JP2009285279A - Reel unit and game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve visibility by making a pattern variation area formed of two or more reels uniformly bright. <P>SOLUTION: A display part (the pattern variation area) 104 includes: a reel unit 210; a decorative member 220; an irradiating part 230; and a liquid crystal display part 240. The reel unit 210 includes a reel 211 and a holding member 212 holding the reel 211. A light source (fluorescent lamps 402a-402d of Fig.4 not shown) of the irradiating part 230 irradiates the reel 211 from the whole periphery of the side. An opening part (an opening part 303 of Fig.3 not shown) is formed in the decorative member 220, so that some of light emitted from the light source of the irradiating part 230 enters a gap between the reel 211 and the decorative member 220 through the opening part to be applied to the reel 211. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a reel unit used in a gaming machine (for example, a pachinko gaming machine) and a gaming machine including the reel unit.

  Conventionally, for example, there is a reel unit in which a reel band is wound on the outer peripheral surface of a reel drum and the reel drum is rotated. Note that a symbol for a big hit (for example, “7”) and other symbols for a lose (for example, “cherry”) are drawn on the reel band.

  In such a reel unit, a light source is provided in the reel drum, light is emitted from the inside of the reel drum by this light source, and the pattern of the reel band wound on the outer peripheral surface is projected and emphasized, thereby A technique for improving the visibility is known (for example, see Patent Document 1 below).

JP 2004-230185 A

  However, in the above-described prior art, there is a problem that light emitted from the light source is weakened when transmitted through the reel. That is, the light emitted from the light source is weakened by the reel before reaching the player's eyes, and for the player, the outer peripheral surface of the reel and the pattern drawn on it appear to be dim, reducing visibility. I was invited.

  In order to solve the above-described problems caused by the conventional technology, the present invention can improve the visibility of a reel by irradiating a symbol variation area composed of a plurality of reels with a light source provided on the side thereof. It is an object of the present invention to provide a reel unit that can be used and a gaming machine including the reel unit.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a reel unit according to the present invention has a cylindrical shape, and a reel unit in which a predetermined pattern is drawn on an outer peripheral surface is rotatable. A reel, a holding member that rotatably holds the plurality of reels, and a plurality of reels held by the holding member are provided on the entire circumference of the side of the symbol changing region, and are arranged in the symbol changing region. Irradiation means for uniformly irradiating the reel.

  Further, in the above configuration, a decoration member that is provided in front of the holding member and covers a gap between the plurality of reels is further provided, and the decoration member includes a reel window provided in front and a side of the decoration member. The reel may be irradiated with light from the irradiation means through an opening provided in the section.

  In the above configuration, the irradiating means may include two light sources arranged at different positions in the depth direction.

  In the above configuration, the two light sources may be composed of a total of four fluorescent lamps bent at a right angle.

  In the above configuration, one of the two light sources may be disposed on the side of the opening and irradiate the outer peripheral surface of the reel through the opening.

  Further, in the above configuration, the reel has a light transmitting property that allows light to pass therethrough, the one light source is disposed at a position to irradiate an inner peripheral surface of the reel, and the other light source is It is good also as arrange | positioning in the position which irradiates the outer peripheral surface of a reel.

  A gaming machine according to the present invention is the gaming machine that rotates the reel of the reel unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and produces an effect using the reel. The reel unit and the reel And an effect control means for controlling the effect by rotating the reel of the unit.

  Further, in the above-described configuration, it further includes a liquid crystal display unit capable of displaying various images according to the control of the effect control unit, the liquid crystal display unit is disposed in front of the reel unit, and the irradiation unit includes the irradiation unit While irradiating a reel unit, it is good also as irradiating the display surface of the said liquid crystal display part from a back part.

  According to said structure, the symbol fluctuation | variation area | region which consists of a some reel can be uniformly irradiated by the irradiation means provided in the perimeter of the symbol fluctuation | variation area side part. As a result, it is possible to prevent the light from weakening when the reel is transmitted, and to brighten the symbol variation region.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the visibility of a reel by irradiating light from a side portion to a symbol variation area composed of a plurality of reels.

