JPH10314369A - Amusement game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a variable display of an amusement game machine which is excellent in wide usability and whose development cost can be reduced, in a device variably displaying patterns in accordance with a motor drive such as a drum type or a belt type. SOLUTION: A drum display unit 50 (50a, 50b) is constituted of rotary drums 51 (51a-51c) on which patterns are drawn, drum motors driving the rotary drums 51, and a drum case 60 containing the rotary drums 51. Fixing holes 68 and connection holes 69a are formed in the drum case 60 to connect mutual drum display units 50. In this way, an arbitrary number of drum display units 50 can be connected and hence, the number of patterns can be set variously and a variable display device excellent in wide usability can be provided and also the development cost thereof can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a game having a variable display device capable of variably displaying identification information and generating a specific game state when a display result of the identification information becomes a predetermined specific display result. It is about the machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a variable display device provided in a game machine, a device which variably displays a symbol (identification information) in accordance with driving of a motor such as a drum type or a belt type has been proposed. In such a variable display device, a plurality of variable display members including drums or belts are arranged in parallel, and when the display combination of symbols (identification information) attached to the surface of the variable display member becomes a predetermined jackpot combination. Then, a specific game state is generated to give a specific game value to the player.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional variable display device, variable display members are arranged in parallel in accordance with the number of symbol rows set in advance. For example, a variable display device that variably displays a symbol in three horizontal rows has been developed as a variable display device in which three variable display members are arranged in a horizontal direction, and a variable display that variably displays a total of nine symbols in three vertical and horizontal rows. The device has been developed as a variable display device in which three variable display members are juxtaposed in both the vertical and horizontal directions. For this reason, even when various variable display devices such as three rows and three rows are configured using the same variable display member, it is necessary to separately develop them, and the development cost cannot be reduced. . The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a variable display device that variably displays a symbol according to a motor drive such as a drum type or a belt type, and a variable display device that can be connected to a variable display device. An object of the present invention is to provide a variable display device of a gaming machine which is excellent in versatility and can reduce development cost by configuring a display device.

[0004]

Means for Solving the Problems To achieve the above object, a solution adopted by claim 1 of the present invention is to change identification information (symbol) as shown in FIGS. 2, 6, and 7. A gaming machine (ball game machine 1) having variable display devices 41 and 41 'that can display and generate a specific gaming state when the display result of the identification information becomes a predetermined specific display result (big hit symbol). ), A variable display member (rotary drum 51) having the identification information attached to the surface thereof, and a motor (drum motor 84) serving as a drive source for the variable display member.
A storage unit (drum housing 60) for housing the motor and the variable display member constitutes a display unit (drum display units 50 and 120). Hole 69a, mounting holes 122a and 12
By providing 3a), the display units can be connected to each other, and the display unit is connected singly or in a plurality to constitute the variable display device. With this configuration, by connecting an arbitrary number of display units, the number of symbol rows can be variously set. For this reason, it is possible to configure various variable display devices according to the number of connected display units, and thus to provide a variable display device with excellent versatility and to reduce the development cost. it can.

Further, positioning portions (fitting pieces 70, fitting grooves 71, fitting piece portions 1) for positioning the display units are provided.
22, the fitting recess 123) is provided in the storage case, the display units can be easily connected to each other, and the variable display members can be arranged at the reliable juxtaposed positions.

As shown in FIG. 6, when a plurality of display units are connected and a common relay board 90 'is attached to the plurality of display units, the variable display device is connected to the plurality of display units. With this configuration, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of relay boards, so that the cost can be reduced and the assembling work can be facilitated.

In addition, a plurality of the display units are connected, and a relay board 90 /
When the 90 'is attached to a portion other than the contact surface between the display units (the back surface of the drum display unit 50), the relay board can be attached and detached while the display units are connected to each other. Performance can be improved.

