This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-204038 filed with the Japan Patent Office on Oct. 20, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a display device using an action of a combination mirror.
There has been a display device that performs a light emission display using an action of a combination mirror (infinite mirror). For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-233375 discloses a glass unit that is provided in a window part of a game machine and performs a light emission display using an action of a combination mirror.
This glass unit includes a frame, a front glass plate, a rear glass plate, and a flexible substrate on which a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are mounted. The flexible substrate is attached to the inside of a frame sandwiched between the front glass plate and the rear glass plate, and the LEDs mounted on the flexible substrate are arranged with predetermined intervals on the inner peripheral surface of the frame. When the LEDs emit light, the player sees a plurality of points of light (virtual image) linearly continuing from the LEDs toward the rear (depth direction) of the rear side glass plate by action of the combination mirror formed of the front glass plate and the rear glass plate.
However, in the conventional configuration, due to the need for arranging the light emitting elements without hindering the action of the combination mirror, the LEDs are fixed to the frame. As a result, a symbol and movement represented by the light of the LED and its virtual image are limited to those conforming to the shape of the frame and lack the flexibility of expression.
The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a display device and a game machine capable of achieving with high flexibility a light emission display having a sense of depth.
In order to solve the above problems, a display device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: a light emitting part having at least one transparent substrate, on a front surface of which a plurality of light emitting elements are mounted; a light emission control board configured to control light emission of the plurality of light emitting elements; a first mirror part disposed on a light launching side of the light emitting part and having a light reflection function and a light transmission function; and a second mirror part disposed on a rear surface side of the light emitting part and having at least the light reflecting function out of the light reflecting function and the light transmission function.
With the above configuration, the light emitting part includes at least one transparent substrate on which a plurality of light emitting elements are mounted, and the first mirror part and the second mirror part are disposed on both sides of the transparent substrate. Since the first mirror part disposed on the light launching side has the light transmission function, a user can see a real image of light launched from the lit light emitting element and a virtual image of light launched from the lit light emitting element through the first mirror part. A part of the light emitted from the light emitting element is repeatedly reflected between the first mirror part and the second mirror part and proceeds. The user sees this light as the virtual image of the lit light emitting element continuing or intermittently continuing in a depth direction (rearward). As thus described, with the above configuration, it is possible to perform a light emission display with a sense of depth while maintaining the thinness of the display device by action of the combination mirror formed of the first mirror part and the second mirror part.
Moreover, with the above configuration, since the plurality of light emitting elements are mounted on the transparent substrate, the light emitting element can be mounted at a freely selected position without hindering the action of the combination mirror. Hence a light emission display of a freely selected symbol can be performed and a light emission display having a sense of depth can be achieved with a high degree of freedom.
A display device in a second aspect of the present invention is a configuration in which in the first aspect, the light emitting part includes a plurality of the transparent substrates, and the plurality of transparent substrates are laminated.
With the above configuration, by laminating the transparent substrates, the light emitting elements can be arranged at different positions in the depth direction (positions with different depths from the surface). Thus, for example, by switching over lighting and blinking of the light emitting elements, light movement in the depth direction can be expressed to achieve a light emission display more complicated and more impactful than a configuration having only one transparent substrate. Further, with the transparent substrate in use, even when a plurality of transparent substrates are laminated, the thinness of the display device is not hindered and the thin form can be maintained.
A display device in a third aspect of the present invention is a configuration in which in the second aspect, at least a part of the plurality of light emitting elements mounted on each of the plurality of transparent substrates overlaps in a plan view.
With the above configuration, since at least a part of the light emitting elements overlaps in a plan view among the plurality of transparent substrates, the real image of the lit light emitting element can be made to continue in the depth direction (rearward). Moreover, at that time, the virtual images of the lit light emitting elements which are visible by action of the combination mirror become images large in number and have high light intensity and luminance as compared to a virtual image formed by the single-layer light emitting elements. It is thus possible to achieve a more impactful light emission display.
A display device in a fourth aspect of the present invention is a configuration in which in the first to third aspects, the first mirror part and the second mirror part are disposed in a non-parallel state.
As a result, even when the display device is viewed from the front, a virtual image of light continuing toward the rear can be shown.
A display unit in a fifth aspect of the present invention is a configuration in which in the first to fourth aspects, the second mirror part has the light reflection function and the light transmission function, and the display device further includes an image display part that displays an image on the rear surface side of the second mirror part based on image data.
With the above configuration, since the second mirror part has the light transmission function and the display device further includes the image display part that displays an image on the rear surface side of the second mirror part based on image data, it is possible to perform a light emission display using the light emitting element by the light emitting part and an image display by the image display part.
This enables both a light emission display with a high luminance performance effect using the light emitting element by the light emitting part and an image display using the image display part, thereby providing a non-conventional novel display device.
