JP4122209B2 - Slot machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a panel opening / closing mechanism of a gaming machine for attaching to a chassis a panel that is rotatably supported on one side by the gaming machine chassis and closes the front surface of the chassis.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, in a gaming machine such as a slot machine or a pachinko machine, one side of a panel covering the entire front surface is rotatably supported by a hinge in a box-shaped housing whose front surface is open, and this panel is used to rotate the housing. The front surface is closed and locked by the lock unit so that it can be opened and closed.
[0003]
As a specific example of the panel in this type of gaming machine, there is a front door as described in Patent Document 1, for example.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-254212 (second page, FIG. 4-6)
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, on the front side of such a panel, various operation switches of the game, a display unit such as a display unit for displaying a medal payout number, a medal insertion slot, a medal tray, and the like are arranged. Since the LED for displaying the effective line corresponding to the number of inserted medals is arranged in the fluorescent lamp that illuminates the lamp from the inside, and the symbol display section on which the symbols of the three rotating reels are displayed, the weight of the panel itself Is very heavy.
[0006]
As a result, when the panel is opened for inspection, etc., and the panel is closed after the inspection is completed, momentum is gained due to the weight of the panel, and the inspection operator puts his fingers between the panel and the case. May occur. Furthermore, the impact that occurs when the panel closes vigorously can adversely affect the components attached to the panel.
[0007]
At this time, in order to make it easy to close the panel using the weight of the panel, the panel is often inclined and supported by the housing. In such a case, momentum is generated when the panel is closed. There is a very high risk that finger padding will occur.
[0008]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to prevent finger padding and adverse effects on panel components when the panel is closed.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides a housing whose front surface is open, a panel that is rotatably supported on one side of the housing and closes the opening of the housing, and the panel is mounted on the housing. In a slot machine having a panel opening / closing mechanism for attaching to a body, the panel is inclined so as to be easily rotated in the closing direction by its own weight, and the other side of the panel is shifted downward from the opening in a substantially closed state. The panel opening / closing mechanism is supported by the casing, and has a surface inclined upward in the rear direction of the casing that is provided in the casing and moves up the other side of the panel when the panel is closed. The guide body in which the gear is formed on the upward inclined surface, and the gear provided on the panel and meshing with the gear of the guide body is formed on the peripheral surface, and the upward inclination of the guide body in a state where the panel is substantially closed. of Is characterized in that it comprises a roller which slides, and a one-way rotary damper that generates only damping force relative to the rotation of the roller during closure of said panel (claim 1).
[0010]
According to such a configuration, since the panel is supported by being inclined, it is easy to rotate in the closing direction due to its own weight, and when the panel closes vigorously, the operator puts fingers between the panel and the casing. Or the parts attached to the panel may be adversely affected by impact, but when the panel is almost closed, the roller slides on the upwardly inclined surface of the guide body. Due to the meshing of the gears of the rollers, the closing speed of the panel is reduced. In addition, a buffering force acts on the rotation of the panel closed by the rotary damper, and the closing speed of the panel is further reduced. For this reason, the panel does not close violently, it is possible to prevent an operator from clogging fingers between the panel and the housing, and to the parts attached to the panel due to the impact when the panel closes violently. Adverse effects can be prevented in advance.
[0011]
Furthermore, even when the panel is strongly closed, the panel is almost closed, and the other side is supported below the opening of the housing. By sliding up the inclined surface and generating the buffering force of the rotary damper at that time, the impact when the panel is closed can be sufficiently mitigated, finger padding and panel parts It is possible to reliably prevent adverse effects on
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
One embodiment when the present invention is applied to a slot machine as a gaming machine will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 are a front view and a side view of the slot machine, FIG. 3 is a partial schematic view, and FIG. 4 is another partial perspective view.
[0022]
The slot machine in this embodiment is configured as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, for example. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the slot machine 1, the front opening of the housing 3 is closed by the front panel 5 so that it can be opened and closed, and the operation plate 7 is positioned at a substantially central height of the front panel 5. At the same time, a front plate 9 is disposed above the operation plate 7. At this time, the left end portion of the front panel 5 is rotatably supported by the housing 3 by the hinge, and the entire front surface of the housing 3 is covered and closed by the front panel 5.
