JP2007111221A - Reel device and game machine mounted therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily and efficiently clean the surface of a reel provided on a game machine. <P>SOLUTION: On the rear side of the reel (101a), a cleaning member (140) which has a wiper part (141) formed of an elastic body and can be operated so as to be tilted is provided. In order to clean the reel, the cleaning member is operated so as to tilt to a reel side and the reel is rotated while bringing the wiper part into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reel in a tangent direction. Thus, the outer peripheral surface of the reel is wiped by the wiper part with uniform and proper pressurizing force, so that cleaning work is carried out easily and efficiently. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a reel device that displays a game result by rotating and displaying symbols by rotating, and a gaming machine equipped with the reel device.

  A gaming machine such as a slot machine is equipped with a reel device that displays a game result by variably displaying symbols. That is, the reel device is configured by coaxially arranging, for example, three cylindrical or drum-shaped rotatable reels, and each reel has a film sheet on which a plurality of types of symbols are printed. Reel tape is wound.

  Each reel is driven by a rotary motor such as a stepping motor directly connected to each reel, and is rotated for each game, and the symbols are variably displayed through a transparent display window formed on the front surface of the gaming machine. Then, when specific symbols related to winning are stopped at a position facing the display window or are displayed together on a valid line, winning is established and a game medal is paid out.

  By the way, the reel tape wound around the above-mentioned reel is formed with a decorative property such as gloss by a vapor deposition process or a printing process of a multicolor layer, but in a gaming machine installed in a pachinko hall or the like. Since the dirt such as tobacco dust and fine dust adheres to the surface and the aesthetic appearance is impaired, the reels are cleaned at any time.

  Conventionally, when performing such a cleaning operation, the reel device is taken out from the casing of the slot machine, and an operator manually wipes off the surface of the reel by using a cleaning tool such as a brush. In order to reduce the labor of work, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a reel cleaning device in which a brush is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of a reel while being mounted in a casing, and the surface is cleaned by using the rotation of the reel during the game. Has been proposed.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-237445 (FIG. 3 etc.)

  However, the reel tape wound around the reel is formed of a film sheet material such as a thin resin, and is easily bent in the radial direction when a cleaning tool such as a brush is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface in the reel cleaning operation. For this reason, it is difficult to adjust the force with which the cleaning tool comes into contact with the reel tape, and if considerable care is not taken in the work, there may be cases where dirt remains partially or damage due to excessive rubbing may occur. It was.

  The present invention has been made in view of these conventional problems, and provides a reel device that allows anyone to easily and efficiently clean dirt adhered to the surface of the reel, and a gaming machine equipped with the reel device. The purpose is to do.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention described in claim 1 is mounted on a gaming machine, and a plurality of identification symbols are arranged on a cylindrical peripheral surface, and a plurality of reels that are rotationally driven are arranged in parallel on the same axis. A reel device comprising a cleaning member that can contact the outer peripheral surface of the reel along a tangential direction thereof, and rotating the reel while the cleaning member is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reel. The outer peripheral surface is wiped off and cleaned.

  According to the reel device of the first aspect, when the reel is cleaned, the reel is rotated by bringing the cleaning member into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reel in the tangential direction. As a result, the outer peripheral surface of the reel is wiped off by the cleaning member with a uniform and appropriate pressing force, so that the occurrence of damage due to residual dirt or excessive rubbing can be suppressed. Therefore, the reel cleaning operation can be easily and efficiently performed.

  Invention of Claim 2 is a reel apparatus of Claim 1, Comprising: As for the said cleaning member, the said outer peripheral surface is the base end side of the said cleaning member because the said reel rotates in one rotation direction. It is arranged so as to follow the rotational direction of the reel so as to slidably contact the tip end side and move around.

  According to the reel device of the second aspect, even if the reel shaft is eccentric due to a manufacturing error or the like, and the outer peripheral surface is slightly distorted with respect to a perfect circle, the cleaning member is a reel. Therefore, the pressing force is kept uniform and the friction can be wiped off smoothly.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the reel device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the cleaning member is selectable in either a contact state or a non-contact state with respect to an outer peripheral surface of the reel. It is provided through the means.

  According to the reel device of the third aspect, the cleaning member is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reel at the time of cleaning, and in a non-contact state at other times, the reel is prevented from being worn out.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the reel device according to the third aspect, wherein the attachment means is separated from the outer peripheral surface by a predetermined amount from the first position where the cleaning member is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reel. It is supported by being pivotally supported so as to be tiltable between the second position and the second position.

