JP7632146B2 - Shutter device and gaming machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a shutter device that uses a light guide plate to create a visual shutter, and to an amusement machine that has such a shutter device.

A technology has been proposed that uses a liquid crystal panel as a visual shutter to allow a user to switch between viewing and not viewing a specific object (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2015-196066 A

When using an LCD panel as a visual shutter, the structure of the LCD panel and the drive circuit that drives the LCD panel are complex, which makes the structure of the shutter itself and the control of the shutter complex.

The present invention aims to provide a shutter device with a simple configuration that can switch between visibility of a displayed object and non-visibility.

As one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a shutter device. The shutter device includes a first light source, a second light source, a light guide plate arranged on the front side of a display object, formed of a transparent member, and having a first entrance surface facing the first light source and a second entrance surface facing the second light source, and a control unit that controls turning on and off the first light source and the second light source. The light guide plate includes a plurality of first prisms on the rear surface of the light guide plate that reflect light emitted from the first light source and entering the light guide plate from the first entrance surface so as to exit from the front surface of the light guide plate, and a plurality of second prisms on the front surface of the light guide plate that reflect light emitted from the second light source and entering the light guide plate from the second entrance surface so as to exit from the rear surface of the light guide plate.
With this configuration, the shutter device can switch between visibility of the display object and non-visibility with a simple configuration. Furthermore, the shutter device can also switch between illumination of the display object and non-illumination of the display object, allowing the way the display object is presented to be varied in a variety of ways.

In this shutter device, it is preferable that the luminous intensity of the light emitted from the first light source and the arrangement density of the multiple first prisms are set so that the luminance at the front surface of the light guide plate due to light emitted from the first light source, reflected by the multiple first prisms, and emitted from the front surface of the light guide plate is greater than the luminance at the front surface of the light guide plate due to light emitted from the display object and transmitted through the light guide plate from the back surface to the front surface of the light guide plate when the second light source is turned off.
With this configuration, the shutter device can more reliably prevent the display object from being viewed through the light guide plate by turning on the first light source.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gaming machine having a gaming machine main body, a display object provided on the side of the gaming machine main body facing a player, a shutter device arranged on the player side of the display object, and a performance control device that outputs a control signal according to a game state to the shutter device. In this gaming machine, the shutter device has a first light source, a second light source, a light guide plate arranged on the player side of the display object, made of a transparent material, and having a first entrance surface facing the first light source and a second entrance surface facing the second light source, and a control unit that controls turning on and off the first light source and the second light source according to a control signal received from the performance control device. The light guide plate has a plurality of first prisms on its display object side surface that reflect light that emanates from a first light source and enters the light guide plate from the first entrance surface so as to exit from the player side surface of the light guide plate, and a plurality of second prisms on its player side surface that reflect light that emanates from a second light source and enters the light guide plate from the second entrance surface so as to exit from the display object side surface of the light guide plate.
With this configuration, the gaming machine can easily switch between visibility and non-visibility of the display object provided on the gaming machine. Furthermore, the gaming machine can also switch between illumination and non-illumination of the display object, so that the way the display object is shown can be varied in a variety of ways.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a shutter device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a shutter device. 2 is a schematic front view of a light guide plate included in the shutter device. FIG. 4 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the light guide plate taken along the line indicated by the arrow AA' in FIG. 3. 4 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the light guide plate taken along the line indicated by the arrow BB' in FIG. 3. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a pinball game machine having a shutter device according to an embodiment or a modified example. FIG.