  Exemplary embodiments of a reel unit and a gaming machine including the reel unit according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Basic configuration of gaming machine)
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of the gaming machine of the present invention. The gaming machine 100 includes a game board 101. At the lower position of the game board 101, an operation handle 113 of the launcher is arranged. The game ball launched by driving the launching unit rises between the rails 102 a and 102 b and reaches the upper position of the game board 101, and then falls within the game area 103. The game area 103 is provided with a plurality of nails, and a game ball is dropped in various directions, and a windmill and a winning opening that change the fall direction of the game ball are arranged in the middle of the fall. ing.

  A display unit (design variation area) 104 is arranged at the center of the game area 103 of the game board 101. As the display unit 104, a reel unit, which will be described later, and a liquid crystal display unit (LCD) are arranged in the depth direction of the gaming machine 100 (details will be described later). Below the display unit 104, a start winning opening 105 for starting winning is arranged. On the left side of the display unit 104, a winning gate 106 is disposed.

  The winning gate 106 is provided to detect the passing of the game ball and perform a lottery to open the start winning opening 105 for a predetermined time. Below the display unit 104, an ordinary winning opening 107 is provided. When a game ball wins the normal winning opening 107, the number of winning balls (for example, 10) at the time of the normal winning is paid out. At the bottom of the game area 103, there is provided a collection port 108 for collecting game balls that have not won any winning ports.

  The display unit 104 described above starts changing the display of a plurality of symbols when a game ball wins a specific winning opening (at the time of starting winning), and the symbols stop after a predetermined time. When a specific symbol (for example, “777”) is prepared at the time of the stop, a big hit state is obtained. In the big win state, the predetermined winning opening 109 positioned below is opened for a certain period (for example, 15 rounds), and the number of winning balls corresponding to the winning game balls is paid out.

  A machine frame 110 is provided on the outer periphery of the game area 103 of the game board 101. The machine frame 110 has a shape surrounding the periphery of the game area 103 on the four sides of the game board 101 in the up, down, left and right directions.

  The operation handle 113 includes a firing instruction member 114 that drives the above-described launching unit to launch a game ball. The firing instruction member 114 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the operation handle 113 so as to rotate clockwise as viewed from the player. The launcher causes the game ball to be launched when the firing instruction member 114 is directly operated by the player. Although not described because it is a known technique, the operation handle 113 is provided with a sensor that detects that the player directly operates the firing instruction member 114.

  In the machine frame 110, an effect button (chance button) 117 that receives an operation by the player is provided near the lower side of the game area 103. The operation of the effect button 117 is effective, for example, while a guidance for prompting the operation of the effect button 117 is displayed during a specific effect during the game.

(Configuration of display unit)
Next, the display unit (design variation area) 104 will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a display unit of the gaming machine. As shown in FIG. 2, in the display unit 104, a reel unit 210, a decorative member 220, an irradiation unit 230, and a liquid crystal display unit 240 are arranged in the depth direction of the gaming machine 100.

  The reel unit 210 includes a reel 211 having a cylindrical shape and a holding member 212 that holds a plurality of reels 211. The reels 211 are independently rotatable with respect to the holding member 212 by motors (not shown) incorporated therein. For example, the reel 211 is formed of white (light shielding) plastic or the like, and the outer peripheral surface has a high reflectance.

  In addition, on the outer peripheral surface of each reel 211, a symbol for jackpot (for example, “7”) and another symbol for missing (for example, “cherry”) are written. These symbols may be drawn directly on the outer peripheral surface of the reel 211, or may be drawn on the reel band and wound around the reel 211. For example, these designs are drawn with each color (light-shielding) ink.

  As shown in the figure, the holding member 212 holds a total of nine 3 × 3 reels 211 in a matrix. In addition, the holding member 212 holds the reel 211 in a state of being freely rotatable by a shaft (not shown). The holding member 212 holds the reel 211 so that one surface protrudes forward (that is, a decorative member 220 side described later).

  The decorative member 220 is a plate that is provided in front of the holding member 212 and covers the gap between the reels 211. Further, the decorative member 220 has a reel window (see FIG. 3) provided at the front, and an opening (see FIG. 3) is opened at the side. Light emitted from the irradiation unit 230 by the reel window or the opening can reach the outer peripheral surface of the reel 211 without being blocked by the decorative member 220. The detailed configuration of the decorative member 220 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The irradiation unit 230 is provided in front of the decorative member 220 and includes a frame member 231 having a frame shape and a light source (not shown; refer to FIG. 4) fixed in the frame of the frame member 231. Specifically, the frame member 231 has a frame shape that surrounds all the reels 211 (that is, nine reels 211) of the reel unit 210. The light source has a shape along the frame of the frame member 231, is fixed in a slit formed in the frame, and irradiates all reels 211 surrounded by the frame member 231.

