JP2001321544A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine which can securely receive a command transmitted from the main control part by a sub-control part. SOLUTION: This game machine is equipped with the main control part 60 and a sub-control part 70 to control electrical devices based on a command transmitted from the main control part 60 and a power supply part 113 to supply power to the main control part 60 and the sub-control part 70. The main control part 60 has an activating means 68 to activate processing of the main control part 50 when power supply from the power supply part 113 is started and a transmitting means to transmit a command to the sub-control part 70 after the processing of the main control part 60 is activated. The sub- control part 70 executes a preliminary process to make the sub-control part 70 be in a condition possible to receive a command transmitted from the main control part 60 when power supply is started. The command is transmitted from the main control part 60 after completing the preliminary process of the sub-control part 70.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gaming machine having a main control unit and a sub-control unit for controlling an electric device based on a command transmitted from the main control unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in a game machine such as a so-called pachinko machine, a main control section for controlling the entire game machine performs only predetermined processing such as command creation and the like, as the contents of the game become complicated, and the game machine is provided with the game machine. The control of the provided electrical equipment is performed by a control unit (hereinafter referred to as a sub-control unit) provided for each device. That is, the main control unit creates and transmits a command to be transmitted to the sub-control unit, and the sub-control unit controls the electrical device based on the transmitted command.

[0003]

However, in the above-described control system for controlling the entire gaming machine by the main control unit and the sub-control unit, a command transmitted from the main control unit when the power is turned on or when the power is restored is used. May not be received by the sub-controller. That is, in each control unit, due to the difference in the contents of the initialization processing (preparation processing) performed when the power is turned on or when the power is restored, the state from when power is supplied to each control unit to when the processing shifts to the normal processing is performed. Raising time is different. For this reason, when the sub-control unit requires a longer start-up time than the main control unit, the sub-control unit may not be started when the command is transmitted from the main control unit. In such a case, a situation occurs in which the sub-control unit cannot receive the command transmitted from the main control unit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible for a sub-control unit to reliably receive a command transmitted from a main control unit when power is turned on or when power is restored. Provide a gaming machine that can.

[0005]

A game machine according to a first aspect of the present invention controls a main control unit and an electric device based on a command transmitted from the main control unit. In a gaming machine having a sub-control unit, the main control unit includes a transmission unit that transmits a command to the sub-control unit, and the sub-control unit is transmitted from the transmission unit when power supply is started. There is provided a unit for performing a preparation process for enabling a command to be receivable, and transmission of the command by the transmission unit is performed after completion of the process by the preparation processing unit. In the above gaming machine, since the transmission of the command by the transmission unit is performed after the processing by the preparation processing unit is completed, the sub control unit can receive the command when the command is transmitted from the main control unit. It is in a state. Therefore, the command transmitted from the main control unit is reliably received by the sub control unit.

Further, in the gaming machine according to the present invention, the main control unit has a starting unit for starting a process of the main control unit when the supply of electric power is started, and the starting unit includes: The apparatus may be configured to operate after the processing of the preparation processing means is completed (claim 2). According to such a configuration, the process of the main control unit is started after the sub-control unit is ready to receive a command. Therefore, the command transmitted from the main control unit can be reliably received by the sub control unit.

Further, in the gaming machine according to the present invention, the starting means outputs a start signal to the main control section when the power supplied to the main control section reaches a predetermined voltage. A circuit and a delay circuit for delaying the start-up signal output from the signal output circuit by a predetermined time may be provided. According to such a configuration, the start signal output from the signal output circuit is delayed by the delay circuit for a predetermined time and input to the main control unit. For this reason, the processing of the main control unit is activated with a delay of a predetermined time after the signal is output from the signal output circuit. Therefore, the gaming machine according to claim 2 can be easily realized by the known signal output circuit and the delay circuit.

In the gaming machine described in each of the above claims, the electric device is a symbol display for displaying a symbol at least when power is turned on or when power is restored, and the sub control unit controls the symbol display. You may do. According to the above configuration, when power is turned on or when power is restored,
The command transmitted from the main control unit is received by the sub control unit, and the symbol is displayed on the symbol display. Therefore, when the power is turned on or the like, the symbol is not displayed due to the failure of the command reception, and it can be prevented that the gaming machine is erroneously determined to be faulty.

Further, in the gaming machine described in each of the above claims, the electric device is a sound output device that generates a sound effect at least when power is turned on or when the power is restored, and the sub control unit controls the sound output device. It may be controlled. According to the above configuration, when the power is turned on or when the power is restored, the command transmitted from the main control unit is received by the sub control unit, and the sound output device generates a sound effect.
For this reason, the sound effect is not generated due to the failure of the command reception when the power is turned on and the like, and it can be prevented that the gaming machine is erroneously determined to be malfunctioning.

