JP2002273017A - Fraudulence preventor for game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive device which facilitates installation thereof on each of game machines and can accurately prevent fraudulence. SOLUTION: The fraudulence preventor is provided with a magnetic detector 20 for detecting changes in magnetism with a magnet and the magnetic detector 20 contains a core 21 having a flange part 21a at one end thereof. The core 21 is formed by arranging three ferrite pieces 21b in a series while an insulation film 21c is interposed between the ferrite pieces 21b thereby enabling highly accurate detection of changes in magnetism over a wider range.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a game machine,
The present invention relates to a device for preventing a fraudulent act by a magnet or a radio transmitter.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a game hall such as a pachinko hall, there is a person who performs an improper act of bringing a game ball to a winning opening by bringing a magnet close to a winning opening provided on a game board of a gaming machine. Conventionally, in order to prevent such misconduct, a magnetic detector such as a Hall element or a reed switch that detects a magnetic change by a magnet is installed on the back of the winning opening, and when a magnetic change is detected, the game hall is managed. Countermeasures were taken to notify the wrongdoing to persons and the like.

[0003] Further, there is a person who emits a powerful radio wave for a very short time with a radio wave transmitter and performs an improper act of malfunctioning a winning device of a game machine or the like. In order to prevent this, conventionally, a radio wave detector for detecting an illegal radio wave has been installed at an appropriate place in a game arcade.

[0004]

However, since the Hall element and the reed switch used in the magnetic detector can detect a magnetic change only at a very short distance in front of the Hall element or the reed switch, when the magnet is operated away from the winning opening. Could not detect the misconduct. Further, when installing the magnetic detector on a gaming machine, it is necessary to insert and install the magnetic detector from the back of the gaming machine to a position very close to the gaming board surface.

Devices that output radio waves in a game arcade include communication devices such as mobile phones and transceivers, in addition to radio transmitters used for fraudulent acts. Therefore,
When a general radio wave detector that responds to a wide range of radio waves from several MHz to several GHz is installed in a game arcade, it is impossible to identify and detect illegal radio waves from radio waves from communication devices. Since a radio wave detector capable of identifying a specific radio wave is large and expensive, it is difficult to install the radio wave detector for each game machine. In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive device that can be easily installed in a gaming machine and that can reliably prevent improper behavior.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is an apparatus for preventing a fraudulent act by a magnet or a radio wave transmitter in a game machine, wherein the magnet changes by a magnet. , A first judging means for judging fraud based on the output of the magnetic detector, a radio wave detector detecting radio waves emitted by the radio wave transmitter, and a fraudulent act based on the output of the radio wave detector. The second to determine
And a notifying means for notifying the wrongdoing in response to the operation of the first and second determining means, wherein the magnetic detector is provided between a plurality of magnetic bodies and each magnetic body. And a coil formed by winding a conductive wire around a core made of an insulator.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the structure of the first aspect, a flange is provided at one end of the core.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first or second aspect, the periphery of the conductor wound around the core is covered with a cover made of a conductive non-magnetic material.

The invention described in claim 4 is the first to third aspects of the present invention.
In the invention, the magnetic detector is incorporated in a lamp unit which is detachably provided above the game machine.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, a plurality of magnetic detectors are incorporated in the lamp unit.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in a game machine, there is provided a device for preventing a fraudulent act by a magnet or a radio transmitter, wherein a magnetic detector for detecting a magnetic change by the magnet and an output of the magnetic detector are provided. First to judge fraud based on
Determination means, a radio wave detector for detecting a radio wave emitted by the radio wave transmitter, a second determination means for determining an improper act based on an output of the radio wave detector, and a response to the operations of the first and second determination means. The radio wave detector includes a detection circuit that outputs a pulse having a width corresponding to the incident time of the received radio wave. A fraud determination circuit that counts pulses and determines fraud when the count value reaches a set value; a communication radio wave identification circuit that identifies a pulse from a communication device and stops operation of the fraud determination circuit; A noise identification circuit for identifying and stopping the operation of the fraud determination circuit.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the sixth aspect, the communication radio wave discriminating circuit discriminates a pulse output continuously for a set number or more within a predetermined time from a radio wave of the communication device. Features.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the sixth or seventh aspect, the noise identification circuit identifies a pulse having a width corresponding to an incident time of 0.5 millisecond or less as noise. .