[0023]
The front plate 9 has three reel windows 11 arranged side by side. Left, middle, and right rotating reels are arranged inside each reel window 11, and next to the rightmost reel window 11, A liquid crystal display 13 for displaying a game effect screen is provided, and each reel window 11 is set so that three symbols of each reel can be seen.
[0024]
Further, the operation plate 7 includes a bet switch 15 for reducing the number of credited medals and replacing the medals, a start lever 17 for starting rotation of each reel, and first to third stop switches 19. , 21, 23, and a medal insertion slot 25 and a settlement switch 27 for paying out the stored medals. In addition, a winning line is drawn on the front panel 9, an effective display lamp 31 for displaying an active line in the winning line, various effect display lamps 33 for displaying a bonus game state, and the number of credit medals are displayed. A medal number display 35 is disposed on the front plate 9, and a medal payout outlet 37 and a medal receiver 39 are provided below the operation plate 7.
[0025]
By the way, as shown in FIG. 2, the front panel 5 is inclined and supported by the housing 3 so as to be easily rotated in the closing direction by its own weight, and the front panel 5 is more reliably closed to the operator. For this purpose, the front panel 5 is supported by the housing 3 so that the substantially closed front panel 5 is displaced slightly below the front opening of the housing 3.
[0026]
Thus, since the front panel 5 is inclined and supported by the casing 3 so as to easily rotate in the closing direction due to its own weight, the front panel 5 that is opened for inspection or the like is momentarily driven by its own weight. In order to prevent such finger stuffing in advance, in this embodiment, a resistance force is generated when the front panel 5 is rotated in the closing direction to prevent the finger from being stuffed. A buffering means for applying a buffering force to the panel 5 is provided.
[0027]
That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a guide body 41 is attached to the lower right front portion of the housing 3, and a roller 43 is rotatably attached to the lower right end portion of the front panel 5. In the meantime, the peripheral surface of the roller 43 comes into sliding contact with the guide body 41. Here, the guide body 41 has an upward inclination so that the right side of the front panel 5 is moved upward by sliding the roller 43 when the front panel 5 is closed, and the guide body 41 is shifted downward from the housing 3. Further, the front panel 5 is moved upward to reliably close the front opening of the housing 3. Further, gear teeth are formed on the sliding contact surface of the roller 43 of the guide body 41, and gear teeth meshing with the teeth of the guide body 41 are formed on the peripheral surface of the roller 43. It is structured to be guided and rotated reliably.
[0028]
The shaft of the rotary damper 45 as a buffer means is integrally supported on the central axis of the roller 43, and the rotary damper 45 is rotated against the rotation of the roller 43 accompanying the sliding contact with the guide body 41 when the front panel 5 is closed. Thus, a resistance force is generated, and a buffering force against the front panel 5 is generated.
[0029]
As the rotary damper 45, a unidirectional rotary damper FRN series manufactured by Fuji Latex Co., Ltd. can be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the FRN series includes a main body case K having a substantially concave cross section, a rotor R rotatably accommodated in the case K, silicon oil filled in a gap inside the case K, A cap C that closes the opening of the case K is provided so that silicon oil does not leak, and the shaft S of the rotor R that is led out through the cap C is pivotally supported by the central axis of the roller 43. At this time, only when the rotor R rotates in one direction, the viscous resistance of the silicone oil in the case K acts to generate a braking force (resistance force).
[0030]
Further, the rotary damper 45 of the FRN series has a characteristic that the resistance force changes to large and small with respect to the rotation speed of the roller 43 accompanying sliding contact with the guide body 41. Even if the momentum of the front panel 5 is large and the rotational speed of the roller 43 accompanying the sliding contact with the guide body 41 increases, the resistance force (braking force) generated by the rotary damper 45 also increases. The momentum at the time of occlusion can be suppressed.