The shutter device will be described below with reference to the drawings. This shutter device has a light guide plate formed of a material transparent to light emitted by one or more light sources, and the light guide plate is disposed between a display object and an observer. Of the two surfaces of the light guide plate, one of the surrounding side surfaces surrounding the surface facing the observer (hereinafter referred to as the front surface) is formed as a first incident surface facing the first light source, and the other of the side surfaces is formed as a second incident surface facing the second light source. In addition, a plurality of first prisms are formed on the surface of the light guide plate facing the display object (hereinafter referred to as the back surface), and a plurality of second prisms are formed on the front surface of the light guide plate. The plurality of first prisms reflect the light emitted from the first light source and incident into the light guide plate so as to be emitted from the front surface of the light guide plate toward the observer. When the first light source is turned off, the observer can view the display object through the light guide plate. On the other hand, when the first light source is turned on, the light from the first light source is reflected by the multiple first prisms and reaches the observer. Therefore, when the first light source is turned on, the light from the first light source prevents the observer from viewing the display object. Furthermore, the multiple second prisms reflect the light emitted from the second light source and entering the light guide plate so that it is emitted from the back surface of the light guide plate toward the display object. Therefore, when the second light source is turned on, the display object is illuminated by the light from the second light source, making it easier for the observer to view the display object.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a shutter device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic side view of the shutter device. The shutter device 1 has a light guide plate 2, a plurality of first light sources 3-1 to 3-n (n is an integer of 2 or more, 5 in the illustrated example), a plurality of second light sources 4-1 to 4-m (m is an integer of 2 or more, 5 in the illustrated example), a plurality of first collimating lenses 5-1 to 5-n, a plurality of second collimating lenses 6-1 to 6-m, and a control circuit 7.

The light guide plate 2 is a member formed in a plate shape that is transparent to the light emitted from each of the multiple first light sources 3-1 to 3-n and the light emitted from each of the multiple second light sources 4-1 to 4-m. The light guide plate 2 is formed by molding a resin that is transparent to visible light, such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate, or cycloolefin polymer. The light guide plate 2 is arranged so that the front surface 2a of the light guide plate 2 faces the observer P and the back surface 2b of the light guide plate 2 faces the display object 8. One of the sides of the light guide plate 2 is formed as a first incident surface 2c, and the light guide plate 2 is arranged so that the multiple first light sources 3-1 to 3-n and the first incident surface 2c face each other with the collimator lenses 5-1 to 5-n in between. Furthermore, the other side of the light guide plate 2 adjacent to the first incident surface 2c is formed as a second incident surface 2d, and the light guide plate 2 is disposed so that the second light sources 4-1 to 4-m and the second incident surface 2d face each other across the collimator lenses 6-1 to 6-m. The front surface 2a and the back surface 2b of the light guide plate 2 are divided into a plurality of regions 21-1 to 21-n along the arrangement direction of the first light sources 3-1 to 3-n. Each region 21-i (i = 1, ..., n) corresponds to the light source 3-i among the first light sources 3-1 to 3-n. Similarly, the front surface 2a and the back surface 2b of the light guide plate 2 are divided into a plurality of regions 22-1 to 22-m along the arrangement direction of the second light sources 4-1 to 4-m. Each region 22-j (j = 1, ..., m) corresponds to the light source 4-j among the second light sources 4-1 to 4-m.

While any of the first light sources 3-1 to 3-n is on, the light guide plate 2 propagates the light emitted from the lighted light source and incident on the first entrance surface 2c inside the light guide plate 2. The light guide plate 2 then reflects the light toward the observer P located on the front side by the prisms arranged in the area corresponding to the lighted light source among the first prisms (described in detail later) formed on the back surface 2b. As a result, the area corresponding to the lighted light source appears to be lit by the light from the light source, and the observer P cannot view the display object 8 provided on the back side of the light guide plate 2 through that area. On the other hand, for each of the areas 21-1 to 21-n provided on the light guide plate, when the corresponding light source is off, the observer P can view the display object 6 provided on the back side of the light guide plate 2 through that area.

