JP2004167231A - Game machine and speaker for game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine with a speaker with further enhanced presentation effect in a game. <P>SOLUTION: A pachinko machine 1 has a speaker 5 for generating a sound according to a prescribed game state. The speaker 5 has a duct 9 for leading out air, mounted at a position where air from an outlet 9B of the duct 9 is blown to a player's hand. In addition, a transparent part 11 is disposed on the way of the duct 9, and vibrating particles 12 moving around at random with the air flow are stored inside the transparent part 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine that generates a sound effect, for example, a pachinko machine, a turning-type gaming machine, and the like.

  Many gaming machines such as pachinko machines are provided with a speaker. The speaker generates a predetermined sound effect during a game to produce a game. As a contrivance for enhancing the effect by the sound effects from the speakers, there is a device in which a plurality of speakers are arranged according to the sound range of the generated sound effects (for example, JP-A-8-103543 and JP-A-10-314376). ). Among these, the latter document discloses that a bass reflex speaker is disposed as a bass speaker.

JP-A-8-103543 JP-A-10-314376

Indeed, by arranging the bass reflex speaker in the gaming machine, the sound quality of the sound effect can be improved, and the effect of the effect can be enhanced. However, the improvement in sound quality is an effect that can be naturally predicted when a bass reflex speaker is arranged, and does not provide a particularly novel effect.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine having a novel configuration that utilizes the characteristics of a speaker that emits wind, such as a bass reflex speaker.

Means for Solving the Problems, Effects of the Invention, and Effects of the Invention

A gaming machine according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a speaker that emits a sound in accordance with a predetermined game state, and an outlet of a duct that leads out air emitted from the speaker is provided. The airflow from the duct is provided at a position where the airflow hits a player of the gaming machine.
According to the first aspect, when the gaming machine enters a predetermined state during the game, a sound is emitted from the speaker. At this time, the air exhausted from the outlet of the speaker duct hits the player. For this reason, the player can sense the predetermined state of the gaming machine through the tactile sense together with the sound (hearing) from the speaker, so that the gaming machine is full of staging effects. In addition, as the speaker of the present invention, a bass reflex speaker (phase inversion type speaker) can be preferably used, but any other speaker that blows out wind together with sound can be used.

A gaming machine according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a speaker that emits a sound in accordance with a predetermined game state, and a duct that derives air emitted from the speaker moves by a flow of air in the duct. The movable object is provided so as to be visible to a player of the gaming machine.
The movable object includes, for example, a small object, a windmill, and the like that randomly move around by the flow of air.
According to the second invention, when the gaming machine enters a predetermined state during the game, a sound is emitted from the speaker. At this time, since the movable object moves by the air flowing through the duct of the speaker, the player can sense a predetermined state of the gaming machine through visual sense together with the sound (hearing) of the speaker, so that the gaming machine is full of staging effects. .

A gaming machine according to a third aspect of the present invention is provided with a speaker that emits sound and air in accordance with a predetermined gaming state, and a game effect using the speaker is started from a low frequency outside an audible frequency band. Audible frequency band.
The audible frequency band means a frequency range in which a player can listen, and generally means about 20 Hz to about 20,000 Hz. Low frequency outside the audible frequency band (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "low frequency") means frequencies below about 20 Hertz. Even if such a sound outside the audible frequency band is output from the speaker, the player cannot clearly hear the sound. However, humans may feel some discomfort (specifically, for example, feelings of pressure, anxiety, etc.) even if they cannot clearly hear low-frequency sounds, such as the low-frequency vibration problem. . In view of this, the present invention includes an effect of actively emitting low-frequency sound that cannot be clearly heard by a speaker from a speaker. According to the present invention, as game effects, (1) generation of only low-frequency sound, (2) generation of slight wind in addition to low-frequency sound, (3) generation of more reliable wind, (4) audible An example is the generation of sound in a frequency band.

In this example, the player feels (1) unclear, but somewhat uncomfortable, (2) a slight wind with the uncomfortable feeling, and (3) the wind gradually becomes stronger. (4) It is possible to obtain an effect produced by a series of steps in which a sound effect is further heard. As described above, the effect of the gaming machine can be enhanced by the combination of the wind emitted from the speaker and the low-frequency sound. In addition, the effect of the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and can be performed by arbitrarily combining low-frequency sound, audible range sound, and wind.
In the third invention, when the gaming machine is a pachinko machine, the gaming effect is performed during one variation of a predetermined gaming state. For example, one variation starts a symbol variation of a symbol display device provided with a plurality of (for example, three) symbol display units on condition that a pachinko ball wins in a starting winning port, and the symbol variation ends. Means up to the move. Note that this game effect starts, for example, when the symbol display device is in a reach state (a state in which a large hit state can be achieved with the remaining one symbol display portion fluctuating), and the remaining one symbol display portion is started. It is effective to perform this before the end of the fluctuation.

  Further, in the third invention, when the gaming machine is a pachinko machine, the gaming effect is performed over a plurality of fluctuations. Here, “across a plurality of fluctuations” has the following meaning. For example, if the next pachinko ball wins the starting winning opening during the symbol change of the symbol display device, the winning ball is held until a predetermined number (for example, four) of the winning balls is reached, and the start of the change is started. A change is held as a memory. If it is known that there is a big hit in the starting memory in which the change is suspended, a game effect that gives a sense of the big hit as a notice is performed while the symbol change is currently being performed. For this reason, a game effect spanning a plurality of fluctuations is performed. Note that, in addition to the case where a jackpot is included in any of the reserved balls, this game production can be performed with an appropriate probability as a so-called gaseous production even when a jackpot is not included in the reserved balls. .

