JP2004358265A - Racing game apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a racing game apparatus in which the number of running bodies can be increased to provide a game with further entertaining property. <P>SOLUTION: The center part of the racing game apparatus 10 is provided with an annular track 12 for a horse race. Twelve model horses 14 run on the track 12. A paddock 20 in the track 12 is provided with a gate 18, and the model horses advances to a starting position of the track 12 from the paddock 20 when a racing game is started. Three sides of the track 12 are provided with twelve satellites 22. One short side of the track 12 is provided with a large projector screen 24 for projecting an image such as racing game conditions thereon. Both sides of the large projector screen 24 are provided with speakers 26 for broadcasting on the spot, fanfare, back ground music, and the like. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a competitive game apparatus that models horse racing, boat racing, automobile racing, auto racing, and the like, and plays by predicting the order of a traveling body such as a model horse or automobile traveling on a track.

  Conventionally, there are many types of competitive game apparatuses that model horse racing, boat racing, car racing, auto racing, and the like. An old competitive game apparatus runs a running body such as a model horse or a car on an annular course to compete for the arrival order or predict the arrival order. However, in this competitive game, the running body can only be run on a predetermined ring-shaped track, so it has to be less realistic and halved its interest.

  Therefore, in order to approximate the real horse racing, the applicant of the present invention has applied for an innovative competitive game device that can compete by running on a free course on the field instead of a fixed track (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1). -94884). According to this competitive game apparatus, since a traveling body such as a model horse can run on a free course on the field, it is possible to develop a race like an actual horse race. Therefore, it is possible to realize a competitive game device full of realism, and it has gained widespread support from players.

  The applicant of the present application further improves the competitive game apparatus described above, increases the number of running bodies that can compete at one time, and enables various race combinations such as actual horse racing and boat racing, and predicts the order of arrival. The aim was to create a new competitive game machine that pursued the fun of racing and the development of racing.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a competitive game apparatus that can increase the number of running bodies that can compete at a time.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a competitive game apparatus that further pursues the fun of racing development.

  Still another object of the present invention is to provide a competitive game apparatus that realizes a more powerful race by devising lighting during the race.

  In the competitive game apparatus in which a traveling body travels and competes on a field, the object is provided in the field where the traveling body travels, and includes a position detection member that detects the position of the traveling body, and the position detection The competitive game device is characterized in that the member can be divided into a plurality of members at a predetermined dividing line, and connecting means for connecting the wire members of the plurality of members at the predetermined dividing line is provided. The

  In the competitive game apparatus in which a traveling body runs and competes on the field, the object is to provide sound generating means provided at a predetermined position along the traveling path of the traveling body on the field; and This is achieved by a competitive game device comprising sound generation control means for generating a running sound of the traveling body from the sound generating means based on the installation position and the position of the traveling body.

  In the competitive game apparatus in which a traveling body runs and competes on a field, a plurality of optical signal generation means are provided at predetermined positions along the traveling path of the traveling body on the field. This is achieved by a competitive game device characterized in that an optical signal is transmitted from the optical signal generating means to the traveling body.

  The object is a competitive game apparatus in which a traveling body runs and competes on a field, and the traveling body has an optical signal output means for outputting an optical signal, along the traveling path of the traveling body on the field. An optical signal receiving means is provided at a predetermined position, and an optical signal is received by the optical signal receiving means from the optical signal output means of the traveling body.

  In the competitive game apparatus in which a traveling body runs and competes on the field, the object is provided with light emitting means for outputting light from the upper surface of the field, and from the light emitting means according to the traveling of the traveling body on the field. This is achieved by a competitive game device characterized by outputting light.

  In the competitive game apparatus in which a traveling body runs and competes on a field, the object is to have a game screen for displaying game information to a player, and the player presses the game screen when the player presses the game screen. This is achieved by a competitive game apparatus characterized in that a trace along a trajectory is displayed superimposed on the game information.

  In the competitive game apparatus in which a traveling body runs on the field and competes, the above object has a game screen for displaying game information to the player, and storage means for storing a plurality of pieces of race information that are continuously performed. This is achieved by a competitive game apparatus characterized in that race information selected by a player from a plurality of pieces of race information stored in the storage means is displayed on the game screen.

  In the competitive game apparatus in which a traveling body runs and competes on the field, the above object has a start gate that aligns a plurality of traveling bodies at a start position, and each gate of the traveling body is opened at the start of a race. Achieved by a competitive game device.

  In the competitive game apparatus in which a traveling body travels and competes on the field, the traveling body includes a motor used to travel the traveling body, a diagnosis unit that diagnoses the state of the motor, An optical signal output means for outputting a diagnostic result by the diagnostic means as an optical signal, and an optical signal receiving means is provided at a predetermined position along the traveling path of the traveling body on the field. This is achieved by a competitive game apparatus characterized in that an optical signal from an optical signal output means is received by the optical signal receiving means.

  In the competitive game device in which a traveling body runs and competes on the field, the traveling body drives and controls the motor so that the traveling body travels and the traveling body moves forward or backward. It is achieved by a competitive game apparatus characterized by having drive control means.

  The above object is characterized in that in a competitive game apparatus in which a traveling body runs and competes on a field, the traveling body includes a motor that travels the traveling body, and drive control means that performs PMW control of the motor. Achieved by a competitive gaming device.

  In the competitive game apparatus in which a traveling body runs and competes on a field, the object is to provide light irradiating means for irradiating light onto the field from above the field, and the light irradiating means according to the traveling state of the traveling body. And a light irradiation control means for controlling the light irradiated from the above.

  In the competitive game apparatus described above, the light irradiation means irradiates the traveling body in a spot shape, and the light irradiation control means controls an irradiation direction of the light irradiation means so as to track the traveling of the traveling body. You may do it.

  In the game device in which a plurality of players participate and play a game, the object includes a plurality of operation units operated by the plurality of players, and a power supply unit that supplies power to the plurality of operation units. The unit has a power switch for turning on / off the power from the power unit, a door switch interlocked with opening / closing of the door, and means for performing a power shut-off process based on the state of the door switch. Achieved by:

  The above object is provided in a game device in which a player participates in a game and has an operation unit operated by the player, and the operation unit is provided in a medal payout port for paying out medals and the medal payout port, This is achieved by a game apparatus having a placing table for placing a medal storage container.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a competitive game apparatus that can increase the number of running bodies that can compete at a time, and to realize a competitive game apparatus that further pursues the fun of racing development. .

[First Embodiment]
A horse racing game apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

(External appearance of horse racing game device)
The overall appearance of the horse racing game apparatus is shown in FIG.

  In the center of the horse racing game apparatus 10, an annular track 12 for horse racing is provided. Twelve model horses 14 run on the track 12. A gate 18 is provided in the track 12 and advances to the start position of the track 12 at the start of the race.

  Satellites 22 of 12 seats are provided on three sides around the track 12. Five seats of satellites 22 are provided on both sides of the long side of the track 12, and two seats of satellites 22 are provided on one side of the short side of the track 12.

  On the other side of the short side of the track 12, a large projector 24 for projecting an image of the race situation or the like is provided. Speakers 26 for live broadcasting, fanfare, BGM, and the like are provided on both sides of the large projector 24. In addition, a column 28 is provided on one side of the short side of the track 12, and a speaker 27 is provided in the column 28.

(Configuration of the entire horse racing game device)
The overall configuration of the horse racing game apparatus is shown in the block diagram of FIG.

  The main network CPU 30 controls the entire horse racing game apparatus. Horse management such as management of registered horses, determination of race programs, determination of starting horses, determination of odds, race prediction, player bet management, lottery of first and second landings, dividend determination, refund processing, update of registered horse data, etc. Take the main control of the game.

  The game control CPU 32 performs basic control for executing the race. The main control of the race, such as determination of race development, gate mechanism control, goal LED control, and in-field lighting control.

  The carrier control CPU 34 controls the movement of the model horse. Main control of the model horse, such as detection of the position of the model horse and instructions to the model horse.

  A live broadcast output unit 36 is connected to the main network CPU 30. The live broadcast output unit 36 outputs the live broadcast of the race, fanfare, BGM, final broadcast, and the like from the speakers 26 provided on both sides of the large projector 24 and the speakers 27 provided on the support column 28.

  A horseshoe sound generator 38 is connected to the main network CPU 30. The horseshoe sound generator 38 outputs the footsteps of the horse according to the running state of the model horse from the dome speaker provided in each satellite 22 to produce a sense of presence in the race. Details of the horseshoe sound generator 38 will be described later.

  A position detection unit 40 for detecting the position of the carrier is connected to the carrier control CPU 34. The position of the model horse is accurately detected by the oscillation signal output from the carrier that moves the model horse. Since 12 model horses run, a large truck 12 is required. In this embodiment, the parts constituting the truck 12 are divided into three parts so that they can be loaded and installed. Details of the position detector 40 will be described later.

  An infrared output unit 42 for outputting an instruction signal to the carrier is connected to the carrier control CPU 34. An infrared signal is emitted from the infrared output unit 42 to output various instruction signals to the carrier. A number of infrared output units 42 are arranged in the track 12 so that all carriers in the track 12 can receive infrared signals. Details of the infrared output unit 42 will be described later.