[0014] The invention according to claim 9 is the invention according to claims 6 to 8.
In the invention, the radio wave detector is incorporated in a lamp unit detachably mounted above the gaming machine.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view and a side view of a gaming machine 1 showing a form of a fraud prevention apparatus according to the present invention. The fraud prevention apparatus of this embodiment includes a magnetic detector 20 for detecting a magnetic change caused by a magnet, and a magnetic detector 2.
A first determining means for determining a fraudulent activity based on an output of 0, and a radio wave detector 4 for detecting a radio wave emitted by the radio wave transmitter.
0, the second judging means for judging the impropriety based on the output of the radio wave detector 40, and responding to the operations of the first judging means and the second judging means to inform the manager of the game arcade of the improper act. The magnetic detector 20 and the radio wave detector 40 are provided with a curtain plate 2 stretched above the gaming machine 1.
It is incorporated in a lamp unit 3 which is detachably installed in the lamp unit. Hereinafter, the configuration of each unit will be described in detail.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the magnetic detector 20 shown in FIG. The magnetic detector 20 includes a core 21 having a large-diameter flange portion 21a at one end, a coil portion formed by winding a conductive wire around the core 21, and a conductive non-magnetic material such as copper that covers the periphery of the coil portion. And a cover 22. The core 21 has three ferrite pieces 21b arranged in series, and an insulator of about 50 microns, for example, an insulating film 21c made of a synthetic resin is interposed between the ferrite pieces 21b.
Is interposed.

Here, the directivity and sensitivity of the magnetic detector 20 will be described with reference to FIG. A plurality of ferrite pieces 21b are arranged in series, and the ferrite pieces 21b
When the divided core 24 with the insulating film 21c interposed therebetween is magnetized, as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), compared to the case where the normal core 23 made of a single ferrite is magnetized, A magnetic field extending in the arrangement direction of the pieces 21b is formed. Experiments have confirmed that this magnetic field spreads in the arrangement direction substantially in proportion to the number of ferrite pieces 21b arranged. The expansion of the magnetic field in the direction in which the ferrite pieces 21b are arranged means that an induced voltage is generated with respect to a farther magnetic change in this direction. Note that, in FIG. 3, the insulating film 21c is emphasized from its actual size.

Furthermore, when the flanged core 21 provided with the flange portion 21a at one end of the split core 24 is magnetized, the magnetic flux φ is also concentrated on the flange portion 21a. 24, the magnetic flux φ spreads more widely on the flange portion 21a side. This means that a wider directivity can be obtained by configuring the magnetic detector using the core 21 with the flange. Therefore, by using the magnetic detector 20 of this embodiment, the detection range of the magnetic change can be expanded to a wider range as compared with the conventional magnetic detector. Therefore, if this magnetic detector 20 is incorporated in the lamp unit 3 and is mounted with its flange surface oriented at an appropriate angle,
As shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to accurately detect a magnetic change caused by a magnet of a wrongdoer over substantially the entire game board surface 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first judging means 30 for judging wrongdoing based on the output of the magnetic detector 20 outputs 10 Hz of the induced voltage output from the magnetic detector 20 as shown in FIG.
A low-pass filter (hereinafter abbreviated as LPF) 31 that passes only the following frequency components, a low-frequency amplifier 32 that amplifies a signal that has passed through the LPF 31 about 10 times, and a signal amplified by the low-frequency amplifier 32 is detected. Detection circuit 3
3, a reference voltage generation circuit 34 for generating a reference voltage Vref by dividing the voltage VB from the DC power supply, a comparator 35 for comparing the magnitude of the output voltage of the magnetic detector 20 with the reference voltage, It is composed of a relay 36 that conducts and releases according to the output, and an alarm circuit 37 that activates the notification means 60 when the relay 36 conducts.

In the first determining means 30, the LPF
The upper limit value 10 Hz of the passable frequency of 31 is set based on the frequency of the induced voltage that will be generated in the magnetic detector 20 when the player moves the magnet in front of the game board 4. Therefore, other induced voltages, for example, the gaming machine 1
High-frequency voltage from electronic devices installed in the vehicle does not pass. The reference voltage Vref is set based on the level of an induced voltage that may occur when a magnet performs an illegal action in an environment where the magnetic detector 20 is installed. Further, the amplification factor of the low-frequency amplification 32 is set so that the comparator 35 appropriately compares the output voltage of the magnetic detector 20 with the reference voltage.