  In the third invention, the gaming machine sets a multiplier of a game value, starts a symbol display device having a plurality of rows of symbol display units by a starting unit, and operates a symbol display unit by a player's operation of a stopping unit. In which the winning effect is determined according to the display mode of the stopped symbol display device, wherein the effect is performed during one game. In the present invention, for example, a gaming machine (a so-called slot machine) in which medals are inserted and symbols on a plurality of winding drums are aligned to a predetermined pattern, or a similar game using a pachinko ball is used. Gaming machines that perform The gaming value includes, for example, credits stored inside the gaming machine in addition to gaming media such as medals and pachinko balls. In one game, the number of game values is set, a symbol display device having a plurality of columns of symbol display units is started by a start unit, and the symbol display unit is stopped by a player's operation of a stop unit. It means a series of flows.

  Further, in the third invention, the gaming machine sets a number of game values, starts a symbol display device provided with a plurality of columns of symbol display units by a start unit, and operates a symbol by operating a stop unit by a player. In the one in which the display unit is stopped and a winning is determined according to the display mode of the stopped symbol display device, the effect is performed during a plurality of games. When the gaming machine is of the spinning-type gaming machine type, a lottery is performed when the starting means is turned on, and the state of a hit or miss is determined by the result of the lottery. At this time, a small hit that is a one-time right (for example, a payout of a predetermined number of game values, a right to a game (replay) again, etc.) is reset for each game.

  However, when a lottery regarding a bonus to be a big hit is won (when a so-called bonus flag is set), the state of the bonus flag is often maintained until the big hit is achieved. Here, the player cannot clearly know whether or not the bonus flag is set inside the gaming machine. Therefore, for example, on the condition that the internal bonus flag is raised (or at a predetermined probability so as to make the player feel as if the internal bonus flag is raised), a staging effect combining wind and sound. I do. Even if the bonus flag is raised, a single game does not necessarily result in a big hit, so that a game effect is performed over a plurality of games. In this case, if the player does not align the bonus symbols as a big hit even after the effect has been performed for a predetermined time, the audio effect will continue, and for a player who cannot align the symbols, it is not possible. Since it is an honor, it is preferable to adopt an algorithm of changing to the effect by a liquid crystal display or the like.

In the first invention to the third invention, a channel of the speaker is provided independently of a channel of another speaker. With such a configuration, this speaker can be used specifically for the effects of the present invention. This speaker can be used in cooperation with another speaker.
In the first invention to the third invention, the speaker is provided with a speaker body that emits a sound, an enclosure provided in the speaker body, and a duct that is provided in the enclosure and emits wind. Is set to be shorter than the length calculated from the lowest frequency to be used and the volume of the enclosure.
From the lowest frequency used (fd) and the volume of the enclosure (V0), the length of the duct can be calculated using, for example, the formula for the "Helmholtz resonance box". This formula is theoretically given by Equation 1 below.

(Equation 1) fd = v / (2π) * (S / (V0 (L + r))) ^1/2
Where fd is the resonance frequency, v is the speed of sound, S is the cross-sectional area of the duct, V0 is the volume of the enclosure, L is the length of the duct, and r is the radius when the cross-section of the duct is regarded as a circle (that is, , (S / π) ^1/2 ).
Alternatively, the following equation (2), which is obtained by empirically correcting the above equation (1) in research on a speaker, can be used.
(Equation 2) fd = 160 * (S / (V0 (L + r))) ^1/2
Where fd is the resonance frequency (Hz), S is the sectional area of the duct (cm ² ), V0 is the volume of the enclosure (l: liter), L is the length of the duct (cm), and r is the section of the duct. Means a radius (cm) when is regarded as a circle.

Equation 3 is used to determine the calculated length (L) of the duct for the lowest frequency (fd) to be used using Equation 2 above.
(Equation 3) L = S · 160 ² / (V0 · fd ² ) −r
When the actual length of the duct is set to a length shorter than the calculated length (L) calculated from Equation 2, resonance does not occur at the lowest frequency used (for example, set in a bass region outside the audible frequency band). Therefore, the player is clearly in a state where it is difficult to hear the sound. However, even in this state, the player feels something strange. From here, by gradually increasing the frequency, the condition that satisfies Expression 2 is approached, so that the player can hear the game sound. On the other hand, in the state where the frequency is low, even if the game sound cannot be heard, the wind from the duct can be gradually felt by the player. Thus, by using the above-mentioned duct, the player (1) feels something strange, although not clearly understood, (2) feels a slight wind with the strangeness, and (3) the wind gradually (4) It is possible to obtain an effect produced by a series of steps in which a sound effect is further heard.
Also, for example, by preparing background music and gradually increasing the band to be emphasized as a sound signal to be given to a speaker from a low-frequency range, the same effect as the present invention can be obtained.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various forms may be used without changing the gist of the invention. Can be implemented. Further, the technical scope of the present invention extends to an equivalent range.

<First embodiment>
Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a front view of a pachinko machine 1 which is a kind of a game machine. At the upper center of the front frame 2 of the pachinko machine 1, a substantially circular game area 3 is provided. An operation handle 4 for introducing a pachinko ball into the game area 3 is provided at the lower right end of the front surface.