  The carrier control CPU 34 is connected to an infrared light receiver 44 for receiving an infrared signal from the carrier. Since the carrier of this embodiment is equipped with a CPU, for example, the state of the carrier power motor can be diagnosed by the CPU in the carrier. The carrier outputs the diagnosis result as an infrared signal.

  A large number of infrared light receivers 44 may be arranged in the track 12 similarly to the infrared output part 42, but in the present embodiment, they are arranged in the vicinity of the start point. When the carrier gathers at the start point, an instruction signal for outputting a diagnosis result is output to the carrier, and the diagnosis result is output from the carrier as an infrared signal. The infrared light receiver 44 receives an infrared signal output from the carrier.

  An arc net HUB 46 is connected to the main network CPU 30. Twelve satellites 22 are connected to the arc net HUB 46. In the satellite 22, a satellite BD, a 17-inch monitor, a touch panel, a voting SW, a hopper lamp, and the like are provided. Details of the configuration of the satellite 22 will be described later.

  An arc net HUB 48 is connected to the main network CPU 30. A large projector 24 is connected to the arc net HUB 48 via a projector driver 50. The projector driver 50 drives the large projector 24. The large projector 24 displays images such as race patterns, race announcements, race results, race broadcasts, titles, and the like.

  A gate dot matrix 54 is connected to the arc net HUB 48 via a dot matrix control unit 52. The gate dot matrix 54 is provided on an upper part of a start gate, which will be described later, and is configured by arranging four 16 × 32 dot matrix LEDs in the horizontal direction. The dot matrix control unit 52 controls the display of the gate dot matrix 54. The gate dot matrix 54 displays the horse number and race type to be run, the name of the horse, the state of the horse, the video of the upper horse (for example, up to the fifth place) in the race, and the like.

  The main network CPU 30 is connected to a shining turf 60 through a shining turf control unit 56 and a shining turf driver 58. As the shining grass 60, a light emitter is embedded under the track 12. When the model horse travels, this luminous body is lit to give a sense of speed. The glowing turf control unit 56 controls the light emission of the glowing turf 60, and the glowing turf driver 58 drives the glowing turf 60. Details of the shining grass 60 will be described later.

  A goal LED / flash 64 is connected to the game control CPU 32 via a goal driver 62, and a field illumination lamp 68 is connected via a lamp driver 66. The goal driver 62 drives the goal LED / flash 64. The lamp driver 66 drives the field illumination lamp 68. The goal LED flash 64 is provided at the goal position of the track 12, and flashes or flashes when the model horse finishes to produce a race. The field illumination lamp 68 is provided on the column 28 and always illuminates the track 12.

  The gate control CPU 32 is connected to a motor and a sensor in the gate mechanism 72 via a DC motor driver 70. The gate mechanism 72 is provided with a vertical movement motor that moves the gate up and down, a swinging movement motor that rotates the gate, a gate opening and closing motor that opens and closes the gate, and a limit / position detection sensor that detects a limit position and a predetermined position of the gate. It has been. Details of the gate mechanism 72 will be described later.

  Various devices for maintaining the horse racing game apparatus 10 are connected to the main network CPU 30.

  A 10-inch monitor 80 is connected to the main network CPU 30. The 10-inch monitor 80 is provided with a test SW and the like necessary for maintenance work. The state of each part of the horse racing game apparatus 10 is displayed on the 10-inch monitor 80, meter data is displayed, and trouble is displayed.

  A mechanism control unit 82 is connected to the main network CPU 30. A lifter mechanism 86 is connected to the mechanism controller 82 via an AC motor driver 84, and a lifter operation SW 88 and a lifter operation display LCD 90 are connected. The lifter mechanism 86 is provided with a vertical movement motor that moves up and down the entire center course, and an UP / DOWN limit SW for detecting a limit position in the vertical direction.

  When the lifter operation SW 88 is operated, the entire course is moved up and down by the lifter mechanism 86. Once the entire course is lifted up, the carrier under the truck 12 can be maintained directly. The state of the lifter operation is displayed on the lifter operation display LCD 90.

  To prevent danger, a buzzer is sounded to move the entire course up and down slowly. However, when moving the entire course downward, there is a risk of accidents such as pinching fingers, so move slowly, but when moving the entire course upward, there is less danger, so move it relatively quickly for maintenance. Time is being shortened. In addition, the UP / DOWN limit SW prevents danger caused by malfunction.

(Horsefoot sound generator)
FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the horseshoe sound generating unit 38 of the horse racing game apparatus 10.

  The horseshoe sound generator 38 of the present embodiment faithfully reproduces footsteps that the horse passes in front of the eyes as in an actual race.

  In a conventional horse racing game device, a horseshoe sound is not simply emitted from a plurality of speakers in order to represent the running sound of a horse, but the effect is as if the horse is turning by adjusting the volume of the plurality of speakers. It was. However, since it is only necessary to adjust the volume of a plurality of speakers, it has not been possible to change the sound effect according to the race development. For example, in a race development in which all horses run as one group, or in a race development in which a small number of horses form the leading group and the remaining horses form the following group, a large number of horses form the leading group and one or Even in the race development where a small number of horses form the tail group, the same sound effect was always emitted.

  The horseshoe sound generator 38 of the present embodiment enables generation of sound effects according to the race development.

  Twelve dome speakers SP <b> 1 to SP <b> 12 are arranged on the track 12 of the horse racing game apparatus 10. Specifically, twelve dome speakers SP <b> 1 to SP <b> 12 are provided in twelve satellites 22, respectively. Each player can hear horseshoe sounds from the satellite 22.

  The twelve speakers SP1 to SP12 are provided with sound sources 1 to 12 and AMP1 to AMP12, respectively. The sound source 1 to sound source 12 are controlled by the sound source controller 100. The sound source controller 100 is connected to the game control CPU 32.

  Each of the 12 sound sources 1 to 12 is assigned channels corresponding to the number of horses that run. In the present embodiment, since a maximum of 12 horses start running, 12 channels are assigned to each of the 12 sound sources 1 to 12 as shown in FIG. The sound quality of the sound source 1 to the sound source 12 may be changed depending on the horse that runs.

  When the game starts, various event signals are sent from the game control CPU 32 to the sound source controller 100. The sound source controller 100 emits BGM, cheers, various announcements and the like equally to the sound source 1 to the sound source 12 according to various event signals, and sounds are emitted from the twelve speakers SP1 to SP12.

  When the race starts, the current position and horse number of the running horse are sent from the game control CPU 32 to the sound source controller 100 in real time. The sound source controller 100 determines the volume of each channel of each speaker SP1 to SP12 based on the current position of the horse.

  For example, if six horses from No. 1 to No. 6 are running and are racing as shown in FIG. 3 in the order of No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 6, No. 5, No. 4, As shown in FIG. 4, the volume of each channel is determined.

  As a horse racing game device, a race is performed based on a predetermined race development, and it is possible to generate a horseshoe sound according to the race development, but in this embodiment, the current position of the model horse is determined. A horseshoe sound is generated based on the detected position. Thereby, even if a specific model horse is delayed or stopped due to some accident, a horseshoe sound suitable for the current situation can be emitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the peaker SP1 outputs the footsteps of the sixth horse that has passed and the footsteps of the fifth horse that is approaching. The speaker SP2 outputs the footsteps of the second and third horses that have passed by and the footsteps of the sixth horse that passes in front of you. The speaker SP3 outputs the footsteps of the first horse that passed by, the footsteps of the second and third horses passing in front of the eyes, and the footsteps of the sixth horse approaching. The speaker SP4 outputs the footsteps of the first horse passing in front of the eyes and the footsteps of the second and third horses approaching. The speaker SP5 outputs the footstep sound of the first approaching horse. Horse footsteps are not output from the speakers SP6 and SP7. The speaker SP8 outputs the footsteps of the 4th horse that has passed. The speaker SP9 outputs the footsteps of the fourth horse that passes in front of the eyes and the footsteps of the fifth horse that passes by. The speaker SP10 outputs the footsteps of the fifth horse passing in front of the eyes and the footsteps of the fourth horse approaching. The speaker SP11 outputs the footsteps of the fifth horse approaching and the footsteps of the fourth horse approaching. The speaker SP12 outputs the footsteps of a distant 6th horse that has passed and the footsteps of a distant 5th horse approaching.

  FIG. 4 shows the volume of each channel in each speaker, but the overall volume is raised so that a certain amount of sound is output even in the blank channel.

  Thus, according to the horseshoe sound generator of this embodiment, the footsteps of the horse can be faithfully reproduced according to the number of running horses and the race development, and the sense of movement, perspective, etc. of the sound image are dramatically improved. Realistic sound effects can be reproduced.

(Position detector)
The configuration of the position detection unit 40 is shown in FIGS.

  The position detection unit 40 according to the present embodiment realizes a large truck that can compete with a large number of model horses at once.