In the case where the connecting portions (fitting pieces 122 and fitting recesses 123) are provided in the housing so that the display units can be connected in both the vertical and horizontal directions, the connecting directions of the display units are provided. Can be further diversified, so that the versatility of the variable display device can be further improved.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration of a ball game machine 1 as a game machine will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a front view of a ball game machine 1 according to the embodiment. The ball game machine 1 is composed of an outer frame 2 formed in a vertically elongated rectangular shape, and is pivotally supported on one side of the outer frame 2 so as to be openable and closable, and substantially all of the main components of the ball game machine 1 are integrated. And a glass plate holding frame 4 provided on the upper front surface of the frame base 3 so as to be openable and closable. The main components other than the glass plate holding frame 4 provided on the frame base 3 include the game board 40, the upper plate 12, the lower plate 17 including the ashtray 21, the operation handle 22, and the like. Further, in the illustrated embodiment, a card unit device 30 for renting out game balls to a player is attached to the side of the ball game machine 1.

The glass plate holding frame 4 is provided with a circular see-through window 5 capable of substantially seeing through a game area of the game board 40, and a glass plate is mounted from the back of the circular see-through window 5. Also,
In the glass plate holding frame 4, along the outer periphery of the circular see-through window 5,
A decorative LED 7 is provided on the upper part thereof, and decorative fluorescent lamps 6a and 6b are provided on both left and right sides thereof. Decorative LED7
The decorative fluorescent lamps 6a and 6b are turned on or blinked according to the game state, and inform the player of the occurrence or continuation of a specific game state described later and enliven the atmosphere of the game. In the upper part of the support side of the glass plate holding frame 4, a broken-out LED 8 that notifies that there is not enough prize balls to pay out, and a predetermined number of prize balls are paid out based on the occurrence of winning balls. LED9 to notify
And speakers 10a and 1 that generate sound effects according to the progress of the game on the left and right of the upper part of the glass plate holding frame 4.
0b is provided. In the above-described configuration, each of the LEDs 7 to 9 is configured such that a plurality of LEDs are mounted on a printed wiring board. However, the printed wiring board is formed of a metal-based printed wiring board. Thereby, the heat radiation effect of the heat generated from the LED is enhanced.

Next, the structure of the upper plate 12 which is attached to the lower part of the glass plate holding frame 4 so as to be openable and closable will be described. The upper plate 12 is configured by fixing a plate member in which a plurality of synthetic resin members are combined on the surface of the synthetic resin upper plate opening and closing plate 11. The upper plate opening / closing plate 11 is provided with a ball removal operation lever 14 at the upper end on the open side. The ball removing operation lever 14 is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction, and moves in one direction against the urging force of a spring (not shown) to move the balls stored in the upper plate 12 to the upper plate opening / closing plate 11. The downflow path 13 formed on the rear surface of the bottom plate is caused to flow down and guided to the lower plate 17. The upper plate 12 has a built-in piezoelectric buzzer 15 therein. The piezoelectric buzzer 15 is called a beep when a game ball lending abnormality occurs (for example, a continuous beep, a beep, a beep) or when a game ball is lent (for example, every time a game ball worth 100 yen is paid out). Sound), a notification sound notifying the effect is generated.

The above-mentioned upper plate 12 will be described in more detail. The upper plate 12 has a prize ball payout opening 16 formed upstream thereof and a hit ball supply port (not shown) formed downstream thereof. Storage line to contact (not shown)
Is formed, and an upper bowl detector (not shown) is provided on the bottom rear surface in the middle of the storage alignment path. The upper counter ball detector detects a hit ball remaining in the upper counter 12. In addition, the upper plate 12 is provided with an operation unit which is operated when borrowing a game ball via a card unit device 30 provided adjacent to the ball game machine 1. The operation unit includes a ball lending switch, a return switch, an automatic ball lending switch, a frequency display LED, and an automatic ball lending display LED (both not shown). The ball lending switch is operated when borrowing a game ball by the card unit device 30. The return switch is for returning the card inserted into the card insertion slot 33 of the card unit device 30 at the end of the game. Frequency display LE
D indicates the remaining amount of the card inserted into the card insertion slot 33 of the card unit device 30. In addition, the automatic ball lending switch is a manual mode in which a game ball to be borrowed is operated by operating the ball lending switch, and an automatic ball lending switch is provided when the remaining amount of hit balls of the upper plate 12 is no longer detected by the upper ball detector. And automatic mode in which the game balls are paid out automatically. When the automatic motor is selected and set, the automatic ball rental display L
ED is lit.

