JP4407230B2 - Touch sensor and pachinko machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch sensor that detects, for example, whether or not a human body has touched an electrode portion, and a pachinko gaming machine including the touch sensor.

  Conventionally, a touch sensor for detecting contact of a human body is provided in a gaming handle of a pachinko gaming machine. As the touch sensor, a separate configuration type in which an electrode part touched by a human body is provided in a gaming handle and a main circuit of the touch sensor is provided in a pachinko gaming machine main body has been used.

  In the separated configuration type, since the operation accuracy is not preferable due to the stray capacitance generated between the electrode portion and the main body circuit, in recent years, an integrated touch sensor in which the electrode portion and the main body circuit are housed in a gaming handle has been used. It has been proposed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  The integrated touch sensor includes circuits such as a surge protection circuit, an oscillation circuit, and a comparison circuit as main body circuits, and two-wire type and three-wire type output lines have been proposed.

  Any of the two-wire type and three-wire type touch sensors described above are equipped with a surge protection circuit as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 because they are strongly affected by static electricity when installed inside a gaming handle. Touch sensors have been proposed.

  Here, the 2-wire touch sensor has an advantage that the cost can be reduced by reducing the number of output lines compared to the 3-wire touch sensor.

  However, the two-wire touch sensor has a problem that the resistance to static electricity entering from the electrode varies greatly depending on the connection method of the output load resistance (a device to be attached such as a pachinko game machine).

JP 2000-342761 A JP 2002-263272 A

  The present invention includes a two-wire touch sensor that can be attached to a device to be attached regardless of which side of the output line is connected to a load and can protect a circuit, and the touch sensor. The purpose is to reduce the cost.

The present invention relates to an electrode portion that is connected / disconnected to / from a ground capacitance of an object to be detected, an oscillation circuit in which an oscillation state changes based on a capacitance change at the electrode portion, and a change in the oscillation state A direct current 2-wire touch sensor comprising an output circuit for outputting a signal, and a first output unit and a second output unit for transmitting a signal output from the output circuit to the outside, wherein the touch circuit is in parallel with the circuits. A circuit board on which a circuit is formed by connecting each of the electrode part to the first output part and the electrode part to the second output part via a microgap, and the oscillation is formed on a surface of the circuit board. While the circuit and the output circuit are mounted, the microgap input terminal on the electrode part side and the output terminal of the microgap on the output part side close to the back side of the circuit board Characterized in that it is a touch sensor that is countercurrent arrangement.

The micro gap is provided as a surge protection means . In addition, when the input terminal and the output terminal forming the micro gap are arranged close to each other, the convex terminal and the concave terminal are configured close to each other, and the convex terminal and the planar terminal are configured close to each other. For example, a plurality of pairs of terminals are arranged, or convex terminals and concave terminals (or planar terminals ) are alternately arranged . For example, a convex terminal having a shape with a tip protruding in a triangle and a concave terminal having a tip recessed in a V shape can be arranged close to each other and opposed to each other. Furthermore, when a plurality of pairs of terminals are arranged, a difference in durability of the microgap caused by the polarity of static electricity entering from the electrode portion can be suppressed.

  With the above configuration, even if a load such as a pachinko machine is connected to either the first output unit or the second output unit, a surge is discharged through the opposite output unit without imposing a burden on the internal circuit of the touch sensor. And the circuit can be protected.

Further, by installing the oscillation circuit, the output circuit, and the micro gap on the front and back of the circuit board, each circuit can be protected from the influence of the discharge of the micro gap . Thereby, it is possible to effectively isolate the oscillation circuit and the output circuit from the micro gap at a low cost.

Thus, by sharing the functions of the front surface with the circuit mounting surface and the back surface with the electrostatic discharge surface (microgap), the electronic component is appropriately isolated from the spark generated by the discharge, and the performance change of the electronic component can be suppressed. .

As an aspect of the present invention, an electrostatic shield layer can be provided as an intermediate layer between the front surface and the back surface of the circuit board.

The electrostatic shield layer can be configured by sandwiching the electrostatic shield layer between the surface on which each circuit is disposed and the back surface having a micro gap as an electrostatic discharge surface, and is formed of a copper foil pattern, etc. Forming with a member capable of shielding static electricity.

  With the above configuration, the oscillation circuit and the output circuit can be reliably protected from discharge generated in the micro gap.

Further, according to the present invention, the microgap is formed such that one terminal shape is a convex shape, and the other terminal shape opposite to the microgap is a concave shape or a planar shape, and the gap distance between the convex terminal and the concave terminal shape of the microgap Alternatively, the gap between the convex terminal and the planar terminal can be formed so as to become narrower toward the most protruding portion of the convex terminal .

