JP7197790B2 - Game machine operating device - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a game machine operation device provided in a game machine such as a slot machine.

A slot machine, which is a kind of amusement machine, has a plurality of reels with a plurality of patterns on the outer peripheral surface, a start lever for instructing the start of rotation of all reels, and an operation instruction for stopping the rotation of each reel. and a plurality of stop switches provided corresponding to the reels. In this slot machine, when a player operates a start lever after inserting medals, a winning lottery is performed and a plurality of reels are simultaneously driven to rotate. When the rotation speed of the reel reaches a certain speed, the stop switch can be operated, and when the stop switch is operated, the reel corresponding to the stop switch stops and the pattern is displayed. A prize is won when the plurality of symbols stopped and displayed on the activated line are aligned in a specific combination (combination corresponding to a predetermined combination), and the number of medals corresponding to the winning combination is paid out to the player. , the game ends.

In such a game machine such as a slot machine, in order to add interest to the game, there is provided an effect operation device having effect buttons that can be pressed by the player as a player participation type effect device. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2018-183284 A

By the way, the effect operating device is generally provided with an LED board for emitting light to display the effect button, and this LED board is subject to maintenance such as replacement. In addition, there is also a need to repeatedly use long-life LED boards even when replacement is required due to defects such as scratches on the exterior of the effect operating device when treated as reusable parts in the manufacture of game machines. Therefore, in order to improve maintainability when replacing or reusing the LED board, it is required to easily disassemble the effect operating device and replace the LED board easily.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine operating device that can improve maintainability.

In order to achieve such an object, the game machine operation device according to the present invention comprises a button member movable in the operation direction by a player's operation, and a base supporting the button member so as to be movable in the operation direction. and an LED board provided with an LED for causing the button member to emit light. and a sliding portion that forms an LED housing space for housing the LED substrate between the sliding portion and the sliding portion that is movably attached to the base member, and the operated portion protrudes toward the base member. An operated portion side engaging piece is provided, the sliding portion has a sliding portion side engaging piece projecting toward the base member, and the operated portion side engaging piece is provided on the base member. An engaged portion that can be engaged by inserting the piece and the sliding portion-side engaging piece is provided, and the operated portion-side engaging piece and the sliding portion-side engaging piece are engaged with the engaged portion. In the mated state, the operated portion-side engaging piece and the sliding portion-side engaging piece are exposed on the bottom surface side of the base member, and the button member is connected to the engaged portion of the base member and the engaged portion. By releasing the engagement state with the operating portion-side engaging piece, the operated portion can be detached from the sliding portion while the sliding portion remains attached to the base member. It is characterized by

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve maintainability of the gaming machine operating device.

1 is a front view of the slot machine of the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the front door of the slot machine of the first embodiment as seen from the rear; 1 is a front view showing the internal structure of the slot machine of the first embodiment; FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the production|presentation operation unit from upper direction. It is the perspective view which looked at the production|presentation operation unit from the downward direction. It is a section perspective view of a production operation unit. (A) is a plan view of the production operation unit, and (B) is a bottom view of the production operation unit. It is a front view of a production operation unit. It is a right side view of a production|presentation operation unit. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrows AA in FIG. 8; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrows BB in FIG. 9; It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the production|presentation operation unit from upper direction. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the production|presentation operation unit from the downward direction. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the production|presentation button etc. from upper direction. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the production|presentation button etc. from the downward direction. It is the perspective view which looked at the production|presentation button etc. from the downward direction. There is a front view of the pachinko game machine of the second embodiment. It is a rear view of the pachinko game machine of the second embodiment. It is a front view of a game board. (A) is a front view of the accessory main body of the movable accessory, and (B) is a bottom view of the movable accessory main body. (A) is a front view of the base portion of the movable accessory, and (B) is a bottom view of the base portion of the movable accessory. It is a front view which shows the operating state of a movable production|presentation unit. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of normal production action of a movable accessory. It is a schematic diagram which shows the flow of special production|presentation operation|movement of a movable accessory.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Slot machine]
A slot machine SM is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 as a gaming machine according to the first embodiment. First, the overall configuration of the slot machine SM will be described with reference to these figures. In the following description, for the sake of convenience, the directions indicated by the arrows in FIG. 1 are referred to as the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction.

<External configuration of the slot machine>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the slot machine SM includes a box-shaped housing 5 with an open front surface (front), and a front door 2 attached to the front opening of the housing 5 so as to be openable and closable. ing. The front door 2 is attached to the front opening of the housing 5 so that it can be opened and closed sideways by using hinge mechanisms 6a to 6c arranged in the front part of the left side plate 5a of the housing 5 when viewed from the front. .

A display screen 30a of an image display device 30 disposed on the rear side is arranged in a portion extending from the upper portion to the intermediate portion of the front door 2 so as to face forward. Below the image display device 30, there is provided a reel window W through which the surfaces of the three reels 11a, 11b, 11c arranged side by side in the housing 5 are viewed. In other words, a display screen 30a is formed on a portion of the image display device 30 excluding the reel window W. As shown in FIG. Left and right upper speaker units 12a and 12b are provided above the front door 2 and above the display screen 30a. Above the display screen 30a in the upper part of the front door 2, a decorative member 13 with a predetermined decoration is provided. Left and right upper side lamps 14a and 14b are provided on the left and right sides of the display screen 30a in the upper portion of the front door 2 . Left and right lower side lamps 15a and 15b and left and right side lamp decorative members 16a and 16b are provided on the left and right sides of the display screen 30a in the intermediate portion of the front door 2. As shown in FIG. An operation panel 21 is provided below the display screen 30a in the middle portion of the front door 2. As shown in FIG.

On the upper surface side of the operation panel 21, there are a medal insertion slot 22 for inserting game medals (game media), a BET switch unit 23 for betting game medals within the credited range, and operations related to effects. An effect operation unit 100 for this purpose and a display lamp unit 46 made up of an LED lamp or the like are provided. On the front side of the operation panel 21, there are a start lever (start switch) 25 operated when all the reels 11a to 11c are started to rotate, and three switches for individually stopping the rotation of the reels 11a, 11b, and 11c. stop switches 26a, 26b, 26c (in the drawing, the left stop switch 26a corresponds to the left reel 11a, the center stop switch 26b corresponds to the center reel 11b, and the right stop switch 26c corresponds to the right reel 11c. corresponding) are provided. A cylinder lock 28 for opening and closing the front door 2 is provided on the right side of the operation panel 21 .

The medal passage extending from the medal slot 22 is divided into a receiving passage (which leads to a hopper 51 described later) through which the inserted game medals pass when the inserted game medals are validly received, and a passage when the inserted game medals are not accepted. and a return path through which the game medals pass (which leads to a game medal payout port 41, which will be described later), and a medal selector 35 (see FIG. 2) is provided at the branch. The medal selector 35 guides the game medals inserted into the medal slot 22 to the receiving passage during the period in which the inserted game medals are effectively accepted, and the medal selector 35 guides the game medals inserted into the medal slot 22 during the other period. The receiving path and the return path are selectively opened and the other can be closed so as to guide the game medals to the return path.

As shown in FIG. 1, the reel window W is arranged so that when the three reels 11a to 11c are all stopped, three symbols per reel, for a total of nine symbols, are displayed so that the player can see them. is configured to A pay line 29 that horizontally (horizontally straight) connects the middle pattern display areas of the reels 11a to 11c is a pay line that is activated by betting a specified number of game medals, and is an activated pay line. 29 (also referred to as "valid line 29") is constructed such that it is determined whether or not a game combination is established based on the combination of symbols stopped and displayed.

A transparent lower panel cover 31 is attached to the lower front side of the front door 2 . A translucent lower panel base provided with a predetermined pattern and a lower panel illumination lamp (both not shown) are attached to the back side of the lower panel cover 31, and the lower panel illumination lamp is turned on. is configured to illuminate the pattern on the lower panel base from the back side. A lower speaker unit 32 is provided on the lower right side of the lower panel cover 31 . A woofer unit 33 is provided on the lower left side of the lower panel cover 31 .

A tray assembly 40 is provided at the lower end of the front door 2 . The receiving tray assembly 40 is provided with a game medal pay-out port 41 for paying out game medals and a game medal storage tray 42 for storing game medals facing the game medal pay-out port 41. - 特許庁. Note that the game medal storage tray 42 may be provided with an ashtray (not shown).

<Slot machine internal configuration>
As shown in FIG. 3, in the lower part (on the bottom plate 5d) of the housing 5, there is provided a medal payout device 50 for paying out game medals obtained when a predetermined winning mode is established as a result of the game. ing. The medal payout device 50 has a medal detection unit (not shown) for detecting game medals, and a hopper 51 that physically stores (stores) the game medals that have been inserted and effectively received. there is An auxiliary storage 53 for storing game medals overflowing from the hopper 51 is provided in the vicinity of the medal payout device 50, and the auxiliary storage 53 is in a full state (there is a possibility that the game medals overflow from the auxiliary storage 53). A full detection unit (not shown) is provided for detecting whether or not the battery is in a state of potential risk. Further, a power supply device (power supply board) 55 for supplying power to various devices mounted on the slot machine SM is provided on the left side of the medal payout device 50 .

A reel base 19 is provided in the center of the housing 5 so as to span the left and right side plates 5a and 5b, and the reel unit 10 is placed on the reel base 19. As shown in FIG. Although details will be described later, the reel unit 10 has the three reels 11a, 11b, and 11c described above and three reel motors (not shown in FIG. 3) that rotate the reels 11a to 11c, respectively. is configured as Each of the reels 11a to 11c is made of a light-transmitting member, and a light-transmitting reel tape on which a plurality of types of patterns are displayed is attached to the outer peripheral surface thereof. In addition, back lamps (not shown) are arranged on the inner surfaces of the reels 11a to 11c, respectively. The area is entirely illuminated from the inside, and a predetermined symbol combination (for example, symbols corresponding to the game combination lined up on the activated line 29 or on a winning line different from the activated line 29) is displayed. It is configured to illuminate only a partial area of each reel 11a, 11b, 11c so as to make it conspicuous.

