JP4815904B2 - Game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine represented by a slot machine or the like.

  A gaming machine represented by a slot machine or the like is configured to enjoy a game using coins (medals) that are game value media. FIG. 7 is a front view of a conventional general slot machine. As shown in the drawing, a coin insertion slot 101 is provided on the front surface of the main body. One or more coins are inserted into the coin insertion slot 101, and one of the one-bet button 102, the two-bet button 103, and the max-bet button 104 is pressed. It is to bet coins. At that time, an effective line is determined according to the number of coins bet, and the bet lamp 105 is turned on. When the start lever 106 is pushed down or pushed up, the rotating drum 107 starts rotating at a high speed, and when a stop button 108 is pressed at an arbitrary time, a certain pattern on the rotating drum 107 is stopped. The number of coins to be paid out from the coin payout port 109 is determined according to the stop pattern obtained as a result.

  In this type of gaming machine, the number of gaming machines equipped with a liquid crystal display device has been increasing in recent years. A general purpose of installing this liquid crystal display device is to assist the production by enhancing the interest of the player by adding an image displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal display device as an effect. The liquid crystal display device is mounted on the front surface of the door of the gaming machine. As shown in FIG. 7 above, a visual recognition window 112 for visually recognizing the rotating drum 107 on which the variable symbol is displayed is arranged in the central portion of the front surface of the door portion, and an assist in the game is provided immediately above it. In addition, an upper lamp 110 composed of a light emitting diode substrate and a lens member is disposed immediately above the liquid crystal display device 111.

  Note that the upper lamp 110 is automatically turned on when an error occurs such that all the payout coins in a hopper (not shown) inside the main body of the slot machine are paid out. The employee looks at the lit upper lamp 110 and identifies and deals with the slot machine causing an error from among the slot machines installed in the hall.

  The upper lamp 110 has a function of assisting a picture on the rotating drum 107 and a game effect of the liquid crystal display device 111. For example, when the gaming machine enters the bonus state, in addition to the effect on the image of the liquid crystal display device 111, the upper lamp 110 is flashed violently to improve the player's interest.

  However, in recent years, an increase in the size of the screen of the liquid crystal display device is desired in order to further improve the interest of the player. In order to cope with the increase in the screen size of the liquid crystal display device, it is necessary to secure a large space in the front portion of the gaming machine. However, for example, a viewing window for visually recognizing the rotating drum, a stop button of the rotating drum, a speaker, a light emitting unit (corresponding to the above upper lamp 110), and the like are present on the front surface of the gaming machine, and these are removed. It is not possible. In addition, it is difficult to reduce the size of the above-mentioned viewing windows because the above-mentioned viewing windows are provided to make it easier for the player to visually recognize the rotating drum inside the casing of the gaming machine. It becomes unusable for the player and cannot be executed. Furthermore, although the speaker has been downsized to some extent in the past, it is still insufficient to ensure the above-described space.

Considering the above, as a method corresponding to the size of the screen of the liquid crystal display device described above, and it ends up to or removed constituting a smaller light emitting portion, by increasing constituting the main body of the game machine There is . However, since the integrated circuit and the connector are provided, there is a limit to the reduction in the area of the light emitting diode substrate, and when the light emitting diode substrate is installed on the front surface of the door, a space corresponding to the area of the substrate is required. Further, as described above, since the light emitting unit needs to be recognized by at least an employee and has a function for assisting the production of games, it cannot be removed. On the other hand, it is considered difficult to construct a large gaming machine because there are many halls where space for installation is limited.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to enlarge the screen of a liquid crystal display device mounted on a gaming machine and to lose the function of a conventional light emitting unit. The purpose is to provide an undisclosed gaming machine.

