disc10to the front.

When the thrown flying disc10fails to hit on the bowling pin100and deviates from the path to the rear or the side, the dropping wall500is configured to guide the deviating flying disc10to the recovery conveyor400. As illustrated inFIG.3, it is preferable that the dropping wall500may be provided in a lateral direction including the rear direction or left and right directions of the body part, the swash plate, and the recovery conveyor, and the dropping wall500is configured to have a higher height from the ground than the body part200to prevent the flying disc10from deviating. In this case, as the dropping wall500is formed high in a vertical direction, the dropping wall500is configured to be robust against the impact of the hitting flying disc10, including a pillar510for supporting a weight, and prevents the flying disc10hitting the dropping wall500from being bounced away and interfering with the body part200. The dropping wall500may be formed to have a slope inclined to the outside from the inside in which the body part200, the swash plate300, and the recovery conveyor400are provided so that the flying disc10slides to the recovery conveyor400.

In addition, the dropping wall500may be configured to further include a shock absorbing member520for absorbing the shock of the flying disc10on an inner side surface in the direction in which the body part200, the swash plate300, and the recovery conveyor400are provided. In this case, the shock absorbing member520may be modified into various materials including a mesh or a sponge having viscoelasticity, rubber, urethane, and the like.

FIGS.4and5are side cross-sectional views illustrating the bowling game apparatus1000according to the embodiment of the present invention,FIG.6is a flat cross-sectional view illustrating a body part according to the embodiment of the present invention,FIG.4illustrates the bowling game apparatus1000according toFIG.1, andFIG.5illustrates the bowling game apparatus1000according toFIG.2. In this case, referring toFIGS.4to6, the bowling game apparatus1000is driven so that the pin deck210and the skip board220are driven to rotate in the front and rear directions to drop the flying disc10seated on the body part200to the swash plate300, thereby dropping the flying disc10seated on the upper surface of the body part200downward.

In addition, the pin deck210further includes a passage guide block215formed to surround the front sides of the plurality of bowling pins100having a predetermined height and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance to guide the flying disc10to hit a portion spaced by a predetermined height upward from a lower end of the bowling pin100, so the flying disc10hits the lower end of the bowling pin100that has a convex lower portion to have a low center of gravity, and thus, the bowling pin100is not subjected to sufficient force, thereby preventing the problem in that after the flying disc10hits the bowling pin100, the hit bowling pin100or the surrounding bowling pins100are not collapsed, or the flying disc10does not pass through the upper portion of the pin deck210.

In this case, the pin deck210further includes a rotation shaft214that is extended in the lateral direction and fixed so that both ends are rotatable to the body part200, and may be configured to rotate in the front and rear directions based on the rotation shaft214. The body part200may further include a rotation driver230that is coupled to a lower surface of the pin deck210at the front or rear with respect to the rotation shaft214to push or pull the pin deck210upward, thereby driving to rotate the pin deck210. As illustrated, the rotation driver230may be configured to include a first cylinder231that rotates the pin deck and a second cylinder232that rotates the skip board220and may be modified as various driving devices without departing from the gist of the present invention.

In addition, the pin deck210is driven to rotate backward so that the flying disc10seated above the pin deck210is guided to drop to the rear swash plate320provided behind the body part200, and the pin deck210may be lifted upward by making the rotation shaft214to be coupled to the rear surface of the body part200at one end of the rear thereof, and thus may be configured to rotate downward. It is preferable that the pin deck210rotates with respect to the rotation shaft that is configured to be spaced forward from the bottom forward by a predetermined distance, thereby minimizing a rotation radius at which the pin deck210is lifted upward. In this case, the rear portion of the pin deck210descends downward from the body part200, and thus interferes with the front portion of the rear swash plate320provided at the rear of the pin deck210. In order to prevent the problem, it is preferable that the rear swash plate320is provided with a collision prevention surface321formed so that the front portion thereof is inclined backward by a predetermined angle in order to prevent a collision with the rotating pin deck210.

FIG.7is a perspective view for describing the rear swash plate320according toFIG.5. As illustrated inFIG.7, the collision prevention surface321is formed so that the front portion thereof forms a predetermined angle a from the ground. The predetermined angle a may be formed so as not to interfere with the rotation radius of the rear portion of the pin deck210, so the rear swash plate320is aligned to extend forward by a predetermined interval toward the front of the pin deck210, thereby preventing the flying disc10from being introduced into the body part200according to the rotation of the pin deck210and guiding the flying disc10from dropping in the lateral direction.

