JP2005296269A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine having an operation switch device suppressing the fatigue of a hand in a game operation and withstanding a long period of use. <P>SOLUTION: This game machine is provided with a plurality of rotational reels and stop members for stopping the reels starting the rotational turning by the operation of a start member, and the stop members disposed corresponding to the start member and the reels are constituted of a plurality of reflecting type sensors 33A, 103a, 103b and 103c starting the rotational turning of the reels and stopping the reels by turning-on operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine, and more particularly, to a configuration of an operation switch device installed in a box-type gaming machine such as a pachinko gaming machine, a slot machine or a sparrow ball machine, or a game machine used in a pachislot machine or a game center. .

As is well known, in a slot machine known as a revolving game machine as one of the gaming machines, particularly a box-type gaming machine, a plurality of reels are rotated by operating a start lever or a start button, There is an apparatus using a configuration in which rotation of each reel is sequentially stopped by operating a stop button, and a medal or a ball is paid out by a combination of symbols of the reels when the reel is stopped (for example, Patent Document 1).
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional example of a slot machine. In the slot machine 900, three cylindrical reels 903a, 903b, and 903c, a medal slot 904, and the reels are rotated at the same time. A start lever 905 for performing an operation for stopping the operation, and stop buttons 906a, 906b, 906c for performing an operation for stopping the rotation of each reel. Here, a plurality of types of symbols (not shown) are drawn on the peripheral surfaces of the reels 903a, 903b, and 903c, and these symbols can be viewed through a transparent display window 902 formed on the panel surface 901. ing.

  The start lever 905 is a lever switch that is turned on when tilted, and the stop buttons 906a, 906b, and 906c are push button switches that are turned on when pressed. Switches such as a medal insertion portion 904, a start lever 905, and stop buttons 906a, 906b, and 906c are arranged at appropriate positions on the console 908 formed integrally with the front panel.

  In the conventional slot machine 900, when a game medal is inserted into the medal insertion unit 904 by the player, the start of the game becomes effective, and the start lever 905 is tilted to rotate the reels 903a, 903b, and 903c all at once. When the player presses any stop button 906a, 906b, 906c, the reel corresponding to the stop button is braked and stopped. When all the reels 903a, 903b, and 903c are stopped and the symbols displayed on the reels are arranged in a predetermined combination, a prize is won, and a number of game medals corresponding to the type of the prize are paid out from the discharge port 907. ing.

  In the slot machine 900 provided with such an operation unit, a so-called eye push operation in which the player presses the above-described stop buttons 906a, 906b, 906c to align the symbols of the reels 903a, 903b, 903c is performed. It is the main gaming act. For this reason, the frequency with which the stop buttons 906a, 906b, and 906c are pressed is very high.

By the way, the above-mentioned conventional stop buttons 906a, 906b, 906c are fixed to the board surface constituting the front panel of the normal gaming machine, and the direction is fixed so as to face the player, the so-called operator.
For this reason, the player is limited in the posture to press these switches, and repeating the pressing operation of the switches may cause accumulation of fatigue in the hand and the like, making it impossible to enjoy the game.
Therefore, conventionally, a stop switch with a configuration that can be rotated around an axis or around a point is provided, so that a stop operation by lateral movement of a finger can be performed instead of a press operation, thereby reducing the labor burden compared to pressing. The structure which performs is proposed (for example, patent document 2).

JP 2003-290432 A (right column on page 2, lines 17-25) JP 11-267267 A (Claims)

