JP4822401B2 - Game machine directing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an effect device for a gaming machine that performs notification of game information and various effects in gaming machines such as pachinko machines and slot machines.

Conventionally, on the front panel (front surface) of gaming machines such as slot machines and pachinko machines, images are usually displayed for the purpose of inviting players to the game by moving images, sound effects, etc. An apparatus is provided (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  For example, a slot machine indirectly uses a liquid crystal display device provided at the top of the front panel, for example, to inform the stop button operation order during the assist time or to inform the small part won in the internal lottery. The operation timing of the stop button is notified, and in the case of a big bonus such as a big bonus according to the progress of the game, an effect such as exciting the game with an animation image is performed.

  Conventional liquid crystal display devices generally include an illuminating unit that irradiates illumination light and a liquid crystal display panel in which a plurality of pixels are arranged, and the liquid crystal display panel controls the transmittance of light from the illuminating unit at each pixel Then, the image is displayed on the front side by transmitting the image.

JP 2003-220178 A

  By the way, recently in the gaming machine industry, a liquid crystal shutter is disposed on the rear side of the liquid crystal display panel in order to further enhance the visual appeal of the player, and lighting means and a front surface are opened on the rear side of the liquid crystal shutter. A box-shaped inner surface is provided with a reflecting surface that reflects light from the illumination means, and a housing in which an effect member such as a doll is arranged, and the liquid crystal shutter is provided for the effect from the illumination means. A state in which light reflected on the reflection surface of the member and the casing and incident on the back side is diffused and guided forward to display an image on the liquid crystal display panel; and the liquid crystal shutter transmits light incident on the back side An effect device for a gaming machine has been developed in which the effect member is switched to a state in which the effect member can be visually recognized from the front side of the liquid crystal display panel.

  However, in such an effect device for a gaming machine, the effect member generally has low light reflectivity, and the liquid crystal shutter is not completely capable of diffusing light, so the liquid crystal shutter is incident on the back side. In the state where light is diffused and guided forward to display an image on the liquid crystal display panel, the shadow of the effect member is reflected on the liquid crystal display panel.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and a game in which a liquid crystal shutter is disposed on the rear side of the liquid crystal display panel, and a three-dimensional effect member and illumination means are disposed on the rear side of the liquid crystal shutter. An object of the present invention is to provide an effect device for a gaming machine that can prevent a shadow of the effect member from appearing on the liquid crystal display panel in a state where an image is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention described in claim 1 is an effect device attached to the back side of the display window formed on the front surface of the gaming machine, the front surface is opened , and light is reflected on the inner surface. A housing provided with a reflecting surface, an illuminating means attached to the front surface side of the housing and irradiating illumination light toward the inside of the housing, and a three-dimensional shape having a relatively low light reflectance on one side And the other side is composed of a reflective surface having a relatively high light reflectance, and the production member disposed inside the housing and the one side and the other side of the production member are reversed. By rotating the effect member, the effect member visible state in which one side of the effect member faces the front side of the casing and the other side of the effect member on the front side of the casing a rotation driving means for switching selection to the image display state to direct the front Stories Provided on the front side of the light means, switchable selectable liquid crystal shutter and a transmission state by diffusing light incident on the back surface side passes through the light incident on the diffusing state and the rear-side guiding forward guided forward When having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix on panel surface, the said housing the liquid crystal shutter from being attached to the front side, and transmits light from the back side to control the transmittance at each pixel With a liquid crystal display panel that displays images on the front ,
When the rotation driving unit switches the effect member to the image display state, the liquid crystal shutter is switched to the diffusion state, and the rotation drive unit switches the effect member to the effect member visible state. In this case, the liquid crystal shutter is switched to the transmission state .

According to the effect device for a gaming machine according to claim 1, when displaying an image on the liquid crystal display panel, the reflection is relatively high in the reflectance of the light whose rotation driving means is on the other side of the effect member. Rutotomoni toward the surface on the front side of the housing, the liquid crystal shutter is switched to the diffusion state, the reflecting surface of the effect member reflects light from the illumination means to the liquid crystal shutter side, the liquid crystal shutter for the presentation By diffusing the light reflected from the reflection surface of the member and guiding it to the liquid crystal display panel, it is possible to prevent the shadow of the effect member from appearing on the liquid crystal display panel.