[0031]
As described above, when the front panel 5 is closed, the rotary damper 45 is attached to the roller 43 so that the viscous resistance of the silicone oil acts on the rotation of the roller 43 accompanying the sliding contact with the guide body 41. When the panel 5 is closed, a buffering force is generated on the front panel 5, and the front panel 5 can be prevented from closing vigorously due to its own weight. On the other hand, since the viscous resistance of the rotary damper 45 of the FRN series is unidirectional, no resistance is generated when the front panel 5 is opened, and it can be easily opened without obstructing the panel opening. When the front panel 5 is completely closed, the front panel 5 is locked to the housing 3 by a lock unit (not shown) so that the front panel 5 cannot be opened.
[0032]
Therefore, according to the above embodiment, the rotary damper 45, and generates a resistance force during rotation of the direction of closing the front panel 5, since the damping force with respect to the front panel 5 is provided, through the front panel 5 is self-weight Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operator from clogging his / her fingers between the front panel 5 and the housing 3 in advance. Further, even when the front panel 5 is strongly closed, the rotary damper 45 can surely mitigate the impact.
[0033]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
[0034]
For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a pair of gears G1 and G2 that mesh with each other is provided on the hinge side (left side) of the front panel 5 and the housing 3 that supports the front panel 5, and the gear G2 on the housing 3 side A rotary damper 45 may be attached.
[0035]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the guide body 41 is provided on the housing 3 side and the roller 43 is provided on the front panel 5 side has been described. However, the guide body 41 is provided on the front panel 5 and the roller 43 is provided on the housing 3 side. Of course, it may be provided.
[0036]
In the above-described embodiment, gear-like teeth are formed on the guide body 41 and the roller 43. However, it is not necessary to form such gear teeth in particular, and the roller 43 reliably slides on the guide body 41. It may be configured such that the friction of the sliding contact surface increases so as to make contact.
[0037]
Further, the buffering means is not limited to the rotary damper 45 described above, and may be anything that can generate a buffering force on the front panel 5 when the front panel 5 is closed.
[0038]
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a slot machine has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to other gaming machines such as pachinko machines, and in that case, the present invention is equivalent to the above-described embodiments. The effect of can be obtained.
[0039]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, when the roller is slid on the upward inclined surface of the guide body when the panel is almost closed, the guide body and the roller are engaged with each other. The panel closing speed is reduced, and the buffering force acts against the rotation of the panel closed by the rotary damper, and the panel closing speed is further reduced. However, it is possible to prevent a finger from being put between the panel and the casing or adversely affecting the panel mounting parts due to the momentum when the panel is closed.
[0040]
Furthermore, even when the panel is tightly closed, the panel is almost closed and the other side is supported by being shifted downward from the opening of the housing. By sliding up the upwardly inclined surface and generating the buffering force of the rotary damper at that time, it becomes possible to sufficiently reduce the impact when the panel is closed .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of a slot machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the slot machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a partial schematic view of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another part of the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a partial schematic view of another embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 slot machine (game machine)
3 Housing 5 Front panel 41 Guide body 43 Roller 45 Rotary damper (buffering means)

Claims (1)

A slot machine having a housing having a front surface opened , a panel that is rotatably supported on one side of the housing to close the opening of the housing, and a panel opening / closing mechanism for attaching the panel to the housing In
The panel is inclined so as to be easily rotated in the closing direction by its own weight, and the other side of the panel is supported by the housing while being shifted downward from the opening in a substantially closed state.
The panel opening / closing mechanism is
A guide body that is provided in the housing and has an upwardly inclined surface in the back direction of the housing that moves the other side of the panel upward when the panel is closed, and a gear is formed on the upwardly inclined surface;
A roller provided on the panel and meshing with a gear of the guide body on a peripheral surface thereof, and the panel slides on the upwardly inclined surface of the guide body in a substantially closed state;
A slot machine comprising: a unidirectional rotary damper that generates a buffer force only against rotation of the roller when the panel is closed .

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