Gaming Machines

Abstract

To reproduce lighting like a miniature bulb in the case of making a middle panel or the like emit light for display.SOLUTION: A game machine has a middle panel 6 having a pattern such as a notification 6a, and a notification unit 8 that is disposed behind the middle panel 6 and illuminates and displays the notification 6a. The notification unit 8 has a first light source LED 861, second light source LEDs 862-865 provided therearound, a light guide plate 85 provided in front of the first light source LED 861, projecting therefrom, a spherical transparent member 83 provided in front of the light guide plate 85, and a light diffusion plate 82 provided in front of the second light source LEDs 862-865. The light emitted from the first light source LED 861 can illuminate and display the center of the notification 6a through the light guide plate 85 and the spherical transparent member 83. The light emitted from the second light source LEDs 862-865 can illuminate and display the area around the center of the notification 6a through the light diffusion plate 82.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gaming machine equipped with a panel capable of emitting light. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Gaming machines such as slot machines and pachinko machines are provided with a panel made of a light-transmitting material, and a picture applied to the panel is displayed by illuminating it. Such a light-emitting display can be achieved by emitting light from a light-emitting element such as an LED disposed behind the panel. By controlling such light emission display in accordance with the game status, it is possible to inform the player of the game status and increase the player's interest in the game. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an amusement machine in which all of a plurality of output ports provided in a drive circuit are connected to a single light-emitting element, and the number of output ports among the plurality of output ports through which current flows is increased at predetermined time intervals to gradually increase the amount of current flowing to the light-emitting element, thereby controlling the gradation of the light-emitting element. According to this gaming machine, the drive data sent from the performance control unit to the drive circuit is configured as on / off data that specifies whether or not current should flow for each output port, thereby making it possible to create interesting lamp performances. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-099964 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there is room for improvement in such conventional gaming machines. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the gaming machine of the present invention is provided with a panel on which a pattern is applied, and a light-emitting unit disposed behind the panel for illuminating and displaying the pattern, the light-emitting unit including a first light source and a light-emitting element disposed around the first light source. Multiple The display comprises a second light source, a light guide plate provided in front of the first light source in a manner protruding horizontally forward, a spherical transparent member provided in front of the light guide plate, and a light diffusion plate provided in front of the second light source, and the light emitted from the first light source is capable of illuminating a predetermined area of ​​the pattern via the light guide plate and the transparent member, and the light emitted from the second light source is capable of illuminating an area surrounding the predetermined area via the light diffusion plate. and a luminous flux of the first light source and a total value of the luminous flux of the plurality of second light sources are set equal to each other. It has been done. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic front view showing the appearance of the gaming machine. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the internal configuration of the gaming machine; [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a control configuration of a gaming machine. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] 13 is an enlarged view of the notification section in the middle panel. FIG. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are external views of the notification unit, in which FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] 1A is a front view of a main part of the notification unit, FIG. 1B is a bottom view, and FIG. 1C is a right side view. [Figure 9] FIG. 8(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 8(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. [Figure 11] This is a photograph of the notification unit taken from the front. [Figure 12] This is a photograph of the announcement section of the middle panel taken from the front. [Figure 13] 1A is an enlarged perspective view of a light guide plate, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged front view of the light guide plate. [Figure 14] 10 is an enlarged view of the light guide plate shown in FIG. [Figure 15] This is a photograph of the main part of the notification section taken from the player's side. [Figure 16] This is an example of a miniature light bulb that was once used in gaming machines. [Figure 17] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a light-emitting region when light emitted from an auxiliary light source is diffused, and a diagram illustrating a shadow of a spherical transparent member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a gaming machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. There are various types of gaming machines, such as slot machines and pachinko machines, but the present invention will be described in the case where it is applied to a slot machine.

[0008] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the slot machine 1 of this embodiment constitutes a reel type gaming machine in which medals, which are gaming media, can be won by spinning a plurality of reels 41a, 41b, and 41c.

[0009] The slot machine 1 is composed of a cabinet 1b with an open front side for housing necessary machines, devices, etc., and a front door 1a that covers the front side of the cabinet 1b in an openable and closable manner.

