JP5499308B2 - Game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine such as a slot machine or a pachinko machine, and more particularly to a control system for the light emitting display device.

  A gaming machine such as a slot machine allows a player to enjoy a game by inserting a predetermined number of medals (game media) into the gaming machine. The medals necessary for the game can be borrowed by a medal lending machine provided in the game hall, and the game can be started by inserting medals into the medal slot of a desired gaming machine.

  In conventional gaming machines, a light emitting display device using a surface light emitter has been provided. For example, as shown in Patent Document 1, a technique is disclosed in which a graphic sheet is arranged on the front side of a surface light emitter so that a picture can be visually recognized from the front side of the gaming machine. Further, there are Patent Documents 2 and 3 as prior arts related to signal transmission.

JP 2003-325904 A JP 07-75357 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-100086

  There is a dynamic lighting method in which a plurality of light emitting elements (LEDs) are sequentially turned on as a control method of electrical decoration. This is to individually control the lighting time of the light emitting elements, and when controlling a large number of light emitting elements, the control can be easily performed and the number of control wires can be reduced. It is.

  However, in the dynamic lighting method, flickering may occur in the lighting if the lighting time of the light emitting element is not controlled well.

  An object of the present invention is to reduce the flicker in a dynamic lighting type gaming machine.

The present invention is driven by a main board that performs processing related to a game, a sub board that receives a command from the main board and that performs predetermined processing, a light emitting element substrate connected to the sub board, and the light emitting element substrate. In a gaming machine comprising a plurality of light emitting elements,
The plurality of light emitting elements are divided into a plurality of groups,
The sub board includes a processing unit that repeatedly generates light emission control data for controlling light emission or extinction of each of the plurality of light emitting elements at predetermined time intervals for each group, and temporarily generates the generated light emission control data. And a buffer for generating an interrupt signal at a predetermined time interval,
The light emitting element substrate includes a data holding unit for holding the light emission control data,
The plurality of light emitting elements emit light or extinguish based on the light emission control data held in the data holding unit,
The processing unit starts interrupt processing based on the output of the timer, and writes the light emission control data stored in the buffer in the data holding unit in the interrupt processing.

When the number of the plurality of groups is n, and T is an average time from generation of the light emission control data for one of the plurality of groups to generation of the light emission control data of another group,
The timer may generate the interrupt signal at a time interval determined based on the product of the n and the T.

Equipped with a light-emitting display device attached to the front door of the gaming machine,
The light emitting display device has a translucent display sheet on which a display pattern is displayed, and a rear surface that is arranged on the back side of the display sheet and reflects light emitted from the end face side to the front side. A light guide plate, a rear light emitter disposed along an end surface of the rear light guide plate and for emitting light from the rear light guide plate, and provided to overlap the display sheet, and an engraved pattern with irregularities is formed on the back surface; The light irradiated from the end face side is reflected to the front side of the gaming machine by the unevenness of the carved picture pattern so that the engraved picture is visible from the front side of the gaming machine and the light irradiated from the back side. A front light guide plate that is transmitted to the front side of the gaming machine, and a light emitting member that emits and displays an engraved picture of the front light guide plate, and a plurality of light emitting elements divided into a plurality of groups,
The plurality of light emitting elements are disposed along an end surface of the front light guide plate,
The light emitting element substrate may cause the plurality of light emitting elements to emit light or extinguish for each group based on the light emission control data.

  According to the present invention, light emission control data for controlling light emission or extinction of a plurality of light emitting elements is repeatedly generated for each group at predetermined time intervals, temporarily stored in the buffer, and interrupted based on the output of the timer In the interrupt processing, the light emission control data stored in the buffer is transferred to a data holding unit, and the plurality of light emitting elements are controlled based on the transferred data. It is controlled regularly on the time axis, and flicker can be suppressed.

