KR100902716B1 - Field unit of game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a field unit of a game machine capable of efficiently performing maintenance management of a lower running surface on which an autonomous body is installed. In the field unit 11 of the game machine which has the lower running surface 18 which the self-propelled body 30 runs, and the upper traveling surface 19 which the model 31 which follows the independent body 30 runs, the lower end, The upper running surface 19 is provided in the upper structure 15 which combines the running surface 18 with the lower structure 14 so that the lower structure 14 can be raised and lowered, and the upper structure 15 is a lifting drive apparatus. It raises and lowers by 21.

Independent, top driving surface, bottom driving surface, field unit, lifting drive

Description

Field unit of game machine {FIELD UNIT OF GAME MACHINE}

The present invention relates to a field unit of a game machine having a lower running surface and an upper running surface.

By arranging the self-propelled body and the model on the lower running surface and the upper running surface provided in the field unit, respectively, and pulling the autonomous body and the model by magnetic force, the model is drawn by pulling the self-propelled body and the model on the lower driving surface. Background Art A game machine that runs on a self-propelled body is known (see Patent Document 1, for example). In this type of game machine, the lower run surface is provided with a guide line, a measurement line, or the like serving as an index for controlling the traveling direction or the progress of the autonomous body.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-38841

In the game machine described above, since an error occurs in the running control of the main body due to contamination of the lower driving surface or adhesion of foreign matter, the lower driving surface needs to be periodically inspected and cleaned as necessary. However, in the structure in which the upper traveling surface is disposed above the lower traveling surface, the lower traveling surface is hidden, and thus the maintenance management work cannot be efficiently performed. In the case where the feed surface for the autonomous body is provided on the back side of the upper running surface, the same problem occurs for maintenance management of the feed surface.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a field unit of a game machine capable of efficiently performing maintenance management of a lower running surface on which an autonomous body is installed.

The field unit of the game machine of the present invention is a field unit of a game machine having a lower running surface on which an autonomous body travels and an upper driving surface on which a model following the autonomous body travels, and a lower structure provided with the lower driving surface, and The above-mentioned subject is solved by providing the upper structure with which the lower structure was provided so that the lower structure was provided, and the upper driving surface and the lift drive device for raising and lowering the upper structure.

According to the field unit of the present invention, by elevating the upper structure by the elevating drive device, the space between the rear side of the upper driving surface and the lower driving surface is enlarged, thereby improving access to the lower driving surface. can do. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently perform maintenance management work on the lower running surface.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the upper structure is provided with a feed surface 20 facing the lower running surface, and the self-supporting body is in contact with the feed surface in a state where the upper structure is lowered. The downward movement range may be set. According to this embodiment, the feeding surface is brought into contact with the autonomous body by lowering the upper structure, so that the feeding to the autonomous body can be performed reliably, while the maintenance of the lower running surface is related to the height dimension of the autonomous body. Without generating enough space between the lower running surface and the feed surface, the lower running surface and the feed surface can be easily inspected or cleaned.

In one embodiment of the present invention, in the state where the upper structure is raised, the upper structure is moved upward so that a space in which an operator can at least put the upper body is formed between the lower running surface and the feed surface. A range may be set. By raising the upper structure to this extent, an operator can put his / her body to the inside (inside) of the lower running surface and inspect or clean the lower running surface.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the elevating drive device includes a hydraulic cylinder provided between the lower structure and the upper structure in a vertical direction in an operation direction, and a hydraulic pressure generating device for supplying hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic cylinder. You may provide it. By using a hydraulic cylinder as an actuator for elevating the upper structure, the elevating drive device can be configured relatively simply.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the lift drive devices are provided at intervals around the field unit, and each of the plurality of hydraulic pressures is provided between the lower structure and the upper structure in an operation direction toward the vertical direction. You may be provided with the cylinder and the oil pressure generator which supplies oil_pressure | hydraulic with respect to each hydraulic cylinder. By providing a plurality of hydraulic cylinders around the field unit, the upper structure can be raised and lowered smoothly even in a large field unit.

In one embodiment of the present invention, each of the lower structure and the upper structure may be divided into the same number of sub units, and in this case, the hydraulic cylinder may be provided for each sub unit. As a result, the force of the hydraulic cylinder can be uniformly distributed with respect to the subunit, and the burden applied to the connecting portion of the subunit at the time of lifting can be reduced.

In one embodiment of the present invention, an adjuster in which a cylinder tube of the hydraulic cylinder is provided in any one of the lower structure and the upper structure, and the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder gives play to the other structure. It may be connected to the other structure via a device. By using such an adjuster apparatus, a plurality of hydraulic cylinders can be operated without mutual interference, and the upper structure can be raised and lowered smoothly.

As described above, according to the field unit of the present invention, by elevating the upper structure by the elevating drive device, the space between the rear surface side of the upper driving surface and the lower driving surface is enlarged, whereby the lower driving Since the accessibility to the surface can be improved, it is possible to efficiently perform maintenance management work on the lower traveling surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The figure which shows schematic structure of the game system in which the game machine of one embodiment of the present invention is assembled.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the field unit when the stage is rising.

3 is a side view of the field unit when the stage is rising;

4 is a perspective view of the field unit when the stage is descending.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the field unit when the stage is descending.

6 is an exploded perspective view of the field unit.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state where the indentation of FIG. 2 is viewed from below; FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a cross section of the ceiling plate provided in the field unit, and a self-propelled vehicle and a model running through their running surfaces. FIG.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a guide line and a magnetic measurement line provided on the lower running surface.

10 is a plan view of the main circuit provided on the lower running surface.

11 is an enlarged view of a corner section of the main circuit.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the autonomous body.

Figure 13 is a bottom view of the self-propelled body.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 13; FIG.

Fig. 15 is an enlarged front view of the line sensor.

Fig. 16 is an enlarged bottom view of the line sensor.

Fig. 17A is a diagram showing the relationship between the output of the magnetic sensor and the magnetic measurement line in the case where the autonomous body is traveling in a straight section, and shows the relation between the magnetic sensor and the magnetic measurement line.

Fig. 17B is a diagram showing the relationship between the output of the magnetic sensor and the magnetic measurement line in the case where the autonomous body is traveling in a straight line section, showing the output of each detection unit of the magnetic sensor.

Fig. 18A is a diagram showing the relationship between the output of the magnetic sensor and the magnetic measurement line when the autonomous body is traveling in lanes other than the innermost circumference of the corner section, and shows the relation between the magnetic sensor and the magnetic measurement line.

Fig. 18B is a diagram showing the relationship between the output of the magnetic sensor and the magnetic measurement line when the autonomous body is traveling in lanes other than the innermost circumference of the corner section, and shows the output of each detection unit of the magnetic sensor.

19 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system of a game machine.

20 is a block diagram showing a control system provided in a self-propelled vehicle.

Fig. 21 is a diagram showing the concept of control regarding the progress of the self-propelled vehicle, the position and the direction of the transverse direction.

22 is a functional block diagram of a self-propelled vehicle control apparatus.

Fig. 23 is a flowchart showing a procedure of progress management in the progress management unit.

Fig. 24 is a flowchart showing a calculation procedure of a target speed in the target speed calculating section.

Fig. 25 is a diagram showing the relationship between the inversion count number, the inversion reference time, the remaining time, and the lack of progress.

Fig. 26 is a flowchart showing a procedure of direction management in the direction management unit.

Fig. 27 is a flowchart showing the calculation procedure of the direction correction amount in the direction correction amount calculating section.

Fig. 28 is a flowchart showing the procedure of lane management in the lane management unit.

Fig. 29 is a diagram showing the correspondence relationship between the positional deviation of the line sensor with respect to the guide line and the output of the line sensor.

30 is a flowchart showing the calculation procedure of the lane correction amount in the lane correction amount calculation unit;

Fig. 31 is a flowchart showing a procedure of checking the line width in the line width inspection unit.

32 is a flowchart showing a procedure for transmitting line width inspection data from the self-propelled vehicle control device to the main control device.

33 is a flowchart showing a procedure of line width inspection data management in the main control apparatus;

34 is a flowchart showing a procedure of running surface check management in the main control apparatus;

35 is a diagram showing an example of a traveling surface check screen;

Fig. 36 is a flowchart showing processing in maintenance mode in the main control apparatus;

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a game system in which a game machine of one embodiment of the present invention is assembled. The game system 1 is for executing a horse racing game, and includes a plurality of game machines 2A, 2B, 2C, a center server 3, a maintenance server 4, and connected to each other via a communication network 6; And the maintenance client 5. Each of game machines 2A to 2C in game system 1 has the same configuration. Therefore, hereinafter, the game machine 2 is referred to when there is no need to distinguish in particular. In addition, although three game machines 2 are shown in FIG. 1, the number of game machines 2 included in the game system is not limited to this.