[0010] A lamp 9 and a speaker SP are provided on the upper part of the front door 1a. A middle panel 6 is attached to the center of the front door 1a. As shown in Fig. 4, the middle panel 5 is attached inside the front door 1a to the front of a panel frame 61, which also serves as the body of the front door 1a. The middle panel 6 is made of a light-transmitting material such as acrylic, and has a display window W in the center through which the symbols displayed on the reels 41a, 41b, and 41c can be seen. In addition, the middle panel 6 can be illuminated with light from behind to cause the pattern on the panel surface to be illuminated. As an example of the design, a jagged pattern that lights up when a bonus is won and decorative letters such as "GOGO!" are applied to the lower left corner of the middle panel 6. The lower part of the middle panel 6 of the front door 1a is provided with a medal insertion slot 2 through which medals are inserted, a start lever 3 which starts the rotation of each of the reels 41a, 41b, 41c, and three stop buttons 5a, 5b, 5c which stop the rotating reels 41a, 41b, 41c.

[0011] A main control unit 10 for controlling the slot machine game and a sub-control unit 20 for controlling the presentation are provided on the upper portion of the cabinet 1b. The main control unit 10 and the sub-control unit 20 are each made up of a microcomputer or the like. A drum unit 4 including reels 41a, 41b, and 41c, motors (not shown) for rotating the reels 41a, 41b, and 41c, and sensors for detecting the rotational positions of the reels, etc., are provided in the center of the housing 1b. A medal payout device 7 that stores and pays out medals is provided at the bottom of the housing 1b. The medal payout device 7 is provided with a hopper 7a that stores medals, and medals inserted through the medal insertion slot 2 are detected by the medal selector 2b and guided to the hopper 7a.

[0012] In a slot machine having such a configuration, a slot machine game is played in the following manner. When a player inserts a medal into the medal insertion slot 2 and operates the start lever 3, a start signal is input to the main control unit 10. When a start signal is input, the main control unit 10 drives the drum unit 4 in accordance with a predetermined game program, and controls the rotation of the reels 41a, 41b, and 41c. The main control unit 10 performs an internal lottery to select bonuses, small winnings, etc., and controls the stopping of each of the spinning reels 41a, 41b, 41c so that the reels stop with a combination of symbols corresponding to the lottery results based on the timing at which each of the stop buttons 5a, 5b, 5c is pressed. When the main control unit 10 stops each of the reels 41a, 41b, 41c with a predetermined combination of symbols, it controls the medal payout device 7 to pay out a predetermined number of medals, which are the game value, and as a result, medals are paid out from the medal payout outlet 7b. The sub-control unit 20 performs control related to the presentation of the game under the control of the main control unit 10. The sub-controller 20 is connected to a speaker SP, a lamp 9, LEDs 861 to 865, etc., and executes performance control for operating these in accordance with the game situation. An example of the effects controlled by the sub-controller 20 is a bonus announcement. The bonus announcement is a presentation in which, upon winning a bonus combination, a sound such as a fanfare is output from the speaker SP and / or the lamp 9 is turned on and off to inform the player of the bonus combination. In addition, the sub-control unit 20 is configured to control the light sources (LEDs 861-865) provided inside the notification unit 8 to emit light in a predetermined emission pattern based on the winning of a bonus role, and executes a bonus notification by illuminating a picture (hereinafter referred to as the notification unit 6a) consisting of a jagged pattern and the letters GOGO! on the middle panel 6 based on the optical operation based on this control.