  According to the effect device for the gaming machine of the present invention, in the effect device for the game machine, the liquid crystal shutter is disposed on the rear side of the liquid crystal display panel, and the three-dimensional effect member and the illumination means are disposed on the rear side of the liquid crystal shutter. The shadow of the effect member can be prevented from appearing on the liquid crystal display panel in a state where an image is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel. Therefore, it is possible to make it possible to visually recognize the image comfortably.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a game machine presentation device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking a slot machine as an example. 1 is a perspective view showing the external structure of the slot machine 1, and FIG. 2 is a view showing the internal structure of the slot machine 1 with the front door 3 opened. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system of the slot machine 1.

  In FIG. 1, a slot machine 1 includes a housing 2 that is a substantially rectangular box, and a front door 3 that is attached to the housing 2 and can be opened and closed by a hinge mechanism.

  The front side of the front door 3 is roughly divided into an upper panel portion 4 and a lower panel portion 5, which are integrally formed of hard plastic as a so-called decorative board designed to enhance the visual effect. Further, below the lower panel portion 5, there is provided a tray unit 6 in which a tray portion 6a for storing medals (game media) to be paid out at the time of winning is integrally formed.

  An operation console 7 is integrally formed between the upper panel portion 4 and the lower panel portion 5 so as to protrude toward the player and on which switches for performing game operations are arranged. In addition, the upper panel part 4, the console 7, the lower panel part 5, and the saucer unit 6 face the player side, and these constitute a "front panel part".

  A panel surface 41 formed of a hard plastic plate or the like is provided at the center of the upper panel portion 4. A substantially rectangular transparent display window 42 is formed substantially at the center of the panel surface 41, and the three reels 101a, 101b, 101c of the reel unit 100 provided in the housing 2 are viewed through the display window 42. .

  Here, in the reel unit 100 installed in the housing 2, cylindrical reels 101a, 101b, and 101c are arranged in the rotation axis direction, respectively, and the outer circumferential surfaces of the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c are arranged in the circumferential direction. A plurality of types of symbols are drawn along. The player can visually recognize three symbols in the vertical direction drawn on three rows of reels through the display window 42.

  In addition, on the panel surface 41, a lamp (not shown) provided on the back side is turned on, for example, a game state display unit 43 that displays information related to a game state such as an internal winning for a winning combination, and a plurality of light emitting diodes And a dot matrix display 44 for effecting and displaying a dot image, and information such as the number of medals credited (stored) in the slot machine 1, the number of medals earned by winning, or the number of winning prizes Numerical information display sections 45 for displaying numerical values are provided around the display window 42, respectively.

  On the upper part of the upper panel part 4, there are arranged an effect lighting part 46 incorporating lamps such as high-intensity light emitting diodes and an effect sound emitting part 47a, 47b containing a speaker for generating sound effects relating to the game. Has been.

  In addition, a liquid crystal display effect device 48 is arranged as an effect device of a gaming machine facing the display window 48a formed by inserting a transparent hard plastic plate or the like between the sound emitting portions 47a and 47b for effect. Yes. The liquid crystal display effect device 48 mainly displays information related to the game effect and the game (game).

  On the side of the upper panel portion 4 are provided lighting units 49a and 49b for production made of fluorescent lamps or high-intensity light emitting diodes. The plurality of effect lighting units 46, 49a, 49b and the like described above are turned on or blinking in accordance with the progress of the game, so that the visual effect in the game is enhanced.

  A medal insertion portion 71 having a medal insertion slot 71a for inserting medals is provided on the upper right side of the console 7. Further, on the left side of the upper surface, three bet buttons 72, 73, 74 which are push button switches are provided.

  The bet buttons 72, 73, and 74 are button switches for presenting the number of medals to bet on one game of the slot machine. When the game is started, the bet button 72 is pressed, so that one medal is bet on the game from the stored medals. Similarly, when the bet button 73 is pressed, two medals are bet, and when the bet button 74 is pressed, three medals are bet. The bet button 74 is particularly called a “max bet button” because it bets the maximum number of medals.

  On the left side of the front surface of the console 7, a start lever 75 for instructing the start of rotation of the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c is provided. The start lever 75 includes a swingable operation rod having a spherical operation knob at the tip. The start lever 75 is turned on when the operation rod is tilted, and automatically when the hand is released from the operation rod by the biasing force of the spring. It is formed of a switch unit that returns to a position and is turned off.

  In the center of the console 7, stop buttons 76a, 76b, and 76c for instructing to stop the rotation of the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c are arranged in parallel corresponding to the arrangement of the reels.