The center server 3 mainly processes data relating to a game in response to a request of the game machine 2. The maintenance server 4 stores and manages data relating to maintenance, such as error log information of the game system 1, in the maintenance storage unit 4a which is its own storage unit. The reward client 5 is installed in, for example, a maintenance service unit that centrally manages the rewards of the game system 1 and maintains the game system 1 using data stored in the reward storage unit 4a. Analyze or interpret the data. The Internet is used as the communication network 6 as an example.

The game machine 2 is installed at a store and is configured as a commercial game machine that plays a game in exchange with economic value. The housing (game machine body) 10 of the game machine 2 includes a field unit 11, a plurality of station units 12... 12 arranged to surround the field unit 11, and a field unit 11. The monitor unit 13 arrange | positioned at one end is provided. The field unit 11 provides the running surfaces 18 and 19 for each of the self-propelled vehicle (main body) 30 and the model 31 of the racehorse shown in FIG. On the field unit 11, a plurality of self-propelled vehicles 30 and a model 31 are provided, and a race game is realized as they compete. The station unit 12 accommodates various operations of the player with respect to the horse racing game, and also supplies the organic value to the player and the like. The monitor unit 13 has a main monitor 13a for displaying game information and the like.

2 is a perspective view of the field unit 11, and FIG. 3 is a side view thereof. As shown in these figures, the field unit 11 includes a base 14 as a lower structure and a stage 15 as an upper structure to be covered over the base 14. Both the base 14 and the stage 15 are frame structures in which steel materials are combined. Top plates 16 and 17 are mounted on the upper surfaces of the base 14 and the stage 15, respectively. On the upper surface of the top plate 16 of the base 14, a lower running surface 18 on which the self-driving car 30 travels is provided. On the other hand, the upper surface of the top plate 17 of the stage 15 is provided with an upper running surface 19 on which the model 31 travels, and on the lower surface of the ceiling plate 17 the feed surface 20 for the self-propelled vehicle 30. This is provided.

The stage 15 is provided so that the base 14 can be lifted and lowered. 2 and 3 show a state in which the stage 15 is raised. 4 and 5 show the state where the stage 15 is lowered. 4 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a side view corresponding to FIG. The lifting range of the stage 15 is as follows. As shown in Fig. 5, the space SP is provided between the lower running surface 18 and the power feeding surface 20 while the stage 15 is lowered until it is in contact with the supporting portion 14a of the base 14. ) Is empty. The height Hd (see FIG. 5) of the space SP at this time is a value suitable for accommodating the self-propelled vehicle 30. On the other hand, the height Hu (see FIG. 3) of the space SP when the stage 15 is raised is expanded to the extent that an operator can at least put the upper body in the space SP. As a target, the height Hu may be secured to 400 mm or more. In addition, for convenience of loading and unloading of the field unit 11, as shown in Fig. 6, the base 14 and the stage 15 are each of three sub-units 14A to 14C and 15A to 15C in the front-rear direction. Can be divided into The ceiling plate 16 of the base 14 is divided into three parts in accordance with the sub units 14A to 14C. The sub units 14A to 14C are joined to each other by connecting means such as, for example, a bolt. The same applies to the sub units 15A to 15C.

2 and 3, the field unit 11 is provided with a stage drive device (elevation drive device) 21 for driving the stage 15 in the vertical direction. The stage drive device 21 includes a plurality of hydraulic cylinders (actuators) 22 arranged at appropriate intervals around the field unit 11, and a hydraulic pressure generating device as a power source for supplying hydraulic pressure to each hydraulic cylinder 22. (23) is provided. The hydraulic cylinder 22 is provided with the piston rod 22a facing upwards. The number of the hydraulic cylinders 22 is provided six in total, one on each side of each of the sub units 14A to 14C. However, the number is not limited to this. At least one hydraulic cylinder 22 may be disposed in each of the sub units 14A to 14C. As shown in FIG. 7, the cylinder tube 22b of the hydraulic cylinder 22 is fixed to the base 14, and the tip end of the piston rod 22a is connected to the stage 15 through the adjuster device 24. As shown in FIG. It is. Therefore, the stage 15 is raised by supplying hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic cylinder 22 to extend the piston rod 22a.

The adjuster apparatus 24 is equipped with the adjuster 24a fixed to the front-end | tip part of the piston rod 22a, and the adjuster support part 24b fixed to the stage 15. As shown in FIG. The adjuster 24a is inserted into the adjuster support part 24b with some play without being fixed to the adjuster support part 24b. Therefore, the core shift of the piston rod 22a at the time of the operation of the hydraulic cylinder 22 is permissible, and the several hydraulic cylinders 22 are operated without interference with each other, and the stage 15 is raised and lowered smoothly. You can. The oil pressure generating device 23 is driven by electric power supplied to the game machine 2 to generate oil pressure suitable for the oil pressure cylinder 22. The operation of the hydraulic pressure generating device 23 is controlled by the main control device 100 (see FIG. 19) for managing the overall operation of the game machine 2.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing cross sections of the ceiling plates 16 and 17, and the self-propelled vehicle 30 and the model 31 that travel their running surfaces 18 and 19. As shown in FIG. The top plate 16 of the base 14 is made of a white resin plate, and a line sheet 32 is provided on the lower running surface 18 of the upper surface thereof, and a magnet (permanent magnet) 33 is provided on the lower surface thereof, respectively. It is. As shown in FIG. 9, the line seat 32 is for forming the some guide line 34 for inducing the self-propelled vehicle 30 on the lower running surface 18. As shown in FIG. The guide line 34 is colored in a color (for example, black) having a contrast in the visible region with respect to the background color (white) of the top plate 16. The width Wg of the guide line 34 is 1/2 of the pitch (interval) Pg of each of the guide lines 34, and is, for example, Wg = 6 mm and Pg = 12 mm. As shown in FIG. 10, the induction line 34 is provided so that the main circuit 35 may be formed. The main circuit 35 is configured by connecting a straight section 35a in which the guide line 34 extends in parallel to each other, and a corner section 35b in which the guide line 34 curves in a semicircular shape. In either of the straight section 35a and the corner section 35b, the width Wg and the pitch PTg of the guide line 34 are constant. The center of curvature CC of the guide line 34 in the corner section 35b coincides with each other.

In the game machine 2, the guide line 34 is positioned as an index indicating the lane of the main circuit 35. For example, the guide line 34 of the innermost circumference corresponds to the first lane, hereinafter referred to as the second lane, the third lane, and the like. As such, the guide line 34 and the lane number correspond to each other. The game machine 2 identifies the position of the autonomous vehicle 30 in the crossing direction (direction orthogonal to the guideline 34) of the main circuit 35 by the lane number. The self-propelled vehicle 30 controls its operation so as to travel along the guide line 34 corresponding to the current lane, unless a change of lane is instructed from the main control device 100. In addition, although the number of the guide lines 34 is six in FIG. 10, the number may be appropriately changed according to the number of horses used in the horse racing game or the like.

As shown in Fig. 9, the magnets 33 are alternately arranged side by side with the S pole and the N pole. In the straight section 35a, the magnet 33 is in the shape of a band extending in the transverse direction, and in the corner section 35b is a fan-shaped spreading toward the outer circumference. As a result, a plurality of magnetic measurement lines 36 extending in the transverse direction of the main circuit 35 at the boundary position between the S pole and the N pole are provided on the lower running surface 18. It is formed repeatedly along the longitudinal direction. The magnetic measuring line 36 is used as an index indicating the position or progress of the self-propelled vehicle 30 in the main circuit 35. In other words, in the game machine 2, the main circuit (by the number of the magnetic measuring lines 36) is determined based on a specific position (for example, the position Pref in FIG. 10) on the main circuit 35. The progress of the self-propelled vehicle 30 in the longitudinal direction of 35 is managed. For example, when the self-propelled vehicle 30 is located on the 100th magnetic measurement line 36 from the reference position Pref, the progress of the self-propelled vehicle 30 is recognized by the game machine 2 as 100.

The pitch (interval) of the magnetic measurement line 36 in the straight section 35a is set to a constant value PTm. Hereinafter, this pitch PTm is called a reference pitch. As shown in Fig. 11, the pitch of the magnetic measuring line 36 in the corner section 35b is based on the pitch PTin of the magnetic measuring line 36 in the guide line 34 of the inner circumference. It is set to match the pitch PTm. Therefore, the pitch of the magnetic measurement line 36 in the corner section 35b expands toward the outer periphery. As an example, when the reference pitch PTm is 8 mm, the pitch (maximum pitch) PTout in the outermost guide line 34 is approximately 30 mm.