[0013] (Announcement unit) The notification unit 8 is a unit device that corresponds to the light emitting section of the present invention. The notification unit 8 is a device for illuminating the notification section 6a on the middle panel 6 by irradiating it with light from behind, and is provided behind the notification section 6a (the space between the middle panel 6 and the panel frame 61) as shown in Figures 4 and 5. FIG. 6 is an external view of the notification unit 8, and FIG. As shown in Figure 7, the notification unit 8 is composed of a front frame 81, a light diffusion plate 82, a spherical transparent member 83, a light-shielding member 84, a light guide plate 85, an LED board 86, and a rear frame 87, and by combining these components, the notification unit 8 shown in Figure 6 can be completed. As shown in Figs. 5 to 7, the notification unit 8 has a configuration capable of reproducing a miniature light bulb and the way it glows, for example, by using a spherical transparent member 83 that imitates the glass bulb of a miniature light bulb. The slot machine 1 of the present embodiment is provided with such a notification unit 8, thereby reproducing the warm glow with a texture similar to that of a miniature light bulb that was used as a notification lamp in past gaming machines. FIGS. 16(a) to (c) show an example of a miniature light bulb that was once used in gaming machines.

[0014] The front frame 81 is a frame member that constitutes the frontmost part of the notification unit 8. The front frame 81 is provided with a rectangular opening, and a rectangular light diffusion plate 82 is provided facing this opening in a forward direction. The light diffusion plate 82 is a member for diffusing the light emitted from the light source over a wide range. Specifically, the light diffusion plate 82 receives light emitted from the LEDs 862 to 865 arranged at the rear from the rear surface, diffuses the light over a wide range, and emits it from the front surface (emission surface) towards the notification unit 6a. This allows the entire notification section 6a to be illuminated evenly. The light diffusion plate 82 may be a semi-transparent light diffusion member that is colored white (specifically, milky white). According to such a light diffusion plate 82, members such as the LEDs 862 to 865 and the LED board 86 present behind the light diffusion plate 82 can be concealed, and these can be prevented from being seen through the middle panel 6. The light diffusion plate 82 is not limited to a white translucent material, but may be made of various materials having light diffusion and concealment properties, such as a colored transparent or translucent material containing a light diffusion pigment or a material with a textured surface. The light diffusion plate 82 is made of a single member, and the entire light exit surface is formed flush (flat). For example, a plurality of light diffusion plates 82 may be provided corresponding to the LEDs 862-865, rather than being flush with one another. In that case, however, a seam will be generated between the emission surfaces, and the seam will cast a shadow on the notification portion 6a, marring the aesthetic appearance. For these reasons, it is preferable that the light diffusion plate 82 be made of a single member and that the light exit surface be flush. The light diffusion plate 82 is attached to the rear of the front frame 81, and is configured to be attached to the side frame 811 in such a way that it covers the side frame 811 from the front, so that the side frame 811 is not visible as a shadow (see Figures 6(a) and 7). The center of the light diffusion plate 82 is provided with a circular opening so that the spherical transparent member 83 can be inserted.

[0015] The spherical transparent member 83 is a transparent member formed in a spherical shape (to be precise, a hemispherical shape) and having an internal cavity. The spherical transparent members 83 are provided in a state where they are inserted into the openings of the light diffusion plate 82, that is, in a state where they face forward from the openings (see FIG. 6(a) and the like). The light blocking member 84 is a member for covering the periphery of the light guide plate 85 . The light blocking member 84 is specifically formed in a sheath shape, and the light guide plate 85 is provided in a state of being housed in this sheath portion. Further, the light blocking member 84 has an open end such that, when the light guide plate 85 is housed in the sheath portion, only the tip portion (hereinafter, referred to as the front end portion 851) of the light guide plate 85 is exposed. The light guide plate 85 is a thin, elongated transparent plate-like member, and is provided in the internal space of the spherical transparent member 83 with a front end portion 851 facing forward. The light guide plate 85 guides light incident from the rear end portion to the front end portion 851, and emits (irradiates) linear light from the front end portion 851 towards the notification portion 6a.