Furthermore, while any one of the plurality of second light sources 4-1 to 4-m is turned on, the light guide plate 2 propagates within itself the light emitted from the turned on light source and incident into the light guide plate 2 from the second incident surface 2d. The light guide plate 2 then reflects the light toward the display object 8 located on the rear side by prisms arranged in the region corresponding to the turned on light source among the plurality of second prisms (described in detail later) formed on the front surface 2a. As a result, at least a portion of the display object 8 is illuminated by the light from the region corresponding to the turned on light source, making it easy for the observer P to visually recognize at least that portion of the display object 8.
The light guide plate 2 will be described in detail later.

The first light sources 3-1 to 3-n each have at least one light-emitting element that emits visible light. In this embodiment, the first light sources 3-1 to 3-n are arranged to face the first incident surface 2c formed on one side of the light guide plate 2, with the collimator lenses 5-1 to 5-n in between, and aligned in a row along the longitudinal direction of the first incident surface 2c.

Similarly, each of the second light sources 4-1 to 4-m has at least one light-emitting element that emits visible light. In this embodiment, the second light sources 4-1 to 4-m face the second entrance surface 2d formed on the other side of the light guide plate 2 adjacent to the first entrance surface 2c, with the collimator lenses 6-1 to 6-m in between, and are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction of the second entrance surface 2d.

The light-emitting element of each light source is, for example, a light-emitting diode. The luminous intensity of the light emitted from each of the light-emitting elements of the multiple first light sources 3-1 to 3-n may be the same or may be different from each other. The light-emitting color of each light-emitting element may be the same or may be different from each other between the light sources. Similarly, the luminous intensity of the light emitted from each of the light-emitting elements of the multiple second light sources 4-1 to 4-m may be the same or may be different from each other. The light-emitting color of each light-emitting element may be the same or may be different from each other between the light sources.

While the control circuit 7 is turning on any one of the first light sources 3-1 to 3-n, the light emitted from the turned-on light source is collimated by the collimating lens 5-1 to 5-n corresponding to that light source and then enters the light guide plate 2 through the first entrance surface 2c. The incident light propagates through the light guide plate 2 and is then reflected by each of the first prisms provided in the area corresponding to the turned-on light source among the multiple first prisms provided on the back surface 2b of the light guide plate 2, and exits from the front surface 2a of the light guide plate 2. Therefore, from the viewer P positioned in front of the light guide plate 2, the area corresponding to the turned-on light source among the areas 21-1 to 21-n provided on the light guide plate 2 appears to be lit. Furthermore, when all of the second light sources 4-1 to 4-m are turned off, the luminance of the light emitted from the first light sources 3-1 to 3-n on the front surface 2a of the light guide plate 2 as seen from the assumed position of the observer P is set so that the luminance of the light emitted from the first light sources 3-1 to 3-n on the front surface 2a of the light guide plate 2 is greater than the luminance of the light emitted from the display object 8 and transmitted through the light guide plate 2 from the back surface 2b to the front surface 2a of the light guide plate 2. Therefore, it becomes difficult for the observer P to view the display object 8 through the area corresponding to the light source that is turned on due to the light from the light source among the first light sources 3-1 to 3-n that is turned on. The assumed position of the observer P can be, for example, a position several tens of centimeters away from the center of the front surface 2a of the light guide plate 2 along the normal direction of the front surface 2a.

While the control circuit 7 is lighting one of the second light sources 4-1 to 4-m, the light emitted from the lighted light source is collimated by a collimating lens among the collimating lenses 6-1 to 6-m corresponding to that light source, and then enters the light guide plate 2 through the second entrance surface 2d. After propagating through the light guide plate 2, the incident light is reflected by each of the second prisms provided in the area corresponding to the lighted light source among the second prisms provided on the front surface 2a of the light guide plate 2, and is emitted from the back surface 2b of the light guide plate 2. Therefore, at least a part of the display object 8 is illuminated by the light from the lighted light source among the second light sources 4-1 to 4-m.