Thereby, while being able to identify the discharge location from a convex terminal, a concave or planar terminal can be protected from deformation due to discharge. Moreover, the influence of the deformation | transformation by the discharge except the said discharge specific location can be suppressed to the minimum.

As an example, in the case of a configuration in which a convex terminal and a concave terminal are combined, compared to other combinations, for example, a combination in which a convex terminal and a convex terminal are opposed to each other, a long life can be secured while maintaining discharge performance. . This is because the concave terminal has a shape with little wear even when a large number of discharges occur.

In particular, when the other end side is formed in a concave shape, when the convex tip melts and becomes slightly round, the vicinity of the concave central portion can keep a distance close to the convex tip, The discharge start voltage can be maintained.

Further, the present invention can be a pachinko gaming machine provided with the touch sensor.
Accordingly, it is possible to provide a pachinko gaming machine that is protected from surges such as static electricity that enter from the electrodes regardless of the connection method.

In particular, in pachinko machines, the touch sensor is chronically affected by static electricity because the player repeatedly touches the charged pachinko ball and grips the handle, which reduces the life of the touch sensor. Can be prevented.

  According to the present invention, a touch sensor that can be easily attached to a device to be attached regardless of which side of the output line is connected to the attachment target and can protect the circuit is provided. Cost can be reduced.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
First, with reference to the perspective views shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an external configuration of the touch sensor 1 built in an operation handle of a pachinko gaming machine which is a kind of gaming machine will be described.

  Here, the pachinko gaming machine is a game medium take-in device that takes in a pachinko ball (game medium) inserted from a tray, an injection strength determination device (input device) that determines the injection strength of the pachinko ball by the amount of turning the handle, A winning detection device (sensor) that detects winning at the winning opening, a specific symbol display device (slot rotation display device) that rotates a specific symbol on the liquid crystal screen in response to winning at the start chucker, a game that pays out pachinko balls according to the winning prize It is well known that the medium payout device, the control device for controlling the operation and game content of each of these devices, and the power supply device for supplying power to these devices are configured.

  FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the disassembled touch sensor 1 as viewed from the upper right on the front side. The touch sensor 1 includes a cover 2, a circuit board 3, and a case 5.

  The cover 2 is formed of a resin member in a shape in which the central part on the back side of the rectangular plate-like body 21 is cut into a square to form a hole 23. A total of four detachable protrusions 22 to be attached to the case 5 are formed on the lower side outside the four corners of the plate-like body 21.

  The circuit board 3 has a concave connector 33 on which an electronic component (electronic element) 32 is mounted on the surface of a substrate 31 formed of an insulating member, and an output terminal is mounted and a convex connector to be connected can be mounted. In preparation. Further, a step 34 is formed on the right side of the substrate 31 of the circuit board 3 so that the mounting direction is not mistaken at the time of mounting.

  The electronic component 32 is an element that constitutes an oscillation circuit, a detection smoothing circuit, a comparison circuit, and an output circuit, which will be described later, and an additional circuit such as a Zener diode and a chip resistor.

  The case 5 is entirely formed of a resin member. The main body portion 55 is formed in a box shape with an open plane, the front surface of the main body portion 55 protrudes downward to form the mounting plate 51, and the rear surface of the main body portion 55 is cut out to fit with the concave connector 33. Hole 54 is formed.

A total of four attachment / detachment recesses 53 that allow attachment / detachment of the attachment / detachment protrusions 22 are formed on the inner sides of the four corners of the main body 55. In addition, a conductive plate 56 formed of a metal plate that is L-shaped in a side view and concave in a plan view is provided on the inner surface of the bottom portion on the front side of the main body 55. The lower side of the conductive plate 56 is brought into close contact with the back surface of the mounting plate 51 to form two punched holes 52, 52 penetrating the mounting plate 51 and the conductive plate 56.

  The circuit board 3 is housed in the case 5 described above, and the attachment / detachment protrusion 22 of the cover 2 is fitted into the attachment / detachment recess 53, so that the touch sensor 1 is mounted as shown in the perspective view seen from the front upper right of FIG. It can be easily assembled and completed without screws.

  Therefore, the touch sensor 1 has a snap-fit structure, and the stress continues to be sufficiently applied in a state where the input electrode side of the pattern forming the micro gap 40 (described later) of the circuit board 3 is pressed against the conductive plate 56 of the case 5. Get in touch.

  In the plane of the touch sensor 1, the concave connector 33 of the circuit board 3 is fitted in the hole 23 of the cover 2.

  As shown in the perspective view seen from the lower left side of the back side of FIG. 3, the back side of the touch sensor 1 has an output terminal 33a, 33b is exposed. Further, the conductive plate 56 is exposed in a close contact state on the back side (front side in FIG. 3) of the mounting plate 51 of the case 5.