  In the horse racing game apparatus according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the model horse 110 on the track 12 is moved by a carrier 112 that travels under the track 12. As shown in FIG. 5, in order to detect the position of the carrier 112, an X-direction position detection plate 114 that detects a position in the X direction and a Y-direction position detection plate 116 that detects a position in the Y direction are provided. Yes. By detecting the oscillation signal output from the oscillation coil of the carrier 112 by the X direction position detection plate 114 and the Y direction position detection plate 116, the position of the carrier 112, that is, the position of the model horse 110 is accurately detected.

  Since the track 12 is large, it is difficult to form it with a single position detection plate. For this reason, in this embodiment, the position detection plate is divided into three parts to enable transportation, loading and installation.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the X-direction position detection plate 114 is divided into three position detection plates 114 </ b> A, 114 </ b> B, and 114 </ b> C in the vertical direction and connected to each other by a connector 118. The position detection plate 114A is connected to the carrier control CPU 34 via the analog SW 120.

  On the other hand, the Y-direction position detection plate 116 is also divided into three position detection plates 116A, 116B, and 116C in the vertical direction and connected by a connector 122. The position detection plates 116A, 116B, 116C are connected to the carrier control CPU 34 via the analog SW 124.

  Since the X-direction position detection plate 114 is formed by a detection coil extending in the left-right direction, the detection coil is divided at the position of the dividing line. Therefore, it is necessary to connect a large number of detection coils by the connector 118 without causing a gap in the detection region at the position of the dividing line in the vertical direction. Moreover, the connector 118 needs to be easily detachable for assembly and disassembly.

  In the present embodiment, this point is realized as shown in FIG. In the X-direction position detection plate 114, a wooden plate 132, a detection coil 134, a wooden plate 136, and a glass epoxy plate 138 are sequentially laminated on a base 130 made of aluminum. At the position of the dividing line in the vertical direction, a connection electrode 140 is provided on the lower surface of the base 130 of each position detection plate 114A, 114B, 114C. An end of the detection coil 134 is connected to the connection electrode 140 and a connector 118 is connected via a wire harness 142.

  At the time of assembly, as shown in FIG. 6, the connector 118 connected from each connection electrode 140 of the divided position detection plates 114A, 114B, 114C is connected, and the detection coil 134 extending in the left-right direction is formed. The

  At the time of disassembly, the position detection plates 114A, 114B, 114C can be easily separated simply by removing the connector 118.

  Since the Y-direction position detection plate 116 is formed by a detection coil extending in the vertical direction, the detection coil is not divided by the dividing line. Therefore, the detection coils of the divided position detection plates 116A, 116B, and 116C may be connected by the connector 120 provided at the end.

  In this embodiment, the detection coil pitch in the X-direction position detection plate 114 and the Y-direction position detection plate 116 is increased from 5 mm to 10 mm to shorten the detection time of the position detection plates 114 and 116 as a whole.

  Thus, according to the position detection unit of the present embodiment, the position detection plate can be divided, easily assembled, and disassembled even for a large truck that is difficult to form with a single position detection plate. This makes it possible to realize a large truck that can be competed by many model horses at once.

(Infrared output part)
The configuration of the infrared output unit 42 is shown in FIGS.

  In the present embodiment, an infrared signal is emitted from the infrared output unit 42 and various instruction signals are output to the carrier 112. The carrier 112 travels on a traveling track 150 corresponding to the track 12 on which the model horse 110 travels. It is necessary to reliably transmit an infrared instruction signal wherever the carrier 112 is located on the traveling track 150.

  For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7, a large number of infrared light emitting units 152 are provided on the inner peripheral side of the traveling track 150 toward the traveling track 150. A large number of infrared light emitting units 152 are provided. An infrared signal is output from these infrared light emitting units 152.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the infrared unit 152 is provided with a plurality of infrared light emitting elements 156 on a holding table 154. Infrared light receiving elements 113 are provided before and after the carrier 112 to receive the infrared signal output from the infrared unit 152.

  As described above, according to the infrared output unit of the present embodiment, it is possible to reliably transmit an instruction signal by infrared rays regardless of where the carrier is located on the traveling track.

(Shining turf)
The structure of the shining turf 60 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In order to make it attractive as a horse racing game device, it is required to produce a powerful race. For this reason, the video is played during the race, the BGM is played, and the horseshoe sound described above is played. In the present embodiment, a more powerful race is realized by embedding a light emitter in the track 12 on which the model horse 110 runs and making this light emitter shine.

  As the shining turf 60, as shown in FIG. 9, a large number of light emitters 160 are spread under the track 12. The light emitter 160 is composed of a light emitting element that emits light on a plane, and, for example, a large number of EL elements and surface light emitting LED elements are spread over the light emitting element 160. In order to control the light emitters 160, a turf control unit 56 that shines for each predetermined number of light emitters 160 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 10, a turf 162 is provided on the top surface of the track 12. A light emitter 160 is provided on the lower surface of the grass 162. A carbon plate 164 and an electrode plate 166 are provided on the lower surface of the light emitter 160. The turf 162 always indicates the green color of the turf, but is formed of, for example, a green translucent material so that the light of the light emitter 160 is transmitted during light emission. In the cross-sectional view of FIG. 10, the portion of the track 12 is shown particularly thick.

  The shining turf control unit 56 is connected to the main network CPU 30 and illuminates the light emitter 160 of the turf 60 that shines in a pattern that flows in a direction opposite to the traveling direction when the model horse 110 travels.

  Until the race starts, the turf 60 that shines in a pattern that produces the betting time before the start of the race is illuminated. For example, the entire track 12 is striped and the stripe pattern flows, the characters appear on the track 12 to inform the race content, the content is displayed in case of trouble, and the countdown of the voting deadline Or display.

  When the race is started, the turf 60 shining with a pattern based on the position of the model horse 110 detected by the position detection unit 40 is illuminated. For example, the vicinity of each model horse 110 is illuminated so as to flow in the direction opposite to the traveling direction, or the pattern is expanded or contracted by increasing or decreasing the speed to give a sense of speed.

  When the race is over, the turf 60 that shines in a pattern that produces the excitement of the race results is illuminated. For example, the entire track 12 is striped so that the striped pattern flows, the race 12 is informed so that characters appear on the track 12, or the final result is displayed.

  Thus, according to the shining turf of the present embodiment, a more powerful race can be realized by illuminating the track on which the model horse runs in addition to the video and the sound of BGM, horseshoe sounds, and the like.

(Satellite (part 1))
The configuration of the satellite 22 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 11 is a view of the satellite 22 as viewed from above. A dome speaker 170 that outputs a horseshoe sound is provided in the upper center of the satellite 22. As described above, the dome speaker 170 makes a horseshoe sound to increase the force of the race. A 17-inch monitor 172 is provided below the dome speaker 170. A transparent touch panel is provided on the surface of the 17-inch monitor 172. Satellite speakers 174 and 176 are provided on the left and right sides of the 17-inch monitor 172.

  A bill insertion slot 178 and a medal insertion slot 180 are provided below the satellite speaker 176 on the right side of the 17-inch monitor 172. Below the medal slot 180, an automatic slot 182 is provided through which a large number of medals can be thrown and thrown. Between the medal slot 180 and the automatic slot 182, an automatic slot start button 184 and a payout button 186 are provided.

  If the use of cash is permitted, the bill insertion slot 178 can be activated and cash can be used for betting. If the use of cash is not permitted, the bill insertion slot 178 is invalidated and the game is played using only medals.

  In the case of playing a game using medals, medals may be inserted from the medal insertion port 180, or medals are inserted into the automatic entry / exit 182 and the automatic insertion start button 184 is pressed to obtain a large number of medals at once. You may make it throw in.

  If the prediction is correct and the right to receive a payout is generated, the number of medals obtained is accumulated in the horse racing game apparatus. Bets can be placed using medals accumulated inside.

  When the game is over and the acquired medal is to be received, the payout button 186 is pressed. The acquired medals are discharged to the automatic dispensing entrance 182. The player can receive a medal from the automatic entry / exit 182.

  FIG. 12 is an example of a bet screen displayed on the 17-inch monitor 172. Race information is displayed at the top of the screen, and bet instruction buttons are displayed at the bottom of the screen. The player determines the bet contents by looking at the race information at the top of the screen, and places a bet by pressing the bet instruction button at the bottom of the screen with a finger. When the bet instruction button is pressed by the player, a confirmation sound is output from the satellite speakers 174 and 176.

  In real horse racing, you can look at the horse racing newspaper or see the state of the horse in the paddock, and write your own memos on the horse racing newspaper with a red pencil. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the player traces the race information area at the top of the screen with his / her finger, the position is recognized by the touch panel so that the red line of the traced trajectory can be drawn. For example, as shown in FIG. The contents of the betting schedule, 1-2, 1-12, 2-12, etc. can be noted on the screen.

  Note that a memo using the touch panel is only allowed while the race information is displayed, and the memo is erased at the same time as the display image is changed.

  As described above, according to the satellite of the present embodiment, an arbitrary memo can be drawn on the monitor screen, and realistic prediction can be made while writing the memo like a real horse race.