Further, in the gaming machine described in each of the above claims, the electric device is a lamp device that emits an effect light at least when power is turned on or when power is restored, and the sub-control unit controls the lamp device. It may be something.
According to the above configuration, when the power is turned on or when the power is restored, the command transmitted from the main control unit is received by the sub control unit, and the lamp device emits the effect light. Therefore, the effect light is not generated due to the failure of the command reception when the power is turned on, and it can be prevented that the gaming machine is erroneously determined to be malfunctioning.

In the gaming machine described in each of the above claims, the electric device may be a prize ball device for paying out a prize ball, and the sub-control unit may control the prize ball device. . According to the above configuration, even when the power is turned on, the command transmitted from the main control unit is reliably received by the sub-control unit, and the prize ball is paid out from the prize ball device based on the received command. For this reason, it is possible to prevent trouble between the customer and the game store due to the prize balls not being paid out.

Further, in the gaming machine according to the above claims, the sub-control unit further performs a backup process when power supply to the gaming machine is cut off, and completes the process by the preparation processing unit. After that, a means for performing a restoration process based on the information backed up by the backup process may be provided, and the restoration means may be configured to wait for a specific command from the main control unit and start the process. According to the above configuration, the return process based on the information backed up by the sub-control unit and the process by the main control unit can be synchronized, so that it is possible to prevent a discrepancy in the operation of each device of the gaming machine. . In this case, the sub control unit may be a prize ball control unit that controls a prize ball device that pays out a prize ball to a player. According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent a prize ball from being paid out from the prize ball device when the power is turned on.

The technique of the present invention is particularly effective in a gaming machine configured so that data communication is performed only in one direction from the main control unit to the sub control unit. This is because, in the above configuration, data cannot be transmitted from the sub-control unit to the main control unit, and the main control unit cannot determine whether the sub-control unit can receive data.

[0014]

(Embodiment I) An embodiment of a first-class pachinko machine embodying the invention according to claims 1 to 3 is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 1 is a front view showing an appearance of the first-type pachinko machine, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the pachinko machine shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a power supply system that supplies power to each control unit that performs the operation.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a reset circuit provided in the main control unit and the prize ball control unit. FIG. 5 is a time chart of a system reset signal and a user reset signal output from the reset circuit shown in FIG. 7 is a time chart of signals output from the reset circuit of each control unit when the power is turned on (or when the power is restored), FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the main control unit, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the prize ball control unit. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the command analysis process in the award ball control unit, and FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the award ball process. As shown in FIG.
On the game board surface 12, a symbol display device 14, a first-type starting port 30, a special winning port 34, and the like are appropriately arranged. The first-type starting port 30 has a starting port sensor (not shown), and when a pachinko ball wins, a normal winning port (large winning port 34 described later).
Award ball device 54 (not shown; however, shown in the block diagram of FIG. 2) provided on the back side of the game board.
Pay out more prize balls (prize balls). The special winning opening 34 has an opening / closing lid 36, and the flat lid 36 is driven to be opened / closed by a solenoid (not shown). The period during which the opening / closing lid 36 is opened ends, for example, whichever comes first until a predetermined number (generally, 10) of pachinko balls are won in the special winning opening 34 or until 30 seconds elapse after opening. I do.

At a substantially center of the game board surface 12, a symbol display device 14 is mounted as shown in FIG. The symbol display device 14 is provided with a symbol indicator 22 and a reserved ball lamp 28 for displaying the number of times the special symbol has been changed. The symbol display 22 is composed of a liquid crystal display, and three special symbols are variably displayed on the screen under predetermined conditions. The special symbol displayed fluctuatingly on the symbol display 22 is a jackpot game state (the special winning opening 3) depending on the combination of the symbols when the fluctuation is stopped.
4 is released), and plays a role of making the player recognize whether or not to shift to (open state). Here, the symbols used as the special symbols include characters (alphanumeric characters and kanji), symbols, figures, pictures, and the like. In the present embodiment, numerals (0 to 9) are used. Although the liquid crystal display is used as the symbol display 22 in the present embodiment, a CRT display, an LE
A D display, a plasma display and the like can be used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the gaming machine 10 also includes a lower blood 40 for temporarily storing pachinko balls including prize balls and lending balls, and a cigarette butt, in addition to the above-described gaming board surface 12. An ashtray 42 to be inserted, an upper plate 46 which is a receiving tray for award balls, a speaker 52 provided inside the upper plate 46 and generating a sound effect according to a game state, and the like are provided. In addition, at an appropriate position on the front of the pachinko machine 10, there are provided lamps 16 and the like that emit light in accordance with the gaming state of the pachinko machine 10. The mechanical structure is the same as that provided in a known pachinko machine, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the configuration of a control system for realizing a pachinko game by the pachinko machine 10 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the control system of the pachinko machine 10 includes a main control unit 60 that controls the entire pachinko machine 10, and various control units (prize ball control unit 70, symbol control unit) connected to the main control unit 60. 80, a voice control unit 90, and a lamp control unit 100). The main control unit 60 includes a microcomputer 61 (ROM 6
3, a RAM 64, input / output ports 65 and 66), a reset circuit 68 for outputting a reset signal to the microcomputer 61, and the like. The microcomputer 61 uses R
The pachinko machine 10 is controlled by executing a game control program stored in the OM 63. The game control program includes input / output processing of various signals, control units 70, 80,
A program for realizing a process of creating a command to be transmitted to the nodes 90 and 100, a process of transmitting the created command, and the like are included. The RAM 64 stores data for executing the above-described processes, an input signal received at the input port 65, a created command, and the like.
The reset circuit 68 includes a system reset signal for starting an initialization process for initializing the main control unit 60 when the power is turned on or when the power is restored, and the main control unit 6.
The microcomputer 61 outputs a periodic reset signal (hereinafter, referred to as a user reset signal) for returning 0 to the top of the main processing. The configuration of the reset circuit 68 will be described later in detail.