  The pachinko machine 1 has a plurality of effects in which a control unit (for example, a substrate including a high-density integrated circuit (IC) can be used) is set in advance according to a game state such as a reach time or a big hit. An appropriate sound is selected from the sounds, and the sound effect is generated from the speaker 5 (see FIG. 2). In addition, about the structure of a control part, the technique known to those skilled in the art can be used. The speaker 5 is a bass reflex speaker. In this speaker 5, a speaker body 7 is fixed inside a speaker box 6 (corresponding to an enclosure in the present invention). The speaker body 7 is arranged so as to be exposed at an opening formed on the front side of the pachinko machine 1. A hollow duct 9 that emits sound emitted from the back of the speaker body 7 to the outside projects from the side surface 8 of the speaker box 6. The duct 9 is bent into a predetermined shape, and an opening 9A at one end thereof is inserted into the internal space of the speaker box 6. The other end opening 9B (discharge port) of the duct 9 is open toward the same surface as the speaker body 7 (the front surface of the pachinko machine 1). As shown in FIG. 3, the duct 9 protrudes from the rear side of the side surface 8, is bent forward, is bent again sideways, extends in the left-right direction, and then opens at the other end. It is directed forward near 9B.

Of these, the portion extending in the left-right direction is a transparent portion 11 in which a part of the wall is formed of a transparent member. The transparent portion 11 allows the internal space of the duct 9 to be visually recognized from the front side (more specifically, from the direction in which the player's line of sight is above the front side). A plurality of vibrating particles 12 (movable objects, small objects) formed of a material having a low density, such as styrene foam, are sealed in the internal space of the transparent portion 11. In the duct 9, a pair of movement preventing walls 13, 13 for preventing the vibrating grains 12 from jumping out are provided at left and right ends of the transparent portion 11. The movement preventing wall 13 is formed in a lattice shape having a plurality of holes smaller than the vibrating particles 12 and having a size large enough to allow air flow.
The frequency range emitted from the speaker 5 includes low-frequency sound outside the audible frequency range of less than about 20 Hz. In the audible frequency range, in a low-frequency sound range (for example, about 100 Hz or less), wind can be blown out from the other end opening 9B. When the sound range is set to 60 Hz to 80 Hz, a strong wind is blown out from the other end opening 9B to the player by hearing.

The speaker 5 configured as described above is arranged near the lower end of the pachinko machine 1 as shown in FIG. 1 so that the speaker box 6 is located on the left and the other end opening 9B is located on the right. Is provided. In the present embodiment, the speaker body 7 is arranged so as to face the front side of the pachinko machine 1. In the pachinko machine 1, a port hole 10 that allows air flow from the duct 9 is opened at a position where the other end opening 9B is opened. The port hole 10 is provided near the operation handle 4.
Further, a standard speaker 14 for a middle and high range is provided in the upper right portion of the front of the pachinko machine 1. The standard speaker 14 is disposed behind a net-shaped sound transmission port 15 provided on the surface of the front frame 2.

Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.
When the pachinko machine 1 is in a normal state other than a specific time (for example, a state until a specific reach is displayed and a lottery result is displayed) which is a predetermined gaming state while playing the pachinko machine 1 (No in Step 10), the standard speaker A sound signal is transmitted to the speaker 14 (step 12), a sound effect is emitted only from the standard speaker 14, and an electric signal to the speaker 5 is not transmitted.
When the pachinko machine 1 is in a specific state of a predetermined gaming state (Yes in step 10), an electric signal is transmitted to the speaker 5 so as to generate a predetermined sound (step 14). Then, the speaker body 7 emits a predetermined sound toward the front of the pachinko machine 1. At this time, the sound emitted from the back surface of the speaker body 7 flows through the opening 9A at one end and the opening 9B through the other end through the duct 9. Then, a predetermined sound and air flow out of the port hole 10 continuous with the other end opening 9B. Since the port hole 10 is provided in the vicinity of the operation handle 4 (for example, directly below the operation handle 4), the air flow hits the player's hand. For this reason, when the speaker 5 emits a sound, the player senses the flow of air in accordance with the sound, and the staging effect at the time of the game is further enhanced through the tactile sense. Particularly, when the lottery result at the time of the reach is displayed, the heavy bass of the speaker 5 and the flow of the air excite the expectation of the big hit. In the case of a predetermined game state in which the speaker 5 emits a sound, the standard speaker 14 can also make a sound.

  In addition, when air flow occurs in the internal space of the duct 9, the vibrating particles 12 sealed inside move randomly inside. At this time, the transparent part 11 is provided in the duct 9. For this reason, the player can watch the movement of the vibrating particles 12 together with the sound of the speaker 5 to further enhance the effect through visual sense. In particular, in the present embodiment, the flow of air from the port hole 10 and the movement of the vibrating particles 12 work together to enhance the production effect at the time of the game through the sense of touch and the sense of sight.

In the game effect of generating a wind in accordance with the gaming state of the gaming machine and hitting the wind with the player, for example, a fan is attached to a motor, and the motor is rotated and stopped according to the gaming state. It can be realized even with the configuration. However, in such a configuration, since it takes time from the start of the fan to the state of sending the wind of the predetermined wind, it is difficult to instantaneously apply a strong wind to the player without a time lag. It is. Therefore, it is poor in irritation, and it is difficult to obtain a sufficient effect. On the other hand, according to the configuration in which the speaker 5 of the present embodiment is provided, a strong wind can be instantaneously generated in response to the strength of the sound, and can be applied to the player. For this reason, a strong stimulus can be given to the player to obtain a high effect.
In the present embodiment, the speaker 5 that generates the sound effect of the pachinko machine 1 is also used as a wind generator. For this reason, since it is not necessary to separately provide a wind generator, in the pachinko machine 1 which is strongly subject to spatial dimensional restrictions (size restrictions for each of width, height, and depth) of various devices, a dedicated wind generator is provided. There is no need to secure a space, and the pachinko machine 1 can be easily arranged.

