JP2003135689A - Light source lighting device for game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To generate light emitting patterns almost the same as those of electric bulbs using an LED light source concerning a light source lighting device for game machines. SOLUTION: A data ROM 220 of a lighting control part 200 has data previously stored for indicating lighting patterns of a light source comprising a series circuit in which a red LED (R), a green LED (G) and a blue LED (B) are connected in series and the data are supplied respectively to drivers 230, 240, etc.,... as lighting data signals P10, P11, P12, P13, P14, etc., and lighting date signals P20, P21, P22, etc. The drivers 23 and 240 dynamically drive an LED array 260 according to the lighting data signals P10, P11, P12, P13 and P14 and the lighting data signal 20 to obtain white light from each LED series light source within the LED array. Likewise, LED arrays 270 and 280 generate white light.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a light source lighting device for a gaming machine, and more particularly to a light source lighting device for a gaming machine that uses an LED light source to generate a light emitting pattern substantially similar to that of a light bulb.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art On a game board of a pachinko game machine, light sources such as LEDs for displaying variable symbols and other light sources are provided at various positions, and these light bulbs and the like are provided as the game progresses in order to enhance the game effect. Is turned on or off. Lighting and extinction of a light bulb or the like for generating white light is controlled by a drive circuit (referred to as a light source lighting device in this specification) in a dedicated control circuit.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of a general light source lighting device of a gaming machine. In FIG. 6, the lighting control unit 60
0 has a RAM 610 and a data ROM 620. In the data ROM 620, data indicating various lighting patterns of various light sources is stored in advance, and the lighting data signal P1 is stored.
0, P11, P12, P13, P14, ... Are supplied to the drivers 630, 640, 650 ,.

The driver 630 has a lighting data signal P10,
Lamp array 6 according to P11, P12, P13, P14
60, the driver 640 drives the lamp array 670 according to another lighting data signal, and the driver 650 drives the lamp array 680 according to another lighting data signal. For example, the lamp array 660 includes incandescent light bulbs PL1, PL2, PL.
3, PL4, PL5, each incandescent lamp is connected to a constant power supply voltage V, and statically controlled based on the lighting data signal. The same applies to other lamp arrays.

The respective incandescent light bulbs are arranged at different positions on the game board (not shown), and the timings at which they are turned on and off are also different.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing the light source lighting control conventionally performed by the configuration of FIG. 6, and here exemplifies the timing at which the incandescent light bulb PL1 is turned on / off.

The incandescent light bulb PL1 is driven by the lighting data signal P10, and has an ON period of 500 msec and 1000 msec.
The off period of sec is repeated alternately, and a constant period T
Blinks white light.

[0008]

However, the static control is generally used in the light source lighting device of the conventional gaming machine which mainly uses the light bulb as the light source, and when the number of light sources (bulbs) is increased, As the number of light sources increases, the number of drive circuits in the dedicated control circuit also increases, so the number of pins and drivers in the output connector also increases, which raises the problem of increased circuit mounting costs and direct material costs. It was In addition, there is a problem that replacement / repair in the market is required due to filament breakage, and current consumption is large and it is necessary to take heat dissipation measures, which increases circuit mounting costs.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to increase the number of light sources, without increasing the circuit mounting cost and the direct material cost, and reducing the need for maintenance in the market. It is to provide a lighting device.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, in the invention of claim 1, in a light source lighting device of a gaming machine for lighting the light source by energizing the light source, the light source is a red LED and a green color. Connect the LED and the blue LED,
A light source drive configured by arranging these respective color LEDs in the vicinity of each other to energize the red LED, the green LED and the blue LED at substantially the same time and to turn on / off the light source at a predetermined timing to release the energization at substantially the same time. A light source lighting device for a gaming machine is provided, which is provided with a means for energizing the light source by the light source driving means to cause each color LED to emit light, thereby generating white light.

According to the invention of claim 2, in claim 1,
A light source lighting device for a gaming machine is embodied in which a light emission pattern substantially similar to the light emission pattern of a light bulb is artificially generated at the predetermined timing.

According to the invention of claim 3, in claim 2,
The light source includes a series circuit in which the red LED, the green LED, and the blue LED are connected in series, and the light source driving means supplies a first pulse signal to one end of the series circuit. And a second drive means for supplying a second pulse signal to the other end of the series circuit, and further, turning on / off the first pulse signal at a constant cycle to obtain a duty of the second pulse signal. By changing the ratio, the LEDs of each color are changed according to the change of the duty ratio.
The light source lighting device of the gaming machine having the form including the control means for controlling the light emission amount of is implemented.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, a plurality of light sources and a plurality of light source driving means for driving the light sources are provided, and the predetermined timings of the light source driving means are different from each other. The light source lighting device of the game machine of the form to be made was implemented.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of the appearance of a game board of a game machine from the front. In FIG. 1, the gaming machine of the present embodiment is a gaming board 201 on which a gaming machine accessory or the like is installed on a board surface, a special symbol display device 202, a starting winning opening 2
03, left side normal symbol display device operating gate 204, right side normal symbol display device operating gate 205, normal symbol display device 2
06, an ordinary electric accessory 207, a variable winning ball device 208 is included.

