JP2007007288A - Performance device of game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a shadow of a performance member from being projected on a liquid crystal display panel in the state of displaying images on the liquid crystal display panel in a performance device of a game machine for which a liquid crystal shutter is arranged on the back surface side of the liquid crystal display panel and a three-dimensional performance member and an illumination means are arranged on the back surface side of the liquid crystal shutter. <P>SOLUTION: A reflection and transmission switching means 307 is provided with a reflection surface 371 for reflecting illumination light from the illumination means 303 and leading it to the front and a transmission surface 372 for transmitting the illumination light from the illumination means 303, leading it to the inner side of a case body 301, also transmitting light led to the inner side of the case body 301 and reflected by the performance member 302 and leading it to the front. Since the reflection surface 371 is selected and arranged between the performance member 302 and the illumination means 303 in the state of displaying the image on the liquid crystal display panel 305, the shadow of the performance member is prevented from being projected on the liquid crystal display panel 305. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

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

  Conventionally, in general, an image display device has been provided on the front panel of a gaming machine such as a slot machine or a pachinko machine for the purpose of causing the player to be interested in the game by moving images or sound effects, or for enhancing the sense of reality. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

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

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

JP 2003-220178 A

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

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

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

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention described in claim 1 is a game machine effect device attached to the back side of the front panel with the front face facing a display window formed on the front panel of the game machine. A housing formed in a box shape with an open front surface, an effect member disposed inside the housing, and attached to the front side of the housing, and illuminating light toward the inside of the housing Illuminating means for irradiating and a reflection area for reflecting the illumination light from the illumination means and guiding it forward, and transmitting the illumination light from the illumination means to guide the inside of the casing and the inside of the casing And transmitting the light reflected on the inner surface of the housing and the effect member and guiding it forward, and switching between the reflection area and the transmission area to select the effect member and the illumination Reflective transmission cut between means And is formed in a panel shape and is provided on the front side of the reflection / transmission switching means, and the light reflected by the reflection area of the reflection / transmission switching means or transmitted through the transmission area is incident on the back side thereof, and the back surface A liquid crystal shutter that can be switched between a state in which light incident on the side is diffused and guided forward and a state in which light incident on the rear side is transmitted and guided forward, and a panel formed on the panel surface. A plurality of pixels arranged in a shape, attached to the front side of the casing of the liquid crystal shutter, and transmitting the light from the liquid crystal shutter by controlling the transmittance of each pixel to display an image on the front side. And a liquid crystal display panel for display.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the effect device for the gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the reflection / transmission switching means includes the film in which the reflection region and the transmission region are formed, and the reflection region side of the film. A reflection area side reel that winds up the reflection area side of the film, and a transmission area side that winds up the transmission area side of the film A reel, and a drive unit that rotates and drives the reflective region side reel and the transmissive region side reel so as to switch between the reflective region and the transmissive region to be arranged between the effect member and the illumination unit. It is characterized by that.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the effect device for the gaming machine according to the first aspect, wherein the reflection / transmission switching means includes the reflection region, the reflection / transmission member formed with the transmission region, and the reflection / transmission member. A rotation holding member that is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the housing and is arranged to be switched between the reflection region and the transmission region by being rotated and disposed between the effect member and the illumination unit. And a rotation driving unit capable of rotating the rotation holding member in both forward and reverse directions.

  According to the effect device for the gaming machine according to claim 1, when the image is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel, the reflection / transmission switching means arranges the reflection area between the effect member and the illumination means. Thus, the light from the illumination means is reflected to the liquid crystal shutter side, and the liquid crystal shutter diffuses the light reflected from the reflection area of the reflection / transmission switching means and guides it to the liquid crystal display panel. Can prevent the shadows of

  According to the effect device for the gaming machine according to claim 2, the film in which the reflection area and the transmission area are formed, the reflection area side reel, the transmission area side reel, the reflection area side reel, and the transmission area side. The reflection / transmission switching means can be easily realized by driving means for rotationally driving the reel.

