JPH10328352A - Start switch for slot machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow any person to operate a start switch without confusion as felt by a person doing for the first time, further eliminate the need for frequent replacement with excellent endurance and moreover, achieve a smaller structure. SOLUTION: This start switch for a slot machine which delivers a prize coin is constituted of a base part 25 which is detachably fixed on an operation panel 2 of the slot machine while having a hollow part formed therein, a shaft body 22 provided with an operating part 20 at one end thereof while an actuator part 22f of a detector at the other end, a support part 26 so arranged to make the shaft body 22 turn freely while moving in the longitudinal direction thereof, energizing parts 28 and 29 which energize to move the actuator part to a neutral position to maintain the detector 15 off and a mounting member 33 which is detachably mounted while equipped with the detector 15.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a start switch for a slot machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Slot machines are well known worldwide, but will be briefly described below.

In order to play with this slot machine, in Japan, a player first borrows a coin corresponding to the amount. Thereafter, one to three predetermined numbers of coins are inserted through the insertion slots, and a symbol string is selected according to the predetermined number. After that, in many cases, by operating the rotating lever type start switch provided on the right side of the slot machine so as to move downward, a plurality of reels provided with different symbols on the outer peripheral surface at the same time are simultaneously. Drive rotationally.

By operating the rotation lever to the original position from this state, the reels are stopped at random, so that the reel symbols are aligned in the same horizontal or diagonal direction. Prize coins are ejected, and the player wins the prize coin to play.

Such a rotary lever type start switch is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
No. 2 discloses each.

On the other hand, in recent years, many slot machines configured to start by interrupting an electric signal by operating a start switch for the slot machine have been put into practical use in recent years. Such a start switch
In this configuration, a mechanical contact switch (micro switch) is directly turned on / off by an operation lever.

According to such a structure in which the mechanical contact type switch is directly intermittently operated by the operation lever, the operation direction of the operation lever fixed to the easy-to-operate portion of the operation surface of the slot machine is one. The direction is limited. For example, the mechanical contact type switch is turned on by a pressing action or a downward pressing action of the operation lever.

[0007] For this reason, a person who experiences the slot machine for the first time is confused by the operation of the start switch. The mechanical contact type switch has an advantage that the circuit configuration can be simplified because it is inexpensive and does not require an auxiliary circuit. However, it has a drawback of poor durability, so that it needs to be replaced frequently.

[0008] Further, since the player operating the start switch cannot avoid the operation becoming violent in proportion to the degree of excitement, the player operates the operation lever and its supporting portion so as to withstand an unexpected external force. There was a problem that it became large because it had to be made quite sturdy.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the operation direction of the operation lever provided on the slot machine is not limited to one direction. Also, since the operation of the start switch is not embarrassed and the durability is excellent, it is not necessary to frequently exchange, and even if it is exchanged, it can be easily exchanged, and
An object of the present invention is to provide a start switch for a slot machine that can sufficiently withstand unexpected external forces and that can be configured in a small size.

[0010]

Means for Solving the Problems The above-mentioned problems are solved,
According to the present invention, there is provided a start switch for a slot machine for discharging a prize coin in a number corresponding to a symbol row, the start switch being detachably fixed to an operation surface of the slot machine. A base having a hollow portion, an operating portion at one end, a shaft provided with an actuator portion of a detector at the other end, and the shaft rotatably and freely movable in the longitudinal direction within the hollow portion. By doing so, the support unit that supports the actuator unit to turn on and off the detector, and by urging the shaft to move to the neutral position, the actuator unit maintains the detector in the off state And a mounting member provided detachably with respect to the base and provided with the detector.

The detector is an optical sensor which is turned on / off by passing or blocking an optical axis by the actuator section, and the support section allows the shaft body to be rotatable in the hollow section. And movably supported in the longitudinal direction thereof, the actuator section keeps the optical axis of the optical sensor in a non-shielded state, and the urging section moves and biases the shaft body to a neutral position. By doing so, the actuator section maintains the optical axis of the optical sensor in a shielded state, and the optical sensor is provided in the mounting member.

Further, the optical sensor after wiring with respect to the mounting member is further detachably provided.

The detector is a mechanical contact type switch which is turned on / off by an abutting action of the actuator section, and the support section allows the shaft to rotate freely in the hollow section, and By supporting the actuator movably in the longitudinal direction, the actuator unit turns on the mechanical contact switch, and the urging unit moves and biases the shaft body to a neutral position, whereby the actuator unit is turned on by the machine. The contact type switch is turned off, and the mechanical contact type switch is provided on the mounting member.

The detector is a magnetic proximity switch that is turned on and off by a magnet fixed to the actuator unit, and the support unit allows the shaft body to rotate freely in the hollow portion. By supporting the magnet movably in the longitudinal direction, the magnet turns on the magnetic proximity switch, and the urging unit moves and biases the shaft body to a neutral position, whereby the magnet is driven by the magnetic type switch. The proximity switch is turned off, and the magnetic proximity switch is provided on the mounting member.

