JPH0342380Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a photosensor break state detection device, and more particularly to a photosensor break state detection device that accurately detects disconnection of a signal line connected to a photosensor.

Conventionally, mechanical make contacts have generally been used in, for example, gaming machine management systems to detect predetermined information in each gaming machine.
The mechanical make contact is normally in a broken state, and when information is detected, it becomes a make state and generates the above-mentioned predetermined information signal. However, mechanical contacts have the drawbacks of being unreliable and having a complicated structure. For this reason, recently, photo sensors using photoelectric conversion elements have come into widespread use in gaming machine management systems. If a disconnection occurs in the signal line connecting the photosensor and the control device in such a control system, a situation may occur in which the control device cannot obtain necessary information or may obtain incorrect information. Therefore, it is necessary to quickly detect these disconnections.

An object of the present invention is to provide a reliable and inexpensive device for detecting a disconnection of a signal line in an information detection system using a photo sensor.

Generally, in a photosensor consisting of a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, in order to detect an object passing between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element, the light-emitting element is kept emitting light at all times, and the object blocks the light from the light-emitting element. When used in such a way that a light receiving element detects a state in which the light is generated, such a photosensor can be regarded as a break contact type photosensor. Such a photosensor is always in a make state, and when information is detected, it is in a break state and generates information as a break signal.

The present invention is particularly useful in an information detection system where the condition is that if the duration of such a break signal represents correct information, it always falls within a predetermined time, when the break signal exceeds the predetermined time. This is based on the recognition that if the error signal persists, it is possible to detect a break in the signal line by treating it as an error signal.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a configuration considered as a premise of the present invention in the case where a photo sensor of a gaming machine is connected to a control device through 1:1 wiring. FIG. 2 is a signal waveform diagram for explaining the operation of this configuration example.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a gaming machine, 2 is a photo sensor provided in this gaming machine (for convenience of explanation, it is shown as a mechanical break contact), 3 is a control device that manages the gaming machine, and 4 is a photo sensor 2 and a control device. A signal line 5 connects the device 3, a photocoupler 5 extracts a signal from the signal line, and a detection circuit 6 detects a disconnection of the signal line 4.

The photosensor 2 has a structure in which a light emitting element, such as a photodiode, and a light receiving element, such as a phototransistor, are arranged facing each other, and is capable of detecting an object passing between the photodiode and the phototransistor.

When no object passes between the photodiode and the phototransistor, that is, when the light from the photodiode is not blocked by the object, the phototransistor receives light from the photodiode and generates a predetermined current. That is, the photosensor 2 is in a make state when there is no signal, which corresponds to a state in which the illustrated mechanical contacts are closed.

When an object passes between the photodiode and the phototransistor, that is, when light from the photodiode is blocked by the object, the phototransistor does not receive light and generates no current. That is, when the signal is generated, the photosensor 2 is in the break state,
This corresponds to the illustrated mechanical contact being open. When the photo sensor is in the break state,
A break signal will be generated indicating the detection of an object. The break signal is sent to the control device 3 via a signal line 4 connected to the photosensor 2, and the control device 3 appropriately controls the gaming machine accordingly.

The break signal flowing through the signal line 4 is taken out by a photocoupler 5 provided on this signal line 4,
It is supplied to the detection number 6. This detection number 6 includes, for example, a clock counter and counts the duration of the break signal.

In the game machine management system as described above, when the signal line 4 is disconnected, this disconnection state is the same as the break state of the photosensor 2, that is, the state in which the break contact shown in the figure is open. Therefore, when the signal line is disconnected, the control device 3 receives a break signal caused by the disconnection, which is not a normal break signal from the photosensor 2, causing a malfunction.

In the above case, if the duration of the various normal break signals generated in the photosensor 2 is within the predetermined time _t0 , the break signal as a normal signal from the photosensor 2 and the break signal caused by a disconnection of the signal line. It becomes possible to distinguish between undesired break signals and undesired break signals.

The signal line disconnection detection mode shown in FIG. 1 will be explained in more detail with reference to the signal waveform diagram shown in FIG. 2. Figure 2a shows the waveform of the current detected by the detection circuit 6 from the signal line via the photocoupler 5 when the signal line 4 is normal, and Figure 2b shows the waveform of the current detected when the signal line is broken. Shows the current waveform.

The current in FIG. 2a is caused by three break signals S ₁ , S ₂ ,
_S3 , and the duration of each of these break signals is _t1 , _t2 , and _t3, respectively. If these times are less than the predetermined time t ₀ , the time counter of the detection circuit 6 counts the duration of each signal and determines that each of these signals is a normal signal from the photosensor.

Note that it is clear that the predetermined time t ₀ must be greater than or equal to the maximum duration t _nax of the durations of various normal break signals from the photosensor. Preferably, the predetermined time t ₀ is also chosen to be equal to the maximum duration t _nax .