A main control device (main control board) 81 is provided in the upper part of the housing 5 to perform main control (including drive control of the reels 11a to 11c, winning combination determination processing, etc.) relating to the progress of the game. On the other hand, a sub-control device that performs performance control (image display control by the image display device 30, audio output control by the upper speaker units 12a and 12b, the lower speaker unit 32, the woofer unit 33, etc.) according to the progress of the game, etc. The (sub-control board) 82 is provided on the rear surface side of the front door 2, as shown in FIG. The main controller 81 and the sub-controller 82 are electrically communicably connected using a cable harness, and information can be transmitted between these devices only in one direction from the main controller 81 to the sub-controller 82. It is possible. The image display device 30 is integrally assembled with the sub-controller 82, the frame member 71 covering the front periphery of each of the reels 11a to 11c, the relay board 72 covered with the relay board cover 73, and the like to form a unit. there is

<Basic operation of the slot machine>
To play a game on the slot machine SM, first bet by actually inserting game medals into the medal slot 22, or by pressing the 1-BET button or the MAX-BET button (both shown in the figure) provided on the BET switch unit 23. (not shown) to activate a pay line 29 among the plurality of pay lines by betting a prescribed number of game medals within the credit range.

Next, when the player operates the start lever 25, the number of bets is determined (the betted game medals are used for the game), and the combination determination process is performed. The minimum amount of time (for example, 4.1 seconds) that must be ensured between the start of rotation of all reels in a game and the start of rotation of all reels in the next game has elapsed. After confirmation, each of the reels 11a to 11c starts rotating, and the reel 1
A plurality of types of symbols displayed on the outer peripheral surfaces of 1a to 11c are moved up and down (usually from top to bottom) within the reel window W and displayed. When the rotation of the reels 11a to 11c reaches a predetermined speed and becomes constant speed rotation, and the indexes of all the reels are detected, each of the stop switches 26a to 26c is activated (operation of the stop switch can be effectively accepted). ), when the player operates the left stop switch 26a, the rotation of the left reel 11a is stopped, and when the player operates the center stop switch 26b, the rotation of the center reel 11b is stopped, and the right stop switch 26c is operated. Then, the rotation of the right reel 11c is stopped.

Here, when the symbol combination stopped and displayed on the activated line 29 is of a predetermined winning mode (symbols corresponding to a game combination capable of obtaining game medals), the number of symbols corresponding to each winning mode. game medals are paid out by the medal payout device 50 or added as credits.

<Direction operation unit>
Next, the rendering operation unit 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 16. FIG.

The performance operation unit 100 includes a unit base 110 provided on the operation panel 21 of the front door 2, a performance button device 200 having performance buttons 201 operable by the player, and a cross key 301 operable by the player. It is mainly composed of the cross key device 300 . This effect operation unit 100 is a composite operation device in which both the effect button device 200 and the cross key device 300 are assembled to one unit base 110 .

≪Unit Base≫
The unit base 110 is made of a hard resin material and is shaped like a horizontally long container extending in the left-right direction. The unit base 110 includes a substantially flat dish-shaped plate portion 111 arranged on the upper surface of the operation panel 21, and a pair of connecting pieces projecting from both left and right ends of the lower surface of the plate portion 111 and screwed to the operation panel 21. 112 , a box-shaped button attachment portion 120 protruding from the right side of the bottom surface of the plate portion 111 , and a box-shaped cross key attachment portion 130 protruding from the left side of the bottom surface of the plate portion 111 .

The plate portion 111 is mounted in such a manner that the unit base 110 is fitted into a concave portion provided in the operation panel 21, so that the plate portion 111 is arranged substantially flush with the upper surface of the operation panel 21. Effect button 201 and cross key 301 are exposed upward. The connecting piece portion 112 is formed with a screw insertion hole 112a through which a screw (not shown) for fastening the plate portion 112 to the operation panel 21 is inserted.

The button attachment portion 120 has a peripheral wall portion 121 that extends from the lower surface of the plate portion 111 and surrounds the front, rear, left, and right, and a bottom wall portion 122 that closes the bottom opening of the peripheral wall portion 121, and has a bottom that opens to the upper surface side. is formed in a rectangular box shape. The button mounting portion 120 is formed with a button housing chamber 123 surrounded by the walls 121 and 122 and housing the effect button 201. A button insertion opening 124 formed at the upper end of the button housing chamber 123 is inserted into the button housing chamber 123. The effect button 201 is exposed to the outside through the hole. Three engaging grooves 125 for slidably supporting the effect button 201 are vertically formed through the front edge, rear edge and right edge of the bottom wall portion 122 . On the bottom wall portion 122, three bosses (two screw bosses 122a and 122b, and one positioning boss 122c) for holding an LED board 250, which will be described later, are erected extending into the button accommodating chamber 123. there is In the center of the bottom wall portion 122, a guide hole 126 having a circular cross-section for guiding a projection portion 248 of the production button 201 described later penetrates in the vertical direction. Two short fixing legs 127 extending downward are formed on the right end side of the bottom wall portion 122 , and two long fixing legs 127 extending downward are provided between the button mounting portion 120 and the cross key mounting portion 130 . A fixing leg 128 is formed. The tips (lower ends) of the fixing legs 127 and 128 are arranged in the same plane, and screw holes 127a and 128a for attaching a protective cover 260, which will be described later, are formed in the centers thereof. Further, a sensor insertion hole 129 for inserting an operation detection sensor 256 to be described later and protruding into the button accommodating chamber 123 is vertically opened on the left end side of the bottom wall portion 122 .

The cross key mounting portion 130 has a surrounding wall 131 extending from the lower surface of the plate portion 111 to surround the front, rear, left, and right, and is formed in a rectangular box shape that is open on the upper and lower surfaces. The cross-key mounting portion 130 is formed with a cross-key housing chamber 132 for housing the cross-key device 300 . Four button portions 302a to 302d of the key 301 are exposed to the outside. A pair of mounting grooves 134 with which a switch case 330 (to be described later) is engaged penetrates in the left-right direction through the left side surface of the surrounding wall portion 131 . In addition, a protrusion receiving groove 135 (see FIG. 11) for positioning a cross key 301 and an elastic member 310, which will be described later, is formed in the cross key accommodating chamber 132 so as to extend in the vertical direction.

≪Direction button device≫
The production button device 200 includes a production button 201 provided in the button housing chamber 123 of the unit base 110 and pressed by the player, an operation detection sensor 256 for detecting that the production button 201 is operated, and a production button. and a solenoid unit 270 that imparts vibration to 201 .

The production button 201 includes an outer button member 210 exposed upward from the button insertion opening 124 of the plate portion 111, and an inner button member 240 that supports the outer button member 210 and is slidably attached to the button mounting portion 120. configured with

The outer button member 210 includes an upper button cover 220 which is touched by the player's fingers when pressed, and a lower button cover 230 detachably attached to the lower portion of the upper button cover 220 .

The upper button cover 220 is formed in a rectangular container shape (flat container shape) having an opening downward using a colorless and transparent synthetic resin material having translucency. On the surface side of the upper button cover 220, there is formed a gently curved operation surface 221 (a portion touched by a player's fingers) that is upwardly convex. Connection holes 222 for attaching the lower button cover 230 are formed through the front and rear side surfaces of the upper button cover 220 .

The lower button cover 230 is made of a white translucent synthetic resin material having light diffusing properties and is formed into a rectangular container shape having an opening downward. Note that the lower button cover 230 may be subjected to the following light diffusion treatment. As this light diffusion treatment, the resin itself is mixed with a light diffusing material (light diffusing fine particles), texturing (unevenness processing) is performed, and a light diffusion sheet is attached to the front or back surface. is mentioned. A decorative seal 232 (see FIG. 14, etc.) on which a character string such as “PUSH” is printed is attached to the surface portion 231 of the lower button cover 230 . The decorative seal 232 is made of a translucent transparent film. As described above, the lower button cover 230 has a white appearance, so that the decorative sticker 232 (character string) does not impair the visibility of the character string "PUSH" (the red character string). ) is highlighted, it is possible to prompt the player to press the effect button.

In addition, connecting holes 222 of the upper button cover 220 are provided on the front and rear sides of the lower button cover 230 .
A wedge-shaped connecting projection 233 is formed to engage the . At the lower end of the lower button cover 230, three first arms 234 extending downward are formed in a cantilever manner. A hook-shaped first claw portion 234a that engages with the inner button member 240 is formed on the distal end side (free end side) of the first arm 234 so as to protrude outward. A plurality of fitting protrusions 235 (see FIG. 15 and the like) that fit into the upper opening of the inner button member 240 are formed at the lower end of the lower button cover 230 .

The inner button member 240 is formed in the shape of a rectangular container having an upper opening, using a colored opaque synthetic resin material with high light blocking properties. In this embodiment, the inner button member 240 is made of a black synthetic resin material that does not have translucency or has extremely low translucency.

In the bottom surface of the inner button member 240, two boss insertion holes 241 with a circular cross-section are arranged in front and behind so that the three bosses 122a to 122c erected on the bottom wall portion 122 of the button mounting portion 120 are inserted. 242 and one connector insertion hole 243 having a rectangular cross-section are vertically formed to pass therethrough. Screw bosses 122a and 122b erected on the bottom wall portion 122 of the button mounting portion 120 are inserted through the boss insertion hole 241 and the connector insertion hole 243, respectively. The upper ends of the screw bosses 122a and 122b are formed with screw holes into which screws 254 inserted through an LED board 250, which will be described later, are screwed. A positioning boss 122 c erected on the bottom wall portion 122 of the button attachment portion 120 is inserted through the other boss insertion hole 242 . A positioning pin for positioning the LED board 250, which will be described later, is formed at the upper end of the positioning boss 122c.