  According to the reel device of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the cleaning member is pivoted via the attachment means so as to be tiltable between the first position contacting the outer peripheral surface of the reel or the second position spaced apart from the outer peripheral surface. Be supported. Accordingly, the cleaning member is tilted to the reel side during cleaning and brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface, and the tilting operation is performed to the side away from the other parts to prevent unnecessary wear of the reel.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the reel device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the cleaning member is detachably attached via a fixed fitting means.

  According to the reel device of the fifth aspect of the invention, the cleaning member is inserted into the fixed fitting means when cleaning and is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reel, and is removed in other cases to prevent unnecessary wear of the reel. .

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the reel device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the cleaning member is made of an elastic material having flexibility.

  According to the reel device according to claim 6, the cleaning member made of an elastic material having flexibility is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reel along the tangential direction thereof, so that the reel is always kept at a constant and uniform pressing force. The outer peripheral surface is pressed. Therefore, no dirt or damage due to excessive rubbing occurs, and the cleaning operation can be performed easily and efficiently.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention is the reel device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the plurality of reels are detachably mounted on the reel device main body, and the cleaning member is It is provided for each reel.

  According to the reel device of the seventh aspect, it is possible to work by selectively detaching the reel to be cleaned from the reel device main body, thereby improving workability and the like.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the reel device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cleaning member is subjected to electret processing.

  According to the reel device of the eighth aspect, by making the cleaning member in contact with the reel into an electret, dirt attached to the reel can be wiped off with an electrostatic adsorption action, and the cleaning effect is enhanced.

  A ninth aspect of the present invention is the reel device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the cleaning member is conductive and electrically grounded. .

  According to the reel device of the ninth aspect, by bringing the conductive and grounded cleaning member into contact with the reel, the charged state of the reel is eliminated, and the surface of the reel is firmly fixed by electrostatic action. Adsorbed dirt can be removed efficiently. Further, by eliminating the charged state of the reel, re-adhesion of dirt is prevented and the reel is made difficult to get dirty.

  As described above, according to the reel device of the present invention, since the outer peripheral surface of the reel can be wiped with a uniform and appropriate pressing force by the cleaning member that is tilted, the occurrence of damage due to residual dirt or excessive rubbing occurs. The reels can be efficiently and easily cleaned by anyone. In addition, for example, during a game in which no cleaning operation is performed, the cleaning member can be brought into a non-contact state with respect to the reel, and wasteful wear of the reel can be prevented.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a gaming machine in which the reel device according to the present invention is mounted will be described by taking a slot machine as an example. Here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external structure of the slot machine 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view showing the internal structure of the slot machine 1 with the front door opened. is there.

  First, the front structure of the slot machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In the slot machine 1, a front door 3 that faces the player side and constitutes a so-called front mask is attached to an opening side of a housing 2 that is a substantially rectangular box body so as to be opened and closed by a hinge mechanism (not shown). The front door 3 is roughly divided into an upper panel portion and a lower panel portion, and these are integrally formed of a hard plastic designed to enhance the visual effect as a decorative board. In addition, a tray unit 4 that forms a tray part for storing medals is provided at the lower part of the front door 3.

  The upper panel 5 and the side lamps 6a and 6b with a built-in high-intensity light-emitting diode are arranged on the upper panel of the front door 3. Is going. In addition, sound emitting units 7a and 7b for production, each having a built-in speaker, are provided at the left and right positions of the upper panel unit, and production is performed using sound effects or musical sounds that are selected according to the progress of the game. Further, a liquid crystal display unit 8 is arranged at a position between the sound emitting units 7a and 7b for effects. The liquid crystal display unit 8 displays the selected moving image to give a story to the game, or to imply an expectation by implying the internal winning result to the player. Yes.

  In addition, a middle panel unit 9 made of an acrylic plate is attached to the upper panel portion, and a substantially rectangular transparent display window 9a is formed at the center thereof, and a gaming state or the like is provided around the display window 9a. An information display unit is provided for lighting and displaying information on the lamp.