It is a front view of the slot machine which shows the state which closed the front door. It is a front view of the slot machine which shows the state which opened the front door 180 degree | times. It is an exploded view of the front door of the slot machine. It is an exploded view of the light-guide plate unit which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is sectional drawing of the light-guide plate unit which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a section exploded view of a light guide plate unit concerning an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of a see-through light guide plate according to an embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of a backlight light guide plate. It is a top view (front view) of a graphic sheet. It is a top view (front view) of the see-through light guide plate concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the see-through light-guide plate which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the see-through light-guide plate which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a block diagram of a slot machine. It is a block diagram which shows the illumination control system which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is explanatory drawing of the light emission control data which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a flowchart of the light emission control data generation process which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a flowchart of the interruption process which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a flowchart of the light emission control processing which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a timing chart explaining the transfer process of the light emission control data which concerns on embodiment of invention.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of the slot machine with the front door closed, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the slot machine with the front door opened 180 degrees.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 100 denotes a slot machine. As shown in FIG. 1, the slot machine 100 can be opened and closed by a hinge or the like on the slot machine main body 120 and one side of the front surface of the slot machine main body 120. And a front door 130 attached thereto. As shown in FIG. 1, a game display unit 131 is provided substantially in the center of the front door 130, and a medal insertion slot 132 for a player to insert medals is provided at the lower right corner of the game display unit 131. Provided below the medal insertion slot 132 is a reject button 133 for forcibly discharging a clogged medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 132 to the outside of the slot machine 100. The front door 130 is provided with a transparent front panel 34.

  In addition, a start switch 134 for starting a game is provided at the lower left of the game display unit 131, and three stop switches 140 are provided corresponding to the three reels. A medal payout port 135 is provided at the center of the lower end of the front door.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the slot machine main body 120 is fixed to the inner bottom surface, stores a plurality of medals therein, and stores the stored medals at a payout port 135 provided on the front surface of the front door 130. A hopper device 121 for paying out the sheets one by one is installed. An upper portion of the hopper device 121 is provided with a hopper tank 122 that opens upward and stores a plurality of medals therein. Inside the slot machine main body 120, a reel unit 203 including three rotating reels is installed at a position where the game display unit 131 comes when the front door 130 is closed. The game display unit 131 is provided with an opening through which a player can see the symbols of each rotating reel of the reel unit 203. A power supply unit 205 is provided between the upper hopper unit 121 and the reel unit 203.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the medal (coin) selector 1 is attached to the back side of the front door 130 on the back side of the medal slot 132 provided on the front surface of the front door 130. This medal selector 1 rolls the medal toward the hopper device 121 while detecting the passage of the medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 132, and has a different diameter medal or iron or iron whose outer diameter is different from the predetermined dimension. This is an apparatus for selecting and removing illegal medals made of an alloy and selecting and eliminating a predetermined number or more of medals that can be inserted per game.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a lead-out path 136 that covers the lower side and communicates with the payout port 135 of the front door 130 is provided below the medal selector 1. The medals distributed by the medal selector 1 are returned to the player from the payout port 135 via the derivation path 136.

  FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of the front door 130. 3 shows a structure in which the front door 130 is divided into upper and lower parts and can be opened and closed individually, and the upper half of the structure is shown. For convenience of explanation, the structure is shown in such a manner, but the structure is not substantially divided.

  The front door 130 includes a transparent front panel 34, the light guide plate unit 7, and the front door frame 31. Since the light guide plate unit 7 and the front door frame 31 are each provided with an opening as a game display unit 131, a player located in front of the gaming machine can use the transparent front panel 34 and the light guide plate unit 7. The design of the reel unit 203 can be seen through the opening and the opening of the front door frame 31. The light guide plate unit 7 displays various patterns for a player located in front of the gaming machine by appropriately emitting light from a light emitting member 80 (see FIG. 4) composed of a plurality of light emitting elements incorporated therein. is there.

  The light guide plate unit 7 will be further described.

  4 is an exploded view of the light guide plate unit 7, FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the light guide plate unit 7, FIG. 6 is a sectional exploded view of the light guide plate unit 7, and FIG. 7A is a sectional view of the see-through light guide plate 70. FIG. 8B is a sectional view of the backlight light guide plate 72, FIG. 8 is a plan view (front view) of the graphic sheet 71, and FIG. 9 is a plan view (front view) of the see-through light guide plate 70.

  FIGS. 10A and 10B and FIGS. 11A and 11B are operation explanatory views of the light guide plate unit 7.