[0016] The LED substrate 86 comprises a plurality of light sources (LEDs 861-865) arranged on the surface of the substrate, and a control chip (not shown) that controls the light emitting operation of these light sources, and the control chip controls each light source to emit light in a predetermined light emitting pattern in accordance with commands from the sub-control unit 20. The LED 861 is a light source (main light source) that is responsible for emitting light for display at the center of the notification section 6a, and is an example of the first light source of the present invention. The LED 861 is mounted in the center of the LED substrate 86 and disposed behind the rear end of the light guide plate 85 . In other words, the light guide plate 85 is provided in front of the light emission surface of the LED 861 in a protruding manner. The LEDs 862 to 865 are light sources (auxiliary light sources) that are responsible for emitting light around the center of the notification section 6a, and are an example of the second light source of the present invention. The LEDs 862 to 865 are mounted around the LED 861 and disposed behind the light diffusion plate 82. The rear frame 87 is a frame member that constitutes the rearmost part of the notification unit 8. An LED board 86 is attached to the rear frame 87 .

[0017] FIG. 8 is an external view of the main part of the notification unit 8, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a bottom view, and (c) is a right side view. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 8(a), and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 8(a). In addition, in the notification unit 8 shown in Figs. 8 to 10, the front frame 81 and the rear frame 87 are omitted for ease of understanding.

[0018] The mechanism by which the notification portion 6a is illuminated and displayed by the components of the notification unit 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, we will explain how the optical operation of the LED861 as a light source creates the appearance of lighting like a miniature light bulb. 9 and 10, the solid arrows diagrammatically indicate the travel of the light emitted from the LED 861.

[0019] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, light emitted from the main light source LED 861 enters the rear end (rear end surface) of the light guide plate 85, travels (propagates) inside the light guide plate 85, and is emitted from the front end 851 of the light guide plate 85. The light emitted from the front end portion 851 of the light guide plate 85 is mainly high-directivity, high-illuminance light emitted from the LEDs 861, but also includes low-directivity, low-illuminance light. Here, since the light guide plate 85 is a thin plate material, the front end portion 851 of the light guide plate 85 is formed in a linear shape in a cross-sectional view (or a front view). Therefore, the high-intensity light emitted from the front end 851 of the light guide plate 85 passes linearly through the top of the spherical transparent member 83, and illuminates and displays a linear area at the center of the notification section 6a with high luminance. The low-illuminance light spreads as it travels from the front end 851 of the light guide plate 85, illuminating the spherical surface of the spherical transparent member 83 and illuminating the center of the notification section 6a as a whole. As described above, the light emitted from the LED 861 illuminates and displays the center of the notification section 6a based on the optical operation described above.

[0020] FIG. 11 is a photograph of the notification unit 8 taken from the front with the LED 861 illuminated. As shown in FIG. 11, a linear light emitting body f that appears as a linear front end portion 851 emitting light with high luminance can be visually recognized through the spherical transparent member 83. In FIG. 11, it is also possible to visually confirm that the spherical surface of the spherical transparent member 83 is rounded and emitting light. FIG. 12 is a photograph of the notification unit 6a taken from the front in a state in which the LEDs 861 to 865 are illuminated. As shown in FIG. 12, the linear light-emitting body f can also be visually recognized in the notification section 6a. This is because the linear light emitting body f has high luminance and is visible through the intermediate panel 6 even if it is located in front of the linear light emitting body f. As shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the light emitter f at the front end 851 of the light guide plate 85 and the way it shines are similar to the filament in a miniature light bulb and the way it shines, and both emit light linearly with high luminance. As shown in these figures, the rounded way in which the spherical transparent member 83 shines is similar to the way a miniature light bulb (glass bulb) shines. In this way, the notification unit 8 can illuminate the notification section 6a while making the linear light-emitting body f appear like the filament of a miniature light bulb, making it appear as if the notification section 6a is illuminated by a miniature light bulb.

[0021] Here, since the filament of a miniature light bulb emits light with particularly high luminance, in order to more closely resemble the way a miniature light bulb shines, it is necessary to increase the luminance of light emitted from the front end 851 of the light guide plate 85 forming the light emitter f. In contrast, the light guide plate 85 of this embodiment is covered with a light-shielding member 84 except for the front end portion 851, so that the light does not leak to the outside as it propagates inside the light guide plate 85, and the light is concentrated only at the front end portion 851 (see Figures 8, 10, etc.).

