JPH11251638A - Brightness adjustable device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a brightness adjustable device capable of improving the servicesability for increasing the uses of playing devices, musical instruments and other various devices. SOLUTION: A mole head 4a is covered with a packaging part 10 and a sheet part 11 made of a flexible transparent material. An elastic and phototransmittable movable body 9 is made movable in upward and downward directions by elastic-deforming a leg part 14. When switches 17, 9c are turned on, a light emitting body 16 is energized to transmit a barrel part 13, a head 12 and the sheet part 11 to be observed. When the mole body is knocked, the movable body 9 is shifted downward for changing the distance between the head 12 and the light emitting body 16, so that the apparent brightness observed through the head 12 may be varied.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a brightness varying device having a light emitting body and capable of changing its brightness.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a device that emits light when pressed or hit, for example, a light-emitting push button switch, a toy having a light-emitting body, and the like are known.

The conventional light-emitting push button switch is
For example, it is composed of a transparent operation section, a switch section provided below and a light emitting body such as an LED, and the switch section is turned on by pressing down, the light emitting body emits light, and light can be visually recognized through the transparent operation section. I can do it. Also,
In a toy equipped with the above-mentioned conventional luminous body, for example, a luminous body that emits light by sensing vibration or the like is provided inside a character formed of a translucent material, and the luminous body emits light when the character is tapped lightly, It can be seen from outside.

On the other hand, there are devices such as game machines and musical instruments that are enjoyed by pressing and hitting. For example, a whack-a-mole game machine or the like may not only compete for scores by simply whacking a whack, but may also be more interesting when the whack performs a certain performance when hit. Some electronic drums and the like are configured to be able to delicately change the timbre depending on the position of hitting the pad and the degree of hitting.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional toys equipped with a light-emitting type push button switch and a light-emitting body, the light emission mode is usually only a constant light emission or blinking. Also, it is not generally known that the above-mentioned conventional wobble game machine, electronic drum, or the like emits light in response to an operation such as a blow and the light emission state changes minutely.

[0006] Therefore, for example, in a wobble game machine,
If various light emission modes can be realized depending on the manner of tapping, the range of the performance of the mole will be widened and the fun will increase. Also,
In the case of an electronic drum or the like, if it is possible to confirm the hitting position of the pad surface by light emission, it is useful for practice.

[0007] As described above, if there is a device capable of causing the luminous body to emit light in response to an operation such as hitting and changing the luminous state, it can be applied to devices in various fields and is useful. is there.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to improve the usefulness of a game machine and a musical instrument.
An object of the present invention is to provide a brightness variable device that can expand the use of various devices.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a brightness varying device, comprising: a fixed portion; a light emitting device attached to the fixed portion; A light-transmitting member that is provided and is capable of transmitting light emitted by the light-emitting means and pressed down; and a resiliently deformable and connected to the fixed portion and the light-transmitting member, and moves the light-transmitting member in the pressing direction. And an elastic supporting portion for freely supporting.

With this configuration, the light emitted from the light emitting means passes through the light transmitting body and is visually recognized through the upper part of the light transmitting body. When the light-transmitting member is pressed, the elastic supporting portion is elastically deformed, so that the light-transmitting member approaches the light-emitting means, so that the apparent brightness of the upper part of the light-transmitting member increases, and the pressing of the light-transmitting member is released. Then, since the light transmitting member moves away from the light emitting means, the apparent luminance of the upper part of the light transmitting member decreases. That is, since the distance between the light-transmitting member and the light-emitting means changes due to the pressing, the apparent luminance of the upper part of the light-transmitting member, which is visually recognized, changes according to the pressing operation.

Thus, if the present invention is applied to, for example, a mole of a whack-a-mole game machine, the light-emitting state is different depending on the whacking of the mole, thereby increasing the fun. In addition, if the present invention is applied to a pad surface of an electronic drum, it is easy for the user or a teacher to confirm the hitting position, hitting strength, and the like, which is useful for practice and contributes to quick progress. Furthermore, during live (live) performance, the user can visually recognize his or her own playing style, particularly the hitting style, which facilitates performances that impress the audience. Thus, the usability is improved, and the use of various devices can be expanded.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a brightness variable device which is capable of transmitting light and is pressed down, a switch which is turned on by pressing down the light-transmitting body, and a switch which is close to the light-transmitting body. A light emitting unit that emits light when the switch unit is turned on, and a control unit that controls light emission luminance of the light emitting unit in accordance with an on / off state of the switch unit.

With this configuration, the switch is turned on by pressing the light transmitting member, the light emitting means emits light, and the light is transmitted through the light transmitting member and visually recognized through the upper part of the light transmitting member. At this time, since the luminance of the light emitting means is controlled according to the on / off state of the switch section, the apparent luminance of the upper part of the light transmitting body that is visually recognized changes depending on the on / off state of the switch section.

Thus, the light emission state can be more finely changed, for example, by controlling the afterglow after the release of the press, and the usefulness can be further improved.

In this case, a plurality of light-transmitting members may be provided, and a common switch corresponding to these may be provided. For example, by using an optical fiber or the like, when one switch unit is turned on to split light and supply the light to each of the light transmitting members, light emission can be visually recognized simultaneously through the plurality of light transmitting members (third embodiment). Form). As a result, the impression of sound can be transmitted even by light, and it can be an aid for hearing-impaired persons to experience the splendor of the live performance.

Preferably, the on / off state of the switch section is at least one of an on-velocity, a gate time, and an off-velocity of the switch section.

With this configuration, for example, when the luminance of the afterglow after the release of the press is controlled according to the on-velocity, the gate time, or the off-velocity of the switch unit, the harder the strike, the longer the afterglow time. It is possible to control such that the longer the after-glow time is, the longer the afterglow time is, or the quicker the separating operation is, the longer the afterglow time is. Therefore, the light emitting state can be changed according to the mode of the pressing operation.