  The slot machine 1 is configured so that three cylindrical reels 101a, 101b, and 101c provided in the housing 2 can be seen through the display window 9a. That is, as will be described later, a reel device 100 in which reels 101a, 101b, and 101c are arranged side by side in the rotational axis direction is arranged in the housing 2, and the peripheral surfaces of the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c are arranged. For example, 21 identification symbols (hereinafter simply referred to as “symbols”) including a plurality of different types are arranged at equal intervals. Then, three vertical and three horizontal rows of symbols facing the display window 9a are visually recognized by the player through the display window.

  In the middle of the front door 3, a medal insertion portion 11 having an insertion slot for inserting medals used for the game, a bet button 12 for instructing the operation of the game, a start lever 13, and three pieces Stop buttons 14a, 14b, and 14c are provided, respectively.

  The bet button 12 is a push-type button switch for presenting the number of medals bet on the game of the slot machine 1. The start lever 13 is a lever switch for instructing to rotate the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c all at once. The start lever 13 is turned on when a lever having a spherical operation knob at the tip is tilted in any direction, up, down, left, or right. When the hand is released from the lever, the spring is automatically returned to the original position by the urging force of the spring and is turned off.

  The stop buttons 14a, 14b, and 14c are push-type button switches for individually instructing to stop the rotation of the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c, and are arranged in parallel corresponding to the arrangement of the reels.

  The lower panel formed on the front door 3 is provided with a panel 15 for displaying, for example, a picture of an appearing character so that the player can recognize the model type of the slot machine 1 and the like.

  The saucer unit 4 is provided with a medal payout opening 16 for paying out medals stored therein at the time of winning or the like, and an effect sound emitting unit 17 that incorporates a speaker and generates an effect sound effect as the game progresses. Has been.

  Next, the internal structure of the slot machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. A main control board 21 that performs overall control of the overall operation of the slot machine 1 is attached to the upper portion of the housing 2. The main control board 21 is a control circuit board on which electronic components such as an interface circuit having a matching function when communicating with a CPU, ROM, RAM, and other peripheral devices are mounted, and is housed in a transparent board case. It is fixed in the body 2 so as not to be detached.

  A reel device 100 in which three reels 101a, 101b, and 101c are arranged in parallel in the axial direction is installed at a substantially center in the housing 2 so as to face a display window 9a formed on the front door 3 side. . Each reel 101a, 101b, 101c is rotationally driven by a stepping motor that is fitted to each hub portion.

  Below the reel device 100, there is provided a hopper device 22 that temporarily stores medals inserted from the medal insertion unit 11 and discharges and pays out medals from the medal discharge port 22a at the time of a prize payout. The auxiliary tank 23, which is a box having an opening on the upper side, is provided adjacent to the hopper device 22, and collects medals overflowed by the hopper device.

  Further, at the bottom of the housing 2, a main power supply device 24 composed of a constant voltage source and a power supply device substrate 25 that distributes necessary power to each device built in the slot machine 1 are accommodated in the same sheet metal case. Are arranged.

  Next, on the front door 3 side, speakers 31a and 31b facing the sound emission sections 7a and 7b for production are attached at the upper position. Further, a sub-control board 32 for controlling and driving the liquid crystal display unit, the speakers 31a, 31b, and the like is attached to the back surface of the liquid crystal display unit 8 (see FIG. 1) disposed between the speakers 31a, 31b. The sub-control board 32 controls the display of the effect image by the liquid crystal display unit 8, the illumination control using the upper lamp 5 and the side lamps 6a and 6b, and the effect using the sound emission parts 7a, 7b and 17 for the effect. It is a control circuit board for mainly performing control related to game effects such as sound control.

  Below the sub-control board 32 is attached a middle panel unit 9 which is formed as a unit by forming a transparent display window 9a and the like for allowing the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c to be seen through a panel board having a decoration on the front surface. ing. The middle panel unit 9 also receives signals from the cold cathode fluorescent tubes 33 that irradiate the outer peripheral surfaces of the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c, and operation switches such as the start lever 13 and the stop buttons 14a, 14b, and 14c. A central display board 34 or the like that relays to the main control board 21 on the side is assembled.

  A medal selector 35 is attached below the middle panel unit 9. The medal selector 35 is a device that determines whether or not a medal inserted into the medal insertion unit 11 on the front surface is appropriate. The medal selector 35 is provided with a medal sensor 35a (not shown) made of a photo interrupter. The medal sensor 35a detects a medal that the medal selector 35 determines to be appropriate, and the medal acceptance signal is sent to the main control board 21. Is output. The main control board 21 performs a process of internally storing medals by adding credits and storing them in the memory every time a medal acceptance signal is received.

