JPH0698975A - Needle gap measuring device for play machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the needle gap measuring device for play machine which facilitates measurement, displays/outputs measured data as digital values and facilitates the post-processing of data as well. CONSTITUTION:Needle lock projections 3R and 3L are provided at respective divided ball parts 2R and 2L dividing the ball in the almost same shape as a pachinko ball, faced each other by arranging a facing gap G and contacted to a pair of obstacle needles 40 at thickest points P1 and P2, and this device is provided with a spring for controlling the stretch of the facing gap G, switch for controlling the ON/OFF of the operation, rotary encoder 17 for outputting the read value of a needle gap as a digital signal at the time of turning on the switch, counter 35, and CPU 31 for calculating the gap value of the obstacle needles 40 as the digital value.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gaming machine nail spacing measuring device for measuring the spacing between obstacle nails implanted in a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine, and in particular, the nail spacing can be measured and output as digital data. To a nail spacing measuring device for amusement machines.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a nail gap measuring device capable of measuring the gap between obstacle nails planted on a game board of a game machine such as a pachinko machine, the one described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-33302 is known. Are known.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional nail interval measuring device, whether or not the gauge portion to be brought into contact with the nail has reached the optimum position depends on the skill of the measurer. The measured data value must be read visually by the measurer who rotates the pointer on the circumference scale plate, it will take a while until the deflection of the pointer settles down, and it is difficult to avoid reading errors. There was a problem to be solved, such as having to input data again when trying to organize or process the data using a computer or the like. The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and it is easy to measure, the measured data is displayed and output as a digital value, and the post-processing of the data is also easy. The purpose is to provide a device.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a nail spacing measuring device for a gaming machine according to the present invention is divided into two balls, each of which has a ball having substantially the same shape as a gaming ball for a gaming machine. One nail locking projection is provided on each of the spheres, and the two spheres are made to face each other with a predetermined facing gap, and the two nail locking projections and the two spheres are arranged on the spheres. Nail contact gauge means configured to contact two inner normal points of the pair of gaming machine obstacle nails to be measured at the thickest point which is the maximum thickness point of the nail, and the nail contact. Gauge gap adjusting means for expanding and contracting the facing gap so that the two spheres of the gauge means freely follow a pair of gaming machine obstacle nails to be measured, and a measuring operation by issuing an operation control signal. Operation control means for controlling the stop of the execution or measurement operation, and the operation to perform the measurement When a control signal is issued, a gauge interval reading means for outputting the reading value of the distance between the two thickest points at that time as a reading digital data signal, and a pair of gaming machine obstacle nails to be measured. And a data calculation and output means for calculating and outputting the inner interval value of (1) based on the read digital data signal.

[0005]

According to the nail spacing measuring device for a gaming machine having the above structure, if the nail locking projections are engaged with the pair of gaming machine obstacle nails to be measured, the nail contact gauge is automatically operated. The bulge portion and the nail locking projection are formed so that the two thickest points of the two sphere portions of the means come into contact with the two inner normal points of the obstacle nail. Therefore, it is not necessary to judge whether or not the gauge portion to be brought into contact with the nail has reached the optimum position, and even a skilled measurer can easily and accurately measure the nail interval. In addition, if the measurer operates the operation control means after locking the nail locking protrusions on the pair of gaming machine obstacle nails to be measured, and outputs the operation signal to execute the measurement operation, the gauge The interval reading means reads the distance between the two thickest points at that time, and outputs the read value as a read digital data signal to the data calculation output means. The data calculation output means calculates the inner distance D of the pair of gaming machine obstacle nails to be measured by a digital value.
Then, the data output means outputs the digital data signal having the value D as the nail internal interval data signal or the nail center interval data signal. Therefore, compared with the conventional analog nail interval measuring device, the measured data can be automatically displayed as a digital value including the time until the hands and the like settle down, and no reading error occurs. Furthermore, if the read data is directly transferred to a computer or the like, the data can be immediately organized or processed, and there is no need to input the data again.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The construction of a nail gauge machine 1 which is an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. As shown in the figure, the nail gauge machine 1 includes contact gauge portions 2R and 2L provided with nail locking projections 3R and 3L, rods 4R and 4L connected to the contact gauge portions 2R and 2L, and rods 4R and 4R. And a measurement control unit 5 for measuring the nail interval of the game machine obstacle nail by the movement of 4L and displaying and outputting data. The measurement control unit 5 includes a switch 6 for ON (execution of operation) and OFF (stop of operation) of a measurement operation, a data display window 9 for numerically displaying measured nail interval data as a digital value, and an operation key 2.
8, a power switch 23, and an all data erase key 30 are provided (FIGS. 1 and 2). In this case, the contact gauge section 2R,
2L corresponds to the nail contact gauge means.