The maximum luminance may be changed in addition to the afterglow.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a configuration of a game machine main body provided with a brightness varying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The main body 1 of the game machine is a so-called whack-a-mole game machine, in which a mole 4 which occasionally appears from a plurality of holes 3 provided in the upper surface plate 2 is hit with a hammer 5 and enjoyed. The panel unit 6 includes a score display unit 6a for displaying scores.
And an illumination panel 6b for displaying and decorating various information. A plurality of light emitting units 7 are provided on the head 4 a of the mole 4. Each of the plurality of light emitting units 7 is similarly configured.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the light emitting section 7 along the line II-II in FIG.

The head 4a of the mole 4 is covered with an exterior part 10 made of a sturdy material. The exterior part 10 is provided with a through hole 10a. The sheet portion 11 is made of a flexible transparent material such as vinyl, and covers the outside of the exterior portion 10.

On the upper surface of the switch board 8 (fixed portion), there is provided a light emitting body 16 (light emitting means) which is constituted by a fixed contact 17 and an LED and emits light at a constant luminance. A resistor (not shown) is connected in series to the luminous body 16.
And the resistor can be treated as a voltage-controlled element.
That is, from the characteristics of the LED, the luminous body 16 emits light when a voltage equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage value (for example, 2 volts) is applied to a series circuit element formed of a combination with a resistor, and does not emit light below that.

A movable body 9 is further provided on the switch substrate 8. The movable body 9 is made of a material such as rubber that is transparent and elastic enough to transmit the light emitted from the light emitting body 16, and includes a head 12 (a part of the light transmitting body) and a body 13 (a light transmitting body). ), The leg portion 14 (elastic support portion) and the fixed end portion 15 are integrally formed. Note that the leg 14 may not be transparent, and the leg 14 may be provided separately from the fixed end 15 and the trunk 13. The movable body 9 has a fixed end 15
Is fixed to the upper surface of the switch substrate 8 and the head 12
Penetrates the through-hole 10 a of the exterior part 10, the top is exposed from the exterior part 10, and is in contact with the sheet part 11. The amount of protrusion of the head 12 of the movable body 9 from the exterior part 10 is appropriately set, and the exterior part 10 is used as a stopper for restricting the lower limit position of the movable body 9 by pressing the hammer 5 and abutting on the hammer 5 when hitting. Function.

The leg 14 of the movable body 9 comprises a first skirt 14a and a second skirt 14b. Movable body 9
The head 12 and the trunk 13 can be pressed and moved in the hitting direction (vertical direction) by elastically deforming the skirt portions 14a and 14b. Thereby, the distance between the head 12 of the movable body 9 and the light emitting body 16 may change. The head 12, the trunk 13 and the legs 14 of the movable body 9 are formed in a cylindrical shape when viewed from above. An annular protruding portion 9 b hanging downward is formed integrally with the body 13.

The lower surface 9a of the movable body 9 is formed in a concave shape, and a hollow portion 18 is formed between the lower surface 9a and the light emitting body 16.
A white paint 19 is applied to a lower portion of the lower surface 9a (near the tip of the protrusion 9b). When the movable body 9 is pressed or hit,
The luminous body 16 is almost completely surrounded by the hollow portion 18, and the light emitted from the luminous body 16 does not escape to all directions in combination with the reflection effect of the white paint 19, so that the light collecting efficiency is improved. This is because the luminous flux per unit area on a spherical surface having a constant radius from the light emitting body 16 as the light source increases by pressing. This makes it possible to increase the apparent difference in luminance between when pressed and when not pressed.

A movable contact 9 is provided between the first skirt portion 14a and the second skirt portion 14b of the leg portion 14 of the movable body 9.
c is provided facing the fixed contact 17. The switch SW is constituted by the movable contact 9c and the fixed contact 17. The movable contact 9c comes into contact with the fixed contact 17 by the elastic deformation of the second skirt portion 14b when the movable body 9 is pressed or hit, and the switch SW is turned on (make), whereby the light emitting body 16 emits light.

Although the hammer 5 is made of a transparent material, which enhances the visual effect of light emission of the light emitting section 7, the hammer 5 may be made of an opaque material.

In this configuration, when the player hits the mole 4 with the hammer 5, the movable body 9 is pressed down through the seat portion 11, the light-emitting body 16 emits light, and the light emission is emitted through the head 12 and the seat portion 11. It is visually recognized. It should be noted that not one light emitting unit 7 emits light, but several light emitting units 7 hit by the hammer 5 emit light.

FIG. 3 is a time chart showing a light emitting state of the light emitting section 7 and a change in apparent luminance. FIG. 4A shows the light emitting state of the light emitting body 16, that is, the light emitting body 16.
FIG. 3B shows the luminance visually recognized by the player through the head 12 of the movable body 9, that is, the apparent luminance.

In the figure, a time point ta1 indicates a time point when the movable body 9 sinks due to the impact of the hammer 5 and the switch SW is turned on, and a time point ta2 indicates a time point when the movable body 9 reaches the lower limit position. A time point ta3 indicates a time point at which the movable body 9 starts moving upward from the lower limit position after the hammer 5 is separated upward. At a time point ta4, the movable contact 9c is separated from the fixed contact 17 and the switch SW is turned off. Indicates the time at which it was performed.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the light emitting body 16 emits light at a constant luminance over the gate time of the switch SW, that is, from time ta1 to time ta4. However, in the forward stroke of the hammer 5, the time point ta1 to the time point ta2
As the movable body 9 gradually approaches the light emitting body 16 over a period of time, the apparent luminance visually recognized through the head 12 gradually increases as shown in FIG. Since the movable body 9 does not move between the time point ta2 and the time point ta3, the apparent luminance is kept substantially constant, and in the return stroke of the hammer 5,
After the hammer 5 is separated, the movable body 9 gradually moves away from the light-emitting body 16 from the time point ta3 to the time point ta4, so that the apparent brightness gradually decreases.

When the impact force of the hammer 5 is weak and the switch SW is turned on but the movable body 9 does not reach the lower limit position, the gate time of the switch SW (time ta2 to time ta2).
The apparent luminance at the time point ta3) is naturally smaller than that shown in FIG. Therefore, the apparent maximum luminance can also change depending on the impact strength.

