JP4334491B2 - Display device for gaming machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device for a gaming machine, and more particularly to a display device for a gaming machine in which an optical film is expanded and contracted in front of a display surface to enrich a display effect.

  Conventionally, in a gaming machine, for example, a ball game machine, when a plurality of identification symbols are variably displayed and the combination of identification symbols at the time of stoppage is a combination of predetermined jackpot information, a specific gaming state (a jackpot gaming state Many things are provided that give players a chance to generate a large number of winning balls in a short time. An image display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube display (CRT) is used as a display device for displaying the identification symbol. According to such an image display, an image including an identification symbol can be freely displayed by software.

By the way, since the above-mentioned image display only represents the image on the flat display surface, there is a possibility that the effect by the image becomes monotonous. Therefore, a technique (see Patent Document 1) that draws a player's attention by arranging a door that can be opened and closed using a rack and pinion mechanism on the display surface of the image display device, and reduces eye fatigue due to the image display device. In addition, a technique for moving the door with a solenoid (see Patent Document 2) has been proposed in order to enhance the effect of the display.
JP 2003-236043 A JP 2001-346969 A

  However, the door opening and closing means described in the cited document 1 uses a rack and pinion mechanism, and there is a limit to reducing the configuration.

  Further, the door opening / closing means described in Patent Document 2 cannot freely stop the door at an arbitrary position.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problem as an example, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a display device for a gaming machine that is space-saving and can arbitrarily change a display effect. It is said.

  A display device for a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein a display device is provided in the game board and has a display surface, a movable body that is movable so that the front of the display surface is parallel to the display surface, A drive unit that moves the movable body, a longitudinal rotating body that is provided on the side of the display and that is rotatable about a rotation axis that extends parallel to the display surface, and one end fixed to the longitudinal rotating body And a bendable and recoverable optical film wound around the other end and fixed to the movable body, and winding means for winding the optical film around the longitudinal rotating body. To do.

Hereinafter, a display device for gaming machines according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Example 1
As shown in FIG. 1, a gaming machine 1 is provided with a gaming board 2 having a board surface as a gaming area at the front center. Near the center of the game board 2, there is provided a display device 3 for displaying game images composed of various symbols and patterns according to the progress of the game.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the display device 3 includes an opening 4 provided at substantially the center of the plywood forming the game board 2, a frame-like frame 5 fitted in the opening 4, and a back surface side of the plywood. A display 6 provided to close the opening 4 from the back side, and a spacer 7 inserted between the frame 5 and the display 6, and the display facing the opening 4 6 display surface 8 is used as a game image display area (image display area). In addition, although the display surface 8 is shown as a rectangular display surface in the figure, it is not limited to this, For example, it is good also as an elliptical display surface and a polygonal display surface. In addition, in order to simplify the following description, it is assumed that the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are determined with reference to the display surface 8 when viewed from the front. The display 6 includes various image display means such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube display (CRT), or an electroluminescence display (ELD).

  Between the frame 5 and the spacer (spacer) 7, the front surface of the display surface 8 is crossed in a plane parallel to the display surface 8 of the display 6, that is, the front of the display surface is parallel to the display surface. A movable body 9 is inserted so as to be movable. The movable body 9 is a substantially L-shaped structure provided with, for example, a long bowl-shaped portion 10 and is movable by a drive unit. The movable body 9 is attached to a gear box 12 having a worm wheel (rack) (not shown) meshed with the worm 11. The bowl-shaped part 10 is sized to straddle the image display area of the display. A slide portion 13 is provided at the upper end portion of the bowl-shaped portion 10, that is, at the lower end portion opposite to the end portion side coupled to the gear box 12.

  The worm 11 extends parallel to the display surface 8 of the display 6 and in the left-right direction. A worm gear mechanism is constituted by the worm 11 and the worm wheel (rack), and the worm 11 is connected to the rotary motor 14. Such a worm gear mechanism is a drive unit. The gear box 12 can be moved in the extending direction of the worm 11 by the rotation of the worm 11, and the movable body 9 is movable with respect to the frame 5, the display 6 and the spacer 7 according to this. An end (other end) of the optical film 15 is attached to and fixed to the movable body 9. The optical film 15 is a bendable and recoverable film having optical characteristics such as polarization characteristics, color filters, lens characteristics, and diffraction characteristics. That is, the film has a characteristic that it can return to its original state (for example, a flat state) while having flexibility. An end (one end) of the optical film 15 opposite to the above-described end is provided on the side of the display 6 and is rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction in parallel with the display surface 8. It is fixed to a certain longitudinal rotating body 16. The optical film 15 is wound around the longitudinal rotating body 16. The size of the optical film 15 is preferably larger than the image display area of the display 6. By winding the optical film 15 around the longitudinal rotating body 16, the accommodation space for the optical film 15 can be reduced.