The collimating lenses 5-1 to 5-n are disposed between the first light sources 3-1 to 3-n and the first incident surface 2c of the light guide plate 2. The collimating lenses 5-i (i = 1, ..., n) collimate the light emitted from the corresponding first light source 3-i and direct it to the first incident surface 2c. The collimating lenses 5-1 to 5-n may be refractive lenses or diffractive lenses. The collimating lenses 5-1 to 5-n may be formed to collimate the light emitted from the first light sources 3-1 to 3-n only in the longitudinal direction of the first incident surface 2c. In this case, the collimating lenses 5-1 to 5-n may be formed as cylindrical lenses that have a positive refractive power in the longitudinal direction of the first incident surface 2c, but have no refractive power in the thickness direction of the light guide plate 2, that is, in the direction from the back surface 2b to the front surface 2a.

Similarly, the collimating lenses 6-1 to 6-m are disposed between the second light sources 4-1 to 4-m and the second incident surface 2d of the light guide plate 2. The collimating lenses 6-j (j = 1, ..., m) collimate the light emitted from the corresponding second light source 4-j and direct it to the second incident surface 2d. The collimating lenses 6-1 to 6-m may be refractive lenses or diffractive lenses. The collimating lenses 6-1 to 6-m may be formed to collimate the light emitted from the second light sources 4-1 to 4-m only in the longitudinal direction of the second incident surface 2d. In this case, the collimating lenses 6-1 to 6-m may be formed as cylindrical lenses that have a positive refractive power in the longitudinal direction of the second incident surface 2d, but have no refractive power in the thickness direction of the light guide plate 2.

The control circuit 7 is an example of a control unit, and includes, for example, a processor, a memory, a drive circuit for driving the multiple first light sources 3-1 to 3-n and the multiple second light sources 4-1 to 4-m, and a communication interface for communicating with other devices. The control circuit 7 controls the turning on and off of the multiple first light sources 3-1 to 3-n and the turning on and off of the multiple second light sources 4-1 to 4-m according to light source control information received from other devices or pre-stored in the memory.

For example, when the control circuit 7 is to allow the observer P to see the display object 8 through any one of the regions 21-1 to 21-n provided on the light guide plate 2, it turns off the light sources among the plurality of first light sources 3-1 to 3-n corresponding to the region to be made visible, and turns on the light sources corresponding to the regions other than the region to be made visible. When the entire display object 8 is to be made visible to the observer P, the control circuit 7 turns off all of the plurality of first light sources 3-1 to 3-n. Furthermore, when the entire display object 8 is to be made invisible to the observer P, the control circuit 7 turns on all of the plurality of first light sources 3-1 to 3-n. The control circuit 7 may sequentially change the combination of light sources to be turned on among the plurality of first light sources 3-1 to 3-n, that is, the combination of regions to make the display object 8 invisible to the observer P, according to light source control information sequentially received from another device.

When it is desired to illuminate the display object 8 through any one of the regions 22-1 to 22-m provided on the light guide plate 2, the control circuit 7 turns on the light source among the plurality of second light sources 4-1 to 4-m that corresponds to the region that illuminates the display object 8, and turns off the light sources that correspond to the other regions. When it is desired to illuminate the entire display object 8, the control circuit 7 turns on all of the plurality of second light sources 4-1 to 4-m. When it is desired not to illuminate the display object 8, the control circuit 7 turns off all of the plurality of second light sources 4-1 to 4-m.

When turning on any of the plurality of first light sources 3-1 to 3-n to make at least a part of the display object 8 invisible, the control circuit 7 preferably turns off all of the plurality of second light sources 4-1 to 4-m and does not illuminate the display object 8. However, the control circuit 7 may turn on any of the plurality of second light sources 4-1 to 4-m while turning on any of the plurality of first light sources 3-1 to 3-n. In this case, the shutter device 1 can make the area corresponding to the turned-on light source among the plurality of first light sources 3-1 to 3-n appear to be lit, and the observer P can faintly see the display object 8 in the lit area. Therefore, the control circuit 7 can create various visual effects by changing the combination of the turned-on light sources among the plurality of first light sources 3-1 to 3-n and the plurality of second light sources 4-1 to 4-m in various ways.