As shown in Fig. 10, an absolute position indicating device 37 is provided at an appropriate position of the main circuit 35 (vertical positions of both ends of the straight section 35a and of the corner section 35b in the illustrated example). As shown in FIG. 8, the absolute position indicating device 37 includes an indicator light 38 arranged on the lower surface of the ceiling plate 18. An infrared LED that emits infrared light is used for the indicator light 38. As shown in FIG. 9, one indicator light 38 is provided on the lower surface of each induction line 34, and in one indicator device 37, the indicator light 38 is the transverse direction of the main circuit 35. As shown in FIG. Are arranged. An opening is provided in each of the ceiling plate 18 and the magnet 33 just above the indicator lamp 38. In addition, the guide line 34 is comprised by the IR ink which permeate | transmits infrared light at least just above the indicator light 38. As shown in FIG.

The position of the indicator lamp 38 in the longitudinal direction of the main circuit 35 is set to a gap between the magnetic measuring lines 36. Infrared light emitted from each indicator 38 of the absolute position indicating device 37 is superimposed with data indicating the absolute position of the indicator 38 on the main circuit 35 and the lane number. That is, the absolute position indicating device 37 functions as a means for providing information indicating the absolute position and the lane in the main circuit 35, respectively. In this case, the absolute position of the indicator lamp 38 may correspond to the magnitude using the magnetic measuring line 36. For example, the position of the absolute position indicating device 37 located at the reference position Pref is set to zero intensity, and the 100th magnetic measurement line 36 and the 101st line therefrom in the clockwise (or counterclockwise) direction. The intensity 100 may be sent out as positional information from the indicator lamp 38 disposed between the magnetic measuring line 36. However, the number of the absolute position indicating device 37 from the reference position Pref is sent out from the indicator light 38 as position information, and the number of the absolute position indicating device 37 is determined using the internal table of the game machine 2. You may make it substitute with an intensity.

As shown in FIG. 8, the self-propelled vehicle 30 is disposed between the lower running surface 18 and the power feeding surface 20, and the model 31 is disposed on the upper traveling surface 19. The magnet 40 is disposed above the self-propelled vehicle 30. The model 31 stands on the upper running surface 19 via the wheel 31a, but does not have an independent driving means, and is pulled by the magnet 40 of the autonomous vehicle 30 to the autonomous vehicle 30. The upper driving surface 19 is driven to follow the self-propelled vehicle 30. That is, the running of the model 31 in the upper running surface 19 is realized through the running control of the self-propelled vehicle 30.

12 to 14 show details of the self-propelled vehicle 30. 12 and 13 correspond to the front-rear direction of the self-propelled vehicle 30. 12 and 13 correspond to the front of the self-propelled vehicle 30. As shown in Fig. 12, the self-propelled vehicle 30 includes a lower unit 41A and an upper unit 41B. As shown in Fig. 13, the lower unit 41A includes a pair of drive wheels 42 for frequently driving the lower running surface 18, and a pair of motors 43 for driving the drive wheels 42 independently of each other. And auxiliary wheels 44F and 44R disposed at the front end 30a and the rear end 30b of the self-propelled vehicle 30, respectively. The self-propelled vehicle 30 can change the moving direction by giving a difference to the rotational speed of the motor 43. Four guide shafts 45 extending in the vertical direction are provided in the lower unit 41A, and the upper unit 41B is provided so as to be able to move up and down along the guide shaft 45. A coil spring 46 is provided on the guide shaft 45, and the wheel 47 and the feed brush 48 of the upper unit 41B are pressed against the feed surface 20 by the repulsive force of the coil spring 46. Pressed upwards as much as possible. When the power feeding brush 48 is in contact with the power feeding surface 20, electric power is applied to the self-propelled vehicle 30 from the housing 10. 12 shows that the stage 15 is in the lowered state, and when the stage 15 is raised, the feed surface 20 is sufficiently spaced apart from the feed brush 48 or the like.

As shown in Fig. 12, the auxiliary wheel 44F on the front side of the lower unit 41A is disposed slightly biased upward with respect to the drive wheel 42. As shown in Figs. In addition, although the auxiliary wheels 49F and 49R are provided before and after the upper unit 41B, the auxiliary wheel 49R on the rear side is disposed slightly biased downward than the wheel 47. Therefore, the self-propelled vehicle 30 can swing in the vertical direction with the driving wheel 42 as an axis, and the swing is transmitted to the model 31 through the magnet 40. In this way, the race horse is shown swinging up and down.

As shown in FIG. 13, a line sensor 50, an absolute position detection sensor 51, and a magnetic sensor 52 are provided on the lower surface of the self-propelled vehicle 30. As shown in FIG. The line sensor 50 is provided to detect the induction line 34, the absolute position detection sensor 51 is installed to detect the emitted light of the indicator lamp 38, and the magnetic sensor 52 is a magnetic measurement line ( 36) is installed to detect.

The line sensor 50 is provided with a pair of light emitting parts 53 which are provided symmetrically at the front end part 30a of the self-propelled vehicle 30, and the light receiving part 54 arrange | positioned between these light emitting parts 53. As shown in FIG. Doing. The light emitting unit 53 irradiates visible light in a predetermined wavelength region toward the lower running surface 18, and the light receiving unit 54 receives the reflected light from the lower traveling surface 18. The detection wavelength region of the light receiving portion 54 is limited to the wavelength region of the visible light emitted from the light emitting portion 53 so as not to falsely detect the emitted light of the indicator lamp 38. 15 and 16 show the details of the line sensor 50. The light emitting part 53 is provided symmetrically with respect to the center plane CP which bisects the self-propelled vehicle 30 in the left-right direction, and each exit direction is inclined inward.

The light receiving unit 54 travels at the lower end formed by the sensor array 55 provided to extend equally in the left and right directions of the self-propelled vehicle 30 with the center surface CP interposed therebetween, and the reflected light from the lower traveling surface 18. The imaging lens 56 which forms the image of the surface 18 on the sensor array 55 is provided. The sensor array 55 is formed by arranging a plurality of CMOS light-receiving elements in a row, for example, and has a finer resolution than the width Wg of the guide line 34 in terms of the luminance distribution in the left and right directions of the independent vehicle 30. Detects with The resolution is set to detect, for example, the width 1.5 times the pitch PTg of the guide line 34 by 128 dots. In other words, when the center plane CP is located at the center of the width direction of the guide line 34, the area comprised by the guide line 34 and the blank part adjacent to this is made into a detection area, and the detection area is made into the detection area. The resolution of the sensor array 55 is set to detect with a resolution of 128 dots. For example, when the pitch PTg of the guide line 34 is 12 mm, the detection width by the surface sensor array 55 is 18 mm, and a luminance distribution is detected by the resolution of 0.14 mm per dot.

The imaging lens 56 is provided to separate the sensor array 55 upward from the lower running surface 18. The reason for this is to suppress the influence of fluctuations in the vertical direction of the self-propelled vehicle 30 caused by the displacement of the positions of the auxiliary wheels 44F and 44R on the detection accuracy of the luminance distribution.

As shown in FIG. 13, the absolute position detection sensor 51 is provided with the light receiving part 58 arrange | positioned on the center surface CP of the self-propelled vehicle 30. As shown in FIG. The absolute position detection sensor 51 receives the infrared light transmitted from the indicator lamp 38 and outputs a signal corresponding to the absolute position and lane number included in the infrared light.

The magnetic sensor 52 is provided with the some detection part 60 arrange | positioned at the fixed pitch PTms in the front-back direction of the self-propelled vehicle 30. As shown in FIG. In addition, the detection part 60 is counted from the front end part 30a of the self-propelled vehicle 30, and is # 1 detection part, # 2 detection part, as follows. There is a thing to distinguish. Each detection part 60 detects the magnetism in the lower running surface 18, and outputs the signal corresponding to S pole and N pole, respectively. For example, the detection unit 60 outputs a low signal when the S pole is detected and a high signal when the N pole is detected. Therefore, the magnetic measurement line 36 can be detected by the inversion of the signal of each detection part 60. Thereby, the magnetic sensor 52 functions as a measurement line detection means. As shown in FIG. 17A, the number of detection units 60 and the pitch PTms in the front-rear direction thereof are related to the reference pitch PTm of the magnetic measurement line 36. As shown in FIG. In other words, the pitch PTms of the detection unit 60 is set to 1/2 of the reference pitch PTm of the magnetic measurement line 36. In other words, the reference pitch PTm is twice the pitch PTms of the detection unit 60. The number of the detection parts 60 is set so that the product of the number and the pitch PTms of the detection part 60 may become larger than the pitch (maximum pitch) PTout in the outermost periphery of the corner section 35b. In the illustrated example, the reference pitch PTm is 8 mm, the maximum pitch PTout is 30 mm, the pitch PTms of the detection section is set to 4 mm, and the number of the detection sections 60 is set to eight.

