JP4159452B2 - Forced air cooling structure and game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention includes a cooling fan provided so that wind is applied to a heat sink, a forced air cooling structure for cooling an electronic element disposed inside a cover member with the heat sink, and a game machine using the forced air cooling structure It is about.

Conventionally, gaming machines such as slot machines and pachinko gaming machines have been used as means for providing entertainment to people. Among these, the slot machine is a gaming machine provided with a plurality of rotating reels on which a plurality of types of symbols are written and which can be rotationally driven.
In such a slot machine, a game is started by inserting a medal and then operating a start lever or the like to start the rotating reels all at once. A plurality of rotating reels that are rotationally driven are stopped as appropriate, and a prize is awarded when the symbols displayed on these rotating reels are in a specific combination. When winning, the number of medals corresponding to the winning combination is paid out from the gaming machine.

In addition, as a gaming machine, one having a display device such as a liquid crystal display is used to display a moving image for producing a game. And if a higher resolution display is used as a display device and a dedicated LSI with higher processing power is adopted as a graphic processing device so that a more precise and smooth moving image can be displayed, It is possible to perform more sophisticated and diverse effects.
Here, an electronic element such as an LSI that performs high-speed computation such as graphic processing generates heat due to its operation, and therefore generally has some cooling structure in order to prevent overheating.
As such a cooling structure, an air-cooling type in which a heat sink having a large number of cooling fins is closely attached to an electronic element and heat generated by the electronic element is dissipated in the air by this heat sink is often used. Adopting a water-cooled type in which water is circulated between the radiator and the electronic element and the electronic element is cooled with water is also used slightly.

Here, when an electronic component housed inside a cover member such as a box-shaped case is cooled by an air cooling type cooling structure, air circulates (convects) only inside the cover member, and heat from the outside Since almost no replacement is performed, the temperature of the cooling air itself rises, and it may not be possible to prevent overheating of the electronic element with only a heat sink.
For this reason, when cooling the electronic components in the cover member, it is preferable to employ a forced air cooling structure including a cooling fan for replacing the air inside the cover member with the external air in addition to the heat sink.
If such a forced air cooling structure is adopted, the cooling fan always introduces fresh external air, so that heat exchange with the outside is actively performed, and overheating of the electronic element housed in the cover member is prevented. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 09-305267 (FIGS. 2 and 3)

However, in the forced air cooling structure as described above, a surplus space as a mere gap extends around the heat sink, and this surplus space has a smaller flow resistance than between the cooling fins provided in the heat sink, and the cooling fan. If you try to send air between the heat sink's cooling fins, a considerable amount of air will flow through the excess space, generating wasteful air (cooling air) that does not contribute to cooling the electronic elements, and cooling efficiency is not good. There is a problem.
For this reason, in order to ensure cooling, it is necessary to increase the air volume. Therefore, the number of cooling fans is increased or a cooling fan having a larger rated air volume is employed.
Accordingly, each of the following inventions has been made in view of the problems of the conventional techniques described above, and the object is to reduce the wasteful wind that does not contribute to the cooling of the electronic device and improve the cooling efficiency. To provide a forced air cooling structure, and a gaming machine equipped with the forced air cooling structure.

Each of the following inventions has been made to achieve the above-mentioned object, and the characteristic points thereof will be described using the embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings.
In addition, a code | symbol shows the code | symbol used in embodiment of invention, and does not limit the technical scope of this invention.
( First invention )
(Feature point)
The first invention is characterized by the following points.
That is, the first invention includes a cooling fan (32) provided so that the heat sink (31) is exposed to wind, and a forced air cooling structure for cooling the heat generating electronic elements (25, 26) by the heat sink (31). (30), the electronic elements (25, 26), the heat sink (31), and the cooling fan (32) are provided so as to overlap in a plan view, and the heat sink (31) is provided in the electronic element (25). 26) and the cooling fan (32), the heat sink (31) has a larger planar shape than the cooling fan (32), and protrudes outward from the periphery of the cooling fan (32). An extension part cover (39) that has an extension part (33) and extends so as to overlap the extension part (33) of the heat sink (31) in plan view is provided close to the extension part. It is characterized by.