To achieve the above object, a game machine according to claim 1, a housing opening on the front side is formed, and a door unit installed in the opening portion of the housing, the gaming machine having a The light emitting means is provided not on the front surface of the door part but on the ceiling part of the door part, and the light emitting means is installed on the door part from the front side of the door part toward the rear side of the door part. A lens portion formed so as to increase in height, a flange portion provided on the outer periphery of the lens portion, and a screw hole penetrating along the front-rear direction of the door portion while being installed on the door portion. And a light emitting substrate to which a light emitter is attached and is directly attached to the lens unit, and the ceiling part of the door part is formed in accordance with the outer peripheral shape of the lens part. Formed along the edge of the notch for installation, opening toward the rear side of the door And the door side screw hole penetrating along the front-rear direction of the door portion at a position facing the screw hole of the screw fastening portion when the lens portion is installed in the installation notch portion. A door-side screwing portion formed, and the light emitting means installs the lens portion in the installation notch portion by inserting the flange portion into the recess, and has the same direction as the insertion direction of the flange portion. In order to release a part of light from the light emitting means outward from the front surface of the door portion on the front surface of the door portion. The light passage part is provided .

According to the gaming machine according to the present invention, the screen of the liquid crystal display device installed on the front surface of the door portion is enlarged using the large space of the light emitting portion provided on the front surface of the door portion of the gaming machine. Thus, the function of the light emitting unit as a game effect assisting function for the player for each gaming machine is not lost.

First, invention groups that can be extracted from the present embodiment are shown as means n (n = 0, 1, 2,...), And will be described while showing effects and the like as necessary.

Means 0. In a gaming machine comprising a housing having an opening formed on the front side and a door installed at the opening of the housing, the gaming machine is provided not on the front of the door but on the ceiling of the door A light emitting means, and the light emitting means is formed in such a manner that the height increases from the front side of the door part toward the rear side of the door part when installed in the door part, and the lens A collar provided on the outer periphery of the part, a screwing part formed with a screw hole penetrating along the front-rear direction of the door part in a state of being installed on the door part, and the lens part to which the light emitter is attached A light-emitting substrate that is directly attached to the ceiling portion of the door portion, and the door portion is formed along an edge of an installation notch portion that is formed in accordance with the outer peripheral shape of the lens portion. The lens portion is provided in the recess opening toward the rear side and the installation notch. A door-side screwing portion having a door-side screw hole penetrating along the front-rear direction of the door portion is formed at a position facing the screw hole of the screw-fastening portion. Inserts the collar part into the recess and installs the lens part in the installation notch, and screws the screw hole and the door-side screw hole from the same direction as the insertion direction of the collar part. The gaming machine is characterized in that a light passage part for emitting a part of light from the light emitting means outward from the front part of the door part is provided on the front part of the door part.

Means 1. In a gaming machine including a main body having a housing having an opening portion formed on a front side and a door portion installed in the opening portion of the housing, the main body has at least a light emitting state for an employee. A light emitting part provided to emit light recognizable from the outside of the ceiling part instead of the front face of the door part, and a part of the light from the light emitting part. And a light passage part for releasing the door outward from the front surface of the door part.

According to the means 1, it is possible to enlarge the screen of the liquid crystal display device installed on the front surface of the door using the large space of the light emitting unit provided on the front of the door of the gaming machine. . In addition, since the light emitting unit can be viewed from the outside of the ceiling, an employee who manages the gaming machine can easily find a gaming machine whose light emitting unit is lit due to an error or the like. be able to. In addition, it has a light passage part for emitting part of the light from the light emitting part provided on the ceiling part of the gaming machine to the outside from the front part of the door part. The player who is playing in the state can also visually recognize the light emitted by the light emitting unit. Accordingly, the function of the light emitting unit as a game effect assisting function for the player for each gaming machine is not lost.

Mean 2. In the gaming machine of means 1, the light emitting unit includes a substrate, a light emitting body provided on the substrate, and a cover portion that covers the substrate and the light emitting body, and the substrate is substantially parallel to the ceiling portion. A gaming machine characterized by being installed.

Thereby, it is possible to avoid the generation of useless spaces before and after the substrate inside the door, as in the case where the substrate is installed substantially parallel (vertically placed) to the front surface of the door. That is, by making it substantially parallel (horizontal) to the ceiling, a large space can be secured inside the door, that is, in the housing.

Means 3. In the gaming machine of means 1 or means 2, the light passage part has a light transmission port formed in the uppermost front part of the door part, and a space for guiding light from the light emitter to the light transmission port in the main body. And a light guide path formed as a gaming machine.