Now, the relationship between the contact gauge portions 2R and 2L and the nail locking projections 3R and 3L of the nail gauge machine 1 and the relationship between the nail and the obstacle nail of the gaming machine will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows the contact gauge section 2 in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a view of R, 2L and nail locking protrusions 3R, 3L viewed from the rear side thereof, that is, the measurement control unit 5 side. As shown in the figure, the contact gauge portions 2R and 2L are two steel balls (for example, steel balls having a diameter of 10.99 to 11.04 mm) having substantially the same shape as a game ball used in a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine. It has a shape divided into spheres, and when viewed from the rear, it has the same maximum thickness B (for example, length 5.495 to 5.52 m).
m). Then, the two bulb dividing portions 2R and 2L are arranged so as to face each other with a predetermined facing gap G therebetween.
Further, at the thickest points P1 and P2 at which the thicknesses of the two ball splitting portions 2R, 2L are maximum (that is, the thickness B), the two ball splitting portions 2R, 2L are the gaming machine obstacle nails 40,
When contacting the inner points P3 and P4, which are the points of the inner spacing of 40, respectively, the nail locking projections 3R, 3L are brought into contact with the points P5 and P6 of the heads of the gaming machine obstacle nails 40, 40. Nail locking projections 3R, 3L are provided. Assuming that the diameter of the gaming machine obstacle nail 40 is A (for example, 1.85 mm), the inner distance D and the nail center distance L of the gaming machine obstacle nails 40, 40
Are respectively calculated by the following equations: D = 2 × B + G (1) L = 2 × B + G + A (2)

In this case, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the center angle between the points P3 and P5 of the gaming machine obstacle nails 40 and 40 and the center angle between the points P4 and P6 are both 90 degrees. However, this is not necessarily 90 degrees, and may be 75 degrees, 120 degrees, or the like. In short, the measurer who uses this nail gauge machine 1
When the nail locking projections 3R, 3L are locked (placed) on the pair of gaming machine obstacle nails 40, 40 to be measured, the two spheres 2R, 2L of the contact gauge section are automatically The two thickest points are P1 and P2, and the two inner points P3 and P of the obstacle nails 40 and 40.
It suffices that the spheroidal portions 2R and 2L and the nail locking projections 3R and 3L be formed so as to come into contact with 4.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the measuring mechanism 7, which is a mechanical part of the nail gauge machine 1, the rods 4R and 4L are rotatably supported by rod rotating shafts 12R and 12L, respectively. A spring 8 is provided between the rods 4R and 4L, and the rods 4R and 4L are urged in the direction of opening to the outside. Therefore, the two sphere divisions 2R, 2
L freely follows according to the distance between the pair of gaming machine obstacle nails to be measured. Further, a part of the gear train of gears is formed at the tails of the rods 4R and 4L, and these gear trains mesh with the teeth of the gear 13 such as a spur gear.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, this gear 13
Is attached to the gear rotation shaft 14, and the gear 13 is rotatably provided. A disk 16 is provided on the gear rotation shaft 14, and a rotary encoder 17 is arranged so as to sandwich the front surface and the back surface thereof. The rotary encoder 17 outputs the rotational displacement of the disk 16 as a two-phase pulse signal (digital signal).