According to the first embodiment, when the hammer 5 hits the mole 4, the light emitting section 7 hit by the hammer 5 emits light and the light emission is visually recognized through the head 12 of the movable body 9. The range of performance of 4 can be expanded, and the fun of the game can be increased. Moreover, at that time, since the distance between the movable body 9 and the light emitting body 16 changes due to the hitting operation, the apparent brightness changes, and the player can enjoy various modes of the brightness change depending on the degree of hitting of the mole 4. It can be more interesting. The light emitting unit 7
Is provided, the hit position can be easily recognized, and the progress of the game is quickened.

In this embodiment, the luminous body 16 is
Although the light-emitting body 16 is configured to emit light when the switch SW is turned on, the light-emitting body 16 may be configured to emit light without depending on the striking operation or to always emit light.
Even in these configurations, the apparent luminance changes due to the movement of the movable body 9 in the pressing direction.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 4 is an external perspective view showing the structure of an electronic drum device provided with a brightness varying device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

This electronic drum device (drum device 20)
This is a device of a type that converts vibration when a pad is turned on into an electric signal and emits a drum sound by an electronic sound source, and includes an electronic drum unit 21 and a panel switch 22 that are played. First
A plurality of light emitting units 37 corresponding to the light emitting unit 7 of the embodiment are provided on the pad surface 21b of the pad 21a of the electronic drum unit 21.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the drum device 20.

The drum device 20 includes a percussion detection circuit 23, a switch detection circuit 24, a ROM 26, a RAM 27, a timer 28, a MIDI interface (MIDII / F) 2
9 and the tone generator 30 are connected to the CPU 25 via the bus 33.
(Control means). Further, an electronic drum section 21 is connected to the hit detection circuit 23, and a panel switch 22 is connected to the switch detection circuit 24. The timer 28 is also connected to the CPU 25. To the sound source circuit 30, an effect circuit 31 and a sound system 32 such as a speaker are connected in series.

The electronic drum unit 21 includes a pad 21a for reproducing various hit sounds such as cymbals and snare drums.
Are provided. A plurality of strain sensors such as piezo elements are attached to the lower surface of each pad 21a (not shown). The percussion detection circuit 23 detects the pad 21 when the pad is turned on.
The distortion amount of “a” is converted into an electric signal and transmitted to the tone generator circuit 30. The panel switch 22 includes a mode switch 22a for setting a mode of afterglow control of the light emitting unit 37 described later (FIG. 4), and includes a plurality of switches for inputting various information. The mode switch 22a includes switches SWm1, SWm2, and SWm3 (all not shown).
Consists of The switch detection circuit 24 includes the panel switch 2
The pressed state of each switch of No. 2 is detected.

The CPU 25 controls the entire apparatus.
The ROM 26 stores a control program executed by the CPU 25, table data, and the like. The RAM 27 temporarily stores various input information such as automatic performance data, calculation results, and the like. The timer 28 has a register (not shown), measures the interrupt time and various times in the timer interrupt processing, and stores the counter value in the register. MIDII / F2
Reference numeral 9 inputs a MIDI signal from an external device such as another MIDI device or outputs a MIDI signal to the external device.

The tone generator circuit 30 uses the percussion detection signal input from the percussion detection circuit 23 as a trigger signal to generate a musical tone signal of a percussion sound, as well as automatic performance data and the like input from the MIDII / F29 and the like. Is converted into a tone signal. The effect circuit 31 applies various effects to the tone signal input from the sound source circuit 30, and the sound system 32 converts the tone signal and the like input from the effect circuit 31 into sound.

FIG. 6 shows a light emitting section 37 along the line VI-VI in FIG.
FIG.

The light emitting section 37 has basically the same configuration as the light emitting section 7 in the first embodiment. Electronic drum unit 2
The pad surface 21b of one pad 21a is covered with an exterior part 40 made of rubber or the like, and a through hole 40a is formed in the exterior part 40. The sheet part 41 is made of a flexible transparent material such as vinyl, and covers the surface of the exterior part 40.

On the upper surface of the switch substrate 38, first and second fixed contacts 49 and 47 and a light emitting body 46 are provided.
The luminous body 46 is controlled by the CPU 25 to emit light at a luminance level L, which will be described later.

The movable body 3 is further provided on the switch board 38.
9 are provided. The movable body 39 includes a head 42, a trunk 4
3 and the fixed end 45 are configured similarly to the head 12, body 13 and fixed end 15 of the movable body 9 in the first embodiment.

The leg portion 44 of the movable body 39 includes first, second, and third skirt portions 44a, 44b, and 44c. The movable body 39 is configured such that the head 42 and the torso 43 can be pressed and moved in the hitting direction (up and down direction) by elastically deforming the skirt portions 44a, 44b and 44c. Thereby, the distance between the head 42 of the movable body 39 and the light emitting body 46 may change. A lower surface 39a of the movable body 39, a protrusion 39b,
And the hollow portion 48 is the movable member 9 in the first embodiment.
Are configured in the same manner as the lower surface 9a, the protrusion 9b, and the hollow portion 18.

A first movable contact 39 d is provided between the second and third skirts 44 b and 44 c of the leg 44 of the movable body 39 so as to face the first fixed contact 49. A second movable contact 39c is provided between the first and second skirt portions 44a and 44b so as to face the second fixed contact 47. The first movable contact 39d and the first fixed contact 49 constitute a switch SW1 (switch unit), and the second movable contact 39c and the second fixed contact 47 constitute a switch SW2.
(Switch unit).

The first movable contact 39d is brought into contact with the first fixed contact 49 by the elastic deformation of the third skirt portion 44c when the movable body 39 is pressed or hit, and the switch SW1 is turned on.
Is turned on (make), whereby the light emitting body 46 emits light. The second movable contact 39c abuts on the second fixed contact 47 by the second skirt portion 44b being elastically deformed when the movable body 39 is pressed, and the switch SW2 is turned on (make). The on-velocity and the off-velocity are measured based on the time difference between the on and off of the.