  As a result, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, the touch sensor 1 is brought into close contact with the mounting plate 51 with the screw 92 on the electrode 91 formed of a circular metal member provided in the front view of the handle 9 of the pachinko gaming machine. Can be installed.

  Next, a pattern formed on the substrate 31 will be described together with a plan view of the front surface 3a of the substrate 31 shown in FIG. 5 and a rear view of the back surface 3b of the substrate 31 shown in FIG.

  On the surface 3 a of the substrate 31, a wiring pattern 35 for mounting and electrically connecting the electronic component 32 is provided. The wiring pattern 35 is formed of a copper foil that is a conductor.

  The back surface 3b of the substrate 31 is provided with micro gaps 40a and 40b in which an input side pattern 41 and output side patterns 42a and 42b, which are also formed of copper foil, are arranged close to each other.

  The micro gaps 40a and 40b are configured by arranging a convex terminal 40c having a shape in which a tip protrudes in a triangle and a concave terminal 40d having a tip recessed in a V shape in close proximity to each other.

  The gap between the convex terminal 40c and the concave terminal 40d is formed such that the center distance B is shorter than the side end distance A.

  In the micro gaps 40a and 40b, as shown in the figure, the convex terminals 40c and the concave terminals 40d are alternately arranged in parallel by three poles. More specifically, one input side pattern 41 is configured by arranging two sets of three poles in which one concave terminal 40d is disposed between two convex terminals 40c side by side. The other output side patterns 42a and 42b are configured by disposing one convex terminal 40c between two concave terminals 40d as the opposing shape of each set.

Thereby, the difference in durability performance of the micro gap caused by the polarity of static electricity entering from the electrode portion can be suppressed . In this embodiment, one set is composed of three poles, but may be composed of other numbers of plural poles such as two poles or four poles or more.

The input side pattern 41 and the output side patterns 42a and 42b existing on the back surface 3b are connected to the wiring pattern 35 on the front surface 3a side via the input side through hole 38 and the output side through holes 36a and 36b, respectively. Further, a through hole 37 is formed in the substrate 31 so as to be stably attached to the case 5.

  Thus, by sharing the functions of the front surface 3a with the mounting surface and the back surface 3b with the electrostatic discharge surface, the electronic component 32 is appropriately isolated from the spark generated by the discharge, and the performance change of the electronic component 32 can be suppressed.

  In addition, the combination of the convex terminal 40c and the concave terminal 40d ensures a long life while maintaining the discharge performance as compared with other combinations, for example, a combination in which the convex terminal 40c and the convex terminal 40c are opposed to each other. it can. This is because the concave terminal 40d has a shape with little wear even when a large number of discharges occur.

  In particular, since the other end side is formed in a concave shape, when the convex tip melts and becomes a little round, the vicinity of the concave central portion can keep a distance close to the convex tip. The discharge start voltage can be maintained.

In particular, in a pachinko gaming machine, the touch sensor 1 is chronically affected by static electricity because the player repeats the operation of touching a charged pachinko ball and gripping the handle. The life of the touch sensor 1 due to this influence is chronically affected. Can be prevented from being shortened.

In winter, strong static electricity of several tens of thousands of volts may be charged on the human body. Even when this strong static electricity is discharged, the electronic component 32 can be protected.
Accordingly, the durability of the touch sensor 1 with respect to the input voltage of static electricity and the durability with respect to the number of static electricity inputs can be improved.

  Next, the circuit configuration of the touch sensor 1 will be described with the circuit diagrams shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 7, the touch sensor 1 has the touch sensor 1 attached to an electrode 91 that is a touch electrode. The aforementioned output side patterns 42a and 42b (FIG. 6) correspond to the output terminal V _H (power line high potential side) and the output terminal V _L (power line low potential side). In this embodiment, a load Rx is connected to the output terminal _VL .

  As shown in FIG. 8, the circuit configuration in the touch sensor 1 includes an oscillation circuit 44, a detection / smoothing circuit 45, a comparison circuit 46, an output circuit 47, the oscillation state of which changes based on a capacitance change between the electrode unit and the ground, And a zener diode 48 connected thereto.

The oscillation circuit 44, the detection smoothing circuit 45, the comparison circuit 46, the output circuit 47, and the Zener diode 48 are all connected to the output terminal _VH and the output terminal _VL, and have a circuit configuration for receiving power supply. Note that connection portions from the output circuit 47 to the output terminals V _H and V _L are output portions C and D, respectively.

The micro gaps 40a and 40b are provided between the electrode 91 and the output terminal V _H (output unit C), and between the electrode 91 and the output terminal V _L (output unit D), respectively.

  When static electricity is input from the electrode 91, the static electricity passes through the microgap 40a and flows to a stable potential (Vcc) as shown by a virtual line Z in FIG. be able to.