In the game contents of the game board 40, which will be described later, when the display result of the symbol variably displayed by the variable display device 41 becomes a predetermined big hit symbol and a specific game state occurs, a large number of prizes in a short time. You have a chance to get a ball. As described above, an extremely large chance for the player in the specific game state may occur when the remaining balls of the upper plate 12 have almost disappeared. In such a case,
In spite of the necessity of continuously firing a ball to cause the ball to win in a specific winning area of the variable winning ball device 42, the ball is not left on the upper plate 12, so the ball rental switch is operated in a hurry. You have to borrow a game ball. However, since a game ball is paid out after operating the ball lending switch, and it takes some time until the ball is fired and reaches the specific winning area of the variable winning ball apparatus 42, during that time, Although there is an inconvenience of missing an advantageous chance (establishment of continuation right), in the present embodiment, if the automatic ball lending switch is set to the automatic mode, the upper ball detector detects no hit ball. When the game is detected, the game ball is automatically
2, the inconvenience as described above does not occur.
In addition, if the above-mentioned control is not performed as the upper plate 12,
The upper ball detector and the automatic ball rental switch may be omitted.

The specific game state of the present invention is not limited to the above, and may be any state in which any one of the following controls or a combination thereof is executed.

A first state in which the hitting of the hit ball is facilitated, and a second state in which the hitting ball cannot be won or hardly won,
Control of the variable winning ball device that can be changed to the first state continuously or intermittently for a predetermined period of time. Detection of a hit ball in a specific winning or passing area is interposed to facilitate hitting of the hit ball. Controlling the variable winning prize ball device, which can be changed between the first state and the second state in which the ball cannot be won or hardly won, to the first state continuously or intermittently for a predetermined time. Control for directly discharging a predetermined number of prize balls regardless of winning prizes Storage media with valuable value (cards, receipts, etc.)
Control for adding a value to the control for giving a score to a ball game machine which can be played based on the presence of a score. The lower plate 17 attached to the lower portion of the frame base 3 is The overflowing prize balls are used to store the surplus prize balls discharged from the surplus ball payout port 19 through the surplus ball passage 18. A ball removal operation lever 20 is slidably attached to the front wall of the lower plate 17. By operating this ball removal operation lever 20, the prize balls stored in the lower plate 17 are removed downward. Can be transferred to a portable carton. An ashtray 21 is provided on the left side of the lower plate 17, and an operation handle 22 is provided on the right side. The operation handle 22 has a built-in main switch and a touch antenna (both not shown) for starting driving of a launching device motor of a hitting ball launching device (not shown) to adjust the resilience.

The front structure of the ball game machine 1 is generally as described above, but in the illustrated embodiment, the card unit device 30 is adjacent to the ball game machine 1. The card unit device 30 is operated by operating the above-described operation unit provided on the upper surface of the upper plate 12. Thus, the card unit device 30 has a usable indicator 31 for displaying whether the card unit device 30 is in a usable state and a card game machine 1 on which side the card unit device 30 corresponds. Linkage stand direction indicator 32 for displaying, and card insertion slot 33 for inserting a magnetic card as a recording medium
And are provided. The card unit device 30 configured as described above is controlled by a unique control circuit, and includes a ball lending switch, a return switch, a frequency display LED, and a prize (not shown) provided on the upper plate 12. It is connected to the ball payout control board. Note that the card unit device 30 may be incorporated in the ball game machine 1.

The front structure of the game board 40 will be described. The game board 40 has a substantially square shape so as to be stored and fixed in a game board storage frame (not shown) integrally formed on the back side of the frame base 3. It is formed of plywood. A guide rail (not shown) is attached to the surface of the game board 40 in a circular spiral shape, and a shot ball shot with the inside of the guide rail being a game area falls. In the gaming area, in the illustrated case, a variable display device 41 of a drum type, a variable winning ball device 42, a starting winning opening 43 allowing variable display of the variable display device 41, and a winning opening 44 for simply hitting a ball are shown in the drawing.
45, a windmill or a large number of obstacle nails for changing the direction and speed of the hit ball are provided. Further, at the lowermost part of the game area, an out port 46 is provided for taking in a ball that does not win any of the winning areas.