As shown in FIG. 5, the radio wave detector 40 includes a normal small antenna 41 and a detection circuit 4 that outputs a pulse having a width corresponding to the incident time of the radio wave received by the antenna 41.
2 is provided. Further, the second determination means 50 includes the detection circuit 4
2, a fraud determination circuit 51 that determines fraudulent behavior when the counted value reaches an upper limit within a predetermined time, and a mobile phone or the like among the pulses detected by the detection circuit 42. Communication radio wave identification circuit 52 for identifying the pulse by the communication device and stopping the operation of the fraud determination circuit 51
And a noise identification circuit 53 that identifies a pulse due to noise and stops the operation of the illegality determination circuit 51.

The illegality determination circuit 51 includes a timer A that operates for 200 milliseconds from the moment of the rising of the detected pulse, a counter A that counts the falling of the pulse while the timer A is operating, and a count value of the counter A. A memory 54 for recording and outputting an alarm signal when the count value reaches an upper limit value within a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes). In setting the upper limit value of the memory 54, for example, if the gaming machine 1 is a gaming machine of a type that stores and holds up to four winnings at a time, it is expected that a fraudster will emit radio waves four times. Therefore, the upper limit is set to 4.

The communication radio wave identification circuit 52 counts the timer B which operates for 2 seconds from the moment of the rise of the pulse output from the detection circuit 42, and counts the fall of the pulse during the operation of the timer B. And a counter B for stopping the operation of the fraud determination circuit 51 and resetting the count value of the counter A at the time when the count reaches the threshold value.

The noise discriminating circuit 53 determines the operation of the timer C which operates from the moment of the rising of the pulse output from the detecting circuit 42, and the operation of the illegality judging circuit 51 when the falling is output for 0.5 millisecond. And a counter C for stopping.

The notifying means 60 for notifying fraudulent actions includes a call lamp in the lamp unit 3 which is turned on in a warning pattern and a monitor installed in a centralized monitoring room for a clerk to monitor fraudulent actions (neither is shown). ) So that any fraudulent activity by the magnet and the radio wave transmitter can be notified.

When installing the above-described impropriety preventing device 10 on the gaming machine 1, a magnetic detector 20 is installed in a lamp unit 3 which is detachably mounted on a curtain plate 2 stretched above the gaming machine.
In addition, the radio wave detector 40 is installed, and the magnetic detector 20 is mounted so that the upper surface of the flange portion 21b of the core 21 faces the game board 4, and the antenna 41 is fixed in a posture facing the player. Then, the first and second determination means and the alarm circuit 37 are installed at appropriate places on the back surface of the lamp unit 3, and the alarm circuit 37 is connected to a calling lamp, a monitor in a central control room, and the like.

Next, the operation of the fraud prevention device 10 configured as described above will be described. Game board surface 4 with magnet
, An induced voltage is generated in the coil section of the magnetic detector 20 and input to the LPF 31. Since the frequency of this induced voltage is generally 10 Hz or less, it passes through the LPF 31,
The magnitude is compared with the reference voltage Vref from the reference voltage generation circuit 34. As a result, when the induced voltage exceeds the reference voltage Vref, the relay 36 is turned on. At that moment, the alarm circuit 37 operates and outputs an alarm signal to the notifying means 60. In response to the alarm signal, the notifying means 60 is operated, and the calling lamp of the lamp unit 3 is turned on in a warning pattern, and the monitor of the centralized monitoring room is notified that the wrongdoing has been performed.

When a radio wave is transmitted in the game arcade, an antenna 41 installed in the lamp unit 3 receives the radio wave, and the detection circuit 42 converts the radio signal into a pulse having a width corresponding to the radio wave incident time. Convert. Since the fraudulent radio wave is mainly a single-shot pulse having an incident time of 1 to 100 milliseconds, when a pulse due to the fraudulent radio wave is output from the detection circuit 42, as shown in FIG. It is counted and recorded in the memory 54. Then, if the record in the memory 54 reaches the upper limit value 4 within 10 minutes, it determines the improper operation and outputs an alarm signal to the notifying means 60.

