JP2004337331A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine which satisfies the visibility of a player while suppressing cost up of the whole game machine. <P>SOLUTION: The game machine is provided with a liquid crystal display device 13 at an upper case 12a installed at the upper part of the game machine 1 provided with a game area. As for the liquid crystal display device, a downward visual field angle with respect to a screen is made to be larger than an upward visual field angle, and the screen is obliquely arranged facing the side of the user. Thus, even the liquid crystal display device arranged at the upper part of the game machine can secure the visibility of the player. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a game machine such as an arcade game machine, a coin game machine (pachislot machine), a ball game machine (pachinko machine), etc., which has a liquid crystal screen at a position avoiding a game area. .
[0002]
[Prior art]
Players of recent days can not only get bored with mere games but also check some added value, such as game state data such as payout tables, number of jackpots, jackpot probability, etc., and enjoy second games on screens other than the main screen There is a tendency for gaming machines to have gaming properties such as squats.
For example, in a conventional arcade game machine, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display is arranged above the game area in addition to the main game area (display screen) in order to enhance the game performance of the game machine. There is something. Then, on the display, data of a game state such as a payout table and information display such as jackpot information and replacement information of a second game or a game console are provided (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-T-2002-530167 (page 19, FIG. 1, FIG. 5, FIG. 13)
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, such prior art has the following problems.
In order to dispose a heavy display such as a CRT above the gaming machine, it is necessary to adopt a structure capable of sufficiently withstanding the weight of the game machine. Costs rise.
In the case of a CRT display, power consumption is large and running cost is high.
In this case, an inexpensive and low-power liquid crystal display may be provided instead of the CRT display. However, the liquid crystal display has a problem of a viewing angle as compared with the CRT display.
Some liquid crystal displays have solved the problem of the viewing angle and have a viewing angle similar to that of a CRT. Therefore, it is considered that this problem of the viewing angle can be solved simply by using a liquid crystal display having a wide viewing angle.
However, such a liquid crystal display is expensive, and the cost of the whole game machine rises. As a result, the cost of the whole game machine rises.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine that satisfies the player's visibility while suppressing an increase in the overall cost of the gaming machine. It is in.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A technical means achieved by the present invention to achieve the above object is a gaming machine having an upper housing for displaying game information disposed above a gaming machine housing 1a constituting a gaming machine main body. And a liquid crystal display device 13 having a viewing angle spread downward at a display surface position of the upper housing.
As a result, the player can check each payout table, see the sub-game, and the like with good visibility by using the liquid crystal display device 13 arranged at a position different from the game area 2, and reduce the cost of the entire gaming machine. Can also be planned.
The liquid crystal display device 13 satisfies the player's visibility because the viewing angle is widened downward by arranging the liquid crystal display device 13 with the vertical direction reversed.
Furthermore, if the liquid crystal display device is provided at an angle by disposing the lower end side in the depth direction with respect to the display surface of the upper housing, the viewing angle is further expanded downward, so that the visibility of the player is increased. To be satisfied.
In addition, the upper housing may form a light shielding portion near the lower end of the liquid crystal display device 13. According to this, the light blocking portion blocks external light, and the visibility of the liquid crystal display device 13 is improved.
[0006]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present embodiment is merely an embodiment of the present invention, and is not to be construed as being limited to the embodiment. The design can be changed within the scope of the present invention.
The figure shows an embodiment of the gaming machine of the present invention, and the gaming machine 1 in the illustrated example is a large-sized commercial coin-type gaming machine (slot machine), in which the gaming machine 1 is mounted and fixed on an installation base 14. It is as tall as a person.
In the figure, reference numeral 2 denotes a main liquid crystal screen including a transparent liquid crystal 4 on the front surface of a reel 3 (the entire main liquid crystal screen including the reel 3 in this embodiment is referred to as a game area; the same applies hereinafter); Is a control panel provided with various operation buttons used in the gaming machine 1, 6 is a bill insertion slot, 7 is a coin (medal) insertion slot, 8 is a belly door, and 9 is a coin (medal) that has been paid out. A coin tray 10, a speaker 10, and a tower light 11 are respectively shown.
Then, an upper housing 12a for displaying game information called a top box 12 above the housing 1a of the gaming machine 1, for example, in the present embodiment, above the gaming machine housing 1a, is integrated with the gaming machine housing 1a. , And a liquid crystal display device 13 is arranged at the display surface position of this top box 12 (in the direction of the player).
That is, in the present invention, the liquid crystal display device 13 is arranged at an arbitrary position avoiding the game area 2 of the gaming machine 1, and the arrangement of the liquid crystal display device 13 is an arrangement configuration with good visibility for the player. Has characteristic elements.
Accordingly, the arrangement and configuration of the liquid crystal display device 13 will be described in detail as follows, and other components of the gaming machine will be described in detail below with respect to each configuration of the currently known gaming machine or a level that can be expected by those skilled in the art in the future. Since each configuration of the gaming machine can be applied or changed in design within the scope of the present invention, a description of the configuration other than the arrangement configuration of the liquid crystal display device 13 is omitted. Note that other configurations (not shown) can be appropriately adopted within the scope of the present invention.