The prize ball control unit 70 connected to the above-mentioned main control unit 60 also includes a microcomputer 71 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a microcomputer) having a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The control of paying out the prize ball from the prize ball device 54 is performed based on the output command. Similarly, the symbol control unit 80 is also configured around the microcomputer 81, and displays an image (for example, a special symbol, a decorative symbol, or the like) on the symbol indicator 22 based on the command output from the main controller 60. Also,
The voice control unit 90 and the lamp control unit 100 are also configured mainly by the microcomputers 91 and 101, and control the driving of the speaker 52 and the lamps 16 based on the command output from the main control unit 60, respectively. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the main control unit 60 is a main control unit described in claims, and the prize ball control unit 70, the symbol control unit 80, the voice control unit 90, and the lamp control unit 100 are sub-control units described in claims. Part, prize ball device 54, symbol display 2
2, the speaker 52 and the lamps 16 constitute the electrical equipment described in the claims. The prize ball control unit 70 includes a main control unit 60.
And a reset circuit 73 (shown in FIG. 3) for outputting a system reset signal and a user reset signal.
Symbol control unit 80, voice control unit 90, lamp control unit 100
Includes reset circuits 82, 92, and 102 (shown in FIG. 3) that output only a system reset signal. The data communication from the main control unit 60 to each control unit (prize ball control unit 70, symbol control unit 80, voice control unit 90, lamp control unit 100) is performed in one direction from the main control unit 60 to each control unit. Only done with. This is to prevent data transmission from each control unit to the main control unit 60, thereby preventing fraud.

Next, a power supply unit 110 for supplying power to the main control unit 60, the prize ball control unit 70, the symbol control unit 80, the voice control unit 90, and the lamp control unit 100 will be described with reference to FIG.
It will be described based on. As shown in FIG. 3, the power supply unit 110 outputs a power failure signal when a power failure occurs.
And a power supply unit 113 that supplies power of a predetermined potential to each device assembled in the pachinko machine 10. The power failure detection unit 112 is connected to the AC power supply 24V, detects a power failure by monitoring the waveform of the AC power supply 24V, and outputs a power failure signal to the main control unit 60 and the prize ball control unit 70 when the power failure is detected. Specifically, AC power supply AC
A 24V waveform is half-wave rectified by a rectifier circuit, and the half-wave rectified signal is clipped (by a zener diode or the like) to generate a pulse wave. The pulse wave is monitored, and a power failure signal is output when the pulse wave cannot be detected for a predetermined time. The power failure signal output from the power failure detection unit 112 is transmitted to the main control unit 60 and the prize ball control unit 70 via the buffer circuit 122.
NMI of microcomputers 61 and 71 provided in
Input to the terminal. The buffer circuit 122 has R
The AM erase switch 120 is connected, and the RAM
The signal output from the erase switch 120 is input to the microcomputers 61 and 71 via the buffer circuit 122. This RAM erase switch 1
20 is a RAM of the main control unit 60 and the award ball control unit 70
These switches are operated when it is desired to erase the contents of 64 and 72 (for example, when it is not necessary to retain the backed up contents). Therefore, when the RAM erase switch 120 is operated and its signal is input to the main control unit 60 and the award ball control unit 70, the main control unit 60 and the award ball control unit 70 erase the contents of the RAMs 64 and 72. Perform the following processing.

