JP2006334303A - Operation device of game machine and game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vibration mechanism facilitating the sensing of the vibrating state without vibrating the whole body of an operation handle. <P>SOLUTION: This operation device for manually giving a command on a game in a game machine is provided with an operation handle part 21 manually operated by the player, and the vibration mechanism provided in the operation handle part 21; and the vibration mechanism is provided with a vibrating plate 70 forming a part of an external outline of the operation handle part 21 and disposed in such a position that the player's hand can touch thereto, and an actuator 50 incorporated in the operation handle part 21 and vibrating the vibrating plate 70. This constitution can secure a relatively large area of the vibrating plate 70, so that the player touching the vibrating plate 70 can surely senses the vibrating state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine and its operation device.

In a pachinko machine, an operating device for adjusting the firing speed of a ball (pachinko ball) is provided on the front surface of the gaming machine, and this operating device is called a “handle” or “grip” ( Hereinafter referred to as the operation handle). This operation handle is provided so as to be rotatable around an axis in a direction perpendicular to the front surface of the gaming machine.
The player adjusts the firing speed of the ball by adjusting the amount of rotation of the operation handle. The fired ball is a guide rail, game nail, ball winning opening, winning device, variable symbol display device, etc. The game parts are placed in a game board on which the game parts are arranged, and are collected in a prize opening, a prize winning device, a collection port, etc. through various paths while interacting with these game parts.
In pachinko machines, a variety of games are available, such as when a ball is sucked into a ball winning opening etc. to win a winning state, a new ball is provided, or continuously when a big hit state is reached A condition occurs. Such various game states are visually informed to the player by means such as a liquid crystal display device or a lamp, or auditorily informed to the player by music or voice.
On the other hand, as one of means for notifying the player of the occurrence of the gaming state as described above, for example, a vibration mechanism is provided on the operation handle or the like, and vibrations are transmitted to the player's hand, thereby allowing various gaming states to be played. A technique for notifying a person of a person is disclosed (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3).
Specifically, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for stimulating a player's tactile sensation by using a vibrating body incorporated in at least one of an operation handle and a seat to make the game more enjoyable.
Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for vibrating an operation handle so that a blind person can sense vibration and enjoy a pachinko.
Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a technique in which a plurality of small vibration devices are arranged on a portion of the operation handle corresponding to the player's palm and various game states are notified to the player by a combination of the plurality of vibration devices. .
JP-A-8-191925 JP-A-8-252356 JP 2001-300018 A

By the way, in the above-described technique, the operation handle is for adjusting the firing speed of the bullet ball. Therefore, when the entire operation handle is vibrated, there is a problem that the adjustment of the firing speed of the bullet ball is slightly shifted. there were. There are also players who feel uncomfortable with the vibration of the entire operation handle. Further, when the entire operation handle is vibrated, it is difficult for the player to detect the difference in the vibration pattern even if the frequency and amplitude of the vibration are changed.
Further, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3, the vibration device is arranged in a portion corresponding to the palm, so that there is no problem caused by vibrating the entire handle as described above, but a plurality of small vibration devices are provided. Therefore, it is not easy to accurately grasp which vibration device vibrates.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine and a game equipped with a vibration mechanism that makes it easy to grasp the state of vibration without vibrating the entire operation handle. It is to provide a machine operating device.

An operating device for a gaming machine according to the present invention is an operating device for manually giving an instruction relating to a game in a gaming machine, an operating handle portion manually operated by a player, and a vibration mechanism provided in the operating handle portion. And the vibration mechanism forms a part of the outer contour of the operation handle portion and is disposed at a position where the player's hand can come in contact with the vibration member. And an actuator to be oscillated.
According to this configuration, by forming a part of the outer contour of the operation handle portion with the vibration member, it is possible to secure a relatively large area of the vibration member, and the player who touches the vibration member can change the vibration state. It becomes possible to accurately sense. In addition, even if the vibration member is vibrated by the actuator, the entire operation handle portion does not vibrate, so that it is possible to avoid the occurrence of problems caused by vibrating the entire operation handle portion.

In the above-described configuration, the actuator can adopt a configuration in which the vibration member can be moved two-dimensionally in a direction along the contact surface touched by the player's hand.
According to this configuration, since the vibration member can be moved two-dimensionally, the vibration member can be vibrated in various vibration modes.

In the above configuration, the actuator can adopt a configuration in which the vibration member can be moved in a direction substantially perpendicular to a contact surface that is touched by the player's hand.
According to this configuration, the vibrating member can be vibrated even in a narrow movable range.