Between the upper opening of the inner button member 240 and the lower opening of the lower button cover 230 is an LED accommodating space 239 (see FIG. 6) that accommodates an LED board 250 for emitting light to display the effect button 201 (upper button cover 220). etc.) is formed. The LED board 250 is a rectangular flat circuit board, and a chip-type LED 251 is mounted in the center thereof. A surface-mounted (SMD) full-color LED is applied to the chip-type LED 251 . The LED board 250 is provided with screw insertion holes 252 through which screws 254 for attaching and detaching the board are inserted in both diagonal corners on one of the front and back surfaces of the LED board 250 in the vertical direction. In addition, a positioning hole 253 into which a positioning pin of the positioning boss 122c is inserted penetrates vertically through the LED board 250 at the far side corner (the left rear corner) on the other diagonal line of the front and back surfaces of the LED board 250. formed. A connector 255 provided on the lower surface side of the LED board 250 is inserted through the connector insertion hole 243 together with the screw boss 124 . In this embodiment, only one chip-type LED 251 is mounted. However, as a modification, it is possible to easily adjust the amount of light, or to perform a dramatic light emission display by a lighting pattern such as sequential lighting. , a plurality of chip-type LEDs 251 may be mounted. Further, as the plurality of chip-type LEDs 251, in addition to full-color LEDs, ultraviolet LEDs or the like may be mounted. can be applied to make a special character string or the like stand out.

Three downwardly extending second arms 244 are cantilevered from the front, rear, and right side surfaces of the inner button member 240 . A second claw portion 244 a that engages with the engaging groove 125 of the button mounting portion 120 is formed to protrude outward from the distal end side (free end side) of the second arm 244 . Further, the inner button member 240 is formed with an arm insertion hole 245 penetrating vertically inside the base of the second arm 244 . The arm insertion hole 245 is provided at a position aligned with the first arm 234 of the lower button cover 230, and is sized to allow the first arm 234 to be vertically inserted. Here, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, when the first arm 234 is inserted into the arm insertion hole 245, the outer surface of the first arm 234 abuts or approaches along the inner surface of the second arm 244. They have a positional relationship (a positional relationship in which they overlap in the plate thickness direction). In addition, the protruding length of the second arm 244 is the same as that of the first arm 2
34, when the outer surface of the first arm 234 comes into contact with or comes close to the inner surface of the second arm 244, the first claw 234a moves toward the second arm 244. It is configured to be engaged with the claw portion 244a from below. Therefore, when these are engaged with each other, a double engagement state occurs in which the first claw portion 234a further engages with the second claw portion 244a engaged with the engagement groove 125 of the button mounting portion 210. Become. Since the second claw portion 244a is directly engaged with the engaging groove 125 of the button mounting portion 120 and the first claw portion 234a is indirectly engaged with the engaging groove 125, the button mounting portion 120 is effective. When detaching the button 201, the first claw portion 234a and the second claw portion 244a can be detached simultaneously or individually, which enhances the convenience of maintenance.

A thin disk-shaped spring support portion 246a is formed protruding from the lower surface of the inner button member 240, and a pair of spring receiving portions 246b curved in an arc shape are formed in front and rear of the spring support portion 246a. there is A coil spring 247 as an urging means is inserted and supported between the spring support portion 246a and each spring receiving portion 246b. A coil spring 247 is interposed between the lower surface of the inner button member 240 and the bottom wall portion 122 of the button mounting portion 120, and is elastically attached so that the inner button member 240 (effect button 201) is always directed upward. force. Even if the inner button member 240 is urged upward (in the direction of being pushed out of the button insertion opening 124 ) by the coil spring 247 , the second claw portion 244 a of the inner button member 240 remains inside the engagement groove 125 of the button mounting portion 120 . By being locked by a wall surface (locking surface) 125a (see FIGS. 6, 10, etc.), it is prevented from coming off to the outside of the button insertion opening 124. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the effect button 201 is always held at a position where the pressing operation by the player is possible by the biasing force of the coil spring 247 .

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, a substantially cylindrical projection 248 projecting downward is integrally formed at the lower end of the spring support portion 246a. The projecting portion 248 is formed with a bottomed cutout (also referred to as “cutting out”) 248a, which is a crescent-shaped or half-moon-shaped gap in cross section, in a portion closer to the rear from the center of the projection 248. ing. In the present embodiment, the thickness of the projection 248 is increased by forming the cross section of the thinned portion 248a into a crescent shape or a half-moon shape instead of a circular shape (by shifting the position of the gap portion of the thinned portion 248a from the center). is partially non-uniform (uneven thickness shape). The projecting portion 248 includes a thin portion 248b formed thin on the outer arc (convex arc) side of the thickness reduction 248a and a thick portion 248b formed on the inner arc (concave arc) side of the thickness reduction 248a. 248c (hereinafter referred to as "abutted portion"). That is, the abutted portion 248c is a portion of the projecting portion 248 that is formed thicker than the other portions. The tip end surface of the abutted portion 248c is provided on the center axis of a plunger 273 of a solenoid 271, which will be described later, and is a portion that contacts the tip end surface of the plunger 273. As shown in FIG. Reinforcing ribs 248d to 248g having a semicircular cross-section are formed to protrude substantially radially (in the radial direction) from four locations on the outer peripheral surface of the projection 248 on the front, rear, left, and right. The reinforcing rib 248d on the front side (contacted portion 248c side) is formed larger than the reinforcing ribs 248e to 248g on the other three locations (thin portion 248b side). This is because the presence of the reinforcing rib 248d substantially increases the thickness of the contacted portion 248c, thereby increasing the strength of the contacted portion 248c. In addition, due to the presence of the reinforcing rib 248 d , the tip surface of the abutted portion 248 c can be made substantially circular, and the shape of the surface can be made to correspond to the tip surface of the plunger 273 .

On the left side of the inner button member 240, a plate-shaped detected piece 249 (see FIG. 15, etc.), which is a part for detecting that the production button 121 is operated by the operation detection sensor 256, is formed projecting. there is

The operation detection sensor 256 has a light-emitting portion (light-emitting element) that emits light and a light-receiving portion (light-receiving element) that receives light from the light-emitting portion. It consists of a photosensor formed in a substantially U shape with a gap into which a piece 249 to be detected 240 can be inserted. A mounting hole 257 penetrating vertically is formed in the exterior body of the operation detection sensor 256 . The operation detection sensor 256 is fixed to the button mounting portion 120 by screwing a screw 258 inserted through the mounting hole 257 into a screw hole formed in the bottom wall portion 122 of the button mounting portion 120 . At that time, the light-emitting portion and light-receiving portion of the operation detection sensor 256 project into the button housing chamber 123 through the sensor insertion hole 129 of the button mounting portion 120, and can detect the detected piece 249 of the inner button member 240 ( inserted).

The operation detection sensor 256 outputs an OFF signal when the effect button 201 is not pressed and the detected piece 249 is not interposed between the light emitting part and the light receiving part (not shielded), and the effect button 201 is pressed. An ON signal is output when the piece 249 to be detected is pressed downward and is interposed (shielded) between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion. In this embodiment, as described above, the entire inner button member 240, including the detected piece 249, is formed in a highly light-shielding black color to accurately block the light emitted from the light-emitting portion to the light-receiving portion. As a result, the detection accuracy of the operation detection sensor 256 is improved. The reason why the inner button member 240 is made of a resin material of a different color from that of the lower button cover 230 is that the inner button member 240 is combined with the lower button cover 230 to enhance the diffusion of the light inside. (If the piece 249 to be detected is made of a white resin material), the light-receiving part of the operation detection sensor 256 will cause an erroneous detection when detecting the operation of the effect button 201. This is because there is a problem that the risk increases and the detection accuracy decreases. The operation detection sensor 256 is protected by being covered from below by a protective cover 260 attached to and detached from the bottom surface of the button mounting portion 120 .

The protective cover 260 is made of a transparent resin material and is shaped like a rectangular box that opens upward. The protective cover 260 is sized to cover the entire bottom surface of the button mounting portion 120 . 12 and 13, semi-cylindrical receiving recesses 261 for receiving the fixing legs 127 and 128 of the unit base 110 are formed at the four corners of the protective cover 260, and the protective cover 260 and the solenoid are formed. An upper screw insertion hole 262 is formed through which a screw 279 for attaching and detaching the unit 270 is inserted. A pair of positioning pins 263 for positioning the solenoid unit 270 protrude from the lower surface of the protective cover 260 . The protective cover 260 has a connector insertion hole 264 with a rectangular cross section through which the connector 259 of the operation detection sensor 256 is inserted, and a plunger insertion hole 265 with a circular cross section through which the plunger 273 of the solenoid 271 described later is inserted. is formed through. A solenoid unit 270 as a vibration generator is provided on the lower surface side of the protective cover 260 .

The solenoid unit 270 includes a solenoid 271 for vibrating the performance button 201 and a mounting bracket 276 to which the solenoid 271 is fixed.

The solenoid 271 is an electric actuator having a solenoid body 272 containing an electromagnetic coil (not shown) and a magnetic plunger 273 that moves forward and backward (extends and contracts) in the axial direction by controlling the energization/non-energization of the electromagnetic coil. be. The solenoid 271 is attached so that the advance/retreat direction (extension direction) of the plunger 273 is the vertical direction. A square-shaped drive plate 274 having a side longer than the diameter of the plunger 273 is attached to the lower end of the plunger 273 . A return spring (not shown) is interposed between the drive plate 274 and the solenoid body 272 to urge the drive plate in a direction away from the solenoid body 272 (downward). The solenoid 271 is electrically connected to the sub-controller 82, and a driving voltage supplied from the sub-controller 82 is applied to the electromagnetic coil of the solenoid 271, thereby driving the plunger 273 to extend and contract (retract and retract). ) to transmit the vibration to an object that engages or abuts the tip of the plunger 273 . By adjusting the pulse width and pulse amplitude of the drive voltage (pulse voltage) set in the sub-controller 82, the vibration frequency, amplitude, and strength of vibration of the plunger 273 can be changed.