Next, the variable display device 41 constituting a main part of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the variable display device 41 includes three upper, middle, and lower drum display units 50a to 50c. Each of the drum display units 50a to 50c
Since the configuration is the same except for some constituent members (the covering member 100), the following description will be collectively referred to as the drum display unit 50. The drum display unit 50 includes left, middle, and right rotating drums 51a to 51c each having a predetermined symbol array formed along the outer peripheral surface, a drum housing 60 that stores the drums 51a to 51c, and a rotating drum 51a. Drum mounting substrates 80a to 80c for individually positioning and fixing the mounting members 51a to 51c in the drum housing 60, a relay substrate 90 mounted on the back surface of the drum housing 60, and a covering member 100 for coating the relay substrate 90. ing. The covering member 100
Will be described later in detail.
The shape is slightly different every 50c. On the other hand, the rotating drums 51a to 51c and the drum mounting substrates 80a to 80
c have the same structure. Therefore, in the following description, the rotating drums 51a to 51c are
1 and the drum mounting board 80a.
The description will be made by generically referring to .about.80c as the drum mounting substrate 80.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the drum housing 60 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a drum storage space 61 with a front opening, and a pair of upper and lower guide grooves 62a to 62d in the drum storage space 61. 62c are formed at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction of the housing 60. On the front surface of the drum housing 60,
Attachment flanges 63 having attachment holes 63a protrude from both left and right ends. On the back surface of the drum housing 60, a mounting hole 64 for mounting the covering member 100, an insertion hole 65 for inserting a connector 86 of the drum mounting substrate 80 described later, and the drum mounting substrate 80 in the drum storage space 61. And a mounting hole 66 for mounting and fixing the mounting hole. In addition, the relay board 9 is provided on the outer wall of the back surface of the drum housing 60.
Attachment bosses 67 for attaching the bosses 0 are provided at four locations (only two attachment bosses 67 are shown in FIG. 4). On the left and right side surfaces of the drum housing 60, a stop hole 68 is formed in a lower portion, and a connection hole 6 is formed in an upper portion thereof.
A connecting piece 69 having a hole 9a protrudes therefrom. A T-shaped fitting piece 70 is formed on the lower surface of the drum housing 60, and a fitting groove 70 is formed on the upper surface of the drum housing 60 so that the fitting piece 70 can be fitted to the fitting piece 70. 71 are formed.

The drum mounting board 80 is made of a substantially square metal flat plate, and has a mounting hole 81a at the rear end.
Are formed in a bent shape. A relay substrate 82 is mounted on the plate surface of the drum mounting substrate 80 by screws 83, and a drum motor 84 serving as a drive source for the rotary drum 51 is mounted at a substantially central portion of the relay substrate 82. I have. Also, the relay board 82
, A drum lamp 85 is mounted on a front portion, and a connector 86 is mounted on a rear portion. A lamp cover 87 for irradiating light emitted from the drum lamp 85 forward is provided behind the drum lamp 85. A drum motor 84 has a drum sensor for detecting the rotational position of the rotary drum 51. 88 (only the reference numerals are described in FIG. 5) are provided in a built-in manner. Further, the drum motor 84 is configured to transmit a driving force to the rotary drum 51 by the rotation shaft 84 a being attached to a bearing (not shown) formed on the rotary drum 51.

The relay board 90 is made of a rectangular flat plate.
An electrical component 91 and a connector 92 are mounted on one side thereof, and a connector 93 connected to the connector 86 of the relay board 82 is mounted on the other side. At four corners of the relay board 90, mounting holes (not shown) for mounting the relay board 90 on the mounting bosses 67 of the drum housing 60 are formed.

The covering member 100 includes a concave portion 101 for covering the relay board 90 from the rear, and a pair of right and left mounting pieces 102 projecting outward from both ends of the concave portion 101. An insertion hole 101 a for inserting the connector 92 of the relay board 90 is formed in the recess 101. On the other hand, a mounting hole 102 a for mounting the covering member 100 to the drum housing 60 is formed in the mounting piece 102. The covering member 100 has a slightly different shape for each of the drum display units 50a to 50c as described above. Specifically, the covering member 100 corresponding to the upper drum display unit 50a (hereinafter referred to as the covering member 100a
) Is formed with an upper wall 103 that closes an upper end portion of the concave portion 101, and a lower drum display unit 5.
A lower wall 104 that closes a lower end portion of the concave portion 101 is formed in the covering member 100 corresponding to 0c (hereinafter, also referred to as a covering member 100c). The covering member 100 corresponding to the drum display unit 50b at the center (hereinafter, also referred to as the covering member 100b) does not have an upper wall or a lower wall.