In the present embodiment, the air from the duct 9 is provided so as to hit the hand of the player, but according to the present invention, the outlet of the duct is provided at the head, neck, ears, etc. of the player. May be. Further, in the present embodiment, the tactile stimulus due to the airflow from the port hole 10 and the visual stimulus due to the movement of the vibrating particles 12 are combined with the sound from the speaker 5. Only one of them may be combined with the speaker.
In the present embodiment, both the standard speaker 14 and the speaker 5 are provided in the pachinko machine 1, but according to the present invention, the gaming machine may be provided with only one speaker. . In this case, for example, a speaker is arranged in a game machine as a so-called full-range speaker and the structure of the full-range speaker is the same as that of the speaker 5 of the present embodiment. it can.

  In this embodiment, the sound (and the wind) is set to be output from the speaker 5 only during the reach. Alternatively (or additionally), for example, at the time of a big hit notice notice, it is possible to raise the sense of expectation and enhance the effect of the game by mainly applying the wind to the hands of the player. It is possible to set so as to emit sound and wind from the speaker 5 at a preferable time. For example, when the symbol fluctuates, the wind is generated together with the heavy bass from the speaker 5 and the wind is applied to the player's hand to inform the player of the jackpot notice, thereby increasing the player's expectation.

<Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment and the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to components having the same operation, and description thereof will be omitted.
This embodiment can be implemented in combination with the first embodiment. In FIG. 5, a windmill member 20 rotatable by the flow of air in the duct 9 is provided. This windmill member 20 can be provided inside the transparent part 11 in the duct 9, for example.

The windmill member 20 includes a substantially square frame 21, a windmill 22 axially fixed to the center of the frame 21, and light emitters 23 provided on the left and right side walls of the frame 21. ing. The frame body 21 is open in both directions of the front side and the rear side, and allows air flow. In addition, entrance windows 25 are opened at predetermined positions on the left and right side walls 24 of the frame 21 so that light from the light emitter 23 can reach the windmill 22 inside the frame 21.
The windmill 22 is formed of a light and light-reflective material such as light aluminum. More specifically, it can be made of a material obtained by subjecting light aluminum to a glossy alumite treatment. When the windmill 22 rotates, the light from the light emitting body 23 is reflected in an appropriate direction, and an electric decoration effect such as a mirror ball can be obtained. In addition, the light-emitting body 23 can be comprised by LED, for example.

It is preferable that the windmill member 20 configured as described above is arranged such that the light reflected by the windmill 22 is directed to the player's line of sight.
According to the present embodiment, when the pachinko machine 1 enters a predetermined game state, in addition to the game sound from the speaker 5, the light from the windmill member 20 stimulates the visual sense of the player, so that the staging effect at the time of the game is reduced. Can be enhanced. If the other end opening 9B and the port hole 10 are configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the effect is further enhanced through tactile sensation.

<Third embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that, in the present embodiment and the first embodiment, components having the same operation are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
The speaker 30 of the present embodiment is provided near the lower end of the pachinko machine 1 as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 9, the speaker 30 includes a speaker box 31 having a stepped outer shape. The speaker box 31 is provided with a step portion 34 so that the height of the front surface 36 is lower than the height of the back surface 35 to which the speaker main body 33 is attached.

An opening 37A of the duct 37 is provided on the front surface 36, and the opening 37A is arranged so as to be aligned with the port hole 10 of the pachinko machine 1. That is, the speaker box 31 is installed so that the front surface 36 of the speaker box 31 contacts the back surface of the front plate 32 of the pachinko machine 1, and the speaker main body 33 faces the back surface of the pachinko machine 1. Further, the port hole 10 is formed toward the direction of the player's hand diagonally above and to the right, so that the wind from the speaker 30 can easily hit the player. The position of the stair portion 34 is provided such that the stair portion 34 is located behind the projecting position of the devices 38 of the pachinko machine 1.
According to the present embodiment, when the pachinko machine 1 is in a predetermined game state during a game, the player receives a stimulus through the auditory sense and the tactile sense by the sound from the speaker 30 and the air from the port hole 10. It is possible to provide a gaming machine with a high production effect.

In general, many devices such as a game board and a plurality of control board boxes are mounted inside the pachinko machine 1. For this reason, it is difficult to secure a sufficient space for providing the speaker 30. On the other hand, it is preferable to provide the speaker main body 33 and the speaker box 31 as large as possible in order to exert the power of the bass region, which is a feature of the speaker 30.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the stepped speaker box 31 is employed as described above. That is, in the speaker 30, the side to be accommodated in the pachinko machine 1 (the front side 36) is configured to be smaller, and the side to which the speaker body 33 is mounted (the back side 35) is configured to be larger. With such a configuration, it is possible to mount the pachinko machine 1 on the back side where it is difficult to secure a mounting space, and it is possible to provide the speaker main body 33 and the speaker box 31 large enough to sufficiently exhibit the performance of the speaker 30. .
When the invention disclosed in the present embodiment is extracted, a speaker that emits a sound in accordance with a predetermined game state is provided, and an outlet of a duct that derives air emitted from the speaker has a flow of air from the duct. , Wherein the speaker box of the speaker is configured such that the front side mounted on the back side of the pachinko machine is smaller than the back side on which the speaker body is mounted. It is a feature.