The fixing bracket 276 includes a U-shaped fixing plate portion 277 with the open side facing upward, and a pair of mounting pieces 278 projecting outward from both ends (open ends) of the fixing plate 277. It is screwed and fixed to the left and right side surfaces of the solenoid body 272 . The inner bottom surface of the fixed plate portion 277 is a portion with which the drive plate 274 abuts according to the forward and backward movement of the plunger 273 . That is, the fixed plate portion 277 serves as a reaction force plate for vibrations and impacts generated by the solenoid 271 . The mounting piece 278 has a lower screw insertion hole 278a provided at a position corresponding to the upper screw insertion hole 262 of the protective cover 260, and a pin insertion hole 278b into which the positioning pin 263 of the protective cover 260 is inserted. is formed through the

Here, when the solenoid 271 is energized, the plunger 273 is driven to extend (project upward) against the biasing force of the return spring (not shown), and contacts (collides) with the protrusion 248 of the production button 201. directly apply vibration or elastic impact. On the other hand, when the solenoid 271 is de-energized, the plunger 273 is contracted (retracted downward) by the biasing force of a return spring (not shown). In the present embodiment, vibration can be transmitted from the plunger 273 to the projecting portion 248 at a position where the effect button 201 is pressed by a predetermined amount.

(Assembly procedure of production button device)
The production button device 200 having such a configuration is assembled as follows. First, the inner button member 240 is inserted into the button accommodating chamber 123 in a state in which the coil spring 247 as the biasing means is supported by the bottom wall portion 122 of the button mounting portion 120, and each boss 122a of the button mounting portion 120 is pressed. 122c are inserted into the insertion holes 241 to 243 of the inner button member 240, and the second claw portions 244a of the inner button member 240 are engaged with the engaging grooves 125 of the button mounting portion 120, respectively. At this time, a coil spring 247 is interposed between the lower surface of the inner button member 240 and the bottom wall portion 122 of the button mounting portion 120, so that the inner button member 240 is constantly urged upward and The two claw portions 244a are engaged with the inner wall surfaces (locking surfaces) 125a of the respective engaging grooves 125 to prevent them from coming off.

Subsequently, the LED board 250 is placed on the upper end surfaces of the three bosses 122a to 122c inserted through the insertion holes 241 to 243 of the inner button member 240, and the positioning pins of the positioning bosses 122c are inserted into the positioning holes of the LED board 250. 253 and the LED board 250 is supported on the upper end surfaces of the three bosses 122a to 122c by screwing the screws 254 inserted through the screw insertion holes 252 of the LED board 250 into the screw holes of the screw bosses 122a and 122b. mounted in horizontal position.

Next, by inserting the lower button cover 230 into the button accommodating chamber 123 and engaging the first claws 234a of the lower button cover 230 with the second claws 244a of the inner button member 240, the lower button cover 230 is opened. to the inner button member 240. Also, by putting the upper button cover 220 on the upper surface of the lower button cover 230 and engaging the connecting projections 233 of the lower button cover 230 with the connecting holes 222 of the upper button cover 220, the upper button cover 220 can be attached to the lower button. Attach to cover 230 . Thereby, the outer button member 210 (the upper button cover 220 and the lower button cover 230) and the inner button member 240 are integrated to assemble the production button 201. - 特許庁

Subsequently, the operation detection sensor 256 is attached to the bottom surface of the button attachment portion 120 by inserting the screw 258 from below into the attachment hole 257 of the operation detection sensor 256 and screwing it into the screw hole of the button attachment portion 120 . At that time, the light-emitting portion and light-receiving portion of the operation detection sensor 256 project into the button housing chamber 123 through the sensor insertion hole 129 of the bottom wall portion 122 of the button mounting portion 120, and the detection target piece of the inner button member 240 is arranged. 249 is held in a detectable (insertable) position.

Then, the protective cover 260 is placed on the bottom side of the button mounting portion 120, the solenoid unit 270 is applied to the bottom side of the protective cover 260, and the screws 279 are inserted into the lower screw insertion holes 278a and the upper screw insertion holes 262 from below. The protective cover 260 and the solenoid unit 270 are fixed to the bottom side of the button mounting portion 120 by screwing them into the screw holes 127a and 128a of the fixing legs 127 and 128 of the unit base 110 . Thereby, the assembly of the effect button device 200 is completed.

(Action of production button device)
In the effect button device 200 having such a configuration, the entire effect button 201 is always urged upward by the coil spring 247, and the upper part of the effect button 201 (the outer button member 210) protrudes upward from the button insertion opening 124. , and is in a state (state in the initial position) in which the pressing operation by the player is possible. At this initial position, the detectable piece 249 of the inner button member 240 does not block light between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the operation detection sensor 256, and the operation detection sensor 256 outputs an OFF signal (non-operation detection signal). be.

When the effect button 201 is pressed downward against the biasing force of the coil spring 247 and reaches the operating position (lower limit position), the lower surface of the inner button member 240 comes into contact with the bottom wall portion 122 of the button mounting portion 120. , further movement (pressing operation) is restricted. At this operating position, the detected piece 249 of the inner button member 240 blocks light between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the operation detection sensor 256, and the operation detection sensor 256 outputs an ON signal (operation detection signal). In addition, since the entire inside button member 240 including the detected piece 249 is made of a black resin material with high light-shielding properties, the detected piece 249 reliably shields the optical path between the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion. The detection sensor 256 can accurately detect the operation of the production button 201 .

When the production button 201 is at the operating position, the projecting portion 248 (contacted portion 248c) of the inner button member 240 is within the movable range of the plunger 273 of the solenoid 271, and the contacted portion 248c of the projecting portion 248 is engaged with the plunger. 273 can abut. In other words, at the operating position, the plunger 273 is driven to expand and contract (advance and retreat) so that the plunger 273 is continuously or intermittently brought into contact with the contacted portion 248c of the protrusion 248, and the vibration is transmitted to the production button 201. (ie, the player can sense the vibration of the effect button 201 as a button vibration effect).

At this time, when the chip-type LED 251 built in the effect button 201 is caused to emit light, the light of the chip-type LED 251 is transmitted through the lower button cover 230 and diffused in multiple directions, and the entire upper button cover 220 is uniformly illuminated. (It is possible to prevent unevenness of light and point light emission). Although the surface-mounted chip-type LED is lower than the bullet-type LED by the length of the lead wire, the bosses 122a to 122c of the button mounting portion 120 are inserted into the insertion holes 241 to 243 of the inner button member 240. By attaching the LED board 250 to the upper ends of the bosses 122a to 122c, the inside of the effect button 201 (between the outer button member 210 and the inner button member 240) while the LED board 250 is fixed to the unit base 110. , the light from the chip-type LED 251 can reliably reach the surface of the effect button 201, and the vibration of the solenoid 271 is not directly received by the LED board 250, and the LED board 250 It is possible to prevent the occurrence of failures and defects in the equipment.

(Maintenance of production button device)
Next, as maintenance of the effect button device 200, a replacement procedure for the LED board 250 will be described. First, the solenoid unit 270 and the protective cover 260 are removed from the button mounting portion 120 by loosening the four screws 279 that fasten the solenoid unit 270 and the protective cover 260 to the button mounting portion 120 and releasing the fastening. Remove. When these are removed, the first claw portion 234a and the second claw portion 244a engaged with each other are exposed on the bottom side of the button mounting portion 120, and access to both claw portions 234a and 244a becomes possible. Here, when the inner first claw portion 234a is disengaged from the outer second claw portion 244a and the engagement between the first claw portion 234a and the second claw portion 244a is released, the inner button member 240 is moved from the button attachment portion. 120 (with the second claw portion 244a of the inner button member 240 engaged with the engaging groove 125 of the button mounting portion 120), the outer button member 210 (upper and lower button cover 220 , 230 ) can be removed from the button mounting portion 120 . That is, only the outer button member 210 can be removed from the button mounting portion 120 without removing the inner button member 240 from the button mounting portion 120 . When the outer button member 210 is removed from the button accommodating chamber 123 in this way, the LED board 250 mounted and fixed on the upper ends of the three bosses 122a to 122c in the button accommodating chamber 123 is exposed upward. By loosening the two screws 254 that fasten the LED board 250 and the screw bosses 122a and 122b to release the fastening of the two, the LED board 250 can be easily removed. After attaching the new LED board 250, the effect button 201 can be assembled and put back in the same procedure as the assembly procedure described above. In order to facilitate the assembly of the protective cover 260, instead of being fastened and fixed to the unit base 110 with screws, for example, locking claws such as claw portions 234a and 244a are used. It is good also as a structure fixed so that engagement and disengagement are possible. According to this configuration, when replacing the LED board 250, the protective cover 260 and the outer button member 210 to be accessed can be easily attached and detached with one touch without requiring a tool such as a screwdriver. It is possible to further improve maintainability of the button device 200 .

≪Cross key device≫
The cross key device 300 includes a cross key 301 pressed by a player, an elastic member 310 elastically deformed in conjunction with the cross key 301, a switch board 320 for detecting that the cross key 301 is pressed, and a switch case 330 that closes the bottom opening of the cross key housing chamber 132 .

The cross key 301 is configured to have an upper button portion 302a, a lower button portion 302b, a left button portion 302c, and a right button portion 302d as button portions for four directions of up, down, left, and right. Each of the button portions 302a to 302d is exposed upward while being inserted into each button insertion opening 133 of the cross key mounting portion 130. As shown in FIG. Contact portions 303a to 303d having a cross-shaped cross section that can press the elastic member 310 are formed on the bottom surfaces of the respective button portions 302a to 302d. A protrusion 304 for positioning with respect to the cross key mounting portion 130 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cross key 301 so as to protrude in the radial direction (to the right). At the center of the bottom surface side of the cross key 301, a support shaft portion 305 that serves as the central axis (pivoting axis) of the cross key 301 is formed downwardly.