Since the radio wave from the mobile phone is a continuous pulse mainly repeating transmission and reception every 20 milliseconds, when a pulse from the mobile phone is output from the detection circuit 42, the counter B rises as shown in FIG. The operation of the illegality determination circuit 51 is stopped at the time when the number of drops 8 is counted, and the count value of the counter A is reset. Therefore,
In this case, the count value of the counter A is not added to the memory 54.

Since the radio wave due to noise is a spike-like pulse having an incident time of 0.5 millisecond or less, when a pulse due to noise is output from the detection circuit 42, as shown in FIG. Immediately after that, the counter C operates to stop the operation of the illegality determination circuit 51. In this case, the counter 1 does not count the number of times of falling 1 because the pulse width is too short.

As described above, according to the fraud prevention apparatus 10, the magnetic detector 20 and the radio wave detector 40 are connected to the gaming machine 1.
Lamp unit 3 detachably mounted on upper curtain plate 2
Since the game machine 1 is incorporated in the game machine 1, it is possible to easily provide the game machine 1 with a fraud prevention function, and the repair, replacement, and maintenance thereof do not require any trouble.

Further, the magnetic detector 20 arranges a plurality of ferrite pieces 21b in series, and
core 21 with a flange formed by interposing an insulating film on b
Since a coil formed by winding a conductive wire is used, the magnetic change detection range covers the entire game board surface. This makes it possible to detect the magnet no matter where it is brought on the game board surface, and it is economical to reduce the number of magnetic detectors 20 to be installed. In addition, since the periphery of the coil portion is covered with the copper cover 23 made of a conductive non-magnetic material, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection due to electromagnetic waves emitted from peripheral devices, and to improve the certainty of judging misconduct by a magnet. Can be.

Further, since all radio waves transmitted in the amusement arcade are detected and the pulses output by the radio waves and noises from the communication device are identified by using a plurality of timers and counters, the radio waves and noise from the communication devices are not detected. In a flying arcade, it is possible to identify radio waves due to fraud without using a large and expensive device. Therefore, it is possible to provide a fraud prevention function for each gaming machine.

The device for preventing fraudulent activity of a gaming machine according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but includes a magnetic detector, a radio wave detector, a first determining means, a second determining means, a notifying means, and a lamp. A unit, a detection circuit, a fraud determination circuit, a noise identification circuit, a communication radio wave identification circuit, and the like can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the case of the magnetic detector, a coil having a core made of three magnetic materials has been described, but the number of magnetic materials may be changed as necessary. Further, the materials and shapes of the flange portion and the cover are not limited to those described in the embodiment.

The location and number of magnetic detectors are not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, a configuration in which a plurality of magnetic detectors are arranged in a lamp unit as shown in FIG. In this way, a magnetic change can be detected more reliably than when only one magnetic detector is installed.
Also, as shown in FIG. 3B, if the four magnetic detectors are arranged so that their magnetic axes are perpendicular to each other, magnetic changes can be detected in all directions of 360 degrees. If installed on the center rear surface, it is possible to detect magnetic changes on the game board surface without fail. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the installation location may not be inside the lamp unit above the gaming machine but inside the display lamp of the gaming machine.

The set values of various devices (upper limit of passable frequency of LPF, operation time of each timer, upper limit of memory, etc.) can be changed as appropriate according to the specifications of the gaming machine, the environment in the game hall, and the like. . In addition to the notification means described in the above-described embodiment, for example, an alarm bell or the like that sounds in a game hall may be added. Further, for example, a setting may be made such that the call lamp is turned on in a warning pattern when the count value 1 is recorded in the memory, and the alarm bell is sounded when the count value in the memory reaches 4.

[0037]

As described in detail above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the sensitivity of the magnetic detector is improved, and a fraudulent activity using a magnet can be detected over a wide range.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the directivity of the magnetic detector is widened and fraud can be detected over a wider range.

According to the third aspect of the invention, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection due to electromagnetic waves from peripheral devices.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, mounting, repair, replacement, and maintenance of the magnetic detector can be easily performed.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a fraudulent activity using a magnet can be more reliably detected.