(Satellite (part 2))
The configuration of the satellite 22 according to another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the above-described embodiment, the information on the current race is displayed on the 17-inch monitor 172 of the satellite 22, and a bet is placed on that race. Also, during the race, betting cannot be made, and it is not possible to bet until the next race. For this reason, the player can bet only for a short time from the notice of the race to the start of the race. I can't make enough time to make predictions or talk with friends.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the satellite control unit 190 is provided, and not only the current race information but also the race information to be held in the future is selectively displayed on the satellite 22 as an image. In the satellite control unit 190, for example, four race information memories 192 to 198 are provided. The race information memory 192 stores the current race information, the race information memory 194 stores the next race information, the race information memory 196 stores the next race information, and the race information memory 198 stores the race information one after another. The race information of the times is stored.

  Each satellite 22 is provided with a 17-inch monitor 172 for displaying race information and a switching SW 188 for switching race information. The player displays the race information selected from the plurality of race information stored in the race information memories 192 to 198 on the 17-inch monitor 172 by operating the switching SW 188 of the satellite 22. The player places a bet on the race displayed on the 17-inch monitor 172.

  Therefore, when it is desired to make a prediction by taking a sufficient amount of time, the 17-inch monitor is read by reading the successive race information stored in the race information memory 198 and the successive race information stored in the race information memory 196. 172 and bet on that. When it is desired to make a prediction with a little margin, the next race information stored in the race information memory 194 is read out and displayed on the 17-inch monitor 172, and the bet is predicted and bet. In order to receive a payout in a short time after betting on the current race, the current race information is read out and displayed on the 17-inch monitor 172 to bet in anticipation.

  As described above, according to the satellite of the present embodiment, the player can display the desired race information and bet, so that sufficient time can be taken to make a prediction carefully, or a prediction can be determined while talking with friends. can do. In addition, since the time between races may be the same as before and does not need to be particularly long, the operation efficiency of the horse racing game apparatus is not reduced.

(Starting gate)
The configuration of the starting gate will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16.

  The starting gate of the present embodiment is configured to open at the start of the race, like a starting gate in real horse racing.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the start gate 200 is provided with 12 gates 202 so that 12 model horses 110 can start. Above the 12 gates 202, there is provided a gate dot matrix 54 for displaying horse numbers, race types, names of horses, and the like. The gate dot matrix 54 is configured by arranging four 16 × 32 dot matrix LEDs in the horizontal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 16, each gate 202 is provided with two gate frames 204. Each gate frame 204 is provided with upper and lower gate doors 206 and 208. In the vicinity of the upper end of the gate frame 204, a rotation main shaft 210 for opening is provided. An opening bar 212 for pushing the gate door 206 protrudes from the rotation main shaft 210.

  When the rotation main shaft 210 rotates to the front side in FIG. 16, the opening bar 212 pushes the upper gate door 206. Thereby, the upper and lower gate doors 206 and 208 rotate around the gate frame 204, and the gate 202 is opened.

  As shown in FIG. 15, as the gate mechanism portion 72, a vertical movement motor 211 that moves up and down the entire starting gate 200, a swing operation motor 213 that rotates the entire starting gate 200, and a gate opening and closing motor 214 that opens and closes the gate 202 are provided. It has been. The start gate 200 is always located in the paddock 20 in the track 12. When the race starts, the entire starting gate 200 is lifted upward by the vertical movement motor 211, and then the entire starting gate 200 is rotated to a predetermined start position by the swing movement motor 213, and then the vertical movement motor 211 As a result, the entire start gate 200 is lowered onto the track 12.

  The model horse 110 that starts running heads toward the starting gate 200 and enters its own gate 202 and stops. At this time, the model horse 110 may be moved backward immediately before the gate 202 to add an effect of refusing to enter the gate.

  When the twelve model horses 110 enter the gate 202, the gate opening / closing motor 210 rotates the opening / closing main shaft 210 toward the front side, and the gate rods 206 and 208 are moved around the gate frame 204 by the opening bar 212. Rotate to open gate 202. When the gate 202 is opened, the model horses 110 start all at once and the race starts.

  When the race starts, the rotating main shaft 210 returns to the original state, the gate 202 is closed, and then the start gate 200 is returned to the original paddock 20 by the up / down operation motor 211 and the swing operation motor 213.

  Thus, according to the starting gate of this embodiment, a real horse racing game can be realized by opening the gate at the start of the race, like a real horse racing.

(Model horse carriage and carrier)
The configuration of the model horse carriage and carrier will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 is a structural diagram of a model horse carriage and carrier, FIG. 18 (a) is a bottom view of the model horse carriage, FIG. 18 (b) is a plan view of the carrier, and FIG. 18 (c) is a cross section near the center of the carrier. FIG. 19 is a block diagram of the carrier.

  A model horse 110 on which a model jockey is placed travels on the track 12, and the model horse 110 is supported on a carriage 220 as shown in FIG. The carriage 220 is placed on the truck 12 so as to be able to travel on the front and rear wheels 222 and 223 whose traveling direction can be changed smoothly and the wheels 224 pivotally supported on both sides.

  The carriage 220 is provided with two rotating magnets 226 and 228 arranged in the front-rear direction with a slight gap from the upper surface of the track 12. As shown in FIG. 18A, the rotating magnets 226 and 228 have a donut shape, and four magnet pieces are arranged in a circumferential shape with the polarities reversed, and are pivotally supported by the carriage 220. Has been. A magnet 229 for determining the direction of the carriage 220 is provided in front of the carriage 220.

  As shown in FIG. 17, a traveling track 150 is provided below the track 12 through a space. On this traveling track 150, a carrier 112 for towing and traveling the carriage 220 of the model horse 110 on the track 12 is disposed so as to be able to travel. One carrier 112 is arranged for every 12 model horses 110.

  The carrier body 230 is placed on the traveling track 150 by front and rear wheels 232 and 233 and wheels 234 that are pivotally supported on both sides. A pair of wheels 234 are provided on both sides of the carrier body 230, and a traveling motor 236 is coupled to the wheels 234 on both sides. When the pair of traveling motors 236 are rotationally driven at the same speed, the carrier main body 230 moves straight, and when driven at different speeds, the carrier main body 230 can turn left and right to change the traveling direction.

  A common traveling motor 236 may be provided for the wheels 234, and a steering motor for changing the traveling direction may be provided for the front and rear wheels 232, 233.

  A support base 238 is urged upward by a spring 240 on the upper portion of the carrier body 230. Front and rear wheels 242 and 243 and wheels 244 supported on both sides are provided on the upper surface of the support base 238, and travel on the lower surface of the truck 12. In this way, the carrier 112 is sandwiched between the truck 12 and the traveling truck 150 by the wheels 232, 233, 234 provided at the lower part and the wheels 242, 243, 244 provided at the upper part. It is possible to travel freely in a space between 150 while always maintaining an upright posture.

  As shown in FIG. 18 (b), rotating magnets 246 and 248 are respectively provided at positions corresponding to the rotating magnets 226 and 228 of the carriage 220 on the track 12 with a slight gap from the lower surface of the track 12. These rotating magnets 246 and 248 are configured similarly to the rotating magnets 226 and 228 of the carriage 220.

  The rotating magnets 226 and 228 are rotated by magnet rotating motors 250 and 252. The magnet rotation motors 250 and 252 are constituted by a rotor (not shown) formed integrally with the rotary magnets 226 and 228 and a motor coil (not shown) formed flat on a flexible substrate. ing.

  As illustrated in FIG. 18B, the hall element 254 is provided at a position corresponding to the magnet 229 of the carriage 220 on the track 12. By detecting the magnet 229 of the carriage 220 by the Hall element 254, it can be confirmed whether the orientation of the carriage 220 and the carrier 112 is correct.

  The support base 238 of the carrier 112 is provided with a brush 256 at the front and a current collector 258 at the rear. The power supply plate (not shown) on the lower surface of the track 12 is cleaned by the brush 256, and power is obtained from the power supply plate by the current collector 258, so that the carrier 112 is supplied with power.

  As shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18C, the carrier body 230 of the carrier 112 is provided with an infrared light receiving unit 260 at the front and rear, and the carrier 112 is controlled according to the infrared signal received by the infrared light receiving unit 260. The

  As shown in FIG. 17, an infrared light emitting unit 262 is provided behind the carrier body 230 of the carrier 112, and the diagnosis result of the carrier 112 is output as an infrared signal.

  As shown in FIG. 17, an oscillation coil 264 is provided on the carrier main body 230 of the carrier 112 with a slight gap from the upper surface of the traveling track 150. The position of the carrier 112 is detected from the oscillation signal of the oscillation coil 264.

  FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a control system for controlling the carrier 112.

  The carrier 112 is provided with a carrier CPU 266. The carrier CPU 226 is connected to the traveling motor 236, the magnet rotation motors 250 and 252, the hall element 254, the infrared light receiving unit 260, the infrared light emitting unit 262, and the oscillation coil 264.

