JP2002320736A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine that can greatly enhance interest in a game in progress by acquiring surrounding effect sound with depth and breadth in a longitudinal direction as well as in a lateral direction to a game board. SOLUTION: A surrounding function is added to a voice output circuit 12 for outputting a voice signal by a command from a control device 11 for controlling each part of this game machine. Left and right side loudspeakers 13L, 13R are connected to left and right side voice output terminals 12L, 12R of the voice output circuit 12 to reproduce left and right side voice. A signal from a rear side voice output terminal 12B of the voice output circuit 12 is supplied to a rear side loudspeaker 13B installed on the rear side of a player, via a transmitter 14, a receiver 15 and an amplifier 16 to reproduce rear side voice. The sound field with a surrounding effect is formed among three loudspeakers 13L, 13R, 13B.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a game machine such as a pachinko machine, a pachislot machine or a pinball machine which generates various sound effects according to a game situation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a gaming machine, for example, a pachinko machine,
In order to enhance the interest of the player, various sound effects are generated according to the game situation. Further, in order to notify the player of the game state, various notification sounds are generated according to the game state.

[0003] Such sound effects and information sounds (hereinafter collectively referred to as sound effects) are reproduced as monaural sounds at first, but since they lack a sense of reality, stereo sounds are used. became.

According to the reproduction of sound effects by stereo sound,
The player can enjoy the game with a more realistic feeling, but the sound image movement of the sound effect is limited between the left and right stereo speakers. For this reason, the sense of presence during the game is still insufficient.

Therefore, a technique for reproducing sound effects by surround sound has emerged. For example, JP-A-2000-9
As described in Japanese Patent No. 3579, a realistic sound field obtained by electrical processing is reproduced by a pair of symmetrically arranged speakers or more, thereby providing a simulated surround sound. There is a technique (prior art A) for obtaining the effect.

Further, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-14929, this is a headphone having left and right speaker units each having a front and rear speaker, and an audio signal having a surround effect added to the headphone. And a technique of realizing a surround effect by front, rear, left and right speakers (prior art B).

[0007]

However, the above-mentioned prior art has the following problems. First, prior art A
In this case, only the electronically calculated effect was obtained, that is, only a planar and pseudo surround effect was obtained instead of the surround effect in the original meaning.

In the prior art B, the player must wear headphones. However, many players dislike wearing such headphones, and in the end, no surround effect was obtained for players who do not wear headphones.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and it is possible to obtain a reproduced sound (sound effect) having a depth and a spread not only in the left-right direction but also in the front-back direction. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine that can exhibit a surround effect in its original meaning and can greatly enhance the interest of a player.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control device for controlling each part of a game machine, and a predetermined audio signal is transmitted based on a command from the control device. A sound output circuit to which a surround function is added, a left speaker connected to a left sound output terminal of the sound output circuit to reproduce a left sound, and a right speaker connected to a right sound output terminal of the sound output circuit. A right speaker that reproduces audio, a transmitter that is connected to a rear audio output terminal of the audio output circuit and wirelessly transmits a signal from the output terminal, and a receiver that receives a signal from the transmitter,
A game machine comprising: an amplifier for amplifying a signal from the receiver; and a rear speaker connected to an output terminal of the amplifier and supplied with a signal from the amplifier to reproduce rear sound.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, a radio wave is used as a transmission medium of a signal from the rear audio output terminal, and transmission and reception frequencies of a transmitter and a receiver are set to be equal to each other. A gaming machine characterized in that a desired frequency can be selectively switched from a plurality of frequencies.

[0012] The invention described in claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2.
The game machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the amplifier, or the receiver and the amplifier are integrally formed with a rear speaker.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the gaming machine according to the third aspect, the rear speaker is configured to be detachable from an installation location.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a gaming machine according to the present invention. In this figure, a control device 11 is a device that controls each part of a gaming machine according to a game situation, and various circuits that perform visual and audible effects are controlled by the control device 11.