In the above configuration, a configuration in which the vibration applied to the vibration member changes according to the gaming state of the gaming machine can be employed.
According to this configuration, the gaming state of the gaming machine can be transmitted to the player by the vibration of the vibrating member.

The said structure WHEREIN: The structure which is arrange | positioned in the position where the palm of the player who operates the operation handle | steering-wheel part can contact is employable.
According to this configuration, the player can sense the vibration with the palm of the hand while operating the operation handle portion with the hand.

The said structure WHEREIN: The structure arrange | positioned in the position where the finger | toe of the player who operates the operation handle part can contact is employable as a vibration member.
According to this configuration, the player can sense the vibration with the finger of the hand while operating the operation handle portion with the hand.

In the above configuration, the actuator can adopt a configuration that can apply a plurality of vibrations having different amplitudes to the vibration member. Further, the actuator can adopt a configuration that can apply a plurality of vibrations having different frequencies to the vibration member.
According to this configuration, various gaming states can be transmitted to the player.

In the above configuration, the actuator can move the vibration member while drawing a predetermined locus.
According to this configuration, by moving the vibration member while drawing a predetermined trajectory, it is possible to convey information defined by the trajectory to the player.

The said structure WHEREIN: The structure which has further the alerting | reporting means which notifies visually that the vibrating member is vibrated is employable.
According to this configuration, the player can visually recognize that the vibrating member is vibrating.

A gaming machine according to the present invention is a gaming machine that is disposed at a position where a player's hand can be touched and has a vibration mechanism for causing a player to perceive information related to the game by vibration. A vibration member that forms a part of the outer contour of the game machine and is disposed at a position where the player's hand can come in contact with, and an actuator that is built in the gaming machine body and vibrates the vibration member. .
According to this configuration, by forming a part of the outer contour of the gaming machine main body with the vibration member, it is possible to ensure a relatively large area of the vibration member, and the player who touches the vibration member has a vibration state. It becomes possible to accurately sense.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily and accurately grasp the state of vibration without vibrating the entire operation handle.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 to 5 are diagrams for explaining an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view of a pachinko machine as a gaming machine to which the embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the pachinko machine shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of an operating device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an actuator applied to the operating device of FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the control system.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pachinko machine 10 is a launch operation device as an operation device for manually giving an instruction regarding a pachinko as a game together with a lower plate 130 to a front frame 120 provided on an outer frame 110. 20 is provided. The front frame 120 is provided with an upper plate 140 and a glass frame fitted with glass, and a game board 150 is disposed in the gazette of glass. Flow down.

  The firing operation device 20 is for adjusting the flight distance of a bullet ball, and as shown in FIG. 3, is configured by an operation handle portion 21, an actuator 50, a diaphragm 70 as a vibration member, and the like. The actuator 50 and the diaphragm 70 constitute a vibration mechanism.

  The operation handle portion 21 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and the front end portion is opened in a circular shape, and is supported so as to be rotatable around an axis line in a direction perpendicular to the front frame 120. A plurality of protrusions 30, 31, and 32 are formed on the outer peripheral portion of the operation handle portion 21 for applying a finger of the player's hand when the player rotates the operation handle portion 21.

The actuator 50 is built in the operation handle 21 as shown in FIG. 3, and is movable in the x direction (horizontal direction) and the y direction (vertical direction) as shown in FIGS. A piece 60 is provided.
The actuator 50 includes a magnet (not shown) arranged in a plane, a coil (not shown) arranged so as to face the magnet, and a first holding member (not shown) that holds the movable piece 60 in a predetermined range so as to be slidable. The first holding member includes a second holding member (not shown) that slidably holds the first holding member within a predetermined range in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the first holding member. It can move two-dimensionally in the direction and the y direction.
As such an actuator 50, for example, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-145748 can be used.

The diaphragm 70 is formed in a disk shape and is fixed to the tip of the moving piece 60 of the actuator 50. The diaphragm 70 is disposed so as to cover a circular opening formed at the front end portion of the operation handle portion 21, and forms a part of the outer contour on the front side of the operation handle portion 21. Further, the diaphragm 70 is arranged at a position as shown in FIG. 3, so that the palm of the player who operates the operation handle portion 21 can come into contact with the contact surface 70f.
The diaphragm 70 moves two-dimensionally in the direction along the contact surface 70f when the moving piece 60 of the actuator 50 moves two-dimensionally. Therefore, when the diaphragm 70 vibrates in a state where the palm of the player operating the operation handle portion 21 touches the contact surface 70f, the player senses vibration in the direction along the palm.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the control system of the pachinko machine has a pachinko machine such as a vibration control unit that performs vibration control of the diaphragm 70 via the I / O interface 210 to the arithmetic processing unit 200 including a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like. Various control units for realizing the functions of the machine are connected.