  The light guide plate unit 7 is configured such that a see-through light guide plate 70, a graphic sheet 71, a backlight light guide plate 72, and a light emitting member 80 are accommodated in a box-shaped unit case 60. The unit case 60 accommodates the light guide plate and the light emitting member therein and prevents light emission from leaking to the back side where the reel unit 203 is located or around the light guide plate. The front case 61 is formed with an opening 61 </ b> A, and the back cover 62 covers the back of the front case 61. Both the front case 61 and the back cover 62 are formed of a light-shielding member, for example, a black synthetic resin.

  In the space formed between the front case 61 and the back cover 62, the see-through light guide plate 70, the spacer 75, the graphic sheet 71, and the backlight light guide plate 72 are accommodated in this order from the front side. They are held together by a window frame 73.

  On the left and right side surfaces of the see-through light guide plate 70, there are a plurality of light emitting elements constituting the light emitting member 80 and divided into a plurality of groups (specifically, the left LED array 82A and the right LED array 82). 82B, divided into two groups 82B) are arranged. On the four sides of the backlight light guide plate 72, cold cathode fluorescent lamps 81 as light emitting members 80 are arranged. A light emitting element substrate 202 that is a driver for causing the light emitting member 80 to light up and blink is attached to the back surface of the back cover 62.

  The see-through light guide plate 70 is a transparent plate formed with a horizontally-long rectangular opening 70A slightly below the center of the front surface, and on the back side, as shown in FIG. 7A, by press working or laser cutting. Concavities and convexities 74A are formed. The unevenness 74A forms a superposed pattern 92 (90) which is an engraved pattern as shown in FIG. 9 (reference numeral 92 can be displayed in an overlapping manner with a reference numeral 91 which will be described later). The symbol is 90.) The see-through light guide plate 70 transmits light to the front side when light is irradiated from the back side, but the end face of the see-through light guide plate 70 (not only on the left and right and up and down surfaces of the plate surface but also around the opening 70A). When light is irradiated from the side (including the surface), the light is reflected by the unevenness 74A carved on the back surface, and the overlapping pattern 90 is raised on the front side. The superimposed picture 92 (90) is displayed to the player so as to be superimposed on the base picture 91 (see FIG. 8) displayed on the graphic sheet 71 or alone.

  The graphic sheet 71 is a translucent film in which an opening 71A having an inner diameter slightly smaller than the opening 70A is formed slightly below the center of the front surface. A base as shown in FIG. A picture 91 is printed. For the printing of the base pattern 91, so-called mat printing is used to generate irregularities on the surface, and interference fringes are prevented from being generated when assembled. The spacer 75 is a transparent plate in which an opening 75A similar to the opening 71A is formed.

  The backlight light guide plate 72 is a light guide member in which an opening 72A similar to the opening 71A is formed, and fine irregularities 74B are formed on the back side as shown in FIG. 7B. And when light is irradiated from the end surface side, light reflects on the unevenness | corrugation 74B formed in the back surface, and the whole front surface is light-emitted.

  The window frame 73 has a rectangular shape in front view having an opening 73A in the center, and covers the inner periphery of each opening 70A, 75A, 71A, 72A over the entire thickness in the depth direction, and a flat frame portion Two projecting portions 77 and 77 ′ bent at a right angle from 76 and projecting in the outer peripheral direction of the opening 73 </ b> A are provided. The see-through light guide plate 70, the spacer 75, the graphic sheet 71, and the backlight light guide plate 72 can be sandwiched between the two projecting portions 77 and 77 '. The procedure for pinching is as follows. The protruding portion 77 ′ on one side can be removed from the flat frame portion 76. In this state, each opening 70A in a state where the see-through light guide plate 70, the spacer 75, the graphic sheet 71, and the backlight light guide plate 72 are stacked. , 75A, 71A, 72A, the flat frame portion 76 from which the overhanging portion 77 ′ is removed is fitted. After that, by attaching the projecting portion 77 ′ to the flat frame portion 76, the front side periphery of the opening 70 </ b> A of the see-through light guide plate 70 is pressed by the projecting portion 77 and the back side periphery of the opening 72 </ b> A of the backlight light guide plate 72 is Hold by the overhang 77 ′. By this procedure, the see-through light guide plate 70, the spacer 75, the graphic sheet 71, and the backlight light guide plate 72 are integrated.