However, in the configuration in which the pressing operation or the rotation operation about the axis is performed, the operation members need to be operated when the push button or the lever is touched. For this reason, when the push button or the lever is touched, a reaction force acts on the hand or finger from these members. As a result, the burden on the hand, finger or shoulder is not eliminated, and the game There is still a concern that it will be painful to continue.
Moreover, since the push button and lever are repeatedly pressed and rotated during game operations, the movable part may rub within the switch, which may cause dust generation or rattling. As a result, the generation of such dust may cause malfunction or failure of the switch.
On the other hand, the target member operated by the player is not only the stop button described above, but also a start lever that is tilted.
Since the start lever is a member that starts the rotation of the reel, the operation force increases in proportion to the number of games because it requires a relatively large operating force, resulting in player fatigue. It is a member that tends to be a factor. The start lever is often provided at a position different from the stop button in order to prevent erroneous operation with the stop button. For this reason, the player uses different hands when operating both of these members, and it is undeniable that this will increase fatigue and troublesome operation.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an operation switch device that has good operability in which fatigue is not easily accumulated in a hand in a game operation or can withstand long-term use in view of the problems in the above-described conventional game machines, particularly operation switch devices. And it aims at providing the game machine using this.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a gaming machine comprising a plurality of rotatable reels and a stop member for stopping the reel that has started to rotate by operation of the start member. The stop members arranged corresponding to are configured by a plurality of reflective sensors that start turning of the reel and stop the reel by turning on.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the gaming machine according to the first aspect, operating conditions are independently set for the reflective sensor used for starting the rotation of the reel and for stopping the reel. It is characterized by being.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the gaming machine according to the second aspect, as one of the conditions between the reflective sensors, one used for starting the rotation of the reel and one used for stopping the reel. It is characterized by different operating directions.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the gaming machine according to any one of the first to third aspects, the reflective sensor emits sensing light and receives the sensing light reflected by an adjacent detection object. This is an optical reflective sensor that is turned on.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the gaming machine according to the fourth aspect, among the reflective sensors, the one used for starting the rotation of the reel is a sensing light emitting portion and sensing light reflected by a detection object. The light receiving unit for receiving light is juxtaposed in the vertical direction, and the one used for stopping the reel is characterized in that the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are juxtaposed in the horizontal direction.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the gaming machine according to the fifth aspect, among the reflective sensors, the one used for starting the rotation of the reel is a position different from the arrangement position of the one used for stopping the reel. The light-emitting part of the sensing light reflected by the detection object and the light-receiving part that receives the sensing light are juxtaposed in the same direction.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention is the gaming machine according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein among the reflective sensors, adjacent ones are juxtaposed between adjacent ones. It is characterized by being provided.

  According to the first and fourth aspects of the present invention, since the member for starting and stopping the rotation of the reel is constituted by the reflection type sensor, the player's hand is brought close to the player unlike the push button and the rotating member. Just do it. Thereby, unlike a pressing operation or a rotation operation, a physical burden can be reduced, thereby reducing a player's fatigue.

  According to the inventions of claims 2, 3, 5 and 6, since the operation conditions of the reflective sensor used for starting the rotation of the reel and the one used for stopping are different, for example, It is possible to prevent an erroneous operation when taking a common operation that only brings the player's hand close. In particular, in the inventions described in claims 3 and 5, the rotation direction and the stop operation of the reel are distinguished by changing the operation direction, and in the invention of claim 6, the operation position is changed. Occurrence of erroneous operations can be suppressed by making it easy.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the adjacent ones of the reflective sensors are provided with the partition wall between the adjacent sensors, the cause of malfunction such as light leakage between the adjacent sensors is provided. Thus, it is possible to function an accurate on operation.

  Hereinafter, a slot machine SM will be described as a preferred embodiment according to the present invention. Here, FIG. 2 is a front view showing the external structure of the slot machine SM. In the figure, a front panel FP designed as a decorative panel is integrally formed of hard plastic on the side facing the player of the slot machine SM. The front panel FP includes an upper panel part UP, a middle panel part MP, and a lower panel part LP, and slightly protrudes toward the player side between the middle panel part MP and the lower panel part LP. Are integrally formed. Note that switches, which will be described later, for performing a game operation of the slot machine SM are arranged at appropriate positions on the console OP.

  A liquid crystal display device 13 for displaying an image for producing a game is arranged in the approximate center of the upper panel unit UP, and the image of the liquid crystal display device 13 is viewed through a display window 14 formed of a transparent hard plastic plate. It has become so.

  Sound emitting portions 12a and 12b each having a plurality of slit holes are formed on both sides of the display window 14, and speakers (321a and 321b) (not shown) for producing sound effects for producing a game are provided on the sound emitting portions 12a and 12b. It is attached to the back side.

  In addition, a high-intensity light emitting diode is incorporated in the upper end portion of the upper panel unit UP, and an effect lamp 11 is provided for effecting light by lighting or blinking these.

  The middle panel portion MP is provided with a panel surface 21 made of a hard plastic plate or the like. A substantially rectangular transparent display window 22 is formed at the center of the panel surface 21 so that the three reels 23a, 23b, and 23c provided in the housing of the slot machine SM can be seen through the display window 22. Yes.