  Below the medal selector 35, a medal guide portion 36 that guides the medals determined to be appropriate and distributed to the hopper device 22, and medals (or foreign objects) that have been excluded and dropped by the medal selector 35 as inappropriate are displayed on the front medal payout opening 16. And a medal payout passage 38 for guiding the medals discharged from the hopper device 22 to the medal payout port 16 on the front surface. Further, a speaker 39 is mounted adjacent to the medal payout opening 16 so as to face the above-described effect sound emitting unit 17.

  Next, a control system provided in the slot machine 1 will be described with reference to a functional block diagram shown in FIG. First, the main control board 21 is provided with a storage unit including a semiconductor memory such as a ROM 212 and a RAM 213 in addition to the CPU 211, and the CPU 211 executes arithmetic processing according to a system program for a slot machine game stored in the ROM 212 in advance. Thus, the overall operation of the slot machine 1 is controlled.

  The CPU 211 is connected to a clock interrupt signal generation unit 214 that generates a clock signal having a constant period (several milliseconds), and in synchronization with each clock interrupt, the start lever 13 and stop buttons 14a, 14b, 14c, Switch outputs and sensor outputs of the bet button 12 and the medal sensor 35a built in the medal selector 35 are read via the central display board 34.

  The main control board 21 includes a random number generator 215 including an oscillating element and a memory counter element that counts a short-cycle pulse signal generated by the oscillating element, and sampling for acquiring a count value of the random number generator 215. A hardware lottery circuit having a section 216 is provided. The CPU 211 acquires a random number value from the random number generation unit 215 via the sampling unit 216 at a timing related to a predetermined game operation, and performs table lottery processing such as a winning combination and effect pattern based on the random value.

  Further, the CPU 211 rotates the four-phase rotation control pulse data generated based on the above-described clock interrupt signal to the stepping motors 111a, 111b, and 111c that are the rotation driving sources of the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c. Current is amplified by the device substrate 110 and supplied. The CPU 211 calibrates (resets) the position data each time it receives an operation signal from the reference position sensors 112a, 112b, and 112c provided on each reel, and based on the pulse data sent based on the position data, Each reel is controlled to rotate.

  The main control board 21 is connected to the payout motor 221 and the payout sensor 222 of the hopper device 22 via the power supply device board 25. The CPU 211 pays out a medal to the player by rotating the payout motor 221 when a winning dividend or a medal lending operation is performed. Then, when the actual payout number of medals detected by the operation of the payout sensor 222 coincides with the scheduled number, the control of stopping the payout motor is performed.

  A sub control board 32 is connected to the main control board 21 by wiring. That is, the sub-control board 32 operates in response to a command signal from the main control board 21 and controls the lighting or flashing of light-emitting diodes or incandescent lamps that are light sources such as the upper lamp 5 and the side lamps 6a and 6b. 321, an acoustic control unit 322 that drives and drives the speakers 31 a, 31 b, and 39 based on sound signals selected from the sound source data memory 323 and decoded (reproduced), and images stored in the image data memory 325 It mainly includes a control circuit such as an image data selection unit 324 that appropriately selects and outputs data to the image control board 81.

  The image control board 81 includes a VDP (Video Display Processor), a frame memory, a video RAM, and the like. Based on the image data supplied from the image data selection unit 324, a part of the image control board 81 is merged according to a moving image expression method. The video signal is generated after editing such as the above, and the liquid crystal display unit 8 performs control to display a moving image for production.

  The slot machine 1 configured as described above enters a standby state when a prize is won in the previous game and the medal payout is completed, or when a loss is confirmed in the previous game. When the bet button 12 is pressed in this state, a medal is bet on the game from medals (credits) stored therein, and the game starts.

  When the start lever 13 is tilted in the game start state, the main control board 21 starts to rotate the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c all at once. At the same time, a winning combination is drawn based on random numbers, and the result is stored in a flag (memory).

  Next, when the player presses the stop buttons 14a, 14b, and 14c in an arbitrary order, the main control board 21 sequentially stops the corresponding reels accordingly. Then, the main control board 21 determines whether or not the combination of symbols displayed on all the stopped reels 101a, 101b, and 101c matches the combination of symbols related to the winning combination stored in the flag. When they match, the winning is confirmed, and a medal with the number of payouts corresponding to the type of winning combination is added to the credit. When the credit exceeds the upper limit due to the payout of the winning prize, the main control board 21 operates the hopper device 22 to perform control for paying out the excess medal from the medal payout opening 16 to the tray unit 4.