  The window frame 73 is for preventing light emitted from the see-through light guide plate 70 and the backlight light guide plate 72 from leaking to the front of the rotary reel 20. The window frame 73 is formed of a light-shielding member, such as black synthetic resin.

  An LED array 82 (upper LED array 82C, lower LED array 82D, see FIG. 5) is installed at a location corresponding to the opening 70A of the see-through light guide plate 70 in the outer peripheral portion of the flat frame portion 76 of the window frame 73. Has been. Note that the LED array 82 is provided with a plurality of LED chips of different colors so that the light emission color of the see-through light guide plate 70 or the overlapping superimposed pattern 92 can be changed depending on which LED chip is lit. It has become. Furthermore, a combination display of the superposed pattern 92 and the base pattern 91 of the graphic sheet 71 can be performed by turning on or off the LED array 82 and turning on or off the cold cathode tube 81.

  The see-through light guide plate 70, the spacer 75, the graphic sheet 71, and the backlight light guide plate 72 held together by the window frame 73 are accommodated in the unit case 60 so that the see-through light guide plate 70 is on the front side.

  The light guide plate unit 7 is attached to the front door 130 by engagement of engagement portions such as hooks and protrusions (not shown).

Next, the operation of the light guide plate unit 7 will be described.
There are three types: an effect mode in which only the base pattern 91 is displayed as a normal mode, an effect mode in which only the overlap pattern 92 is displayed, and an effect mode in which both the base pattern 91 and the overlap pattern 92 are displayed simultaneously. Which production mode is selected is determined by a lottery or a game situation (for example, the type of a winning flag established).

  In the production mode in which only the base pattern 91 is displayed, the cold cathode fluorescent lamp 81 is lit, and the backlight light guide plate 72 receiving this light from the side end emits light on the front side. When the cold cathode tube 81 is turned on and the LED array 82 is turned off, the entire graphic sheet 71 is irradiated to the backlight light guide plate 72 from the back side. Since the see-through light guide plate 70 transmits light rays from the back side, when the gaming machine is viewed from the front, the superimposed pattern 92 of the see-through light guide plate 70 is not visible as shown in FIG. Through this, the base picture 91 of the graphic sheet 71 can be visually recognized.

By turning off the cold-cathode tube 81 and turning on the LED array 82 instead, the following display (effect mode in which only the superposed pattern 92 is displayed) is possible.
The LED array 82 corresponding to the overlapping picture 92 to be lit is turned on. That is, the LED chip of a predetermined color provided in the LED array 82 at a predetermined position is caused to emit light, thereby irradiating the overlapped pattern 92 to be displayed with light of a predetermined color.

  Here, the LED array 82 is disposed at a position where a plurality of superimposed patterns 92A to 92D (see FIG. 9) formed on the see-through light guide plate 70 can be irradiated. That is, the LED array 82A, the LED array 82B, the LED pattern 82B, the LED array 82C, the LED 92C, and the LED 92D are arranged at positions that can irradiate the overlapping pattern 92A. The LED array 82A irradiates from the left end face of the see-through light guide plate 70 toward the right side by the light emission of the LED chip, so that the superposed pattern 92A is displayed. Since the LED array 82B irradiates from the right end surface on the opposite side to the left side, the superimposed pattern 92B is displayed. Since the LED array 82C irradiates upward from the upper edge surface of the opening 70A of the see-through light guide plate 70, a superimposed pattern 92C is displayed. Since the LED array 82D irradiates downward from the lower edge surface of the opening 70A, a superimposed pattern 92D is displayed.

  For example, when only the LED arrays 82A and 82D are turned on, as shown in FIG. 10B, the superimposed patterns 92A and 92D are displayed on the front panel 34, but the superimposed patterns 92B and 92C are displayed. These are not displayed because the beam does not reach.

  When only the LED arrays 82A and 82B are turned on, as shown in FIG. 11A, the superimposed patterns 92A and 92B are displayed by light emission, but the superimposed patterns 92C and 92D are not displayed.

  When only the LED arrays 82A, 82B, and 82C are turned on, as shown in FIG. 11 (B), the superimposed patterns 92A, 92B, and 92C are displayed by light emission, but the superimposed pattern 92D is not displayed. The display modes are not limited to those shown in the drawings, and various combinations can be made.