<Fourth embodiment>
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that, in the present embodiment and the above-described embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to components having the same operation, and description thereof will be omitted.
In the first to third embodiments, the configuration is such that the wind hits the player in software. That is, a gaming machine provided with a speaker that emits a sound in accordance with a predetermined gaming state, and an outlet of a duct that derives air emitted from the speaker has a flow of air from the duct that is a player of the gaming machine. , And is controlled so that when the gaming machine enters a specific gaming state, a sound is emitted from the speaker and the wind hits the hand of the player. In this configuration, the wind is applied to the player along with the sound from the speaker, so that the software can be easily realized. In particular, current gaming machines generally use a control board including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM to control display on a display unit and control sound effects, and thus can be implemented relatively easily.

  However, according to the present invention, in another configuration, that is, in a gaming machine having a speaker that emits sound, the outlet of the duct that derives the air emitted from the speaker has an air flow from the duct that is It is provided at a position where it hits a player of the gaming machine, and is controlled so that the wind from the speaker hits the hand of the player when the gaming machine enters a specific gaming state. It may be something. That is, two openings for the duct of the speaker are provided, one of which is arranged at a position where the wind hits the player (outgoing route), and the other normal opening is arranged at other positions (discharge route). Keep it. In addition, a wind departure direction control mechanism for controlling derivation and suppression of air from each opening of the duct is provided. For example, a valve member and an adjustment mechanism (for example, a motor, a solenoid, etc.) for displacing the valve member are provided. In the loudspeaker thus configured, the adjusting mechanism is driven so that air is led out of the discharge path when the state of the gaming machine is normal, and the adjusting mechanism is driven such that air is blown out of the lead-out path when the state of the gaming machine is specified. Drive.

In the configuration in which two openings are provided, (1) a speaker is provided with one duct, a branch is provided in the middle of the duct, and two openings are provided before the branch, or (2) a speaker is provided. Either of two ducts may be used. However, in the case of the configuration (1), the size of the speaker box can be reduced by the size of the duct. In addition, in the case of configuring the wind path leading direction control mechanism, one valve section is provided at the branch portion. It only needs to be provided.
In the fourth embodiment, an example for realizing the above configuration will be described.
FIGS. 10 and 11 show the configuration of the speaker 50 of the present embodiment. The speaker 50 is provided with two ducts 51 and 52. Each of the ducts 51 and 52 is provided with a pair of mounting holes 51a and 52a coaxially with each other, and a valve member 53 is mounted so as to pass through the four mounting holes 51a and 52a. As shown in FIG. 10, the valve member 53 is provided with a shaft portion 54 and a pair of valve portions 55 and 56 provided along the shaft portion 54. The outer diameters of the two valve parts 55 and 56 are substantially disc-shaped in accordance with the inner diameters of the ducts 51 and 52. Further, the projecting directions of the two valve parts 55 and 56 are arranged such that the angles are shifted from each other by about 90 °. The valve member 53 thus configured is rotatable in any direction about the shaft portion 54 as a center of rotation. Further, the shaft portion 54 is configured to be able to be rotated at an appropriate angle by an adjusting mechanism such as a stepping motor 57.

Of the two ducts, the opening (discharge path) of the normal duct 51 on one side is arranged toward a direction other than the front side (for example, the back side) of the pachinko machine 1. The opening (lead-out route) of the specific duct 52 on the other side is connected to the port hole 10 on the front of the pachinko machine 1.
The operation state of the speaker 50 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.
The speaker 50 of the present embodiment generates sound effects not only at a specific time such as a specific reach, but also at a normal time. However, the position of the valve member 53 is adjusted as follows according to the gaming state of the pachinko machine 1. The valve member 53 includes (1) a normal position where the valve portion 55 is located along the axial direction of the normal duct 51 and a valve portion 56 is located at a position orthogonal to the axial direction of the specific duct 52; ) The valve portion 55 is normally at a position orthogonal to the axial direction of the duct 51, and the valve portion 56 is mutually rotated between two positions, that is, a specific position which is a position along the axial direction of the specific duct 52. Change. At the above-described normal position, the discharge of air from the specific duct 52 is regulated, and the discharge of air from the normal duct 51 is allowed. The wind from the speaker 50 flows out to the discharge path without hitting the player. On the other hand, at the specific position, the discharge of the air from the normal duct 51 is regulated, and the discharge of the air from the specific duct 52 is allowed, and the wind from the speaker 50 hits the player.

As shown in FIG. 12, when the gaming state of the pachinko machine 1 is normal (No in Step 20 and No in Step 22), the valve member 53 is in the normal position, which is the initial state, and the speaker 50 is used. From the outlet is derived from the discharge path.
Next, when the game state of the pachinko machine 1 has shifted from the normal state to the specific state (Yes in step 20), one of the wind derivation control mechanisms is configured to rotate the valve member 53 at the normal position to the specific position. A signal is transmitted from the control device (not shown) of the pachinko machine 1 to the stepping motor 57 (step 26). As a result, the valve member 53 shifts from the normal position to the specific position, and the wind hits the player's hand with the sound effect from the speaker 50. In this way, after the valve member 53 is shifted to the specific position, the wind from the speaker 50 hits the player until the gaming state of the pachinko machine 1 shifts from the specific time to the normal time (Yes in step 22). .
On the other hand, when the gaming state of the pachinko machine 1 has shifted from the specific state to the normal state (No in Step 20 and Yes in Step 22), the valve member 53 is transmitted to the stepping motor 57 which is a part of the wind derivation control mechanism. Is output (step 24), and the position of the valve member 53 is rotationally shifted from the specific position to the normal position. Thus, at the time of the identification, the wind hitting the player in accordance with the sound effect of the speaker 50 shifts to the normal time, and is not sensed by the player.