[0022] As shown in FIG. 10 and other figures, the rear end portion of the light guide plate 85 is made thicker than the front end portion 851 thereof. This makes it possible to increase the incident area and thus the amount of incident light. As shown in FIG. 13, the light guide plate 85 is formed into an elliptical cone shape (with an elliptical rear end surface), and the plate surfaces (upper and lower surfaces) are slightly curved. By doing so, the light incident from the rear end portion can be easily concentrated on the front end portion 851 (particularly the central portion), and the emission brightness at the front end portion 851 can be effectively increased.

[0023] In addition to the above, the notification unit 8 has the following configuration for reproducing a miniature light bulb or the way the miniature light bulb glows.

[0024] FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of the light guide plate 85 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 14, a front end portion (front end surface) 851 of a light guide plate 85 has a large number of projections and recesses formed at a fine interval. This allows the light to be spread over a wide range at the front end 851, and the luminance of the light emitter f can be increased while being made uniform. This makes it possible to achieve a light emission mode similar to that of a filament, which emits light uniformly and with high luminance. In addition, the numerous projections and recesses based on a fine periodicity can be made to look like a filament coil.

[0025] The light guide plate 85 is provided horizontally (sideways), specifically, with the plate surface facing upward or downward. This makes the linear shape of the light-emitting element f appear horizontal, giving the appearance of a miniature light bulb with a horizontal filament. This also evokes the old game machines that were equipped with miniature light bulbs with filaments facing sideways, creating a sense of nostalgia. It is also possible to provide the light guide plate 85 in a direction other than horizontal (for example, vertical), which can change the way the filament (miniature light bulb) appears.

[0026] A front end portion 851 of the light guide plate 85 is formed based on a plurality of sides. The light guide plate 85 according to this embodiment has a front end portion 851 formed in a trapezoidal shape. The shape of the front end portion 851 of the light guide plate 85 is not limited to a trapezoidal shape, but may be various shapes formed based on a plurality of sides, such as a triangular shape or a pentagonal shape. In this way, by giving the front end 851 of the light guide plate 85 a shape based on multiple sides, the light emitting body f can be made to look like filaments of various shapes as shown in Figures 16(a) to (c), etc., and it is possible to reproduce a miniature light bulb using such a filament and the way it shines.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 14, the light guide plate 85 of this embodiment has a front end 851 formed based on three sides: a left side 851a, a central side 851b, and a right side 851c, of which the left side 851a and the right side 851c are each formed as hypotenuses, and the central side 851b forms a trapezoid with a short base. By forming the front end portion 851 of the light guide plate 85 in a trapezoidal shape, it is possible to make the light appear like a miniature light bulb with a trapezoidal filament, for example, as shown in FIG. 16(b).

[0028] The trapezoid at the front end 851 of the light guide plate 85 is left-right asymmetric. Specifically, of the oblique sides of the trapezoid, the left side 851a and the right side 851c have different lengths. More specifically, the right side 851c is longer than the left side 851a. The reason why the right side 851c is made relatively longer in this manner is that in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the notification unit 6a is located on the left side of the front door 1a, and the right side 851c is easy to see from the player's perspective, while the left side 851a is difficult to see. In this case, if the right side 851c were to be shortened, the light blocking member 84, which would not exist in an actual miniature light bulb, would be easily visible to the player, hindering the reproducibility of the miniature light bulb. Incidentally, even if the left side 851a is also lengthened, such a problem does not arise; however, there is a lot of optical waste in lengthening the left side 851a, which is difficult for the player to see. While shortening the left side 851a poses little problem in terms of visibility, it increases the area covered by the light-shielding member 84 on the left side of the light guide plate 85, so that light is concentrated on the right side 851c and central side 851b, which are easier for players to see, thereby increasing the brightness of those areas.