  The above description is an effect mode when the cold cathode fluorescent lamp 81 is turned off. On the other hand, when the cold cathode tube 81 is turned ON, the front surface of the backlight light guide plate 72 emits light, and the graphic sheet 71 is irradiated. As shown in FIG. A certain pattern 91 is displayed.

  As described above, the see-through light guide plate 70 on which the overlapping pattern 92 is drawn with the unevenness 74A is arranged on the back side of the graphic sheet 71 on which the pattern 91 is displayed, and the base is controlled by separately controlling the light emission. The pattern 91 and the overlapping pattern 92 can be displayed in various ways. For this reason, compared with the display of the pattern which used the conventional backlight light-guide plate, a display pattern becomes abundant and it can enable the production with the impact which has not been made until now.

  Further, by causing both the backlight light guide plate 72 and the see-through light guide plate 70 to emit light, it is possible to display both the base picture 91 and the superimposed picture 92. In this case, the front panel 34 is displayed by superimposing the patterns shown in FIGS. 10 (B), 11 (A), and (B) on the pattern shown in FIG. 10 (A). In short, in the embodiment of the present invention, (a) an effect mode in which only the base pattern 91 is displayed, (b) an effect mode in which only the overlap pattern 92 is displayed, and (c) both the base pattern 91 and the overlap pattern 92 are simultaneously displayed. It is possible to provide three types of effect modes that are displayed.

FIG. 12 shows a functional block diagram of the slot machine 100.
In this figure, the display about the power supply system is omitted. The slot machine 100 includes a main substrate (processing unit) 10 and a sub substrate 20 that operates in response to a command from the main substrate (processing unit) 10 as main processing devices. At least the main substrate 10 is accommodated inside the case so that it cannot be contacted from the outside, and is sealed so that traces remain when these substrates are removed.

  The main board 10 is for performing an internal lottery in response to a player's operation, and processing such as reel rotation / stop and medal payout. The main board 10 includes a CPU that performs a control operation according to a preset program, a ROM that is a storage unit that stores the program, and a RAM that temporarily stores processing results and the like.

  The sub board 20 is for receiving a command signal from the main board 10 and notifying the result of the internal lottery and performing various effects. The sub-board 20 includes a CPU that performs a control operation in accordance with a preset program corresponding to the command signal, a ROM that is a storage unit that stores the program, and a RAM that temporarily stores processing results and the like. Only one command flows from the main board 10 to the sub board 20, and conversely, no command is issued from the sub board 20 to the main board 10.

  The main board 10 counts the number of medals paid out from the start switch 134, the stop button 140, the reel unit (including the reel driving device) 203, the reel position detection circuit 171, the hopper driving unit 180, the hopper 181 and the hopper 181. For this purpose, a medal detection unit 182 (which constitutes the hopper device 121 described above) is connected. Peripheral substrates (local substrates) such as the speaker substrate 201 and the light emitting element substrate 202 are connected to the sub substrate 20.

  Some peripheral boards that control the illumination illuminate each part of the slot machine, but in the following description, the light-emitting element substrate 202 is limited to those that control the LEDs that illuminate the light guide plate unit 7. .

  The medal selector 1 is provided with medal sensors S1 and S2 for counting medals. The medal sensors S1 and S2 are provided on the downstream side (near the exit) of a medal passage (not shown) provided in the medal selector 1 (the upstream side of the medal passage communicates with the medal slot 132). The two medal sensors S1 and S2 are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval along the medal traveling direction. The medal sensors S1 and S2 are, for example, photointerrupters that have a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion that face each other, are formed in a U-shaped cross section, and are positioned so that the detection optical axis faces the medal passage from above. . Each photo interrupter detects the passage of a medal sent without being blocked on the way. The reason why two photo interrupters are adjacent is not only to detect the number of medals but also to monitor whether or not the passage of medals is normal. That is, by providing two photo interrupters adjacent to each other, it is possible to detect the passing speed and passing direction of medals, thereby detecting not only the number of medals but also an illegal act moving in the reverse direction.