  According to the effect device for the gaming machine according to claim 3, the reflection / transmission member having the reflection region and the transmission region, the rotation holding member holding the reflection / transmission member, and rotating the rotation holding member in both the forward and reverse directions. The reflection / transmission switching means can be easily realized by the drivable rotation driving means.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The main control board 20 detects an operation related to the game based on the operation switches and an output signal from the medal sensor 34a of the medal sorting device 34.
When the operation mode is the medal bet standby state and the medal sensor 34a detects a medal, the main control board 20 adds the detected medal to the bet number of the game.

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

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

The main control board 20 pays out a predetermined number of medals to the tray portion 6a by controlling the hopper device 21 when a winning is confirmed.
In addition, when the settlement button 77 is operated, the main control board 20 cancels the medals bet on the game and causes the hopper device 21 to pay out, and the medal credit means 210 (see FIG. 3) stores the medal internally. The hopper device 21 pays out medals for the number of credits before the settlement.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next, the structure of the liquid crystal display effect device 48, which is a main part of the present embodiment, will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
4 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid crystal display effect device 48 and its peripheral part, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal display effect device 48 and its peripheral part in the image display state, and FIG. 6 is an effect member visible state. It is sectional drawing of the liquid crystal display effect apparatus 48 and its peripheral part.

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

  The liquid crystal display effect device 48 includes a housing 301, an effect member 302, a drive unit 321, an illumination unit 303, a liquid crystal shutter 304, a liquid crystal display panel 305, a frame member 306, and main parts of the present embodiment. The reflection / transmission switching means 307 and the assembly metal fitting 308 are provided.

  The assembly metal fitting 308 is fixed to the casing 301, the illumination means 303, the frame member 306 for fixing the liquid crystal shutter 304 and the liquid crystal display panel 305, and the reflection / transmission switching means 307 with screws, thereby the liquid crystal display effect device 48. To the assembled state. Further, the assembly metal fitting 308 is attached to the back side of the upper panel portion 4 with screws (not shown).

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

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

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

Hereinafter, the illumination unit 303 will be described in detail.
The illuminating means 303 includes a frame member 331 and cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332a and 332b.

  The cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332a and 332b are installed close to the upper and lower sides inside the frame member 331, respectively.

  The cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332 a and 332 b irradiate illumination light toward the front surface of the reflection / transmission switching unit 307 and the back surface of the liquid crystal shutter 304.

  The reflection / transmission switching unit 307 transmits the illumination light from the illumination unit 303 and reflects the illumination light from the illumination unit 303 to the front, and the illumination surface from the illumination unit 303 and guides the illumination light to the inside of the housing 301. And a transmission surface 372 as a transmission region that transmits the light guided to the inside of the housing 301 and reflected on the inner surface of the housing 301 and the effect member 302 and forwards the light. And the transmissive surface 372 are switched and arranged between the illumination unit 303 and the housing 301 containing the effect member 302.

The reflection / transmission switching means 307 will be described in detail below.
The reflection / transmission switching means 307 includes a film 370, a reflection surface side reel 373, a transmission surface side reel 374, and a frame member 375.

  The film 370 forms the reflection surface 371 and the transmission surface 372. The reflective surface 371 of the film 370 is obtained by plating a highly reflective metal on a transparent film as a base material. The transparent surface 372 of the film 370 uses the base transparent film as it is.

  On the front side of the upper side of the frame member 375, a reflecting surface side reel 373 is provided in a state in which its rotation axis can be rotated in the horizontal direction.

  The reflection surface side reel 373 is attached to an end portion of the film 370 on the reflection surface 371 side so that the reflection surface 371 side of the film 370 can be wound.

  On the front side of the lower side of the frame member 375, a reflecting surface side reel 373 is provided in a state in which its rotation axis can be rotated in the horizontal direction.

  The transmission surface side reel 374 is attached to an end of the film 370 on the transmission surface 372 side, and winds up the transmission surface 372 side of the film 370.

  The frame member 375 switches between the reflecting surface 371 and the transmitting surface 372 by rotating the reflecting surface side reel 373 and the transmitting surface side reel 374 so as to switch between the effect member 302 and the illumination unit 303. A motor and a gear are provided as driving means disposed in the motor. A harness 376 connected to the sub-control board 30 extends from the right side of the frame member 375. The motor of the frame member 375 is driven to rotate under the control of the sub-control board 30.