Here, as the extension part cover (39), one provided in contact with the extension part (33) may be adopted, but one provided with a gap between the extension part (33) is adopted. Is preferable.
( Second invention )
(Feature point)
The second invention is the above-described first invention , and has the following characteristic points.
That is, the second invention is provided with a cover member (22) for accommodating the electronic elements (25, 26) inside, and the cover member (22) has the heat sink (31) from the outside. A bulging portion (39) protruding toward the outward extending portion (33) is provided, and the bulging portion (39) serves as the outward extending portion cover.

( Third invention )
(Feature point)
A third invention is the above-described first or second invention , and has the following characteristic points.
That is, the third aspect of the present invention is the flexibility that can be in close contact with both the electronic elements (25, 26) and the heat sink (31) between the electronic elements (25, 26) and the heat sink (31). A thermal conductor (34) having excellent thermal conductivity is provided.
Here, as the heat conductor, any one of a heat conductor made of a solid material such as a silicone rubber-based heat conductive sheet and a heat conductor made of a fluid such as a heat conductive grease having heat conductivity such as silicone grease is used. Can be adopted.

( Fourth invention )
(Feature point)
According to a fourth invention , in any one of the first to third inventions described above, the following feature points are provided.
That is, in the fourth invention , the heat sink (31) is provided with a substantially rectangular planar shape having short sides and long sides having different lengths, and a plurality of cooling fins included in the heat sink (31). (35) extends in the long side direction and is arranged in parallel in the short side direction, and the cooling fan (32) is provided in an intermediate portion in the long side direction of the heat sink (31), and the bulging portion (39 Is disposed adjacent to both sides of the cooling fan (32) so as to sandwich the cooling fan (32), and is provided so as to cover the extended portion (33) of the heat sink (31). It is characterized by that.

( Fifth invention )
(Feature point)
The fifth invention is the above-described fourth invention , and has the following characteristic points.
That is, in the fifth aspect of the invention , the cooling fan (32) rotatably supports the fan main body (36) and has a substantially square planar shape including a circular turning surface of the fan main body (36). And a case member (37), and the case member (37) is inclined and fixed to the heat sink (31).

( Sixth invention )
(Feature point)
The sixth invention is one in which any one of the first to fifth inventions is applied to a gaming machine, and specifically has the following characteristic points.
That is, the sixth invention is provided with an IC (25, 26) having sufficient processing capability for performing moving image processing as the electronic element, and in order to cool the IC (25, 26), A forced air cooling structure (30) according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is provided.

(Effect of the first invention )
The present invention configured as described above has the following effects.
That is, according to the first invention , since the outer extension portion of the heat sink can be closed with the outer extension portion cover, the cooling air does not escape to the excess space around the outer extension portion, and most of the cooling air flows to the heat sink side. As a result, generation of useless wind that does not contribute to cooling of the electronic element is prevented, and the cooling efficiency can be improved.
(Effect of the second invention )
According to the second aspect, the bulge portion of the cover member for accommodating the electronic element therein is extension section cover, now extension cover is integrated in the cover member, the extension portion covering There is no need to separately provide a structure for fixing, the number of parts constituting the forced cooling structure is reduced, and manufacturing and assembly operations can be facilitated.

(Effect of the third invention )
According to the third invention , in addition to the effects of the first or second invention described above, the following effects are provided.
That is, according to the third aspect of the invention , the heat conductor that is in close contact with both the electronic element and the heat sink prevents the formation of an air layer that hinders heat conduction between the electronic element and the heat sink. The heat conduction from the heat sink to the heat sink is efficiently performed, and the cooling efficiency can be improved with certainty.
(Effect of the fourth invention )
According to the fourth invention , in addition to the effects of any one of the first to third inventions described above, the following effects can be obtained.