Further, ON or OFF from the switch 6
Is transmitted to the measuring mechanism 7 via the release 21. When it is ON, the digital signal indicating the nail interval is sent to the CPU board 24 as described above, and the CPU
The digital measurement data arithmetically output from the board 24 is
It is sent to the liquid crystal display 15 via a lead wire (not shown),
It is displayed to the measurer through the data display window 9. further,
The digital measurement data arithmetically output from the CPU board 24 is processed by the RS232C driver 26,
It is transferred and output to the outside by the communication connector 29 of the 232C format (FIG. 4).

In the above description, the mechanism for transmitting the ON or OFF operation from the switch 6 is not limited to the release, but may be another mechanism such as a mechanical transmission mechanism, an electric switch and an actuator, or the like. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, when the range switching mechanism 10 is provided and the nail spacing is normal (for example, the nail spacing is about 12 mm),
The biasing force of the spring 8 or the facing gap G may be changed when the nail spacing is wide (for example, the nail spacing is about 14 mm).

In this case, the spring 8 corresponds to a gauge gap adjusting means, the switch 6 corresponds to an operation control means, and the disk 16 and the rotary encoder 17 constitute a gauge gap reading means.

Next, FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the electrical construction of each of the above-mentioned substrates. As shown in FIG. 6, the nail gauge machine 1 includes a bus for exchanging data signals and control signals, and an external operation key 28 connected to the bus.
CPU 31 (Ce which controls the entire information processing / control by a command from
ntral Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) 34 connected to the bus for storing operation program data of the CPU 31, and the like,
A RAM (Random Access Memory) 33 that is connected to the bus and temporarily stores data during processing of the CPU 31, and the rotary encoder 1.
The counter 35 counts the number of clock pulses in the two-phase pulse signals of the A-phase and B-phase, which are the read digital data signals sent from the A. CPU31
Calculates the internal distance D and the nail center distance L of the game machine obstacle nails to be measured by digital values from the count signal from the counter 35. The calculated nail interval data is sent to the liquid crystal display 15 of 8 digits and 2 lines and displayed numerically.

Further, the RS232C driver 26 serializes the digital data signals representing the digital values of the inner distance D and the nail center distance L into serial data as the nail inner distance data signal and the nail center distance data signal, respectively. The serial data is output to the outside via the communication connector 29.

Further, operating power is supplied from the power supply 39 to the above-mentioned substrates and the like through the power supply connector 18 (FIG. 4). The operating power supply is not limited to the external power supply, but may be a built-in power supply such as a battery or a battery.

Further, in the above, a delay circuit or the like is provided in the substrate, and when the contact gauge portions 2R and 2L are inserted between the nails, the contact gauge portions 2R and 2L contract once, and then the elastic restoring force of the spring 8 causes the contact gauge portion 2R. , 2L until the inner surface of the nail follows the inner surface of the nail (for example, 0.5 seconds from the contact of the gauge), the data is not temporarily taken in, and the contact gauge portions 2R, 2L
It may be configured so that the data is taken in after sufficiently following the inner surface of the nail.

Here, the arithmetic processing in the data processing board 24 will be described. Gaming machine obstacle nail 40,4
The inner distance D of 0 and the distance L between the nail centers are calculated by the above formula (1).
And (2). The values A and B are known values, but the facing gap G changes depending on the distance between the nails. Therefore, by detecting this value G, it is possible to calculate the internal distance D and the nail center distance L of the gaming machine obstacle nails 40, 40.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, the thickest points P1 and P2 of the contact gauge portions 2R and 2L in the case of a certain reference are used.
Assuming that the value of the read digital data signal from the counter 35 indicating the distance Do between them is So, there is a linear proportional relationship between the digital read value S of the counter output and the distance D as shown in FIG. 7A. In this case, when the value of the read digital data signal is S, the inner spacing D of the game nail is, for example, the following equation: D = Do * S / So (3) or the slope of this straight line Can be calculated by the following equation: D = Do + (S−So) × tan θ (...) (4) The values of So and tan θ in the above equations (3) and (4) may be measured in advance when the nail gauge machine 1 is manufactured, and may be written in the ROM 34 or the like. Before the measurement, calibration such as setting the reading value of the counter to 2B when the spheroid parts 2R and 2L are brought into close contact (that is, when G = 0) is performed,
It may be stored in the RAM 33 or the like and used.