The stick 35 is preferably made of a transparent material as long as it is suitable for hitting, but may be made of an opaque material.

In such a configuration, the player operates the pad 21a.
When you strike with a stick 35, a musical tone is generated,
Some light emitting units 37 hit by the stick 35 emit light as in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a time chart when the drum device 20 is hit.

FIGS. 7A and 7B show the switch S, respectively.
W1 and SW2 indicate the on / off state, and FIG.
(F) represents various values stored in each of the registers (not shown) in the timer 28 and the RAM 27 described above. FIG. 7G shows the actual light emission luminance of the light emitting body 46, and FIG. 7H shows the apparent luminance visually recognized by the player through the head 42 of the movable body 39.

In the figure, a time point tb1 indicates a time point at which the movable body 39 sinks by the impact of the stick 35 and the switch SW1 is turned on, a time point tb2 indicates a time point at which the switch SW2 is turned on, and a time point tb3 indicates a time point at which the movable body is turned on. 39 shows a time point at which the lower limit position 39 is reached. The time point tb4 indicates a time point at which the movable body 39 starts moving upward from the lower limit position after the stick 35 is separated upward, and the time point tb5 is the time when the switch S
The time point tb6 indicates a time when the switch S2 is turned off.
This indicates the time point when W1 is turned off. The time point tb7 is the light emitting body 46
At the end of the afterglow control.

The first counter value T and the second counter value t shown in FIG. 7C are both counter values by the timer 28, and are the elapsed time from the time point tb1 and the time point tb, respectively.
Indicates the elapsed time from 6. Note that the first counter value T is counted at a timing finer than the second counter value t (FIGS. 10 and 11).

The key-on time IT shown in FIG. 4D represents the time from time tb1 to time tb2, and is the reciprocal of the on-velocity (initial touch intensity data). The subtraction value FT1 represents a time from time tb1 to time tb5.
The key-off time FT represents a time from time tb5 to time tb6, and is the reciprocal of the off-velocity.

The status S shown in FIG.
7 represents one of the values 0 to 3.

The luminance level L shown in FIG. 11F is a value for determining the actual light emission luminance of the light emitting body 46, and is calculated by the predetermined value V1 or the afterglow control processing of FIG. Set to value.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the main processing. This process is executed when a start switch (not shown) (for example, a power-on switch) is turned on.

First, the initialization is performed, that is, the various register values T, t, IT, FT1, FT, S, GT, and m are set to 0.
(Step S801). Here, GT is the time during which the switch SW1 is on (gate time G
T). m is a mode value representing the mode of afterglow of the light emitting body 46, and is set to any one of values 1 to 3 by a mode setting process of FIG.

Next, the mode setting process is executed by the process of FIG. 9 described later (step S802), and the switch S
It is determined whether there has been an ON event of W1 (step S803). As a result of the determination, if there is an ON event of the switch SW1, the status S is set to “1”, the first counter value T is set to “0”, and the luminance level L is set to the predetermined value V
1 (for example, a value corresponding to a voltage of 5 volts) (step S304), a light emission instruction is given to the light emitting body 46 (step S805), and the process returns to step S802. That is, light emission of the light emitting body 46 is started when the switch SW1 is turned on (time tb1 in FIG. 7).

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S 803 is that there is no ON event of switch SW 1, it is determined whether there has been an ON event of switch SW 2 (step S 806). As a result of the determination, the switch SW
If there is an ON event of No. 2 (time tb2 in FIG. 7), the status S is set to “2”, and the key-on time IT is set to the current first counter value T (step S807). Key on time IT
(Step S808), and the process returns to step S802. In this sounding instruction, for example, a louder sound is generated as the key-on time IT is smaller.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S806 is that there is no on event of switch SW2, it is determined whether or not there has been an off event of switch SW2 (step S809). As a result of the determination, the switch SW
2 (at time tb5 in FIG. 7)
Sets the subtraction value FT1 to the current first counter value T (step S810), instructs the tone generator circuit 30 to mute the sound (step S811), and returns to step S802.
Return to Accordingly, while the switch SW2 is turned on (time tb2 to time tb5), a percussion tone of a tone corresponding to the pad 21a is generated.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S 809 is that there is no off event of switch SW 2, it is determined whether or not status S is set to “2” (step S 812). S is set to "2", that is, the switch SW
1, after the switch SW2 is turned on, the switch SW2
Is not yet turned off, the switch S
It is determined whether there has been an off event of W1 (step S813).

As a result of the determination, when there is no off event of the switch SW1 (time tb2 to time tb6 in FIG. 7), the process returns to the step S802, while when there is an off event of the switch SW1 (time tb6 in FIG. 7). Goes to step S814, sets the status S to "3", sets the key-off time FT to a value obtained by subtracting the subtraction value FT1 from the current first counter value T, and further sets the gate time GT to the current value. It is set to the first counter value T. In this state, the luminance of the light emitting body 46 may change with the change of the luminance level L by the afterglow control process of FIG. 11 described later. Next, the process returns to step S802.

On the other hand, if the status S is not set to "2" as a result of the determination in step S812,
It is determined whether or not an off event of the switch SW1 has occurred (step S815). As a result of the determination, the switch S
When an off event of W1 occurs, only the switch SW1 is turned on and the switch SW2 is not turned on (that is, the pad 21a is lightly tapped).
Since 1 is turned off, the luminance level L is set to “0”.
(Step S816), and the step S80 is set.
Return to 2. That is, in this case, unlike the example shown in FIG. 7, the light-emitting body 46 only emits light at the luminance level L corresponding to the predetermined value V1 during the gate time GT of the switch SW1, and after the switch SW1 is turned off. No afterglow control is performed. Note that such a situation also occurs in the light emitting unit 37 existing near the light emitting unit 37 hit by the stick 35 on the core, even when the pad 21a is strongly struck.