That is, according to the fourth aspect of the invention , the base end side of the cooling fin is closed by the bottom of the heat sink, and the tip end side of the cooling fin is closed by the extended portion cover. A flow pipe through which cooling air can flow between the cooling fins is formed because it cannot escape from between the fins. And by providing a cooling fan in the middle part of the long side direction of the heat sink, the distribution pipe which is the passage of the cooling air is divided into two, so that two distribution pipes whose length is shortened are formed. Therefore, the flow resistance of the cooling air is greatly reduced, and from this point, the cooling efficiency can be improved.
(Effect of the fifth invention )
According to the fifth invention , in addition to the effects of the fourth invention described above, the following effects are provided.

That is, when a cooling fan having a fan body with a diameter corresponding to the width of the cooling fin forming area provided on the heat sink is adopted, the case member is in a normal posture on the heat sink, in other words, each side of the case member is substantially rectangular. When the heat sink is fixed in a posture parallel to the corresponding sides of the heat sink, the corners of the four corners of the case member of the cooling fan overlap with the formation area of the cooling fin, and the screws for fixing the case member to the heat sink pass between the cooling fins. The flow resistance of the cooling air that passes and flows between the cooling fins is increased.
However, according to the fifth aspect, since the case member is inclined with respect to the heat sink, the cooling fin formation region can be accommodated inside the pair of diagonals of the case member. Thus, the screw for fixing the corner portion of the case member passes outside the cooling fin formation region, and an effect of preventing an increase in the flow resistance between the cooling fins can be obtained.

In addition, a cooling fan having a fan body with a diameter corresponding to the width of the cooling fin forming area can be adopted, and the use of such a cooling fan prevents unnecessary air blow to parts other than the cooling fins, thereby cooling. The wind will be used effectively. For this reason, combined with the above-described effect that the increase in the flow resistance of the cooling air can be prevented, the cooling efficiency can be further improved.
(Effect of the sixth invention )
According to the sixth invention , the following effects can be obtained.
That is, according to the sixth invention , the forced air cooling structure of the first invention can improve the cooling efficiency, so that malfunction of the electronic element due to overheating is prevented in advance, and the gaming machine operates stably. Can be made.

Hereinafter, an embodiment which is the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 4 show this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a gaming machine according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a forced air cooling structure according to the present embodiment. 4 is a side view showing the forced air cooling structure of the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, a slot machine 1 that is a gaming machine according to the present embodiment includes a housing 2 formed in a rectangular box shape. The housing 2 includes a game apparatus such as a reel unit 3 in which three rotating reels 3A are provided side by side. A front door 4 provided with a symbol display window 4A is provided in the front opening of the housing 2 so as to cover the front opening.

The symbol display window 4A is formed so as to be able to display a total of nine symbols arranged in a three-by-one arrangement when all three rotary reels 3A stop rotating.
Specifically, when the rotation of the left rotating reel 3A stops, a total of three symbols are displayed, one for each of the upper, middle and lower portions of the left portion of the symbol display window 4A. Similarly for the central and right rotating reels 3A, one on each of the upper, middle and lower stages,
A total of three symbols are displayed. As a result, when the rotation of all three rotating reels 3A is stopped, the symbol display window 4A can display a total of nine symbols, three vertically and horizontally.

At this time, a pattern arrangement pattern consisting of a total of nine symbols in the vertical and horizontal directions displayed in the symbol display window 4A is a so-called “outcome”.
Below the symbol display window 4A, a medal insertion slot 5 for inserting medals, a bet switch 6 for inserting stored medals one by one, a max bet switch 7 for inserting three stored medals, and a rotating reel A start switch 8 for starting the rotation of 3A, a stop switch 9 for stopping the rotation of the rotary reel 3A, and the like are provided.
Below the front door 4 is provided a payout opening 10 for paying out medals when winning a prize. A tray 11 is provided below the payout port 10, and a left speaker 12 and a right speaker 13 that emit a production sound are provided on the left and right of the payout port 10 in the drawing.