The display object 8 is disposed on the rear side of the light guide plate 2, and when all of the first light sources 3-1 to 3-n are turned off, the observer P can view the entire display object 8 through the light guide plate 2. Furthermore, when any of the second light sources 4-1 to 4-m is turned on, the display object 8 is illuminated through the light guide plate 2 by the light from the turned on light source, making it easier for the observer P to view the display object 8. The display object 8 may be a stationary object such as a fixed role object provided in an amusement machine, or may be an object part of which is operable. Furthermore, the display object 8 may be an object whose displayed content can be changed, such as a liquid crystal display.

The light guide plate 2 is described in detail below.

3 is a schematic front view of the light guide plate 2. FIG. 4 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the light guide plate 2 along the line indicated by the arrow AA' in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the light guide plate 2 along the line indicated by the arrow BB' in FIG. 3. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, one of the side surfaces of the light guide plate 2 is formed as a first incident surface 2c facing the plurality of first light sources 3-1 to 3-n. Furthermore, the other side surface of the light guide plate 2 adjacent to the first incident surface 2c is formed as a second incident surface 2d facing the plurality of second light sources 4-1 to 4-m. In this way, the first incident surface 2c and the second incident surface 2d are provided on different side surfaces of the light guide plate 2, so that the light emitted from the plurality of first light sources 3-1 to 3-n and entering the inside of the light guide plate 2 is reflected by the second prism and is prevented from exiting from the back surface 2b of the light guide plate 2 to illuminate the display object 8. In addition, the light emitted from the multiple second light sources 4-1 to 4-m and entering the inside of the light guide plate 2 is prevented from being reflected by the first prism and exiting from the front surface 2a of the light guide plate 2, thereby preventing the display object 8 from being obstructed from being viewed.

As described above, the light emitted from each of the first light sources 3-1 to 3-n enters the inside of the light guide plate 2 from the first entrance surface 2c through the collimating lenses 5-1 to 5-n. The light from each of the first light sources 3-1 to 3-n that propagates inside the light guide plate 2 is totally reflected by each of the first prisms 11 arranged in the area corresponding to the light source among the multiple first prisms 11 formed on the back surface 2b of the light guide plate 2, and then exits from the front surface 2a of the light guide plate 2 toward the observer P. For example, light emitted from the light source 3-1, collimated by the collimating lens 5-1, and entered the light guide plate 2 from the first entrance surface 2c is totally reflected by each prism 11 provided in the area 21-1 and exits from the front surface 2a of the light guide plate 2 toward the observer P.

The light emitted from each of the second light sources 4-1 to 4-m enters the inside of the light guide plate 2 from the second entrance surface 2d via the collimating lenses 6-1 to 6-m. The light from each of the second light sources 4-1 to 4-m propagating inside the light guide plate 2 is totally reflected by each of the second prisms 12 arranged in the area corresponding to the light source among the multiple second prisms 12 formed on the front surface 2a of the light guide plate 2, and then exits from the back surface 2b of the light guide plate 2 toward the display object 8. For example, light emitted from the light source 4-1, collimated by the collimating lens 6-1, and entered the light guide plate 2 from the second entrance surface 2d is totally reflected by each of the prisms 12 provided in the area 22-1 and exits from the back surface 2b of the light guide plate 2 toward the display object 8.

Each of the first prisms 11 is formed, for example, as a substantially triangular groove having a predetermined length and a predetermined depth on the rear surface 2b. Each of the first prisms 11 has a reflective surface that forms a predetermined angle with respect to the rear surface 2b. The predetermined angle is set so that the light from the corresponding light source that is incident on the light guide plate 2 is totally reflected and directed toward the front surface 2a, for example, at 40° to 50° with respect to the rear surface 2b. The predetermined length is set so that multiple prisms can be arranged in each of the regions 21-1 to 21-n, and the observer P cannot distinguish the individual prisms 11, for example, about 100 μm to several mm. Furthermore, the predetermined depth is also set so that the observer P cannot distinguish the individual prisms 11, for example, about several tens of μm to several hundreds of μm.