The elastic member 310 is made of an electrically insulating rubber-based material. The elastic member 310 has four columnar elastic support portions 311a to 311d corresponding to the four button portions 302a to 302d. The elastic support portions 311a-311d are provided in a one-to-one relationship with the button portions 302a-302d, and elastically support the contact portions 303a-303d of the button portions 302a-302d. A circular shaft hole 312 in which the support shaft portion 305 of the cross key 301 is received penetrates through the center of the elastic member 310 on both sides. 302d) is supported so as to be able to be pressed. Electrically conductive terminal portions 313a to 313d are formed on the back sides of the elastic support portions 311a to 311d, respectively. On the right end surface of the elastic member 310 , a projection 314 for positioning with respect to the cross key mounting portion 130 is formed to project rightward at a position aligned with the projection 304 of the cross key 301 . Each protrusion 304, 314 is received and positioned in a protrusion receiving groove 135 (see FIG. 11) formed in the cross key receiving chamber 132. As shown in FIG.

Four positioning projections 315 to 318 project downward from each edge of the bottom surface of the elastic member 310 . Specifically, a left positioning projection 315 is formed on the left edge of the bottom surface of the elastic member 301 , a right positioning projection 316 is formed on the right edge of the bottom surface of the elastic member 301 , and the bottom surface of the elastic member 301 A front positioning projection 317 is formed on the front edge of the elastic member 301 , and a rear positioning projection 318 is formed on the rear edge of the bottom surface of the elastic member 301 . Here, regarding the width dimension (width dimension in the longitudinal direction) of the four positioning protrusions 315 to 318, the width dimension of the left positioning protrusion 315 is the largest among the four positioning protrusions 315 to 318, and the width dimension of the right positioning protrusion is the largest. The width dimension of the portion 316 is the smallest. The width dimension of the front positioning protrusion 317 and the width dimension of the rear positioning protrusion 318 are the same, and are smaller than the width dimension of the left positioning protrusion 315 and larger than the width dimension of the right positioning protrusion 316. is also getting bigger.

The switch board 320 comprises a board body 322 on which four electrode portions 321a to 321d are formed, and four connectors 325 to 328 provided on the back side of the board body 322. As shown in FIG. The four electrode portions 321a to 321d are electrically insulated from each other and provided at positions corresponding to the four terminal portions 313a to 313d of the elastic member. Each of the electrode portions 321a to 321d has a pair of opposing electrodes that are electrically insulated from each other. By contacting and bridging the pair of counter electrodes 321d, the counter electrodes are electrically connected to each other. A left notch 323 with which the left positioning projection of the elastic member 310 engages is provided in the left side surface of the board body 322 . A right notch 324 with which the right positioning protrusion of the elastic member 310 is engaged is recessed in the right side surface of the board body 322 . The right notch 324 is formed with a notch width that allows only the narrowest right positioning protrusion 316 among the four positioning protrusions 315 to 318 to engage. The front positioning convex portion 317 and the rear positioning convex portion 318 of the elastic member 310 are arranged so as to sandwich the front end face and the rear end face of the board body 322 .

The connector 325 is a connector for electrical connection with the sub-controller 82 and is fitted and connected with a connector provided at the end of a cable connected to the sub-controller 82 . The connector 326 is a connector (relay connector) for electrical connection with the solenoid 271 and is fitted and connected with a connector provided at the end of a cable connected to the solenoid 271 . The connector 327 is a connector (relay connector) for electrically connecting to the operation detection sensor 256 and is fitted and connected to a connector provided at the end of a cable connected to the operation detection sensor 256 . The connector 328 is a connector (relay connector) for electrically connecting to the LED board 250 and is fitted and connected to a connector provided at the end of a cable connected to the LED board 250 .

The switch case 330 is formed in a rectangular container shape using a transparent resin material. A supported portion 331 supported from below by the upper left surface of the protective cover 260 is formed in the center of the right side surface of the switch case 330 . The upper surface side of the switch case 330 (excluding the upper surface side of the supported portion 331) is formed to have a size on which the substrate body 322 of the switch substrate 320 can be placed. A pair of projecting pieces 332 that engage with the pair of mounting grooves 134 of the cross key mounting portion 130 are formed on the left side surface of the switch case 330 . The switch case 330 is formed with a connector insertion opening 333 for inserting the large connector 325 and a connector insertion opening 334 for simultaneously inserting the small connectors 326 to 328 .

In order to assemble the cross key device 330 having such a configuration to the cross key mounting portion 130 of the unit base 110, the cross key 301, the elastic member 310, and the switch board 320 are inserted in this order from the bottom side of the cross key housing chamber 132. FIG. At this time, by passing the protrusion 304 of the cross key 301 and the protrusion 314 of the elastic member 310 through the protrusion receiving groove 135 in the cross key housing chamber 132,
The cross key 301 and the elastic member 310 are attached to the cross key attachment portion 130 in the correct positions and orientations.

Further, by engaging the left positioning protrusion 315 of the elastic member 310 with the left notch 323 of the switch board 320 and engaging the right positioning protrusion 316 of the elastic member 310 with the right notch 324 of the switch board 320, , the elastic member 310 and the switch board 320 can be attached in the correct position and orientation. The right cutout 324 of the switch board 320 is formed with a cutout width that allows only the narrowest right positioning projection 316 out of the four positioning projections 315 to 318 of the elastic member 310 to engage. Therefore, the other positioning protrusions 315, 317, and 318 cannot be engaged with the right notch 324, and the elastic member 310 and the switch board 320 are configured to be assembled in the wrong position and direction. there is Finally, the switch case 330 is inserted into the cross key housing chamber 132 from below, and the protrusion 332 of the switch case 330 is engaged with the mounting groove 134 of the cross key mounting portion 130, whereby the cross key device 300 is opened. is assembled to the unit base 110 . The left upper surface of the protective cover 260 contacts the supported portion 331 of the switch case 330 and supports it from below, thereby preventing the switch case 330 from falling off from the unit base 110 .

In the cross key device 300 configured as described above, when any one of the four button portions 302a to 302d of the cross key 301 is pressed, the elastic support portions 311a to 311d corresponding to the button portions 302a to 302d are pressed down. The terminal portions 313a to 313d provided on the bottom portions of the elastic support portions 311a to 311d are brought into contact with the corresponding electrode portions 321a to 321d of the switch substrate 320, thereby electrically conducting the button portions 302a to 302d. 302d is detected to be pressed.

As described above, according to the effect operation unit 100 according to the first embodiment, the claw portions 234a and 244a of the outer button member 210 and the inner button member 240 are collectively arranged at positions corresponding to each other. The structure can be realized in a space-saving manner, the access positions at the time of attachment and detachment are concentrated, and both the claw portions 234a and 244a can be removed simultaneously or individually according to the content of maintenance, so that maintainability is improved. becomes possible.

In addition, in the effect operation unit 100 according to the first embodiment, the projecting portion 248 of the effect button 201 is partially formed with a thinning (lightening) 248a that has an uneven thickness shape, and the abutted portion 248c is formed.
is thicker than the other portions, the mechanical strength and rigidity of the projecting portion 248 (abutted portion 248c) are increased compared to the case of forming a simple solid columnar shape as in the conventional technology. It is possible to improve the durability of the production button 201 without being damaged by the impact of the vibration received from the solenoid 271.例文帳に追加

In addition, in the effect operation unit 100 according to the first embodiment, the effect button 201 has a separate structure of the outer button member 201 and the inner button member 240, and the lower button cover 230 of the outer button member 210 has high light diffusion. By using a colored (milky-white) resin material, the entire upper button cover 220 can be uniformly illuminated so that the light from the chip-type LED 251 does not look like a bright spot, and the detection piece can be detected. By forming the entire inside button member 240 including 249 from a colored (black) resin material with high light shielding properties, the space between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the operation detection sensor 256 is reliably shielded from light, allowing the player to press the button. The operation can be detected accurately, and the detection accuracy of the operation detection sensor 256 can be improved.

In the above-described first embodiment, the game machine operation device or the game machine effect device is applied to the effect operation unit 100 (the effect button device 200). However, the present invention is limited to this configuration. Instead, it can be applied to various operating devices (BET switch unit 23, stop switch 26, etc.) and production devices (movable production devices) provided in the slot machine SM.

[Pachinko machine]
Next, a pachinko gaming machine PM is shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 as a gaming machine according to the second embodiment. ) will be described.

First, referring to FIG. 17, the basic structure of the front side of the pachinko game machine PM will be described. In the pachinko game machine PM, a front frame 402 having a rectangular frame size corresponding to the outer frame 401 forming a vertically oriented fixed holding frame and having a rectangular frame size corresponding to the outer frame 401 forming an opening and closing mounting frame is mounted on the front surface of the outer frame 401 . The upper and lower hinge mechanisms 403 are arranged on the left edge of the front of each other so that they can be opened, opened, and detached sideways. is held in a closed state engaged with the outer frame 401 .

A rectangular glass frame 405 matching the upper front area of the front frame 402 is attached to the front frame 402 so that it can be horizontally opened, opened, and detachably by using the upper and lower hinge mechanisms 403, and a locking device 404 is used. It is always held in a closed state covering the front surface of the front frame 402 . A game board 410 is detachably set and held on the front frame 402, and the game area PA in front of the game board 410 is visible through the multi-layered glass 405a of the glass frame 405 which is always held closed. ing.

On the front side of the glass frame 405, there are provided a frame lamp (not shown) that emits light according to the progress of the game, and a speaker 409 that produces sound effects according to the development of the game. Upper and lower ball trays (upper ball tray 406 and lower ball tray 407) for storing game balls are provided in the lower part of the glass frame 405, and the front center of the upper ball tray 406 is pressed by the player. The effect operation unit 100 described above is provided, and a shooting handle 408 for shooting game balls is provided on the front right side of the lower ball tray 407 .