The drum display unit 50 is constructed by the following assembly. First, the drum mounting substrate 80a to which the rotating drum 51a is mounted, the drum mounting substrate 80b to which the rotating drum 51b is mounted, and the drum mounting substrate 80c to which the rotating drum 51c is mounted are individually slid into the guide grooves 62a to 62c. The left, middle, and right rotating drums 51a to 51c are positioned and stored in the drum storage space 61, and from this state, the mounting pieces 81 of the drum mounting substrates 80a to 80c are mounted on the drum housing 60 through the mounting holes 81a. The screw 105 is fixed to the hole 66. At this time, each of the connectors 86 of the drum mounting boards 80a to 80c is arranged to be inserted through the insertion hole 65 of the drum housing 60, respectively. On the other hand, the relay board 90 has a connector 93.
Is fixed to the mounting boss 67 of the drum housing 60 with the connector 106 connected to the connector 86. The covering member 10
Reference numeral 0 denotes a state in which the mounting piece 102 is fixed to the mounting hole 64 of the drum housing 60 via the mounting hole 102a with a screw 107, so that the relay board 90 is covered with the concave portion 101. At this time, the connector 92 of the relay board 90
The cover member 100 is arranged so as to be inserted through the insertion hole 101a.

Next, the upper, middle, and lower drum display units 5
A procedure for configuring the variable display device 41 by linking 0a to 50c will be described. First, the fitting piece 70 of the upper drum display unit 50a is moved to the center drum display unit 50a.
b, each drum display unit 5
0a and 50b are mounted in the positioning state. Next, the connecting piece 69 of the drum display unit 50b is screwed into the stop hole 68 of the drum display unit 50a through the connecting hole 69a.
08, the drum display unit 50a
50b are fixed together. Also, the drum display unit 50
a of the fitting piece 70 of the drum display unit 50b
Is fitted in the fitting groove 71 of the lower drum display unit 50c, and the respective drum display units 50b and 50c are mounted in a positioning state. Then, the drum display unit 50
c into the stop hole 6 of the drum display unit 50b.
The upper, middle, and lower drum display units 50a to 50c are integrally connected to each other by screwing the screws 108 to the 8 through the connection holes 69a, and the variable display device 41 of the present embodiment is configured.

The variable display device 41 described above is mounted and fixed by screwing the mounting flanges 63 of the drum display units 50a to 50c to the game board 40 via the mounting holes 63a. . Further, the variable display device 41 is configured such that the connector 92 of each of the relay boards 90 of the drum display units 50a to 50c is connected to the game control board 110 (only the reference numeral in FIG. Game operations such as driving of the 84 (rotation of the rotary drum 51), lighting and blinking of the drum lamp 85, and detection of the drum sensor 88 are controlled. Also, the covering members 100a to 100c that cover the relay board 90 from the back side are closed except for the hole for inserting the connector 92 (the insertion hole 101a).
Is covered. Specifically, in the connected state of the drum display units 50a to 50c, the covering members 100a to 100c communicate with the respective recesses 101,
The upper end is closed by the upper wall 103 of the covering member 100a, and the lower end is closed by the lower wall 104 of the covering member 100c. For this reason, each relay board 90 of the drum display units 50a to 50c is reliably protected from the outside by the covering members 100a to 100c.

As described above, the variable display device 41 according to the present embodiment includes the rotary drum 51 having a design attached to the surface thereof,
Drum motor 84 serving as a drive source for the rotating drum 51
And the drum housing 60 that houses the motor 84 and the rotating drum 51, to constitute a drum display unit 50,
By providing the stopper hole 68 and the connection hole 69a in the drum housing 60, the connection between the drum display units 50 is enabled. Therefore, by connecting an arbitrary number of the drum display units 50, the number of symbol rows can be variously set. That is, since various variable display devices can be configured according to the number of connected drum display units, it is possible to provide a variable display device having excellent versatility and to reduce the development cost. it can.