A display device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is a configuration in which in the fifth aspect, the display device further includes between the light emitting part and the image display part a light source part configured to increase light that passes through the second mirror part.
With the above configuration, since the light source part for increasing the light passing through the second mirror part is disposed between the light emitting part and the image display part, even when an image is over two mirrors (half mirrors) of the first mirror part and the second mirror part, the visibility of the image in the image display part can be made favorable.
A game machine in a seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized by including the display device according to the first to sixth aspects.
With the above configuration, the light emitting element is disposed at a freely selected position without hindering the action of the combination mirror, so that it is possible to provide a game machine provided with a display device capable of achieving the light emission display having the sense of depth, with a high degree of freedom.
According to one aspect, there is produced an effect of being able to provide a display device and a game machine capable of achieving with high flexibility a light emission display having a sense of depth.
Hereinafter, an embodiment according to one aspect of the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as “the embodiment”) will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention in all respects. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In other words, in practicing the present invention, a specific configuration according to the embodiment may be adopted as appropriate.
First, an example of a scene to which the present invention is applied will be described.
As illustrated in
In the display device 1B, the second mirror part has a light transmission function, and although not illustrated, the image display part is disposed on the rear surface side of the second mirror part. It is thereby possible to switch between the light emission display by the light emitting part as illustrated in
For example, when the game machine 30 is a slot machine and is in a normal state of performance, the display device 1B displays a reel image as illustrated in
Although
Hereinafter, an embodiment according to one aspect of the present invention will be exemplified with reference to
As exemplified in
The top panel 10 is a transparent cover provided on the front surface (front-side surface) of the display device 1. The top panel 10 is made of a colorless transparent material such as polycarbonate, acrylic, or glass. As illustrated in
The transparent substrate 15 is a wiring board made of a thin transparent resin sheet such as an overhead projector (OHP) sheet, and as illustrated in
The LED control board (light emission control board) 14 is a control board that drives the plurality of LEDs 20 mounted on the transparent substrate 15. The LED control board 14 is divided into a plurality of parts, and in the example illustrated in
The bottom base 16 is a casing on the rear surface (rear-side surface) of the display device 1 and accommodates on the inside the top panel 10, the two clear plates 13, the transparent substrate 15, the LED control board 14, and the like. As illustrated in
The clear plate 13 is a transparent resin member filling a gap between the transparent substrate 15 and the top panel 10 and between the transparent substrate 15 and the bottom base 16. The clear plate 13 is made of a colorless and transparent material such as polycarbonate, acrylic, or glass. As illustrated in
Returning to
In the example illustrated in the embodiment, since the half mirror part 18 and the mirror part 19 are disposed in parallel, the light reflected on the mirror part 19 is superimposed on the LED 20 in the state of the user facing and viewing the display device 1 (as viewed parallelly to the mirror part 19). However, in the state of the user obliquely viewing the display device 1 (as viewed non-parallelly to the mirror part 19), the light is seen as if being located behind (depth direction) the LEDs 20 (cf. reference symbol K in
That is, as viewed from the user, as illustrated in
This can cause the user to have illusion that the display device 1 is spreading towards the rear and feel the depth of the display device 1. In the configuration in which the half mirror part 18 and the mirror part 19 are disposed in parallel, the smaller the angle formed between the eye of the user and the mirror part 19 in a plan view (the more obliquely viewed), the larger the number of lights continuing rearward from the LED 20 becomes and the stronger impression of the sense of depth is provided.
Moreover, in the above configuration, since the LED 20 is arranged on the transparent substrate 15, it is possible to dispose the LED 20 at a freely selected position without hindering the action of the combination mirror. In the example of
Further, the plurality of LEDs 20 arranged in this manner are caused to sequentially emit light around a predetermined direction, sequentially change an emission color around a predetermined direction, or blink and light a part of the LEDs 20, thereby enabling a light emission display with motion.
Hereinafter, another embodiment in one aspect of the present invention will be exemplified with reference to
As exemplified in
In the display device 1A configured as described above, since a plurality (three in the example) of LEDs 20 are actually arranged continuously toward the rear of the display device 1A, light rows (virtual images) which are continuously viewed rearward are large in number and have high light intensity and luminance as compared to the display device 1 of the first embodiment.
In addition, by forming the layer in which the LED 20 is disposed in multiple layers, it is possible to achieve a complicated light emission display that cannot be achieved in one layer. For example, three LEDs 20 arranged in the depth direction are taken as one set, and as illustrated in
Further, as illustrated in
Although the configuration has been exemplified in the embodiment where the three transparent substrates 15 mounted with the LEDs 20 are laminated, the number of transparent substrates 15 to be laminated may be two or four or more. By providing a plurality of transparent substrates 15, the degree of freedom that can be expressed by light emission display is higher than that of the display device 1 including only one transparent substrate 15, and a more entertaining and more impactful display can be achieved. With the transparent substrate 15 in use, even when a plurality of transparent substrates are laminated, the thinness of the display device 1A is not hindered and the thin form can be maintained.