The magnetic sensor 52 when the magnetic sensor 52 is traveling at a speed Vact along the guide line 34 of the straight section 35a or the guide line 34 of the first lane of the corner section 35b. An example of an output signal is shown in Fig. 17B. At time t1, the # 1 detector 60 reaches the magnetic measurement line 36 and its output signal inverts from low to high, and at time t3 the # 1 detector 60 reaches the next magnetic measurement line 36. Assume that the output signal is inverted from high to low. In this case, at time t2 between the times t1 to t3, the output signal of the # 2 detection unit 60 inverts from low to high. The output signal of the # 3 detector 60 is inverted from low to high at time t3, but since the pitch PTms is 1/2 of the reference pitch PTm, the output signal of the # 1 detector 60 is also inverted at the same time. do. Therefore, in the case of Fig. 17B, the magnitude or speed of the self-propelled vehicle 30 can be controlled at a resolution of 1/2 of the reference pitch PTm using only the output signals of the # 1 and # 2 detection units 60. It is not necessary to use the output signal of the detector 60 after # 3. For example, the current velocity Vact of the autonomous vehicle 30 is calculated by dividing the pitch PTms of the detectors 60 by the inversion time intervals t1 to t2 and t2 to t3 of the output signals of the detectors 60. When controlling the driving of the self-propelled vehicle 30 based on the difference between the current speed Vact and the target speed required in the game, only output signals of the # 1 and # 2 detection units 60 may be used.

By the way, when the self-propelled vehicle 30 is traveling in lanes other than the first lane in the corner section 35b, the pitch of the magnetic measuring line 36 is larger than the reference pitch PTm. different. An example thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. 18A and 18B. In Fig. 18A, the self-driving car 30 travels at a speed Vact along the guide line 34 of the second lane or the lane outside the corner section 35b, and measures the magnetic measurement in that lane. Assume that the pitch of line 36 is PTx (where Pm < PTx &lt; PTout). In this case, as shown in Fig. 18B, from the time t1 at which the # 1 detection unit 60 reaches the magnetic measurement line 36 and its output signal is inverted from low to high, it goes to the next magnetic measurement line 36. The time intervals t1 to t6 from time t6 at which the # 1 detection unit 60 arrives and the output signal is inverted from high to low extend by an enlargement of the pitch PTx. On the other hand, the time intervals t1 to t2 between the time t2 and the time t1 at which the output signal of the # 2 detector 60 inverts from low to high are the same as in the case of Fig. 17B. Therefore, the latter becomes large when the time intervals of the times t1 to t2 and the time intervals of the times t2 to t6 are compared. Therefore, if the current speed Vact of the autonomous vehicle 30 is calculated from the inversion time intervals of the output signals of the # 1 and # 2 detection units 60 and the pitch PTms of the detection unit 60, the speed obtained in the latter is Since the precondition of PTms = PTm / 2 is not satisfied, an error is included, and using this, the speed of the autonomous vehicle 30 is incorrectly controlled.

On the other hand, in Fig. 18B, between the times t1 to t6, the # 2 to # 5 detection units 60 sequentially reach the same magnetic measurement lines 36, and the output signals are inverted at the times t2 to t5. Each time interval at the times t2 to t5 corresponds to a value obtained by dividing the pitch PTms of the detection unit 60 by the current speed Vact. Therefore, in the case of Fig. 18B, if the current speed Vact is detected by using the output signal of the detectors 60 of # 1 to # 5, the above-described speed detection error does not occur. In order to enable such a speed detection in all lanes, as described above, the product of the number of the detection units 60 and the pitch PTms is the maximum of the magnetic measurement line 36 in the outermost circumference of the corner section 35b. It may be set larger than the pitch PTout. In the above example, since the pitch PTms of the detector 60 is 4 mm and the maximum pitch PTout of the magnetic measuring line 36 is 30 mm, the condition is satisfied when the number of the detectors 60 is set to eight. do.

Next, the control system of the game machine 2 is demonstrated. 19 shows a schematic configuration of the control system of the game machine 2. The game machine 2 includes a main control device 100 that controls the overall operation of the game device 2, and a plurality of communication units for communicating information between the main control device 100 and the self-propelled vehicle 30. 101 and a relay device 102 that relays between the communication unit 101 and the main control device 100. The main control apparatus 100 is comprised by a personal computer, for example. The main control device 100 controls the progress or development of the horse racing game executed by the game machine 2 according to a predetermined game program, and instructs the progress or lane of each autonomous vehicle 30 through the communication unit 101. do. For example, the progress and lane number at which the self-driving vehicle 30 arrives after a predetermined unit time are instructed from the main control device 100 to each self-driving vehicle 30. As described above, the magnitude is a value expressed by the number of magnetic measurement lines 36 from the reference position Pref in FIG. The self-propelled vehicle 30 is individually managed by assigning numbers # 1, # 2, ....

In addition, the main control device 100 exchanges information between the center server 3 and the maintenance server 4 via the network 6 shown in FIG. The relay device 102 can be configured by, for example, a switching hub. As shown in FIG. 10, the communication units 101 are arranged at regular intervals around the main circuit 35. Although the number of the communication units 101 is ten in the example of illustration, the number may be changed suitably as long as the communication unit 101 can cover the whole periphery of the main circuit 35. The communication between the communication unit 101 and the self-propelled vehicle 30 may use radio waves or may use infrared rays.

20 shows a control system provided in the self-propelled vehicle 30. The control system of the self-propelled vehicle 30 includes a self-propelled vehicle control apparatus 110. The self-propelled vehicle control device 110 is configured as a computer unit having a microprocessor, and controls the traveling control of the self-propelled vehicle 30 or the communication control with the main control device 100 in accordance with a predetermined self-propelled vehicle control program. Run The line sensor 50, the absolute position detection sensor 51, and the magnetic sensor 52 described above are connected to the self-propelled vehicle control device 110 via an interface (not shown) as an input device for driving control. In addition, the gyro sensor 111 is also connected to the independent vehicle control device 110 as an input device. The gyro sensor 111 is embedded in the self-propelled vehicle 30 to detect the posture of the self-propelled vehicle 30, in other words, the direction in which the self-propelled vehicle 30 faces. The gyro sensor 111 detects the angular acceleration of the rotation of the pivot axis of the self-driving vehicle 30 (for example, the vertical axis passing through the intersection of the axis of the drive wheel 42 and the center plane CP), and the angular acceleration is 2 Integration is performed once and converted into an angle change amount, and this is output to the autonomous vehicle control device 110. However, the angular acceleration may be output from the gyro sensor 111, and the conversion to the angle change amount may be performed by the independent vehicle control device 110.

In addition, a transmitter 112 and a receiver 113 for performing information communication with the communication unit 101 are connected to the autonomous vehicle control apparatus 110 via a communication control circuit 114. As described above, information indicating the target progress and the target lane of the self-propelled vehicle 30 in the game is repeatedly provided from the main control device 100 at regular intervals. The self-propelled vehicle control apparatus 110 calculates the target speed, direction correction amount, etc. of the self-propelled vehicle 30 based on the given target progress and target lanes and the output signals of the various sensors 50 to 52 and 111, Based on these calculation results, the speed instruction VL, VR is given to the motor drive circuit 115. The motor drive circuit 115 controls the drive current or voltage to each motor 43 so that the given speed instructions VL and VR are obtained.

21 shows the concept of running control of the self-propelled vehicle 30 by the self-propelled vehicle control apparatus 110. In FIG. 21, the current magnitude of the self-propelled vehicle 30 is ADcrt, the target magnitude given from the main control device 100 is ADtgt, the lane direction, that is, the direction of the guide line 34 is Dref, and the self-propelled vehicle 30 is shown in FIG. Suppose the heading was Dgyr. The self-propelled vehicle control apparatus 110 reaches the target position Ptgt provided at the intersection of the center line of the target lane and the target progress ADtgt from the current position Pcrt to a predetermined time, Also, at the target position Ptgt, the speed of the motor 43 is controlled so that the direction Dgyr of the autonomous vehicle 30 coincides with the lane direction Dref. That is, the autonomous vehicle control apparatus 110 increases or decreases the driving speed of each motor 43 in accordance with the amount of magnitude ΔAD between the current magnitude ADcrt and the target magnitude ADtgt and at the same time, the current position Pcrt. ), The self-driving vehicle 30 moves in the transverse direction of the main circuit 35 by the lane correction amount ΔYamd given as the distance from the center line of the target lane, and the direction Dgyr of the self-driving vehicle 30 is the target. The speed ratio between the motors 43 is controlled to be corrected by the angle correction amount [Delta] [theta] amd given at the position Ptgt as a deviation amount of the current direction [theta] gyr with respect to the lane direction Dref.