Thereby, the enlargement of the screen of the liquid crystal display device installed in front of the door portion is not hindered, and each player can easily see the light emission state. Further, since the light guide path is configured as a space, the internal structure can be prevented from becoming complicated.

Means 4. In the gaming machine of means 3, the light guide path is attached to an inner surface of the cover part, and reflects a part of light from the light emitter toward a light transmission port of the door part, and A gaming machine comprising: a gap portion provided between the substrate and the main body constituting member for transmitting reflected light from the reflector. Thereby, the light quantity guided to the light transmission port from the light emitter can be increased, and the player can feel the light from the light emitter more strongly. Further, since light passes between the substrate and the main body constituting member, a complicated structure is not required for guiding the light, and the implementation becomes easy.

Means 5. In the gaming machine of means 3 or means 4, the light transmission port of the door part is configured such that a predetermined area on the upper part of the door part is configured as a window part formed of a light transmissive member. As a result, the window portion can be easily configured with a transparent resin member or the like or a translucent material such as a colored resin. It is also possible to see the light of the light emitter.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a slot machine according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the slot machine 1 has a main body 4 having a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the front, which includes a housing 2 in which equipment is housed and a door portion 3 installed in an opening on the front side. As will be described later, the characteristic part in the present embodiment is that the light emitting part (upper lamp) 21 is not emitted from the front face of the door part 3 but emitted from the ceiling part (cabinet ceiling surface) 70a toward the outside. Furthermore, a part of the light can be seen through the light passage port (transmission window) 79 from the player who is playing in the slot machine 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the door part 3 is provided with three parts of the display part 3A, the operation part 3B, and the storage part 3C in order from the top to the bottom. An upper lamp 21, which is a light emitting part for assisting the production or for the employee to visually recognize, is installed on the cabinet ceiling surface 70 a that is the ceiling part of the door part 3 above the display part 3 </ b> A. The upper wall 82 located at the uppermost front surface of the door 3 is provided with a transmission window 79 (light passage opening) that is a window for allowing the player to see the light from the upper lamp 21. Yes. The transmission window 79 is made of a transparent resin having light transmittance.

  Further, in the upper region of the door portion 3, a pair of speakers 22 that are arranged on both the left and right sides to generate various sound effects and the like, and disposed between the pair of speakers 22, various kinds of images and videos, etc. It has a large liquid crystal screen 23 of a liquid crystal display device for displaying information. A transparent window 24 for visually recognizing the plurality of rotating drums 11 rotating in the housing 2 is provided at a substantially central height position of the display unit 3A. A bet lamp 25 that is turned on according to the number of bets (number of bets) is provided. The rotating drum 11 is composed of three hollow cylindrical drums arranged side by side, and 21 symbols are displayed for each drum. Three symbols are visible to one drum from the front of the slot machine 1 through the transparent window 24, and nine symbols of three vertical and three horizontal are visible through the transparent window 24. At the bottom of the display unit 3A, a credit number display unit 26, a game number display unit 27, and a payout number display unit 28 are provided in order from the left side to the right side.

  The operation portion 3B is bent at the lower end of the display portion 3A and extends toward the front side, and the vertical portion that is bent at the front end of the plane portion F and hangs downward. It has a wall portion H, and the plane portion F is provided with one and two bet buttons 31 and 32 on the left side, and a maximum bet button 33 on the right side. A coin insertion slot 41 is disposed on the right side of the plane portion F. The coins inserted from the coin insertion slot 41 are configured to be stored in a hopper (each not shown) having a coin payout detection unit inside the main body 4. The coin payout detection unit of the hopper includes a plurality of coin passage sensors provided at predetermined intervals, and is configured to recognize the coin payout by detecting the passage of one coin. Has been.