  Further, in the left corner of the front surface of the console 7, an instruction is given to cancel and pay out the medals bet on the game, and the medal credit means 210 (see FIG. 3) to be described later settles the medals stored internally. A checkout button 77 is provided for instructing the payout.

  A key hole 78 into which a key for unlocking the front door 3 is inserted is provided on the front right side of the console 7. When an administrator or the like of the slot machine 1 inserts a predetermined key into the key hole 78 and performs an unlocking operation, the front door 3 attached to the housing 2 can be opened forward by a hinge mechanism, and the front door 3 can be opened. These are automatically locked when closed to the housing 2 side.

  The lower panel 5 is provided with a panel 51 for displaying a picture of an appearing character and the like so that the player can recognize the model type of the slot machine 1. The saucer unit 6 disposed below the lower panel part 5 includes a medal payout opening 61 for discharging medals at the time of winning a prize, a saucer part 6a for storing the paid-out medals, and a speaker for generating an effect sound. Built-in production sound emitting units 62 are respectively arranged.

  Next, the internal structure of the housing 2 and the back surface structure of the front door 3 will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, a main control board 20 having a CPU (microcomputer) for centrally controlling the entire operation of the slot machine 1 and housed in a hard plastic case is attached to the upper part of the housing 2.

  A reel unit 100 including reels 101a, 101b, and 101c is provided in the center of the housing 2. The reel unit 100 is positioned and attached to a predetermined frame so that the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c face the display window 42 of the front door 3 when the front door 3 is closed to the housing 2 side. Note that each of the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c is rotationally driven by a built-in stepping motor.

  Further, on the upper part of the reel unit 100, a spinning device board for sending a four-phase drive pulse signal to the stepping motor that rotationally drives each reel is attached, and the main control board 20 is rotated to the spinning device board. By sending drum drive (excitation) pulse data, each reel is controlled to rotate, brake and stop.

  Below the reel unit 100, a hopper device 21, an auxiliary storage unit 22 for storing medals overflowing from the hopper device 21, and a main power supply device 23 are provided. On the side surface of the main power supply device 23, a power supply device substrate 24 corresponding to a so-called switchboard is provided. Further, an external concentration terminal board 25 that can be connected to a management computer called a “hall computer” installed in the game hall is attached to the inner wall on the upper right side of the housing 2.

  Next, a plurality of high-intensity light-emitting diodes 31 that are light sources of the effect illumination unit 46 are arranged on the upper surface on the back side of the front door 3, and the speaker faces the effect sound emission units 47a and 47b. 32a and 32b are attached. A liquid crystal display effect device 48, which is a main part of the present embodiment, is attached between the speakers 32a and 32b. Further, a sub-control board 30 formed of an electric circuit board is attached to the back side of the liquid crystal display effect device 48.

  Note that the overall operation of the slot machine 1 is comprehensively controlled by the main control board 20 provided on the housing 2 side, and the sub-control board 30 controls the display of the effect video by the liquid crystal display effect device 48 and the effect. Control mainly related to game effects, such as effect sound effect control using the sound emission units 47a, 47b, and 62, is mainly performed.

  Below the sub-control board 30, a panel plate having a transparent display window 42 for visually observing the reels 101a, 101b, 101c is disposed. Below the display window 42, a start lever 75 on the front side and A central display board 33 that functions as a relay board for transferring output signals of operation switches such as stop buttons 76a, 76b, 76c to the main control board 20 is provided.

  A medal sorting device 34 is attached below the central display substrate 33. The medal sorting device 34 is a device that determines and distributes the suitability of medals inserted into the medal insertion unit 71. Further, the medal sorting device 34 has a built-in medal sensor, and when a normal medal is inserted in a standby state of the game or the like, and the medal sensor detects this medal, a signal indicating acceptance of medal insertion is sent to the main control board. 20 to send.

  Below the main body of the medal sorting device 34, a guide member 35 that guides regular medals distributed by the medal sorting device 34 to the hopper device 21 provided in the housing 2 and removed by the medal sorting device 34. A guide member 36 that guides the medal (or foreign matter) that has been made to the medal discharge port 61 is provided. In addition, a guide member 37 that guides medals discharged from the hopper device 21 to the medal discharge port 61 is provided at the lower part on the back side of the front door 3. Further, a speaker 38 is attached adjacent to the medal discharge port 61 so as to face the above-described effect sound emitting unit 62.