Next, an example of vibration control of the firing operation device 20 in the pachinko machine 10 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of vibration control, and FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating various modes of vibration applied to the diaphragm 70.

  The gaming state of the pachinko machine 10 includes a normal state, a reach state, a jackpot notice state, a jackpot notice state, etc., and even in the jackpot notice state, there are differences in probability (for example, 100%, 30%, 10%). There are several types of states. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the game state is notified to the player by changing the manner of vibration that gives the vibration plate 70 various game states.

  First, as shown in FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not a reach notification is to be made (step ST1). When a reach notification is made, the diaphragm 70 is vibrated with a first vibration waveform (step ST2). For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the first vibration waveform causes the center Ct of the diaphragm 70 to vibrate in the y direction (vertical direction) with a predetermined frequency and amplitude. When reaching the reach notice state, the player senses the first vibration waveform with the palm portion of the hand operating the launch operation device 20 and recognizes that the reach notice has been made.

  Next, it is determined whether or not a reach state has occurred (step ST3), and if it is a reach state, it is determined whether or not a jackpot notice is to be made (step ST4). And when it is judged that it is a jackpot notice state, the diaphragm 70 is vibrated with a 2nd vibration waveform (step ST5). For example, as shown in FIG. 7B, the second vibration waveform causes the center Ct of the diaphragm 70 to vibrate in the x direction (vertical direction) with a predetermined frequency and amplitude. When the player reaches the jackpot notice state, the player senses the second vibration waveform with the palm portion of the hand operating the firing operation device 20, and recognizes that the jackpot notice has been made.

  Next, it is determined whether the jackpot probability is 100% (step ST6). If the jackpot probability is 100%, the diaphragm 70 is vibrated with a third vibration waveform (step ST7). For example, as shown in FIG. 7C, the third vibration waveform causes the center Ct of the diaphragm 70 to vibrate at a predetermined frequency and amplitude in the x and y directions (oblique directions). The player senses the third vibration waveform with the palm of the hand operating the firing operation device 20, and recognizes that the jackpot probability is 100%.

  If the jackpot probability is not 100%, it is determined whether the jackpot probability is 30% (step ST8). If the jackpot probability is 80%, the diaphragm 70 is vibrated with the fourth vibration waveform (step ST9). . For example, as shown in FIG. 7D, the fourth vibration waveform vibrates the center Ct of the diaphragm 70 along the circumference of a predetermined radius. The player senses this fourth vibration waveform with the palm of the hand operating the firing operation device 20, and recognizes that the jackpot probability is 30%.

  If the jackpot probability is not 30%, it is determined whether the jackpot probability is 10% (step ST10). If the jackpot probability is 10%, the diaphragm 70 is vibrated with the fifth vibration waveform (step ST9). . For example, as shown in FIG. 7E, the fifth vibration waveform causes the center Ct of the vibration plate 70 to vibrate along a triangle. The player senses the fifth vibration waveform with the palm portion of the hand operating the firing operation device 20, and recognizes that the jackpot probability is 10%.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, by forming the outer contour on the front side of the operation handle portion 21 with the diaphragm 70, a relatively large area of the diaphragm 70 can be secured. The player who touched can accurately detect the vibration state. Further, even if the diaphragm 70 is vibrated two-dimensionally by the actuator 50, the entire firing operation device 21 does not vibrate, so that adjustment of the firing speed of the bullet ball ejected from the launching device is shifted by the vibration. There is no.

  In the above embodiment, the vibration of the vibration plate 70 is changed in five modes according to the gaming state, but is not limited thereto, and the frequency, amplitude, trajectory, direction, and the like can be variously changed.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a structure of a launch operation device as an operation device according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 8, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the above embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 8, the firing operation device 20A includes an operation handle portion 21A, an actuator 50A, a diaphragm 70A as a vibration member, and the like. The actuator 50A and the diaphragm 70A constitute a vibration mechanism.