The production operation unit 100 includes a unit base 110, a production button device 200, and a cross key device 300, as in the first embodiment. Duplicate description of each component of the effect operation unit 100 is omitted, but the effect operation unit 100 of the second embodiment can also achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

Next, with reference to FIG. 18, the basic structure of the back side of the pachinko game machine PM will be described. On the rear side of the front frame 402 is attached a rear set board 430 having a central window communicating front and rear and formed in the shape of a rectangular frame somewhat smaller than the front frame 402 . Each part of the back set board 430 includes a ball storage tank 433 that stores game balls supplied from the game facility side, a gutter member 434 that allows the game balls supplied from the ball storage tank 433 to flow down, and a game that allows the gutter member 434 to flow down. A prize ball payout unit 435 that pays out balls, a back side passage member (not shown) that makes the game balls paid out from the prize ball payout unit 435 flow down to the upper ball tray 406 or the lower ball tray 407, and the like are provided.

On the back side of the game board 410, there is a main control unit (main control board) 440 that comprehensively controls the operation of the pachinko game machine PM, image display according to the development of the game, effect lighting, sound effects, etc. A sub-controller (sub-control board) 441 for control is attached. At the lower back of the back set board 430, there is a payout control device (payout control board) 442 that controls the payout of game balls, and a power supply that receives power from the game facility side and supplies power to various control boards and electric/electronic parts. A device (power board) 443, a power switch 444 for turning on/off the power of the gaming machine PM, and the like are attached. An external relay terminal plate 445 for relaying signals from the main control device 440, payout control device 442, etc. to devices outside the pachinko game machine PM is attached to the upper rear surface of the back set board 430. These control boards and electric/electronic parts of each part of the pachinko game machine PM are connected by harnesses (connector cables), and the pachinko game machine PM is configured to be operable.

The pachinko game machine PM is provided for gaming in a state in which the outer frame 401 is fixedly installed on a game island (installation frame base) of the game facility, the front frame 402, the glass frame 405 and the like are closed and locked, and the upper ball tray 406 is provided. A game is started by storing game balls and rotating the shooting handle 408 . When the shooting handle 408 is rotated, the game balls stored in the upper ball tray 406 are delivered one by one to the shooting mechanism by the ball feeding mechanism arranged on the back side of the glass frame 405, and the shooting mechanism It is launched in the game area PA, and the pachinko game is developed thereafter.

[game board]
Next, referring to FIG. 19, the configuration of the game board 410 will be described. The game board 410 is configured with a substrate formed in a rectangular flat plate shape using a synthetic resin material such as an acrylic resin, a polycarbonate resin, or an ABS resin as a base. Attached to the front surface of the game board 410 is a rail decoration having an inner rail and an outer rail that define a substantially circular game area PA in which game balls can roll. In this game area PA, along with a windmill and a large number of game nails, in addition to various winning openings such as a first starting opening 421, a second starting opening 422, an operation gate 423, a large winning opening 424, a general winning opening 425, and a special A main control and display device 426 having a symbol display device, a normal symbol display device and the like is provided. A center decoration 412 is arranged substantially in the center of the game area PA, and a screen 413a of a performance display device 413 is provided so as to be visible through a central opening 412a of the center decoration 412. - 特許庁The center decoration 412 is provided with a movable production unit 500 for executing production operations according to the development of the game. At the lower end of the game area PA, an out port 429 is provided through which game balls that have flowed down without entering various winning ports can pass. Hereinafter, each component provided on the game board 410 will be described in order.

The first starting port 421 is provided as a starting winning port corresponding to the first special symbol game, and includes a first starting port switch (not shown) for detecting the entry of game balls. The entry of the game ball into the first starting port 421 triggers the first special symbol lottery.

The second starting port 422 is provided as a starting winning port corresponding to the second special symbol game, and includes a second starting port switch (not shown) for detecting the entry of game balls. The entry of the game ball into the second starting port 422 triggers the second special symbol lottery. The second starting port 422 is variable between a closed state in which a game ball cannot enter or is difficult to enter, and an open state in which a game ball can enter or is easy to enter. Here, the second starting port 422 has a structure in which it is difficult for a game ball to enter unless it is in an open state. On the other hand, when the second starting hole 422 is in the open state, the ball can easily enter the second starting hole 422 .

The operating gate 423 is provided as a starting winning port corresponding to the normal symbol game, and includes an operating gate switch (not shown) for detecting passage of game balls. It should be noted that the passage of the game ball to the operation gate 423 triggers a normal symbol lottery for determining whether or not to expand the second starting port (normal electric accessory) 422 .

The big winning opening 424 is formed as a horizontally rectangular winning opening (so-called attacker device) that is opened when a big win or a small win is achieved in the lottery of the first special symbol or the second special symbol. The big winning hole 424 has a big winning hole switch (not shown) for detecting the entry of a game ball. The big winning opening 424 changes between a closed state in which a game ball cannot or is difficult to enter, and an open state in which a game ball can or easily enters. In this embodiment, the big winning opening 424 is
It is provided in the right area (right hitting area) in the game area PA. Therefore, in the special game (jackpot game), when the game ball is shot toward the game area PA, the ball is easily entered into the big winning opening 424 by hitting the right side area, that is, hitting the right side. It has become.

The general winning opening 425 includes a general winning opening switch (not shown) for detecting the entry of game balls. The entry of a game ball into the general prize winning port 425 does not trigger a lottery of special symbols or normal symbols, but it serves as a chance of winning a prize ball in the same manner as the other winning ports (excluding the operation gate 423).

The main control display device 426 is a display device whose lighting is mainly controlled by the main control device 440 . The main control display device 426 includes a first special symbol table device, a second special symbol display device, a first special symbol reservation lamp, a second special symbol reservation lamp, a normal symbol display device, a normal symbol reservation lamp, and a round indicator lamp. , a status indicator, a right-handed indicator, and an error indicator. A detailed description of each display means will be omitted.

[Movable production unit]
Next, the configuration of the movable effect unit 500 will be described with additional reference to FIGS. 20 to 24. FIG. The movable performance unit 500 is configured as a suspension performance device for performing performance notification of the number of operation suspension balls of special symbols. Here, the number of operation pending balls of the first special symbol is acquired based on the entry of the game ball into the first starting port 421 during the fluctuation of the first special symbol or the second special symbol or during the execution of the big hit game. It is the number of random numbers that have been obtained, and the acquired random number is suspended, that is, the judgment is temporarily suspended until the acquired random number satisfies the acceptance judgment permission condition (fluctuation start condition). number is shown. Similarly, the number of activated balls of the second special symbol is a random value acquired based on the ball entering the second start port 422 during the fluctuation of the first special symbol or the second special symbol or during the execution of the jackpot game. It indicates the number of the obtained random number values, that is, the number of the obtained random number values whose success/failure determination is temporarily suspended until the conditions for permitting success/failure determination (fluctuation start conditions) are satisfied. there is

The movable effect unit 500 includes a unit base 510 attached to the back side of the game board 410, four movable accessories 520 supported on the unit base 510 so as to be vertically movable, and four movable accessories 520 attached to the unit base 510. It is configured with a main solenoid unit 530 . In this embodiment, four movable accessories 520 are provided corresponding to the upper limit number (four) of the special symbol operation retention balls, and the number of movable accessories 520 jumping upward is the special symbol (first special symbol or the second special symbol) corresponds to the number of operation pending balls. In addition, in this embodiment, the number of operation-suspended balls of the special symbol which is the subject of the game in the game state currently being executed out of the operation-suspended balls of the first special symbol and the second special symbol is reported. That is, when the game state currently being executed is the normal game state (low probability low base state) or latent certainty game state (high probability low base state), the variation display of the first special symbol is the main part of the game. , the number of operation pending balls of the first special symbol is notified. On the other hand, if the game state currently being executed is a time-saving game state (low probability high base state) or a probability variable game state (high probability high base state), the variable display of the second special symbol is the main part of the game, The number of operation pending balls of the second special symbol is reported.

The unit base 510 is configured as a mounting base for the movable effect unit 500 and is fixed to the back side of the game board 410 by screwing. Although not shown in detail, the unit base 510 is made of a transparent or opaque synthetic resin material and is shaped like a box with an upward opening. The unit base 510 is provided with a guide portion (rail portion) (not shown) that guides the vertical movement of each movable accessory 520, and along this guide portion the movable accessory 520 is supported so as to be vertically movable. there is Position detection sensors 541, 542, and 543 (see FIGS. 23 and 24) for detecting the position of each movable accessory 520 are attached to the unit base 510. FIG.

The movable accessory 520 includes an accessory main body 521 having a predetermined pattern on its surface, and a base portion 525 detachably attached to the lower portion of the accessory main body 521 . In the following description, when each movable accessory 520 is referred to individually, "first movable accessory 520", "second movable accessory 520", and "second movable accessory 520" are used in order from left to right when viewed from the front side of the gaming machine PM. ”, “third movable accessory 520”, and “fourth movable accessory 520”.

The accessory main body 521 is formed in a rocket shape that tapers upward, using a colored translucent (white translucent) synthetic resin material having light diffusing properties. Note that the accessory main body 521 may be subjected to the following light diffusion processing. As this light diffusion treatment, the resin itself is mixed with a light diffusing material (light diffusing fine particles), texturing (unevenness processing) is performed, and a light diffusion sheet is attached to the front or back surface. are mentioned. A cylindrical fitting projection 522 for coupling with the base portion 525 is formed on the accessory main body 521 so as to protrude downward. The accessory body 521 has a hollow structure with an opening 521a at the bottom, and this hollow portion serves as a space illuminated by an LED board (not shown), which will be described later.

The base portion 525 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape having an upper opening 525a using a colored opaque synthetic resin material with high light blocking properties. In this embodiment, a black synthetic resin material that does not have translucency or has extremely low translucency is used as the material of the base portion 525 . The base portion 525 is provided with a fitting hole 526 that fits vertically with the fitting protrusion 522 of the accessory main body 521 . Further, the base portion 525 is supported so as to be vertically slidable along a guide portion (rail portion) (not shown) of the unit base 510 .