  As described above, the player of the slot machine 1 performs a game operation to rotate and stop the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c, and loses the bet medals if the symbols variably displayed on the display window 9a are not aligned with the active line. If a winning combination is achieved with a predetermined combination of symbols, it is possible to obtain more medals than the betted number, so that it is possible to enjoy a win / lose game with an interest in increasing the number of medals depending on the skill and luck.

  Next, the structure of the reel device 100 provided in the casing of the slot machine 1 will be described. 4 is a perspective view showing the external structure of the reel device 100, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of one reel unit 120 constituting the reel device 100. As shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the reel device 100 can rotate the reels 101a, 101b, and 101 in a frame assembled in a box shape with the top plate portion 131 and the bottom plate portion 132 made of resin or the like as main members. Each of the reel units 120 attached to each other is housed and assembled. By accommodating the reel unit 120 in the frame, the rotation axis of each reel coincides with the horizontal direction. The top plate 131 of the reel device 100 is provided with a spinning device substrate 110 for driving the stepping motors directly connected to the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c.

  Each reel unit 120 has the same structure for each reel. Here, a reel unit to which the first reel 101a is attached will be described as an example with reference to FIG.

  In the reel unit 120, a cylindrical reel 101a having a plurality of symbols (not shown) arranged on the peripheral surface, a stepping motor 111a for rotationally driving the reel, and three back lamps 116a, 116b, and 116c are vertically arranged. A back lamp unit 115, a reference position sensor 112a made of a photo interrupter, and a metal base plate 113 to which these are attached are configured.

  The reel 101a is connected to a hub portion 102 having a shaft hole into which a drive shaft 111aa of the stepping motor 111a is fitted, a plurality of spoke portions 103 extending radially around the hub portion 102, and a tip portion of the spoke portion 103. An annular outer ring portion 104 formed concentrically from the center of the hub portion 102, and an annular inner ring portion having the same diameter as the outer ring portion 104 and positioned in parallel with a predetermined width in the axial direction. 106, a connecting portion 105 for connecting the outer ring portion 104 and the inner ring portion 106 at a plurality of locations, and a tongue-shaped light shielding piece 107 extending inwardly from one spoke portion 103. A cylindrical rotating body as a framework is integrally formed by, for example, injection molding using a resin material.

  A reel tape 108, which is a thin belt-like film sheet, is wound around the outer periphery having the outer ring portion 104 and the inner ring portion 106 as both ends, and the end portions in the longitudinal direction are overlapped and bonded endlessly. ing. The reel tape 108 is made of a transparent resin material such as polycarbonate, and although not shown, 21 types of symbols are arranged at substantially equal intervals in the longitudinal direction through a multicolor printing process.

  In the reel 101a, a drive shaft 111aa of a stepping motor 111a fixed to the base plate 113 is fitted into a shaft hole formed at the center of the hub portion 102, thereby using the stepping motor 111a as a drive source. It is mounted for rotation.

  The back lamp unit 115 is attached to the base plate 113 via a bracket member 114, and three back lamps 116a, 116b, 116c, which are white light bulbs, for example, are provided in the vertical direction. Further, the back lamp unit 115 is housed inside the reel 101a, and each of the back lamps 116a, 116b, 116c irradiates the back surface of the reel tape 108 to brightly display three vertical symbols drawn thereon. Note that the back lamps 116a, 116b, and 116c are turned on or blinked by the spinning device substrate 110 in accordance with the progress of the game or the selected effect pattern.

  Further, the reference position sensor 112 a is fixed to the base plate 113 via the bracket member 114. The reference position sensor 112a is made of, for example, a photo interrupter, and detects the passage of the light shielding piece 107 formed on one spoke portion 103 every time the reel 101a rotates, and outputs a detection signal to the main control board 21. The main control board 21 detects the rotation position of the reel 101a where the reference position sensor 112a is operated as the reference position, and grasps the rotation position of the reel 101a while collating with the rotation control pulse data output to the stepping motor 111a. Rotational control is performed.