Next, a control system provided in the slot machine 1 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.
In FIG. 3, the main control board 20 includes a CPU 200, a storage unit 201, and a medal credit unit 210.

  The storage unit 201 includes a semiconductor memory such as a ROM and a RAM, and stores a system program 202 for a slot machine game in advance. The main control board 20 performs overall control of the overall operation of the slot machine 1 by the CPU 200 executing arithmetic processing according to the system program 202 stored in the storage unit 201. The medal credit means 210 stores a credit, which is the number of medals stored therein, in a memory.

  The main control board 20 includes operation switches such as bet buttons 72, 73, 74, a start lever 75, stop buttons 76a, 76b, 76c, a settlement button 77, a medal sensor 34a of the medal sorting device 34, a hopper device 21, and the like. The medal payout device, the sub control board 30 and the like are connected by a wiring cable.

  The main control board 20 detects an operation related to the game based on the operation switches and an output signal from the medal sensor 34a of the medal sorting device 34.

  When the operation mode is the medal bet standby state and the medal sensor 34a detects a medal, the main control board 20 adds the detected medal to the bet number of the game.

  The main control board 20 adds the detected medal to the credit of the medal credit means 210 when the medal sensor 34a detects the medal when the operation mode is in the medal credit input standby state. Here, the medal bet standby state indicates a state in which, after one game is finished, the player waits for a bet to bet on the game. The medal credit input standby state indicates a state in which the medal credit means 210 reaches the maximum value (50) after the medal is bet on the game.

  The main control board 20 inputs detection signals from the reference position sensors 120a, 120b, and 120c provided on the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c, and grasps the rotation position that serves as the reference of each reel, and then applies the detection signal to the spinning device board 130. Predetermined rotating drum drive pulse data is sent out. The rotating device substrate 130 controls the rotation and stopping of the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c by rotating the stepping motors 110a, 110b, and 110c in accordance with the rotating drive pulse data from the main control substrate 20. ing.

  The main control board 20 pays out a predetermined number of medals to the tray portion 6a by controlling the hopper device 21 when a winning is confirmed.

  In addition, when the settlement button 77 is operated, the main control board 20 cancels the medals bet on the game and causes the hopper device 21 to pay out, and the medal credit means 210 (see FIG. 3) stores the medal internally. The hopper device 21 pays out medals for the number of credits before the settlement.

  The sub-control board 30 controls the effect devices 230 such as the liquid crystal display effect device 48, the effect lighting units 46, 49 a, 49 b, the effect sound emitting units 47 a, 47 b, 62, etc., based on the control signal from the main control board 20. By driving, an effect that appeals to the visual and auditory sense of the player is performed according to the progress of the game.

  On the other hand, a winning lottery table 203 and an internal lottery flag 204 are stored in the storage unit 201 of the main control board 20. For example, the CPU 200 acquires a random number value from a random number generator (not shown) at the time when the operation of the start lever 75 is detected, and refers to the winning lottery table 203 to determine the winning combination or loser assigned to the obtained random number value. Lottery. Then, if there is a winning combination corresponding to the random number value, the CPU 200 wins the lottery result by using the winning combination as the winning combination of the game, and stores the winning combination in the internal lottery flag 204 of the storage unit 201. Here, the lottery method of winning combination is called “internal lottery”.

  Next, an outline of the game operation in the slot machine 1 will be described.

  The slot machine 1 enters a standby state when a prize is won in a previous game and a medal payout is completed, or when a loss is confirmed in the previous game. In this standby state, a standby mode effect is provided that suggests the state to the player and prompts a game operation. Next, when the player inserts a medal into the medal insertion unit 71 or presses any one of the bet buttons 72, 73, 74, the slot machine 1 can receive the corresponding medal (credit) from the inside. A game is prepared by betting a predetermined number of medals on the game.

  When the start lever 75 is tilted and the game is started in the game preparation state, the main control board 20 starts to rotate the three reels 101a, 101b, and 101c all at once and executes the internal lottery described above. The result of the internal lottery is stored in the internal lottery flag 204.

  Next, when one of the stop buttons 76a, 76b, and 76c is pressed by the player, the reels 101a, 101b, and 101c are stopped, and the main control board 20 displays the symbols displayed on the stopped reels and the above-described symbols. It is determined whether or not the symbol combination related to the winning combination corresponding to the internal lottery flag 204 matches.