  In the upper part of the vertical wall portion H, in order from the left side to the right side, a credit button 34 for selecting whether or not to store coins, a start lever 35 for instructing the rotation start of the rotary drum 11, and a rotary drum 11 is provided with a stop button 36 for instructing to stop rotation. The start lever 35 protrudes from the vertical wall portion H toward the front side, and is operated by pushing down or pushing up. The stop button 36 is disposed at a position corresponding to each rotary drum 11 and is operated by a pushing operation. In addition, a display plate 15 on which a model name, a character related to a game, and the like are displayed is provided below the operation unit 3B. The storage unit 3C is arranged and formed so as to extend in the left-right direction at a position below the operation unit 3B, and receives and stores coins paid out from the coin payout opening 7, etc. Is provided.

  Next, the structure of the upper lamp 21 which is a characteristic structure in the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the figure shows the example which applied the structure of this invention to the door part 3 of the design different from FIG. As shown in the figure, the upper lamp 21 includes a light emitting diode substrate 71 and a lens member 72. The light emitting diode substrate 71 is configured as a substantially semicircular plate-like body, and a plurality of light emitting diodes 71b are provided on the upper surface portion 71a. Further, screw holes 71c, which are screwing points for coupling to the lens member 72, are provided at both ends of the substantially semicircular string portion.

  The lens member 72 is made of acrylic resin, polycarbonate, or the like, has a substantially semicircular planar shape, and has a shape that rises like a dome when viewed from the side, and can sufficiently cover the light emitting diode substrate 71. It is composed of. The portion of the lens member 72 through which the light emitted from the light emitting diode 71b is transmitted can be processed by a method such as diamond cutting so that the transmitted light has various spreads. It is also preferable to apply a so-called silver mirror coating on the outer surface, so that the inside of the housing 2 can be made invisible from the outside, and the shadow of the mirror 80 described later is made invisible from the outside. Is also possible.

  The substantially semicircular edge portion is provided with a hook portion 73 for attachment, and screw holes for attachment to the door portion 3 are provided at both end portions of the substantially semicircular string. A screw hole 84 is provided. Furthermore, the substantially cylindrical bosses 90 for coupling with the light emitting diode substrate 71 are provided at two locations on the inner surface, and a mirror 80 (not shown) is installed near the substantially central portion of the inner surface. ing.

  On the other hand, a substantially semicircular cutout 74 is provided at a substantially central portion of the upper surface of the cabinet ceiling surface 70a of the cabinet 70 so as to draw an arc toward the front side of the main body so as to correspond to the upper lamp 21. . Further, a recess 75 that allows the flange 73 to be fitted is formed in the inner edge of the notch 74. In addition, the inner edge of the cabinet ceiling surface 70a is provided with a screw receiving portion 86 at a location facing the above-described screw hole portion 84 when the lens member 72 is installed.

  Next, a method for attaching the lens member 72 and the light emitting diode substrate 71 will be described. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a method for attaching the lens member 72 and the light emitting diode substrate 71. A screw hole 92 is provided at a substantially central portion of the boss 90 provided on the inner surface of the lens member 72. The screw hole 92 and the screw hole 94 provided in the light emitting diode substrate 71 are aligned. Screwed with a screw 96.

  4 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the door portion 3 shown in FIG. The flange 73 of the lens member 72 is fitted and installed in the recess 75 of the cabinet ceiling surface 70a, and the lens member 72 and the light emitting diode substrate 71 are coupled and fixed at the boss 90 portion. In this installed state, it is preferable that the light transmitting surface of the lens member 72 is as close as possible to the light emitting diode substrate 71 so that the protruding amount of the upper lamp 21 from the upper surface of the cabinet ceiling surface 70a is as low as possible.

  Inside the lens member 72, a mirror 80 as a reflector whose angle is adjusted so that a part of the light emitted from the light emitting diode 71b is reflected toward the transmission window 79 is provided. In the present embodiment, as shown in the figure, the light from the light emitting diode 71b located almost directly below the mirror 80 is irradiated to the mirror 80, and the light from the light emitting diode 71b in the other part is directly applied to the lens member 72. Irradiated. The position of the mirror 80 may be provided anywhere inside the lens member 72 as long as it can reflect the light from the light emitting diode substrate 71b and irradiate the transmission window 79, as will be described in detail later.