  The upper and lower ends of the base plate 113 are provided with locking tools 118 and 118 having knobs at the front position, and the reel unit 120 is locked to the frame of the reel device 100 and accommodated and fixed therein. Yes. Note that the fan-shaped cover member 117 attached in front of the base plate 113 has an internal mechanism of the reel device 100 from a gap with the adjacent reel 101b when the reel 101a is viewed from the display window 9a side of the slot machine 1. It is provided to prevent you from seeing.

  Next, a reel cleaning unit provided in the above-described reel device 100 and also a characteristic configuration of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the reel device 100 and shows a structure when one reel 101a is viewed from the side. 7 is a rear view of the reel device 100, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the structure of the cleaning means.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a cleaning member 140 is provided at the rear side of the reel 101a, that is, at a position shielded by the reel body when viewed from the display window 9a. The cleaning member 140 is fixedly attached to the side plate portion 133a constituting the frame of the reel device 100 or the reel unit 120 so that either the contact state or the non-contact state can be selected and operated with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the reel 101a. It is attached via means 150.

  As shown in detail in FIG. 8, in the cleaning member 140, a plate-like wiper portion 141 made of a flexible elastic material is formed at the tip of a base body 142 that is equal to or slightly wider than the reel width. . Further, a shaft pin 143 is provided on the base end side of the base body 142 so as to protrude laterally, and the cleaning member 140 is rotatably supported with respect to the mounting plate 151 of the mounting means 150 about the shaft pin 143.

  Further, a pin 144 is formed on the side portion of the base body 142 so as to be separated from the shaft pin 143 by a predetermined amount toward the tip side and project in the same direction as the shaft pin. An arc-shaped cam hole 152 is formed in the mounting plate 151 so that the pin 144 is inserted and along the movement locus of the pin 144 accompanying the rotation of the cleaning member 140. That is, the rotation angle of the cleaning member 140 is limited in the range in which the pin 144 moves in the cam hole 152.

  Further, a coil spring 153 is provided on the inner side of the mounting plate 151 to be engaged with the pin 144 and bias the base 142 in a direction in which the base 142 is tilted to the side where the rotation shaft (shaft pin 143) is located. That is, the cleaning member 140 is stably held in the rotated state tilted to each end side of the cam hole 152 by being pulled toward the rotating shaft by the coil spring 153.

  Further, a tilting operation lever 160 for facilitating the tilting operation of the cleaning member 140 is provided to be supported by the shaft pin 143. In other words, the worker is configured to be able to perform the tilting operation alternately from the position in contact with the reel 101a to the position away from the position by touching the tilting operation lever 160 and rotating the cleaning member 140.

  When the cleaning member 140 is tilted to the reel 101a side, the slidable contact surface 141a that is the outer surface of the wiper unit 141 comes into surface contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reel 101a in the tangential direction. At this time, due to the elastic force of the wiper unit 141 or the combined elastic force of the coil spring 153, the wiper unit 141 always contacts the outer peripheral surface (reel tape 108) of the reel 101a with a constant and appropriate pressing force.

  The reel cleaning method using the cleaning means having such a structure is as follows. Prior to cleaning the reel 101a, the worker tilts the cleaning member 140 toward the reel and brings the wiper portion 141 into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reel. Then, by driving the stepping motor 111a to rotate the reel 101a, the sliding contact surface 141a of the wiper portion 141 and the outer peripheral surface of the reel 101a are slidably contacted, and the cigarette dust or dust adhered to the reel tape 108, etc. Wipe away any dirt. The reel unit 120 may be removed from the main body of the reel device 100 and the cleaning operation may be performed while manually rotating the reel.

  According to the cleaning means of the present embodiment, the cleaning member 140 that has been tilted contacts the outer peripheral surfaces of the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c uniformly in a tangential direction with an appropriate pressing force. The tape 108 is not partially bent, and the occurrence of damage due to uneven dirt residue or excessive rubbing can be suppressed. Therefore, the worker can easily and efficiently perform the reel cleaning operation.

  Further, since the cleaning member 140 can be held on the side away from the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c, the cleaning member 140 is brought into a non-contact state at a normal time when the cleaning operation is not performed, for example, when playing a game. It is possible to prevent wear of the symbols printed on the peripheral surface.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning member 140 is arranged in a direction that follows the rotation direction of the reel. That is, when the reel 101a rotates, the outer peripheral surface is configured to slide around from the proximal end side to the distal end side of the cleaning member 140 and move around. As a result, the reel 101a (including the other reels 101b and 101c) has an eccentric shaft due to, for example, a manufacturing error, or has a slight distortion with respect to a perfect circle whose outer peripheral surface is a reference. However, the uniformity of the pressing force is maintained, and the friction can be wiped off smoothly. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of damage due to uncleaned or excessive rubbing.