  The carrier CPU 266 controls the oscillation coil 264 and outputs an oscillation signal from the oscillation coil 264 at a predetermined interval. The position detection unit 40 detects the position of the carrier 112 from the oscillation signal.

  The control signal to the carrier 112 is transmitted when the infrared light receiving unit 260 receives the infrared signal output from the infrared output unit 42. The carrier CPU 266 controls driving of the traveling motor 236 and the magnet rotation motors 250 and 252 based on the infrared signal.

  The carrier CPU 266 controls the travel motor 236 to travel on a predetermined course while detecting the current position of the carrier 112 by the position detection unit 40 based on the oscillation signal from the oscillation coil 264. The carrier CPU 266 always checks whether the model horse carriage 220 is displaced from the carrier 112 based on the output signal of the hall element 254.

  The carrier CPU 266 controls the rotation of the magnet rotation motors 250 and 252 independently of each other and independently of driving of the travel motor 236 based on the infrared signal from the infrared output unit 42.

  When the rotating magnets 246 and 248 of the carrier 112 are rotated by the magnet rotating motors 250 and 252, the rotating magnets 226 and 228 of the carriage 220 of the model horse 110 on the track 12 are rotated in synchronization with each other.

  The model horse 110 is supported by a support member 270 extending from the carriage 220. A first drive shaft 272 is provided at the center of the column member 270, and a second drive shaft 274 is provided surrounding the first drive shaft 272. The first drive shaft 272 and the second drive shaft 274 can freely rotate with respect to each other.

  When the rotating magnet 226 in front of the carriage 220 rotates, the first drive shaft 272 rotates, and when the rotating magnet 228 in the rear of the carriage 220 rotates, the second drive shaft 274 rotates. When the first drive shaft 272 rotates, the front and rear legs of the model horse 110 swing, and when the second drive shaft 274 rotates, the hands and feet of the model jockey on the model horse 110 swing.

  When the rotating magnets 246 and 248 of the carrier 112 rotate, the rotating magnets 226 and 228 of the carriage 220 rotate in synchronization with each other. Therefore, by controlling the rotation of the rotating magnet 246 of the carrier 112, the swing of the front and rear legs of the model horse 110 can be controlled, and by controlling the rotation of the rotating magnet 246 of the carrier 112, the model horse The movement of the model jockey's limbs on 110 can be controlled.

  Regardless of whether or not the rotating magnets 246 and 248 of the carrier 112 are rotating, the carriage 220 is pulled by the carrier 20 by the attractive force between the rotating magnets 226 and 246 and between the rotating magnets 228 and 248 and is the same as the carrier 20. Travel along the path. When the carriage 220 is detached from the carrier 112, the carrier CPU 266 of the carrier 112 can be detected by the output from the hall element 254.

  In this embodiment, a carrier CPU 266 is mounted on the carrier 112. This makes it possible to perform the following processing that was impossible in the past.

  First, by mounting the carrier CPU 266 on the carrier 112, the state of the carrier 112 itself can be self-diagnosed. For example, the carrier 112 is equipped with a traveling motor 236 and magnet rotation motors 250 and 252, and the carrier CPU 266 can self-diagnose the operating state of the motor. The self-diagnosis result is output from the infrared light emitting unit 262 as an infrared signal.

  In the present embodiment, the infrared light receiving unit 44 is arranged in the vicinity of the start point, and when the carrier 112 gathers at the start point, an instruction signal for outputting a diagnosis result is output from the infrared output unit 42 to the carrier 112, and the carrier The CPU 266 diagnoses the motor and outputs the diagnosis result from the infrared light emitting unit 262 as an infrared signal. The infrared light receiving unit 44 can receive an infrared signal output from the carrier and obtain a diagnosis result.

  Further, by mounting the carrier CPU 266 on the carrier 112, the motor can be controlled by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation). The carrier CPU 266 is used to PWM-control the traveling motor 236 and the magnet rotation motors 250 and 252. The number of rotations of the motor can be controlled by PWM control, and a delicate movement of the carrier 112 and a delicate movement of the model horse 110 can be performed. In addition, the power consumption of the motor can be reduced and the amount of heat generated can also be reduced.

  Further, by mounting the carrier CPU 266 on the carrier 112, the rotation direction of the motor can be easily controlled. The carrier CPU 266 reverses the rotation direction of the traveling motor 236 to move the carrier 112 backward and the model horse 110 backward. By moving the model horse 110 backward, for example, it is possible to produce an action that dislikes entering the gate, to produce a startless running action at the start, or to use it during maintenance.

(Model horse and model jockey)
Details of the structure of the model horse and the model jockey will be described with reference to FIGS. The model horse 110 has a body portion 300 supported on a carriage 220 by a support member 270. As shown in FIG. 17, the column member 270 includes a first drive shaft 272 and a second drive shaft 274. The second drive shaft 274 is a transmission mechanism (not shown) provided in the carriage 220. ), The rotating magnet 228 rotates in the same direction as rotating.

  The structure of the model horse 110 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 20, a front leg 302 and a rear leg 304 are swingably provided on the body portion 300 of the model horse 110. The front leg 302 includes a thigh portion 306, a leg portion 308, and a foot portion 310, and the thigh portion 306 is pivotally attached to the body portion 300 by a pivot shaft 312. The leg portion 308 is pivotally attached to the thigh portion 306 by a pivot shaft 314, and the foot portion 310 is pivotally attached to the leg portion 308 by a pivot shaft 316. The thigh portion 306 and the foot portion 310 are connected by a joint 318.

  The rear leg 304 includes a thigh portion 320, a leg portion 322, and a foot portion 324. The thigh portion 320 is pivotally attached to the body portion 300 by a pivot shaft 326, and the thigh portion 320 and the leg portion 322 are pivotally attached by a pivot shaft 328. ing. The leg portion 322 and the foot portion 324 are integrated. The body portion 300 and the leg portion 322 are connected by a linkage 330.

  The front leg 302 and the rear leg 304 are swung back and forth by the first drive shaft 272. The first drive shaft 272 extends into the body portion 300, and a worm 332 is provided at the upper end thereof. The worm 332 meshes with the worm wheel 334, and a gear 336 coaxial with the worm wheel 334 meshes with the gear 338. A shaft 338a of the gear 338 extends laterally, and a disc member 340 is concentrically fixed to a tip portion thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 21, a short columnar projecting shaft 342 is provided on the surface of the disk member 340 at an eccentric position. A circular hole 345 provided at one end of the connecting rod 344 is fitted to the protruding shaft 342 so as to be rotatable. The connecting rod 344 extends rearward from the projecting shaft 342, and the rear end thereof is pivotally attached to the upper end portion of the thigh portion 320 of the rear leg 304. Therefore, when the disk member 340 rotates around the axis of the shaft 338a, the connecting rod 344 reciprocates back and forth while swinging up and down, and the thigh portion 320 of the rear leg 304 swings back and forth around the pivot shaft 326. To do.

  Engagement pins 346 protrude from the rear surface of the disk member 340 at the periphery. An elongated slot 306a is formed on the body portion 300 side of the thigh portion 306 of the front leg 302. The engaging pin 346 of the disk member 340 is engaged with the slot 306a. A pin presser plate 348 that presses the engaging pin 346 engaged with the slot 306a is pivotally attached to the thigh portion 320. The substantially center of the pin pressing plate 348 is connected to the end of the thigh portion 320 by a spring 349 and is connected to the end of the leg portion 308 by a linkage 347.

  Accordingly, when the disc member 340 rotates around the axis of the shaft 338a, the thigh portion 320 swings back and forth by the engagement pin 346 through the slot 306a, and the leg portion 308 and the foot portion 310 are moved by the linkage 347. Furthermore, it swings back and forth.

  The positional relationship between the protruding shaft 342 of the disc member 340 and the engaging pin 346 and the positional relationship in which the front leg 302 and the rear leg 304 are connected are set so as to give a swinging motion that simulates the actual running motion of the leg of the horse. ing.

  Next, the structure of the model jockey 350 will be described with reference to FIGS. 22 to 25 correspond to views of the model jockey 350 of FIGS. 17 and 20 viewed from the opposite side.

  The model jockey 350 is driven by the second drive shaft 274. A worm 352 provided on the second drive shaft 274 meshes with the worm wheel 354, and a drive gear 356 coaxial with the worm wheel 354 meshes with the driven gear 360 via the intermediate gear 358. As shown in FIG. 23, the driven gear 360 is pivotally attached to a shaft 364 that is integral with the disc member 362. The disc member 362 is pivotally supported by the body portion 300 of the model horse 110 so as to be rotatable. Two pins 363a and 363b protrude from the surface of the disk member 362 on the opposite side to the driven gear 360 at positions that oppose each other in diameter.

  A friction piece 366 is tightly attached between the driven gear 360 and the disk member 362, and the driven gear 360 is pressed to the disk member 362 side through the washer 370 by a screw 368 screwed to the shaft 364. ing.

  Accordingly, the rotation of the driven gear 360 is transmitted to the disk member 362 by the frictional force of the friction piece 366. When the resistance force on the disk member 362 side is larger than the friction force of the friction piece 366, the driven gear 360 is idled.