[0029] FIG. 15 is a photograph of the main part of the notification unit 8 taken from the player's side (right side). As shown in this photograph, by making the right side 851c relatively long, the light emitter f can be made to look like the filament of a miniature light bulb shown in FIG. 16(c). In other words, looking at Figure 15, a V-shaped light-emitting body f can be seen, which is formed from the center of the spherical transparent member 83 by the right side 851c and the central side 851b, and this resembles the shape of the filament of the light bulb in Figure 16(c) when viewed from the front. Therefore, it is possible to reproduce not only the type of light bulb in Fig. 16(b) (with a trapezoidal filament) used in old gaming machines, but also the type of miniature light bulb in Fig. 16(c) and the way it lights up. When the notification unit 6a is disposed on the right side of the front door 1a, the same optical and visual effects can be obtained by making the length of the left side 851a relatively longer.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 10, the axis of the light guide plate 85 is not completely horizontal but is set so as to point slightly downward. This is because the front door 1a and its frame are not completely vertical but are inclined slightly upward (at about 6 degrees), and the notification unit 8 is attached to a panel frame 61 which is the frame of the front door 1a. If the front door 1a were completely vertical, the light guide plate 85 could be made horizontal simply by attaching the notification unit 8 to the panel frame 61, but in reality, the front door 1a is inclined, so the light guide plate 85 cannot be made horizontal. Therefore, by inclining the light guide plate 85 in advance at an inclination angle (approximately 6 degrees downward) that offsets the inclination, the notification unit 8 can be made horizontal simply by attaching it to the panel frame 61. This allows the player to see the front end portion 851 of the light guide plate 85 from the front. In other words, it is possible to show the linear light-emitting body f to the player while responding to the conditions specific to the gaming machine.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 8(a) and FIG. 13(b), the central side 851b may be slightly curved rather than being a completely straight line. This makes it possible to recreate the slightly curved filament of a light bulb and the way it glows. In addition, some miniature light bulbs of the type shown in Figure 16(b) have slightly curved tips, so it is possible to reproduce this type of miniature light bulb and the way it glows.

[0032] Next, a mechanism by which the entire notification section 6a is illuminated and displayed by the light emitted from the auxiliary light sources LEDs 862 to 865 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the dashed arrows diagrammatically indicate the travel of light emitted from the LEDs 862 to 865. As shown in these figures, the light emitted from the LEDs 862 to 865 enters the light diffusion plate 82 from its rear side (rear surface). FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a light emission state in the light diffusion plate 82 when the light emitted from the LEDs 862 to 865 is diffused. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 17, the light incident on the light diffusion plate 82 is scattered inside, and as a result, diffused in concentric circles with each of the LEDs 862 to 865 at the center. It should be noted that regions 862a to 865a indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 17 are schematic light emitting regions in the case where light emitted from the LEDs 862 to 865, respectively, is diffused. The light diffused by the light diffusion plate 82 is emitted forward from the front surface (exit surface). As a result, the notification section 6a is entirely illuminated.

[0033] Incidentally, the circle indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 17 is a schematic representation of the shadow 83a of the spherical transparent member 83 appearing on the notification portion 6a. This type of shadow 83a is problematic because it does not appear in an actual miniature light bulb, which is non-directional. Regarding this problem, it has been found that when only the main light source LED 861 is illuminated, the shadow 83a appears prominently. Therefore, by emitting light not only from the main light source LED 861 but also from the auxiliary light sources LEDs 862 to 865, it was possible to make the shadow 83a less noticeable to some extent. However, simply emitting light from the main light source and the auxiliary light source cannot completely eliminate the shadow 83a.

[0034] Therefore, the inventors of the present invention conducted extensive research and discovered that the shadow 83a can be completely (or almost completely) eliminated based on the relative brightness relationship between the main light source LED 861 and the auxiliary light sources LEDs 862-865. For example, by setting the luminous flux of the LED 861 to about 1 lumen and the luminous flux of the LEDs 862 to 865 to about 0.25 lumen respectively, it was possible to make the shadow 83a almost invisible (see FIG. 12). That is, by making the luminous flux of the main light source equal to the total value of the luminous flux of each of the auxiliary light sources, it was possible to completely eliminate the shadow 83a. This can improve the visibility of the notification section 6a. In addition, it is believed that the non-display of shadow 83a is related to various elements such as the luminous flux, the position, number, and directional characteristics of the light source. By calculating the coefficients related to each of these elements, it is possible to hide shadow 83a under various conditions.