  For example, the light emitted from the light source reaches the outer peripheral surface of the reel 211 as it is (directly), and also reaches the outer peripheral surface of the reel 211 by being reflected by the inner wall of the slit, the liquid crystal display unit 240 and the like. Thereby, the irradiation unit 230 can uniformly irradiate the display unit (design variation area) 104. Note that a glass plate may be used instead of the liquid crystal display unit 240.

  The irradiation unit 230 also functions as a backlight of a liquid crystal display unit 240 described later. That is, the light source of the irradiation unit 230 irradiates the display surface of the liquid crystal display unit 240 from the back. For example, a fluorescent lamp, an LED, or the like is used as the light source of the irradiation unit 230. The detailed configuration of the irradiation unit 230 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The liquid crystal display unit 240 is provided in front of the irradiation unit 230 and includes a liquid crystal display panel 241 capable of displaying various images in color and a liquid crystal shutter 242 provided on the back surface of the liquid crystal display panel 241. The liquid crystal display unit 240 is arranged so that the back of the display unit on which various images are displayed faces the irradiation unit 230 described above. The liquid crystal shutter 242 can transmit or block the front surface or a part of light based on the applied voltage.

  Thereby, for example, based on a control signal output from an effect control board (not shown) included in the gaming machine 100, various effect displays can be performed at a position overlapping the reel 211 on the liquid crystal display panel 241. At this time, by transmitting or blocking light by the liquid crystal shutter 242, all the reels 211 or only a part of the reels 211 held by the reel unit 210 can be shown on the front side (that is, the player). In the state where the light is blocked, the rear reel 211 is not visible, and only the display content of the liquid crystal display unit 240 can be seen. In the state where the light is transmitted, the display content of the liquid crystal display unit 240 is displayed on the rear reel 211. You can show them again.

(Configuration of decorative member)
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the decorative member. As shown in FIG. 3, the decorative member 220 covers the reel window 301 that makes the reel 211 of the reel unit 210 visible from the front surface side (that is, the player) and the holding member 212 positioned between the reels 211. And a shielding portion 302 that shields from the side. In addition, the decorative member 220 has an opening 303 formed on the side thereof through which light emitted from the light source of the irradiation unit 230 can pass.

  The reel window 301 is opened at a position on the reel 211 when the decorative member 220 is stacked on the reel unit 210. The reel window 301 is opened to a size approximately the same as the design of the outer peripheral surface of the reel 211. Accordingly, when the reel 211 stops at a predetermined position or when the reel 211 is rotating, the player can visually recognize the symbols on the outer peripheral surface of the reel 211 through the reel window 301. In FIG. 3, only the left three reel windows (upper, middle and lower) are labeled, but not only the left but also the middle and right reel windows are similarly formed. Yes.

  Although not shown, the shielding portion 302 is decorated with colors, patterns, and the like that match the game characteristics, story characteristics, and the like of the gaming machine 100. For example, in the case where the gaming machine 100 has a story characteristic with a fantasy thing in which a sword, magic, or the like appears, a decoration such as a sword, flame, or ice is given. The decoration may be a picture or a three-dimensional shape.

  The opening 303 is formed at the side of the decorative member 220. Specifically, as described above, according to the shape of the reel 211 that protrudes and is held forward, a part of the shielding part 302 is also formed to protrude forward, and the opening 303 is formed as the shielding part. Opened at the side of the protruding portion of 302. As illustrated, for example, the opening 303 is opened in a mountain shape along the shape of the protruding portion. In FIG. 3, only the right opening is provided with a reference numeral, but the opening is similarly formed not only on the right but also on the left.

(Configuration of irradiation device)
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the irradiation unit. As shown in FIG. 4, the irradiation unit 230 includes a frame member 401 formed in a frame shape and a light source 402 fixed within the frame of the frame member 401. A slit 401a is formed in the frame member 401 over the entire circumference in the frame. A fixing tool (not shown) for fixing the light source is provided in the slit 401a. The light source 402 is fixed in the slit 401a by this fixing tool.