The operation handle portion 21 </ b> A is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and a part of the outer peripheral portion is opened, and is supported so as to be rotatable around an axis in a direction perpendicular to the front frame 120. A diaphragm 70A is disposed so as to cover an opening formed in the outer peripheral portion of the operation handle portion 21A, and the diaphragm 70A forms a part of the outer contour in the outer peripheral portion of the operation handle portion 21A. The diaphragm 70 is arranged at a position as shown in FIG. 8, so that the finger of the player's hand operating the operation handle portion 21A can come into contact with the contact surface 70f.
The diaphragm 70A is fixed to the tip of the moving piece 60A of the actuator 50A.
The actuator 50A is built in the operation handle portion 21A, and the moving piece 60A can be moved two-dimensionally in the same manner as the actuator 50 described above.

The diaphragm 70A moves two-dimensionally in the direction along the contact surface 70f by moving the moving piece 60A of the actuator 50A two-dimensionally in the front-rear directions A1 and A2 and the horizontal directions B1 and B2. When the finger of the player's hand operating the operation handle portion 21A touches the contact surface 70f that vibrates, the player senses the vibration with the finger.
In this case as well, the diaphragm 70A can be vibrated in various ways according to the gaming state, as in the above embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the structure of a launch operation device as an operation device according to still another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those in the firing operation device shown in FIG. 8.
The firing operation device 20B shown in FIG. 9 is provided with a light emitting element 300 as a notification means on a protrusion 30 formed on the operation handle portion 21A. The light emitting element 300 is provided for visually informing that the vibration plate 70A is vibrating, and the vibration plate 70A emits light during vibration.
Thereby, the player can recognize that the diaphragm 70A vibrates even when the firing operation device 20B is not operated. Note that the light-emitting element 300 may blink, or the lighting method can be changed according to the mode of vibration.
In addition, although the case where the light emitting element 300 was provided in the protrusion 30 was demonstrated, it is not limited to this, It is also possible to provide in places, for example, the front frame 120 etc. other than a launch operation apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the structure of a launch operation device as an operation device according to still another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 10, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those of the firing operation device 20 shown in FIG. 3.
The difference between the firing operation device 400 and the above-described firing operation device 20 is that the moving piece 160 of the actuator 150 does not move two-dimensionally, but moves in the z direction (front-rear direction) shown in FIG. That is, the point moves in the uniaxial direction. Since the structure of the actuator 150 that moves in the uniaxial direction is a well-known technique, a detailed description thereof is omitted.

By vibrating the moving piece 160 of the actuator 150 in the z direction, the diaphragm 70 fixed to the moving piece 160 vibrates in the z direction, and the diaphragm 70 vibrates in a direction substantially perpendicular to the contact surface 70f. become.
By using such an actuator 150 that moves in the uniaxial direction, there is no need to expand the movable range of the diaphragm 70.
In this embodiment as well, the vibration mode such as the amplitude and frequency of vibration can be changed according to the gaming state.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of a pachinko machine as a gaming machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 11, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the above embodiment.
In the pachinko machine shown in FIG. 11, not the launch operation device 20 but an upper plate 140 is provided with a vibration mechanism including an actuator 500 and a vibration plate 510 as a vibration member.
The vibration plate 510 is disposed so as to form a part of the outer contour of the upper plate 140, and is disposed at a position where the player's hand can come into contact. That is, the diaphragm 510 forms a part of the outer contour of the upper plate 140 that constitutes a part of the pachinko machine body.
The actuator 500 is built in the upper plate 140 and applies vibrations to the diaphragm 510 two-dimensionally. The actuator 500 can be the same as the actuator 50 described with reference to FIG. 4, or the uniaxial actuator shown in FIG. 10 can be used.

  Similarly to the above embodiment, the vibration plate 510 can be vibrated in various manners, and the player can vibrate from the vibration plate 510 with the other hand while operating the firing operation device 20 with one hand. Can be sensed.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration of a pachinko machine as a gaming machine according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
The pachinko machine shown in FIG. 12 is provided with a vibration mechanism including an actuator 600 and a diaphragm 610 as a vibration member on the front frame 120 instead of the launch operation device 20.
The actuator 600 and the diaphragm 610 have the same configuration as the actuator 500 and the diaphragm 510 described above, and the diaphragm 610 forms a part of the outer contour of the front frame 120.
Thus, by providing the diaphragm 610 in a part of the front frame 120, the diaphragm 610 having a relatively large area can be installed without securing a space necessary for installing the diaphragm 610. Similarly to the above embodiment, the diaphragm 610 can be vibrated in various ways.

In the above embodiment, the case of a disc-shaped diaphragm as the vibration member has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made.
In the above embodiment, a pachinko machine has been described as an example of a gaming machine. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to other gaming machines such as a slot machine.