The special symbol display device 202 variably displays special symbols such as numbers and figures (hereinafter simply referred to as symbols),
Display other images.

When the ball hit by the player wins, the starting winning opening 203 detects the winning by the trigger generation of an internal special symbol starting switch (not shown), and triggers the symbol variation of the special symbol display device 202. give.

The left side normal symbol display device operating gate 204 and the right side normal symbol display device operating gate 205, when the ball hit by the player passes, by the trigger generation of the internal normal symbol operating switch (not shown), normally It gives a change opportunity of the normal symbol of the symbol display device 206.

The normal symbol display device 206 variably displays the normal symbol displayed by the 7-segment LED or the like.

The normal electric accessory 207 is opened when the normal symbol display device 206 stops and displays a specific ordinary symbol,
Assist the winning of the starting winning opening 203.

The variable winning ball device 208 is a special winning opening on the front surface of the variable winning ball device 208 when the stop symbol of the special symbol display device 202 is a combination of predetermined specific symbols, that is, when it becomes a jackpot. The opening operation is performed.
The variable winning ball device 208 is provided with a special winning opening switch and a specific area (that is, so-called V zone) passage detection switch for determining the opening of the next big winning opening at the time of a big hit. Based on the trigger generated when the ball passes through the switch, the number of balls entering the special winning opening is counted.

Windmills 1 and 12 are provided on the upper portion of the game board 201, and illumination portions 2 to 11 are provided near the outer periphery. Conventionally, a light bulb has been used for these elements 1 to 12, but in the present embodiment, a red LE is provided inside each of them.
A light source (not shown) configured by connecting D, a green LED, and a blue LED in series and arranging these respective color LEDs in the vicinity of each other was used instead. These light sources are turned on or off as the game progresses in order to enhance the game effect.

Since the lighting and extinguishing timings are connected in series, each color LED is driven by the light source lighting device according to the present invention to simultaneously turn on and off the red LED, the green LED and the blue LED of one light source. It As described in detail below, the white light is generated by the red light, the green light, and the blue light being emitted at the same time.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a light source lighting device for a gaming machine according to the present invention. In FIG. 2, the lighting control unit 200 includes a RAM 210 and a data ROM.
It has 220, and operates under the control of a CPU (not shown) mounted on a gaming machine control board (not shown). Data R
OM220 has a red LED (R) and a green LED (G)
Data indicating various lighting patterns of each light source including a series circuit in which a blue LED (B) and a blue LED (B) are connected in series are stored in advance, and lighting data signals P10, P11, P12, P1 are stored.
, P14, ..., And lighting data signals P20, P2
, P22, ... Are supplied to the drivers 230, 240 ,.

These lighting patterns are different for each mode such as a demo state, a normal state, a reach state, a big hit state, and a probability variation state, and lighting data corresponding to the lighting pattern of each mode is stored in advance in a table of the data ROM 620 (described later). Figure 5
5msec depending on the mode of the game machine.
It is called by interrupt processing of each program (see FIG. 4 described later).

The driver 230 and the driver 240 have lighting data signals P10, P11, P12, P13 and P14.
And according to the lighting data signal P20, the LED array 260 is dynamically driven as described later with reference to FIG.
Each light source in the LED array 260 (red LED and green LE
White light is obtained from the series circuit of D and the blue LED). Resistance R
0 to R4 and resistors R10 to R12 are for current limiting.

The LED arrays 270 and 280 have the same structure (not shown) as the LED array 260, and the LED array 270 is controlled by the driver 230 and the driver 240 to generate lighting data signals P10, P11, P12, P13 and P.
14 and the lighting data signal P21 are dynamically driven to generate white light. In addition, the LED array 28
0 is dynamically driven by the driver 230 and the driver 240 in accordance with the lighting data signals P10, P11, P12, P13, P14 and the lighting data signal P22 to generate white light.

Each light source (red LE in each LED array above)
D, green LED and blue LED series circuit) is the game board 20
1 (FIG. 1), they are arranged at different positions, and the timings at which they are turned on and off are also different.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing the light source lighting control by the configuration of FIG. 2 (one embodiment of the light source lighting device for a gaming machine according to the present invention), in which the LED light source connected to the resistor R0 is turned on. The timing of the ON / OFF driving is illustrated, and the lighting control timing of the conventional light bulb PL0 is shown at the top for reference.

The LED light source connected to the resistor R0 is turned on / off in accordance with the lighting data signal P10 and the lighting data signal P20 so as to have a light emitting pattern which is substantially similar to the light emitting pattern of the conventional light bulb PL0. That is, the lighting data signal P20 is turned on / off at a constant cycle, the duty ratio of the lighting data signal P10 is gradually increased, and then kept on for a certain period of time, and then gradually decreased to respond to the change of the duty ratio. The light emission amount is controlled.

By this control, the red LED and the green LE are
The light intensity of the LED light source composed of the series circuit of the D and the blue LED changes as shown in the figure, and the light emission pattern of the incandescent lamp can be artificially generated to turn on / off the white light. That is, the LED light source alternately repeats the pseudo ON period of 500 msec and the pseudo OFF period of 1000 msec, and blinks the white light at a constant cycle T.

Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG.
Reading of lighting data (lighting pattern) in the lamp processing of the LED light source will be described.

The CPU mounted on the gaming machine control board first determines the processing mode in step S40. That is, the mode flag registered in advance in the data ROM 220 is checked, and the processing mode 1 (for example, the light emission pattern in the demo state)
If it is not the processing mode 1, the next mode processing of step S60 is executed, and if it is the processing mode 1, steps S42 and thereafter are executed to realize the pseudo light emitting pattern of the incandescent lamp shown in FIG. .

First, the head address of the data ROM 220 is set to the output data storage RAM pointer PLD for the port P1.
It is designated by P and the designated data is output to the port P1 (steps S42 to S46). Next, the pointer PLD
The value of P is incremented by 1, and the final data (PL_EN
If it is not D), the next data is designated and this designated data is output to the port P1 (steps S48, S50).

In step S48, the pointer PLDP
If the value of the pointer PLDP is incremented by 1 and it is determined that the data is the final data, the value of the pointer PLDP is set to the start address P
Rewrite to L_TOP (steps S48 to S52),
By repeatedly performing the ramp processing of this flowchart, various light emission patterns registered in advance for each mode can be realized in a pseudo manner.

In this embodiment, red L
Since the light source is configured by connecting the ED, the green LED and the blue LED, and arranging the LEDs of the respective colors in the vicinity of each other, the maintenance in the market due to the filament breakage is unnecessary, reducing the consumption current and reducing the heat radiation. There is an effect that simplification can be realized. Further, even if the number of light sources is increased, the number of pins of the output connector and the number of drivers do not increase, so that the circuit mounting cost and the direct material cost do not increase.

[0036]

According to the light source lighting device of the gaming machine of the present invention, the red LED, the green LED, and the blue LED are connected, and the LEDs of each color are arranged in the vicinity of each other to form a light source. Each color LED is energized at about the same time, and the light source is energized and turned on / off at a predetermined timing to release the energization at about the same time, thereby causing each color LED to emit light to generate white light. Has a longer life and higher reliability than light sources using light bulbs, eliminating the need for replacement and repair in the market. Further, since the LED consumes less current and heat than a light source using a light bulb, it is possible to realize power saving of the gaming machine and to reduce cost because the necessity of taking heat dissipation measures is reduced. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of an overview of a game board of a game machine, as viewed from the front.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a light source lighting device for a gaming machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing a light source lighting control by a configuration of an embodiment of a light source lighting device for a gaming machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a lamp process (reading of lighting data of the LED light source) of the LED light source in the embodiment of the light source lighting device of the gaming machine according to the present invention.

5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a lamp data table of an LED light source used in the processing illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a general light source lighting device of a gaming machine.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing an example of light source lighting control conventionally performed by the configuration of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,12 Windmill 2-11 Illumination part 200,600 Lighting control part 201 Game board 202 Special symbol display device 203 Start winning hole 204 Left ordinary symbol display device operation gate 205 Right ordinary symbol display device operation gate 206 Ordinary symbol display device 207 Ordinary electric accessory 208 Variable winning ball device 210,610 RAM 220,620 Data ROM 230,240,630,640,650 Driver 260,270,280 LED array 660,670,680 Lamp array P10, P11, P12, P13, P14, P20, P
21, P22 Lighting data signals PL0, PL1, PL2, PL3, PL4, PL5 Incandescent light bulbs R0 to R4, R10 to R12 Current limiting resistors

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 2C088 AA17 AA35 AA36 AA42 BC13                 3K073 AA45 AA83 AA86 AA87 AB04                       CG06 CG10 CG23 CG28 CJ17                       CK03 CM09                 5F041 BB03 BB06 BB22 BB33 FF01                       FF11

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A light source lighting device for a gaming machine, which lights the light source by energizing the light source, wherein the light source is formed by connecting a red LED, a green LED, and a blue LED, and arranging these respective color LEDs in the vicinity of each other. A light source driving means for energizing the red LED, the green LED, and the blue LED at substantially the same time, and turning on / off the light source at a predetermined timing to release the energization at substantially the same time. Each color L by energizing the light source
A light source lighting device for a gaming machine, which emits white light by causing ED to emit light. 2. The light source lighting device for a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein a light emission pattern substantially similar to a light emission pattern of a light bulb is artificially generated at the predetermined timing. 3. The light source according to claim 2, wherein the light source includes a series circuit in which the red LED, the green LED, and the blue LED are connected in series, and the light source driving unit outputs the first pulse signal to the series circuit. A first drive means for supplying the first pulse signal to one end of the series circuit and a second drive means for supplying the second pulse signal to the other end of the series circuit. Then, by changing the duty ratio of the second pulse signal, the respective color LEs are changed according to the change of the duty ratio.
A light source lighting device for a gaming machine, comprising a control means for controlling a light emission amount of D. 4. The light source according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of light sources and a plurality of light source driving means for driving the light sources, wherein the predetermined timings of the light source driving means are different from each other. Light source lighting device for gaming machines.