[0007]
As the liquid crystal display device 13, for example, a conventionally known desired liquid crystal screen that performs arbitrary display of images, character information, and the like is applied.
In order to reduce the cost of the entire gaming machine 1, it is preferable to select a low-cost liquid crystal screen. As such a low-cost liquid crystal screen, for example, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) type liquid crystal display or the like is cited as an example.
In the liquid crystal display presented above, the lower the cost, the smaller the viewing angle with respect to the screen.
Therefore, in the present invention, the following technical measures are taken to solve the problem that the viewing angle becomes narrow when a low-cost liquid crystal display is used.
[0008]
In the present embodiment, as described above, in the upper housing 12a disposed above the gaming machine housing 1a, the front surface of the screen faces the player (the direction indicated by the arrow A in the figure is the player). In addition, the liquid crystal display device 13 is arranged at a position where the player can easily view the liquid crystal display device.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the liquid crystal display device 13 generally has a wide viewing angle with respect to the screen as compared to a downward viewing angle. However, in the case of such a configuration in which the large gaming machine 1 is disposed in the upper housing 12a, the player looks up the liquid crystal display device 13 from below, so that the liquid crystal display device remains in a normal state. If the 13 is arranged on the front surface of the upper housing 12a, the visibility of the player is inferior because the downward viewing angle is narrow.
Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3B, the viewing angle in the downward direction with respect to the screen is set to be wider than the viewing angle in the upward direction (the viewing angle is downward. The liquid crystal display device 13 is arranged.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), a normal liquid crystal display is rotated 180 degrees and arranged upside down, and the viewing angle in the downward direction with respect to the screen is changed to the viewing angle in the upward direction. Means for increasing the width are adopted.
In other words, if the viewing angle falls within the standard viewing area of the player, the liquid crystal display device 13 may be arranged vertically or slightly inclining toward the player side with respect to the installation surface of the gaming machine 1. Good.
[0009]
The liquid crystal display device 13 tilts the screen toward the player side, that is, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 (c), the lower end side 13c with respect to the display surface of the upper housing 12a has a depth. The screen 13a is inclined to the player side by disposing the lower end 13c side inward in the direction of the arrow B in the drawing with the lower end 13c side inward in the upper housing 12a. I do.
[0010]
The tilt angle of the liquid crystal display device 13 is selected so that the viewing angle falls within a standard field of view of the player, but is not particularly limited. For example, a tilt of about 7 degrees is preferable. In this case, if it is possible to arrange the display so that the viewing angle falls within the standard viewing area of the player, a normal liquid crystal screen (the viewing angle in the upward direction relative to the screen is smaller than the viewing angle in the downward direction). 3 (a), which is wide and wide, can be used as it is.
[0011]
Further, the viewing angle is adjusted as described above (the state of FIG. 3B in which the viewing angle in the downward direction with respect to the screen is wider than the viewing angle in the upward direction). If it is configured to be inclined toward the side, the visibility of the player is further improved.
[0012]
As described above, by arranging the lower end 13c of the liquid crystal display device 13 in the depth direction with respect to the display surface of the upper housing 12a to tilt the screen toward the player, as shown in FIG. In addition, on the upper, lower, left, and right sides of the liquid crystal display device 13, housing wall surfaces 12b, 12b,... Of the upper housing 12a are provided in front of the front position of the screen 13a. Thereby, the housing wall surfaces 12b, 12b,... Located on the upper, lower, left, and right sides of the liquid crystal display device 13 function as light shielding portions for shielding external light, so that the liquid crystal display device 13 is hardly affected by external light.
Further, a configuration in which a light shielding portion is separately provided in the vicinity of the liquid crystal display device 13 as necessary may be adopted. The shape of the light-shielding portion is not limited.
[0013]
The screen size and screen shape of the liquid crystal display device 13 are not particularly limited, and can be arbitrarily selected according to the specifications of the gaming machine.
In this embodiment, the liquid crystal display device 13 is provided in the upper housing 12a separately arranged and fixed above the gaming machine housing 1a, but the gaming area 2 of the gaming machine housing 1a is avoided. If it is possible to dispose the liquid crystal display device 13 at the set position, the liquid crystal display device 13 may be disposed directly on the gaming machine housing 1a itself.
[0014]
Further, the liquid crystal display device 13 is an example in which a single liquid crystal display device is arranged in the present embodiment, but a plurality of liquid crystal screens having an arbitrary screen size and an arbitrary screen shape can be arranged regularly or irregularly. .
[0015]
Note that the liquid crystal display device 13 used in the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and it is not prohibited to adopt another liquid crystal screen (display). Further, a liquid crystal display of a TN (Twisted Nematic) type, or a liquid crystal display of an STN (Super Twisted Nematic) type / DSTN (Dual-scan Super Twisted Nematic) type may be incorporated in the gaming machine of the present invention. The object of the present invention of reducing the cost of the entire game machine can be achieved by selecting a liquid crystal display which is as inexpensive as possible.