According to the present embodiment configured as described above, the same operation and effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.
Further, in the present embodiment, the speaker 50 can emit the sound effect regardless of the normal time and the specific time, so that the bass sound peculiar to the speaker 50 can be generated even in the normal time.
It is assumed that the player does not like blowing out the wind from the port hole 10. For this reason, an operation unit (for example, a button) that can control the wind deriving direction control mechanism is provided on the front of the pachinko machine 1 (game machine), and when the player wants to stop the blowing of the wind even at a specific time. By operating (for example, pressing) this operating unit, the adjustment mechanism (for example, the stepping motor 57) is driven by manual operation, and the wind from the loudspeaker is always fixed to the discharge path, so that it is derived. You may comprise so that the blowing of the wind from a path | route may be stopped.

  In the first to fourth embodiments, a speaker that can emit sound and wind emits sound from a low frequency outside the audio frequency band, and gradually raises the frequency to increase the audio frequency. Control over a band may be performed (specifically, for example, an example is provided in which a control board for design display and sound generation is provided, and output control from the board to a speaker is performed). . By doing so, as the frequency increases, the speaker outputs (1) only low-frequency sound, (2) a slight wind in addition to such low-frequency sound, and (3) Further, a sound and a wind are generated that generate a more reliable wind, and (4) generate a sound in an audible frequency band. At this time, to the player, (1) I do not know clearly, but I feel something strange, (2) I feel a little wind with that feeling of discomfort, (3) The wind gradually feels stronger, (4) It is possible to provide an effect produced by a series of flows in which a sound effect is heard.

  The above-mentioned game effects can be performed during one change (for example, a movement from a reach state in which a large hit state is reached with one remaining symbol until a change display of the remaining one symbol ends). Can be performed over the fluctuation of Specifically, for example, when the next pachinko ball wins the starting winning opening during the symbol change of the symbol display device, the winning ball is set as a reserved ball until a predetermined number (for example, four) is reached, At the start of the fluctuation, the fluctuation is suspended as a starting memory. If it is known that there is a big hit in the starting memory in which the change is suspended, a game effect that gives a sense of the big hit as a notice is performed while the symbol change is currently being performed. In such a case, a game effect is performed over a plurality of fluctuations.

<Fifth embodiment>
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the fifth embodiment, the present invention is applied to a spinning-type gaming machine 60. The gaming machine 60 is a so-called slot machine.
As a game method, as shown in FIG. 13, first, a medal 61 is inserted into the medal slot 62 by a predetermined game value (for example, 1 to 3), or the bet button 77 is operated. Set. By operating the starting lever 63 (corresponding to the starting means in the present invention), a random number is obtained, and the symbol display device 65 provided with the symbol display unit 64 in the three columns in FIG. More specifically, the symbol display portions 64 arranged in three horizontal rows each have 21 symbols, and the symbols start rotating at a predetermined speed from top to bottom. As a method of starting the symbol display device 65, it is not always necessary to rely on the operation of the player. For example, the starting may be started after a predetermined time has elapsed after the medal 61 is inserted.

  The stop position of the symbol display section 64 is determined based on the winning combination by random drawing based on the random number, and each symbol display section 64 is operated by the player's operation of the stop button 66 (corresponding to the stopping means in the present invention). Is stopped at a stoppable position. At this time, when a predetermined specific combination is obtained, a prize is made, and a transition is made to payout of a game medium or a privilege game. For example, there is a bonus when "7" is arranged in a horizontal line or a slug, and when at least one predetermined symbol appears, there is a winning of a small role. In accordance with the degree of the winning, the player obtains a predetermined right (for example, obtains a predetermined number of medals 61 (wins a small role), continuously obtains a predetermined number of small wins (bonus), and plays the game again. (Replay), etc.).

The gaming machine 60 is provided with three speakers 67 and 68, as shown in FIG. Of these, the speakers 67, 67 provided below the left and right are normal speakers for playing background music during the game. On the other hand, the speaker 68 provided at the center can emit sound and wind (described later in detail). The channel of the speaker 68 is provided independently of the channels of the other speakers 67, 67.
The speaker 68 is controlled so as to emit a sound in accordance with a predetermined game state (for example, a tempai state, a bonus state, or a state in which it is forewarned that an internal bonus flag has been raised, in which a bonus is won with one remaining symbol). ing. As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the speaker 68 includes a hollow enclosure 69, a speaker main body 70 provided inside the enclosure 69, and a duct 71 extending forward of the enclosure 69. Is provided.