In the above embodiment, the case where the diaphragm is vibrated while drawing a circular or triangular trajectory has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the diaphragm can be vibrated along a trajectory indicating characters and symbols.
Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where a diaphragm was provided in the launch operation apparatus, the front frame, the upper plate, etc., it is not necessarily limited to this, If it is a position which a player can touch, it will vibrate. It is possible to install a board.

1 is a front view of a pachinko machine to which the present invention is applied. 1 is a perspective view of a pachinko machine to which the present invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the operating device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: (a) is sectional drawing, (b) is a front view. It is a figure which shows the actuator used for the operating device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: (a) is the perspective view seen from upper direction, (b) is the front view seen from upper direction. It is a functional block diagram of a control system of a pachinko machine to which the present invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the vibration control process in an operating device. It is a figure for demonstrating the various aspects of the vibration given to a contact member. It is a figure which shows the operating device which concerns on other embodiment of this invention, Comprising: (a) is sectional drawing, (b) is a front view. It is a figure which shows the operating device which concerns on other embodiment of this invention, Comprising: (a) is sectional drawing, (b) is a front view. It is a figure which shows the operating device which concerns on other embodiment of this invention, Comprising: (a) is sectional drawing, (b) is a front view. It is a front view of the pachinko machine concerning other embodiments of the present invention. It is a front view of the pachinko machine concerning other embodiments of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Pachinko machine (game machine)
20 ... Launching operation device (operation device)
21 ... Operation handle portions 30, 31, 32 ... projections 50 ... actuators 60 ... moving pieces 70 ... vibrating plates (vibrating members)
70f ... contact surface 110 ... outer frame 120 ... front frame 130 ... lower plate 140 ... upper plate 150 ... game board 300 ... light emitting element (notification means)
500, 600 ... Actuator 510, 610 ... Diaphragm

Claims (19)

An operating device for manually giving an instruction regarding a game in a gaming machine,
An operation handle portion manually operated by a player, and a vibration mechanism provided in the operation handle portion,
The vibration mechanism forms a part of the outer contour of the operation handle portion and is disposed at a position where the player's hand can come into contact with the vibration member;
An actuator built in the operation handle portion to vibrate the vibration member,
An operating device for a gaming machine.   2. The operating device for a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the actuator can move the vibration member two-dimensionally in a direction along a contact surface that is touched by a hand of the player.   2. The operating device for a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the actuator can move the vibrating member in a direction substantially perpendicular to a contact surface that is touched by the player's hand.   4. The operating device for a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the actuator can move the vibration member while drawing a predetermined trajectory.   5. The operating device for a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the vibrating member is disposed at a position where a palm of a player who operates the operating handle can come into contact.   5. The operating device for a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the vibration member is disposed at a position where a finger of a player who operates the operation handle portion can come into contact. 6.   The gaming machine operating device according to claim 1, wherein the actuator can apply a plurality of vibrations having different amplitudes to the vibration member.   The gaming machine operating device according to claim 1, wherein the actuator can apply a plurality of vibrations having different frequencies to the vibrating member.   The gaming machine operating device according to claim 1, wherein a vibration applied to the vibrating member changes according to a gaming state of the gaming machine.   10. The operating device for a gaming machine according to claim 1, further comprising an informing means for visually informing that the vibrating member is vibrated. A gaming machine that is arranged at a position where a player's hand can be touched and has a vibration mechanism for causing the player to perceive information related to the game by vibration,
The vibration mechanism forms a part of the outer contour of the gaming machine main body and is disposed at a position where the player's hand can contact;
An actuator that is built in the gaming machine body and vibrates the vibration member.
A gaming machine characterized by that.   The gaming machine according to claim 11, wherein the actuator can two-dimensionally move the vibrating member in a direction along a contact surface that is touched by a hand of the player.   The gaming machine according to claim 11, wherein the actuator can move the vibration member in a direction substantially perpendicular to a contact surface that is touched by a hand of the player. The vibrating member is arranged at a position where the player's finger can contact,
The gaming machine according to any one of claims 11 to 13.   15. The gaming machine according to claim 11, wherein the actuator can move the vibration member while drawing a predetermined locus.   15. The gaming machine according to claim 11, wherein the actuator can apply a plurality of vibrations having different amplitudes to the vibration member.   15. The gaming machine according to claim 11, wherein the actuator can apply a plurality of vibrations having different frequencies to the vibration member.   The gaming machine according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein a vibration applied to the vibrating member changes according to a gaming state of the gaming machine. 19. The gaming machine according to claim 11, further comprising a notifying unit that visually notifies that the vibrating member is vibrated.

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