For each of the regions 21-1 to 21-n, the multiple first prisms 11 are arranged in that region, for example, in a lattice pattern or a staggered pattern. Furthermore, each of the multiple first prisms 11 is formed so that the reflecting surface faces the first incident surface 2c. Therefore, each prism 11 reflects the light emitted from the corresponding first light source and propagating through the light guide plate 2 toward the front side, so that while any of the multiple first light sources 3-1 to 3-n is turned on, the region of the regions 21-1 to 21-n corresponding to the turned on light source appears to be lit by the observer P. As a result, the shutter device 1 can make it impossible for the display object 8 located on the back side of the light guide plate 2 to be viewed through the region corresponding to the turned on light source.

Similarly, each of the second prisms 12 is formed, for example, as a substantially triangular groove having a predetermined length and a predetermined depth on the front surface 2a. Each of the second prisms 12 has a reflective surface that forms a predetermined angle with respect to the front surface 2a. The predetermined angle is set so that the light from the corresponding light source that is incident on the light guide plate 2 is totally reflected and directed toward the rear surface 2b, for example, at 40° to 50° with respect to the front surface 2a. The predetermined length is set so that multiple prisms can be arranged in each of the regions 22-1 to 22-m, and the observer P cannot distinguish the individual prisms 12, for example, about 100 μm to several mm. Furthermore, the predetermined depth is also set so that the observer P cannot distinguish the individual prisms 12, for example, about several tens of μm to several hundreds of μm.

For each of the regions 22-1 to 22-m, the second prisms 12 are arranged in the region, for example, in a lattice or staggered pattern. Furthermore, each of the second prisms 12 is formed so that the reflecting surface faces the second entrance surface 2d. Therefore, each prism 12 reflects the light emitted from the corresponding second light source and propagating through the light guide plate 2 toward the rear side, so that while any of the second light sources 4-1 to 4-m is on, the display object 8 is illuminated by the light from the light source that is on through the region of the regions 22-1 to 22-m that corresponds to the light source that is on. As a result, the shutter device 1 can make it easy for the viewer P to view the display object 8 located on the rear side of the light guide plate 2.

According to a modified example, each of the first prisms 11 may be arranged so that its reflection surface faces the first light source corresponding to the region in which the prism 11 is arranged among the regions 21-1 to 21-n. That is, the individual prisms 11 may be arranged in a concentric manner with the first light source corresponding to the region in which the prism 11 is arranged as the center. For example, the individual prisms 11 provided in the region 21-1 are arranged in a concentric manner with the light source 3-1 as the center. As a result, for each of the regions 21-1 to 21-n, the angle of incidence of light emitted from the light source corresponding to the other region and propagating through the light guide plate 2 with respect to the reflection surface of each prism 11 arranged in that region becomes large. Therefore, the light emitted from the first light source corresponding to the other region is reflected by the prism 11 and is emitted from the front surface 2a to the outside of the light guide plate 2 with a large emission angle, and does not proceed toward the observer P. Therefore, when the first light source corresponding to a specific area is turned on so that the display object 8 cannot be seen in that specific area, it is possible to prevent the display object 8 from becoming invisible in areas other than the specific area. In this case, the collimator lenses 5-1 to 5-n may be omitted.

Similarly, each of the multiple second prisms 12 may be arranged so that its reflective surface faces directly toward the second light source corresponding to the region in which the prism 12 is arranged among the regions 22-1 to 22-m. In other words, each prism 12 may be arranged concentrically about the second light source corresponding to the region in which the prism 12 is arranged. In this case, the collimating lenses 6-1 to 6-m may be omitted.

Please note that in Figures 3 to 5, the size of each prism and the thickness of the light guide plate 2 are exaggerated to make the figures easier to see.