Also, in the case where the relationship between the digital reading value S of the output of the counter and the distance D is D = f (S) ... (5) as shown in FIG. 7 (B). The value of D can be calculated by calibration. If the inner distance D of the gaming machine obstacle nail is calculated as described above, the nail center distance L of the gaming machine obstacle nail is calculated.
Can be calculated by the following equation: L = D + A (6)

FIG. 8 shows an example of connection when the nail gauge machine 1 is actually used. As shown in the figure, this nail gauge machine 1 includes a power source 3 such as a battery.
It is connected so that the operating power source is obtained from 9, the nail interval is measured by a digital value, and the measured digital data is transferred to the host computer 50 via the connector.

As shown in FIG. 2, the nail gauge machine 1 is provided with operation keys 28 for giving a control command to the CPU 31 from the outside. The operation of the operation key 28 is converted into an electric signal by the key switch board 22 shown in FIG. 4 and sent to the CPU 31.

Next, an example of operation of the operation keys 28 and data display on the liquid crystal display 15 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the liquid crystal display 15 is a liquid crystal display capable of displaying 8 digits and 2 lines.

First, the function of the operation keys 28 shown in FIG. 2 will be described. When you press the "next table" key, the table number is incremented by 1 for each key input. The “measurement input” key is a key for inputting the nail interval, and this key is used for entering the nail interval data when the nail is not adjusted. After entering the data of a certain nail, the next nail number is displayed. By using arrow keys such as “↓ previous” and “↑ next”, nail interval data of an arbitrary nail number can be input. The “adjustment input” key is a key for inputting data after adjusting the nail spacing. Also in this case, after the data of a certain nail is input, the next nail number is displayed. Further, by using arrow keys such as "↓ previous" and "↑ next", nail interval data of an arbitrary nail number can be input. The “execute” key is a setting execution key, and is used, for example, in the case of setting a reference gauge, setting new data, and the like.
The arrow keys "←", "→", "↓ previous", and "↑ next" are used to select digits and numbers.

Next, FIG. 9A shows the standard display contents of the liquid crystal display 15. In FIG. 9A, "serial number" is
The pachinko machine number is shown, and "nail number" shows the nail number to be measured. Also, the star-shaped mark displayed in the adjustment column indicates that the nail adjustment has been performed. The "previous data" is the data measured at the previous time, and this previous data is updated to the value of the new new data measured this time when the measurement input key or the adjustment input key is input. The numerical value of the data is 1/10 when the value is 12.00 mm as a reference.
It shall be displayed in units of 0 mm, and when the nail interval is 12.00 mm, it is displayed as "000". The data is displayed in 3 digits,
At the fourth digit from the right end (blank in the figure), "+" is displayed when the nail interval is wider than 12.00 mm, and "-" is displayed when it is narrow. The "new data" is the data measured this time, and this new data is stored in the main unit when the next measurement data is input with the measurement input key or the adjustment input key, or until the new data is deleted. To be done.
Therefore, FIG. 9 (A) shows the data of the nail of the nail number A of the table of the pachinko machine number 1, the previous nail interval data is 12.55 mm, and the nail interval is adjusted thereafter, and the nail interval of this time is adjusted. The spacing data indicates 12.77 mm.

Next, the operation procedure will be described. FIG. 9 (B)
Shows the initial setting mode (setting 1) by the reference gauge when the power is turned on. In this embodiment, it is impossible to move to the next operation without performing this initial setting. In this case, first, a reference gauge (gauge of 12.00 mm or the like) is set in the contact gauge section, and initialization is performed with the execution key.

Next, when the execute key is operated, the setting 2 is entered. A display example of the setting 2 is shown in FIG. Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the "YES" star or "NO"
By moving it over one of the star marks
After selecting "ES" or "NO", press the execute key. "Y
If you press "ES", the previous "new data" column will be erased,
It will be blank. When the selection of "YES" or "NO" is executed, the standard display described above is displayed.