[0035] As described above, in the gaming machine of the present invention, in a gaming machine such as a slot machine 1 that has a middle panel 6 with a pattern such as a notification section 6a, and a notification unit 8 (light-emitting section) that is arranged behind the middle panel 6 and causes the pattern to be illuminated, the notification unit 8 has an LED 861 as a light source, an elongated light guide plate 85 that is provided in a protruding manner in front of the LED 861, and a spherical transparent member 83 that is provided in front of the light guide plate 85, and the light emitted from the LED 861 enables the pattern to be illuminated and displayed via the light guide plate 85 and the spherical transparent member 83. This allows the image to be illuminated and displayed while still allowing the linear light emitter f, like a filament, to be visually recognized, and it is possible to reproduce the warm glow of a light bulb using an LED.

[0036] In addition, in the gaming machine of the present invention, the notification unit 8 is composed of LED861 which is a first light source, LED862-865 which are second light sources arranged around the first light source, a light guide plate 85 arranged in a protruding manner in front of LED861, a spherical transparent member 83 arranged in front of the light guide plate 85, and a light diffusion plate 82 arranged in front of LED862-865, and the light emitted from LED861 is capable of illuminating and displaying the center of the pattern through the light guide plate 85 and the spherical transparent member 83, and the light emitted from LED862-865 is capable of illuminating and displaying the periphery of the center of the pattern through the light diffusion plate 82. This allows the center of the image to be illuminated with a warm glow like that of a miniature light bulb using the LED, while the surrounding area around the center can be illuminated using the auxiliary light source LED.

[0037] In contrast to this, some conventional gaming machines were able to create interesting lamp effects based on the gradation control of light-emitting elements, but they were unable to reproduce the warm glow of a miniature light bulb, and it was also difficult to make it look like a miniature light bulb. According to the gaming machine of the present invention, the LED 861, the light guide plate 85, the spherical transparent member 83, etc. can be used to make the device shine like a miniature light bulb or look like a miniature light bulb. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to solve all or part of the problems that need to be improved in conventional gaming machines.

[0038] The above describes a preferred embodiment of the gaming machine of the present invention. However, it goes without saying that the gaming machine of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the gaming machine is a slot machine, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the gaming machine may be, for example, a pachinko machine, a ball slot machine, or other gaming machines. The gaming machine may be a so-called medal-less gaming machine that can execute a game using pseudo gaming media in data format without using actual gaming media such as medals. Furthermore, the gaming machine may be a so-called enclosed gaming machine that can execute a game by circulating gaming media such as gaming balls internally without dispensing them to the outside. In the present embodiment, "transparent" is not limited to completely transparent, but also includes semi-transparent and colored transparent / semi-transparent. The shape of the front end portion 851 of the light guide plate 85 may be symmetrical. For example, when the notification unit 6a is disposed in the center of the front door 1a, it is preferable that the end portion of the light guide plate 85 be formed in a symmetrical trapezoidal shape. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1. Slot Machines 6 Middle Panel 6a Announcement Department 8 Notification Unit 81 Front Frame 82 Light Diffuser 83 Spherical transparent member 84 Light-shielding material 85 Light guide plate 851 Front end 86 LED board 861~865 LED 87 Rear Frame f Light emitter

Claims

1. With a panel with a picture, A light-emitting unit is disposed behind the panel and causes the image to be illuminated. The light emitting unit includes: A first light source; A plurality of second light sources provided around the first light source; a light guide plate provided in front of the first light source and protruding horizontally forward; a spherical transparent member provided in front of the light guide plate; a light diffusion plate provided in front of the second light source, The light emitted from the first light source can illuminate a predetermined area of ​​the pattern through the light guide plate and the transparent member, The light emitted from the second light source can illuminate an area surrounding the predetermined area through the light diffusion plate, The luminous flux of the first light source is equal to the total value of the luminous flux of the plurality of second light sources. A gaming machine characterized by:

2. The plurality of second light sources are provided in symmetrical positions with respect to the first light source.

2. The gaming machine according to claim 1 .

Images