After a predetermined number of coins are inserted and a symbol row is selected in accordance with the predetermined number, a start switch is operated so that a plurality of reels each having a different symbol provided on the outer peripheral surface are provided. Drive all at once,
By operating the stop switch corresponding to each of the reels, by stopping the reels individually,
A start switch for a slot machine that discharges a number of prize coins in a number corresponding to the symbol row by forming the symbol row to be the same in the horizontal or diagonal direction. A base body detachably fixed to the surface and forming a hollow portion, a shaft body provided with an operation part at one end and an actuator part passing through the optical axis of the optical sensor at the other end, and the shaft body A supporting portion that is rotatably supported in the hollow portion and movably in the longitudinal direction so that the actuator unit does not block the optical axis of the optical sensor, and the shaft body is moved to a neutral position. The actuating unit is provided so as to maintain the state in which the actuator unit shields the optical axis of the optical sensor. It is characterized by being comprised of a mounting member provided detachably to.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the slot machine. In this figure, slot machine 1
On the upper side of the front panel 2, three reels 3 each having different symbols "7", "cherry", "lemon", "bar", etc. provided on the outer peripheral surface are arranged side by side.

A coin slot 9 is provided at the right edge of the front panel 2. The player can borrow one to three coins from the slot 9 by borrowing a coin C corresponding to the amount of money. And a symbol string is selected according to a predetermined number. Thereafter, when the start switch 10 is operated, the control unit 14
, A motor corresponding to each of the reels or a clutch mechanism (not shown) of one motor 4 is started, and the reels 3 are moved in such a manner that the symbols are simultaneously directed downward.
Is driven to rotate.

Each of the reels 3 is provided with a stop switch 11a, 11b, 11c. When the player operates the stop switches 11a, 11b, 11c as appropriate, the solenoids 5a, 5b, Each reel 3 is individually stopped by energizing 5c via the driver 8. Alternatively, when three motors are used, each motor is stopped by performing stop control.

In this manner, each of the above-mentioned symbols is placed in the horizontal symbol row 7a, 7b or the diagonal symbol row 7
By setting the value to c, the prize coins in the number corresponding to each symbol row or symbol are discharged from the discharge port 12 to the coin tray 13 below the front panel 2.

On the other hand, the start switch 10 can be operated up and down and forward as shown in the figure, so that even the first player can operate without being confused. The start switch 10 turns on and off the optical sensor 15 as a detector.
It is configured to be detachable from the control unit 14 through the control unit 6. Further, the control section 14 preferably has a circuit configuration using a so-called one-chip microprocessor in terms of reliability and flexibility, but is not limited thereto, and may be formed of a hardware circuit. A speaker 17 is further connected to the control unit 14 so as to give the player a sense of realism.

Here, the optical sensor 15 is of a non-contact type and therefore has excellent durability. However, as such a non-contact type sensor, a magnetic proximity switch acting in the vicinity of a permanent magnet may be used. Needless to say, a micro switch of a mechanical contact type may be used.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the start switch 10 for the slot machine. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the start switch 10 after assembly, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the structure of the start switch 10 will be described. A hole 25b for inserting a rotating shaft 26 as a support in the direction of the arrow is formed in one side surface of the base 25. One of the pair of rotating shafts 26b of the rotating shaft 26 is pivotally supported by a hole on the base 25 side, and after the rotating shaft 26 is inserted in the direction of the arrow, the caulking member 27 is removed. By press-fitting into this hole 25b, the other rotating shaft 26b is inserted into the hole 27b of the caulking member 27.
To support the rotating shaft. After the caulking member 27 is press-fitted, the wing nut 32 is screwed with the wing nut 32 so as not to protrude outside the outer peripheral surface of the base 25.

The rotary shaft 26 rotatably provided in this manner has an insertion hole 26a formed through a flat surface 26c so that the shaft 22 can be inserted into the insertion hole 26a. By setting, the shaft portion 22d of the shaft body 22d
Is supported by the rotating shaft 26 so as to be rotatable and movable in the longitudinal direction.

For this purpose, the base 25 has a hollow portion 25a.
Are formed so as to communicate with each other in the longitudinal direction, and a ball body 20 serving as an operation part is provided at one end with a shaft part 2 via a spring member 21.
2a, and the other end of which is provided with an actuator section 22f for blocking the optical axis L of the optical sensor 15 as a detector, is inserted in the direction of arrow D1 in FIG. The shaft portion 22d is slidably held in the insertion hole 26a so as to be in a positional relationship.

On the other hand, this shaft body 22 is
The shaft 22b, 22c and the groove 22k are integrally formed continuously with the rubber member 23 having a hollow portion 23a on the shaft 22c. , So as to reduce the impact and to prevent collision noise.