  When these symbol combinations match and the winning combination is confirmed, the slot machine 1 controls the medal credit means 210 by the main control board 20 until the number of credits of the internally stored medal reaches a predetermined number. Then, a medal with a predetermined number of payouts according to the type of the combination is added to the number of credits. Further, when the addition result of the number of payouts and the number of credits exceeds the predetermined number, the slot machine 1 pays out the surplus number of medals to the tray unit 6a.

  Next, the structure of the liquid crystal display effect device 48, which is a main part of the present embodiment, will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  4 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid crystal display effect device 48 and its peripheral part, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal display effect device 48 and its peripheral part in the image display state, and FIG. 6 is an effect member visible state. It is sectional drawing of the liquid crystal display effect apparatus 48 and its peripheral part.

  In FIG. 4, the liquid crystal display effect device 48 is attached by screws (not shown) from the back surface side of the upper panel unit 4 with the front surface facing the display window 48 a formed in the upper panel unit 4 of the slot machine 1. . In the following description, the liquid crystal display effect device 48 has the display window 48a side as the front side and the opposite side as the back side.

  The liquid crystal display effect device 48 includes a housing 301, an effect member 302, a drive unit 321, an illumination unit 303, a liquid crystal shutter 304, a liquid crystal display panel 305, a frame member 306, and an assembly fitting 307. Configured.

  The assembly metal fitting 307 is in a state where the liquid crystal display effect device 48 is assembled by fixing the housing 301, the illumination means 303, and the frame member 306 for fixing the liquid crystal shutter 304 and the liquid crystal display panel 305 with screws. . The assembly metal fitting 307 is attached to the back side of the upper panel portion 4 with screws (not shown).

Hereinafter, the housing 301 will be described in detail.
The housing 301 is formed in a box shape having an open front surface, and a reflection surface for reflecting light is provided on the inner surface.

  An opening 312 is formed substantially at the center of the lower wall portion 311. An upper portion 322 of a drive unit 321 that drives the effect member 302 is inserted into the opening 312.

  Further, the entire inner surface of the casing 301 is plated with chromium or the like so that the illumination light from the illumination means 303 can be reflected with a high reflectance.

Hereinafter, the illumination unit 303 will be described in detail.
The illuminating means 303 includes a frame member 331 and cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332a and 332b.
The cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332a and 332b are installed close to the upper and lower sides inside the frame member 331, respectively.
The cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332 a and 332 b irradiate illumination light toward the back surface of the liquid crystal shutter 304.

Hereinafter, the liquid crystal shutter 304 and the liquid crystal display panel 305 will be described in detail.
The liquid crystal display panel 305 includes a rectangular plate-shaped protective panel 352, a liquid crystal panel 353, and a polarizing plate 354 in order from the display window 48a side. The liquid crystal shutter 304 is disposed on the back side of the liquid crystal display panel 305.

  Harnesses 341 and 351 connected to the sub-control board 30 extend from the right sides of the liquid crystal shutter 304 and the liquid crystal panel 353, respectively. The protective panel 352, the liquid crystal panel 353, the polarizing plate 354, and the liquid crystal shutter 304 have the same outer periphery, and are attached to the inside of the frame body 306 by screwing in an overlapped state.

  A notch 362 into which the harness 341 of the liquid crystal shutter 304 and the harness 351 of the liquid crystal display panel 305 are inserted is formed at the rear center of the right side wall portion 361 of the frame 306.

  The liquid crystal shutter 304 is formed in a panel shape and is attached to the front side of the illumination unit 303. Under the control of the sub-control board 30, the light directly incident on the back side from the illumination unit 303 and the housing from the illumination unit 303 are provided. Switch between a diffused state in which light reflected from the inner surface of the body 301 or the production member 302 and incident on the back side is diffused and guided forward, and a transmissive state in which the light incident on the back side is transmitted and guided forward It is possible.

  The liquid crystal display panel 305 is formed in a panel shape, has a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix on the panel surface, and is attached to the front side of the liquid crystal shutter 304 of the housing 301. By controlling, the light from the liquid crystal shutter 304 is transmitted by controlling the transmittance at each pixel, thereby displaying an image on the front surface.

Hereinafter, the drive unit 321 and the effect member 302 will be described in detail.
The drive unit 321 has an effect member 302 mounted on the upper surface, and has a motor 323 (see FIG. 5) as a power source. The motor 323 is electrically connected to the sub-control board 30 via a harness 324.