On the top of the front door 4, an effect lamp 14 that blinks at the time of winning a prize, a display panel 15 that shows a combination of symbols for winning a prize, etc., and a liquid crystal that can display various images and information including moving images. A panel 16 is provided. The effect lamp 14, the display panel 15, and the liquid crystal panel 16 are fixed to a front door upper panel 17 constituting the upper end portion of the front door 4. The display panel 15 is disposed in a central portion that is separated from the peripheral edge of the front door upper panel 17.
The liquid crystal panel 16 is a display device that displays an image on its screen, and constitutes a liquid crystal display unit 20 for displaying an image including a moving image.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the liquid crystal display unit 20 includes the above-described liquid crystal panel 16, a multimedia processing board 21 for driving the liquid crystal panel 16, and the liquid crystal panel 16 and the multi-panel. A box-shaped cover member 22 that accommodates the media processing board 21 therein is provided.

Here, the cover member 22 is divided into a liquid crystal panel chamber 22A for accommodating the liquid crystal panel 16 arranged on the front side of the slot machine 1 and a control device chamber 22B for accommodating the multimedia processing board 21 on the back side. It is a transparent box-shaped member having a two-layer structure.
A cylindrical screen hood cover 23 is attached to the front side of the cover member 22 in order to prevent light such as room lighting from entering and reflecting on the screen of the liquid crystal panel 16. In order to protect the screen of the liquid crystal panel 16, the opening on the surface side of the screen hood cover 23 is closed by a colorless and transparent shield member 24 formed in a flat plate shape.
The multimedia processing board 21 is a device that can perform moving image processing composed of three-dimensional graphics at a high speed, and is formed by forming a circuit composed of various electronic elements on a printed circuit board 21A.

Here, the printed circuit board 21A is provided with a custom LSI 25 excellent in high-speed processing performance of three-dimensional graphics moving images and an LSI 26 supporting the operation of the custom LSI 25 as main electronic elements of the multimedia processing board 21. . Although not shown in FIG. 2, various elements other than LSIs 25 and 26 are provided on the printed circuit board 21A in order to constitute an electronic circuit.
In the above, the LSIs 25 and 26 generate a great amount of heat during operation. For this reason, the liquid crystal display unit 20 includes the forced air cooling structure 30 according to the present invention in order to prevent overheating of the LSIs 25 and 26, and the LSIs 25 and 26 are cooled by the forced air cooling structure 30.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the forced air cooling structure 30 includes a heat sink 31 for cooling the LSIs 25 and 26, and a cooling fan 32 provided so that wind is applied to the heat sink 31. ing.
Here, the custom LSI 25, the heat sink 31, and the cooling fan 32 are provided so as to overlap each other in a plan view as shown in FIG. 3 and to be in contact with adjacent ones as shown in FIGS.
The heat sink 31 has a planar shape larger than that of the cooling fan 32, and has an extended portion 33 that protrudes outward from the periphery of the cooling fan 32, and is disposed between the LSIs 25 and 26 and the cooling fan 32.

In order to prevent an air layer between the heat sink 31 and the LSIs 25 and 26 from being formed between the heat sink 31 and the LSIs 25 and 26, a flexibility that allows the heat sink 31 and the LSIs 25 and 26 to be in close contact with each other. A heat conductive sheet 34 which is a heat conductor having excellent heat conductivity is provided. As the heat conductive sheet 34, a silicone rubber sheet can be used.
The heat sink 31 has a substantially rectangular planar shape having short sides and long sides having different lengths. The plurality of cooling fins 35 included in the heat sink 31 extend in the long side direction and are arranged in parallel in the short side direction.
The cooling fan 32 has a fan body 36 having a plurality of rotor blades that generate wind by rotation, a fan body 36 that rotatably supports the fan body 36, and a substantially square planar shape that includes a circular turning surface of the fan body 36 therein. The case member 37 is provided.