Further, since the magnitude lacking amount ΔAD is given as the number of the magnetic measurement lines 36, the current magnitude ADcrt is subtracted from the target magnitude ADtgt in any case of the straight section 35a and the corner section 35b. Obtained by However, in the corner section 35b, since the distance Ltr corresponding to the insufficient amount of progress ΔAD varies depending on the position of the autonomous vehicle 30 in the transverse direction of the main circuit 35, the speed considering this Control is required. The lane correction amount ΔYamd is determined by the current position Pcrt and the current lane of the self-propelled vehicle 30 from the lane interval Ychg corresponding to the distance between the lane where the self-propelled vehicle 30 currently runs and the target lane. It is calculated | required by subtracting the deviation amount (DELTA) Y. When the target lane coincides with the current lane, that is, when no lane change is indicated, the lane correction amount [Delta] Yamd = [Delta] Y. The lane direction Dref and the autonomous vehicle direction Dgyr use the straight direction from the reference position Pref in FIG. 10 as the absolute reference direction Dabs, and the angles θref and θgyr with respect to the absolute reference direction Dabs. ) Can be specified. Θref = 0 ° or 180 ° in the straight section 35a. In the corner section 35b, the angle formed by the tangential direction of the guide line 34 in the magnitude ADcrt with respect to the absolute reference direction Dabs can be specified as θref. The tangential direction is uniquely determined by the magnitude, and if it is the same magnitude, it is constant regardless of lanes.

22 is a functional block diagram of the self-propelled vehicle control apparatus 110. The self-propelled vehicle control device 110 analyzes the game information provided from the main control device 100 to determine the target progress ADtgt and the target lane of the self-propelled vehicle 30, and the autonomous vehicle control device 110. The value of the progress counter 121 is updated based on the progress counter 121 for storing the current progress ADcrt of the car 30 and the outputs of the absolute position detection sensor 51 and the magnetic sensor 52. At the same time, the progress management unit 122 for calculating the current speed Vact of the self-propelled vehicle 30, the lane counter 123 for storing the lane number currently running by the self-propelled vehicle 30, the line sensor 50, Based on the output of the absolute position detection sensor 51, the lane on which the self-driving car 30 is running is determined, and the value of the lane counter 123 is updated, and the lane misalignment of the self-driving car 30 with respect to the lane is also updated. Gyro storing the lane management unit 124 for detecting the amount ΔY and the angle θgyr indicating the direction of the self-driving vehicle 30. And a counter 125, a gyro sensor 111, the angular direction management unit 126 to update the value of the gyro counter 125 to determine the (θgyr) of the common car 30, the output on the basis of.

In addition, the self-propelled vehicle control apparatus 110 may determine the autonomous vehicle 30 based on the target progress ADtgt, the progress ADcrt stored in the progress counter 121, and the lane number stored in the lane counter 123. A target speed calculating section 127 for calculating a target speed Vtgt, a speed setting section 128 for setting a driving speed of the motor 43 of the self-propelled vehicle 30 based on the target speed Vtgt, The speed FB correction unit 129 for feedback correcting the driving speed according to the difference between the target speed Vtgt and the current speed Vact, and the target lane, the lane number of the lane counter 123, and the lane manager 124 are determined. The lane correction amount calculating unit 130 for calculating the lane correction amount ΔYamd of the autonomous vehicle 30 based on the lane shift amount ΔY of the self-propelled vehicle 30, the progress counter 121, and the gyro counter 125 are provided. Direction for calculating the direction correction amount Δθamd of the independent vehicle 30 based on the magnitude ADtgt and the angle θgyr to be stored, respectively. The correction amount calculating part 131 and the speed ratio setting part 133 which set the speed ratio between the motor 43 based on the lane correction amount (DELTA) Yamd and the direction correction amount (DELTA) (theta) amd are provided. In the speed ratio setting unit 133, the speed instructions VL and VR of the left and right motors 43 are determined, and these instructions are output to the motor drive circuit 115 in FIG. In addition, the self-driving vehicle control apparatus 110 is based on the output of the line sensor 50, the progress ADcrt stored in the progress counter 121, and the direction correction amount Δθamd calculated by the direction correction amount calculation unit 131. A line width inspection unit 136 is provided to inspect the line width of the guide line 34.

Next, the process of each part of the self-propelled vehicle control apparatus 110 is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. 23-30. 23 is a flowchart showing the process of the progress management unit 122. The progress management unit 122 monitors the output of the magnetic sensor 52, manages the progress ADcrt of the progress counter 121, and calculates the current speed Vact of the self-propelled vehicle 30. That is, the progress management part 122 judges whether the output of the # 1 detection part 60 of the magnetic sensor 52 was inverted in the first step S101, and if it is inverted, the value of the progress counter 121 in step S102 ( 1 is added to ADcrt, and 2 is set to the variable m for determining the detection unit number in step S103. When the output of the # 1 detection unit 60 is not inverted, steps S102 and S103 are skipped. In subsequent step S104, it is determined whether the output of the detection part 60 of #m is reversed. When inversion, the flow advances to step S105 to calculate the current speed Vact. The present speed Vact is the pitch PTms of the detection unit 60 when the time interval from the previous output inversion of the detection unit (# m-1) 60 to the output inversion of the current sensor is tact. It is obtained by dividing by the time interval tact (for example, the time intervals t1 to t2 in Fig. 17B). That is, Vact = PTms / tact.

After calculation of the current speed Vact, 1 is added to the variable m in step S106. In subsequent step S107, it is judged whether the absolute position detection sensor 51 detected the absolute position, ie, whether the infrared light from the indicator light 38 was detected, and if not, it returns to step S101. On the other hand, when the absolute position detection sensor 51 detects the infrared light from the indicator lamp 38 in step S107, the magnitude information coded in the infrared light is discriminated, and the determined magnitude and the magnitude of the progress counter 121 ( The progress counter 121 is corrected to coincide with ADcrt, and the flow returns to step S101. When the signal of the detection part 60 of #m is not determined in step S104, step S105 and S106 are skipped and it progresses to step S107.

According to the above process, each time the # 1 detection part 60 measures the magnetic measurement line 36, the value ADcrt of the progress counter 121 increases by one. In addition, the magnitude ADcrt is appropriately corrected by the absolute position detection sensor 51 detecting the signal from the absolute position indicating device 37. Thereby, the position of the self-driving car 30 with respect to the longitudinal direction of the main circuit 35 can be grasped from the value of the progress counter 121. In addition, the current speed Vact of the self-propelled vehicle 30 is calculated whenever the self-propelled vehicle 30 moves by the pitch PTms of the detection unit 60 of the magnetic sensor 52.

24 is a flowchart showing a procedure in which the target speed calculator 127 calculates a target speed. The target speed calculating unit 127 acquires the value ADcrt of the progress counter 121 in the first step S121, and determines whether the progress counter 121 has been updated from the last processing in the next step S122. . If it is not updated, the flow returns to step S121, and if it is updated, the flow proceeds to step S123. In step S123, the amount of progress insufficient amount ΔAD (= ADtgt-ADcrt) is obtained by subtracting the value of the progress counter value ADcrt from the target progress ADtgt. In subsequent step S124, the current lane is acquired from the lane counter 123.

In following step S125, the frequency | count (reversal count number) Nx of the output reversal of the magnetic sensor 52 which is detected until the self-propelled vehicle 30 reaches | attains the next magnitude | number is made into the present magnitude ADcrt and the self-propelled vehicle. The estimation is made based on the lane on which 30 is currently traveling. That is, the value (quotation) obtained by dividing the pitch PTx of the magnetic measurement line 36 between the current magnitude ADcrt and the next magnitude ADcrt + 1 by the pitch PTms of the detector 60 is inverted. It is estimated as the number Nx. In the case where a fraction with a decimal point occurs in the quotient, the integer is made by rounding, rounding, or rounding. The lane number is used to specify the pitch PTx. When the self-propelled vehicle 30 is traveling in the lanes of the innermost circumference of the straight section 35a and the corner section 35b, the reference pitch PTm shown in FIG. 9 is the pitch PTx of the detector 60. On the other hand, when it is determined from the progress ADcrt that the self-propelled vehicle 30 is traveling on the corner section 35b, the pitch PTx corresponding to the lane number may be acquired from data such as a table prepared in advance.