Between the opening 521a of the accessory main body 521 and the opening 525a of the base portion 525, an LED board (not shown) for displaying the movable accessory 521 by light emission is accommodated. This LED board is a flat circuit board, and a chip-type LED is mounted in the center thereof. A surface-mounted (SMD) full-color LED is applied to the chip-type LED.

In addition, a substantially cylindrical projecting portion 527 projecting downward is integrally formed at the lower end of the base portion 525 . The projecting portion 527 is formed with a bottomed cutout (also referred to as “lightening”) 527a, which is a crescent-shaped or half-moon-shaped gap in cross section, in a portion closer to the rear from the center of the projection 527. ing. In the present embodiment, by forming the cross section of the thinned portion 527a into a crescent shape or a half-moon shape instead of a circular shape (by shifting the position of the void portion of the thinned portion 527a from the center), the thickness of the protrusion 527 is reduced. is partially non-uniform (uneven thickness shape). The projecting portion 527 includes a thin portion 527b formed thin on the outer arc (convex arc) side of the thickness reduction 527a and a thick portion 527b formed on the inner arc (concave arc) side of the thickness reduction 527a. 527c (hereinafter referred to as a “contacted portion”). In other words, the abutted portion 527c is a portion of the projecting portion 248 that is formed thicker than the other portions. The tip end surface of the abutted portion 527c is provided on the central axis of a plunger 533 of a solenoid 531, which will be described later, and is a portion that contacts the tip end surface of the plunger 533. As shown in FIG. Reinforcement ribs 527d to 527g having a semicircular cross-section are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the projection 527 at four locations on the front, rear, left, and right, projecting substantially radially (in the radial direction). The reinforcing rib 527d on the front side (contact portion side) is formed larger than the other three reinforcing ribs 527e to 527g. This is because the presence of the reinforcing rib 527d substantially increases the thickness of the contacted portion 527c, thereby increasing the strength of the contacted portion 527c. In addition, due to the presence of the reinforcing rib 527 d , the tip surface of the abutted portion 527 c can be made substantially circular, and the shape of the surface can be made to correspond to the tip surface of the plunger 533 .

The solenoid unit 530 includes a solenoid 531 as a drive source for vertically moving the movable accessory 520 and a mounting bracket 536 fixed to the unit base 510 . This solenoid unit 530 basically has the same configuration as the solenoid unit 270 of the first embodiment.

The solenoid 531 is an electric actuator having a solenoid body 532 containing an electromagnetic coil (not shown) and a magnetic plunger 533 that moves forward and backward (extends and retracts) in the axial direction by controlling the energization/non-energization of the electromagnetic coil. be. The solenoid 531 is electrically connected to the sub-controller 441 , and the drive voltage supplied from the sub-controller 441 drives the plunger 533 to expand and contract (drive back and forth). The solenoid 531 is attached to the unit base 510 so that the advancing/retreating direction (extension direction) of the plunger 533 is the vertical direction. A movable accessory 520 that receives the driving force of the plunger 533 and moves up and down is placed on the tip side (upper end side) of the plunger 533 . A square-shaped driving plate 534 having one side longer than the diameter of the plunger 533 is attached to the proximal end (lower end) of the plunger 533 . A return spring (not shown) is interposed between the drive plate 534 and the solenoid body 532 to bias the drive plate 534 away from the solenoid body 532 (retracting the plunger 533). . By adjusting the pulse width and pulse amplitude of the driving voltage (pulse voltage) set in the sub-controller 441, the driving force of the plunger 533 can be changed.

When the solenoid 531 is energized, the plunger 533 is driven to extend (drive to protrude upward) against the urging force of a return spring (not shown), thereby urging the movable accessory 520 in contact with the plunger 533 upward. , the movable accessory 520 is moved upward (jumped up). At this time, by keeping the solenoid 531 energized, the plunger 533 can be kept in the extended state. On the other hand, when the electromagnetic coil 531 is deenergized, the plunger 533 is contracted (retracted downward) by the urging force of a return spring (not shown). At this time, by keeping the solenoid 531 in a non-energized state, the plunger 533 can be kept in the retracted state. The movable accessory 520 that has flown upward eventually moves downward (freely falls) due to its own weight and returns to a position where it abuts the tip surface of the plunger 533 in the extended or contracted state.

The movable accessory 520 can be displaced to a first position, a second position, and a third position in the vertical movement. The first position is the position (also referred to as “initial position”) when the movable accessory 520 is held on the tip surface of the plunger 533 in the reduced state (non-energized state). The second position is a position (also referred to as “holding display position”) when the movable accessory 520 is held on the tip surface of the plunger 533 in the extended state (energized state). The third position is the highest point reached when the movable accessory 520 flies upward due to the biasing force of the plunger 533 (also referred to as “maximum movable position”). Here, the distance between the first position and the second position is substantially the same distance as the stroke of the plunger 533 in telescopic drive (forward and backward drive), but the distance between the first position and the third position is the same as the stroke of the plunger 533. The interval is larger than the stroke of the telescopic drive (advance/retreat drive). 22, for reference, the first movable accessory 520 is held at the second position, the second movable accessory 520 jumps up to the third position, and the third movable accessory 520 is positioned at the third position. 1 position, and shows a state in which the fourth movable accessory 520 is held at the first position.

In this embodiment, the number of movable accessories 520 held at the second position (holding display position) corresponds to the number of operation holding balls of special symbols. In the present embodiment, the first movable accessory 520 is displaced from the first position to the second position when the first operation-reserving ball is generated, and the second movable accessory 520 is displaced when the second operation-reserving ball is generated. When the third movable accessory 520 was displaced to the second position and the third actuation retention ball was generated, the third movable accessory 520 was displaced to the second position and the fourth actuation retention ball was generated. When the fourth movable accessory 520 is displaced to the second position. On the other hand, each time the special symbol's operation suspension ball is digested (every time the special symbol's variable display ends), the movable accessories 520 projecting to the second position move one by one from the right side to the left side to the first position. and return.

On the side surface of the base portion 525 of the movable accessory 520, there is a portion for detecting the position (first position, second position, third position) of the movable accessory 520 by each position detection sensor 541, 542, 543. A plate-shaped piece 528 to be detected is formed to protrude. It should be noted that the detected piece 528 may be provided on the rear side (rear side) of the base portion 525 in view of the problem of visibility by the player.

In this embodiment, a first position detection sensor 541 that detects that the movable accessory 520 is at the first position, a second position detection sensor 542 that detects that the movable accessory 520 is at the second position, and a movable and a third position detection sensor 543 for detecting that the accessory 520 has reached the third position. Each of the position detection sensors 541 to 543 is shown in simplified form in FIGS. 23 to 24, but similar to the first embodiment, a light emitting section (light emitting element) for emitting light and a light emitting section for detecting light from the light emitting section. A photosensor having a light-receiving part (light-receiving element) for receiving light, and having a gap between the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part in which the piece 528 to be detected of the movable accessory 520 can be inserted, and formed in a substantially U-shape. Become. Each of the position detection sensors 541 to 543 outputs an OFF signal when the detected piece 528 of the movable accessory 520 is not interposed between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit (not shielded), and the movable accessory 520 When the piece 528 to be detected is interposed (shielded) between the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion, an ON signal is output. In the present embodiment, as described above, the entire base portion 525, including the piece 528 to be detected, is formed in a highly light-shielding black color to accurately block the light emitted from the light emitting portion to the light receiving portion. This improves the detection accuracy of the position detection sensors 541-544.

Next, the action of the movable accessory unit 500 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 23 and 24. FIG. The production action of the movable role 520 includes a normal production action in which the movable role 520 is displaced in the order of the first position (initial position) → third position (maximum movable position) → first position (initial position), and a movable role There is a special effect operation in which the object 520 is displaced in the order of the first position (initial position)→third position (maximum movable position)→second position (suspended display position). Although not shown, in the movable accessory unit 500 of the present embodiment, the first position (for example, the lower end position) and the first position (for example, the lower end position) are set like a normal vertically moving movable accessory that simply reciprocates in the vertical direction. It is also possible to cycle between two positions (eg top position).

(Normal performance action)
First, the normal effect operation of the movable accessory 520 will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 23A, when the solenoid 531 is deenergized and the plunger 533 is in the contracted state, the movable accessory 520 is held at the first position on the tip surface of the plunger 533 in the contracted state. It is in. As shown in FIG. 23B, when the solenoid 531 is energized and the plunger 533 is driven to extend, the movable accessory 520 in contact with the plunger 533 is urged (pressed) upward and jumps up to the third position. After the movable accessory 520 jumps up, the solenoid 531 is de-energized and the plunger 533 is contracted to return from the extended state to the contracted state. As shown in FIG. 23(C), the movable accessory 520 freely falls by its own weight onto the tip surface of the contracted plunger 533, and the movable accessory 520 returns to the first position.

(Special performance action)
Next, the special effect operation of the movable accessory 520 will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 24A, when the solenoid 531 is deenergized and the plunger 533 is in the contracted state, the movable accessory 520 is held at the first position on the tip surface of the plunger 533 in the contracted state. is held in As shown in FIG. 24B, when the solenoid 531 is energized and the plunger 533 is driven to extend, the movable accessory 520 in contact with the plunger 533 is urged (pressed) upward and jumps up to the third position. Even after the movable accessory 520 jumps up, the energized state of the solenoid 531 is maintained to keep the plunger 533 in the extended state. As shown in FIG. 24(C), the movable accessory 520 is free-falled onto the tip surface of the extended plunger 533 by its own weight, and the movable accessory 520 is held at the second position (holding display position).