The duct 71 is formed in a hollow rectangular tube shape. When the speaker body 70 emits a sound of a predetermined frequency (for example, a low range outside an audible frequency band of 20 Hz or less to a range of about 100 Hz), an exit is provided. Emit air from 72. The external dimensions of the duct 71 include, for example, those having a depth dimension of about 250 mm, a horizontal dimension (horizontal dimension) of about 108 mm, and a height dimension of about 21 mm. When the duct 71 of this size is made of a material having a plate thickness of about 4 mm, the inner dimensions are about 100 mm in horizontal dimension (horizontal dimension), about 13 mm in height, and about 250 mm in depth.
The duct 71 extends horizontally and linearly inside the gaming machine 60 and is connected to the enclosure 69. As shown in FIG. 13, the outlet 72 of the duct is provided in the vicinity of the stop button 66 in the gaming machine 60 (more specifically, in the vicinity of below the three stop buttons 66). . The outlet 72 is formed in a horizontally long shape, and has an aspect ratio of 7 or more.

  Examples of the dimensions of the enclosure 69 include a depth dimension of about 150 mm, a lateral dimension (horizontal dimension) of about 350 mm, and a height dimension of about 50 mm. When the enclosure 69 of this size is made of a material having a thickness of about 4 mm, the inner diameter is about 350 mm in the horizontal dimension (horizontal dimension), about 42 mm in the height dimension, and about 142 mm in the depth dimension. In the enclosure 69, the ratio of the height dimension to the lateral dimension is 50/350 = 0.143, and the enclosure 69 has a flat shape.

When the resonance frequency of the enclosure 69 and the duct 71 having the above dimensions is obtained from the above (Equation 2), the resonance frequency is about 79 Hz. Further, regarding the enclosure 69, in a duct having the same cross-sectional area as the duct 71 (that is, a horizontal dimension of the inner diameter is about 100 mm and a height dimension is about 13 mm), if the resonance frequency is to be about 20 Hz, When calculated using (Equation 3), the length is about 4.1 m. The actual length (depth dimension) of the duct 71 is about 250 mm, which is shorter than the calculated length.
A slide groove 73 is provided in the front wall of the enclosure 69 (the wall to which the duct 71 is attached) in the left-right direction. On the other hand, the duct 71 is provided with a slide engaging portion (not shown) that engages with the slide groove 73, and the duct 71 can slide in the left-right direction while being engaged with the enclosure 69. It has been. Note that engagement recesses 73A and 73B that are slightly recessed are provided at both left and right end portions of the slide groove 73. Temporary engagement projections are provided at corresponding positions of the slide engagement portions so as to elastically engage with the concave portions 73A and 73B, and the duct 71 can be engaged with the end of the slide groove 73. .

FIG. 15 shows a state in which the duct 71 is located substantially at the center of the enclosure 69. In this gaming position, the outlet 72 of the duct 71 is aligned with an opening 75 provided in the front door 74 of the gaming machine 60. When the duct 71 is at the gaming position, as shown in FIG. 14, the duct 71 is arranged so as to cover above the hopper 76 of the gaming machine 60. The hopper 76 is a mechanism for temporarily holding the medals 61 inside the gaming machine 60. That is, while the medals 61 inserted by the player are retained in the hopper 76, a predetermined number of medals 61 are paid to the player.
The enclosure 69 of the speaker 68 is disposed above the hopper 76, and the duct 71 extending forward from the enclosure 69 normally covers the upper part of the hopper 76.
On the other hand, when the duct 71 is slid to the left end of the slide groove 73, the duct 71 reaches the retracted position as shown in FIG. In this retracted position, the duct 71 retreats from above the hopper 76, and the space above it is open.
When the duct 71 is at the position shown in FIG. 15, it is a matter of course that the portion other than the outlet 72 of the duct 71 is sealed at the connection portion between the duct 71 and the enclosure 69. It is.

Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.
To play a game with the gaming machine 60, the player inserts a predetermined number of medals 61 into the medal slot 62, sets the number of medals, and operates the starting lever 63 to start the symbol display device 65. Next, the player operates each stop button 66 to try to match the symbol on the symbol display section 64 with a predetermined one. At this time, in many cases, the player performs a pushing operation for estimating timing in order to give a specific symbol.
Further, in the present embodiment, the frequency emitted from the speaker 68 can be set so as to start from a low frequency outside the audible frequency band and gradually shift to a higher frequency. According to such control, the player (1) does not know clearly, but feels something strange, (2) feels a slight wind together with the strangeness, and (3) the wind gradually feels stronger. (4) It is possible to obtain an effect produced by a series of steps in which a sound effect is further heard.

In the speaker 68 of the present embodiment, the length of the duct 71 is determined by the length calculated from the lowest frequency (for example, 10 Hz) to be used and the volume of the enclosure 69 (approximately 16 m using the above-described (Equation 3)). Is also set short. For this reason, the above-mentioned effect can be easily obtained.
In addition, the above-mentioned effect is performed in one game (a predetermined number is set, the symbol display device 65 is started by the start lever 63, and the three symbol display portions 64 are stopped by the operation of the stop button 66 by the player. During a series of operations).