After the rubber member 23, a thrust washer 24 made of a material having excellent wear resistance such as polyacetal resin is inserted into the shaft portion 22d and set on the base 25. The washer 24 is set so as to come into contact with the flat surface 26c of the rotating shaft support member 26.

Subsequently, from the back side of the base 25,
The large-diameter portion 28a of the cone-shaped compression coil spring 28 in which the collar 29 provided with the flange portion 29f is set in advance is set first, and the collar 2 is attached to the shaft portion 22d of the shaft body 22.
9, the compression coil spring 28 is compressed so that the groove 22k comes out of the through hole 29a of the collar 29, and then the retaining ring 3 is set.
0 is press-fitted into the groove 22k.

As described above, by holding the compression coil spring 28 in a compressed state and making the thrust washer 24 come into surface contact with the flat surface 26c, after the shaft body 22 is rotated in the vertical direction, , When the external force is released,
Since the urging force which returns to the above-mentioned surface contact state acts, the shaft body 22 is urged to move to the neutral position. Therefore, the actuator unit 22f can automatically be in a state of blocking the optical axis L of the optical sensor 15 and can be maintained in the off state.

With the above, the mechanism of the start switch is completed.

On the other hand, an oval-shaped mounting hole 2a shown by a broken line in FIG. 1 is formed in the front panel 2, and a flange 25g of a base 25 serving as a base is formed at the edge of the mounting hole 2a as shown in the figure. By fixing so as to be held in the section, the shaft body 22 serving as the operation lever is configured to move vertically. If the parallel portion of the mounting hole 2a is formed so as to be in the left-right direction, the operation direction of the operation lever can be set in the left-right direction.

In order to removably fix the base 25 to the mounting hole 2a of the front panel 2 from the front side, an external thread portion 25c is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the base 25. After the collar 31 is inserted into the external thread portion 25c, the wing nut 32 is inserted, and a pair of projections are screwed into the female thread portion 32a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the wing nut 32. The base 25 is fixed to the front panel 2 by gripping and rotating the portion 32b. Therefore, special tools are not required.

Finally, the optical sensor 15 is a so-called photo-interrupter, which is turned off when the optical axis L between the light emitting and receiving diodes is cut off by the actuator 22f, and is turned on when the optical axis L is not cut off by the actuator 22f. However, the circuit attached to this is omitted.

A connector 16 is connected to the optical sensor 15 via a wiring lead 40, and is detachably fixed to the rear side of the base 25 via a mounting adapter 33 as a mounting member.

For this reason, the mounting adapter 33 is formed by injection resin molding of a black resin material into a cylindrical shape as shown in the figure, and a pair of locking portions 33b, 33d and a protruding portion 33c are respectively formed on the edges. The mounting adapter 33 is detachably attached to the base 25 such that the projection 33c is aligned with the recess 25f of the base 25, and the claw of the locking portion 33b is set from the inside of the hollow portion to the engagement hole 25k. Is fixed to the position where the optical axis L is blocked by the actuator section 22f.

The optical sensor 15 is fixed by locking the bottom surface 15b with the claw of the locking portion 33d.
As shown in the figure, even in a state after wiring, it can be easily fixed, so that no assembling procedure is required, which is very advantageous in a work process.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the start switch 10. The same reference numerals are given to the components already described, and the description will be omitted.

In this drawing, when the player moves the ball 20 of the operation lever downward, the rubber 23 comes into contact with the hollow portion 25a at a position where the center line CL1 of the shaft body 22 is at the position of CL2. Rotation is restricted. At this time, the actuator 22f is turned on because it is separated from the optical axis L of the optical sensor 15. Shaft 2
When the external force is released after the rotary shaft 2 is rotated downward or upward, the thrust washer 24 and the flat surface 26c
Is returned to the surface contact state by the compression force of the coil spring 28, the shaft body 22 is urged to move to the neutral position, and the actuator 22f is automatically moved to the optical sensor 1f.
Since the optical axis L of No. 5 can be blocked, it can be maintained in the off state.

FIG. 6 (a) is an explanatory view of the operation in which the player has moved the operation lever so as to pull the ball 20 toward the user. In FIG. Abuts against the end of the rotating shaft 26, and further movement is restricted. At this time, the actuator 22f of the shaft 22 is turned on because it is separated from the optical axis L of the optical sensor 15. When the pulling force on the shaft 22 is released, the compression force of the coil spring 28 causes the shaft 2
2 is moved to the neutral position and the actuator 22
Since f can block the optical axis L of the optical sensor 15,
It is kept off.

FIG. 6B shows a mechanical contact type switch 4 in which a rotating roller 40 is rotatably provided on an actuator section 22f.
1 illustrates a configuration in which the first member 1 is turned on and off in accordance with the rotation and the pulling operation of the shaft body 22.