In addition, the skip board220provided in front of the pin deck210is also driven to rotate, so the flying disc10seated on the upper surface of the skip board220may be formed to drop downward. It is preferable that the skip board220is driven to rotate forward, and thus, the flying disc10seated on the upper surface of the skip board220drops to the front swash plate310provided in front of the body part200. The skip board220may be configured to rotate in any one of the front and rear directions by coupling one surface in the front and rear directions to one surface of the body part200through a rotation hinge221as illustrated. It is preferable that the skip board220is rotatably fixed to the body part200using the rotation shaft like the pin deck210to minimize the rotation radius upward of the swash plate210and the skip board210.

As described above, as the pin deck210of the body part200is driven to rotate, the bowling game apparatus1000according to the present invention is configured to further include a pinsetter unit600that fixes the bowling pin100to prevent the bowling pin100from deviating from the pin deck210when the pin deck210rotates and is driven to automatically erect the bowling pins100so that a user does not directly set the bowling pins100.

FIG.8is a configuration diagram for describing the pinsetter unit600according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring toFIGS.6to8, the pin deck210further includes a through hole212perforated so that a pin-up string610connected to the lower portion of the bowling pin100penetrates downward of the pin insertion groove211, and the pinsetter unit600further includes a winding motor620that applies tension to the pin-up string610to prevent the bowling pin100from deviating from the pin deck210when the pin deck210rotates backward. When the pin deck210returns to an original position, the pinsetter unit600may set to operate the winding motor620to seat the bowling pin100on the pin insertion groove211of the pin deck210so that a user may perform the next game. In more detail, the pinsetter unit600further includes a pin separation prevention string630that has one end connected to the lower end of the bowling pin100and a pin separation prevention ring640that is connected to the winding motor620by connecting the pin-up string610to the other end of the pin separation prevention string630and is provided on the lower portion of the pin deck210to adjust a distance at which the bowling pin100is separated from the pin deck210, so that bowling pin100may be separated by a predetermined distance when the bowling pin100is collapsed by the flying disc10or the pin deck210rotates. In this case, it is preferable that the pin separation prevention ring640further includes a cushioning rubber641for alleviating the impact to the pin deck210due to the separation of the bowling pin100at the upper portion thereof. The pin separation prevention ring640and the cushioning rubber641are formed to have a larger cross-sectional area than that of the through hole212of the pin deck210.

In addition, the pin separation prevention string630is preferably made of a material that does not have elasticity. After the flying disc10is hit to be collapsed, the bowling pin100is prevented from unnecessarily moving due to the elasticity of the pin separation prevention string630. On the other hand, the pin-up string610may be made of a material having elasticity. It is preferable that the plurality of pin separation prevention strings630and pin-up strings610are respectively connected to the lower ends of the plurality of bowling pins100. The pinsetter unit600may further include a pulling belt650that accommodates the plurality of pin-up strings610therein, and surrounds the outside so that the plurality of pinsetter strings610are not tangled. The pulling belt650is provided in the body part200below the pin deck210to be connected to the belt roller660formed to vertically fix the pin-up strings610in the vertical direction, so that the tension of the winding motor620may act on the pin-up strings610in the vertical direction. In this case, it is preferable that the pin separation prevention string630is formed long enough so as not to have a tight tension when the bowling pin100is seated and erected in the pin insertion groove211of the pin deck210, and thus the bowling pin100is formed to be collapsed by the flying disc10.

In addition, the pinsetter unit600is configured to individually wind the plurality of pin-up strings610so that the plurality of bowling pins100may be individually controlled, thereby primarily preventing the bowling pins210from being collapsed by the thrown flying disc10and erecting only the remaining bowling pins and secondarily making spare processing by throwing the flying disc10. In this case, in general, in the bowling game apparatus, the flying disc10, which is primarily thrown, drops in the left and right directions or the front and rear directions, and even when the flying disc10is seated on the upper surface of the body part200, a volume of the flying disc10is not large, and therefore, the pin deck210does not rotate, and it is preferable that the flying disc10is secondarily thrown to hit the remaining bowling pins100, and then the pin deck210rotates to progress the alignment of the bowling pins100and the recovery of the seated flying disc10. However, if necessary, it is driven to control the tension of the plurality of pin-up strings610, respectively, for the abnormal operation or manual control of the bowling game apparatus1000, the plurality of pin-up strings610may each be driven to be controlled and thus the settings of the plurality of bowling pins100may each be controlled. In this case, as a method for controlling the settings of the plurality of bowling pins100, respectively, as described above, the pin separation prevention strings630each connected to the bowling pins100are each wound or rollers around which each pin separation prevention string630are partitioned, so the rollers partitioned on the rotation shaft of the winding motor620may be controlled to rotate or not rotate in parallel, which may be performed using various means other than the above-described method. The present invention is not limited by the above-described driving methods without departing from the gist of the present invention, and may be variously modified.