For the regions 21-1 to 21-n of the light guide plate 2, the arrangement density of the first prisms 11 and the second prisms 12 in the entire region is preferably set so that when the first light source corresponding to that region is turned off, the observer P feels as if he or she is viewing the display object 8 located on the back side of the light guide plate 2 through a transparent member or through empty space. For example, it is preferable to determine the arrangement density of the first prisms 11 and the second prisms 12 in each region so that the haze value representing the ratio of diffused light to the total transmitted light in the light guide plate 2 is equal to or lower than the upper limit of the haze value at which the observer feels as if he or she is viewing the display object 8 through a transparent member or through empty space. On the other hand, the lower the arrangement density of the first prisms 11 themselves, the lower the utilization efficiency of the light from each of the first light sources. Therefore, if the arrangement density of the first prisms 11 is too low, even if each light source is turned on, the observer P will be able to view the display object 8 through the light guide plate 2, which is not preferable. Therefore, it is preferable that the arrangement density of the first prisms 11 is closer to the upper limit of the haze value. For example, under certain conditions, if the arrangement density of the first prisms 11 and the second prisms 12 is 30%, which corresponds to the upper limit of the haze value of 28%, it is preferable that the arrangement density of the prisms 11 is set to, for example, 20% to 25%.

As described above, this shutter device has a light guide plate arranged between the observer and the display object. A plurality of first prisms are arranged on the back surface of the light guide plate. The light emitted from any of the first light sources and entering the light guide plate is reflected by the prisms toward the front surface side, so that the area in which the prisms corresponding to the lit first light source are arranged appears to be illuminated. As a result, the visibility of the display object arranged on the back surface side of the light guide plate is hindered. On the other hand, when the first light source is turned off, the observer can view the display object through the light guide plate. Furthermore, a plurality of second prisms are arranged on the front surface of the light guide plate. The light emitted from any of the second light sources and entering the light guide plate is reflected by the prisms toward the back surface side, so that the display object is illuminated. In this way, this shutter device can switch whether or not the display object is visible with a simple configuration.

According to a modified example, the entire light guide plate 2 may be one region, and there may be only one first light source. The shutter device can switch between making the display object 8 visible through the entire light guide plate 2 and making the display object 8 invisible by switching the first light source on and off. Similarly, there may be only one second light source. The shutter device can switch between illuminating the display object 8 through the light guide plate 2 and not illuminating it by switching the second light source on and off.

According to another modification, in each of the regions 21-1 to 21-n of the light guide plate 2, the individual first prisms 11 may be arranged along a specific pattern. In this case, the shutter device 1 can set the shape of the region that blocks the visibility of the display object 8 in the region where the corresponding first light source is turned on to a shape that corresponds to the pattern in which the prisms 11 are arranged.

According to yet another modification, each of the second light sources 4-1 to 4-m may have a plurality of light-emitting elements that emit light of different colors. The control circuit 7 can then switch the color of the light that illuminates the display object 8 by switching which of the second light sources 4-1 to 4-m is turned on.

The shutter device according to the above embodiment or modified example may be mounted on a gaming machine such as a pinball gaming machine or a reel gaming machine.
Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a pinball game machine having a shutter device according to the above embodiment or modified example, seen from the player side. As shown in Fig. 6, the pinball game machine 100 has a game board 101, which is the game machine body, which is provided in most of the area from the top to the center, a ball receiving section 102 arranged below the game board 101, an operation section 103 equipped with a handle, a liquid crystal display 104 provided on the side facing the player at approximately the center of the game board 101, and a shutter device 105 arranged in front of the liquid crystal display 104.

The pinball game machine 100 also has a gadget 106 that is arranged below the game board 101 or around the shutter device 105 on the front side of the game board 101 to enhance the gameplay. Rails 107 are also arranged on the sides of the game board 101. A number of obstacle nails (not shown) and at least one winning device 108 are also provided on the game board 101.

