This application relates to apparatus and methods for controlling, and/or sensing, the states of multiple components or devices, and has particular application to devices of the types used in or in connection with gaming machines.
In electronic gaming machines, of the type commonly used in gaming establishments, it is desirable to provide devices and techniques for attracting players and providing an entertaining play environment. To this end, gaming machines commonly use light displays, which can be operated in a variety of modes, including an attract mode. For this purpose, a plurality of individual lights, which may number from tens to hundreds for an individual machine, are blinked on and off in predetermined patterns, depending upon the mode of operation of the machine. Such lights may be in the form of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and may form part of an illuminated switch, which includes a switch mechanism and one or more associated LEDs. Such LEDs may be provided in a variety of colors.
It is possible to connect groups of such devices, e.g., like-colored lights, in parallel in order to reduce the number of wires required for controlling them. However, in order to maximize the number of different display patterns which can be generated, it is desirable to have the devices individually controlled, but this may require a very large number of wires. For example, in the case of LEDs, there would have to be one control wire for each LED and a common wire. In the case of illuminated switches, even more wires would be required. For example, in a machine panel with fourteen illuminated switches, a minimum of thirty wires would be required (switch common, lamp common, fourteen switch control wires and fourteen lamp control wires), and this assumes that there is only one lamp per switch or, if multiple lamps per switch, that all the lamps of a switch are connected in parallel. Accordingly, in machines with large numbers of such devices to be controlled, individual control of the devices becomes impractical.
There is disclosed in this application an apparatus and method for controlling and/or sensing, the states of multiple devices, which avoids the disadvantages of prior apparatus and methods while affording additional structural and operating advantages.
One aspect is the provision of an apparatus and method of the type set forth which permits individual control and/or sensing of a large number of devices, while minimizing the number of electrical wires or conductors that are required.
Another aspect is the provision of an apparatus and method of the type set forth, which can be used with different types of devices, including those having states which are to be controlled, and those having states which are to be detected.
In connection with the foregoing aspects, another aspect is the provision of an apparatus and method of the type set forth which utilizes distributed processing techniques.
Certain ones of these and other aspects may be attained by providing a gaming machine comprising a plurality of devices to be individually accessed; a host controller having a data out terminal a power terminal and a common terminal; a plurality of local controllers each having a data in terminal, a data out terminal, a power terminal, a common terminal and plural device terminals, the controllers being interconnected in a string with the data out terminal of the host controller being connected to the data in terminal of a first local controller and the data in terminal of each of the other local controllers being connected to the data out terminal of the preceding local controller in the string, each local controller having its device terminals respectively connected to individual ones of the devices; a power line interconnecting the power terminals of the host controller and all of the local controllers; and a common line interconnecting the common terminals of the host controller and all of the local controllers.
For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanying drawings embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.
Referring to
Referring to
Further details of the node 20 are illustrated in
When the nodes are interconnected in a series string, as illustrated in
In order to access the devices 30, the host controller 12 generates at its DATA OUT terminal and transmits to all of the nodes 20 a serial data signal, generally designated 50 and illustrated in
The serial data signal 50 begins with the byte for nodes 0 and 1 and the bits are sequentially stepped through the system shift register 55. When the entire serial data message of M×N bits has been transmitted, it will completely fill the system shift register 55, as illustrated in
Referring to
Referring to
In this embodiment, when the strobe indicator 51 reaches the node 20A, the microcontroller 21 responds by sampling the states of the four devices connected to its device terminals (i.e., the switch element 71 and the three LEDs) and loads them into the corresponding positions of its shift register 35. In this embodiment, wherein the states of the connected devices are to be sensed, rather than controlled, the data content of the local shift register 35 at the time of arrival of the strobe indicator 51 is unimportant. In this embodiment, the drivers 37 of the node 20 have been eliminated.
Referring to
When any of the nodes in the system 10 is connected to a device having states which must be sensed or monitored, such as the switches 70 or 75 illustrated in
It can be seen that, with the foregoing arrangement, no more than four lines are required to control access to the plurality of devices in the gaming machine. Indeed, if all of the nodes are of the type illustrated in
Where the devices 30 connected to one or more of nodes 20 include devices having states which are to be sensed or recorded, such as switches 70 or 75, the states recorded in the shift register 55 must be returned to the host controller 12. In this regard, when the next serial data message 50 arrives at the node N, immediately following the strobe indicator 51 which ended the current message, the first bit addressed to node 0 enters the first position of the shift register 35 of node N, shifting the contents of the register 35 one position to the right, so that the bit in the fourth register position moves out on the DATA OUT line 15 to the next node, shifting the contents of its register 35, and so forth, with the last bit in the register for node 0 being shifted out onto the RETURN line 16 via the jumper 80. As each successive bit of the new serial message arrives at the node N, this shifting process continues until the entire contents of the register 55 (
While the foregoing description has related to the control devices such as LEDs and illuminated switches, the basic principles of the invention could be applied to control of any of a large number of dual-state devices. Also, while the apparatus has particular application to control of access to large numbers of devices, it could be utilized for control of any number of devices. While the apparatus has been described in the context of control of a number of devices in a single location, such as a gaming machine, the principles described above would also be applicable to control of a number of devices at distributed locations.
The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants' contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.
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