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

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

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

  The liquid crystal shutter 304 is formed in a panel shape and is attached to the front side of the illumination unit 303. Under the control of the sub-control board 30, light incident directly on the back side from the illumination unit 303 is reflected and transmitted from the illumination unit 303. A diffusion state in which light reflected from a later-described reflection surface of the switching unit 307 and light reflected from the illumination unit 303 on the inner surface of the housing 301 or the effect member 302 and incident on the back side are diffused and guided forward; The light can be switched to a transmission state in which light incident on the back side is transmitted and guided forward.

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

  On the other hand, the drive unit 321 has an effect member 302 mounted on the upper surface and has a motor as a power source therein. The motor is connected to the sub control board 30 via a harness 323.

  The effect member 302 uses a doll or the like imitating a famous character as a three-dimensional object. In addition, the production member 302 includes movable arm portions 324a (see FIG. 5) and 324b. The arm portions 324 a and 324 b are mechanically interlocked with the rotation shaft of the motor of the drive unit 321 via gears, and can be swung up and down by the control of the sub-control board 30.

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

  With such a structure, the effect member 302 is configured in a three-dimensional shape and is arranged inside the housing 301.

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

  Here, in the standby state of the game or the normal progress state of the game, the sub-control board 30 (see FIG. 3) rotates the motor of the reflection / transmission switching means 307 as necessary to rotate the reflection surface side reel 373 and the transmission surface. The cold-cathode fluorescent tube is driven by rotating the side reel 374 so that the reflecting surface 371 of the film 370 is disposed between the casing 301 containing the effect member 302 and the cold-cathode fluorescent tubes 332a and 332b of the illumination means. The illumination light R1 from 332a and 332b is reflected toward the liquid crystal shutter 304 side.

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

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

  Next, when the game proceeds to a specific state such as winning a specific small role, confirming a big win, shifting to a high probability lottery state, etc. in the game progress state, the sub-control board 30 (see FIG. 3) From this state, the motor of the reflection / transmission switching means 307 is rotated, and the reflection surface side reel 373 and the transmission surface side reel 374 are rotated clockwise as viewed in the drawing to move the transmission surface 372 of the film 370 upward. As shown in the state of FIG. 6, it is arranged between the cold cathode fluorescent tube 332a, 332b from the cold cathode fluorescent tube 332a, 332b by arranging the effect member 302 between the housing 301 and the cold cathode fluorescent tube 332a, 332b of the illumination means. The illumination light R1 is transmitted through the transmission surface 372 and reflected by the inner surface of the housing 301 and the effect member 302, and the reflected light R2 is transmitted through the transmission surface 372 and guided to the back surface of the liquid crystal shutter 304.

  Next, the sub-control board 30 (see FIG. 3) controls the liquid crystal shutter 304 so that the reflected light R2 incident from the back is transmitted and guided forward, and all the pixels of the liquid crystal display panel 305 are maximized. Control to transmittance.

  In this state, the liquid crystal display panel 305 and the liquid crystal shutter 304 are almost transparent, and the shape of the effect member 302 can be recognized from the front side of the liquid crystal display panel 305. In this state, the sub-control board 30 (see FIG. 3) drives the drive unit 321 to swing the effect member 302 up and down the arms 324a and 324b (see FIG. 4). Thereby, the player visually recognizes the effect member 302 from the outside of the slot machine 1 (see FIG. 1) via the display window 48a, and confirms that the transition to the specific state is felt with high impact.

  According to the liquid crystal display effect device 48 having such a configuration, when an image is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 305, the reflection / transmission switching means 307 places the reflection surface 371 between the effect member 302 and the illumination means 303. As a result, the light from the illumination unit 303 is reflected toward the liquid crystal shutter 304 side, and the light reflected from the reflection surface 371 of the reflection / transmission switching unit 307 is diffused by the liquid crystal shutter 304 and guided to the liquid crystal display panel 305. It is possible to prevent the shadow of the effect member 302 from appearing on the display panel 305. Therefore, it is possible to make it possible to visually recognize the image comfortably.