The operation unit 103 launches a game ball with a predetermined force from a launching device (not shown) according to the amount of rotation of the handle by the player. The launched game ball moves upward along the rail 107 and falls between the numerous obstacle nails. When a sensor (not shown) detects that the game ball has entered one of the winning devices 108, a main control circuit (not shown) provided on the back of the game board 101 pays out a predetermined number of game balls according to the winning device 108 into which the game ball has entered to the ball receiving unit 102 via a ball payout device (not shown). The main control circuit also drives the liquid crystal display 104 and the shutter device 105 via a performance CPU (not shown) provided on the back of the game board 101. The performance CPU is an example of a performance control device, and outputs a control signal including light source control information according to the state of the game to the shutter device 105.

The shutter device 105 is an example of a shutter device according to the above embodiment or modified example, and is attached to the game board 101 in front of the liquid crystal display 104, i.e., on the player side, so that the back surface of the light guide plate faces the liquid crystal display 104 and the front surface of the light guide plate faces the player. The control circuit of the shutter device 105 switches the first light source and the second light source on or off according to light source control information included in the control signal from the performance CPU, thereby switching whether the player can see the image displayed on the liquid crystal display 104 provided on the back side of the shutter device 105 and whether or not the liquid crystal display 104 is illuminated. The liquid crystal display 104 is an example of a display object.

Thus, those skilled in the art can make various modifications to suit the implementation form within the scope of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 shutter device 2 light guide plate 2a front surface 2b rear surface 2c first incident surface 2d second incident surface 3-1 to 3-n first light source 4-1 to 4-m second light source 5-1 to 5-n, 6-1 to 6-m collimator lens 11 first prism 12 second prism 21-1 to 21-n, 22-1 to 22-m area 7 control circuit 100 pinball game machine 101 game board 102 ball receiving section 103 operation section 104 liquid crystal display (display object)
105 Shutter device 106 Accessories 107 Rail 108 Winning device

Claims (3)

A first light source;
A second light source;
a light guide plate disposed on the front side of a display object, the light guide plate being made of a transparent member and having a first incident surface facing the first light source and a second incident surface facing the second light source;
A control unit that controls turning on and off the first light source and the second light source;
having
The light guide plate is
a plurality of first prisms on a rear surface of the light guide plate that reflect light emitted from the first light source and incident on the first incident surface into the light guide plate so as to emit the light from a front surface of the light guide plate;
a plurality of second prisms on the front surface of the light guide plate that reflect the light emitted from the second light source and incident on the second incident surface into the light guide plate so as to exit the light from the rear surface of the light guide plate;
Shutter device. The shutter device according to claim 1, wherein the luminance of the light emitted from the first light source and the arrangement density of the plurality of first prisms are set so that the luminance at the front surface of the light guide plate due to the light emitted from the first light source, reflected by the plurality of first prisms, and emitted from the front surface of the light guide plate is greater than the luminance at the front surface of the light guide plate due to the light emitted from the display object and transmitted through the light guide plate from the back surface of the light guide plate toward the front surface when the second light source is turned off. A gaming machine body,
A display object provided on the side of the gaming machine body facing a player;
A shutter device disposed closer to the player than the display object;
a performance control device that outputs a control signal to the shutter device according to a game state;
The shutter device is
A first light source;
A second light source;
a light guide plate that is disposed closer to the player than the display object, is made of a transparent material, and has a first entrance surface facing the first light source and a second entrance surface facing the second light source;
A control unit that controls turning on or off the first light source and the second light source according to the control signal received from the performance control device;
having
The light guide plate is
a plurality of first prisms on the display object side surface of the light guide plate that reflect light emitted from the first light source and incident on the first entrance surface into the light guide plate so as to emit the light from the player side surface of the light guide plate;
and a plurality of second prisms on the player side surface of the light guide plate that reflect the light emitted from the second light source and incident on the second incident surface into the light guide plate so as to emit the light from the display object side surface of the light guide plate.
Amusement machine.

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