EGM Light Sound Show Synchronization via Time Offset
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern electronic gaming machines (EGMs) face challenges in synchronizing light and sound performances across adjacent machines, leading to potentially unsynchronized banked light and sound shows that can be distracting or annoying to observers, undermining the perceived quality of entertainment.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves an EGM system that synchronizes light and sound shows by querying a time server for the current time, determining the time difference between local and reference clocks, and scheduling light and sound activations to ensure precise coordination across EGMs, even if their clocks are not synchronized, while also ensuring content files are available and activating light devices only when players are not engaged.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If each EGM uses its own local clock to schedule light and sound shows, then the EGM can operate independently, but the light and sound shows across multiple EGMs will not be synchronized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the timekeeping function across multiple EGMs by having them all reference a common time server instead of relying on individual local clocks. This combination approach allows each EGM to maintain operational independence while achieving synchronized light and sound shows through shared time reference.
Solution Approach 2:
The time server acts as an intermediary between multiple EGMs, providing a centralized time reference that coordinates their operations. Each EGM queries the time server to obtain current time and offset information, which then uses this intermediary-provided data to schedule its light and sound shows in synchronization with other EGMs.
2Measurement precision
If the EGM queries the time server frequently to maintain accurate time synchronization, then synchronization accuracy improves, but network traffic and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The EGM performs preliminary time synchronization by querying the time server in advance to obtain the current time and calculate the offset between its local clock and the reference time. This preliminary action allows the EGM to pre-determine the scheduled time for light and sound shows, avoiding the need for frequent queries during actual show execution.
Solution Approach 2:
Once the EGM obtains the time offset from the time server, it autonomously calculates and adjusts its own scheduled times without requiring continuous external verification. The system serves itself by using the obtained offset information to independently determine when to activate light and sound shows, reducing network dependency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the EGM activates light devices during player engagement, then the entertainment value increases, but players may mistake the light and sound show for a game triggered event causing confusion
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring player engagement status through sensors or input detection. Based on this feedback, the EGM intelligently determines whether to activate light and sound shows - only activating them when no player is engaged, thereby preventing confusion while maintaining entertainment value during unattended periods.
Data Source
AI summary
Banked EGM light and sound shows which reduce the probability of appearing unsynchronized are described herein. A modified client time protocol on each EGM stores an offset from a time reference source. The time offset is used to schedule banked light and sound shows so that the performance of each EGM is synchronized, without requiring the actual clocks of the EGMs to be synchronized.