The sub-board 20 is turned on / off / flashing the light-emitting member 80 (the cold cathode tube 81 and the LED array 82) on the light-emitting element substrate 202 of the light guide plate unit 7 described above based on the determined type of effect. It functions as a lighting control means for outputting an instruction signal. Specifically, the sub board 20 as the lighting control unit stores the light emission patterns of the plurality of light emitting members 80 and outputs the light emission patterns corresponding to the determined effects to the light emitting element substrate 202.
Since the contents of the light emission pattern are not directly related to the embodiment of the present invention, the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a lighting control system according to the embodiment of the invention.

TM is a timer that generates an interrupt signal at a predetermined time interval (for example, every 6 ms). The CPU is a processing unit that repeatedly generates light emission control data for controlling light emission or extinction of at least the LED arrays 82A to 82D every predetermined time. The CPU performs light emission control data generation processing according to a program stored in advance in a ROM (storage unit) (not shown). The CPU usually executes other processes such as effects. The BUF is a buffer that temporarily stores the generated light emission control data. The buffer BUF is provided in a part of a RAM (storage unit) (not shown), for example.
As shown in FIG. 13, the sub-board 20 includes a CPU, an I / O, a timer TM, and a buffer BUF.

  A data holding unit 202a is provided on the light emitting element substrate 202 and holds light emission control data. The data holding unit 202a includes, for example, a latch and a driver, and controls light emission or extinction of the LED array 82 based on the held light emission control data.

  The LED arrays 82A to 82D have been described above.

  The CPU starts an interrupt process based on the output of the timer TM, and writes the light emission control data stored in the buffer BUF in the data holding unit 202a in the interrupt process. This process will be described in detail later.

  The light emission control data is used to control lighting of the LED arrays 82A to 82D, and various types of data can be considered. An example is shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 14A, data is collected in units of each LED (light emitting element) constituting the LED arrays 82A to 82D, and one square is a period of one LED (for example, for 6 ms). The lighting data at is shown. The square in FIG. 14A is a single piece of data and can be called a packet or a container. Each packet or container is data indicating which LED array the data is addressed to (for example, an LED array identification code) and data indicating which LED of the LED array (for example, LED identification in the LED array) Code or number) and data indicating the state of the LED (lighting / extinguishing / flashing) (for example, lighting = 11, extinguishing = 00, flashing = 10). Each packet or container contains information necessary to control which LED of which LED array by itself, and is specified if any of the packets or containers reaches the light emitting element substrate 202 from the sub substrate 20. LED can be controlled. For example, there is no problem even if the order is changed. Even if some packets or containers are missing, the remaining packets or containers can be used to control the remaining portions of the LEDs.

  The light emission control data in FIG. 14A corresponds to m, n, p, q packets corresponding to the number of LEDs (m, n, p, q) constituting the LED arrays 82A to 82D, respectively. Includes containers.

In the case of the light emission control data in FIG. 14A, the data holding unit 202a performs the following processing.
Receives light emission control data from the sub-board 20. For example, it is received for each packet or container.
-The received packet or container is examined, sorted by LED array, and data indicating the LED state (lighted / extinguished / flashing) is rearranged in the order of the LEDs included in the LED array. This is repeated for the number of LED arrays and the number of LEDs.
In accordance with the obtained data for each LED array, each LED array LED is driven.
• The obtained data is retained until the next light emission control data is received. Specifically, the data is held until the next interrupt processing based on the timer TM is executed.

  Note that when the entire LED array is turned on or off, it is sufficient to transmit and receive one packet or container of FIG. 14A for each LED array.

  In FIG. 14B, data is collected in units of the LED arrays 82A to 82D. The “LED array identification code” at the left end is used as a header, and the data of the last LED at the right end is grouped. ing. This indicates lighting data in a certain period (for example, for 6 ms) of one LED array. In order from the left, “LED array identification code”, “number of LEDs included in LED array”, “data of each LED (indicating lighting / extinguishing / flashing)”.

  If the number of LEDs in each LED array is the same, “the number of LEDs included in the LED array” can be omitted.

  The number of “data of each LED” in FIG. 14B corresponds to the number of LEDs (m, n, p, q) constituting the LED arrays 82A to 82D, m, n, p, q.