Next, the configuration of the power supply unit 113 will be described. The power supply unit 113 includes two rectification units 114 and 116 for rectifying the waveform of the AC power supply AC, and a constant voltage unit for smoothing the pulsating waveform rectified by the rectification unit 116 and making the smoothed waveform a constant voltage. 118, and a backup power supply unit 124 that supplies backup power to the main control unit 60 and the prize ball control unit 70 in the event of a power failure. The rectifying unit 114 rectifies the input current input from the AC power supply AC to output DC (pulsating current) +24 V to the lamps 1.
6 and the pulsating current +2 supplied to the lamps 16
The DC + 34V generated by partially branching and smoothing the 4V signal is supplied to a driving device (a prize ball payout motor of the prize ball device 54, a solenoid for opening the opening / closing lid 36 of the special winning opening 34, etc.). Specifically, an input current input from an AC power supply AC is first converted into a direct current (pulsating current) of +24 V by a rectifier circuit composed of two bridge diodes. The pulsating current +24 V is supplied to the lamps 16, is branched on the way, is smoothed by a diode and a capacitor, is converted to DC +34 V, and is supplied to the driving device. The other rectifying unit 116 also
By rectifying the input current input from the AC power supply AC, a current of DC (pulsating current) +24 V is obtained, and this pulsating current + 24 V
A current of V is supplied to the constant voltage unit 118. The constant voltage section 118 to which the pulsating current +24 V is supplied has three constant voltage circuits provided in parallel, and the control sections 60, 70, and 8 respectively.
+ 5V power supply for control supplied to 0, 90, 100, +1 supplied to switches and the like provided in the pachinko machine 10
A 2V power supply and a + 12V power supply supplied to the symbol display 22, the speaker 52, and the like are generated. Specifically, the pulsating current +24 V supplied to each constant voltage circuit is smoothed by a diode and a capacitor, stabilized by a switching regulator (voltage stabilizing circuit), and converted into a power supply having a predetermined potential. The + 5V power supply is connected to the backup output terminal VBB of the main control unit 60 and the prize ball control unit 70 via the backup power supply unit 124. The backup power supply unit 124 includes a diode D1 and a capacitor C1, as shown in FIG. Power is stored in the capacitor C1 during energization, and the power stored in the capacitor C1 is stored in the RAM 6 of the main control unit 60 and the prize ball control unit 70 during a power outage or the like.
4, 72. Thereby, the RAM 64, 72
Is configured to be retained during a power failure.
The + 5V power supply is connected to each of the control units 60, 70, 8
Reset circuits 68, 7 provided in 0, 90, 100
3, 82, 92 and 102.

Next, the configuration of the reset circuit provided in each of the control units 60 to 100 will be described. First, the reset circuit 68 provided in the main control unit 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. The reset circuit 68 includes a reset IC 6
9a, a system reset generation circuit 69b connected to the reset IC 69a, and a user reset generation circuit 69d connected to the system reset generation circuit 69b via a delay circuit 69c. Reset IC 69a
Is connected to a + 5V power supply for control, and outputs a reset signal to the system generation circuit 69b when the voltage of the reset IC 69a becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage (4.25V) by the power supplied from the + 5V power supply. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation: M51951BSL). The above reset IC6
9a, the system reset generation circuit 69b connected to
The system reset terminal (X
SRST terminal). Then, when the reset signal output from the reset IC 69a is input, the system reset generation circuit 69b outputs a system reset signal to the system reset terminal based on the signal.
The system reset signal output from the system reset generation circuit 69b is input to the user reset generation circuit 69d via the delay circuit 69c. The user reset generation circuit 69d is connected to a user reset terminal (XURST terminal) of the microcomputer 61, is turned on after a predetermined time defined by the delay circuit when a system reset signal is input, and is reset to a user reset terminal. Start outputting the signal. This user reset signal is turned on and off at predetermined intervals.

Here, the reset circuit 68 of the present embodiment is used.
Is configured as described above, the reset circuit 68
The system reset signal and the user reset signal are output to the microcomputer 61 at the timing shown in the time chart of FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, when the pachinko machine 10 is powered on, power is supplied from the control power supply +5 Vcc to the reset IC 69a.
The voltage of a becomes a predetermined voltage Vth (the detection voltage of the reset IC 69a). Then, the reset IC 69a operates for a predetermined time t1 (reset IC6
The reset signal is output when the time determined by the delay circuit in 9a has elapsed. When the reset signal is output from the reset IC 69a, the system reset signal is output from the system reset generation circuit 69b almost simultaneously. Next, the user reset signal is turned on when a predetermined time t2 (time determined by the delay circuit 69c) has elapsed since the system reset signal was output, and the user reset signal is turned on and off at a predetermined cycle.

The reset circuit 73 of the prize ball control unit 70
Is the reset circuit 6 in the main control unit 60 described above.
8 (see FIG. 4), it is composed of a reset IC, a system reset generation circuit, a delay circuit, and a user reset generation circuit. However, the user reset generation circuit in the prize ball control unit 70 periodically turns on the user reset signal.
The difference is that it does not turn off. The reset circuits 82, 92, and 102 provided in the symbol control section 80, the voice control section 90, and the lamp control section 100 are constituted by a reset IC and a system reset generation circuit, and have no user reset generation circuit. This is different from the reset circuits 68 and 73 of the main control unit 60 and the award ball control unit 70 described above.