[0016]
The height of the liquid crystal display device 13 is determined by the height of the player (for example, a gaming machine that plays in a standing posture) or a sitting height (assuming a gaming machine that sits on a gaming machine chair and plays a game). It is conceivable that the visibility is different.
When noticing such a point, although not shown, a configuration may be employed in which the liquid crystal display device 13 is supported so as to be able to swing vertically and horizontally. According to this, the angle of the liquid crystal display device 13 can be freely adjusted by the player, the visibility can be easily and appropriately adjusted, and the usability is very excellent.
The up / down / left / right swing operation of the liquid crystal display device 13 may be remotely controlled by the player or the game store. As the technical means of this remote operation, a well-known operating means is selectively adopted within the scope of the present invention.
[0017]
Further, although not shown, for example, the liquid crystal display device 13 may be configured so as to be able to be drawn forward (toward the player) by one or a plurality of extendable telescopic arms (liquid crystal screen drawing devices). It can be adopted within the scope of the invention.
This liquid crystal screen drawer such as a telescopic arm can be used by appropriately applying or changing the design of a currently known configuration within the scope of the present invention. According to this, the perspective adjustment of the liquid crystal display device 13 can be easily performed, and the liquid crystal display device 13 can be used by a player.
[0018]
In the present embodiment, the embodiment in which the liquid crystal display device 13 is incorporated for each independent single gaming machine 1 has been described as an example of the present invention. For example, a plurality of gaming machine bodies are incorporated in a single frame. It is also possible to arrange the above-described liquid crystal display device 13 in a so-called island facility, which is within the scope of the present invention. In this case, a liquid crystal display device (display) 13 is incorporated in a frame located above each gaming machine, so that the player can easily view the liquid crystal display device. In this case, the arrangement of the liquid crystal display device 13 can employ the various arrangements described in the first embodiment.
[0019]
In the present embodiment described above, an embodiment in which the liquid crystal display device 13 is disposed above the gaming machine housing 1a has been described. However, the liquid crystal display device 13 avoids the game area 2 and allows the player to look down. The configuration to be arranged at the position is also within the scope of the present invention, and is appropriately adopted according to the embodiment. That is, it is conceivable to dispose it below the gaming machine housing 1a.
For example, with reference to FIG. 1, the liquid crystal display device 13 is arranged on a front panel portion 14a of an installation base 14 on which the gaming machine housing 1a is placed.
In this case, the liquid crystal display device 13 is arranged so that the player can easily recognize it. That is, it is desirable that the liquid crystal display device 13 is disposed so as to be inclined toward the player side, or is disposed such that the viewing angle is included in the field of view of the player. For these arrangements, the description of the first embodiment can be cited, but the viewing angle in the upward direction is wider than the viewing angle in the downward direction, and the arrangement is arranged in a range that is easy for the player to visually recognize.
[0020]
In the present embodiment, the illustrated large-sized commercial coin-type gaming machine 1 has been described, but the scope of the present invention is not to be construed as being limited to this, and within the scope of the present invention, an arcade game machine is provided. The present invention can be applied to general gaming machines such as coin gaming machines (pachislot machines) and ball-and-ball gaming machines (pachinko machines).
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, there is provided a gaming machine in which an upper housing for displaying game information is provided at an upper portion of a gaming machine housing constituting a gaming machine main body, and a visual field is provided at a display surface position of the upper housing. Since the liquid crystal display device has a configuration in which the corners are widened downward, it is possible to provide a gaming machine that satisfies the player's visibility while suppressing an increase in the cost of the entire gaming machine.
[0022]
In addition, the liquid crystal display device should be arranged so that the viewing angle in the downward direction with respect to the screen is wider than the viewing angle in the upward direction, or the screen is inclined toward the player. Then, the visibility of the player can be satisfied.
[0023]
In addition, when the light-shielding portion is provided in the vicinity of the liquid crystal display device, the light-shielding portion blocks external light, and the visibility of the liquid crystal display device can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1A and 1B show an embodiment of the gaming machine of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a front view and FIG. 1B is a side view.
FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view schematically showing a state in which the liquid crystal display device is arranged obliquely toward the player.
3A and 3B are schematic diagrams illustrating a viewing angle of a liquid crystal display device, wherein FIG. 3A illustrates a viewing angle of a normal liquid crystal display device, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a viewing angle adjusted according to the present invention, and FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating a viewing angle in a state where the liquid crystal display device is inclined toward a player.
[Explanation of symbols]
1: gaming machine 1a: gaming machine housing 2: gaming area (main LCD screen)
12: Top box 12a: Upper housing 13: Liquid crystal display device

Claims (4)

A gaming machine in which an upper housing for displaying game information is arranged at an upper portion of a gaming machine housing constituting a gaming machine body,
A gaming machine comprising a liquid crystal display device having a viewing angle spread downward at a display surface position of the upper housing. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display device is arranged with the up-down direction reversed. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display device is provided to be inclined by disposing a lower end side in a depth direction with respect to a display surface of the upper housing. The gaming machine according to claim 3, wherein the upper housing is formed with a light shielding portion near a lower end of the liquid crystal display device.

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