The light emitting mode in this case will be described in detail. In the light emitting section 37 which has been hit with the core, the movable body 39 is pressed down so that both the switches SW1 and SW2 are turned on. The light-emitting portion 37 located farther from the light-emitting portion 37 has a larger distance from the light-emitting body 46 of the movable body 39, and the amount of increase in the light flux is reduced, and the light-emitting portion 37 is visually recognized by the light-emitting portion 37 located farther from the light-emitting portion 37. The resulting brightness will be reduced and the image will dim. Steps S803, S804, S805, S802, S80
3, S806, S809, S812, S815, S81
The group of light-emitting units 37 following the route 6 emits light only for a moment immediately after the impact. In this case, the pad 2 of the stick 35
The light emitting pattern of each light emitting unit 37 group slightly differs depending on how the light hits 1a.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S815 is that there is no off event of switch SW1, the process immediately returns to step S802.

By this processing, the status S is set according to the pressed state of the movable body 39, and the light emission processing of the light emitting body 46 and the sound emission processing by the sound source circuit 30 and the like are performed.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the mode setting process executed in step S802 in FIG.

First, the input of the mode switch 22a of the panel switch 22 is fetched (step S901), and it is determined whether or not an ON event of the mode switch 22a has occurred (step S902). As a result of the determination, if there is no ON event of the mode switch 22a, the process is immediately terminated. On the other hand, if there is an ON event of the mode switch 22a, the ON event is determined by the switch SWm1.
It is determined whether or not is turned on (step S903).

As a result of the determination, when the ON event indicates that the switch SWm1 is on, a value indicating that the mode value m is a mode in which the luminance level L after the switch SW1 is turned off is changed according to the key-on time IT. The value is set to "1" (step S904), and the process proceeds to step S905. If the ON event does not indicate that the switch SWm1 is turned on, the process immediately proceeds to step S905.

In step S905, it is determined whether or not the ON event is the ON of the switch SWm2. As a result of the determination, when the on event is that the switch SWm2 is on, the value “2” indicating that the mode value m is a mode for changing the luminance level L after the switch SW1 is turned off in accordance with the gate time GT. (Step S9
06) While the process proceeds to step S907, if the ON event does not indicate that the switch SWm2 is ON, the process immediately proceeds to step S907.
Proceed to 907.

In the step S907, it is determined whether or not the ON event is the turning on of the switch SWm3. As a result of the determination, when the ON event indicates that the switch SWm3 is on, the value “3” indicating that the mode value m is a mode in which the luminance level L after the switch SW1 is turned off is changed according to the key-off time FT. (Step S
908) On the other hand, if the ON event does not indicate that the switch SWm3 is ON, the present process is immediately terminated.

According to this processing, the mode (mode) of the afterglow control of the light emitting body 46 is determined based on the input of the mode switch 22a.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the timer counting process. This processing is, for example, 0.1 to 1 ms.
It is executed by a timer interrupt every time.

First, it is determined whether or not the switch SW1 is on (step S1001).
If the switch SW1 is on, the first counter value T is incremented by "1" (step S100).
2) While ending this processing, if the switch SW1 is not on, the first counter value T is reset to “0” (step S1003), and this processing ends.

By this processing, the first counter value T is counted up while the switch SW1 is on. The counter value T counted up in this process is used as the T value at that time in steps S807, S810, S814, and the like in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the afterglow control process. This process is executed by a timer interrupt every 2 to 10 ms, for example.

First, it is determined whether or not the status S is set to "3" (step S1101). As a result of the determination, if the status S is set to "3", L ≧ V2 is established. Is determined (step S
1102). Here, as described in the first embodiment, when V2 is applied to the light-emitting element 46 and an element that can be regarded as a voltage control type including a resistor connected in series, the light-emitting element 46 emits light. This is a predetermined value corresponding to a minimum possible voltage value (for example, 2 volts), and is a value smaller than the predetermined value V1 and close to 0.

As a result of the determination in step S1102, L
If ≧ V2 is satisfied, it is determined whether or not the mode value m is set to “1” (step S1103). As a result of the determination, if the mode value m is not set to “1”, It is determined whether or not the mode value m is set to “2” (step S1104). As a result, the mode value m
If is set to “1”, step S1105
If the mode value m is set to “2”, the process proceeds to step S1106. If the mode value m is not set to “2”, the process proceeds to step S1107. Proceed to each. Step S11
05, S1106, and S1107, the second counter value t is incremented by "1" (step S1108), and the process ends.

First, in step S1105, the luminance level L calculated by the following equation 1 is replaced with a new luminance level L
And

[0084]

L = L × e− ^{t / TBL (IT)} where e is the base of the natural logarithm. In addition, TBL (I
T) is a table value set according to the key-on time IT. As a result, the luminance level L gradually decreases as the second counter value t counts up. Since the table value TBL (IT) corresponds to a time constant, the smaller the table value TBL (IT), the faster the decay of the luminance level L.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a table TB1 for setting a table value TBL (IT). As shown in the figure, the comparison values IT1 and IT2 of the key-on time IT
.. Corresponding to ITn (IT1 <IT2 <ITn), TBLIT1, TBLIT as table values TBL (IT)
2 ... TBLITn (TBLIT1>TBLIT2> TB
LITn) is set. The table value TBL (IT) is larger as the key-on time IT is larger (the touch is weaker).
Is set to a smaller value.

When the processes of steps S1105 and S1108 in FIG. 11 are repeated, the luminance level L
Gradually decays. At this time, the key-on time IT is the reciprocal of the on-velocity, and the greater the key-on time IT (lower the striking speed), the faster the luminance level L is attenuated, and the afterglow time of the light emitting body 46 (from time tb6 to time tb in FIG. 7). tb7) is short. Conversely, as the key-on time IT is smaller (the striking speed is higher), the decay of the luminance level L is slower, and the luminous body 46 maintains the afterglow for a long time.

In step S1106, the following equation
Is used as a new luminance level L.