Next, in the pachinko machine 10 configured as described above, when the power is turned on (or when the power is restored), the main control unit 60, the prize ball control unit 70, the symbol control unit 80, the voice control unit 90, the lamp control unit. 6 to 1 show the operation of the unit 100.
0 will be described. First, each of the control units 60, 70, 80, 90, and 10 configured as described above when the power is turned on.
The output timing of various reset signals output from the reset circuit 0 will be described. FIG. 6 shows, from the top, a waveform of a +5 V power supply (hereinafter, simply referred to as a +5 V power supply) for driving each of the above-described control units 60 to 100, a waveform of a reset signal output from a reset circuit of the main control unit 60, and a system. The waveform of the reset signal, the waveform of the user reset signal, the waveform of the reset signal output from the reset circuit of the award ball control unit 70, the waveform of the system reset signal, the waveform of the user reset signal, hereinafter, the symbol control unit 8
0, the waveforms of the system reset signals of the voice control unit 90 and the lamp control unit 100 are shown. As shown in FIG. 6, when the power of the pachinko machine 10 is turned on, the + 5V power supply rises. Therefore, each control unit 60 is switched from the + 5V power supply.
To 100, and the voltage of the reset IC of each of the control units 60 to 100 becomes a predetermined voltage VTH. Therefore, a reset signal is output from the reset IC of each of the control units 60 to 100 when the time T1 has elapsed since the voltage VTH, and at substantially the same time, a system reset signal is output (low level → high level). As a result, each of the control units 60 to 100 performs an initialization process described later, and the symbol control unit 80, the voice control unit 90, and the lamp control unit 100 are in a state where commands can be received. Next, in the reset circuit 68 of the main control unit 60, the user reset signal is turned ON (high level) at a timing delayed by T22 after the output of the system reset signal, and thereafter, ON-OFF is repeated at a predetermined cycle. By outputting such a user reset signal, the main control unit 60 starts a main process such as a command creation process and a command transmission process described later. Also in the reset circuit 73 of the award ball control unit 70, the user reset signal is turned ON (high level) at a timing delayed by T32 after the system reset signal is output. As a result, the award ball control unit 70 enters a state in which a command can be received.

Here, as shown in FIG.
The time T21 required for the initialization processing of 0 is determined by the award ball control unit 70.
Is shorter than the time T31 required for the initialization processing in. Therefore, when the output timing of the user reset signal in the main control unit 60 is set to the initialization processing time T21 of the main control unit 60, the main processing of the main control unit 60 is started before the prize ball control unit 70 starts up. Becomes For this reason, in the present embodiment, the output timing of the user reset signal in the main control
Delay circuit 68 included in the reset circuit 68 provided in the main control unit 60 so as to be later than the initialization processing time T31 and the output timing T32 of the user reset signal.
The delay time of c is adjusted. Thus, in the present embodiment, when the main processing of the main control unit 60 is started (when the user reset signal is output), each control unit (prize ball control unit 70, symbol control unit 80, audio Control unit 9
0, the lamp control unit 100) is ready to receive commands.

Next, the control units 60 to 1 after the processing is started by the various reset signals output as described above.
The operation of 00 will be described. First, the main control unit 60
Will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. When the system reset signal is output, the main control unit 60 first performs the initial setting of the input / output port and the like as shown in FIG. 7 (S10). Next, it is determined whether an abnormality has occurred in the RAM 64 (S11). Specifically, the addition is performed sequentially from the top address of the RAM 64,
It is determined whether or not the added value matches a reference value (a possible value). That is, when the process at the time of power shutdown is normally completed, the added value matches the normal reference value,
If the processing at the time of power-off is not completed normally, this added value differs from the reference value. Therefore, the presence or absence of an abnormality in the RAM 64 is determined from the added value. If there is no abnormality in the RAM 64 (YES in step S11),
Proceeding to step S15, if there is an abnormality in the RAM 64 (NO in step S11), it is determined whether there is an abnormality in the backup area of the RAM 64 (S
12). That is, in the pachinko machine 10 of the present embodiment, the information of the work area of the RAM 64 is copied to the backup area at the final step of each processing (after the processing of S18 is completed in FIG. 7). When the process at the time of power shutdown is abnormally terminated (when there is an abnormality in the RAM 64) or the like, a recovery process is performed using the information of the backup area. Therefore,
When there is an abnormality in the RAM 64, first, it is determined whether or not there is an abnormality in the backup area in order to determine whether or not the information in the backup area can be used (whether or not the information has been broken when the power is turned off). If there is an abnormality in the backup area (YES in step S12), the RAM 64 is cleared because the information on the backup area is not available (S13), and if there is no abnormality in the backup area (NO in step S12), The information of the backup area is copied to the work area of the RAM 64.
When the processing in steps S10 to S14 ends, the initialization processing (start-up processing) of the main control unit 60 ends. Then, the main control unit 60 waits in that state until the user reset signal is output (S1).
5), when the user reset signal is output, the main control unit 60 shifts to the main processing from S16.