A fitting piece 70 and a fitting groove 71 for positioning the drum display units 50 are provided in the drum housing 60.
, The drum display units 50 can be easily connected to each other, and the rotary drums 51 can be arranged in a reliable juxtaposition position. In addition, the relay board 90 constituting the drum display unit 50 includes the drum display unit 5.
Since the relay boards 90 are attached to portions other than the abutting surfaces (the back surface of the drum display unit 50), the relay board 90 can be attached and detached while the drum display units 50 are connected to each other, and thus the relay board 90 can be attached and detached. Performance can be improved. The mounting location of the relay board 90 is not necessarily limited to the back surface of the drum display unit 50. Further, the contact surfaces of the drum display units 50 have a large contact area and are formed in a flat surface shape, so that the assembled state of the drum display units 50 can be stabilized. Moreover,
Fitting piece 7 for positioning drum display units 50
Since the 0 and the fitting groove 71 adopt a sliding fitting structure, the assembled state can be further stabilized. By the way, in recent years, a variable display device in which rotary drums are arranged side by side in three horizontal rows has become mainstream, but in the present embodiment, the configuration is one drum display unit.
Therefore, there are many models in which the drum display unit of the present embodiment can be used as it is, so that the versatility is extremely high.

The above embodiment (first embodiment)
Does not limit the present invention, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the relay board 90 is provided for each of the drum display units 50a to 50c, and each of the relay boards 90 is individually connected to the game control board 110. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, FIG.
Instead of providing a relay board for each of the drum display units 50a to 50c as in the variable display device 41 'of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7, only one relay board 90' common to the units 50a to 50c may be provided. Good. In this case, the covering member 1
00a to 100c are detached from each unit 50a.
To 50c. And the connected unit 50a
The connecting board 90 'is screwed over the entire back surface of
6 After stopping, each of the covering members 100a to 100c is
07 stop. Thereby, each unit 50a-50c
A variable display device 41 'having a common relay board 90' is configured. In this configuration, since only one connector 92 for connecting the relay board 90 'to the game control board 110 is required, a hole for inserting the connector 92 (insertion hole 101a).
It is only necessary to pierce any one of the covering members 100a to 100c (FIG. 6 shows an example in which the insertion hole 101a is pierced in the covering member 100c).

As described above, in the second embodiment, only one relay board 90 'common to the units 50a to 50c is provided. For this reason, even when the variable display device is composed of a plurality of drum display units, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of relay boards, so that the cost can be reduced and the assembling work can be facilitated. In the second embodiment, the number of covering members (three) corresponding to the plurality of drum display units is set to cover the relay board.
The relay board may be covered with one covering member.

In the first and second embodiments, the rotary drum 51 housed in the drum display unit 50 is
Although the rows are set (rotary drums 51a to 51c), the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, as in the drum display unit 120 of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a configuration including only one rotating drum 51 may be adopted. The drum housing 121 constituting the drum display unit 120 includes:
A fitting piece 122 and a fitting recess 123 having a shape capable of fitting with the fitting piece 122 are formed on each of the four sides of the upper, lower, left and right sides. The fitting piece 122 and the fitting recess 123
Are provided with mounting holes 122a and 123a, respectively. When the two drum display units 120 are connected in the horizontal direction to form a variable display device, FIG.
As shown in (B), the left drum display unit 120
The fitting piece portion 122 on the right side of the right side of FIG. a is fitted with the fitting recess 123 on the left side of the right drum display unit 120b, and the fitting recess 123 on the right side of the left drum display unit 120a is displayed on the right side of the drum display unit 120b. Unit 120b
Is fitted to the fitting piece 122 on the left side of
The two upper and lower portions where a.123a match are fixed by screws.

As described above, in the third embodiment, the drum display unit 120 includes only one rotating drum 51. Therefore, the variable display device is not necessarily limited to the three rows of variable display devices, but can be configured in various combinations. Specifically, it goes without saying that a variable display device in which the rotating drums 51 are arranged side by side in only one of the horizontal direction and the vertical direction can be configured, and the rotating drums 51 can be arranged in predetermined positions in both the vertical and horizontal directions. Therefore, a variable display device in which the rotating drums 51 are juxtaposed in a complicated shape can be configured. In the third embodiment, the drum display unit is provided with only one rotary drum. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A plurality of rotary drums are arranged in a predetermined juxtaposition direction (horizontal direction, vertical direction, vertical and horizontal direction). To form a drum display unit.