  The longitudinal rotating body 16 and the optical film 15 wound around the longitudinal rotating body 16 may be housed in a case (not shown). The longitudinal rotating body 16 may be provided with winding means (not shown) for winding the optical film 15 around the longitudinal rotating body. Spring means such as a spiral spring can be used as the winding means. Further, a rotation mechanism that rotates the longitudinal rotating body in conjunction with the rotation of the worm 11 may be used as the winding means. By providing the winding means, the optical film can be stretched between the movable body and the longitudinal rotating body.

  The display device 3 is provided with guide means for guiding the optical film forward of the display surface. The guide means includes a feed roller 17 that guides the optical film 15 drawn from the longitudinal rotating body 16 to the front of the display surface 8 of the display 6. The feed roller 17 has a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis of the longitudinal rotating body 16. Further, the feed roller 17 is arranged such that a feed position for feeding the optical film 15 toward the display 6 among the feed surfaces in contact with the optical film 15 of the feed roller 17 is in front of the display surface 8. The optical film 15 is sent by the feed roller 17 in a state of being separated from the display surface 8 and parallel to the front thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 3, upper and lower guide slits 18a and 18b are formed by the frame 5 and the spacer 7, and the side edge of the optical film 15 and the movable body 9 are inserted into the upper and lower guide slits 18a and 18b. Yes. The optical film 15 and the movable body 9 are guided by the upper and lower guide slits 18 a and 18 b and are movable with respect to the display surface 8 of the display device 6. The slide part 13 of the movable body 9 prevents the side edge of the optical film 15 and the end of the movable part 9 from coming out of the lower guide slit 18b. Therefore, the slide part 13 is configured to ensure that the optical film is guided to the guide slit. As described above, the guide slit and the slide portion constitute a guide means. The slide unit 13 may be a rotating body that has a rotation axis that is perpendicular to the moving direction of the movable body and parallel to the display surface. Here, the spacer not only forms a guide slit, but also acts as a separation unit that keeps the distance between the optical film and the display surface constant.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the movable body 9 moves in the direction parallel to the display surface 8 of the display 6 by the rotation of the worm 11, and the optical film 15 moves accordingly. For example, when the movable body 9 moves in a direction away from the longitudinal rotating body 16, the optical film 15 wound around the longitudinal rotating body 16 is pulled out, and the display surface 8 of the display 6 is covered with the optical film 15. On the contrary, when the movable body 9 moves in the direction approaching the longitudinal rotating body 16, the optical film 15 is wound around the longitudinal rotating body 16, and the area of the display surface 8 covered by the optical film 15 decreases. The movement of the movable body and the optical film may be linked to the gaming state of the gaming machine.

  Note that the area of the display surface 8 covered by the optical film 15 can be controlled by controlling the position of the movable body 9, that is, the position of the end of the optical film 15, by the rotation amount of the worm 11. Further, the moving speed of the movable body 9, that is, the feeding speed of the optical film 15 can be controlled by the rotational speed of the worm 11. The rotation amount and rotation speed of the worm can be arbitrarily set depending on the game state.

  According to the above configuration, since the optical film can be moved using the worm gear, the configuration can be simplified and space saving of the display can be achieved. In particular, a simple configuration in which only a worm wheel is provided in the gear box can be achieved. As a result, not only the manufacturing cost can be suppressed, but also the assembly work process can be reduced. Further, since the weight of the gear box can be reduced, the influence of inertia is reduced, and the position control of the optical film can be reliably performed.

  In addition, when the hook-shaped portion of the movable body is long and the optical film is pulled toward the longitudinal rotating body by a winding means or the like, the vicinity of the tip portion of the hook-shaped portion (the slide portion in the above description) There is a risk that the vicinity of the portion provided with) is pulled toward the longitudinal rotating body. That is, the hook-shaped portion is deformed by the tension of the winding means or the like, and as a result, the optical film may be distorted and disposed on the display surface. In view of this, it is also possible to provide a lock mechanism that temporarily fixes the distal end portion (slide portion) of the bowl-shaped portion, but allows the movement of the distal end portion in accordance with the movement of the movable body.

  Here, the optical film will be described. The optical film includes a polarizing film that transmits only light having a predetermined polarization angle, a translucent film that reduces light transmission, a color film that transmits only light having a predetermined wavelength, and a light-shielding film that blocks light transmission. can do. By utilizing such optical characteristics, it is possible to provide the player with various display effects by changing the display state of the displayed game image.

  Further, an optical film suitable for displaying the image shown on the display in a three-dimensional manner may be used. As a method for displaying an image in a stereoscopic manner, for example, a method of virtually creating a stereoscopic image by “parallax” between the left and right eyes can be used. As such a method, a parallax barrier method or a lenticular method can be used.

