Gaming machine and reel device thereof

• US 8,764,549 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2011
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empire Technological Group Limited, Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Aruze Gaming America Incorporated (Aruze Gaming America, Inc. /Okada/), Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Inventors: Tanimura, Tatsuhiko, Kukita, Noritoshi, Ike, Hiroatsu, Sasaki, Yoshitomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUFFY, DAVID W
• Application Number:
  US13/284,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20120276975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 463/22, 463 16- 20, 463/47, 273/142.R, 273/143.C, 273/143.R, 341/15
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming machine includes: a reel having an outer circumferential surface on which symbols are lined up; a reel driving mechanism which rotates the reel to rearrange the symbols; a magnet which is provided in the reel driving mechanism to change an external magnetic field in accordance with the rotation of the reel; a magnetic force detecting mechanism which detects a magnetic force of the external magnetic field so as to output a magnetic force detection signal; a reel setting unit by which the magnetic force detection signal and arrangement positions of the symbols are associated with one another; and a reel drive control unit which controls the reel driving mechanism so that the symbols are rearranged in a predetermined arrangement based on the magnetic force detection signal and the arrangement positions of the symbols.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising:

a reel having an outer circumferential surface on which a plurality of symbols are lined up;

a reel driving mechanism which rotates the reel to rearrange the plurality of symbols;

a magnet which is provided in the reel driving mechanism to change an external magnetic field in accordance with the rotation of the reel;

a magnetic force detecting mechanism which detects a magnetic force of the external magnetic field so as to output magnetic force detection signal values;

a reel setting unit executing a reel setting process in which a pattern of magnetic force detection signal values for one rotation of the reel is obtained, and by which magnetic force detection signal values and arrangement positions of the plurality of symbols are associated with one another;

a reel drive control unit which controls the reel driving mechanism so that the plurality of symbols are rearranged in a predetermined arrangement based on the magnetic force detection signal values and the arrangement positions of the plurality of symbols; and

an external control unit which outputs an operation instruction signal in response to an external operation, which operation is conducted to set a reel home position after a reel band is attached to the reel;

wherein, in the reel setting process, when the operation instruction signal is output, the reel setting unit sets the magnetic force detection signal value, which is detected at the timing of the output of the operation instruction signal by the external control unit, as the home position of the reel.

2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein,

the magnet is disc-shaped,

the reel has a rotational axis, and

the magnet has a rotation center coaxial with the rotational axis of the reel, and has north and south poles which are symmetrical with each other about the rotation center.

3. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the reel setting unit stores a table associating magnetic force detection signal values with arrangement positions of the plurality of symbols.

4. A reel device comprising:

a reel having an outer circumferential surface on which a plurality of symbols are lined up;

a reel driving mechanism which rotates the reel to rearrange the plurality of symbols;

a magnet which is provided in the reel driving mechanism to change an external magnetic field in accordance with the rotation of the reel;

a magnetic force detecting mechanism which detects a magnetic force of the external magnetic field so as to output magnetic force detection signal values;

a reel setting unit executing a reel setting process in which a pattern of magnetic force detection signal values for one rotation of the reel is obtained, and by which magnetic force detection signal values and arrangement positions of the plurality of symbols are associated with one another; and

a reel home position that is determined in the reel setting process upon an input of an operation instruction signal.

5. A gaming machine comprising:

a reel having an outer circumferential surface on which a plurality of symbols are lined up;

a reel home position detecting mechanism which detects a home position of the reel that is set based on an input of an operation instruction signal;

a reel driving mechanism which rotates the reel to rearrange the plurality of symbols;

a reel drive control unit which controls the reel driving mechanism so that the reel is rotated and stopped at a desired rotational angle based on the reel home position;

a magnet which is provided in the reel driving mechanism to change an external magnetic field by the rotation of the reel;

a magnetic force detecting mechanism which detects a magnetic force of the external magnetic field so as to output magnetic force detection signal values;

a reel setting unit which associates magnetic force detection signal values with arrangement positions of the plurality of symbols;

a stop position detection unit which detects stop positions of the rearranged plurality of symbols, based on the magnetic force detection signal values output from the magnetic force detecting mechanism in accordance with the rotation of the reel and the magnetic force detection signal values associated with the arrangement positions of the plurality of symbols by the reel setting unit;

a difference detection unit which detects a difference between stop positions of the rearranged plurality of symbols when the reel is stopped at the rotational angle based on the reel home position and the stop positions of the rearranged plurality of symbols detected by the stop position detection unit; and

a rotational angle correction unit which is capable of controlling the reel driving mechanism to cancel the difference detected by the difference detection unit.

6. The gaming machine according to claim 5, wherein,

the reel setting unit has a reel setting table in which arrangement positions of the plurality of symbols and the magnetic force detection signal values varying in the arrangement areas of the plurality of symbols in a rotational direction of the reel are associated with one another, and

the stop position detection unit detects the stop positions with reference to magnetic force detection signal values output from the magnetic force detecting mechanism in accordance with the rotation of the reel and the detected magnetic forces magnetic force detection signal values in the reel setting table.

7. The gaming machine according to claim 5, wherein the magnetic force detecting mechanism outputs a plurality of magnetic force detection signal values when the reel rotates.