In the present embodiment, this special performance operation is a performance operation that is triggered by the occurrence of the operation suspension ball of the special symbol. In this embodiment, when the game ball starts and wins, and the number of special symbol operation pending balls becomes one, the first movable accessory 520 performs a special effect operation (as a result, one When the movable accessory 520 is held at the reserved display position) and the number of operation reserved balls of the special symbol is 2, the special effect operation of the second movable accessory 520 is performed (as a result, two movable accessories are displayed). Accessory 520 is held at the reserved display position), and when the number of operation suspension balls of the special symbol is 3, a special effect operation of the third movable accessory 520 is performed (as a result, three movable accessories 520 is held at the reserved display position), and when the number of operation reserved balls of the special symbol is 4, the special effect operation of the fourth movable accessory 520 is performed (as a result, the four movable accessories 520 are held in a hold display position). By counting the number of movable accessories 520 projecting to the reserved display position (second position), the player can recognize the number of operation reserved balls of the special symbol.

As described above, according to the movable effect device according to the second embodiment, the movable accessory 520 not only moves up and down to the first position (initial position) or the second position (holding display position), but also By jumping up to the third position (maximum movable position) or free-falling from there, it is possible to realize an unexpected production action that is difficult for the player to predict, and as a result, the monotonous production action is prevented. Therefore, it becomes possible to improve the interest of the game. In addition, as the production operation of the movable accessory 520, a continuous jump that continuously executes the above production operations (normal production operation, special production operation) may be performed. Judgment), as a pre-reading advance notice effect (suspended notice effect) that suggests or notifies the expectation of a big hit or the expectation of a high-expectation effect (reach effect) in advance, a continuous jump including normal and special effect actions may be performed.

In addition, the movable effect unit 500 according to the second embodiment forms a thinning (lightening) 527a in which the protrusion 527 of the movable accessory 520 is partially uneven in thickness, as in the first embodiment. By making the abutted portion 527c thicker than the other portions, the projecting portion 527 (abutted portion 527c ) can be improved, the durability of the movable accessory 230 can be improved without being damaged by the impact of pressure received from the solenoid 530 or the impact of falling (at the time of landing). becomes.

Further, in the movable effect unit 500 according to the second embodiment, similarly to the above-described first embodiment, the movable accessory 520 has a separate structure of the accessory main body 521 and the base portion 525, and the accessory main body 521 is By forming it from a colored (milky white) resin material with high light diffusion, the entire accessory main body 521 can be uniformly illuminated so that the light from the chip-type LED does not look like a bright spot. At the same time, by forming the entire base portion 5250, including the piece to be detected 528, from a colored (black) resin material with high light shielding properties, light is reliably shielded between the light emitting portions and the light receiving portions of the operation detection sensors 541 to 543. As a result, the motion position of the movable accessory 520 can be accurately detected, and the detection accuracy of the operation detection sensors 541 to 543 can be improved.

In the above-described second embodiment, since the driving force (impact force) when the plunger 533 is extended is controlled to be constant, the movable accessory 520 can always jump up to a substantially constant position (third position). However, the driving force (impact force) of the plunger 533 may be variably controlled to vertically change the third position. In addition, the expectation of a big hit or high expectation production (reach production ) instead of the pending change effect that suggests or notifies the expectation level of the
It may be configured to express the height (change in position) of the third position that the movable accessory 520 can take. That is, when the movable accessory 520 jumps up, the higher the reaching point of the third position is, the higher the expectation of the big win or the high expectation degree effect is, and the lower the reaching point of the third position is, the higher the expectation of the big win or It may be configured such that the degree of expectation of the high degree of expectation performance is low.

Next, in order to facilitate a clearer understanding of the technical significance of the present embodiment and modifications, problems associated with the above embodiments and modifications will be outlined.

<Part 1>
A slot machine, which is a kind of amusement machine, has a plurality of reels with a plurality of patterns on the outer peripheral surface, a start lever for instructing the start of rotation of all reels, and an operation instruction for stopping the rotation of each reel. and a plurality of stop switches provided corresponding to the reels. In this slot machine, when a player operates a start lever after inserting medals, a winning lottery is performed and a plurality of reels are simultaneously driven to rotate. When the rotation speed of the reel reaches a certain speed, the stop switch can be operated, and when the stop switch is operated, the reel corresponding to the stop switch stops and the pattern is displayed. A prize is won when the plurality of symbols stopped and displayed on the activated line are aligned in a specific combination (combination corresponding to a predetermined combination), and the number of medals corresponding to the winning combination is paid out to the player. , the game ends.
In such a game machine such as a slot machine, in order to add interest to the game, there is provided an effect operation device having effect buttons that can be pressed by the player as a player participation type effect device. There is (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018-183284).
By the way, the effect operating device is generally provided with an LED board for emitting light to display the effect button, and this LED board is subject to maintenance such as replacement. In addition, there is also a need to repeatedly use long-life LED boards even when replacement is required due to defects such as scratches on the exterior of the effect operating device when treated as reusable parts in the manufacture of game machines. Therefore, in order to improve maintainability when replacing or reusing the LED board, it is required to easily disassemble the effect operating device and replace the LED board easily.

<Part 2>
In such a game machine such as a slot machine, in order to add interest to the game, there is provided an effect operation device having effect buttons that can be pressed by the player as a player participation type effect device. There is (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-162885).
An optical sensor (photosensor) for detecting that the player has operated the effect button is attached to the effect operation device. The optical sensor comprises a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, and the effect button is operated when the light path between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element is blocked by a predetermined portion (detected portion) of the effect button. is detected. In the player-participation type effect using this effect button device, the operation of the effect button must be properly detected, and for this reason, the optical sensor is required to improve the detection accuracy.

<Part 3>
In such a game machine such as a slot machine, in order to add interest to the game, there is provided an effect operation device having effect buttons that can be pressed by the player as a player participation type effect device. There is (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-162885).
Some of the performance operating devices have a solenoid for vibrating the performance button, and the plunger of the solenoid is driven forward and backward to vibrate the performance button, and the vibration is transmitted to the finger of the player who touches the performance button. , and thereby, a vibration presentation for informing a player of predetermined game information is well known. However, the effect button is provided with an abutted portion that directly abuts the plunger, and the abutted portion may be damaged by vibration (shock) from the plunger due to repeated use. Therefore, in such a production button device, it is required to improve the mechanical strength against the vibration received from the solenoid so as to withstand long-term use of the vibration production.

<Part 4>
As a type of gaming machine, a pachinko gaming machine has many game nails, a windmill, a prize-winning slot, an out slot, etc. on a game board that constitutes a game area, and a center accessory placed almost in the center of the game area. is attached, and an effect display device that displays an effect image corresponding to the development of a game inside the opening of the center accessory is generally known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Then, when the game ball enters the starting hole provided in the game area, the win/fail judgment is executed, and if the result of the win/fail judgment is a loss, for example, a pattern consisting of three rows is variably displayed. After that, the symbols are stop-displayed in a predetermined non-winning mode, while when the result of the winning/failure determination is a big hit, the symbols consisting of, for example, three rows are variably displayed and then the symbols are displayed in a predetermined winning mode. is stop-displayed, and a special game (jackpot game) is established in which the big winning opening is opened.
On the other hand, it is difficult to make the game interesting only with the effect display on the effect display device, and the game content tends to be monotonous. Therefore, a movable accessory (movable effect body) is provided for executing a required effect operation according to the development of the game, and the movable accessory is synchronized and integrated with the effect display performed on the effect display device to operate as appropriate. There is known a configuration in which a visual presentation effect is improved by the above (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-12194).
In the cited document, the movable accessory is configured to reciprocate between a predetermined initial position (origin position) and a movable position. However, if the movable accessory only repeats the reciprocating motion, the presentation operation becomes monotonous and the presentation effect is lowered.

Therefore, in the gaming machines according to the above embodiment and modification, the configuration as described above is adopted to achieve the effects as described above.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention. In addition, an appropriate combination of the constituent elements described in the above embodiments and modifications, or part of the constituent elements described in the above embodiments and modifications are deleted or converted by well-known and commonly used techniques, etc. It is also included in the scope of the present invention.

SM slot machine (first embodiment)
2 Front door 5 Housing 21 Operation panel 100 Production operation unit 110 Unit base 120 Button mounting part 130 Cross key mounting part 200 Production button device 201 Production button 210 Outer button member 220 Upper button cover 230 Lower button cover 234 First arm 234a 1 claw portion 239 LED housing space 240 inner button member 244 second arm 244a second claw portion 248 protrusion 248a thinning 248c contact portion 249 piece to be detected 250 LED substrate 251 chip type LED
256 Operation detection sensor 270 Solenoid unit 271 Solenoid 273 Plunger 300 Cross key device PM Pachinko game machine (second embodiment)
PA Game area 401 Outer frame 402 Front frame 405 Glass frame 410 Game board 500 Movable production unit 510 Unit base 520 Movable accessory 521 Accessory main body 525 Base portion 527 Protrusion 527a Meat stealing 527c Abutted portion 528 Detected piece 530 Solenoid Unit 531 Solenoid 533 Plunger 541 First position detection sensor 542 Second position detection sensor 543 Third position detection sensor

Claims (1)

a button member that can be moved in the operation direction by a player's operation;
a base member that supports the button member movably in the operation direction;
an LED board provided with an LED for displaying light emission of the button member;
The button member includes an operated portion operated by a player, and is combined with the operated portion to form an LED housing space for housing the LED substrate between the operated portion and moves to the base member. a sliding part releasably attached,
The operated portion has an operated portion-side engagement piece projecting toward the base member,
The sliding portion has a sliding portion-side engagement piece projecting toward the base member,
The base member is provided with an engaged portion that can be engaged by inserting the operated portion-side engagement piece and the sliding portion-side engagement piece,
In a state where the operated portion-side engaging piece and the sliding portion-side engaging piece are engaged with the engaged portion, the operated portion-side engaging piece and the sliding portion-side engaging piece are connected to the base member. exposed on the bottom side of the
The button member disengages the engaged portion of the base member from the operated portion-side engaging piece, thereby keeping the sliding portion attached to the base member. An operating device for a game machine, wherein the operated portion is detachable from the sliding portion.

Images