Hereinafter, another embodiment in one aspect of the present invention will be exemplified based on
The display device 1B includes the half mirror plate 22 instead of the mirror part 19, and the half mirror plate 22 and the half mirror part 18 constitutes a combination mirror. The half mirror plate 22 is obtained by performing half mirror deposition on a transparent resin member similar to the clear plate 13, or by attaching a half mirror film.
The liquid crystal unit 25 is an image display part for displaying various images. In the embodiment, an LCD using a liquid crystal is exemplified as the image display part, but the display panel is not limited to the LCD but may be a thin type image display device based on image data such as one using an organic electroluminescence (EL).
The transparent backlight 23 illuminates the rear surface side of the half mirror plate 22, and the backlight substrate 24 is disposed on one side. The backlight substrate 24 has a light source for supplying the transparent backlight 23, and controls the turning on/off of the transparent backlight 23. The transparent backlight 23 and the backlight substrate 24 constitute a light source part for increasing the transmitted light of the half mirror plate 22.
In the display device 1B configured as described above, the light emission display by the LED 20 mounted on the transparent substrate 15 and the image display by the liquid crystal unit 25 are selectively performed. In a light emission display mode for performing the light emission display by the LED 20, the LED control board 14 controls the LED 20 to perform the light emission display. In an image display mode for performing the image display by the liquid crystal unit 25, the liquid crystal unit 25 displays an image based on image data by a control device provided in the liquid crystal unit 25. Note that the image data may be previously stored in a memory of the liquid crystal unit 25, or acquired from the outside of the liquid crystal unit 25 via a communication network.
In the image display mode, the transparent backlight 23 is turned on together with the liquid crystal unit 25. By turning on the transparent backlight 23, the image displayed on the liquid crystal unit 25 can be visually recognized in a favorable manner from the top panel 10 side even when the image passes through two half mirrors such as the half mirror part 18 and the half mirror plate 22.
In addition, in a case where sufficient transparent light can be obtained even when the light passes through the two half mirrors, such as a case where the amount of light of the backlight included in the liquid crystal unit 25 is sufficiently strong, and a case where the display panel of spontaneous light such as organic EL is used and the light amount is sufficiently strong, the transparent backlight 23 and the backlight substrate 24 can be omitted.
Although the combination of the display device 1A of the second embodiment and the liquid crystal unit 25 has been exemplified in the embodiment, needless to say, a combination of the display device 1 of the first embodiment and the liquid crystal unit 25 may be used.
Hereinafter, another embodiment in one aspect of the present invention will be exemplified based on
Although
Hereinafter, another embodiment in one aspect of the present invention will be exemplified based on
As a result, it is possible to cause the real image of the LED 20 and the virtual image thereof to move. In the configuration of moving an image in a wavy manner, the half mirror part 18 and the mirror part 19 may be formed by vapor deposition, sticking a film, or the like on a flexible transparent member.
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the above description is merely an example of the present invention in all respects. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the following modifications are possible. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are used for the same constituent elements as those in the above embodiment, and the same explanation as in the above embodiment is omitted as appropriate. The following modified examples can be appropriately combined as appropriate.
For example, although the configuration has been exemplified in the above second and third embodiments where the plurality of LEDs 20 are arranged in a line in the depth direction in a plan view, the configuration is not limited to the configuration of arrangement in a line. For example, when the state in which the plurality of transparent substrates 15 are laminated is viewed in a plan view, the arrangement positions of the LEDs 20 mounted on each transparent substrate 15 may be deviated, and a portion not overlapping may be included. Further, the plurality of LEDs 20 arranged in the depth direction may be arranged with an inclination with respect to the depth direction.
Although the configuration has been formed in the first to third embodiments where the LED 20 is mounted on the transparent substrate 15 with the light emitting surface facing upward, the present invention is not limited to the configuration in which the light emitting surface faces directly upward. The LED 20 may be mounted in a state in which the emission direction is inclined with respect to the surface of the transparent substrate 15 as far as the inclination is in a range where light can be emitted upward (the surface side of each of the display devices 1, 1A, 1B).
Further, in the first to sixth embodiments, the configuration having the flat surfaces as the half mirror part 18, the mirror part 19, the half mirror part 18 and the half mirror plate 22 has been exemplified. However, it is also possible to make the size and the position of the virtual image of light appear random (irregular) by bending the mirror part 19 or the half mirror plate 22 disposed in the back, and for example, the virtual image can be shown as a star in the space.
The present invention is not restricted to each of the embodiments described above, but can be subjected to a variety of changes in the scope shown in the claims. An embodiment obtained by appropriately combining technical units disclosed respectively in different embodiments is also included in a technical scope of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2017-204038 | Oct 2017 | JP | national |