Hereinafter, another preferred embodiment of the effect device for a gaming machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid crystal display effect device 448 and its peripheral portion according to another embodiment, FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the liquid crystal display effect device 448 and its peripheral portion in an image display state, and FIG. It is sectional drawing of the liquid crystal display production | presentation apparatus 448 and its peripheral part in a member visual recognition state. 7 to 9, the same components as those in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Components not shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 7, the liquid crystal display effect device 448 is attached to the back surface side of the upper panel portion 4 with the front surface facing the display window 448 a formed in the upper panel portion 4. The liquid crystal display effect device 448 includes a housing 501, an effect member 302, a drive unit 321, an illumination unit 303, a liquid crystal shutter 304, a liquid crystal display panel 305, a frame member 306, and a main part of this embodiment. The reflection / transmission switching means 507 and the assembly metal fitting 508 are provided.

  A reflection / transmission switching means 507 is attached to the housing 501. The other structure of the housing 501 is the same as that of the housing 301 shown in FIG.

  The assembly metal fitting 508 makes the liquid crystal display effect device 448 in an assembled state by screwing and fixing the illumination means 303 and the frame member 306 that fixes the liquid crystal shutter 304 and the liquid crystal display panel 305. The assembly metal fitting 508 is attached to the back side of the upper panel portion 4 with screws (not shown).

Hereinafter, the reflection / transmission switching means 507 will be described in detail.
The reflection / transmission switching unit 507 includes a reflection / transmission member 570, rotation holding members 573 and 574, attachment portions 579 and 580, and a rotation driving unit 581.

  The reflection / transmission member 570 is formed by forming the reflection surface 571 and the transmission surface 572 in order from the upper side on a transparent resin plate curved in a circumferential shape with the left-right direction as an axis. The reflection surface 571 of the reflection / transmission member 570 is obtained by plating a highly reflective metal on a transparent resin plate serving as a base material. The transparent surface 572 of the reflection / transmission member 570 uses a transparent resin plate as a base material as it is.

  The left and right rotation holding members 573 and 574 hold the reflection / transmission member 570 and are provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the housing 501. By rotating, the reflection surface 571 and the transmission surface 572 are switched and selected. It arrange | positions between the said member 302 for presentation and the said illumination means 303. FIG.

  The left rotation holding member 573 includes three arms 575 and a drum 577. The three arms 575 are integrally formed with the drum 577, extend radially from the drum 577, and are fixed to the left edge of the reflection / transmission member 570. The attaching portion 579 holds the drum 577 in a rotatable state and is fixed to the left side surface of the housing 501 with screws.

  The right rotation holding member 574 includes three arms 576 and a drum 578. The three arms 576 are integrally formed with the drum 578, extend radially from the drum 578, and are fixed to the right edge of the reflection / transmission member 570. The attachment portion 580 holds the drum 578 in a rotatable state and is fixed to the right side surface of the housing 501 with screws.

  In addition, the mounting portion 580 incorporates a motor that rotationally drives the drum 578 via a gear as rotational driving means 581 that can rotationally drive the right rotation holding member 574 in both forward and reverse directions.

  Further, a harness 582 extending from the attachment portion 580 to be connected to the sub control board 30 extends. The motor of the rotation driving means 581 is driven to rotate under the control of the sub-control board 30 via the harness 582.

  On the other hand, the assembled metal fitting 508 is formed with a curved portion 591 to be inserted when the reflection / transmission member 570 moves downward.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below.
In FIG. 8, the sub-control board 30 (see FIG. 3) causes the cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332a and 332b to emit light when the slot machine 1 (see FIG. 1) is powered on.

  Here, in the standby state of the game or the normal progress state of the game, the sub-control board 30 (see FIG. 3) rotates the motor of the rotation driving means 581 (see FIG. 7) of the reflection / transmission switching means 507 as necessary. The left and right rotation holding members 573 and 574 (see FIG. 7) are rotationally driven so that the reflection surface 571 of the reflection / transmission member 570 is disposed between the effect member 302 and the cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332a and 332b of the illumination means. Thus, the illumination light R1 from the cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332a and 332b is reflected to the liquid crystal shutter 304 side.