  Here, each of the reels 23a, 23b, and 23c has a cylindrical shape having the same diameter, and three reels 23a, 23b, and 23c are arranged side by side along the rotation axis. A plurality of types of symbols (not shown) are drawn on the outer peripheral surfaces of the reels 23a, 23b, and 23c along the circumferential direction, and the player can move the vertical direction drawn on one reel through the display window 22. Three symbols and three rows of reels arranged in the horizontal direction can be visually observed. In addition, the reels 23a, 23b, and 23c are rotated and stopped in accordance with the player's operation, thereby changing the type of reel symbols to be displayed.

  In addition, on the panel surface 21, for example, a game information display device 24 that displays information related to a gaming state such as internal winning for a winning combination with a lamp or the like, and a plurality of light emitting diodes are arranged in a matrix, and each light emitting diode is selectively displayed. A dot display device 26 is provided for effecting and displaying a dot image by emitting light. Also, below the display window 22, the number of game medals (hereinafter simply referred to as “medals”) credited (stored) in the slot machine SM, the number of medals earned by winning a prize, the number of winning prizes, etc. A numerical information display device 25 composed of a 7-segment LED for displaying numerical information is provided.

  In addition, on both sides of the panel surface 21, effect lamps 27a and 27b incorporating high-intensity light emitting diodes are disposed.

  The console OP has a flat surface that is slightly inclined toward the player side (forward). A medal insertion unit 31 for inserting medals is provided on the right side of the plane of the console OP, and a bet button 32 that is a push button switch is provided on the left side of the plane.

  Although not shown in the figure, the medal insertion unit 31 is provided with a select mechanism for determining whether or not the inserted medal is a regular one in the case. A medal insertion sensor (410) that detects and sends a detection signal to a later-described main control board (200) is incorporated in the selection mechanism.

  The bet button 32 is a button switch for presenting the number of medals bet on the game of the slot machine SM. When the game is started, by pressing the bet button 32, for example, three medals are bet on the game from the stored medals.

On the left side of the front surface of the console OP, a start operation detector 33 is provided for instructing the start of rotation of the reels 23a, 23b, and 23c.
The start operation detection unit 33 is provided in the switch unit SU in the same manner as the reel rotation stop detection unit, which will be described later. A signal for instructing can be output.

A switch unit SU including stop operation detection units 100a, 100b, and 100c for instructing to stop the rotation of the reels 23a, 23b, and 23c is attached to the front center of the console OP. As will be described in detail later, the switch unit SU is provided with stop operation detection units 100a, 100b, 100c for instructing to stop the rotation of the reels in association with the reels 23a, 23b, 23c. .
When the player stops the rotation of the reel, when the player brings his / her finger close to (or may contact with) any one of the stop operation detection units 100a, 100b, 100c, the rotation of the reel corresponding to the detection unit is braked. To be controlled.

  The lower panel portion LP is provided with a panel surface 41 on which a picture or the like for introducing a game content or an appearance character of the slot machine SM is arranged. Below the panel surface 41, a discharge port 42 for discharging medals and a tray 44 for receiving the discharged medals are provided. Further, adjacent to both sides of the discharge port 42, sound emitting portions 43a and 43b formed from a large number of holes are respectively provided, and speakers (322a and 322b) (not shown) that produce effect sound are provided on the sound emitting portions 43a and 43b. Located on the back side.

  In the slot machine SM, when the player drops a medal from the medal insertion unit 31 or when the medal is credited, the start of the game becomes valid when the bet button 32 is operated. When the start lever 33 is tilted by the player, all the reels 23a, 23b, 23c rotate at the same time. When the reels 23a, 23b, and 23c reach a predetermined number of revolutions, the stop operation is ready, and the player can respond by touching the detection units 100a, 100b, and 100c of the stop switch unit SU with a finger in an arbitrary order. Reel rotation stops. When the symbols displayed by the three stopped reels 23a, 23b, and 23c are arranged in a predetermined combination, a prize is won, and the number of medals corresponding to the type of the prize is paid to the player. .

Next, the switch unit SU attached to the slot machine SM for performing each operation of starting and stopping the rotation of the reel will be described with reference to FIGS.
Here, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the external structure of the switch unit SU, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a partially broken view of the stop switch unit SU. FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the switch unit SU and is a diagram for explaining the operation thereof.