The diameter D of the fan main body 36 is set to a dimension corresponding to the width W of the formation area 35A of the cooling fin 35 provided in the heat sink 31. Specifically, the diameter D of the fan main body 36 is set to be substantially the same as the width W of the formation region 35A of the cooling fin 35.
Here, the case member 37 of the cooling fan 32 is inclined with respect to the heat sink 31. As a result, among the four screw insertion holes 38 of the case member 37, the formation region 35A of the cooling fin 35 is accommodated inside the two screw insertion holes 38 provided at a pair of diagonals. Then, a screw 38A is inserted into each of the above-described two screw insertion holes 38 disposed outside the formation region 35A of the cooling fin 35, and these screws 38A are screwed into the heat sink 31, thereby the cooling fan 32. Is fixed to the heat sink 31.

Further, the cooling fan 32 is disposed at an intermediate portion of the heat sink 31 in the long side direction.
On the other hand, the cover member 22 includes a ceiling portion 22C facing the printed circuit board 21A on which the LSIs 25 and 26 are assembled.
The ceiling portion 22C is provided with a bulging portion 39 that protrudes toward the outwardly extending portion 33 of the heat sink 31 so that the cooling air from the cooling fan 32 does not deviate from the heat sink 31. The bulging portion 39 is disposed adjacent to both sides of the cooling fan 32 so as to sandwich the cooling fan 32, and is provided so as to cover the extended portion 33 of the heat sink 31.
Here, the bulging portion 39 is an extending portion cover that extends so as to overlap the extending portion 33 of the heat sink 31 in a plan view, and is provided in the vicinity of the extending portion 39. Further, a slight gap is provided between the bulging portion 39 and the extended portion 33 (see FIG. 2).

At this time, the base end side of the cooling fin 35, in other words, the base side is closed by the bottom 31A of the heat sink 31, and the tip side of the cooling fin 35 is closed by the bulging portion 39 of the cover member 22. . Thereby, between the cooling fins 35, a closed cross-sectional flow pipe through which the cooling air cannot escape is formed as a cooling air passage.
In addition, since the cooling fan 32 is provided at an intermediate portion in the long side direction of the heat sink 31, the cooling fan 32 divides the distribution pipe, which is a passage of the cooling air, into two on the left and right.
As a result, the cooling air flow F, which is the wind generated by the operation of the cooling fan 32, becomes two flows on the left and right sides of the cooling fan 32, and the length of the flow path is remarkably shortened, so that the cooling air flow resistance It has been greatly reduced.

According to this embodiment as described above, the following effects can be obtained.
That is, since the bulging part 39 protruding toward the outer extension part 33 of the heat sink 31 is provided and the outer extension part 33 of the heat sink 31 is blocked by the bulge part 39 of the cover member 22, the cooling air is supplied to the excess space around the outer extension part 33. Will not escape, most of the cooling air will flow into the heat sink 31, and generation of useless wind that does not contribute to the cooling of the LSIs 25 and 26 will be prevented, thereby improving the cooling efficiency. In addition, since the bulging portion 39, which is an extended portion cover, is integrated with the cover member 22, the manufacturing and assembling operations can be facilitated as compared with the case where the extended portion cover is separately provided.
Further, since the heat conductive sheet 34 that is in close contact with both the LSIs 25 and 26 and the heat sink 31 is interposed between the LSIs 25 and 26 and the heat sink 31, an air layer that hinders heat conduction between the LSIs 25 and 26 and the heat sink 31. As a result, the heat conduction from the LSIs 25, 26 to the heat sink 31 is efficiently performed, and the cooling efficiency can be reliably improved.

Further, the base side of the cooling fin 35 is closed with the bottom 31A of the heat sink 31, and the front end side of the cooling fin 35 is closed with the bulging portion 39 of the cover member 22, so that the cooling air cannot escape between the cooling fins 35. Since the cross-sectional flow pipe is formed, and the cooling fan 32 is provided in the middle part of the long side direction of the heat sink 31, the flow pipe that is the passage of the cooling air is divided into two, so that the flow resistance of the cooling air The cooling efficiency can be improved from this point as well.
Further, the case member 37 of the cooling fan 32 is inclined with respect to the heat sink 31, whereby two screw insertion holes 38 provided at a pair of diagonal positions of the case member 37 are formed in the formation region 35A of the cooling fin 35. The case member 37 is fixed to the heat sink 31 with the screws 38A that are arranged outside the screw insertion holes 38, and the screw 38A is prevented from passing through between the cooling fins and increasing the flow resistance. , Increase in distribution resistance can be prevented in advance.