After estimation of the inversion count number Nx, it progresses to step S126 and calculates the inversion reference time tx. As shown in FIG. 25, the remaining time from the current time to the time when the self-driving vehicle 30 reaches the target progress ADtgt is set as Trmn, and the angle of the magnetic sensor 52 within the remaining time Trmn. If the output of the detector 60 is assumed to be sequentially inverted every fixed time tx, the remaining time Trmn is given by the product of the time tx, the inversion count number Nx, and the lack of magnitude ΔAD. . That is, in order for the self-propelled vehicle 30 to reach the target progress ADtgt at the time when the target progress is reached, the self-propelled vehicle 30 is insufficient in magnitude (ΔAD) at a speed at which the output of the detection unit 60 reverses at each time tx. You must run the distance corresponding to. From this relationship, the inversion reference time tx is determined by the quotient [tx = Trmn / (Nx · ΔAD)] obtained by dividing the remaining time Trmn by the product of the inversion count number Nx and the amount of progress insufficient amount ΔAD. Is saved. In other words, when the Nx times of output inversion is detected at each inversion reference time tx, the magnitude advances by one, and when this is repeated a number of times corresponding to the amount of progress insufficient amount ΔAD, the autonomous vehicle 30 is reached at the time of reaching the target magnitude. Reaches the target magnitude ADtgt. In addition, the target progress arrival time can be taken as an example from the main control device 100 of the game machine 2 to a time at which the next target progress and the target lane are given or a time given a constant delay time to the time. However, the time to reach the target progress needs to coincide between all the self-propelled vehicles 30 used in the same race.

Returning to Fig. 24, after calculating the inversion reference time tx, the process proceeds to step S127, where a share obtained by dividing the pitch PTms of the detection unit 60 by the inversion reference time tx is obtained as the target speed Vtgt. . This target speed Vtgt becomes the speed of the self-propelled vehicle 30 necessary for the output of the magnetic sensor 52 to sequentially invert at intervals of the inversion reference time tx. After the target speed Vtgt is obtained in step S127, the flow returns to step S121. Therefore, whenever the value ADcrt of the progress counter is updated, the progress deficit amount ΔAD is updated, and the inversion count number Nx is estimated based on the number of lanes at that time, and the target speed Vtgt is obtained. That is, the target speed Vtgt is updated every time the progress of the self-propelled vehicle 30 advances by one.

As described with reference to Fig. 22, the target speed Vtgt calculated by the target speed calculating section 127 is provided to the speed setting section 128 and the speed FB correcting section 129. The speed setting unit 128 sets the driving speed of the motor 43 so that the given target speed Vtgt is obtained, and the speed FB correcting unit 129 has the target speed Vtgt and the current speed ( The FB correction amount is given according to the difference from Vact). In addition, speed control accuracy, responsiveness, or the like may be enhanced by performing feedback control or feedforward control of the speed by using the derivative value or the integral value of the speed difference.

Fig. 26 is a flowchart showing a procedure in which the direction management unit 126 manages the value of the gyro counter 125. The direction management part 126 acquires the angle change amount which the gyro sensor 111 outputs in the first step S141, and adds or subtracts the angle change amount to the value (theta) gyr of the gyro counter 125 in the following step S142. , The value θgyr of the gyro counter 125 is updated. As a result, the gyro counter 125 frequently stores a value? Gyr indicating the current direction of the car 30. In addition, in order to set the angle [theta] gyr of the gyro counter 125 when the autonomous vehicle 30 is facing the absolute reference direction Dabs to 0 degrees, it is preferable to perform calibration at an appropriate timing. The calibration includes, for example, whether the self-propelled vehicle 30 is traveling in a straight line section 35a from the reference position Pref in parallel with the lane direction, and the progress ADcrt of the progress counter 121 and the line sensor 50. Can be realized on the basis of the output of &lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt;) and reset &lt; / RTI &gt; Such correction may be performed during a race of the horse racing game, or may be performed at an appropriate timing before the race, for example, when the game machine 2 is started.

Fig. 27 is a flowchart showing a procedure in which the direction correction amount calculating section 131 calculates the direction correction amount [Delta] [theta] amd. The direction correction amount calculation unit 131 acquires the value ADcrt of the progress counter in the first step S161, and determines the angle θref in the reference direction from the progress ADcrt in step S162. As described above, the angle θref in the reference direction is uniquely determined corresponding to the magnitude AD, 0 ° or 180 ° in the linear section 35a, and the tangential direction of the guide line 34 in the corner section 35b. to be. If the correspondence between the magnitude AD and the reference direction θref is stored in data such as a table in advance, the reference direction angle θref can be immediately determined from the value ADcrt of the progress counter. In the next step S163, the value? Gyr of the gyro counter 125 is acquired, and in the subsequent step S164, the difference between the angles? Ref and? Gyr is calculated as the direction correction amount ?? amd (see Fig. 21). Thereafter, the flow returns to step S161. The direction correction amount [Delta] [theta] amd obtained here is not only given to the speed ratio setting section 133 but also given to the lane management section 124 and the line width inspection section 136.

28 is a flowchart showing the process of the lane manager 124. The lane manager 124 obtains the lane shift amount ΔY (see FIG. 21) of the self-propelled vehicle 30 with reference to the output of the line sensor 50 and the direction correction amount Δθamd, and the lane shift amount ΔY. Manage the value of the lane counter 123 by using. That is, the lane management unit 124 acquires the direction correction amount Δθamd from the direction correction amount calculation unit 131 in the first step S181, introduces the output of the line sensor 50 in the subsequent step S182, and the lane shift amount ΔY. Is detected. 29 shows an example of the relationship between the output of the line sensor 50 and the lane shift amount ΔY. An analog signal corresponding to the reflected light intensity is output from the line sensor 50, but when this is binarized to an appropriate threshold value, a square wave corresponding to the guide line 34 and the blank portion therebetween is obtained. The number of dots ΔN dot between the center of the detection region of the line sensor 50 and the center (lane center) of the luminance value range corresponding to the guide line 34 from the square wave corresponds to the lane shift amount ΔY. The lane shift amount [Delta] Y can be obtained by multiplying the dot number [Delta] Ndot by the line width per dot. However, when the direction of the self-propelled vehicle 30 is shifted from the reference direction Dref (see FIG. 21), the line sensor 50 also inclines obliquely with respect to the direction orthogonal to the guide line 34, and as a result, The number of dots ΔN dot also increases with the slope. For this reason, it is necessary to obtain the exact lane shift amount (DELTA) Y by multiplying the lane shift amount (DELTA) Y calculated | required from the number of dots (DELTA) Ndot, and the cosa inch (cos (DELTA) amd) of a direction correction amount. This is why the direction correction amount [Delta] [theta] amd is acquired in step S181 of FIG. 29, the width Wg of the guide line 34 is similarly corrected by Δθamd in the number Ndots included in the luminance value range corresponding to the guide line 34 (see Fig. 9). Can be detected.

Returning to Fig. 28, after detecting the lane shift amount [Delta] Y in Step S182, the flow advances to Step S183 to determine whether or not the autonomous vehicle 30 has moved to the next lane. For example, when the lane shift amount ΔY is larger than 1/2 of the pitch PTg of the guide line 34, it can be determined that the self-driving car 30 has moved to the neighboring lane. Alternatively, the distances to the guide lines 34 detected on both sides of the center of the line sensor 50 may be compared in magnitude, and it may be determined that the lane moved when the magnitude relationship is reversed. If it is determined in step S183 that the next lane has been moved, the value of the lane counter 123 is updated to a value corresponding to the next lane. If it is negatively determined in step S183, step S184 is skipped.

In subsequent step S185, it is determined whether the absolute position detection sensor 51 detected the absolute position. If the absolute position is not detected, the flow returns to step S181. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S185 that the absolute position has been detected, the lane number coded in the infrared light from the absolute position indicating device 37 is determined, and the lane counter is made to match the determined lane number and the value of the lane counter 123. The value of (123) is corrected to return to step S181. The lane shift amount [Delta] Y obtained in the above process is provided to the lane correction amount calculation unit 130. The lane shift amount?