In FIG. 3, the switch unit SU includes an operation panel unit 101a serving as an operation surface facing a player, a reflective sensor 33A (see FIG. 4) provided corresponding to the start operation detection unit 33, and a stop operation detection unit 100a. , 100b, 100c (see FIG. 4), the reflection type sensors 103a, 103b, 103c, and the casings in which the electric circuit board 104 (see FIG. 4) on which these reflection type sensors are mounted are respectively built-in. 101.
The operation panel unit 101a is provided with openings having shapes corresponding to the start operation detection unit 33 and the stop operation detection units 100a, 100b, and 100c. The reflection type sensors 33A, 103a, 103b, A transmission plate 102 having a flat surface capable of transmitting sensing light to 103c is fitted.

  The reflective sensors 33A, 103a, 103b, and 103c are optical sensors each having a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, and reflected light of a certain amount or more reflected from a detection target, in this case, a player's finger, so-called sensing. It is turned on by receiving light. Among the reflective sensors, the reflective sensors 103a, 103b, and 103C provided in the stop operation detection units 100a, 100b, and 100c are configured such that the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are juxtaposed in the horizontal direction.

  In the present embodiment, the start operation detection unit 33 and the stop operation detection units 100a, 100b, and 100c have different operation conditions. In other words, in consideration of the fact that the operation content during the game is different between the start of rotation of the reel and the stop of rotation of the reel, when each detection unit is provided in the switch unit SU, the reflection at the start operation detection unit 33 is performed. The configuration of the mold sensor 33A and the configuration of the reflective sensors 103a, 103b, 103c in the stop operation detection units 100a, 100b, 100c are different.

3A and 4A, the reflective sensor 103c used in the stop operation detection units 100a, 100b, and 100c receives light from the light emitting unit so that it can be juxtaposed in the horizontal direction to detect the approach of a finger. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4 (B), the start operation detection unit 33 has a pair structure in which a combination of a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit is juxtaposed in the vertical direction. Is used. The start operation detection unit 33 detects not only the approach of the finger, but also the movement of the approached finger between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit that are paired with each other, as if the start lever is tilted. When the movement of the finger in the vertical direction is detected, the on operation is performed. In FIG. 4B, reference numeral 33A1 denotes a partition for blocking light leakage between each light emitting part and the light receiving part.
In such a configuration with the start operation detection unit 33, the stop operation detection units 100a, 100b, and 100c do not perform an on-operation by simply approaching the finger, so that the finger approaches against the player's will. It is possible to prevent the reel from starting to rotate.
In the start operation detection unit 33 including the reflective sensor 33A including the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit which are paired, an ON signal when the approach of a finger is detected by one light emitting unit and the light receiving unit and the other It is determined that the reel rotation start is instructed by the logical sum of the ON signal when the approach of the finger is detected by the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit. Thereby, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 4B, it is possible to determine whether the start operation has been performed regardless of whether the finger moves up or down.

As shown in FIG. 3 (B), the start operation detection unit 33 is changed to the stop operation detection units 100a, 100b, 100b, 100b, 100c by changing the operation conditions of the start operation detection unit 33 and the stop operation detection units 100a, 100b, 100c. There is a case where it is installed in a unit (indicated by the symbol SU ′ for convenience) different from the switch unit provided with 100c. In addition, in the switch unit SU ′ shown in FIG. 3B, a member having the same function as the member used in the switch unit SU provided with the stop operation detection units 100a, 100b, and 100c has a dash (′) in the reference numeral. It is attached and displayed.
In the configuration shown in FIG. 3B, the player can be aware of the case where the reel rotation is started, and the reel rotation can be prevented from being inadvertently started. The configuration of the reflective sensor in this case is the same as that used in the stop operation detection units 100a, 100b, and 100c.

Since the present embodiment is configured as described above, the start operation detection unit 33 that gives an instruction to start the rotation of the reel and the stop operation detection units 100a, 100b, and 100c that give an instruction to stop the rotation of the reel all exert physical force. Since it is a configuration using sensing light rather than a configuration to act, it does not require a search force like a conventional start lever or a push switch.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation state with respect to each detection unit, and the on-operation can be performed by moving the finger PF close to each detection unit and slightly moving it, thereby suppressing fatigue on the player's hand. be able to.
In particular, since the operation surface of each detection unit is composed of a flat transmission plate 102, for example, the start operation detection unit 33 slides the finger in the vertical direction or the finger is at a position different from the stop operation detection unit. And instructing the reels to start rotation, the player can smoothly perform a game operation in which the player slids the finger PF on the surface of the stop operation detection units 100a, 100b, 100c and continuously hits quickly. Even in this case, the user can simply slide his / her finger, so that fatigue to the hand can be reduced.
In the above-described embodiment, after the start operation is once performed in the start operation detection unit 33, the start operation detection unit 33 is again performed until the on operation in the stop operation detection units 100a, 100b, and 100c is performed. It goes without saying that the on-operation is not repeated even when a finger approach occurs.

