JP2001224750A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the number and kinds of parts, especially on a light source unit. SOLUTION: A part of the screen of an image display 11 is made a light source area 17 and a luminous member 18 formed of a transparent material is placed thereon so that the luminous member glitters with the light beamed from the light source area (claim 1). Color of the beamed light can be changed (claim 2). The color can be changed as time elapses (claim 3) and according to a game condition (claim 4). The light source area beams different color and/or brightness according to parts (claim 5). Color and/or brightness can be changed as time elapses (claim 6). The distribution of color and/or brightness moves within the light source area as time elapses (claim 7) or color and/or brightness changes correspondingly to game conditions (claim 8).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a game machine, and more particularly, to a ball-and-ball game machine, a toy-type game machine, and other game machines. More specifically, the present invention relates to a gaming machine provided with an image display device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in gaming machines, a liquid crystal display device 71 has been arranged as shown in FIG. On the liquid crystal display 71, special symbols and the like are displayed. Various glittering members are arranged around the liquid crystal display device 71 for the purpose of informing the player of a game state, for producing a game, or simply for decoration. Here, the brilliant member is formed of a translucent material such as plastic and glass, and is light emitted from a light source disposed inside, behind, around, or the like.
It means that the material shines. It is also called a lamp case, a lamp shade, or the like.

For example, in the case of the pachinko machine 70 of FIG. 4, the warp guide 72, the rail 73, the normal symbol lottery waiting ball number display part 74, the special symbol lottery waiting ball number display part 75, and the like are brilliant members. The decorations 76, 77, etc. are also brilliant members, although not around the liquid crystal display device 71. Windmill 7
8, winning opening 79, gate 81, starting winning opening 82, etc.
If it is made of a translucent material and is made to shine, it is a shining member.

Conventionally, incandescent lamps or LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) have been used as light sources for shining these shining members.
Has been used. An example is shown in FIG. In the figure,
83 is a printed circuit board, 84 is a light bulb socket soldered to this, and 86 is an incandescent light bulb attached to this.
Reference numeral 87 denotes a board-side connector, which is also soldered to the printed circuit board 83, and is connected to the socket 84 by a wiring pattern (not shown) on the printed circuit board 83.

A harness 88 has a harness-side connector 89 attached to one end thereof, and is connected to a printed-circuit-board-side connector 87. The other end of the harness 88 is connected to a main board (not shown) of the gaming machine, and a CPU (central processing unit) not shown on the main board controls turning on and off of the incandescent lamp 86. The lamp case 91 as a brilliant member is arranged on the light source unit 90. When the incandescent light bulb 86 is turned on, the light emitted therefrom passes through the plastic, glass, etc., which are the material of the lamp case 91,
Make this material shine.

The lamp case 91 shown in FIG. 5 has a simplified shape. Actually, for example, the lamp case 91 has fine details such as the warp guide 72, rail 73, decorations 76 and 77 shown in FIG. It is designed and colored. Although only one lamp case is shown in FIG. 5, the lamp case 91 is disposed at each part of the gaming machine, similarly to the warp guide 72, the rail 73, and the decorations 76 and 77 in FIG.

The light source unit 90 includes a lamp case 91.
Are arranged corresponding to each of. In this case, the printed circuit boards 83 are shown as simple rectangles in FIG. 5, but they are arranged in a narrow place, so that they actually have a complicated shape according to the respective arrangement places. As a result, in general, the shape of the printed circuit board 83, that is, the shape of the light source unit 90 is different for each arrangement location. In addition, warp guide 7
As shown in FIG. 2, it is easy to think that a symmetrical figure is just the same shape. However, since the right and left parts are different from each other, the light source units 90 corresponding to these parts are usually left and right. Two types are required.

[0008]

In the case of manufacturing an article, it is better to use as few parts and as few types as possible. In that case, the cost of parts and the number of manufacturing steps are reduced, and the development cost is also reduced. Considering the light source unit 90 from such a viewpoint, first of all, the required parts are not small. The shape of each unit is also different. A number of such units are used per game machine.

[0009] This is in terms of manufacturing cost and development cost,
There is much room for improvement. Amusement machines are, of course, mass-produced. Therefore, if these light source units 90
The economic effect is great if the total number can be reduced even a little, or if the type can be reduced a little.