  The base end portion of the hand 372 of the model jockey 350 is pivotally supported by the pivot portion 376 on the shoulder portion of the trunk portion 374. A pin 377 protrudes from the base end portion of the outer peripheral portion of the pivot 376. The body 374 is provided with a lever member 380 having a lower end pivotally attached by a pivot 378 at an intermediate portion below the pivot 376, and an engaging surface 382 that engages with the pin 377 is provided at the upper end of the lever member 380. Is provided.

  Further, the upper end of the rod member 384 is rockably locked at a position from the pivot 376 in the intermediate portion of the lever member 380. The rod member 384 extends toward the vicinity of the lower disk member 362.

  The lower end of the rod member 384 is pivotally locked to the front end of a lever member 388 whose rear end is pivotally attached to the body portion 300 by a pivot 386 concentric with the pivot shaft 326 of the thigh portion 320 of the rear leg 304. .

  FIG. 24 is an exploded perspective view of the lever member 380, the rod member 384, and the lever member 388 as viewed from the side opposite to FIG. As can be seen from FIGS. 22 and 24, on the surface of the lever member 388 on the disk member 362 side, an upward cam surface 390 having an arc shape with a large curvature radius is formed in a step shape. A downward recess 392 is formed below the cam surface 390. The recess 392 has an arc shape with a small radius of curvature.

  FIG. 22 shows a state when the model jockey 350 swings up the whip 351. In this state, hand 372 tends to rotate counterclockwise about pivot 376 due to its own weight. This rotational force is transmitted to the lever member 388 through engagement between the pin 377 and the engagement surface 382, and further transmitted from the lever member 380 to the lever member 388 through the rod member 384. Accordingly, the lever member 388 is biased to swing upward around the pivot 386. However, the upward swing of the lever member 388 is prevented by the pin 363a engaging with the cam surface 390, and the hand 372 is held in the illustrated upper position.

  At this time, the disk member 362 is driven to rotate counterclockwise as indicated by an arrow a, and the pin 363a is detached from the cam surface 390 immediately after the illustrated state. Then, since the lever member 388 can freely swing, the hand 372 swings downward around the pivot 386 by its own weight, and simulates a whipping operation. At the same time, the lever member 388 swings upward, but at this time, the pin 363b is engaged with the cam surface 390 from above, and thereafter the lever member 388 is moved downward along with the rotation of the disk member 362. Press down. Accordingly, the hand 372 swings upward around the pivot 386, and is again in a state where the whip shown in FIG. 22 is swung up.

  Thereafter, the same operation is repeated. That is, by continuously rotating the disk member 362 in the direction of the arrow a, the hand 372 repeats up and down movements to simulate a whip-in operation.

  Further, if the second drive shaft 274 is reversed, the model jockey 350 can be raised on the model horse 110 as shown in FIG.

  In this case, the disk member 362 rotates in the direction of the arrow b in the opposite direction to that of the whirling, so that one of the pins 363a and 363b is engaged with the recess 392 located below the cam surface 390 from below. The lever member 388 swings further upward than during the whip-in operation. As a result, the pivot 386 is greatly pushed upward through the rod member 384 and the lever member 380, and the model jockey 350 stands as shown in FIG.

  The body 374 and the leg 374 of the model jockey 350 are swingably connected to each other by a pivot 394, and the lower end of the leg 374 is swingably connected to the body portion 300 of the model horse 350 by a pivot 396.

  In the state of FIG. 25, since the pins 363a and 363b are fitted in the recesses 392 having a small radius of curvature, the pins 363a and 363b cannot be further rotated in the arrow b direction while pushing up the lever member 388. In other words, the rotation of the disk member 362 is prevented, but since the disk member 362 and the driven gear 360 are engaged via the friction piece 366 as described above, slipping occurs between the two, and the object to be driven is The drive gear 360 continues to rotate. Therefore, the model jockey 350 maintains the standing posture illustrated.

  When the rotational direction of the second drive shaft 274 is changed and the driven gear 360 and the disk member 362 are rotated again in the direction of arrow a in FIG. 25, the pins 363a and 363b are detached from the recess 392 and the upper cam surface 390 is removed. To return to the state of FIG.

  As described above, according to the model horse and the model jockey of this embodiment, by rotating one of the rotating magnets, the model horse repeatedly opens and closes and simulates the running of the horse. The movement of the jockey during running can be simulated in accordance with the opening and closing leg movements. Furthermore, a model jockey's whirling action and a winning pose can be simulated by rotating the other rotating magnet.

[Second Embodiment]
A horse racing game apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same or similar components as those of the horse racing game apparatus according to the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted or simplified.

(External appearance of horse racing game device)
The overall appearance of the horse racing game apparatus is shown in FIG.

  In the center of the horse racing game apparatus 10, an annular track 12 for horse racing is provided. Six model horses 14 run on the track 12. A gate (not shown) is provided in the track 12 and advances to the start position of the track 12 at the start of the race.

  A 10-seat satellite 22 is provided around the track 12. There are five satellites 22 on each side of the long side of the track 12.

  On one side of the short side of the track 12, a large projector 24 that projects an image such as the race situation is provided. Speakers (not shown) for live broadcasting, fanfare, BGM, etc. are provided on both sides of the large projector 24.

  Above the track 12, a track illumination unit 400 for illuminating the track 12 and the model horse 14 is provided. The track illumination unit 400 has a track shape and is supported by pillars 401 standing at four corners of the track 12.

(Configuration of the entire horse racing game device)
The entire configuration of the horse racing game apparatus is shown in the block diagram of FIG.

  In place of the shining turf 60, the shining turf driver 58, and the shining turf control unit 56 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. A track illumination control unit 402 is provided. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  The track lighting control unit 402 is connected to the main network CPU 30. The track illumination unit 400 produces an effect of illuminating and lifting the track 12 or tracking the model horse 14 running at the head with light to produce an illumination effect.

(Track lighting section (1))
The configuration of the track illumination unit 400 of the horse racing game apparatus 10 is shown in FIG.

  The track illumination unit 400 of this embodiment is provided above the track 12 as shown in FIG. A large number of lamps 404 are arranged in a track shape. Each lamp 404 is adjusted so that its illumination direction illuminates each part of the track 12. When a large number of lamps 404 are lit in order, the spotlight circulates on the track 12.

  For the multiple lamps 404, lamps of colors used for illumination may be appropriately arranged. For example, as shown in FIG. 28B, a white lamp 404a, a red lamp 404b, and a blue lamp 404c are arranged in this order. When a large number of lamps 404 are turned on in order, the illumination spot circulates on the track 12 while changing the color tone. When lighting is performed according to the progress of the horse racing game, the lighting spot tracks the first horse of the horse racing game.

  In addition, a large number of lamps 404 may be provided as a set of red lamps, green lamps, and blue-green lamps, which are the three primary colors of light. In this case, lighting control of the lamp 404 is performed as a set of three lamps that are the three primary colors of light. By controlling lighting of the three lamps, it is possible to illuminate with a desired color tone.

  An example of illumination control by the track illumination unit 400 will be described.

  Until the race starts, the player is urged to participate and lights up to produce the betting time before the race starts. For example, the turf-colored track 12 is illuminated brightly, or the spotlight is illuminated so as to circulate on the track 12. The track 12 may be white so that the track illumination unit 400 can obtain a desired color. For example, the color can be changed freely according to the race condition such as vivid turf color or dirt brown.

  When the model horses 14 gather near the gate in order to start the race, the track illumination unit 400 illuminates the vicinity of the gate in a concentrated manner.

  When the race starts, the track lighting control unit 400 turns on the lamp 404 corresponding to the current position of the first horse 14 detected by the position detection unit 40 and shines a spotlight on the first horse.

  When the race is over, it will be illuminated to produce the excitement of the race results. For example, the entire track 12 is illuminated in a flash shape, or illuminated so that the illumination spot turns around. Further, when the winning model horse 14 goes around the track 12 as a winning run, the track illumination unit 400 tracks the model horse 14 that is winning and applies a spotlight.

  As described above, according to the track illumination unit of the present embodiment, in addition to video, audio such as BGM and horse footsteps, the entire track on which the model horse runs is lit, or the spot on the running model horse is spotted. As a result, a more powerful race can be realized.

(Track lighting part (2))
Another specific example of the track lighting unit 400 of the horse racing game apparatus 10 is shown in FIG.

  In this specific example, the track illumination arm 410 is configured by bundling a plurality of fibers. As shown in FIG. 29, the track illumination arm 410 is formed so as to extend from the corner to above the track 12. The tip end of the track illumination arm 410 is freely driven by a drive device (not shown) to change the illumination direction freely.

  A lamp 412 is provided at the other end of the track illumination arm 410. A circular filter 414 is provided between the track illumination arm 410 and the lamp 412. The filter 414 is rotationally driven by a motor 416. The light from the lamp 412 enters the other end of the track illumination arm 410 via the filter 414. By rotating the filter 414 by the motor 416, the intensity and color tone of the illumination light irradiated on the track 12 change.