  According to the present embodiment, all operations from the start of rotation of the reel to the stop of rotation can be performed by turning on the reflective sensor, so that the tilting operation of the start lever and the pressing operation of the push button are completely unnecessary. Can do. Thereby, it becomes possible to reduce the labor burden required for each operation.

  On the other hand, in the switch unit SU, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the partition plates 106a and 106b as partition walls are arranged inside the casing 101 so as to separate the reflective sensors 103a, 103b, and 103c. 101 is formed integrally. That is, the partition plates 106a and 106b are plates that partition the inside of the casing 101 along the detection direction of each of the reflective sensors 103a, 103b, and 103c. In other words, the partition plates 106a and 106b are arranged in the casing 101 defined by the partition plates 106a and 106b. Each reflective sensor 103a, 103b, 103c is arranged in each room.

  By providing the partition plates 106a and 106b, for example, when a player operates a stop switch unit SU, when the finger is brought close to a certain detection unit, the sensing light reflected on the partition plates 106a and 106b It is shielded with. Thereby, a boundary is formed between the detection areas of the reflective sensors adjacent to each other, and these detection areas do not overlap. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a malfunction such that the reflected sensing light leaks into an adjacent reflective sensor on the detection unit side and is turned on.

  Further, the reflection sensors 103a, 103b, 103c can be arranged close to each other with the partition plates 106a, 106b interposed therebetween, and the stop switch unit SU can be made compact. Therefore, the player can quickly perform a game operation in which the finger is continuously turned on while sliding the finger along the detection units 100a, 100b, and 100c, and the operability is improved.

It is a front view showing the external appearance structure of the slot machine by a prior art. It is a front view showing the appearance structure of the slot machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view showing the external appearance structure of the switch unit by one embodiment of the present invention, (A) shows the case where the operation direction in an operation detection part is varied, (B) makes the position of an operation detection part differ. Each case is shown. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional view in the direction indicated by reference numeral (4) in FIG. 3 and the configuration of the members shown in the cross-section, where (A) shows the entire cross-section and (B) shows the start operation detection unit. 1 shows a configuration of a reflection type sensor. It is the front view which fractured | ruptured a part of switch unit by the Example of this invention, and represented the internal structure. It is sectional drawing of the switch unit by the Example of this invention, Comprising: It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement.

Explanation of symbols

SM slot machine OP console SU switch unit 23a, 23b, 23c reel 33 start operation detection unit 100a, 100b, 100c stop operation detection unit 101 casing 101a operation panel unit 102 transmission plate 33A, 103a, 103b, 103c reflective sensor 104 electricity Circuit boards 106a, 106b, 106c Partition plates as partition walls

Claims (7)

In a gaming machine comprising a plurality of rotatable reels and a stop member for stopping a reel that has started rotating by operating a start member,
The start member and the stop member arranged corresponding to the reel are configured by a plurality of reflective sensors that start turning of the reel and stop the reel by turning on, and the reflective sensors are close to each other. An amusement machine characterized in that an optical reflection type sensor that receives reflected light from a detection object and can be turned on is used. The gaming machine according to claim 1,
The game machine according to claim 1, wherein operating conditions of the reflective sensor are set independently for the one used for starting the rotation of the reel and the one used for stopping the reel. The gaming machine according to claim 2,
One of the conditions for the reflective sensors is that the operating direction is different between the one used to start the rotation of the reel and the one used to stop the reel. The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The reflection type sensor includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, a light transmitting member on a detection side, and the light transmitting member has a flat surface. The gaming machine according to claim 4,
Among the reflective sensors, those used to start the rotation of the reel have the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit juxtaposed in the vertical direction, and those used to stop the reel have the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit horizontally. A gaming machine characterized by being juxtaposed in a direction. The gaming machine according to claim 5,
Among the reflection type sensors, the one used for starting the rotation of the reel is provided at a position different from the arrangement position of the one used for stopping the reel, and the sensing light emitting part and the sensing reflected from the detection object A gaming machine, wherein a light receiving portion that receives light is juxtaposed in the same direction. The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Among the reflective sensors, those adjacent to each other are provided with a partition wall between adjacent ones.

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