  Hereinafter, as in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the sub control board 30 (see FIG. 3) controls the illumination light R <b> 1 incident from the back to the liquid crystal shutter 304 to be diffused and guided forward. The liquid crystal display panel 305 is controlled so that the diffused light from the liquid crystal shutter 304 is transmitted by controlling the transmittance at each pixel, so that a standby image, a game progress and a production are produced on the front surface of the liquid crystal display panel 305. Display related images.

  Next, when the game proceeds to a specific state such as winning a specific small role, confirming a big win, shifting to a high-probability lottery state, etc., the sub-control board 30 (see FIG. 3) From this state, the motor of the rotation driving means 581 (see FIG. 7) of the reflection / transmission switching means 507 is reversely rotated, and the left and right rotation holding members 573 and 574 are rotated clockwise toward the drawing to reflect / transmit the transmission member 570. The transmissive surface 572 is disposed between the production member 302 and the cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332a and 332b of the illuminating means so that the illumination light R1 from the cold cathode fluorescent tubes 332a and 332b is transmitted through the transmissive surface 572 and the housing. The reflected light R <b> 2 is transmitted through the transmission surface 572 and guided to the liquid crystal shutter 304.

  Next, the sub-control board 30 (see FIG. 3) controls the liquid crystal shutter 304 so that the reflected light R2 incident from the back is transmitted and guided forward, and all the pixels of the liquid crystal display panel 305 are maximized. Control to transmittance.

  Hereinafter, as in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the liquid crystal display panel 305 and the liquid crystal shutter 304 are in a nearly transparent state, and the player opens the display window 48a from the outside of the slot machine 1 (see FIG. 1). The production member 302 can be visually recognized.

  According to the liquid crystal display effect device 448 having such a configuration, when an image is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 305, the reflection / transmission switching means 507 has the reflection surface 571 disposed between the effect member 302 and the illumination means 303. As a result, the light from the illumination means 303 is reflected toward the liquid crystal shutter 304 side. Thereby, the same effect as the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is obtained.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the transparent film of the base material as the transmission region that transmits the light of the reflection / transmission switching means 307 is used as it is as the transmission surface 372 and shown in FIGS. 7 to 9. In the embodiment, the transparent resin plate of the base material is used as it is as the transmission surface 372 as the transmission region that transmits the light of the reflection / transmission switching means 507. However, as the transmission region, for example, a through portion formed on the base material, or the like A region where no object is arranged may be used.