  An example of illumination control in the track illumination unit 400 will be described.

  Until the race starts, the player is urged to participate and lights up to produce the betting time before the race starts. For example, the tip of the track illumination arm 410 is turned to illuminate so that the spotlight circulates on the track 12.

  When the race starts, the track illumination control unit 402 moves the tip of the track illumination arm 410 based on the current position of the top horse 14 detected by the position detection unit 40, and applies a spotlight to the top horse.

  When the race is over, it will be illuminated to produce the excitement of the race results. For example, while rotating the filter 414 to change the color, the tip of the track illumination arm 410 is swung to change the color on the track 12 so that the illumination spot turns around. When the winning model horse 14 goes around the track 12 as a winning run, the track lighting arm 400 tracks the model horse 14 that is winning and hits the spotlight.

  As described above, according to the track illumination unit of this specific example, in addition to the image and the sound such as BGM and horse footsteps, a more powerful race is realized by spotting the running model horse. be able to.

(Track lighting part (part 3))
Still another specific example of the track illumination unit of the horse racing game apparatus 10 is shown in FIG.

  In this specific example, fibers 420 and 424 for emitting light from the lateral direction are provided on the inner periphery and the outer periphery of the track 12. A light source 422 is provided at the end of the fiber 420, and a light source 426 is provided at the end of the fiber 424.

  The light from the light sources 422 and 426 exits from the sides of the fibers 420 and 424, and the track 12 is illuminated by this. The track lighting control unit 402 controls the light sources 422 and 426. When the intensity and color tone of the light sources 422 and 426 change, the intensity and color tone of the illumination light of the track 12 change.

  According to the track lighting unit of this specific example, in addition to video, audio such as BGM and horseshoe sounds, the color of the track can be freely changed as the race of the horse racing game progresses, and a powerful race can be performed. Can be realized.

  In addition, although the track illumination part of this specific example may be used independently, it is more effective when used in combination with the track illumination part (part 1) or the track illumination part (part 2) described above.

(satellite)
The satellite 22 of the competitive game apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 31 is a diagram showing the arrangement configuration of the satellite 22 of the competitive game apparatus 10, FIG. 32 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the satellite 22, and FIG. 33 is a diagram showing the structure of the front panel of the satellite 22.

  In the competitive game apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 31, a main control board 500 is provided at the lower part of the short side of the track 12. On the main control board 500, the control circuit shown in FIG. Satellites 22 of five seats are provided on both sides of the long side of the truck 12. At the lower part of the long side of the truck 12, a DC power source 502 for the satellite 22 for five seats is provided. DC power is supplied from one DC power source 502 to five satellites 22. Although not shown, an AC outlet for each satellite 22 is provided in the vicinity of the DC power source 502.

  The internal configuration of the satellite 22 is shown in FIG. The satellite board 510 is a circuit board on which a control circuit for controlling the entire satellite 22 is mounted. The satellite board 510 includes a monitor 512 for displaying an image, a touch panel 514 for inputting instructions by the player, a medal hopper 516 for supplying medals, and a speaker 518 for outputting sound. It is connected.

  The satellite 22 requires AC power and DC power. AC power is supplied from an AC connector 520. The AC connector 520 is connected to the monitor 512 via an AC power switch 522. The AC connector 520 is connected to an external AC outlet.

  DC power is supplied from the DC connector 530. The DC connector 530 is connected to the satellite board 510 via the DC power switch 532 and the circuit protector 534. The DC connector 530 is connected to an external DC power supply 502.

  The AC power switch 522 and the DC power switch 532 are switches that are operated by a serviceman who performs maintenance, and are provided at positions in the satellite 22 housing that cannot be operated by the player.

  The AC power switch 522 and the DC power switch 532 are normally turned on, and when the main power switch of the competitive game apparatus is turned on, power is also supplied to each satellite 22. AC power is supplied to the monitor 512, and DC power is supplied to the satellite board 510.

  When turning off the satellite 22, the AC power switch 522 is simply turned off for AC power. However, for the DC power, the satellite board 510 performs processing when the power is shut down, for example, storage of environment settings, data Since it is necessary to perform saving or the like, the DC power cannot be immediately cut off by turning off the DC power switch 532.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the satellite board 510 is provided with a door switch 536 that is interlocked with opening / closing of a door (not shown) of the satellite 22. Since the door must be opened to operate the AC power switch 522 and the DC power switch 532, the door switch 536 is always turned off before the AC power switch 522 or the DC power switch 532 is turned off. .

  In the present embodiment, this is utilized, and when the door is opened and the door switch 536 is turned off, the satellite board 510 performs a power-off process. As a result, there is no problem even if the DC power switch 532 is subsequently turned off, and at the time of restarting, it is possible to return to the state before the power is shut off. Even when a failure occurs, the failure state can be accurately grasped.

  Instead of providing the door switch 536, the DC power switch 522 may be a delay switch that is shut off after a certain period of time has elapsed. Further, a large capacitor may be connected to the wiring for supplying the DC power supply so that the power supply is substantially delayed.

  In the satellite 22 of the present embodiment, a circuit protector 534 is provided between the DC power switch 532 and the satellite board 510. This is to prevent the satellite board 510 from being destroyed due to overcurrent flowing due to troubles of other satellites 22 because the DC power supply 502 is shared.

  The structure of the front panel 550 of the satellite 22 is shown in FIG. A medal payout port 551 is provided on the front panel 550 of the satellite 22. Above the medal payout port 551, a payout port 554 of the medal hopper 516 is provided. A cup receiver 552 for placing a medal cup 556 is provided below the medal payout port 551.

  The player places his own medal cup 556 on the cup holder 552 and takes out the medal from the medal cup 556 as necessary. The medals supplied from the medal hopper 516 are automatically stored in the medal cup 556, and medal management can be easily performed.

  In this way, in this embodiment, a power source is not provided for each satellite, but a single power source is provided for a plurality of satellites. Therefore, the installation space can be reduced, and costs can be saved. In addition, according to the present embodiment, the door switch is provided and the power shut-off process is started when the door switch is turned off. Therefore, the environment setting at the time of power shut-off can be saved, data can be saved, etc. At the time of start-up, it is possible to return to the state before power-off. Further, since the medal cup holder is provided at the medal payout opening on the front panel, it is possible to place an obstructive medal cup during the game and to automatically receive the payout medal.

  In addition, although this embodiment demonstrated as an example the satellite of a competitive game device, game devices other than a competitive game device, for example, the game device which performs a bingo game, a blackjack game, etc. in which a some player participates and plays a game, etc. The present invention may be applied to satellites.

[Modified Embodiment]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a horse racing game. However, the present invention can also be applied to a racing game other than horse racing, a car racing, an auto racing, and the like. Further, the present invention can also be applied to a game device that performs a bingo game, a blackjack game, or the like in which a plurality of players participate to play a game.