[0088]

L = L × e− ^{t / TBL (GT)} Here, TBL (GT) is a table value set according to the gate time GT. As a result, the luminance level L gradually decreases as the second counter value t counts up. Since the table value TBL (GT) corresponds to a time constant, the smaller the table value TBL (GT), the faster the decay of the luminance level L.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a table TB2 for setting a table value TBL (GT). As shown in the drawing, comparison values GT1, GT2,.
In correspondence with GTn (GT1 <GT2 <GTn), TBLGT1, TBLGT2 are set as table values TBL (GT).
… TBLGTn (TBLGT1 <TBLGT2 <TBL
GTn) is set. The table value TBL (GT) is set to a larger value as the gate time GT increases.

When the processing of steps S1106 and S1108 in FIG. 11 is repeated, the luminance level L
Gradually decays. At this time, as the gate time GT is shorter (the ON state of the switch SW1 is shorter), the decay of the luminance level L is faster, and the afterglow time of the light emitter 46 is shorter.
Conversely, as the gate time GT increases, the decay of the luminance level L decreases, and the luminous body 46 maintains the afterglow for a long time.

In step S1107, the following equation 3
Is used as a new luminance level L.

[0092]

L = L × e− ^{t / TBL (FT)} where TBL (FT) is a table value set according to the key-off time FT. As a result, the luminance level L gradually decreases as the second counter value t counts up. Since the table value TBL (FT) corresponds to a time constant, the smaller the table value TBL (FT), the faster the decay of the luminance level L.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a table TB3 for setting a table value TBL (FT). As shown in the figure, the comparison values FT1 and FT2 of the key-off time FT
.. Corresponding to FTn (FT1 <FT2 <FTn) as TBLFT1, TBLFT as table values TBL (FT)
2... TBLFTn (TBLFT1>TBLFT2> TB
LFTn) is set. The table value TBL (FT) is set to a smaller value as the key-off time FT is larger.

When the processing of steps S1107 and S1108 in FIG. 11 is repeated, the brightness level L
Gradually decays. At this time, the key-off time FT is the reciprocal of the off-velocity, and the longer the key-off time FT (slower the separation operation of the stick 35), the faster the decay of the luminance level L is, and the shorter the afterglow time of the light emitting body 46 is. Conversely, the key-off time FT is small (stick 3
5 is more agile, the decay of the brightness level L is slower, and the afterglow time of the light emitter 46 is longer.

On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S1101, if the status S is not set to "3",
The second counter value t is reset to "0" (step S1109), and this processing ends. In this case, no afterglow control is performed. That is, if the status S is “1” or “2”, the light emitter 46 continues to emit light while the luminance level L is set to the predetermined value V1, and the status S becomes “0”.
If so, the light emitting body 46 does not emit light.

As a result of the determination in step S1102, L
When <V2 holds, the gate time GT, status S, key-on time IT, subtraction value FT1, key-off time FT, and luminance level L are reset to “0” (step S1110), and the process ends. In this case, the luminance level L has attenuated to the predetermined value V2,
Is forcibly extinguished because it is close to a state where light emission is impossible.

According to this processing, the release curve of the luminance level L after the switch SW1 is turned off is set to the key-on time I
It can be set according to T, gate time GT or key-off time FT. In other words, when the pad 21a is hit with the stick 35, the afterglow time of the luminous body 46 can be made longer than that in the opposite case by hitting the pad 21a quickly and making it abut long or separating it quickly.

Returning to FIG. 7, the actual light emission luminance of the light emitting body 46 by the processing of FIGS. 8 to 11 is shown in FIG. 7 (g).
The luminous body 46 emits light at a constant luminance corresponding to the luminance level L (predetermined value V1) from the time point tb1 to the time point tb6.
Then, from time tb6 to time tb7, the luminance gradually decreases due to the afterglow control process of FIG.
Thereafter, the light emitting body 46 is extinguished. This is, so to speak, due to the action of electrical control.

FIG. 7 (h) shows the actual light emission luminance of the light emitting body 46 and the apparent luminance visually recognized through the head 42 of the movable body 39 due to the vertical movement of the movable body 39.
From time tb1 to time tb3, as in the case of the first embodiment, as a result of the movable body 39 gradually approaching the light-emitting body 46, the apparent luminance visually recognized through the head 42 of the movable body 39 becomes It gradually increases as shown in FIG.
This is due to mechanical action.

Next, from time tb3 to time tb4, the apparent brightness does not change because the movable body 39 does not move. From the time point tb4 to the time point tb6, as in the first embodiment, the movable body 39 gradually moves away from the light emitting body 46, so that the apparent luminance also gradually decreases. This is also due to mechanical action.

Next, from the time point tb6 to the time point tb7, the actual brightness of the light emitting body 46 gradually decreases due to the gradual separation (mechanical action) of the movable body 39 from the light emitting body 46 and the attenuation of the brightness level L (electrical). Action), the apparent luminance gradually decreases.

According to the second embodiment, when the pad 21a is hit with the stick 35, the hit light emitting portion 37 emits light, and the light emission is visually recognized through the head 42 of the movable body 39. At this time, the apparent brightness visually recognized through the head 42 of the movable body 39 can be changed by the on / off state of the switches SW1 and SW2.
Since a plurality of 7s are provided, depending on the mode in which the pad 21a is hit with the stick 35, not only the musical sound can be enjoyed, but also the striking position, the striking strength and the like can be easily recognized visually.
Therefore, not only the pleasure of playing the drums is increased, but also, for example, a delicate difference between the performance teacher and the player can be easily grasped.

Furthermore, since the mode can be arbitrarily selected, not only the percussion of the percussion is further increased, but also the percussion elements can be analyzed more finely, so that the progress can be promptly improved. It can contribute more.

In the mode in which the afterglow is controlled in accordance with the key-off time FT, if the pulling of the stick 35 is practiced in accordance with the teacher, generation of a bouncing sound (sound due to a playing style in which the stick 35 is pushed back) is generated, It is possible to learn sharp playing in a short time.

The afterglow control parameters are not limited to the key-on time IT, gate time GT and key-off time FT described above, but may be other parameters. In addition, the mode of light emission control according to each parameter is not limited to the illustrated one, and any method that changes the light emission mode may be used. For example, the predetermined value V1 may be set to a larger value as the key-on time IT is smaller. In that case, time tb
Up to 2, the predetermined value V1 may be a fixed value, and from time tb2, the predetermined value V1 may be set according to the key-on time IT. Alternatively, the color of the LED may be changed.