In addition, the pin insertion groove211of the pin deck210prevents the bowling pin100from being collapsed due to unnecessary vibration, shock, or the like from the outside when the bowling pin100is seated and erected. In order to prevent the shaking of the bowling pin100, the pin insertion groove211may be configured to include a stepped portion211avertically formed with an outer portion of the end surface in the vertical direction of the pin insertion groove211and a curved portion211bconcavely formed with an inner portion of the end surface downward. In this case, it is preferable that the lower portion110of the bowling pin100is also provided with a convex portion110bwhose the lower portion is partially convexly formed downward and a fitting portion110ahaving a predetermined height and vertically formed on the outside of the convex portion110b, corresponding to a stepped portion211aand a curved portion211bof the pin insertion groove211.

In this case, by the pin-up strings610connected to the lower end of the bowling pins100, the flying disc10is caught on the bowling pins100when the pin deck210rotates, or the bowling pins100may be tangled and thus, the recovery of the flying disc10and the pin setting may not be performed smoothly. Therefore, in order to solve the above-described problems, the bowling game apparatus1000of the present invention may be configured to inject high-pressure air toward the upper surface of the pin deck210after the rotation of the pin deck210or to vibrate the pin deck210to align the bowling pins100so that they are not tangled, and to drop the flying discs10caught on the bowling pins100downward.

In more detail, the pin deck210may be configured to include a plurality of air injection holes213formed to inject air of a predetermined pressure upward when rotating in the front and rear directions and a compressor240connected to the plurality of air injection holes213to inject the compressed air. In this case, the compressor240may be integrally connected by using various types of joints that connect a plurality of pipes connected to the plurality of air injection holes213.

In addition, the other means for aligning the bowling pin100and for preventing the flying disc10from being caught is provided with a vibrator250for vibrating the pin deck210, and when the pin deck210rotates, by vibrating the pin deck210, the bowling pins100dropped downward by their own weight may be shaken and aligned, so there is an advantage in that the bowling pins100are shaken so that the flying disc10caught on the bowling pins100drops downward. In this case, the vibrator250is not illustrated in the drawing, but may be configured to be attached to the lower surface of the pin deck210or coupled to both ends of the rotation shaft of the pin deck210to move the rotation shaft214in the left and right directions and may be variously modified in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention.

FIG.9is a block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the bowling game apparatus1000according to the embodiment of the present invention, and the driving of the bowling game apparatus1000will be described in more detail below with reference toFIG.9.

The bowling game apparatus1000according to the present invention may be configured to further include a disc detector710that detects the flying disc10, a pin detector720that detects the bowling pin100hit by the flying disc10and is collapsed, a controller800that is applied with signals detected by the disc detector710and the pin detector720to control the driving of the rotation driver230and the pinsetter unit600, a score calculator810that calculates a bowling game score by receiving the number of bowling pins100collapsed at the controller800, and a display900that displays the calculated score.

The disc detector710may include an observation sensor that observes a path through which the flying disc10flies, and detects that the flying disc10passes on the observed path. In this case, the controller800may determine the number of times the flying disc is thrown by receiving the signal detected by the disc detector710, and control to operate the rotation driver230and the pinsetter unit600when the flying disc is thrown twice, the rotation driver230and the pinsetter unit600. In this case, the rotation driver230includes the first and second cylinders231and232, the compressor240and the vibrator250, and the pinsetter unit600includes a configuration for performing the setting of the bowling pin such as the winding motor620.

The pin detector720is a configuration for detecting the bowling pin100collapsed by allowing the flying disc10to hit the bowling pin100, and may detect the bowling pins100other than the collapsed bowling pins100by observing a predetermined height of the plurality of bowling pins100erected on the pin deck210. In this case, the sensors of the disc detector710and the pin detector720are not limited to one method, and may be modified using various means without departing from the gist of the present invention. In addition, the controller800may receive signals detected by the disc detector710and the pin detector720, and control to operate the rotation driver230and the pinsetter unit600according to the order of operation of the bowling game. In more detail, after detecting the throwing of the flying disc two or more times, after a predetermined time, or after detecting the collapse of the bowling pin100, the controller800may control to operate the rotation driver230and the pinsetter unit600.

In addition, the controller800transfers the number of the bowling pins100that have collapsed according to the number of throws of the flying disc10to the score calculator810, and the score calculator810may display the score calculated according to the number of times of the throwing of the flying disc10and the number of collapsed bowling pins100, which are applied from the controller800, on the display900.

The present invention is not limited to the above mentioned exemplary embodiments, but may be variously applied, and may be variously modified without departing from the gist of the present invention claimed in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF MAIN ELEMENTS