Cabinet-Mounted EGM Sensor Arrays for Remote Diagnostic Analysis
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic gaming machines (EGMs) face challenges in detecting and addressing environmental, mechanical, maintenance, and age-related factors that affect their operation, as well as potential cheating attempts, which can lead to performance disparities and maintenance inefficiencies due to the diverse and widespread deployment of these machines.
Innovation Solution
A diagnostic system comprising a sensor array, communication device, memory, and processor is integrated into EGMs to collect and analyze operational data, including environmental and mechanical conditions, and transmit this data to a remote location for diagnostic evaluation, using machine learning to identify irregularities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a diagnostic system with sensor array and data transmission is integrated into EGMs, then operational stability and integrity are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The diagnostic system is segmented into separate functional modules: sensor array for data collection, communication device for data transmission, memory for storage, and processor for analysis. This modular segmentation allows the system to achieve comprehensive diagnostic capability while keeping each component's complexity manageable and enabling independent optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The diagnostic system is designed with multi-functionality to monitor various aspects of EGM operation including environmental conditions, mechanical status, maintenance requirements, and cheating attempts. By integrating multiple diagnostic functions into a single system, the patent reduces the need for separate specialized devices, thereby managing overall system complexity while improving operational reliability.
2Productivity
If real-time data collection and analysis is performed, then maintenance efficiency is improved, but loss of time for data processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary data processing and analysis continuously in the background, preparing diagnostic evaluations before maintenance is actually needed. The processor continuously analyzes sensor data and generates diagnostic evaluations, so when maintenance time arrives, the system already has processed information ready, reducing the effective time loss for data processing during maintenance operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The diagnostic system operates continuously, with the sensor array continuously collecting data and the processor continuously analyzing it. This continuous operation ensures that maintenance efficiency is improved through always-available diagnostic information, while the time loss for data processing is minimized by making processing an ongoing background activity rather than a periodic task.
3Reliability
If comprehensive monitoring of environmental and mechanical factors is implemented, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple monitoring functions into a single integrated diagnostic system. The sensor array combines environmental sensors, mechanical sensors, and other monitoring devices into one unified data collection system. The communication device, memory, and processor are also merged into a single integrated architecture, reducing the complexity that would arise from having separate monitoring systems while maintaining comprehensive operational integrity monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
A diagnostic system for electronic gaming machines (EGMs) includes a power supply, and a diagnostic device in electrical connection with the power supply, the diagnostic device configured for placement within a cabinet of an EGM. The diagnostic device includes an attachment device configured to couple the diagnostic device to the EGM, a sensor array including at least one sensor for sensing a condition associated with the EGM and configured to generate conditions data based on the sensed condition, a communications device configured to transmit the conditions data to a remote location, a memory configured to store the conditions data, and a processor configured to analyze the conditions data and determine a diagnostic evaluation based upon the analyzed conditions data.