30 is a flowchart showing a procedure in which the lane correction amount calculation unit 130 calculates the lane correction amount ΔYamd. The lane correction amount calculation unit 130 acquires the target lane from the game information analysis unit 120 in the first step S201, and acquires the value (the current lane number) of the lane counter 123 in step S202 that follows. In S203, the lane shift amount [Delta] Y is obtained from the lane manager 124. In step S204, it is determined whether the target lane and the current lane match. If there is a match, the process proceeds to step S205, where the lane shift amount? Y is set to the lane correction amount? Yamd, and the flow returns to step S201. On the other hand, if the lanes do not coincide in step S204, the flow advances to step S206, and a value obtained by adding the lane interval Ychg (see Fig. 21) to the lane shift amount ΔY is set as the lane correction amount ΔYamd, and the step is performed. Return to S201. The lane shift amount Ychg is obtained by multiplying the pitch difference PTg (see FIG. 10) of the guide line 34 by the number difference between the target lane and the current lane.

By the process of Fig. 30, the distance in the cross direction in which the self-driving vehicle 30 moves to the target lane is calculated as the lane correction amount [Delta] Yamd. As described in FIG. 22, the calculated lane correction amount [Delta] Yamd is given to the speed ratio setting unit 133. As shown in FIG. The speed ratio setting unit 133 determines the speed ratio generated between the motors 43 on the basis of the given lane correction amount ΔYamd and the direction correction amount Δθamd, and according to the speed ratio, the speed FB correction unit ( The speed command (VL, VR) for the left and right motors 43 is determined by increasing or decreasing the driving speed imparted from 129. At this time, the speed difference according to the speed ratio arises in each motor 43, and speed instruction VL, VR so that the drive speed obtained by combining such speeds may correspond with the drive speed provided from the speed FB correction part 129. ) Is generated. The generated speed instructions VL and VR are given to the motor drive circuit 115 shown in FIG. By the driving circuits 115 driving the motor 43 at the indicated speed, the self-driving vehicle 30 reaches the target progress ADtgt at a predetermined time and the direction Dgyr is the reference direction Dref. Is controlled to match In addition, by using the derivative value, the integral value of the lane correction amount ΔYamd and the direction correction amount Δθamd, and the angular acceleration detected by the gyro sensor 111, the speed ratio is subjected to feedback control or feedforward control to follow the target lane and The control accuracy, response, and the like of the direction correction may be increased.

According to the series of processes described above, whenever the progress of the self-propelled vehicle 30 increases by one, the target speed Vtgt of the self-propelled vehicle 30 is supplied, and in addition, the current speed Vact of the self-propelled vehicle 30 is supplied. ) And the self-propelled vehicle 30 are sequentially calculated every time the distance corresponding to the pitch PTms of the detection unit 60 moves, so that the speed of the self-propelled vehicle 30 can be controlled quickly and with high precision. In addition, since the number of detection units 60 that can cover the maximum pitch (PTms) of the magnetic measuring line 36 is provided in the magnetic sensor 52, the self-driving vehicle 30 is a lane of the corner section 35b. Even when the vehicle is traveling, the current speed Vact can be detected with high resolution according to the pitch PTms regardless of the magnitude of the pitch PTx of the magnetic measurement line 36. Therefore, the error of the speed control using the current speed Vact can be suppressed to be small, and the fluctuation of the speed when the self-driving vehicle 30 is traveling in the corner section 35b can be effectively suppressed.

In addition, since the gyro sensor 111 is provided to detect the direction of the autonomous vehicle 30 and the deviation between the direction and the direction of the target lane is given to the speed ratio setting unit 133 as the direction correction amount Δθamd, Control accuracy is improved compared with the case where the position and direction of the transversal direction of the self-propelled vehicle 30 are controlled based only on the output of the line sensor 50. In addition, by using the output of the gyro sensor 111, the amount of angular change, the change in angular velocity, or the angular acceleration is determined, and their physical quantities are used to control the direction of the autonomous vehicle 30. It is possible to converge on the target lane quickly and to match the direction accurately and quickly with the target direction.

In addition, the direction correction amount [Delta] [theta] amd for the target direction of the self-driving vehicle 30 can be immediately determined from the output of the gyro sensor 111. Therefore, the deviation amount [Delta] Y can be detected accurately using the direction correction amount [Delta] [theta] amd. Therefore, the lane following accuracy of the self-propelled vehicle 30 or the precision of the movement control to the target lane can be improved.

31 is a flowchart showing processing in the line width inspection unit 136. The line width inspection unit 136 acquires the value ADcrt of the progress counter 121 in the first step S221 of FIG. 31, obtains the value of the lane counter 123 in the next step S222, and further in step S223. The direction correction amount [Delta] [theta] amd is obtained. In subsequent step S224, the line width in the current lane is calculated from the output of the line sensor 50. As described in FIG. 29, in order to obtain the line width, the number of dots Ndot is obtained from the output of the line sensor 50, multiplied by the line width per dot, and the correction according to the direction correction amount Δθamd is given. good. In subsequent step S225, it is determined whether the calculated line width is within a predetermined allowable range, and if it is within the allowable range, the flow returns to step S221. On the other hand, if the line width exceeds the allowable range, the flow advances to step S226, and the line width inspection data includes data corresponding to the detected line width as the detection position, that is, the value ADcrt of the progress counter and the value of the lane counter. It stores in the memory | storage device of the autonomous vehicle control apparatus 110, and returns to step S221 after that. The allowable range of the line width is determined in consideration of the occurrence frequency of the driving control error of the self-propelled vehicle 30 caused by the increase or decrease of the line width of the guide line 34 with respect to the original line width Wg. good. For example, if the original width Wg of the guide line 34 is 6 mm and the actual line width is within ± 2 mm, it is acceptable if practical obstacles do not occur in driving control of the self-driving car 30. It is good to set the range to 4-8 mm.

By performing the above process, it is possible to detect the increase or decrease in the apparent width of the guide line 34 due to contamination of the lower running surface 18, mixing of foreign matters, peeling of the guide line 34, and the like. Alternatively, occurrence of linear contamination, damage, or the like that is incorrectly detected as a guide line can also be detected as an abnormality in the line width. Further, using the stored data, it is possible to specify an abnormal part of the line width by the progress and the lane in the main circuit 35. In this embodiment, since the output of the line sensor 50 is referred to in the detection of the lane shift amount ΔY, the determination of the current lane, and the calculation of the lane correction amount ΔYamd, the width of the induction line 34 may be contaminated. In this case, there is a risk of malfunction such as deterioration in followability to the guide line 34 of the self-propelled vehicle 30 and unstable behavior when changing lanes. Regular checks and cleanings are required. The data created by the line width inspection unit 136 can be effectively utilized for such work.

In addition, although the dot number Ndot is converted into a line width in the above, you may judge whether a line width is in an allowable range using the value which corrected the dot number Ndot by the angle (DELTA) (theta) amd. The angle correction may be omitted, and it may be determined whether or not it is within the allowable range based on the number of dots Ndot. For example, in the case of performing driving control to limit the direction correction amount Δθamd of the self-driving vehicle 30 to a certain range, the line sensor corresponding to the guide line width Wg when the direction correction amount Δθamd is the maximum value. The dot number Ndot on the (50) may be obtained in advance, and it may be determined that the allowable range is exceeded when the detected dot number exceeds this. In this case, the tilt correction using the direction correction amount [Delta] [theta] amd is also unnecessary. On the other hand, with respect to the lower limit of the line width, the number of detected dots Ndot based on the number of detected dots corresponding to the line width Wg when the self-propelled vehicle 30 is traveling straight along the guide line 34. May be judged that the line width is less than the allowable range when the value is smaller than the reference value.

The line width inspection by the line width inspection unit 136 may be performed at any time during the race of the horse racing game, or may be performed at an appropriate time other than the race. For example, by instructing execution of the line width inspection from the main control device 100 at an appropriate time when no race is being performed, the line is driven by driving the self-driving vehicle 30 along the main circuit 35 in a predetermined travel pattern. A width test may be performed. In the above aspect, the signal output from the line sensor 50 is binarized to discriminate the black portion and the white portion of the traveling surface 18. However, the analog signal waveform is output from the line sensor 50, and this is, for example, By digitizing in 256 gradations, colored portions other than white or black may be detected, and the colored portions may be identified as contamination or the like.

Next, a suitable form of utilizing the line width inspection data acquired by the line width inspection unit 136 will be described. Since the self-propelled vehicle 30 does not have a function of displaying line width inspection data, the data is transmitted from the self-propelled vehicle 30 to the main control device 100 and, if necessary, repaired via the network 6. By sending to the server 4 or the like, the line width inspection data can be effectively utilized. The following is a description of how to do this.