When shifting to the main processing, first, the main control section 60 performs input / output processing (S16). Specifically, it is checked whether or not a signal has been received at each input port, and if so, the received signal is converted into a signal that can be handled by the CPU 62 and, if necessary, the drive device (For example, driving a solenoid for opening the special winning opening 36). Next, step S1
A command creation process is performed based on the input signal received in step 6, the contents stored in the RAM 64, and the like (S17). For example,
When the detection signal output from the opening sensor is received (when the reception flag is ON), the command (variation pattern, left / middle / right special symbol stop symbol) to be transmitted to the symbol controller 80. Command to identify
A command to be transmitted to the voice control unit 90 (a command for generating a sound effect in conjunction with the change display of the special symbol) and the like are created. When power is turned on (or when power is restored),
First, a ready command for transmitting the completion of the start-up process of the main control unit 60 to each of the control units 70, 80, 90, 100 is created. Then, in the next processing, a command for displaying a demo image (an image indicating that it is in a customer waiting state) on the symbol display device 22 and the speaker 52 are displayed.
Demonstration sound effect (sound effect indicating that the customer is waiting)
And a command for causing the lamp 16 to emit the demonstration effect light. Also, at the time of power return, etc., when the prize ball information to be paid out is backed up, a prize ball command is provided, or when the suspension of the change display of the special symbol is backed up,
A command for variably displaying a special symbol on the symbol display 22, a command for generating a sound effect from the speaker 52, and a command for emitting the effect light from the lamp 16 are created. The command created by these processes is stored at a predetermined address of the RAM 64.

When a command to be transmitted to each control unit is created in step S17, the created command is then transmitted to each control unit (prize ball control unit 70, symbol control unit 80, voice control unit 90, lamp control unit). (S1)
8). Specifically, a command stored in the RAM 64 is set to the output port 66, and a select signal is output to each of the control units 70, 80, 90, 100. Thereafter, the write signal is supplied for a predetermined time (each of the control units 70, 80, 90, 10).
The command is output only for the time when the command can be received at 0 (S3).
2). Thereby, each of the control units 70, 80, 90, 100
Command is sent to Then, the main control unit 60
Waits in this state until the user reset signal is output (S19), and when the user reset signal is output, returns to the process of step S16 and repeats the processes from step S16.

Next, the operation of each control unit (prize ball control unit 70, symbol control unit 80, voice control unit 90, lamp control unit 100) when power is turned on (or when power is restored) will be described.
First, the processing of the award ball control unit 70 will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG. Reset circuit 7 of winning ball control unit 70
3 outputs a system reset signal, the award ball control unit 70 first performs initialization of input / output ports and the like (S2).
0), and then determine whether there is any abnormality in the RAM 72 (S2).
1). The specific method is the same as the method in the main control unit 60. Next, if there is no abnormality in the RAM 72 (YES in step S21), the process proceeds to step S21.
25, if there is an abnormality in the RAM 72 [Step S
21 is NO), it is determined whether or not the backup area in the RAM 72 is abnormal (S22). And
When there is an abnormality in the backup area [Step S22
Is NO, the contents of the RAM 72 are cleared (S2
3) If there is no abnormality in the backup area [YES in step S22], the information of the backup area is copied to the work area of the RAM 72 (S24).
Next, the ready command reception flag is cleared in preparation for receiving the ready command transmitted from the main control unit 60 (S25). As described above, when the processing of steps S21 to S25 is completed, the initialization processing (start-up processing) of the award ball control unit 70 is completed. And the prize ball control unit 70
Similarly to the main control unit 60, the process waits in this state until the user reset signal is output, and when the user reset signal is output, the process proceeds to step S26.

After the user reset signal is received and the command can be received, when the write signal output from the main control unit 60 is received, the prize ball control unit 70 performs a command receiving process (S26). Specifically, when the write signal interrupt processing is matched, it is first determined whether the select signal is output. When the select signal is not output, it is determined that the main control unit 60 is not in the state of transmitting the command, and the prize ball control unit 70 is determined.
Ignores the command data received on the input port of. When the select signal is output, the main control unit 60
Is determined to be in a command transmission state, and the command received at the input port of the award ball control unit 70 is written as a valid command in the storage area of the reception buffer.

Next, command analysis processing is performed on the command written in the storage area of the reception buffer in step S26 (S27). This command analysis processing will be described with reference to FIG. In the command analysis processing, first, it is determined whether or not the command received in step S26 is a ready command (S31). If the received command is a ready command (YES in step S31), the ready command reception flag is turned ON (S3).
2). On the other hand, if the received command is not a ready command (NO in step S31), it is determined whether the received command is a prize ball command (S3).
3). If the received command is a prize ball command [YES in step S33], the prize ball command reception flag is turned ON (S34), and if the received command is not a prize ball command [NO in step S33] , The received command is discarded without being stored in the RAM 72, and the command analysis process is terminated. Commands erroneously received by such command analysis processing are discarded.