FIG. 6C shows an actuator section 22f.
The permanent magnet 50 is fixed to the tip of the shaft, and the magnetic proximity switch 51 is configured to be turned on / off according to the turning and pulling operation of the shaft 22.

According to the start switch configured as described above, even when the ball 20 of the operation section is rotated violently, the shaft portion 22d of the shaft body 22 has the through hole of the rotating shaft body 26. Since it rotates inside the unit, no unreasonable external force acts.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent a malicious third party from performing a damage.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention, the operation direction of the operation lever provided on the slot machine is not limited to one direction, so that even a person who first experiences the slot machine can operate the start switch. It is not confused and has excellent durability, so it does not need to be replaced frequently, and it can be replaced easily, not only when manufacturing, but also when replacing it. It is possible to provide a start switch for a slot machine that can sufficiently withstand an external force and can be configured in a small size.

[0046]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a slot machine.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the start switch 10 for the slot machine.

FIG. 3 is a center sectional view after assembling the start switch 10;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.
FIG.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a main part for explaining the operation of the start switch 10.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a main part for describing the operation of the start switch 10.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 slot machine 2 front panel 3 reel 7 symbol row 10 start switch 11 stop switch 15 optical sensor (detector) 20 ball (operation unit) 22 shaft body 24 thrust washer 25 base (base) 26 rotating support 28 compression coil Spring 29 Collar 33 Mounting Adapter

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A start switch for a slot machine for discharging a number of prize coins according to a symbol row, the base switch being detachably fixed to an operation surface of the slot machine and forming a hollow portion, A shaft body provided with an operation unit at one end and an actuator unit of a detector at the other end; and the shaft unit is rotatable in the hollow portion and movable in the longitudinal direction so that the actuator portion is A support portion that supports the detector so as to be turned on / off, a biasing portion that moves and biases the shaft body to a neutral position so that the actuator unit maintains the detector in an off state, and the base portion. A start switch for a slot machine, comprising: a mounting member provided detachably with respect to the mounting member and provided with the detector. 2. The optical sensor according to claim 1, wherein the detector is an optical sensor that is turned on and off by passing or blocking an optical axis by the actuator unit. The support unit allows the shaft body to rotate freely in the hollow portion. And movably supported in the longitudinal direction thereof, so that the actuator section keeps the optical axis of the optical sensor unobstructed, and the biasing section biases the shaft body to move to a neutral position. 2. The slot machine according to claim 1, wherein the actuator section maintains the optical axis of the optical sensor in a shielded state, and the mounting member includes the optical sensor. 3. Start switch. 3. The start switch for a slot machine according to claim 2, wherein the optical sensor after wiring with respect to the mounting member is further detachably provided. 4. The switch according to claim 1, wherein the detector is a mechanical contact switch that is turned on and off by an abutting action of the actuator unit, and the support unit allows the shaft to rotate freely in the hollow portion. By supporting the actuator movably in the longitudinal direction, the actuator unit turns on the mechanical contact type switch, and the urging unit moves and biases the shaft body to a neutral position, thereby allowing the actuator unit to move to the neutral position. The start switch for a slot machine according to claim 1, wherein the contact switch is turned off, and the mechanical contact switch is provided on the mounting member. 5. The magnetic proximity switch which is turned on and off by a magnet fixed to the actuator section, wherein the detector is configured to be rotatable in the hollow section by the support section. By movably supporting in the longitudinal direction, the magnet turns on the magnetic proximity switch, and the urging unit moves and biases the shaft body to a neutral position, whereby the magnet is driven by the magnetic type. 2. The start switch for a slot machine according to claim 1, wherein the proximity switch is turned off, and the magnetic proximity switch is provided on the mounting member. 6. After a predetermined number of coins are inserted and a symbol row is selected in accordance with the predetermined number, a start switch is operated so that a plurality of reels each having a different symbol provided on the outer peripheral surface are provided. By simultaneously rotating and driving the stop switches corresponding to each of the reels, the reels are individually stopped, so that the symbols are arranged in the same row in the horizontal or diagonal direction. A start switch for a slot machine for discharging a prize coin in a number corresponding to the symbol row, wherein the base is detachably fixed to an operation surface of the slot machine and has a hollow portion. A shaft body provided with an operation part at one end and an actuator part passing through the optical axis of the optical sensor at the other end, and the shaft body is rotatable in the hollow part And a supporting portion for supporting the optical axis of the optical sensor so as not to block the optical axis of the optical sensor by supporting the movable portion in the longitudinal direction, and by urging the shaft to move to a neutral position, The actuator unit includes an urging unit that maintains an optical axis of the optical sensor in a shielded state, and a mounting member that is detachably provided to the base and that is provided with the optical sensor detachably. A start switch for a slot machine.