  The wiper portion 141 is made of, for example, a synthetic rubber having a high carbon content, and the base member 142 is made of a conductive metal so that the cleaning member 140 has conductivity, and is grounded via the ground frame of the housing 2 ( Earth). The cleaning member 140 grounded to the ground is brought into contact with the reel so that the charged state of the reel is eliminated, and fine dust and the like firmly adhering to the surface of the reel by electrostatic action can be efficiently removed. Become. Further, by eliminating the charged state of the reel, there are also effects such as preventing re-adhesion of fine particles and making the reel difficult to get dirty.

  Further, the wiper part 141 may be formed by electretization. The electretization is a semi-permanent polarization state (a state of being divided into positive and negative electricity) and a static state. The wiper portion 141 is electretized so that dirt attached to the reel Can be wiped off with an electrostatic adsorption action. Therefore, the cleaning effect can be further enhanced and the working efficiency is also improved. In addition, a woven or non-woven fabric made of electret fiber material is bonded to the portion of the sliding contact surface 141a that comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reel, or the fiber material is bonded to the sliding contact surface 141a so as to be mixed. May be.

  In order to enhance the reel cleaning effect, the wiper part 141 is formed of a flexible material and the sliding contact surface 141a is provided with appropriate irregularities, or the sliding contact surface 141a is formed of a flexible fibrous material. This is included in the technical scope of the present invention or can be said to be equivalent.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the cleaning unit is individually provided in each reel unit 120 has been described. However, as illustrated in FIG. 9, one cleaning member 140 that wipes all the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c simultaneously. It may be a reel device 100 having “behind”.

  In the embodiment shown in the figure, the cleaning member 140 ′ has reels 101 a, 101 b, 101 c at both ends in the longitudinal direction via attachment means 150 ′ fixed to the housing frame 29 of the slot machine 1. It is attached so that it can be tilted so that either the contact state or the non-contact state can be selected. According to the reel device 100 ′, the cleaning operation can be easily performed in a shorter time, and can be realized with a simple structure.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 10, a reel device 100 '' having another type of cleaning means will be described. In the reel device 100 '' shown in FIG. 10, a long hole whose longitudinal direction is the direction transverse to the circumference of each of the reels 101a, 101b, 101c is located slightly forward from the center of the top plate portion 131. A fitting hole 131a is formed corresponding to each reel. A cleaning member 170 is provided that is detachably fitted in the fitting holes 131a and that can select either the contact or non-contact state with respect to the outer peripheral surfaces of the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c. .

  The cleaning member 170 includes a wiper portion 171 made of an elastic material having a rectangular plate shape, a fitting portion 172 that slightly widens on the proximal end side of the wiper portion 171, and a wiper portion 171 on the fitting portion 172 side. It has a flange portion 173 orthogonal to each other and is formed in a substantially T-shaped cross section as a whole. In addition, you may integrally form these with elastic materials, such as a synthetic rubber.

  The wiper portion 171 of the cleaning member 170 is formed longer than the distance between the fitting hole 131a and the reel 101a, and is formed to be equal to or slightly wider than the reel width. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, for example, when cleaning the reel 101a, the wiper part 171 of the cleaning member 170 is inserted from the outside into the fitting hole 131a across the reel 101a, and the fitting part 172 is fitted into the fitting hole 131a. As a result, the wiper portion 171 comes into surface contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reel 101a in the tangential direction. At this time, the outer peripheral surface (reel tape 108) of the reel 101a is always pressed uniformly with a constant and appropriate pressing force by the elastic force of the wiper portion 171.

  Then, by driving the stepping motor 111a to rotate the reel 101a, the wiper portion 171 and the outer peripheral surface of the reel 101a are brought into sliding contact with each other to remove dirt such as cigarette dust and dust adhering to the reel tape (108). Wipe away. The cleaning operation may be performed while manually rotating the reel.