1 is an external view of an entire horse racing game apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an entire horse racing game apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the horseshoe sound generation part of a horse racing game apparatus. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the loudness of the sound source in each speaker of a horseshoe sound generation part. It is a figure which shows the structure of the position detection part of a horse racing game apparatus. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the position detection part of a horse racing game apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of the infrared rays output part of a horse racing game apparatus. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the infrared rays output part of a horse racing game device. It is a figure which shows the structure of the turf which a horse racing game device shines. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the grass which a horse racing game device shines. It is the figure which looked at the satellite of the horse racing game device from above. It is a figure which shows an example of the game screen displayed with the satellite of a horse racing game device. It is a figure which shows the other example of the game screen displayed with the satellite of a horse racing game device. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the satellite of a horse racing game apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of the start gate of a horse racing game apparatus. It is a perspective view explaining operation | movement of the start gate of a horse racing game apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the bogie and carrier of the model horse of a horse racing game apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of the bogie of a model horse and carrier of a horse racing game apparatus, FIG.18 (a) is a bottom view of the bogie of a model horse, FIG.18 (b) is a top view of a carrier, FIG.18 (c) is a carrier. It is sectional drawing of the center vicinity. It is a block diagram of the carrier of a horse racing game device. It is a figure which shows the structure of the model horse of a horse racing game device. It is a perspective view for demonstrating a one part mechanism of a model horse. It is a structure of the model horse of a horse racing game apparatus, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the structure of a state when a model jockey raises a whip. It is a perspective view for demonstrating a one part mechanism of a model horse. It is a perspective view for demonstrating a one part mechanism of a model horse. It is a structure of the model horse of a horse racing game apparatus, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the structure of a state when a model jockey stands up. It is an external view of the whole horse racing game apparatus by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the whole horse racing game apparatus by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of one specific example of the track illumination part of a horse racing game apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of the other specific example of the track illumination part of a horse racing game apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of the other specific example of the track illumination part of a horse racing game apparatus. It is a figure which shows the arrangement configuration of the satellite of a competitive game apparatus. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the satellite of a competitive game apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of the front panel of the satellite of a competitive game apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Horse racing game device 12 ... Truck 14 ... Model horse 16 ... Field 18 ... Gate 20 ... Paddock 22 ... Satellite 24 ... Large projector 26 ... Speaker 27 ... Speaker 28 ... Post 30 ... Main network CPU 32 ... Game control CPU 34 ... Carrier Control CPU 36 ... Live broadcast output unit 38 ... Horseshoe sound generating unit 40 ... Position detecting unit 42 ... Infrared output unit 44 ... Infrared light receiving unit 46 ... Arc net HUB 48 ... Arc net HUB 50 ... Project driver 52 ... Dot matrix control unit 54 ... Gate dot matrix 56 ... Luminous turf controller 58 ... Luminous turf driver 60 ... Luminous turf 62 ... Goal driver 64 ... Goal LED / flash 66 ... Lamp driver 68 ... Field illumination lamp 70 ... DC motor driver 72 ... Gate mechanism 0 ... 10 inches monitor 82 ... mechanism control section 84 ... AC motor driver 86 ... lifter mechanism 88 ... lifter operation SW 90 ... lifter operation display LCD
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Sound source controller 110 ... Model horse 112 ... Carrier 114 ... X direction position detection board 114A-C ... Position detection board 116 ... Y direction position detection board 116A-C ... Position detection board 118 ... Connector 120 ... Analog SW 122 ... Connector 124 ... analog SW 130 ... base 132 ... wood plate 134 ... detection coil 136 ... wood plate 138 ... glass epoxy plate 140 ... connection electrode 142 ... wire harness 150 ... running track 152 ... infrared light emitting unit 154 ... holding base 156 ... infrared light emitting element 160 ... light emitter 162 ... turf 164 ... carbon plate 166 ... electrode plate 166
170 ... Dome speaker 172 ... 17-inch monitor 174 ... Satellite speaker 176 ... Satellite speaker 178 ... Bill insertion slot 180 ... Medal insertion slot 182 ... Automatic insertion slot 184 ... Automatic insertion start button 186 ... Payout button 188 ... Switch SW
190 ... Satellite control unit 192 ... Race information memory 194 ... Race information memory 196 ... Race information memory 198 ... Race information memory 200 ... Start gate 202 ... Gate 204 ... Gate frame 206 ... Gate door 208 ... Gate door 210 ... Rotating spindle 211 ... Vertical movement motor 212 ... Opening bar 213 ... Swing movement motor 214 ... Gate opening / closing motor 220 ... Bogie 222 ... Wheel 222 223 ... Wheel 224 ... Wheel 226 ... Rotation magnet 228 ... Rotation magnet 229 ... Magnet 230 ... Carrier body 232 ... Wheel 233 ... wheel 234 ... wheel 236 ... traveling motor 238 ... support base 240 ... spring 242 ... wheel 243 ... wheel 244 ... wheel 246 ... rotating magnet 248 ... rotating magnet 250 ... magnet rotating motor 252 ... magnet rotating motor 254 ... Hall element 2 6 ... brush 258 ... current collector 260 ... Infrared receiver 262 ... Infrared light emitting portion 264 ... oscillation coil 266 ... carrier CPU
270: Supporting member 272 ... First drive shaft 274 ... Second drive shaft 300 ... Body part 302 ... Front leg 304 ... Rear leg 306 ... Thigh part 306a ... Slot 308 ... Leg part 310 ... Foot part 312 ... Pivot shaft 314 ... Pivot Axis 316 ... Pivot shaft 318 ... Link 320 ... Thigh portion 322 ... Leg portion 324 ... Foot portion 326 ... Pivot shaft 328 ... Pivot shaft 330 ... Link 332 ... Worm 334 ... Worm wheel 336 ... Gear 338 ... Gear 338a ... Shaft 340 ... disk member 342 ... projecting shaft 344 ... connecting rod 345 ... circular hole 346 ... engagement pin 348 ... pin pressing plate 347 ... linkage 349 ... spring
350 ... Model jockey 351 ... Whip 352 ... Worm 354 ... Worm wheel 356 ... Drive gear 358 ... Intermediate gear 360 ... Driven gear 362 ... Disk member 363a, b ... Pin 364 ... Shaft 366 ... Friction part 368 ... Screw 370 ... Washer 372 ... hand 374 ... trunk 376 ... pivot 377 ... pin 378 ... pivot 380 ... lever member 382 ... engagement surface 384 ... rod member 386 ... pivot 388 ... lever member 390 ... cam surface 390 392 ... recess 394 ... pivot 396 ... Pivot 400 ... Track illumination unit 401 ... Pole 402 ... Track illumination control unit 404, 404a, 404b, 404c ... Lamp 410 ... Track illumination arm 412 ... Lamp 414 ... Filter 416 ... Motor 420 ... Fiber 422 ... Light source 424 ... Fiber 426 ... Light source 500 ... Main control board 502 ... DC power supply 510 ... Satellite board 512 ... Monitor 514 ... Touch panel 516 ... Medal hopper 518 ... Speaker 520 ... AC connector 522 ... AC power switch 530 ... DC connector 532 ... DC power switch 534 ... Circuit Protector 536 ... Door switch 550 ... Front panel 551 ... Medal payout slot 552 ... Cup holder 554 ... Payout slot 556 ... Medal cup

Claims (15)

In a competitive game device in which a traveling body runs and competes on the field,
A position detection member that is provided in the field where the traveling body travels and detects the position of the traveling body;
The position detection member can be divided into a plurality of members at a predetermined dividing line;
A competitive game apparatus, wherein connection means for connecting the wire members of the plurality of members is provided in the predetermined dividing line. In a competitive game device in which a traveling body runs and competes on the field,
Sound generating means provided at a predetermined position along the traveling path of the traveling body on the field;
A competitive game apparatus comprising: sound generation control means for generating a running sound of the traveling body from the sound generating means based on an installation position of the sound generating means and a position of the traveling body. In a competitive game device in which a traveling body runs and competes on the field,
A plurality of optical signal generating means are provided at predetermined positions along the traveling path of the traveling body on the field,
A competitive game apparatus, wherein an optical signal is transmitted from the plurality of optical signal generating means to the traveling body. In a competitive game device in which a traveling body runs and competes on the field,
The traveling body has an optical signal output means for outputting an optical signal,
Optical signal receiving means is provided at a predetermined position along the traveling path of the traveling body on the field,
A competitive game apparatus, wherein an optical signal is received by the optical signal receiving means from the optical signal output means of the traveling body. In a competitive game device in which a traveling body runs and competes on the field,
A light emitting means for outputting light from the lower surface or side of the field is provided,
The competitive game apparatus characterized in that light is output from the light emitting means in accordance with the traveling of the traveling body on the field. In a competitive game device in which a traveling body runs and competes on the field,
A game screen for displaying game information to the player;
A competitive game apparatus, wherein a trace along a pressing track is superimposed on the game information and displayed on the game screen when the player presses the game screen. In a competitive game device in which a traveling body runs and competes on the field,
A game screen for displaying game information to the player;
Storage means for storing a plurality of pieces of race information performed continuously,
A race game apparatus, wherein race information selected by a player from a plurality of race information stored in the storage means is displayed on the game screen. In a competitive game device in which a traveling body runs and competes on the field,
It has a start gate that aligns multiple running bodies at the start position,
A competitive game apparatus, wherein each gate of the traveling body is opened at the start of a race. In a competitive game device in which a traveling body runs and competes on the field,
The traveling body includes a motor used to travel the traveling body, a diagnostic unit that diagnoses a state of the motor, and an optical signal output unit that outputs a diagnosis result by the diagnostic unit as an optical signal,
Optical signal receiving means is provided at a predetermined position along the traveling path of the traveling body on the field,
A competitive game apparatus, wherein an optical signal from the optical signal output means of the traveling body is received by the optical signal receiving means. In a competitive game device in which a traveling body runs and competes on the field,
The competitive game apparatus, wherein the traveling body includes a motor that travels the traveling body, and drive control means that drives and controls the motor so that the traveling body moves forward or backward. In a competitive game device in which a traveling body runs and competes on the field,
The competitive game apparatus, wherein the traveling body includes a motor that travels the traveling body, and drive control means that performs PMW control of the motor. In a competitive game device in which a traveling body runs and competes on the field,
Light irradiation means for irradiating light onto the field from above the field;
A competition game apparatus comprising: a light irradiation control unit that controls light emitted from the light irradiation unit according to a traveling state of the traveling body. The competitive game device according to claim 12,
The light irradiation means irradiates the traveling body in a spot shape,
The competitive game apparatus, wherein the light irradiation control means controls an irradiation direction of the light irradiation means so as to track the traveling of the traveling body. In a game device in which a plurality of players participate and play a game,
A plurality of operation units operated by a plurality of players;
A power supply unit for supplying power to the plurality of operation units,
Each operation unit is
A power switch for turning on and off the power from the power unit;
A door switch linked to the opening and closing of the door;
And a means for performing a power-off process based on a state of the door switch. In a game device in which a player participates and plays a game,
An operation unit operated by the player;
The operation unit is
A medal payout slot for paying out medals,
A game apparatus, comprising: a placing table provided at the medal payout port, on which a medal storage container for storing medals is placed.

Images