  The effect member 302 uses a doll or the like imitating a famous character as a three-dimensional object. In the production member 302, one side 302a is constituted by a three-dimensional shape portion having a relatively low light reflectance, and the other side 302b is constituted by a reflecting surface having a relatively high light reflectance. For example, chrome plating is used as the reflective surface of the other side 302b.

  Brackets 325a and 325b are formed to protrude laterally below the upper part 322 on the left and right side surfaces of the drive unit 321. The brackets 325a and 325b are screwed and fixed to the lower surface of the wall 311 with screws 326a and 326b, respectively, with the upper part 322 of the drive unit 321 being inserted into the opening 312 of the wall 311 of the housing 301.

  A motor 323 (see FIG. 5) as a rotation driving means of the drive unit 321 has a lower surface of the effect member 302 attached to the rotation shaft, and one side 302a and the other side 302b of the effect member 302 are connected to each other. By rotating the effect member 302 so as to be reversed, a state in which one side 302a of the effect member 302 faces the front side of the housing 301 and the other side 302b of the effect member 302 are Switching to the state of facing the front side of the housing 301 is performed.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below.
In FIG. 5, the sub-control board 30 (see FIG. 3) causes the cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332a and 332b to emit light when the slot machine 1 (see FIG. 1) is powered on.

  Here, in the standby state of the game or the normal progress state of the game, the sub-control board 30 (see FIG. 3) rotates the motor 323 of the drive unit 321 as necessary, and the other side 302b of the effect member 302 The reflective surface having a relatively high light reflectance is directed to the front surface side of the housing 301. The reflection surface on the other side 302b reflects the illumination light R1 from the cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332a and 332b with a high reflectance and makes it incident on the back surface of the liquid crystal shutter 304. The illumination light R 1 from the cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332 a and 332 b is directly incident on the back surface of the liquid crystal shutter 304 and is reflected on the inner surface of the housing 301 and is incident on the back surface of the liquid crystal shutter 304.

  Here, the sub-control board 30 (see FIG. 3) controls the liquid crystal shutter 304 so that the illumination light R1 incident from the back surface is diffused and guided forward. In this state, the shape of the effect member 302 cannot be recognized from the front side of the liquid crystal shutter 304.

  In this state, the liquid crystal display panel 305 controls the sub-control board 30 (see FIG. 3) to transmit the diffused light from the liquid crystal shutter 304 by controlling the transmittance of each pixel, thereby allowing the liquid crystal display panel 305 to pass through the front surface. A standby image, an image related to the progress or production of the game, and the like are displayed. Thereby, the player sees the standby image displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 305 through the display window 48a from the outside of the slot machine 1 (see FIG. 1), the image related to the progress and production of the game, and the like. .

  Next, when the game proceeds to a specific state such as winning a specific small role, confirming a big win, shifting to a high probability lottery state, etc. in the game progress state, the sub-control board 30 (see FIG. 3) From this state, the motor 323 of the drive unit 321 is rotated by 180 °, and as shown in the state of FIG. Turn to the front side of the body 301. The three-dimensionally shaped portion on one side 302a of the effect member 302 reflects the illumination light R1 from the cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332a and 332b with a low reflectance and enters the back surface of the liquid crystal shutter 304. Also in the state of FIG. 6, the illumination light R 1 from the cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332 a and 332 b is directly incident on the back surface of the liquid crystal shutter 304 and is reflected from the inner side surface of the housing 301 to the back surface of the liquid crystal shutter 304. Incident.

  Next, the sub-control board 30 (see FIG. 3) controls the illumination light R1 and the reflected light incident from the back to the liquid crystal shutter 304 so as to be guided forward and all pixels of the liquid crystal display panel 305. Is controlled to the maximum transmittance.

  In this state, the liquid crystal display panel 305 and the liquid crystal shutter 304 are almost transparent, and the shape of the effect member 302 can be recognized from the front side of the liquid crystal display panel 305. Thereby, the player visually recognizes the effect member 302 from the outside of the slot machine 1 (see FIG. 1) via the display window 48a, and confirms that the transition to the specific state is felt with high impact.