When the display is shifted to the standard display after the new data is erased, the cursor is displayed at the position of the first digit of the unit number as shown in FIG. 10 (B). As shown in the figure, the previously input A nail data (“077” in FIG. 9 (A)) that was input last time is displayed, and the new data this time is the currently measured data “099”. . The unit number can be changed with the arrow keys "←", "→", "↓ previous", and "↑ next". That is, use the "←" and "→" keys to move the cursor to the position of each digit of the platform number,
The numbers are changed with the "↓ previous" and "↑ next" keys.

Next, after the setting of the table number is completed, the nail number is similarly set by the arrow keys. When the nail number is set,
In the previous data column, the previously input data of the nail number (“077” in FIG. 10B) is displayed.

After setting the nail number, the data input depends on whether or not the nail interval has been adjusted between the last time and the present time, and the adjustment input key is used after the nail adjustment, and the measurement input is performed only for the measurement. Use the keys to enter data. The nail number is incremented by 1 each time data is input, but the nail number may be changed to any nail number to input data.

When the measurement on one table is completed, the "next table" key is pushed and the table number is incremented by one. In other cases, use the arrow keys to change the unit number. After setting the machine number change, data measurement is repeated in the same order as the nail number setting and data input in the same manner as above.

When initial setting is required during standard display,
By pressing the "Execute" key, the display is changed to "Setting 1" and the initial setting can be performed. Then, after the initial setting, "Setting 2" is displayed and "New data erase YES?" Is displayed. Therefore, if "NO" is selected with the arrow keys and the "Execute" key is pressed, the standard display state is restored again.

Communication with the management device and the like in the game shop is RS2.
Communication is performed by a communication request from the management device using a 32C cable. In addition, erasing all data can be performed using the "R
This can be done by pressing the "ST" key 30.

When the display of FIG. 11 (A) is displayed, it means that the battery voltage is insufficient.
Indicates when to replace with a new battery. The display in FIG. 11B shows that the voltage of the memory battery is insufficient. In this case, since the previous data and the new data may be erased, it is necessary to immediately transfer the data to the management device or the like and stop the use once.

The nail interval data measured as described above may be sequentially transferred, or the data of one gaming machine or all the data for each island of one gaming machine in the gaming shop is temporarily transferred. The data may be stored in the RAM 33 or the like and collectively transferred after collecting all the data.

Next, FIG. 12 shows the construction of a nail gauge machine 1A which is another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, this nail gauge machine 1A has a contact gauge portion 2A provided with a nail locking protrusion 3A, a rod 4A connected to the contact gauge portion 2A, and a movement of the rod body 4A causes a nail failure in a gaming machine. And a measurement control unit 5A that measures the nail interval and displays data and outputs data. The measurement control unit 5A includes
A switch 6A for performing ON (execution of operation) and OFF (stop of operation) of the measurement operation, a data display window 9A for numerically displaying the measured nail interval data as a digital value, an operation key 28A, a power switch 23A, an all data deletion key 30A, A ten-key pad 36 is provided. Similar to the nail gauge machine 1 of FIG. 1, the nail locking projection 3A, the contact gauge portion 2A, and the rod body 4A described above are divided into two left and right portions. The internal configuration and the like are the same as those of the nail gauge machine 1 shown in FIG. The nail gap measuring device according to the present invention may have a form like a desk electronic calculator as shown in FIG.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The above-mentioned embodiment is an exemplification, has substantially the same configuration as the technical idea described in the scope of the claims of the present invention, and has any similar effect to the present invention. It is included in the technical scope of the invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, an example in which a rotary encoder and a pulse counter are used as the gauge interval reading means has been described, but this may be any type as long as it can detect the distance. Well, it may be of any type such as electrical, magnetic, optical and mechanical. Also, the data output means may be not only a serial data transfer method but also a method of transferring data in parallel.