An audio output circuit 12 is a circuit for performing an auditory effect, that is, reproducing various sound effects. The audio output circuit 12 basically outputs a predetermined audio signal based on a command from the control device 11, but in the present invention, a surround function is added. The surround function is a function to generate and synthesize reverberation sound and various reflection sounds based on the audio input signal, and to make the playback sound deeper and wider in the left-right direction and the front-back direction, thereby increasing the sense of presence. In the course of the game, the interest of the player can be greatly enhanced.

The left speaker 13L is connected to the audio output circuit 12
Is a speaker connected to the left audio output terminal 12L for reproducing the left audio. The right speaker 13R is a speaker connected to the right audio output terminal 12R of the audio output circuit 12 to reproduce right audio.

The transmitter 14 is connected to a rear audio output terminal 12B of the audio output circuit 12 and emits a signal from the output terminal 12B into the air using a predetermined transmission medium. Here, radio waves such as radio waves or infrared rays are used. Receiver 15
Is a receiver that receives a radio wave from the transmitter 14 by adjusting the reception frequency to the transmission frequency of the transmitter 14.

Since the gaming machine installation place is usually a game hall called a hall in which many gaming machines are arranged, a plurality of sets of the transmitter 14 and the receiver 15 are installed in the same game hall. Therefore, each transmitter 1
4. Even if a weak radio wave is used in the set of 15 receivers, there is a possibility that the transmitted and received signals may cause interference. For this reason, the transmitter 14 and the receiver 15 are configured such that the transmission and reception frequencies can be selectively switched to a desired frequency from a plurality of types of frequencies. Then, different transmission and reception frequencies are selected for the transmitter 14 and the receiver 15 pairs where there is a possibility of interference so that no interference occurs.

The amplifier 16 is an amplifier for a low-frequency audio signal (rear audio signal) from the receiver 15. The rear speaker 13B is connected to the output terminal 16B of the amplifier 16, is supplied with the amplified rear audio signal, reproduces the rear audio, and is the most important speaker for exhibiting the surround effect.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a gaming machine according to the present invention is actually installed in a hall and playing sound effects from the side of a gaming table. The same reference numerals as those in FIG. Is attached. Hereinafter, using FIG. 1 together with FIG.
A description will be given of the sound effect reproducing operation of the gaming machine of the present invention, but prior to that, the speakers 13L, 13R,
3B, transmitter 14, receiver 15, and amplifier 1
6 will be described.

First, a left speaker 13L is provided on the left side of the game console (game machine main body) 21, and a right speaker 13R is provided on the right side.
Are installed respectively. In addition, a rear speaker 13B is installed on the side facing the left speaker 13L and the right speaker 13R, that is, on the rear side of the player 22.

As described above, the rear speaker 13B is the most important speaker for exhibiting the surround effect, but the sound image generated by the surround effect often does not have a clear localization. Therefore, the rear speaker 1
The upper, lower, left and right positions for installing 3B do not require strictness,
As shown in the figure, the player 22
Is preferred above the rear side.

The transmitter 14 is installed near a game console 21 provided with the control device 11 and the audio output circuit 12.

The receiver 15 and the amplifier 16 are arranged near the rear speaker 13B. In this case, the receiver 15, the receiver 15,
The amplifier 16 and the rear speaker 13B are integrally formed.

Only the amplifier 16 may be integrated with the rear speaker 13B. In any case, the receiver 15,
Of the amplifier 16 and the rear speaker 13B, the one integrally formed and the one separately formed are electrically detachably connected. Receiver 15, amplifier 16
And installation or removal of the rear speaker 13B,
It is convenient.

The rear speaker 13B is configured to be detachable from an installation location, here, the island wall 23. According to this, since the rear speaker 13B may be attached when needed, waste can be reduced, and once it is attached, it can be removed when not needed, which is convenient for installation planning.

In this arrangement, when a command is given from the control device 11 to the audio output circuit 12,
The audio output circuit 12 outputs a predetermined audio output signal based on the command. Here, since the audio output circuit 12 is provided with a surround function, the audio output signal from the audio output circuit 12 is a signal capable of exhibiting a surround effect.