In the second embodiment, the apparent brightness is changed by both the mechanical action and the electrical action. However, the brightness may be changed mainly by the electrical action. In that case, the amount of movement of the movable body 39 in the vertical direction may be reduced or set to zero.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 15 is a block diagram of the VI of FIG.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the light emitting unit 57 of the present embodiment along the line -VI. The light emitting section 57 according to the present embodiment is different from the light emitting section 37 according to the second embodiment in the configuration of the light emitting means, and the other configuration is the same.

That is, in the present embodiment, the luminous body 46
Is provided not on the switch board 38 but at a position distant from the movable body 39, for example, near a support portion that supports the pad 21a. Then, the optical fiber 50 is brought close to the light emitting body 46.
Is provided. The optical fiber 50 is a bundle of a plurality of optical fibers, for example, as shown in FIG.
It branches to b and c. The optical fiber 50a passes through the switch board 38, and similarly, the optical fibers 50b and 50c are supplied to the switch board 38 of the other light emitting unit 57.
As a result, the light emitted from one light emitting body 46 is distributed to the plurality of light emitting units 57.

The optical fiber 50a is fixed to the switch substrate 38 by an adhesive 51 whose refractive index of light is substantially equal to that of the optical fiber 50a. The adhesive 51 is dropped from above the tip of the optical fiber 50a,
It is formed into a convex lens shape by its own surface tension.
Accordingly, diffusion of light emitted from the optical fiber 50a can be suppressed, and the light can be efficiently transmitted to the head 42 of the movable body 39. The optical fibers 50b and 50c are configured similarly to the optical fiber 50a.

In this embodiment, the optical fiber 50
If the number of branches is increased, the number of light emitting bodies 46 does not need to be as large as in the second embodiment.

For example, one light emitting body 46 is set for one pad 21a, and a plurality of light emitting units 57 (for example, several hundreds) are provided.
Set to. In this case, a plurality of switches SW1 and SW2 are provided, and the light emitting body 46 emits light when any of the light emitting units 57 is hit. In this way, the entire pad 21a shines with a single hit. At this time, the light emitting portion 57 that has been hit with the core shows the same light emitting mode as that of the second embodiment, but the other light emitting portions 57 apart from the core have no or little vertical movement of the movable body 39. Therefore, only the change mainly due to the electric action is visually recognized. As a result, a change in luminance can be enjoyed even in a portion that is difficult to see by hiding on the stick 35, which is not only interesting but also increases the training effect.

According to the present embodiment, not only the same effects as in the second embodiment can be obtained, but also the usability can be further improved.

In this embodiment, the predetermined value V1 may be set to a larger value as the key-on time IT is smaller.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a time chart when the drum device 20 is hit. FIG.
(B), (c), and (d) are the same as those in FIG. 6 (i) and 6 (k) show the actual light emission luminance of the light emitter 46, and FIGS. 6 (j) and 6 (l) show the actual light emission luminance of the light emitter 46. Movable body 39 in the case of
Represents the apparent brightness visually recognized by the player through the head 42 of the player.

As shown in FIG. 11 (i), when the switch SW2 is turned on, the light emitting body 46 emits light at the maximum luminance LL1,
When the light is extinguished when the switch SW2 is turned off, it is visually recognized in the form shown in FIG. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11 (k), when the light emitter 46 emits light at the maximum luminance LL1 by turning on the switch SW2 and the extinction control is performed in the same manner as in the second embodiment, FIG. Are visually recognized. The maximum luminance LL1 may be set so as to increase as the key-on time IT decreases.

In this way, if the pad 21a is strongly struck, the entire pad 21a shines brightly, and the striking strength and the luminance are substantially proportional to each other, and the pad 21a is more suitable for playing sensation, so that the training effect is improved. .

It is possible to combine the third embodiment with the first embodiment. That is, the luminance of the light emitting section 57 changes only mechanically as in the first embodiment, and the plurality of light emitting sections 57 emit light with a single light emitting body 46 as in the third embodiment. Constitute.

In this case, the light emitting body 46 is made to emit light from the time of turning on the power, and the light is always supplied to each light emitting section 57.
By doing so, the pad 21a in the normal non-operation state
The whole is visually perceived as emitting light dullly. Then, when the player receives a hit, the portion of the pad 21a that is hit is visually recognized as being brightest, and the periphery thereof is viewed as darker as the distance from the hit position is increased. Areas unaffected by the impact remain dull. Also, the stronger the impact, the larger the area that is viewed brighter. Therefore, various light emission modes are obtained, and the usability is improved.

The present invention is not limited to gaming machines such as the game machine main unit 1 and musical instruments such as the drum device 20, but can be applied to devices in various fields. For example, if a plurality of light-emitting units 7, 37, and 57 are provided on the floor of a stage device, and these light-emit when stepped on by the actor's foot, the brightness can be changed by the "paste" of the actor itself. Control becomes possible, and the stage effect can be improved. In addition, since the position of the actor's step is easily visible, it is also useful for practicing dance. In particular, the light emitting unit 57 of the third embodiment
When applied to stage equipment, the stage effect is large. For example,
A plurality of light emitting portions 57 and a single light emitting body 46 for supplying light to these light emitting portions 57 are provided for every 30 cm square on the stage. In this way, the entire 30 cm square where the actor's foot is located emits light, so that the foot is illuminated, and the manner of being illuminated changes every moment. Also, if you step hard, it will glow brightly, and if you step lightly, it will glow dark, so it is fun to watch. Thus, the usability is improved, and the use of various devices can be expanded.

In the first, second and third embodiments, the movable bodies 9 and 39 are formed in a cylindrical shape when viewed from above, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a long member having a cross section shaped like the movable body 9 in FIG. 2 is obtained by extrusion or the like, and this is cut into a so-called Kintaro candy shape to have an appropriate size to form the movable body 9 and the like. Is also good. Thereby, the movable body 9 and the like become uniform, and the accuracy is improved.