  A space is opened between the light emitting diode substrate 71 and the lens member 72 to form a gap 98 as a light guide path. Therefore, the light reflected by the mirror 80, that is, the reflected light 99 passes through the gap portion 98 and is applied to the transmission window 79. Thereby, a player who is playing in the slot machine 1 can visually recognize the light transmitted through the transmission window 79.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, a light passage portion is constituted by the gap portion 98 and the transmission window 79, whereby the light 100 from the light emitting diode 71b is emitted outward from the lens member 72. The light is divided into those emitted from the transmission window 79 through the light passage portion.

  The light-emitting diode substrate 71 is not limited to a single installation, and the light-emitting diode substrate 71 that emits light toward the mirror 80 and the light-emitting diode substrate 71 that emits light toward the ceiling of the lens member 72 are different (two or more). A light emitting diode substrate can also be used. Accordingly, it is possible to use light of different colors between the light reflected by the mirror 80 and emitted from the transmission window 79 and the light emitted from the lens member 72 outward. Further, it is also preferable to control the light emission of the plurality of light emitting diode substrates separately, thereby enhancing the interest of the player. Further, when it is desired to use the light emitted from the upper lamp 21 as an effect only for a player who uses the gaming machine, it is sufficient to use only a light emitting diode substrate provided with a light emitting diode that emits light toward the mirror 80. When it is desired to use the light emission of the upper lamp 21 only for contacting employees, the other light emitting diode substrate may be used.

  FIG. 5 is an external partial perspective view of the door portion 3 shown in FIG. With the above-described configuration, as shown in the figure, the liquid crystal screen 23 is installed in a large area on the front upper portion of the door 3. Thereby, powerful presentation for improving the interest of the player can be performed on the large liquid crystal screen 23.

  Further, since the upper lamp 21 is installed on the cabinet ceiling surface 70a, it can be easily seen by employees and other hall customers. For example, if an error such as the later disappearing of coins in the hopper occurs during the game, the employee can immediately detect the lighting of the upper lamp 21 of the slot machine 1 causing the error. It can be dealt with promptly. The other hall customers can grasp the state of the game in the slot machine 1 by checking the light emission state of the upper lamp 21.

  Further, a player who is playing in the slot machine 1 can visually recognize the light emitted from the light emitting diode 71 b through the transmission window 79. When the upper lamp 21 is provided on the cabinet ceiling surface 70a, the player of the gaming machine himself / herself cannot see the light or it is difficult to see the light, but the light can be seen through the transmission window 79. In addition, since the upper lamp 21 installed in the ceiling part of the other gaming machine lined up in the player's field of view can be seen, the effect of excitement for the player by this light is also exhibited.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the slot machine 1 to which the present invention is applied will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the slot machine 1. The main control board 60 is equipped with an MPU 61 as a one-chip microcomputer as an arithmetic unit and an input / output port 62 connected to the MPU 61 and connected to various input / output means such as sensors and switches. Yes. The MPU 61 temporarily stores a control program such as an error notification control program executed by the MPU 61 and fixed value data such as the number of payouts, and various data and the like when executing the control program stored in the ROM 63. A RAM 64 which is a memory for storing the data, and various circuits (not shown) such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, and a data transmission / reception circuit are incorporated.

  The input / output port 62 includes a 1-bet button 31, a 2-bet button 32, a max-bet button 33, a start lever 35, a stop button 36, a 1-3-bet lamp 25, a credit number display unit 26, and a game number display unit. 27, a payout number display section 28, a sub control board 65, and the like are connected. The sub control board 65 receives a command transmitted from the main control board 60 and performs a predetermined control process. In the present embodiment, the sub control board 65 controls the output of sound effects and the like from the speaker 22 and emits light from the upper lamp 21. The output control and display control board 66 is controlled so as to display effects on the liquid crystal screen 23. The sub-control board 65 is connected to the upper lamp 21, the speaker 22, the display control board 66, and the like, and is configured to be able to transmit and receive data and the like to and from the display control board 66.