In the case of the light emission control data in FIG. 14B, the data holding unit 202a performs the following processing.
Receives light emission control data from the sub-board 20. Receives the LED array as a unit.
-Check the received light emission control data and divide by LED array.
-Based on “data of each LED”, data indicating a state (lighting / extinguishing / flashing) designated for the LED is associated with each LED array.
Drive each LED of each LED array according to the associated LED data.
• The obtained data is retained until the next light emission control data is received. Specifically, the data is held until the next interrupt processing based on the timer TM is executed.

  When turning on or off in units of LED arrays, m = n = p = q = 1 in FIG.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the light emission control data generation process. This figure shows that the light emission control data is not generated in a lump but is executed together with other processes (in other words, between other processes), and is merely a schematic diagram. Please be aware.

  S2, S4, S6, and S8 are light emission control data generation processing.

  The “plurality of light emitting elements” refers to a plurality of LEDs included in the LED array 82. The “i-th group (i = 1, 2, 3, 4)” is typically the LED arrays 82A to 82D. For example, in the example of FIG. 14B, the light emission control data is generated for each of the LED arrays 82A to 82D. In this case, the first group corresponds to the LED array 82A, the second group corresponds to the LED array 82B, the third group corresponds to the LED array 82C, and the fourth group corresponds to the LED array 82D. In the example of FIG. 14A, the light emission control data may be generated for a part of the LEDs included in the LED array (for at least one LED).

  The “i-th group of a plurality of light emitting elements” basically means that the light emission control data is generated in units of LED array units or any combination of LEDs included therein (a group of a plurality of LEDs is a “group”). To do. In the example of FIG. 15, the first group to the fourth group are shown, but this is merely an example, and i can take an arbitrary integer. In the case of i = 1, the phenomenon of light flickering does not occur even if interrupt processing described later is not performed (since only one light emission control data is generated, there is no variation in the generation timing). The case where i is 2 or more is targeted.

  “Light emission control data” is the data described above, for example, as shown in FIG.

  “Generation / buffer writing” is to generate light emission control data and store it in the buffer of FIG.

  S1, S3, S5, and S7 are processes other than the generation process of the light emission control data. For example, there are lottery processing related to effects, control of sound generation, control of electrical decoration, and the like.

  The meaning of FIG. 15 is that the light emission control data generation process is repeatedly executed together with other processes, but the light emission control data is not generated for all the LED arrays at the same time. The completion timing of the generation processing of the light emission control data fluctuates in response to the influence of, for example, the delay of other processing. The generation process of the light emission control data is executed at a substantially constant interval (for example, 1.5 ms), but the interval fluctuates irregularly in practice.

  If the interrupt processing described later is not performed and the light emission control data is sequentially sent to the light emitting element substrate 202 every time the light emission control data is generated, the timing may fluctuate and flicker may occur.

  Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the interruption process waits until all the light emission control data is prepared, and when the preparation is completed, the data is transmitted all at once so that no flicker occurs.

  FIG. 16 shows an interrupt processing flowchart. The processing is started at regular intervals by the timer TM. Since it is an interrupt process, the process is prioritized over the processes of S1 to S8 shown in FIG.

S10: Read light emission control data from the buffer BUF.
S11: The read light emission control data is written in the data holding unit 202a.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart of light emission control processing. This processing is performed by the data holding unit 202a.

S20: Read light emission control data from the data holding unit 202a.
This process is performed every time data is written by the interrupt process. For example, it is performed every 6 ms.

S21: The read light emission control data is separated for each LED array.
S22: The LEDs of the LED array are turned on or off based on the separated data.
For S21 and S22, refer to FIG. 14 and the description thereof.

  FIG. 18 is a timing chart for explaining the operation. FIG. 4A is an explanatory diagram of the light emission control data generation timing and the interrupt timing, and FIG. 4B is an explanatory diagram of the data holding timing.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the time required for generating the light emission control data fluctuates. Assuming that the average time required for generation is T (for example, 1.5 ms), it varies as 0.75T, 1.1T, 0.9T, and T in FIG. This is because the timing of starting the emission control data generation process fluctuates under the influence of other processes, and the process itself for generating the emission control data also changes. FIG. 9A shows the generation time interval of light emission control data, and does not mean that time T is required for generation of light emission control data. In other words, the average time from the completion of the light emission control data generation process of S2 in FIG. 15 to the completion of the light emission control data generation process of the next S4 is T.