Further, the long member obtained by extrusion molding may be directly attached to the mole 4 or the pad 21a. In this case, a plurality of fixed contacts 17 and the like may be provided at equal intervals on the long member, and the corresponding movable contacts 9c and the like, the light emitters 16 and the like may be provided on the switch substrate 8 and the like.
As a result, since the movable bodies 9 and the like are continuous, the light emission of the light emitting body 16 and the like is visually recognized while being weak even on the adjacent movable bodies 9 and the like. Can be recognized. In addition, as an aspect of attaching the long member to the pad 21a, a radial arrangement may be considered.

When the long member is applied to the third embodiment, one light emitting body 46 is provided corresponding to one long member, and the optical fiber 50a and the adhesive 51 are provided.
May be provided in plurality. In this case, the switches SW1, SW
The number 2 can be set variously. If you do this,
When any part of the elongated member is hit, the entire elongated member appears to emit light. In addition, the center of the impact seems to emit a particularly bright light.

Note that in the first and second embodiments,
Although the exterior portions 10 and 40 have the stopper function of the movable body 9 and the like, the projection 9b and the like come into contact with the switch substrate 8 and the like when the movable body 9 and the like are pressed down, thereby regulating the lower limit position of the movable body 9 and the like. You may make it.

[0124]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
According to the brightness variable device of the present invention, the fixing portion, the light emitting means attached to the fixing portion, and the light transmitting means provided in the vicinity of the light emitting means and capable of transmitting the light emitted from the light emitting means and being pressed down. Since the light body and the elastic body are elastically deformable and are provided in series with the fixed part and the light transmitting body and support the light transmitting body movably in the pressing direction, the light transmitting body and The distance between the light-emitting means changes, and the apparent brightness of the upper part of the light-transmitting member, which is visually recognized, changes according to the pressing operation. Thus, if the present invention is applied to, for example, a mole of a whack-a-mole game machine, the light emitting state is different depending on the degree of the whack-a-mole, thereby increasing the fun. In addition, if the present invention is applied to a pad surface of an electronic drum, it is easy for the user or a teacher to confirm the hitting position, hitting strength, and the like, which is useful for practice and contributes to quick progress.
Furthermore, during live (live) performance, the user can visually recognize his or her own playing style, particularly the hitting style, which facilitates performances that impress the audience. Thus, the usability is improved, and the use of various devices can be expanded.

According to the brightness variable device of the second aspect of the present invention, the light transmitting member which can transmit light and is pressed down, the switch section which is turned on by pressing the light transmitting member, and A light emitting unit that is provided in proximity and emits light when the switch unit is turned on, and a control unit that controls the light emission luminance of the light emitting unit in accordance with the on / off state of the switch unit, are visually recognized. The apparent brightness of the upper part of the light transmitting body changes depending on the on / off state of the switch unit. As a result, the light emission state can be more finely changed, for example, by controlling the afterglow after the press is released, and the usability can be further improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the on / off state of the switch is at least one of on-velocity, gate time, and off-velocity of the switch. The brightness of the afterglow, the on-velocity of the switch section, the gate time,
Or, when controlled according to the off-velocity, the longer the afterglow time is, the stronger the tapping time is, the longer the afterglow time is, or the longer the afterglow time is, the faster the separation operation is. Can be controlled as follows. Therefore, the light emitting state can be changed according to the mode of the pressing operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a configuration of a game machine main body including a brightness varying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the light emitting unit along the line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a time chart showing a light emitting state of a light emitting unit and a change in apparent luminance.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view illustrating a configuration of an electronic drum device including a brightness varying device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of the electronic drum device.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the light emitting unit along the line VI-VI in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a time chart when the electronic drum device is hit.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a flowchart of a main process.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a flowchart of a mode setting process executed in step S802 in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flowchart of a timer count process.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of an afterglow control process.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a table TB1 for setting a table value TBL (IT).

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a table TB2 for setting a table value TBL (GT).

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a table TB3 for setting a table value TBL (FT).

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the light emitting unit of the brightness varying device according to the third embodiment of the present invention, taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 4;

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a time chart when a drum device is hit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Game machine main body 4 Mole 4a Head 5 Hammer 7 Light emitting part 8 Switch board (fixed part) 9 Movable body 9c Movable contact 11 Sheet part 12 Head (part of translucent body) 13 Body (one part of translucent body) 14) Leg (elastic support) 15 Fixed end 16 Light emitting body (light emitting means) 17 Fixed contact 20 Drum device 21 Drum 21a Pad 21b Pad surface 23 Striking detection circuit 25 CPU (control means) 37 Light emitting unit 35 Stick 38 Switch board (fixed part) 39 Movable body 39c Second movable contact (switch part) 39d First movable contact (switch part) 41 Sheet part 42 Head (part of translucent body) 43 Body (transparent) Part of light body 44 Leg part (elastic support part) 45 Fixed end part 46 Light emitting body (light emitting means or a part thereof) 47 Second fixed contact point (switch part) 49 First fixed contact point Pitch portion) 50 optical fiber (part of the light emitting means)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A fixing part, a light emitting means attached to the fixing part, a light transmitting member provided in close proximity to the light emitting means and capable of transmitting light emitted by the light emitting means and being pressed down, A brightness varying device, comprising: an elastic supporting portion which is elastically deformable and is provided in continuity with the fixing portion and the light transmitting member, and which supports the light transmitting member movably in a pressing direction. 2. A light-transmitting member capable of transmitting light and being pressed, a switch portion turned on by pressing the light-transmitting member, and a switch portion provided close to the light-transmitting member, wherein the switch portion is turned on. A light emitting means for emitting light when the light is emitted; and a control means for controlling the light emission brightness of the light emitting means in accordance with the on / off state of the switch section. 3. The brightness varying device according to claim 2, wherein the on / off state of the switch section is at least one of an on velocity, a gate time, and an off velocity of the switch section.