An object of the present invention is to provide such a game machine component,
In particular, it is to reduce the total number and types of the light source units 90.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an image display device in which a part of a screen is a light source region and a light-transmitting material are formed. And a shining member that shines the material with light emitted from the light source region. In the invention of claim 2 cited in claim 1, the color of the emitted light is switched. Claim 3 cited in claim 2
In the invention, the color of the emitted light is switched over time. In the invention according to claim 4 cited in claim 2, the color of the light is switched according to the game state.

In the invention of claim 5 cited in claim 1, the light source region emits light of different color and / or brightness depending on the portion. Claim 6 citing claim 5
According to the invention, the color and / or brightness of the emitted light is switched over time. In the invention of claim 7 cited in claim 6, the color and / or brightness distribution of the emitted light moves with time in the light source region.
Then, in the invention of claim 8 cited in claim 6 or claim 7, the color and / or brightness of the light changes according to a game state.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail based on illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
Indicates 0. In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a liquid crystal display device with a backlight, which corresponds to an image display device described in claims. The liquid crystal display device 11 is disposed substantially at the center of the game board 92, like the liquid crystal display device 71 in the pachinko machine 70 of FIG. Reference numeral 12 denotes a harness having a harness side connector 13 at one end.
Is attached to the socket 14 of the liquid crystal display device 11. The other end of the harness 12 is connected to a main board (not shown) of the pachinko machine,
The display 1 is controlled by a CPU (not shown) on the main board.

The screen of the liquid crystal display device 11 is divided into an image display area 16 and a light source area 17. The image display area 16 is used in the same manner as in the related art,
Special symbols and the like are displayed by the PU. The light source area 17
It is a part used as a light source, in other words, a part that is unique to the present invention. This is the conventional light source unit 9
Replace with 0. The lamp case 18 is arranged on this.

In the case of the pachinko machine, the liquid crystal display device 1
1 is almost vertical. In the positional relationship therewith, the lamp case 18 is arranged “in front of” it. But,
Whether “up” or “front” changes depending on how the image display device is arranged. In other words, according to the present invention, there is a feeling that a glitter member is arranged on the image display device in an overlapping manner. In that case, rather than "over", "up"
It feels more familiar to the ears when it is described as "overlapping". In this specification, based on these points,
It means that the lamp case 18 is arranged “above” the light source region 17.
The expression of the positional relationship of “up” in the claims also means such overlapping.

Returning to the main theme, the lamp case 18 is made of a light-transmissive material such as plastic or glass as in the conventional case. This material shines with light emitted from the light source region 17. This lamp case 18 corresponds to the glitter member described in the claims. The shape of the lamp case 18 is also simplified in the same manner as in the description of the prior art, and is actually similar to the warp guide 72, the rail 73, the decorations 76, 77, and the like in FIG. In addition, a fine design and coloring are given. Also, as in the case of the description of the related art, only one lamp is shown in FIG.
2. Like the rail 73, the decorations 76, 77, etc., they are arranged at various places of the gaming machine.

Various forms of light emission from the light source region 17 can be assumed. The simplest form is to turn on and off, as in the case of the incandescent lamp 86. Specifically, it is to emit white light from the entire light source region 17 or stop it. When white light is emitted from the light source region 17, the light passes through the material of the lamp case 18, and this material shines in the color of the material itself. When the emission of light is stopped, the brightness of the material stops. When this emission mode is adopted, the first embodiment 10 implements one aspect of the first aspect of the present invention.

In order to emit white light from the entire light source region 17 as described above, the light emission color of each pixel in the light source region 17 may be designated as white. If it is a monochrome liquid crystal display device, it is sufficient to simply turn on (light) each pixel. In order to control the display in this way, a necessary command may be supplied to the liquid crystal display device 11 from a CPU (not shown). This control is already known. Description is omitted. In the following description, the control of the liquid crystal display device 11 there is already known. It's redundant, so I won't mention it there. In addition, in order to accurately determine that the lamp case 18 shines, it is expressed as "the light emitted from the light source region 17 passes through the material and is scattered there, so that the material shines". Become. If this is repeated many times, it becomes redundant. Therefore, in the following description,
In this regard, the abbreviations will be used as appropriate.

Returning to the main theme, as another form of the light emission form, for example, it is conceivable to change the color of the light emitted from the light source region 17 in various ways. This can be realized by making the liquid crystal display device 11 color. In this case, the lamp case 18 is a translucent one, for example, a milky white one. Thereby, when the light of the current color passes through the lamp case 18, the lamp case 18
It shines in the color of the light. When this emission mode is adopted, the first embodiment example 10 implements one embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention.