According to the invention as set forth in claims 6 to 8, it is possible to identify radio waves caused by fraudulent acts in a game arcade where radio waves and noise from communication equipment fly without requiring a large and expensive radio wave detector. Can be. Therefore, it is possible to provide a fraud prevention function for each gaming machine.

According to the invention of claim 9, according to claim 6,
In addition to the effects of the above, the installation, repair, replacement, and maintenance of the radio wave detector can be easily performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view and a side view of a gaming machine showing an embodiment of a fraud prevention apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a magnetic detector shown in FIG. 1 and an exploded view thereof.

3A is a magnetic flux distribution diagram formed when a normal core is magnetized, and FIG. 3B is formed when a core formed by interposing an insulator on a plurality of magnetic bodies is magnetized. Magnetic flux distribution diagram,
(C) is a magnetic flux distribution diagram formed when the flanged core is magnetized.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a first determination unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a second determination unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of a second determination unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of a second determination unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of a second determination unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Amusement machine, 2. Curtain plate, 3. Lamp unit, 4
..Game board, 10..Act prevention device, 20..Magnetic detector, 21..Core, 21a..Flange, 21b
..Ferrite pieces, 21c..Insulators (films), 2
2 cover, 30 first judgment means, 31 low-pass filter, 32 low-frequency amplifier, 33 detection circuit, 34 reference voltage generator, 35 comparator, 36 relay , 37 ... alarm circuit, 40 ... radio wave detector, 41 ... antenna, 42 ... detection circuit, 50 ...
.. Second determination means, 51... Unauthorized determination circuit, 52... Communication radio wave identification circuit, 53... Noise identification circuit, 54... Memory, 60...

Claims (9)

[Claims] An apparatus for preventing an illegal action by a magnet or a radio transmitter in a gaming machine, comprising: a magnetic detector for detecting a magnetic change by a magnet; and a device for determining an illegal action based on an output of the magnetic detector. (1) determining means, a radio wave detector for detecting a radio wave emitted by the radio wave transmitter, a second determining means for determining fraudulent activity based on an output of the radio wave detector,
And a notifying means for notifying the wrongdoing in response to the operation of the second determining means, wherein the magnetic detector comprises a core comprising a plurality of magnetic materials and an insulator interposed between the magnetic materials. An illegal act prevention device for a gaming machine, comprising a coil formed by winding a conductive wire on a game machine. 2. An apparatus for preventing fraud in a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein a flange is provided at one end of the core. 3. The device for preventing illegal acts of a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the periphery of the conductive wire wound around the core is covered with a cover made of a conductive non-magnetic material. 4. A lamp unit, wherein the magnetic detector is incorporated in a lamp unit which is detachably installed above the gaming machine.
A device for preventing fraudulent activities of a gaming machine according to any one of the above. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of magnetic detectors are incorporated in the ramp unit. 6. A game machine for preventing fraud by a magnet or a radio transmitter, comprising: a magnetic detector for detecting a magnetic change by a magnet; and a judging device for judging fraud based on an output of the magnetic detector. A first determining means, a radio wave detector for detecting a radio wave emitted by the radio wave transmitter, a second determining means for determining fraudulent activity based on an output of the radio wave detector,
And a notifying unit for notifying the wrongdoing in response to the operation of the second determining unit, wherein the radio wave detector includes a detection circuit that outputs a pulse having a width corresponding to the incident time of the received radio wave, The determining means (2) counts pulses within a predetermined time and stops the operation of the fraudulent judgment circuit for judging fraud when the count value reaches a set value, and the pulse by the communication device is identified. A fraud prevention device for a gaming machine, comprising: a communication radio wave identification circuit; and a noise identification circuit that identifies a pulse due to noise and stops the operation of the illegality determination circuit. 7. The game machine fraud prevention apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the communication radio wave identification circuit discriminates a pulse continuously output for a set number or more within a predetermined time as a radio wave from the communication device. 8. The game machine fraud prevention apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the noise identification circuit identifies a pulse having a width corresponding to an incident time of 0.5 millisecond or less as noise. 9. The lamp unit according to claim 6, wherein the radio wave detector is incorporated in a lamp unit detachably mounted above the gaming machine.
A device for preventing fraudulent activities of a gaming machine according to any one of the above.