Since the micro gaps 40a and 40b are respectively provided between the output terminal V _H and the output terminal V _L , the load Rx is connected to either the output terminal V _H or the output terminal V _L. Static electricity can be released from the output terminal to which Rx is not connected.

More specifically, when the impedance of the load Rx is larger than the equivalent impedance on the touch sensor 1 side as viewed from the output terminal V _L , the static electricity blocked by the load Rx, as indicated by a virtual line Z in the circuit diagram of FIG. Enters the touch sensor 1 and destroys the circuit.

On the other hand, since the surge protection means is provided at each of the output terminal V _H and the output terminal _VL , the connection direction of the load Rx is not selected, and the micro gaps 40a and 40b are formed in a pattern, so there is no cost increase.

  Therefore, the touch sensor 1 can be easily connected regardless of the connection direction of the load Rx.

Next, another embodiment will be described together with a pattern diagram of an intermediate layer of the substrate 31 shown in FIG.
In this embodiment, the electronic component 32 (FIG. 1) and the wiring pattern 35 disposed on the surface of the substrate 31 in the previous embodiment are disposed on the surface 3a (FIG. 5).

  The micro gaps 40a and 40b formed by bringing the input side pattern 41 and the output side patterns 42a and 42b disposed on the back surface of the substrate 31 in the previous embodiment close to each other are disposed on the back surface 3b.

  As shown in FIG. 10, a shield layer 60 formed of a copper foil pattern is provided as an intermediate layer between the front surface 3a and the back surface 3b.

The shield layer 60 is formed with a gap so as not to contact the input side through hole 38 and the output side through hole 36a. The shield layer 60 is formed so as to be connected to the output terminal _VL through the output side through hole 36b, and shields the electronic component 32 from static electricity.

  Other components are the same as those in the previous embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  With the above configuration, it is possible to provide the touch switch 1 having a higher resistance to the discharge of the micro gaps 40a and 40b.

  As another embodiment, the concave terminal 40d (FIG. 6) of the microgap 40 may be formed on a planar planar terminal 40e as shown in FIG. In this case, the convex terminal 40c may be formed in a convex shape with a more obtuse angle.

  Since the other components are the same as those in the previous embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  With the above configuration, it is possible to facilitate discharge and extend the life of a microgap having a shape different from that of the previous embodiment.

In correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment,
The electrostatic shield layer of the present invention corresponds to the shield layer 60 of the embodiment,
Similarly,
The gap interval corresponds to the side edge distance A and the center distance B,
The present invention is not limited only to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and many embodiments can be obtained.

The disassembled perspective view which shows the touch sensor seen from the front side upper right. The perspective view which shows the touch sensor seen from the front upper right. The perspective view which shows the touch sensor seen from the back side lower left. A right side sectional view showing a handle of a pachinko gaming machine. The top view which shows a circuit board. The bottom view which shows a circuit board. The circuit diagram of a touch sensor. The circuit diagram of a touch sensor. Explanatory drawing at the time of providing a micro gap only in one of the output terminals. The rear view which shows the circuit board of other embodiment. The bottom view which shows the circuit board of other embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Touch sensor 40a, 40b ... Micro gap 40c ... Convex type terminal 40d ... Concave type terminal 40e ... Planar type terminal 44 ... Oscillation circuit 47 ... Output circuit 60 ... Shield layer 91 ... Electrode A ... Side edge distance B ... Center distance C, D: Output unit V _H , V _L ... Output terminal

Claims (4)

An electrode part to be connected / disconnected to / from the earth capacitance of the detected object;
An oscillation circuit whose oscillation state changes based on a capacitance change at the electrode part;
An output circuit for outputting a signal based on the change in the oscillation state;
A DC two-wire touch sensor comprising a first output unit and a second output unit for transmitting a signal output from the output circuit to the outside,
In parallel with each of the circuits, a circuit board on which a circuit in which each of the electrode unit to the first output unit and the electrode unit to the second output unit are connected via a microgap is formed,
While mounting the oscillation circuit and the output circuit on the surface of the circuit board,
The touch sensor in which the microgap input terminal on the electrode part side and the microgap output terminal on the output part side that are adjacent to each other are arranged in close proximity to each other on the back side of the circuit board . An electrostatic shield layer is provided as an intermediate layer between the front and back surfaces of the circuit board.
The touch sensor according to claim 1. The micro gap is formed such that one terminal shape is a convex shape, and the other terminal shape facing the other is a concave shape or a planar shape,
The gap gap between the convex terminal and the concave terminal of the microgap, or the gap gap between the convex terminal and the planar terminal is formed to become narrower toward the most protruding portion of the convex terminal.
The touch sensor according to claim 1 or 2. A pachinko gaming machine comprising the touch sensor according to claim 1, 2 or 3 .

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