  Therefore, the generated light emission control data is sequentially stored in the buffer BUF, and the light emission control data is sent from the buffer BUF to the data holding unit 202a every time required to generate the light emission control data for all the LED arrays by the interrupt process. Forward. In the figure, an interrupt is applied every four times the average time T. Here, “4 times” corresponds to the generation of light emission control data divided into four times for all LED arrays (this is the most efficient. If shorter, the same data is repeatedly transferred. It becomes inefficient, and if it is longer than this, data that cannot be transferred is generated).

  Generally, when the number of a plurality of groups is n and the average time is T, the timer TM sets n × T as an interrupt time interval. If the efficiency drop can be tolerated, it may be a whole number (the refresh rate is increased and it is possible to follow fast-changing light emission control. If data loss is allowed, it may be an integer multiple (the refresh rate is lowered). So flicker is less).

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the interval at which the data transferred by the interrupt process is held is the same as the interrupt generation period (4T) and is regular. Moreover, the timing at which data is arranged in the data holding unit 202a coincides (however, the time required for data transfer is ignored). Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, flicker can be prevented.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to synchronize the timing by transferring data by timer interruption, and it is possible to display the whole without causing flickering in the see-through light guide plate. It was.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

7 Light guide plate unit (light-emitting display device)
70 See-through light guide plate (front light guide plate)
71 Graphic sheet (display sheet)
72 Backlight light guide plate (rear light guide plate)
81 Cold cathode tube (rear light emitter)
82 LED array 82A LED array (light emitting element group)
82B LED array (light emitting element group)
82C LED array (light emitting element group)
82D LED array (light emitting element group)
202 Light emitting element substrate 202a Data holding unit CPU processing unit T Average time from generation of light emission control data of one group to generation of the same data of the next group TM timer BUF buffer

Claims (2)

A light emission connected to the sub board, including a main board that performs processing related to a game, a sub board that receives a command from the main board and that performs a predetermined process, and a data holding unit that holds data for controlling light emission In a gaming machine comprising an element substrate and a plurality of light emitting elements that are driven by the light emitting element substrate and emit light or extinguish based on the data held by the data holding unit .
The plurality of light emitting elements are divided into a plurality of groups,
The sub-board is
A buffer for temporarily storing light emission control data for controlling light emission or extinction of each of the plurality of light emitting elements;
A timer that generates an interrupt signal at a predetermined time interval;
A processing unit that performs predetermined main loop processing and interrupt processing, and repeatedly generates the light emission control data at predetermined time intervals for each group in the main loop processing, and generates the generated light emission control data. In the main loop process, writing into the buffer, starting the interrupt process based on the interrupt signal, and in the interrupt process, a processing unit that writes the light emission control data written in the buffer to the data holding unit; Including
The timer sets the interrupt signal to n as the number of the plurality of groups, and average time from generation of the light emission control data for one of the plurality of groups to generation of the light emission control data of another group Is a time interval determined based on the product of n and T, and is generated at a time interval longer than the generation interval of the light emission control data in the processing of the main loop. To play. Equipped with a light-emitting display device attached to the front door of the gaming machine,
The light emitting display device has a translucent display sheet on which a display pattern is displayed, and a rear surface that is arranged on the back side of the display sheet and reflects light emitted from the end face side to the front side. A light guide plate, a rear light emitter disposed along an end surface of the rear light guide plate and for emitting light from the rear light guide plate, and provided to overlap the display sheet, and an engraved pattern with irregularities is formed on the back surface; The light irradiated from the end face side is reflected to the front side of the gaming machine by the unevenness of the carved picture pattern so that the engraved picture is visible from the front side of the gaming machine and the light irradiated from the back side. A front light guide plate that is transmitted to the front side of the gaming machine, and a light emitting member that emits and displays an engraved picture of the front light guide plate, and a plurality of light emitting elements divided into a plurality of groups,
The plurality of light emitting elements are disposed along an end surface of the front light guide plate,
2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting element substrate causes the plurality of light emitting elements to emit light or extinguish for each group based on the light emission control data.

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