[0039]

As described above, according to the nail spacing measuring device for a gaming machine having the above structure, the nail locking projections can be locked to the pair of gaming machine obstacle nails to be measured. If
The bulge portion and the nail locking projection are formed so that the two thickest points of the two sphere portions of the nail contact gauge automatically come into contact with the two inner normal points of the obstacle nail. . Therefore, it is not necessary to judge whether or not the gauge portion to be brought into contact with the nail has reached the optimum position, and even a skilled measurer can easily and accurately measure the nail interval. In addition, if the measurer operates the operation control means after locking the nail locking protrusions on the pair of gaming machine obstacle nails to be measured, and outputs the operation signal to execute the measurement operation, the gauge The interval reading means reads the distance between the two thickest points at that time, and outputs the read value as a read digital data signal to the data calculation output means. The data calculation output means is an internal distance D of a pair of gaming machine obstacle nails to be measured.
Is calculated as a digital value. Then, the data output means outputs the digital data signal having the value D as the nail internal interval data signal. Therefore, compared with the conventional analog-type nail-spacing measuring device, it has the advantage that the measured data can be automatically displayed as a digital value including the time until the hands and the like settle down and no reading error occurs. ing. Furthermore, if the read data is directly transferred to a computer or the like, the data can be immediately organized or processed, and it is not necessary to input the data again.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an overall configuration of a nail gauge machine which is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the configuration of the rear surface of the nail gauge machine shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a relationship between a contact gauge portion and a nail locking projection of the nail gauge machine shown in FIG. 1 and an obstacle nail.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing an internal configuration of a measurement control unit in the nail gauge machine shown in FIG.

5 is a plan view showing a detailed configuration of a measuring mechanism in the nail gauge machine shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a more detailed configuration in each substrate in the nail gauge machine shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a numerical calculation process in the data processing board shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a connection configuration when the nail gauge machine according to the present embodiment is used.

FIG. 9 is a diagram (1) showing an example of data display when the nail gauge machine of the present embodiment is used.

FIG. 10 is a diagram (2) showing an example of data display when the nail gauge machine of the present embodiment is used.

FIG. 11 is a diagram (3) showing an example of data display when the nail gauge machine of the present embodiment is used.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a nail gauge machine which is another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,1A Nail gauge machine 2R, 2L, 2A Contact gauge section 3R, 3L, 3A Nail locking projection 4R, 4L, 4A Rod 5,5A Measurement control section 6,6A switch 7 Measuring mechanism 8 Spring 9,9A Data display window 10 Range switching mechanism 12R, 12L Rod rotation shaft 13 Gear 14 Gear rotation shaft 15 Liquid crystal display 16 Disk 17 Rotary encoder 18 Power supply connector 20 Secondary coil 21 Release 22 Key switch board 23, 23A Power switch 24 CPU board 25 I / O board 26 RS232C driver 27 Reset button 28, 28A Operation key 29 Communication connector 30, 30A All data delete key 31 CPU 33 RAM 34 ROM 35 Counter 36 Numeric keypad 39 Power supply 40 Obstacle nail 50 Host computer

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A nail locking projection is provided on each of two ball splitting portions formed by dividing a ball having substantially the same shape as a game ball for a gaming machine, and the two ball splitting portions are predetermined. It should be measured at the thickest point, which is the point of the maximum thickness on the two nail locking projections and the two spheres, facing each other with a facing gap.
A pair of nail contact gauges configured to come into contact with two inner normal points of the pair of gaming machine obstacle nails, and one pair to be measured by the two spheres of the nail contact gauge means. Gauge gap adjusting means for expanding and contracting the facing gap so as to freely follow the gaming machine obstacle nail, and operation control means for controlling execution or stop of measurement operation by issuing an operation control signal, When the operation control signal for executing the above is issued, a gauge interval reading means for outputting the reading value of the distance between the two thickest points at that time as a reading digital data signal, and 1 for measuring A nail spacing measuring device for a gaming machine, comprising: a data computation output means for computing and outputting an inner spacing value of a pair of gaming machine obstacle nails based on the read digital data signal.