The color of the light emitted from the light source region 17 may be changed over time. For example, light of seven colors similar to a rainbow is sequentially emitted from the light source region 17 at one-second intervals. After one round, repeat from the beginning. With this, the brilliant color of the lamp case 18 is switched, and novelty appears in the effect of the game. When this emission mode is adopted, the first embodiment 10 implements one aspect of the third aspect of the present invention.

The color of the light from the light source area 17 may be switched in conjunction with the state of the game. For example, when the winning rate is normal, light of a cool color such as blue or dark blue is emitted, and when the winning rate is in a high probability fluctuation state, light of a warm color other than red such as yellow or orange is emitted. It emits and emits red light when it hits the jackpot. In this case, the player can use the lamp case 18.
You can know the state of the game at that time with the brilliant color, and the interest of the game will increase. When this emission mode is adopted, the first embodiment example 10 implements an embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention.

The light source region 17 may have a pattern as a whole. That is, the light source region 17 may emit light of a different color and / or brightness depending on the portion. This is realized by making the luminance and / or color different for each pixel of the light source region 17. If the liquid crystal display device 11 is monochrome, control is performed only for the luminance of each pixel. At this time, the light source region 17 has a monochrome pattern. If the liquid crystal display device 11 is color, this control is performed on the brightness of each pixel or on the color (chromaticity, saturation).
Or for luminance and color. At this time, the light source region 17 presents a color-coded pattern. The emitted light having such a pattern makes the material of the lamp case 18 shine variously. This is reflected in the player's eyes. This is another game effect. When such an emission form is adopted, the first embodiment 10 implements one aspect of the invention of claim 5.

The pattern presented by the light source region 17 may be changed over time. For example, various patterns such as stripes, checkered patterns, and houndstooth check patterns appear on the light source region 17 in sequence at appropriate time intervals. After one round, repeat from the beginning. By switching the pattern in this way, the lamp case 1
The pattern of 8 also switches. This is reflected in the player's eyes. This is another game production. When this emission mode is adopted, the first embodiment example 10 implements an embodiment of the invention of claim 6.

The pattern presented by the light source region 17 may move on the light source region 17 with time.
For example, the vertical stripes may be moved on the light source region 17 as if the waves were coming. This is also an unusual production. When this emission mode is adopted, the first embodiment example 1
0 implies that one embodiment of the invention of claim 7 is implemented.

The shape, color, or movement of the pattern presented by the light source region 17 may be changed in conjunction with the game state. In this case, regarding the shape of the pattern, for example, when the winning rate is normal, horizontal stripes, when the winning rate is in a high probability fluctuation state, vertical stripes, and when a big hit occurs, a combination of a diagonal line rising to the right and a diagonal line rising to the left is used. . Also, regarding the color of the pattern, when the winning rate is normal, a color mainly of a cold color such as blue or dark blue is added, and when the winning rate is high, the color other than red such as yellow or orange is used. The colors are mainly warm colors, and when the jackpot hits, the colors are emphasized red. Both the shape and the color of the pattern may be changed over time. In addition, the movement of the pattern is, for example, in such a form that the waves rush as described above. If these changes are performed alone or in combination, the player can know the state of the game at that time from the state of the brightness of the lamp case 18 or the change thereof. This enhances the taste of the game. When this emission mode is adopted, the first embodiment example 10 implements one aspect of the invention of claim 8.

FIG. 2 shows a twentieth embodiment. In the twentieth embodiment, a lamp case 21 is formed in a house shape, and is disposed on the liquid crystal display device 11. The house shape of the lamp case 21 is the roof part 21a.
The roof portion 21a is located above the light source region 17 of the liquid crystal display device 11 and the wall portion 2b.
1 b is located on the image display area 16. Wall part 21b
Are provided with three windows 21c. For example, three rotating reels displayed in the image display area 16 are provided with these windows 2c.
1c. The form of light emission from the light source region 17 is the same as that of the tenth embodiment. Description is omitted.

FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment 30 of the present invention. This embodiment 30 is a part of the glitter member of the conventional pachinko machine 70 of FIG. 4, that is, the warp guide 72 and the rail 7.
3. The present invention is applied to a normal design lottery waiting ball count display unit 74 and a special symbol lottery waiting ball count display unit 75. The liquid crystal display device 31 is arranged below these. Reference numeral 32 denotes an image display area, and this portion is located in the frame 37. Here, for example, a special symbol is displayed as in the related art. Reference numerals 33 to 36 denote light source areas, and light emitted from these light sources shines on the respective shining members, that is, the warp guide 72, the rail 73, the ordinary symbol lottery waiting ball number display part 74, and the special symbol lottery waiting ball number display part 75. Let it. The difference from the first and second embodiments 10 and 20 is that the light source regions 33 to 36 are dispersedly arranged. Note that the light emission mode of each of the light source region areas 33 to 36 is the same as in the first embodiment. Description is omitted.

Hereinafter, modified examples will be described. In each of the embodiments 10, 20, and 30, the liquid crystal display devices 11 and 31 are used as image display devices. The image display device used is not limited to this, and for example, a plasma display, a CRT (cathode ray tube) and the like can be used.
Each of the embodiments 10, 20, and 30 relates to a pachinko machine. The application object of the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is also applicable to an arrangement ball type pachinko machine and other ball game machines, and further to a rotating body game machine and other game machines.

In the third embodiment, for example, the liquid crystal display device 31 is disposed near the center of the game board 92, and the warp guide 72 and the like are disposed therearound. The present invention is not limited to this,
For example, the present invention can be applied to the decorations 76 and 77 in FIG. In this case, a liquid crystal display device may be newly disposed under these, the portions below the decorations 76 and 77 may be used as light source regions for them, and the remaining portions may be used as new image display regions. Then, the new image area can be newly used for producing a game.

[0030]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a part of the screen of the image display device is used as a light source region, and a brilliant member formed of a translucent material is arranged thereon, and the light is emitted from the light source region. The material of the shining member is made to shine with the shining light. Therefore, if there is an image display device, it is not necessary to arrange the light source units 90 individually for the brilliant members as in the related art, and the type and number of the light source units 90 of the gaming machine can be reduced accordingly. As a result, the cost of parts such as electronic parts and mechanical parts, assembling costs such as wiring and mounting, and development costs can be reduced. In recent years, image display devices, including liquid crystal display devices, have become larger.
This means that the portion that can be used as the light source region is increasing, and the light source unit and the like can be further reduced accordingly.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the configuration of the first aspect includes switching of the color of light, movement related to time,
Alternatively, a motion or the like according to a game state is involved.
In this case, in addition to the effect of cost reduction, each of them provides a new production technique, which helps to enhance the taste of the game.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a twentieth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a third embodiment 30 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of arrangement of a glitter member and the like of the pachinko machine.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing an example 90 of the light source unit of the pachinko machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... 1st Embodiment 11 ... Liquid crystal display device 12 ... Harness 13 ... Harness side connector 14 ... Socket 16 ... Image display area 17 ... Light source area 18 ... Lamp case 20 ... 2nd embodiment 21 ... Lamp Case (roof a, wall b, window c) 30 ... Third embodiment 31 ... Liquid crystal display device 32 ... Image display area 33-36 ... Light source area 37 ... Framed 70 ... Pachinko machine 71 ... Liquid crystal display device 72 … Warp guide 73… Rail 74… Normal symbol lottery waiting ball number display part 75… Special symbol lottery waiting ball number display part 76… Decoration 77… Decoration 78… Windmill 79… Winning opening 81… Gate 82… Starting winning opening 83 ... Printed circuit board 84 ... Light bulb socket 86 ... Incandescent lamp 87 ... Board side connector 88 ... Harness 89 ... Harness side connector 90 ... Light source unit 91 ... Lamp Case 92: game board

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An image display device in which a part of a screen is a light source region, and a light-transmitting material, wherein the image display device is disposed on the light source region and emits light from the light source region. A gaming machine comprising: a shining member whose material shines. 2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein a color of the emitted light is switched. 3. The gaming machine according to claim 2, wherein the color of the emitted light is changed over time. 4. The gaming machine according to claim 2, wherein the color of the light is switched according to a gaming state. 5. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the light source region emits light of a different color and / or brightness depending on a portion. 6. The color and / or brightness of the emitted light is switched over time.
A gaming machine according to claim 1. 7. The gaming machine according to claim 6, wherein the color and / or brightness distribution of the emitted light moves with time in the light source area. 8. The gaming machine according to claim 6, wherein the color and / or brightness of the light changes according to a gaming state.