  For example, as illustrated, fluorescent lamps 402a, 402b, 402c, and 402d having an L-shape bent at a right angle are used as the light source 402. Two fluorescent lamps 402a to 402d having an L shape are combined (for example, 402a and 402b) and arranged along the entire circumference of the frame (that is, in a rectangular shape).

  Further, in the slit 401a, the fluorescent lamps 402a and 402b are arranged in the front, and the fluorescent lamps 402c and 402d are arranged in the back thereof. A predetermined voltage is applied to the fluorescent lamps 402a to 402d through a wiring (not shown).

(Operation of display unit)
Next, the operation of the display unit 104 will be described using a cross-sectional view of the display unit 104. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the display unit. 5 shows a cross section taken along the plane constituted by the line segment AA ′ and the line segment BB ′ in the direction indicated by the symbol C in FIG. 2 when the display unit shown in FIG. 2 is assembled. It is sectional drawing at the time of seeing. As described above, in the display unit 104, the reel unit 210, the decorative member 220, the irradiation unit 230, and the liquid crystal display unit 240 are arranged along the depth direction of the gaming machine 100.

  The reel 211 of the reel unit 210 is held by the holding member 212 at a position protruding forward (decorative member 220 side), and is located in the reel window 301 of the decorative member 220. At this time, the reel 211 and the decorative member 220 are not in close contact with each other, and there are gaps 501 a, 501 b, and 501 c between the reel 211 and the decorative member 220.

  Further, the upper reel 211 shown in FIG. 5 rotates counterclockwise (indicated by reference sign b1 in FIG. 5), for example, with a1 shown in FIG. 5 as an axis. Similarly, the middle reel 211 rotates counterclockwise (indicated by b2 in FIG. 5) about a2 shown in FIG. 5, and the middle reel 211 rotates counterclockwise about a3 shown in FIG. (Indicated by symbol b3 in FIG. 5).

  In the slit 401a of the frame member 401 of the irradiation unit 230, as a light source, a fluorescent lamp 402a and a fluorescent lamp 402b are arranged in the front, and a fluorescent lamp 402c and a fluorescent lamp 402d are arranged behind it. At this time, for example, the fluorescent lamp 402c and the fluorescent lamp 402d are arranged at positions where the gaps 501a to 501c can be directly irradiated from the side portions. The fluorescent lamps 402a to 402d emit light when a predetermined voltage is applied.

  The light emitted from the fluorescent lamps 402a to 402d is directly irradiated on the reel 211, and is also reflected on the reel 211 after being reflected by the inner wall of the slit 401a, the back surface of the liquid crystal display unit 240, and the like. In addition, a part of the light enters the gaps 501 a to 501 c through the opening 303 on the side of the decorative member 220 and then reaches the outer peripheral surface of the reel 211.

  As a result, the decoration member 220 is not shaded on the outer peripheral surface of the reel 211, and the brightness of the entire outer peripheral surface of the reel 211 can be made substantially uniform. That is, there is no portion darkened by the shadow of the decorative member 220 on the outer peripheral surface of the reel 211. In addition, the light emitted from the fluorescent lamps 402a to 402d is also applied to the back surface of the liquid crystal display unit 240, and thus serves as a backlight for the liquid crystal display unit 240.

  According to said structure, the display part (symbol fluctuation | variation area | region) 104 can be irradiated with the light source of the irradiation part 230 provided in the perimeter of the side part. Thereby, the light emitted from the light source reaches the player's eyes without being weakened in the middle (because the reel does not pass through), so that the reel looks bright to the player and visibility can be improved.

  In addition, since the opening portion 303 is formed on the side portion of the decorative member 220, the light emitted from the light source enters the gaps 501 a to 501 c through the opening portion 303, and the outer peripheral surface of the reel 211. Reach up. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the decorative member 220 from being shaded on the outer peripheral surface of the reel 211 and to brighten the entire outer surface of the reel 211 almost uniformly.