  When the parallax barrier method is used, a parallax barrier film provided with a barrier having a number of slits extending vertically can be used as the optical film. Displaying the right eye image and the left eye image in the right eye area and the left eye area, respectively, utilizing the fact that the area of the display screen visible through the slit of the parallax barrier film is different between the right eye and the left eye. 3D display becomes possible.

  Further, when the lenticular method is used, a lenticular lens film in which a plurality of kamaboko-shaped convex lenses extending in the vertical direction are connected in the horizontal direction can be used. Using the fact that the area of the display screen that can be seen through the lenticular lens is different for the right eye and the left eye, the right eye image and the left eye image are displayed in the right eye area and the left eye area, respectively. It becomes possible.

  According to the two methods described above, stereoscopic image display can be performed without causing the player to wear polarized glasses for stereoscopic display. In addition, since a 3D image display can be realized with a simple configuration in which an optical film capable of 3D display is arranged, a gaming machine capable of 3D display with a small space and a low cost can be manufactured.

  In addition, when an optical film covers a part of display surface, the area | region C covered with the optical film and the area | region O which is not covered are formed in the display surface of a display. Different images may be displayed in both areas (C and O) in accordance with the movement of the movable body. In particular, when performing stereoscopic display, since the image for the right eye and the image for the left eye must be supplied to the area C, means for supplying different image data to both areas (C and O) is provided. It is good also as being connected to. The position detection of the movable body may be performed by, for example, the rotation amount of the worm. Moreover, it is good also as detecting the position of a movable body using detection means, such as an optical sensor.

  The optical film may be formed by combining film pieces of the polarizing film, the translucent film, the color film, the light shielding film, the parallax barrier film, or the lenticular lens film as described above. Since a single optical film has various optical characteristics, display effects can be made more complicated.

According to the configuration as described above, in addition to being able to change the display of the game image displayed on the display surface by the optical film, by dynamically arranging the film on the static display surface, It can be carried out.
(Example 2)
Separation means for maintaining a constant distance between the display surface of the display and the optical film may be further provided.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the display device for a gaming machine includes a pressing roller 19 in addition to the spacer 7 as the separation means. Other configurations are substantially the same as those of the above-described embodiment. The pressing roller 19 is a rotating body having a rotating shaft 20 that is parallel to the display surface and perpendicular to the direction in which the optical film 15 moves, and presses the optical film 15 toward the display surface 8 of the display 6, for example. . A plurality of pressing rollers may be provided. For example, the pressing rollers may be arranged at predetermined intervals along the direction in which the optical film moves. Further, the circumferential surface of the pressing roller may be made of an elastic material such as rubber resin. Furthermore, the circumferential surface of the pressure roller is preferably made of a material having low frictional resistance with the optical film. When the optical film is thin and bendable, the film may be distorted by placing the film on the display surface of the display. It can be arranged parallel to the display surface. As a result, good optical characteristics of the optical film can be exhibited. In particular, when a stereoscopic image is displayed as described above, a clearer stereoscopic image can be displayed by separating the optical film and the display surface at a predetermined interval.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, in order to simplify the description, both are described using a configuration in which the optical film is moved in the left-right direction of the display surface. However, this invention is not limited to this, For example, it is good also as a structure which moves an optical film to the up-down direction of a display surface. Moreover, it is good also as providing the above-mentioned optical film and several drive means to move this, and making the moving direction of each film differ, respectively.

1 is an external perspective view of a gaming machine according to the present invention. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a display device for gaming machines according to the present invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the display apparatus for game machines by this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the display apparatus for game machines by this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the display apparatus for game machines by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Game machine 2 Game board 3 Display apparatus 5 Frame 6 Display 7 Spacer 8 Display surface 9 Movable body 11 Worm 12 Gear box 15 Optical film 16 Longitudinal rotating body 17 Feed roller 18a Upper guide slit 18b Lower guide slit

Claims (4)

An indicator provided in the game board and having a display surface;
A movable body movable so as to cross the front of the display surface in parallel with the display surface;
A drive unit for moving the movable body;
A longitudinally rotating body provided on a side of the display unit and rotatable about a rotation axis extending in parallel with the display surface;
An optical film that can be bent and restored, one end of which is fixed to the longitudinal rotating body and wound around this, and the other end is fixed to the movable body,
A display device for a gaming machine, comprising: winding means for winding the optical film around the longitudinal rotating body.   The display device for a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit includes a worm gear mechanism.   2. A display device for a gaming machine according to claim 1, further comprising guide means for guiding the optical film forward of the display surface.   4. The display device for a gaming machine according to claim 3, wherein the guide means includes a separation means for maintaining a constant distance between the optical film and the display surface.

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