  Furthermore, the above-mentioned effects can be performed over a plurality of games. That is, in the gaming machine 60, a predetermined number of medals 61 are inserted, and when the starting lever 63 is operated, a lottery is performed, and the state of a hit or miss is determined based on the lottery result. Of the lottery results, one-time small winning combinations (for example, obtaining a predetermined number of medals 61, replaying (replaying), etc.) are reset for each game regardless of whether the player has missed the game. You. However, a right (a state in which a large number of medals 61 can be obtained such that a game in which a predetermined number of medals 61 can be obtained can be continuously played a predetermined number of times (for example, 12 games) with a higher probability than usual). When a lottery is won (when a so-called bonus flag is set), the bonus flag is often maintained between games until a big hit occurs. Here, the player cannot clearly know whether or not the bonus flag inside the gaming machine 60 is set. In addition, the fun in playing the spinning-type gaming machine is to quickly detect the state where such a bonus flag is set, and to push a symbol for a bonus prize. Therefore, for example, on the condition that the internal bonus flag is set (or at a predetermined probability so as to make the player think that the internal bonus flag is set), the game is executed over a plurality of games. Perform the above effect. Even if the bonus flag is raised, a single game does not necessarily result in a big hit, so that a game effect can be performed over a plurality of games. With this, a slight sign (for example, a reach eye or the behavior of the torso at the time of the stop operation) is used to quickly detect a state where the bonus flag is set, and to press a symbol for a bonus prize. It is possible to obtain a production effect that takes over the original fun of the machine.

  Depending on the skill of the player, it may not be possible to match the big hit symbol even if the bonus flag is set. In such a case, the game performance by sound and wind may be performed for an excessively long time, and the player may feel unpleasant. For example, it can be understood that the skill level of the player is low due to the fact that the bonus flag is also set for the surrounding people, so that the player is embarrassed, or the production by the wind and sound is flashy So it can be annoying. For this reason, if a big hit does not occur even if the above-described effect is continued for a predetermined time, an algorithm for changing to an effect using a liquid crystal display or the like can be adopted.

<Sixth embodiment>
Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The speaker 80 shown in FIG. 17 can be used in place of the speaker 68 of the fifth embodiment (for this reason, the configuration of the gaming machine 60 will be described using the same reference numerals as in the fifth embodiment). The outer diameter and the inner diameter of the enclosure 81 and the duct 83 of the speaker 80 are equal to those of the speaker 68 described above.
The speaker 80 is disposed above the hopper 76 in the spinning-type gaming machine 60, and can emit sound and wind according to a predetermined gaming state. The speaker 80 includes a hollow enclosure 81, a speaker body 82 provided inside the enclosure 81, and a duct 83 extending forward of the enclosure 81. The outlet 84 of the duct 83 is attached to the back side of the front door 74 of the gaming machine 60. Further, from the rear end side of the duct 83, an assembling protrusion 87 that can be fitted into an assembling hole 86 provided in the front wall 85 of the enclosure 81 is provided so as to project therefrom.

According to the present embodiment configured as described above, when the front door 74 is closed, the mounting projection 87 fits into the mounting hole 86, so that the duct 83 and the enclosure 81 are integrated. At this time, the duct 83 reaches a gaming position that covers the upper part of the hopper 76. On the other hand, when the front door 74 is opened, as shown in FIG. 18, the duct 83 moves together with the front door 74 to separate from the enclosure 81 and retreat from above the hopper 76, so that the operability of the operator with respect to the hopper 76 is improved. Can be improved.
Otherwise, the present embodiment can also provide the same operation and effect as the fifth embodiment.
In each of the above embodiments, the opening of the duct is configured to open toward the outer surface of the gaming machine. For this reason, there is a possibility that a fraudulent act of causing an elongated object such as a piano wire to enter the inside of the game machine through the opening. In order to avoid this, it is preferable that the enclosure and the duct are covered with a metal plate (including punching metal). By doing so, the possibility that fraudulent acts can be prevented is improved.

It is a front view of the pachinko machine in 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view of a speaker. It is a plane sectional view showing the flow of air in a speaker. 6 is a software flowchart for controlling generation of a sound effect from a speaker. It is a perspective view of a windmill member in 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view of a windmill member. It is a front view of the pachinko machine in 3rd Embodiment. It is a rear view of a pachinko machine. It is an overall perspective view of a speaker. FIG. 14 is an overall perspective view of a speaker according to a fourth embodiment. It is an expansion perspective view of a valve member. It is a flowchart of software at the time of controlling the position of a valve member. It is a front view of a spinning-type game machine in a 5th embodiment. It is a perspective view of the spinning-type gaming machine when opening the front door and opening the inside. It is a perspective view when a duct is in a game position in a speaker. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the speaker when the duct is at a retracted position. It is a perspective view of the speaker in a 6th embodiment. It is a perspective view showing a situation when the front door of the spinning-type gaming machine is opened and the enclosure and the duct are separated.

Explanation of reference numerals

1. Pachinko machines (game machines)
5, 30, 50, 68, 80 ... speakers 6, 31, 69, 81 ... speaker box (enclosure)
7, 33, 70, 82 ... speaker bodies 9, 37, 51, 52, 71, 83 ... duct 9B ... other end opening (exit)
12: vibrating particles (movable and small objects)
22 ... Windmill (movable object)
37A, 72, 84 ... opening (exit)
53 ... valve member (control mechanism)
57 ... Stepping motor (control mechanism)
60 ... Spindle type game machine (game machine)

Claims (3)

A gaming machine having a speaker that emits a sound in accordance with a predetermined gaming state,
A gaming machine, wherein an outlet of a duct for leading out air emitted from the speaker is provided at a position where a flow of air from the duct hits a player of the gaming machine. A gaming machine having a speaker that emits a sound in accordance with a predetermined gaming state,
A gaming machine, wherein a movable object that moves by the flow of air in the duct is provided in a duct that leads out air emitted from the speaker so as to be visible to a player of the gaming machine. A gaming machine speaker comprising: a duct that leads air by sound generation; and a movable object that moves by the flow of air is visibly provided in the middle of the duct.

Images