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

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external structure of a slot machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the internal structure of the slot machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a slot machine control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid crystal display effect device and its peripheral part according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal display effect device according to an embodiment of the present invention and its peripheral portion in an image display state. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal display effect device according to the embodiment of the present invention and the effect member visible in the periphery thereof. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid crystal display effect device and its peripheral part according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal display effect device according to an embodiment of the present invention and its peripheral portion in an image display state. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal display effect device according to the embodiment of the present invention and the effect member visible in the periphery thereof.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... slot machine, 2 ... housing, 3 ... front door, 4 ... upper panel,
5 ... Lower panel part, 6 ... Receptacle unit, 6a ... Receptacle part, 7 ... Console,
20 ... main control board, 21 ... hopper device, 22 ... auxiliary storage part,
23 ... Main power supply device, 24 ... Power supply device substrate, 25 ... External concentration terminal substrate,
30 ... Sub-control board, 31 ... Light emitting diode,
32a, 32b ... speaker, 33 ... central display board,
34 ... Medal sorting device, 34a ... Medal sensor,
35, 36, 37 ... guide member, 38 ... speaker,
41 ... Panel surface, 42 ... Display window, 43 ... Game state display part,
44 ... dot matrix display section, 45 ... numerical information display section,
46 ... Illumination unit for production, 47a, 47b ... Sound emission unit for production,
48 ... Liquid crystal display unit, 48a ... Display window,
49a, 49b ... Illumination for production,
51 ... Panel, 61 ... Medal payout port, 62 ... Production sound emission part,
71: Medal slot, 71a: Medal slot,
72, 73, 74 ... bet buttons,
75 ... Start lever, 76a, 76b, 76c ... Stop button,
77 ... Checkout button, 78 ... Keyhole,
100 ... reel unit,
101a, 101b, 101c ... reel,
110a, 110b, 110c ... stepping motors,
120a, 120b, 120c ... reference position sensor,
130 ... Spindle device substrate, 200 ... CPU, 201 ... Storage unit,
202 ... system program, 203 ... winning lottery table,
204 ... Internal lottery flag, 210 ... Medal credit means,
230 ... Production device, 301 ... Housing, 302 ... Production member,
303: Illumination means, liquid crystal shutter ... 304, 305 ... liquid crystal display panel,
306 ... Frame, 307 ... Reflection / transmission switching means, 308 ... Assembly metal fitting,
311 ... Lower side wall part, 312 ... Opening part, 321 ... Drive unit,
322 ... Upper part, 323 ... Harness, 324a, 324b ... Arm part,
325a, 325b ... bracket, 326a, 326b ... screw,
331 ... Frame member, 332a, 332b ... Cold cathode fluorescent tube,
341, 351 ... Harness, 353 ... Liquid crystal panel, 354 ... Polarizing plate,
362 ... notch, 370 ... film, 371 ... reflective surface,
372 ... Transmission surface, 373 ... Reflection surface side reel, 374 ... Transmission surface side reel,
375 ... Frame member, 376 ... Harness, 352 ... Protection panel,
448 ... Liquid crystal display effect device, 448a ... Display window, 501 ... Housing,
507 ... Reflection / transmission switching means, 508 ... Assembly bracket,
570: Reflective / transmissive member, 571: Reflective surface, 572 ... Transparent surface
573, 574 ... rotation holding member, 575, 576 ... arm,
577, 578 ... drum, 579, 580 ... mounting part,
581: Rotation drive means, 582: Harness

Claims (3)

A rendering device attached to the back side of the front panel with the front facing the display window formed on the front panel of the gaming machine,
A housing formed in a box shape with an open front,
Production members arranged inside the housing;
An illuminating means attached to the front side of the housing and irradiating illumination light toward the inside of the housing;
A reflection region that reflects and guides the illumination light from the illumination means forward; guides the illumination light from the illumination means to the inside of the housing; and guides the illumination light to the inside of the housing and the housing. A transmission region that transmits light reflected on the inner surface of the body and the effect member and guides the light forward, and switches between the reflection region and the transmission region to be disposed between the effect member and the illumination unit; Reflection / transmission switching means;
It is formed in a panel shape and is provided on the front side of the reflection / transmission switching means, and the light reflected on the reflection area of the reflection / transmission switching means or transmitted through the transmission area is incident on the back side and incident on the back side A liquid crystal shutter that can be switched between a state of diffusing and guiding the light forward and a state of transmitting the light incident on the back side and guiding the light forward;
It has a plurality of pixels formed in a panel shape and arranged in a matrix on the panel surface, is attached to the front side of the liquid crystal shutter of the housing, and transmits light from the liquid crystal shutter at each pixel. An effect device for a gaming machine, comprising: a liquid crystal display panel that controls and transmits a liquid crystal display panel on a front surface. The reflection / transmission switching means is
A film in which the reflective region and the transmissive region are formed;
An end of the film on the reflective area side is attached, and a reflective area side reel that winds up the reflective area side of the film;
An end of the film on the transmission region side is attached, and a transmission region side reel that winds up the transmission region side of the film;
Drive means for switching between the reflection area and the transmission area by rotationally driving the reflection area side reel and the transmission area side reel and arranging the effect area member and the illumination means. The game machine rendering device according to claim 1. The reflection / transmission switching means is
A reflection-transmission member that forms the reflection region and the transmission region;
Rotation that holds the reflection / transmission member and is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the casing, and is arranged so as to be switched between the reflection region and the transmission region by rotating and arranged between the effect member and the illumination unit. A holding member;
2. The game machine rendering device according to claim 1, further comprising: a rotation driving unit capable of rotating the rotation holding member in both forward and reverse directions.

Images