  The power supply board 67 includes various circuits such as a power supply unit 68 that supplies driving power to each electronic device of the slot machine 1 and a power failure monitoring circuit 69 that monitors the occurrence of power interruption. After the slot machine 1 is powered off, a backup voltage is supplied to the RAM 64 from the power supply unit 68 of the power supply board 67 through the input / output port 62.

  The MPU 61 constitutes a control means that performs various processes by executing programs stored in the ROM 63 based on detection signals from various sensors and switches connected to the input / output port 62. For example, when a predetermined winning combination is won, the coin payout number corresponding to the winning combination is acquired from the ROM 63, a signal related to coin payout is output to the hopper via the power supply board 67, and the power supply of the power supply board 67 is Power is supplied from the unit 68 to the hopper to start paying out coins. At this time, the MPU 61 is configured to count the number of coins paid out based on signals relating to the passage of coins from a plurality of coin passage sensors provided in the hopper.

  If a signal relating to the passage of coins is not input from the hopper before reaching the number to be paid out in the coin payout process, the MPU 61 determines that no coins are stored in the hopper, and performs error notification control. Based on the program, a signal related to lighting of the upper lamp 21 is output to the sub-control board 65 via the input / output port 62. When an error occurs, a signal for blinking the upper lamp 21 may be output.

  In addition to the signal related to the lighting of the upper lamp 21, the MPU 61 displays a signal for displaying an error code on the game number display unit 27 indicating that no coins are stored in the hopper via the input / output port 62. Output to. Further, the MPU 61 may output a signal related to the occurrence of an error via the input / output port 62 to a terminal in a hall that supervises and controls a plurality of slot machines including the slot machine 1 based on the error notification control program. good.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible within the range of the summary of invention. For example, in order to change the amount of light that can be viewed by the player, a plurality of mirrors 80 may be installed, or the transmission window 79 may be formed of a plurality of slits. The transmission window 79 and the mirror 80 may be half mirrors. You may comprise by translucent members, such as.

It is a perspective view of the slot machine according to the present embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the state which provided the upper lamp | ramp in the door part of the design different from FIG. It is an installation drawing of a lens member and a light emitting diode substrate which are components of the upper lamp. It is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view of the door part shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial external perspective view of a door portion shown in FIG. 2. It is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the slot machine to which the present invention is applied. It is a front view of the conventional general slot machine.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Slot machine 2 Housing | casing 3 Door part 4 Main body 21 Upper lamp 23 Liquid crystal screen 70 Cabinet 70a Cabinet ceiling surface 71 Light emitting diode board | substrate 71a Light emitting diode board upper surface 71b Light emitting diode 71c Screw hole 72 Lens member 73 The collar part 74 Notch part 75 Recessed part 79 Transmission window 80 Mirror 82 Upper wall 84 Screw hole 86 Screw receiving part 90 Boss 92 Screw hole 94 Screw hole 96 Screw 98 Gap 99 Reflected light 100 Other light 110 Upper lamp

Claims (1)

A housing having an open part on the front side;
The gaming machine and a door unit installed in the opening portion of the housing,
The light emitting means provided on the ceiling of the door instead of the front of the door,
The light emitting means is provided on the outer periphery of the lens portion, and a lens portion formed so as to increase in height from the front side of the door portion toward the rear side of the door portion in a state of being installed on the door portion. A collar portion, a screwing portion formed with a screw hole penetrating along the front-rear direction of the door portion in a state of being installed in the door portion, and a light emitting device attached with a light emitter and directly attached to the lens portion A substrate, and
The ceiling portion of the door portion is formed along the edge of the notch for installation formed in accordance with the outer peripheral shape of the lens portion, and has a recess that opens toward the rear side of the door portion, and the installation When the lens part is installed in the notch part, the door side screwing in which a door side screw hole penetrating along the front-rear direction of the door part is formed at a position facing the screw hole of the screwing part. Part is formed,
In the light emitting means, the lens portion is installed in the installation notch by inserting the collar into the recess, and the screw hole and the door-side screw hole are arranged in the same direction as the fitting direction of the collar. It is fixed by screwing,
A gaming machine, wherein a light passage part for emitting a part of the light from the light emitting means outward from the front part of the door part is provided on the front part of the door part.

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