In the first to third embodiments, the drive shaft of the drum motor is directly connected to the rotation center of the rotary drum to rotate the rotary drum.
It is not limited to this configuration. Specifically, in such a configuration, since the stepping motor (drum motor) continuously moves at a predetermined angle, the rotation of the rotating drum continuously moves at a small angle when the rotation of the rotating drum is also carefully observed. You can see that it is going. In particular, at the time of low-speed rotation, the operation becomes remarkable, and it seems that the rotating drum repeatedly stops and moves, so that there is a disadvantage that smooth low-speed rotation cannot be obtained. Then, FIG.
By adopting the configuration of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a smooth low-speed rotation of the rotating drum can be obtained. In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG.
A pinion gear 132 is integrally attached to the drive shaft 131 of the motor 30, and a gear portion 134 meshing with the pinion gear 132 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the rotating drum 133 so that the driving force of the drum motor 130 is transmitted to the rotating drum 133. Has become. In the configuration of the fourth embodiment, since the pinion gear 132 fixed to the drive shaft 131 of the drum motor 130 is meshed with the gear portion 134 of the rotary drum 133, the rotation angle T2 of the drive shaft 131 of the drum motor 130 is reduced. The rotation angle of the rotating drum 133 is reduced to T3. The reduction ratio in this case is (pinion gear 13
2 teeth / number of gears 134). In the case shown, the ratio is 1 to 5, so that the drum motor 130
, The rotation angle T2 per step is reduced to one fifth, and as a result, the rotating drum 133 can be smoothly rotated at a low speed.

In the fourth embodiment, the drive shaft 1
The pinion gear 132 fixed to the
3 is meshed with the gear portion 134 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the rotary drum 135, as shown in FIG. 8B, the height when meshed with the gear portion 136 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotary drum 135. The height dimension L2 can be made smaller than the dimension L3. For this reason, it is possible to form a rotary drum having a small diameter. Of course, if there is a margin in the dimensions, as shown in FIG.
It may be formed so that it meshes with. In order to obtain the same rotation angle T3 as in the fourth embodiment by directly fixing the rotary drum to the drive shaft of the drum motor (stepping motor) as in the first to third embodiments, it is necessary to use a stepping motor. Since the number of magnetic pole plates and the number of ferrite magnets (both not shown) of the rotor must be greatly increased, a stepping motor having a large diameter L4 (≫L2) is inevitably required as shown in FIG. At 140, the drum motor must be configured. In other words, in the configurations of the first to third embodiments, a large drum motor must be used, so that the drum display unit itself becomes large. On the other hand, in the configuration of the fourth embodiment, since a relatively small drum motor can be used, the size of the drum display unit can be reduced. For this reason, even when a variable display device is configured by connecting a plurality of drum display units, the size of the entire variable display device can be limited to some extent.

In the above-described first to fourth embodiments, the variable display member according to the present invention is a rotary drum. However, the present invention is not limited to this. What is necessary is just to be a variable display member. Further, the method of connecting the display units (connecting portion) is not limited to screwing, but may be locking by a locking claw or the like.
Further, as a method of positioning the display units (positioning portion), various methods such as a slide groove, a rib, a projection and a positioning hole can be considered, but it is not always necessary to provide the positioning portion. In the embodiment, the relay board attached to the back surface of the storage housing (drum housing) is used as a constituent member of the display unit. However, the relay board may have a configuration other than the display unit. Also, the display surfaces of the variable display devices (variable display members) do not necessarily have to be all flat, and the variable display members may be arranged side by side so that the display surfaces are uneven. The variable display device may be attached at a predetermined angle with respect to. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to gaming machines other than the ball-and-ball gaming machines (for example, slot machines and coin games).

The following can be grasped from the embodiments described above. (1) The contact surface between the display units has a large contact area and is formed in a flat surface shape. With this configuration, the assembled state of the display units can be stabilized. (2) The positioning unit for positioning the display units employs a slide-type fitting structure. With this configuration, the assembled state of the display units can be further stabilized. (3) The variable display member is composed of a rotating drum, and a pinion gear is fixed to a drive shaft of the motor, and a drum motor is formed by meshing the pinion gear with a gear formed on the inner or outer peripheral surface of the rotating drum. Is transmitted to the rotating drum. With this configuration, the rotating drum can be smoothly rotated at a low speed. Further, since a relatively small motor can be used, the display unit can be reduced in size. Even when a plurality of display units are connected to form a variable display device, the size of the entire variable display device is reduced to some extent. Can be restricted. (4) A plurality of the display units are connected, and a relay board is attached across the plurality of display units. With this configuration, even a relatively large relay board can be attached, and the connection between the display units can be made strong.