When the above-described command analysis processing is completed,
Returning to FIG. 8, prize ball processing is performed (S28). This prize ball processing will be described with reference to FIG. In the prize ball processing, first, it is determined whether or not the ready command reception flag is ON (S35). If the ready command reception flag is ON (YES in step S35), prize ball processing is performed (S36). Specifically, when the prize ball flag is ON, the prize ball device 54 is operated to pay out a prize ball, and then a process of clearing the prize ball flag is performed. If the prize ball flag has not been turned ON, the process ends without performing the process of paying out a prize ball. If the ready command reception flag has not been turned on (NO in step S33), the prize ball processing is terminated. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when the payout is not performed due to a power failure or the like, the payout is performed after the power is restored by the backup process.
The payout process is performed after receiving the ready command from the main control unit 60. Step S described above
When the processing from 26 to S28 ends, the prize ball control unit 70
Waits until a command is received again (until a write signal interrupt process is started), and upon receiving a write signal, returns to the process of step S27 and repeats the above process.

The symbol control unit 80, the voice control unit 90,
In the process in the lamp control unit 100, basically, similarly to the process in the award ball control unit 70 described above, after the initialization process is performed, the main process is performed after the reception of the light signal. However, in these control units 80, 90, 100,
The difference is that the processes in steps S22 to S25 shown in FIG. 8 are not performed because the backup process is not performed, and the command can be received without waiting for the reception of the user reset signal.

As is clear from the above, in the pachinko machine 10 of the present embodiment, the main control unit 6
0 does not shift to the main processing such as the command creation processing until the other control units 70, 80, 90, 100 start up. Therefore, when the main control unit 60 shifts to a process of creating a command or the like, the sub control units 70, 80, 90, 1
00 is in a state where a command can be received. Therefore, when the power is turned on (or when the power is restored), the command transmitted from the main control unit 60 is transmitted to each of the control units 70 and 8.
0, 90 and 100. In the pachinko machine 10 of the present embodiment, each of the control units 70, 80, 90,
100 waits for a ready command transmitted from the main control unit 60, and performs main processing (for example, a payout process of the prize ball control unit 70, a symbol display process of the symbol control unit 80, a voice control unit 90).
, And the effect light emission process of the lamp control unit 100). Therefore, even if the rise time of the main control unit 60 is late, the other control units 70, 80, 90, 1
00 does not start the processing without permission, and synchronized operation of the prize ball device 54, the symbol display 22, the speaker 52, and the lamp 16 is guaranteed. Further, in the pachinko machine 10 of the present embodiment, when the power is turned on or when the power is restored, the command transmitted from the main control unit 60 is transmitted to the symbol control unit 80, the voice control unit 90,
The lamp is reliably received by the lamp control unit 100, the demo screen is displayed on the symbol display 22, the demonstration sound is emitted from the speaker 52, and the lamp 16 emits light, so that the customer waits for sure. Therefore, when the power is turned on, each device does not operate due to a command reception error or the like, and the pachinko machine 10 is not erroneously determined to be faulty. Conversely, if the demo screen or the like is not displayed when the power is turned on, it can be immediately determined that the pachinko machine has some sort of failure.

(Embodiment II) Next, unlike Embodiment I described above, transmission of commands from the main control unit to the sub-control unit is prohibited by the control program of the main control unit for a predetermined time, thereby allowing the sub-control unit FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 show an embodiment in which
It will be described based on. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the overall processing of the main control unit 60 according to Embodiment II described below, and FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the command transmission processing. The embodiment described below
In the pachinko machine according to II, points other than the processing in the main control unit 60 (for example, the hardware configuration of the pachinko machine,
Configuration, operation, etc. of each control unit 70, 80, 90, 100)
Is the same as that of the above-described embodiment I, and therefore the description thereof is omitted, and the following description focuses on the differences.

The main control unit 60 of the present embodiment is a pachinko machine according to the above-described embodiment I (see FIGS. 2 and 3).
Has the same structure as that of the main control unit 6 of the present embodiment.
ROM 63 of a microcomputer 61 provided in
The command transmission prohibition time setting value (integer value) that defines the time during which command transmission is prohibited for each control unit (prize ball control unit 70, symbol control unit 80, voice control unit 90, and lamp control unit 100) is described in FIG. It is memorized. For example, if n is set as the command transmission prohibition time setting value, and the processing cycle of the main control unit 60 is t (= the signal output cycle of the user reset generation circuit 69d), the time during which command transmission is prohibited is n.
× t. The time during which the command transmission is prohibited is set to be longer than the time from when the power of each control unit is turned on until the command can be received (rise time). Therefore, when the time until the command can be received differs for each control unit, the command transmission inhibition time setting value is set to a different value for each control unit. The RAM 64 of the microcomputer 61 is provided with a command transmission prohibition counter for counting the time defined by the command transmission prohibition time setting value, and the count value is stored in the command transmission prohibition counter. The command transmission prohibition counter is provided for each control unit (prize ball control unit 70, symbol control unit 80, voice control unit 90, lamp control unit 100).