32 is a flowchart showing a procedure of transmitting line width inspection data from the self-propelled vehicle 30 to the main control apparatus 100. FIG. The autonomous vehicle control apparatus 110 determines whether it is the transmission time of line width inspection data in step S241, and if it determines with the transmission time, it progresses to step S242 and transmits line width inspection data toward the main control apparatus 100. FIG. . On the other hand, the main control apparatus 100 determines in step S301 whether inspection data has been transmitted from the self-propelled vehicle 30. When it is determined that there has been transmission, the process proceeds to step S302, where the transmitted line width inspection data is accumulated in its own storage device and the process returns to step S301. The transmission time of the line width inspection data may be set to a time when the control of the horse racing game is not hindered. For example, an appropriate time after the end of the race can be set as the transmission time.

33 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of line width inspection data management executed by the main control apparatus 100 at an appropriate time after completion of reception of the line width inspection data in order to manage the line width inspection data sent from the self-propelled vehicle 30. FIG. . In the first step S321 of FIG. 33, the main control device 100 analyzes the line width inspection data received from the self-propelled vehicle 30 to create the running surface warning data, and in step S322, the main driving apparatus 100 performs the main running surface warning data. It is stored in the storage device of the control device 100. Since the line width inspection data includes the line width identified as being outside the permissible range and the detection position (progression and lane number) of the line width, the number of detections is counted for each detection position, and the detection position is matched with the number of detections. Data is created and stored as running surface warning data. The counter of the number of detections may be omitted, and only the detection position may be retained in the running surface warning data. Alternatively, the detection position may be omitted, and only the number of detections may be retained in the running surface warning data. The detection position does not necessarily have to correspond to the magnetic measurement line 36 in a 1: 1 manner, and two or more adjacent magnetic measurement lines 36 may be collectively regarded as one detection position. In this case, the data amount of the running surface warning data can be reduced in weight. Alternatively, the main circuit 35 is divided into a plurality of zones Z1 to Z10 as shown by a dashed-dotted line in FIG. You may create as data.

Returning to Fig. 33, after storing the traveling surface warning data, the flow advances to step S323 to confirm the data amount of the traveling surface warning data, and it is determined whether the data amount exceeds the predetermined allowable amount in the subsequent step S324. If the allowable amount is exceeded, 1 is set to the warning flag in step S325, and the running surface warning data is transmitted to the maintenance server 4 in step S326, which is subsequently terminated, and the processing ends thereafter. On the other hand, in the case of negative determination in step S324, the warning flag is set to 0 in step S327 to end the processing.

34 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of running surface check management executed by the main control device 100 to display the running surface check screen based on the running surface warning data on the operator (manager) of the game machine 2. FIG. This process is executed based on an operator's instruction when the game machine 2 is controlled in the mode for maintenance management, for example. In the first step S341 of Fig. 34, the main control device 100 determines whether or not 1 is set in the warning flag. If 1 is set, the control proceeds to step S342 to perform a predetermined warning display. The warning display may include, for example, a message for prompting the operator to inspect or clean the running surface. If 1 is not set in the warning flag, step S342 is skipped. Subsequently, in step S343, the traveling surface warning data is read out, and in step S344, the traveling surface check screen based on the traveling surface warning data is displayed to end the process.

The running surface check screen can be configured, for example, as shown in FIG. In this example, the course overall view 80 showing the main circuit 35 in plan view is displayed on the screen, and the dots 81 are superimposed and displayed at the detection position of the course overall view 80. The number of detections can be identified by changing the display mode of the dot 81 according to the number of detections. In Fig. 35, the diameter of the dot 81 is enlarged as the number of times of detection increases. However, you may change the color of the dot 81 according to the detection frequency. In addition, an area in which the number of times of detection exceeds a predetermined threshold may be represented in a different manner from other areas so that the operator may more clearly indicate an area requiring inspection or cleaning. In the example of Fig. 35, the zones Z4, Z9, Z10 are displayed in a different manner from the other zones, indicating that the need for inspection or cleaning is high in these zones Z4, Z9, Z10. In addition, by showing the zones Z4, Z9, and Z10 in another aspect, it is shown that the need for inspection or cleaning of the zones Z4, Z9 is higher than that of the zone Z10.

The running surface check screen is not limited to the example of FIG. The dot 81 may be omitted, and only the area | region which needs inspection or cleaning may be shown. The display change for each zone may be omitted, and only the detection position by the dot 81 may be shown. The detection position is not limited to dots but may be represented by an appropriate index. The course whole view 80 may be displayed as a perspective view, and the bar graph of the height according to the frequency | count of a detection may be displayed in a detection position.

In Fig. 34, when the display of the running surface check screen is instructed by the operator, the warning flag is checked to determine whether or not the warning display is necessary. However, the warning display is not limited to this and may be performed at an appropriate timing. For example, the data amount of the running surface warning data may be determined at the start of the game machine 2, and a warning display may be executed when the allowable amount is exceeded. When performing a warning display, you may ask an operator whether a running surface check screen is displayed according to this.

36 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the maintenance mode executed by the main control apparatus 100 when the operator instructs the maintenance mode for the purpose of inspecting, cleaning, or the like of the lower running surface 18. FIG. When the maintenance mode is instructed, the main control device 100 gives a start instruction to the stage driving device 21 (see FIG. 3) in the first step S361 to raise the stage 15. By raising the stage 15, sufficient space is created between the lower running surface 18 and the power feeding surface 20, so that the operator can easily inspect or clean the lower traveling surface 18. .

In subsequent step S362, it is determined whether or not the operator has instructed the end of maintenance, and when there is an instruction, the process proceeds to step S363 and the stage 15 is lowered. In subsequent step S364, the operator checks whether or not the driving surface warning data is to be cleared, and determines whether or not clearing is instructed in the next step S365. If there is an instruction, in step S366 the driving surface warning data is cleared, that is, deleted, thereby ending the process. On the other hand, when clear is not instructed in step S365, the process ends by skipping step S366.

In addition, although the driving surface warning data is transmitted to the maintenance server 4 in step S326 of FIG. 33, the same processing as that of the main control device 100 is executed in the maintenance server 4 which has received the driving surface warning data. By this, the running surface check screen as illustrated in FIG. 35 may be displayed so that the state of the running surface 18 can be confirmed. Alternatively, the running surface warning data may be analyzed in more detail by the maintenance server 4. The maintenance server 4 may confirm the state of the lower run surface 18, and may prompt cleaning of the operator of the store in which the game machine 2 is installed from the server administrator. The line width inspection data may be sent to the maintenance server 4, the driving surface warning data may be generated by the maintenance server 4, and the display of the driving surface check screen or the warning may be displayed based on this.

In the above aspect, although the power supply surface 20 is provided in the back surface side of the ceiling board 17 of the stage 15, this invention is applicable also to the field unit provided in the position where the power supply surface differs. The present invention is also applicable to a field unit in which a self-propelled vehicle is driven by a built-in battery and in which the power feeding surface is omitted. The lift drive device is not limited to using a hydraulic cylinder as an actuator. For example, the rotational motion of the motor may be converted into the lifting motion of the upper structure by a motion conversion mechanism such as a rack pinion mechanism and a ball screw mechanism. The upper running surface may be sleeping.

The field unit according to the present invention is not limited to that applied to a game machine that executes a horse racing game. The present invention is also applicable to a field unit of a stand alone type game machine, which is not limited to a game machine connected to a network.

Claims (7)

It is a field unit of a game machine having a lower running surface on which the self-propelled body travels and an upper running surface on which the model following the independent body runs. A field unit of a game machine, comprising: a lower structure provided with the lower running surface, an upper structure provided so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the lower structure, and an elevating driving device for elevating the upper structure. The said superstructure is provided with the feed surface which opposes the said lower running surface, The movement range below the said superstructure so that the said independent body may contact the said feed surface in the state which lowered the said superstructure. The field unit for which is set. delete The said lift drive apparatus is a hydraulic cylinder provided with the hydraulic cylinder provided with the hydraulic cylinder provided with the hydraulic cylinder provided in the up-down direction between the said lower structure and the said superstructure. Field unit equipped with a device. The plurality of lift drive devices are provided at intervals around the field unit, each of which is provided with an operation direction between the lower structure and the upper structure in a vertical direction. And a hydraulic unit for supplying hydraulic pressure to each hydraulic cylinder. The field unit according to claim 5, wherein each of the substructure and the superstructure can be divided into the same number of subunits, and the hydraulic cylinder is provided for each of the subunits. The adjuster device according to claim 5, wherein the cylinder tube of the hydraulic cylinder is provided on either of the lower structure and the upper structure, and the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder gives play to the other structure. A field unit connected to the other structure via a.

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