  Furthermore, as a light source of the irradiation unit 230, a fluorescent lamp 402a and a fluorescent lamp 402b are arranged in the front, and a fluorescent lamp 402c and a fluorescent lamp 402d are arranged in the back thereof, so that a fluorescent lamp larger than the fluorescent lamps 402a to 402d ( For example, an illumination effect almost equivalent to that of a large fluorescent lamp can be obtained without using a thicker fluorescent lamp. That is, the space of the light source can be saved without reducing the illumination effect.

  Further, the irradiation unit 230 not only irradiates light to the reel 211 but also functions as a backlight of the liquid crystal display unit 240. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a backlight dedicated to the liquid crystal display unit 240, and space saving is achieved. Can be achieved.

  In the above configuration, the reel 211 is light-shielding. However, the reel 211 may be configured to have a light-transmitting property capable of transmitting light. In this case, in FIG. 5, the fluorescent lamp 402a and the fluorescent lamp 402b irradiate the outer peripheral surface of the reel 211 with light, and the fluorescent lamp 402c and the fluorescent lamp 402d irradiate the inner peripheral surface of the reel 211 with light.

  As a result, the reel 211 is irradiated with light from both the inner periphery and the outer periphery, so that the reel 211 looks brighter and visibility can be further improved. At this time, it is preferable that the outer peripheral surface of the reel 211 has a high reflectance and the inner peripheral surface has a high light transmittance.

  As described above, according to the above-described configuration, the visibility of the reel can be improved by irradiating the symbol variation region including a plurality of reels from the side portion.

  As described above, a reel unit according to the present invention and a gaming machine including the reel unit relate to a reel unit used in a gaming machine (for example, a pachinko gaming machine) and a gaming machine including the reel unit, and particularly physically. It is suitable for a reel unit including a rotating reel and a gaming machine including the reel unit.

It is a front view which shows an example of the game machine of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the display part of a game machine. It is a perspective view of a decoration member. It is a perspective view of an irradiation part. It is sectional drawing of a display part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Game machine 101 Game board 102a, 102b Rail 103 Game area 104 Display part 105 Start winning opening 106 Winning gate 107 Normal winning opening 108 Collection opening 109 Large winning opening 110 Machine frame 113 Operation handle 114 Launch instruction member 117 Effect button 210 Reel unit 211 Reel 212 Holding member 220 Decoration member 230 Irradiation part 231, 401 Frame member 240 Liquid crystal display part 241 Liquid crystal display panel 242 Liquid crystal shutter 301 Reel window 302 Shielding part 303 Opening 401a Slit 402 Light source 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d Fluorescent lamp 501a , 501b, 501c gap

Claims (8)

In a reel unit having a cylindrical shape and a rotatable reel on which a predetermined pattern is drawn on the outer peripheral surface,
A plurality of the reels;
A holding member that rotatably holds a plurality of the reels;
An irradiating means for uniformly irradiating the reels arranged in the design variation region, which is provided on the entire circumference of the side portion of the design variation region composed of a plurality of reels held by the holding member;
A reel unit comprising:   The decorative member further includes a decorative member that is provided in front of the holding member and covers the gaps between the reels, and the decorative member includes a reel window provided in front and an opening provided in a side portion of the decorative member. The reel unit according to claim 1, wherein the light of the irradiation unit is irradiated to the reel through   The reel unit according to claim 2, wherein the irradiation unit includes two light sources arranged at different positions in the depth direction.   The reel unit according to claim 3, wherein the two light sources include a total of four fluorescent lamps bent at a right angle.   5. The reel unit according to claim 4, wherein one of the two light sources is disposed on a side portion of the opening and irradiates the outer peripheral surface of the reel through the opening. The reel has a light transmission property through which light can pass,
The one light source is disposed at a position to irradiate the inner peripheral surface of the reel,
The reel unit according to claim 5, wherein the other light source is disposed at a position to irradiate the outer peripheral surface of the reel. In a gaming machine that rotates a reel of the reel unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and performs an effect using the reel,
The reel unit;
Production control means for controlling the production by rotating the reel of the reel unit;
A gaming machine comprising: A liquid crystal display unit capable of displaying various images according to the control of the effect control means;
The liquid crystal display unit is disposed in front of the reel unit,
The gaming machine according to claim 7, wherein the irradiation unit irradiates the reel unit and irradiates the display surface of the liquid crystal display unit from the back.

Images