In addition, a cooling fan 32 having a fan body 36 with a diameter corresponding to the width of the formation area 35A of the cooling fin 35 is employed to eliminate wasteful ventilation to portions other than the cooling fin 35 and to effectively use the cooling air without waste. Therefore, the cooling efficiency can be further improved in combination with the effect that the increase in the flow resistance of the cooling air can be prevented in advance.
Further, since the forced air cooling structure 30 is provided in the slot machine 1 to improve the cooling efficiency of the LSIs 25 and 26, malfunction of the LSIs 25 and 26 due to overheating is prevented in advance, and the slot machine 1 can be operated stably. .
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, The deformation | transformation in the range which can achieve the objective of this invention, improvement, etc. are included.

For example, the heat conductor is not limited to a solid heat conductor such as a silicone rubber-based heat conductive sheet, but may be a heat conductor made of a fluid such as a heat conductive grease such as silicone grease. .
The gaming machine is not limited to a slot machine, but may be a pachinko machine used in a game arcade, an arcade game machine used in a game center, and a commercially available general-purpose game used in a home.
Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to gaming machines but also to ordinary personal computers, home appliances, and the like. In short, the present invention can be applied to all cases in which an electronic element that generates heat is stored in a box-shaped cover member.

It is a front view which shows the game machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the principal part of the said embodiment. It is a top view which shows the forced air cooling structure which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a side view which shows the forced air cooling structure which concerns on the said embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Slot machine as a gaming machine
22 Cover member
25 Custom LSI as an electronic device
26 LSI as an electronic device
30 Forced air cooling structure
31 heat sink
32 Cooling fan
33 Extension
34 Thermal conductive sheet as a thermal conductor
35 Cooling fin
36 Fan body
37 Case material
39 The bulge as an extension cover

Claims (4)

A cover member;
A printed circuit board housed inside the cover member,
The printed circuit board is provided with an electronic element that generates heat, a heat sink for cooling the electronic element, and a cooling fan that is provided so that air is applied to the heat sink so as to overlap in plan view. The heat sink is disposed between the electronic element and the cooling fan;
The heat sink has a larger planar shape than the cooling fan, and has an extended portion that protrudes outward from a peripheral edge of the cooling fan,
The cover member includes a ceiling portion facing a printed circuit board on which the electronic element is assembled,
The ceiling portion is provided with a bulging portion that protrudes toward the outer extension of the heat sink,
The forced air cooling structure according to claim 1, wherein the bulging portion is provided so as to cover the extended portion of the heat sink, and is an extended portion cover that extends so as to overlap the extended portion of the heat sink in plan view .   The heat sink has a rectangular planar shape having short sides and long sides having different lengths from each other,
  The plurality of cooling fins of the heat sink extends in the long side direction and is arranged in parallel in the short side direction,
  The cooling fan is provided in an intermediate portion in the long side direction of the heat sink,
  2. The bulge portion is disposed adjacent to both sides of the cooling fan so as to sandwich the cooling fan, and is provided so as to cover the extended portion of the heat sink. Forced air cooling structure.   The cooling fan includes a fan main body having a plurality of rotor blades that generate wind by rotation, and a case having a square planar shape that rotatably supports the fan main body and includes a circular turning surface of the fan main body. With members,
  The diameter of the fan body is set to a dimension according to the width of the cooling fin forming region provided in the heat sink,
  Since the case member is inclined with respect to the heat sink, two screw insertion holes provided at a pair of diagonals of the case member are arranged outside the cooling fin formation region. The screw is inserted into each of the two screw insertion holes arranged outside the formation area of the cooling fin, and the two screws are screwed into the heat sink, so that the cooling fan is fixed to the heat sink. The forced air cooling structure according to claim 2.   An IC having a processing capability sufficient to perform moving image processing is provided as the electronic element, and the forced air cooling structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is provided to cool the IC. A featured gaming machine.

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