[0036]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the identification information is variably displayed and the display result of the identification information becomes a predetermined specific display result. In a gaming machine having a variable display device capable of generating a specific game state, a variable display member having the identification information attached to a surface thereof, a motor serving as a drive source for the variable display member, the motor and the variable display member And a storage unit for storing the display unit, and a connection portion is provided in the storage case to enable connection between the display units. The apparatus is characterized in that the apparatus is configured. With this configuration, by connecting an arbitrary number of display units, the number of symbol rows can be variously set. For this reason, it is possible to configure various variable display devices according to the number of connected display units, and thus to provide a variable display device with excellent versatility and to reduce the development cost. it can.

In a second aspect of the present invention, a positioning portion for positioning the display units is provided on the housing. With this configuration, the display units can be easily connected to each other, and the variable display members can be arranged at the reliable juxtaposed positions.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the display units are connected, and a common relay board is attached to the plurality of the display units. With this configuration, even if the variable display device is configured from a plurality of display units, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of relay boards, so that the cost can be reduced and
The assembling work can be facilitated.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the display units are connected, and a relay board for the plurality of display units is attached to a portion other than a contact surface between the display units. . With this configuration, the relay board can be attached and detached while the display units are connected to each other, and the detachability of the relay board can be improved.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the connection unit is provided in the housing so that the display units can be connected to each other in both vertical and horizontal directions. With this configuration, the connection direction of the display units can be further diversified, so that the versatility of the variable display device can be further improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a ball game machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a side view showing a variable display device, and FIG. 2B is a front view showing the variable display device.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing upper and central drum display units.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an upper drum display unit.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a drum display unit.

FIG. 6A is a side view illustrating a variable display device according to a second embodiment, and FIG. 6B is a front view illustrating the variable display device according to the second embodiment.

FIGS. 7A to 7C are explanatory views showing a drum display unit according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 8A is an explanatory diagram showing a rotary drum and a drum motor according to a fourth embodiment, and FIG. 8B is an explanatory diagram showing a modification of the fourth embodiment; FIG. 4C is an explanatory diagram showing a step angle of the drum motor in the first to third embodiments.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 ball game machine (game machine) 40 game board 41/41 'variable display device 50a-50b drum display unit (display unit) 51a-51c rotating drum (variable display member) 60 drum housing (storage housing) 61 drum Storage space 68 Stop hole (connection part) 69a Connection hole (connection part) 70 Fitting piece (positioning part) 71 Fitting groove (positioning part) 80a to 80c Drum mounting board 82 Relay board 84 Drum motor (motor) 85 Drum lamp 86 Connector 87 Drum Cover 88 Drum Sensor 90/90 'Relay Board 92/93 Connector 100a-100c Covering Member 101 Depression 102 Mounting Piece 109 Wiring 110 Game Control Board 120a / 120b Drum Display Unit 121 Drum Housing 122 Fitting Piece (Positioning part) 122a Mounting hole (connecting part) 123 fitting recess (positioning portion) 123a mounting hole (connection portion)

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A gaming machine comprising a variable display device capable of variably displaying identification information and generating a specific gaming state when a display result of the identification information becomes a predetermined specific display result, wherein the identification information A display unit comprising: a variable display member having a surface attached to the surface thereof; a motor serving as a drive source for the variable display member; and a housing housing the motor and the variable display member. Wherein the display unit is connected to each other by providing a connection portion, and the variable display device is configured by connecting the display unit singly or plurally. 2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein a positioning portion for positioning the display units is provided in the housing. 3. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the display units are connected, and a common relay board is attached to the plurality of the display units. 4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the display units are connected, and a relay board for the plurality of display units is attached to a portion other than a contact surface between the display units. The gaming machine described in Crab. 5. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is provided on the housing so that the display units can be connected in both vertical and horizontal directions.