  According to the liquid crystal display effect device 48 having such a configuration, when an image is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 305, the motor 323 of the drive unit 321 serving as the rotation drive means is the light that becomes the other side 302b of the effect member 302. The reflective surface having a relatively high reflectance is directed toward the front surface side of the casing 301, and the reflective surface reflects light from the cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332a and 332b serving as the illumination means toward the liquid crystal shutter 304 side. The shutter 304 diffuses the light reflected from the reflecting surface of the effect member 302 and guides it to the liquid crystal display panel, thereby preventing the shadow of the effect member 302 from appearing on the liquid crystal display panel 305. Therefore, it is possible to make it possible to visually recognize the image comfortably.

  The present invention can be applied not only to slot machines but also to other gaming machines such as pachinko machines that display images.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external structure of a slot machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the internal structure of the slot machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a slot machine control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid crystal display effect device and its peripheral part according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal display effect device according to an embodiment of the present invention and its peripheral portion in an image display state. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal display effect device according to the embodiment of the present invention and the effect member visible in the periphery thereof.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... slot machine, 2 ... housing, 3 ... front door, 4 ... upper panel,
5 ... Lower panel part, 6 ... Receptacle unit, 6a ... Receptacle part, 7 ... Console,
20 ... main control board, 21 ... hopper device, 22 ... auxiliary storage part,
23 ... Main power supply device, 24 ... Power supply device substrate, 25 ... External concentration terminal substrate,
30 ... Sub-control board, 31 ... Light emitting diode,
32a, 32b ... speaker, 33 ... central display board,
34 ... Medal sorting device, 34a ... Medal sensor,
35, 36, 37 ... guide member, 38 ... speaker,
41 ... Panel surface, 42 ... Display window, 43 ... Game state display part,
44 ... dot matrix display section, 45 ... numerical information display section,
46 ... Illumination unit for production, 47a, 47b ... Sound emission unit for production,
48 ... Liquid crystal display unit, 49a, 49b ... Illumination section for effects,
51 ... Panel, 61 ... Medal payout port, 62 ... Production sound emission part,
71: Medal slot, 71a: Medal slot,
72, 73, 74 ... bet buttons,
75 ... Start lever, 76a, 76b, 76c ... Stop button,
77 ... Checkout button, 78 ... Keyhole,
100 ... reel unit,
101a, 101b, 101c ... reel,
110a, 110b, 110c ... stepping motor 323,
120a, 120b, 120c ... reference position sensor,
130 ... Spindle device substrate, 200 ... CPU, 201 ... Storage unit,
202 ... system program, 203 ... winning lottery table,
204 ... Internal lottery flag, 210 ... Medal credit means,
230 ... Production device, 301 ... Housing, 302 ... Production member,
302a ... on one side, 302b ... on the other side,
303: Illumination means, liquid crystal shutter ... 304, 305 ... liquid crystal display panel,
306 ... Frame, 307 ... Reflection / transmission switching means, 308 ... Assembly metal fitting,
311 ... Lower side wall part, 312 ... Opening part, 321 ... Drive unit,
322: upper part, motor 323 ..., 324 ... harness,
325a, 325b ... bracket, 326a, 326b ... screw,
331 ... Frame member, 332a, 332b ... Cold cathode fluorescent tube,
341, 351 ... Harness, 353 ... Liquid crystal panel, 354 ... Polarizing plate,
362 ... Notch

Claims (1)

A stage device attached to the back side of a display window formed on the front side of a gaming machine,
A housing having a front surface opened and a reflective surface for reflecting light on the inner surface;
An illuminating means attached to the front side of the housing and irradiating illumination light toward the inside of the housing;
One side is configured with a three-dimensional shape with a relatively low light reflectance, the other side is configured with a reflective surface with a relatively high light reflectance, and an effect member disposed inside the housing;
An effect member visible state in which one side of the effect member is directed to the front side of the casing by rotating the effect member so that one side and the other side of the effect member are reversed. a rotation driving means for switching selects the other side of the presentation member to the image display state is at the front side of the housing and,
Provided on the front side of the front Symbol illumination means, switching selectable and transparent state which leads forward through the light incident on the diffusing state and the rear side leading to the front by diffusing the light incident on the rear side A liquid crystal shutter ;
A plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix on panel surface, the more the liquid crystal shutter of the housing attached to the front side, light from the rear side by transmitting by controlling the transmittance at each pixel It has a liquid crystal display panel that displays images on the front ,
When the rotation driving means switches the effect member to the image display state, the liquid crystal shutter is switched to the diffusion state,
When the rotation driving means switches the effect member to the effect member visible state, the liquid crystal shutter is switched to the transmission state .

Images