The audio output signal from the audio output circuit 12 is
The audio signal is separately output to the left audio output terminal 12L, the right audio output terminal 12R, and the rear audio output terminal 12B. The audio output signal from the left audio output terminal 12L is supplied to the left speaker 13L to reproduce the left audio, and the audio output signal from the right audio output terminal 12R is supplied to the right speaker 13R to reproduce the right audio. You.

An audio output signal from the rear audio output terminal 12B is supplied to a transmitter 14 and transmitted to a receiver 15 by radio waves of a predetermined frequency. The receiver 15 receives the radio wave from the transmitter 14, converts the received high-frequency signal into a low-frequency audio signal, and supplies the low-frequency audio signal to the amplifier 16. The amplifier 16 amplifies the audio signal and supplies the amplified audio signal to the rear speaker 13B, which converts the audio signal into rear audio and outputs it.

As described above, sound is output from the left speaker 13L, the right speaker 13R, and the rear speaker 13B, and a sound field having a surround effect is formed between the speakers 13L, 13R, and 13B. Therefore, the player 22 can hear a sound effect with a sense of presence that is deep and wide in the left-right direction (the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing in FIG. 2) and the front-back direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 2). Interest in the game inside is greatly enhanced.

The player 22 has a game table 2 installed on the rear side.
4 also receives the sound from the speakers 25L and 25R, but the person has the characteristic that he or she can unconsciously distinguish and hear the necessary or related sound now.
Therefore, the player 22 can naturally hear the sound from the rear speaker 13B, and the surround effect is exhibited without any hindrance. In addition, a cable for connecting between the transmitter 14 and the receiver 15 (between the amplifier 16 and the rear speaker 13B) is unnecessary, and the passage of a player or the like between them is not obstructed by the cable.

In the above-described embodiment, radio waves are used as a transmission medium of a signal from the rear audio output terminal of the audio output circuit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be infrared rays, for example. When infrared rays are used, the transmitter and the receiver are installed at positions where they can see each other even when a player or the like passes between them. Infrared rays have strong directivity, but if the directivity is further strengthened and the surface structure near the installation location of the transmitter and receiver has a less infrared reflection surface structure, the transmission and receiver groups between adjacent Interference can be eliminated. Therefore, there is no need to switch between transmission and reception frequencies using transmission and reception using radio waves.

In the above embodiment, the case where one rear speaker is installed has been described, but two or more rear speakers may be installed.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a reproduced sound (effect sound) having a depth and a spread not only in the left-right direction but also in the front-back direction, that is, in the original meaning of surround sound. It is possible to provide a gaming machine which can exert an effect and greatly enhance the interest of the player.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a gaming machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state where the gaming machine is actually installed in a hall and playing sound effects.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 11 control device 12 audio output circuit 13L left speaker 13R right speaker 13B rear speaker 14 transmitter (transmitter) 15 receiver (receiver) 16 amplifier (amplifier)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A control device for controlling each part of a gaming machine, a sound output circuit with a surround function added for outputting a predetermined sound signal based on a command from the control device, and a left sound of the sound output circuit. A left speaker connected to an output terminal to reproduce left audio; a right speaker connected to a right audio output terminal of the audio output circuit to reproduce right audio; and a right speaker connected to a rear audio output terminal of the audio output circuit. A transmitter for wirelessly transmitting a signal from the output terminal, a receiver for receiving a signal from the transmitter, an amplifier for amplifying a signal from the receiver, and an amplifier connected to an output terminal of the amplifier. A game machine comprising: a rear speaker to which a signal from an amplifier is supplied and reproduces rear sound. 2. A radio wave is used as a transmission medium of a signal from a rear audio output terminal, and transmission and reception frequencies of a transmitter and a receiver can be selectively switched to a desired frequency from a plurality of types of frequencies. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein: 3. An amplifier, or a receiver and an amplifier, are integrally formed with a rear speaker.
Or the gaming machine according to 2. 4. The gaming machine according to claim 3, wherein the rear speaker is configured to be detachable from an installation location.