On the other hand, the current in Fig. 2b has two break signals S ₄
and S ₅ and the duration of the signal S ₄ is t ₄
(≦t ₀ ), and the duration of the signal S ₅ is the above-mentioned fixed time
Assume that t exceeds ₀ . The detection circuit 6 determines that the signal _S4 is a normal signal from the photosensor, but since the duration of the break signal _S5 exceeds the predetermined time _t0 , it is a break signal indicating a break in the signal line. It is judged that. The detection circuit 6 can be configured to issue an alarm signal to the control device 3, for example, when detecting a break in the signal line.

With the above-described configuration, it is possible to distinguish between the photo sensor break state detection mode and the signal line disconnection state. However, when applying the configuration shown in FIG. 1 to a photosensor break state detection device in an actual game material management system, consideration must be given to the fact that the number of photosensors is sufficiently large.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG. FIG. 3 shows an embodiment in which a large number of photosensors are connected to a control device by matrix wiring. In the figure, 7 indicates a large number of photosensors (represented by mechanical break contacts as in Figure 2).
A photosensor system arranged in a matrix of rows and m columns is shown. These matrices have row signal lines
Matrix wiring is provided by X ₁ , X ₂ , ...X _o and column signal lines Y ₁ , Y ₂ ...Y _n . Each row signal line
X ₁ , X ₂ . _{. . X o are} connected to the control device 8 via signal lines L ₁ , L ₂ . A photocoupler is attached to each signal line.
K ₁ , K ₂ ...K _o are provided, and detection circuits D ₁ , D ₂ ...D _o for detecting disconnection are connected to each photocoupler.

If the minimum duration of various break signals when a normal signal is generated from the photosensors in the photosensor system is _tnio , then the photosensors arranged in a matrix _are
Scan sequentially with t _s . Therefore, for one photosensor, it is sequentially detected whether the photosensor is in the make state or the break state during the time _ts at a constant period determined by scanning. If a break state is continuously detected in one or more photosensors and the continuous time exceeds a certain time t ₀ , the signal lines L ₁ , L ₂ . . .
L _o , row signal lines X ₁ , X ₂ ...X _o , column signal lines Y ₁ , Y ₂ ...
It can be seen that there is a disconnection in at least one location of Ym. Note that it is clear that the predetermined time t ₀ must be greater than or equal to the maximum duration t _nax of the durations of various normal break signals from all photosensors. Also, the predetermined time t ₀
is preferably chosen to be equal to the maximum duration t _nax .

The detection circuits _D1 , _{D2 ,} .

In the game machine management system as described above, for example, if a disconnection occurs at point A on the signal line _L1 , all the photosensors _P1 , _{P2, etc.} connected to the row signal line _X1 of the matrix... A break state indicating a disconnection occurs continuously at Pm. When the detection circuit _D1 detects this, it is found that a disconnection has occurred in the signal line _L1 .

Furthermore, if a disconnection occurs at location B on the row signal line _X1 , a break state indicating a disconnection continues in the photosensors _P2 ...Pm. When the detection circuit _D1 detects this, it is found that a disconnection has occurred at the location B on the row signal line _X1 .

In the case of matrix wiring, the break state of the photosensor is detected by time-sharingly detecting the states of multiple photosensors, but as a result, the duration of the break signal from the photosensor is counted. You can say that it is similar to what you are doing.

As is clear from the above explanation, according to the photo sensor break state detection device of the present invention, since a break contact type photosensor is used, it is possible to detect the break state of the photosensor and the signal line by simply counting the duration of the break signal. can be easily detected by distinguishing it from a disconnection. Furthermore, since a photo sensor is used instead of a conventional mechanical contact, a highly reliable and inexpensive device can be obtained.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to determine the break status of each individual photo sensor using a sufficiently large number of photo sensors and the disconnection status of the signal line itself using a relatively small number of signal extraction units. becomes.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example considered as a premise of the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a signal waveform diagram for explaining the operation of the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a gaming machine, 2 and P ₁ ... P _n are photo sensors, 3 and 8 are control devices, 4 and L ₁ ... L _o
are signal lines, 5 and K ₁ ...K _o are photocouplers, 6 and D ₁ ...D _o are detection circuits, X ₁ ...X _o are row signal lines, Y ₁
...Y _n represents a column signal line.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A photo sensor is provided that is in a make state when there is no signal and is in a break state when a signal is generated, and generates a break signal whose duration is within a predetermined time, and the photo sensor is connected to a plurality of wires in one direction. connected in series with a diode at the intersection of the arranged signal line and a plurality of signal lines arranged in the other direction, and connected to each of the plurality of signal lines arranged in one direction. In the photosensor break state detection device, the photosensor break state detection device is provided with a signal extraction unit that detects a break state of the photosensor, and the signal extraction unit counts the duration of the extracted break signal, and the duration is determined to be the predetermined time. a detection unit that detects when the detection unit exceeds the predetermined time, and the signal extraction unit determines a break signal having a duration within the predetermined time that occurs in the detection unit as a break signal from the photosensor, and the signal extraction unit A photosensor characterized in that it is configured to determine that a break signal having a duration exceeding the predetermined time that occurs in the signal line is caused by a break in the signal line.
Break state detection device.