  According to the cleaning means of this embodiment, the cleaning operation of the reel can be easily and efficiently performed by simply inserting the cleaning member 171 into the fitting hole 131a and rotating the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c. it can. In addition, since the outer peripheral surfaces of the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c are wiped off by the cleaning member 171 with a uniform and appropriate pressing force, occurrence of damage due to residual dirt or excessive rubbing can be suppressed.

  In addition, for example, when a cleaning operation is not performed, such as when playing a game, the cleaning member 170 can be brought into a non-contact state simply by removing the fitting member 131 from the fitting hole 131a. Can be prevented.

  The gaming machine equipped with the reel device of the present invention is not limited to the slot machine described above, and can be widely applied to pachinko machines and other gaming machines.

It is a perspective view showing the appearance structure of the slot machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the internal structure of the slot machine shown in FIG. 1 with the front door opened. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a system for controlling the operation of a slot machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing the external appearance structure of the reel apparatus provided in the slot machine by one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure of one reel unit constituting the reel device shown in FIG. 4. It is a figure showing the longitudinal cross-sectional structure of the reel apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 7 is a rear view of the reel device shown in FIG. 6. It is the figure which expanded and represented the structure of the cleaning means with which the reel apparatus shown in FIG. 6 is equipped. It is a rear view of the reel apparatus by another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure showing the longitudinal cross-sectional structure of the reel apparatus by another embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Slot machine 2 ... Housing | casing 3 ... Front door 4 ... Receptacle unit 5 ... Upper lamp 6a, 6b ... Side lamp 7a, 7b, 17 ... Sound emission part for production 8 ... Liquid crystal display unit 9 ... Middle panel unit 9a ... Display Window 11 ... Medal insertion portion 12 ... Bet button 13 ... Start lever 14a, 14b, 14c ... Stop button 15 ... Panel 16 ... Medal payout port 21 ... Main control board 22 ... Hopper device 23 ... Auxiliary tank 24 ... Main power supply device 25 ... Power supply board 29 ... Case frame 31a, 31b, 39 ... Speaker 32 ... Sub-control board 33 ... Cold cathode fluorescent tube 34 ... Central display board 35 ... Medal selector 36 ... Medal guide part 37 ... Flow chute 38 ... Medal payout path 100 ... Reel devices 101a, 101b, 101c ... Reel 102 ... Hub part 103 ... Spoke part 104 ... Ring portion 105 ... Connecting portion 106 ... Inner ring portion 107 ... Light shielding piece 108 ... Reel tape 110 ... Rotating device substrates 111a, 111b, 111c ... Stepping motors 112a, 112b, 112c ... Reference position sensor 113 ... Base plate 114 ... Bracket member 115 ... Back lamp unit 116a, 116b, 116c ... Back lamp 131 ... Top plate part 131a ... Fitting holes 133a, 133b, 133c ... Side plate part 140, 170 ... Cleaning members 141, 171 ... Wiper part 141a ... Sliding contact surface 142 ... Base 144 ... Pin 143 ... Shaft pin 150 ... Mounting means 151 ... Mounting plate 152 ... Cam hole 153 ... Coil spring 160 ... Tilt operation lever 172 ... Fitting part 173 ... Flange part

Claims (9)

A reel device in which a plurality of reels that are mounted on a gaming machine and are rotationally driven by arranging a plurality of identification symbols on a cylindrical peripheral surface are arranged on the same axis,
A cleaning member capable of contacting the outer peripheral surface of the reel along the tangential direction thereof,
A reel device characterized in that the outer peripheral surface is wiped and cleaned by rotating the reel while the cleaning member is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reel.   The cleaning member follows the rotation direction of the reel so that the outer peripheral surface slidably moves from the proximal end side to the distal end side of the cleaning member as the reel rotates in one rotation direction. The reel device according to claim 1, wherein the reel device is arranged.   The reel device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member is provided via an attachment unit that can be selected from a contact state and a non-contact state with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the reel. .   The attachment means is attached by being pivotally supported so as to be tiltable between a first position where the cleaning member is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reel or a second position where the cleaning member is separated from the outer peripheral surface by a predetermined amount. The reel device according to claim 3.   3. The reel device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member is detachably attached via a fixed fitting means.   The reel device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member is made of an elastic material having flexibility.   The reel device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of reels are detachably attached to the reel device main body, and the cleaning member is provided for each reel.   The reel device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member is subjected to electret processing.   The reel device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member is electrically conductive and is electrically grounded.

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