The operation of the main control unit 60 when the power is turned on (or when the power is restored) in the pachinko machine 10 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. When the power of the pachinko machine 10 is turned on, power supply to the above-described control units (the main control unit 60, the prize ball control unit 70, the symbol control unit 80, the voice control unit 90, and the lamp control unit 100) is started. Then, a system reset signal is output from the reset circuit of each control unit, and a predetermined process (initialization process) is started. The prize ball control unit 70, the symbol control unit 80,
The processing in the voice control unit 90 and the lamp control unit 100 is as follows.
Since it is the same as the above-described first embodiment, only the processing in the main control unit 60 will be described below.

When the system reset signal is input, the main control unit 60 performs initialization processing such as checking for an abnormality in the RAM 64 and initializing input / output ports as shown in FIG. 11 (S40). This processing corresponds to the processing from S10 to S14 in the flowchart shown in FIG. When the initialization process is performed, the command transmission inhibition time setting value set for each control unit stored in the ROM 63 is read into the RAM 64, and the value is set in the command transmission inhibition counter (S41). Therefore, at the stage of step S41, the count value set in the command transmission prohibition counter is the command transmission disable setting value itself stored in the ROM 63. Step S40 described above,
Upon completion of the process in the step S41, a standby process is performed until a user reset signal is received. When the user reset signal is received, the process shifts to a main process described below.

When shifting to the main processing, the main control unit 60 first performs input / output processing (S43), and then performs command creation processing (S44). The input / output processing and the command creation processing are the same as the processing of the above-described embodiment I (see FIG. 7). When a command to be transmitted to each control unit is created in step S44, the command is transmitted to each control unit (prize ball control unit 70, symbol control unit 80, voice control unit 90, lamp control unit 100). A command transmission process is performed (S45, 46, 47, 48). In addition,
In the present embodiment, the procedure of the command transmission process itself does not differ even if the transmission control unit differs, so that step S4
5, only the command transmission processing to the symbol control unit 80 of FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 12, in the command transmission process, it is first determined whether or not the value of the command transmission prohibition counter for the symbol control unit 80 provided in the RAM 64 is 0 (S49). Here, in the first processing that has shifted to the main processing, the value of the command transmission prohibition counter is
Since the command transmission prohibition time set value is set to 4, the determination in step S49 is NO unless the value set in the ROM 64 is 0. If the value of the command transmission prohibition counter is not 0 (NO in step S49), a process of subtracting 1 from the value of the command transmission prohibition counter is performed (S55), and the command transmission process ends as it is. On the other hand, if the value of the command transmission prohibition counter is 0 (YES in step S49), it is determined whether or not there is a transmission command. Specifically, FIG.
The symbol control unit 80 in the command creation process of step S44
Whether a command for sending to the user is created (R
(Whether the command is stored at a predetermined address of the AM 64). If there is no command to be transmitted (NO in step S50), the command transmission process is terminated as it is, while if there is a command to be transmitted (YES in step S50), the command stored in RAM 64 Is read into the CPU 62 (S5).
1). Next, step S is placed at a predetermined location of the output port 66.
The command read in 51 is set (S52), and a select signal is output to the symbol control unit 80 (S53). Thereafter, a write signal is output for a predetermined time (S54).
Thereby, the command is transmitted to the symbol control unit 80.
When the process of transmitting the command to the symbol control unit 80 ends,
Returning to FIG. 1, a command is transmitted to the voice control unit 90 (S1).
8), command transmission to the lamp control unit 100 (S1)
9), a command is transmitted to the award ball control unit 70 (S20). Then, upon receiving the user reset signal, the main control unit 60 returns to the process of step S43, and repeats the processes from step S43 to step S48 again.

As is apparent from the above description, in the pachinko machine 10 of the present embodiment, the main control unit 60
Does not transmit a command to the symbol control unit 80 or the like until the value of the command transmission prohibition counter becomes zero. Therefore, by appropriately setting the value (command transmission prohibition time setting value) read into the command transmission prohibition counter when the power is turned on (or when the power is restored), the transmission of the command to each sub-control unit can be delayed. Therefore, the main control unit 6
When a command is transmitted from 0, each control unit can be set to a state in which the command can be received. Further, in the present embodiment, since the command transmission prohibition time is set by the command transmission prohibition time set value set in the ROM 63 of the main control unit 60, the command transmission prohibition time can be easily changed and corrected. Can be.

While some preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and improvements are made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. It can be implemented in the form, for example,
The present invention can be implemented in the following embodiments.

(1) In the above-described embodiment I, the main control unit 60 that starts processing based on the system reset signal and the user reset signal delays the timing of outputting the user reset signal, so that the main control unit 60 Was to delay the command transmission timing. However, the present invention is not limited to such a form, and for example, can take a form as shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the system reset signal of the main control unit is delayed by the delay circuit, and the start of the initialization process of the main control unit itself is delayed. The present invention can be implemented by such a format. Also,
The present invention can be applied to a control unit which does not have a user reset signal generation circuit and starts processing only by a system reset signal. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, the output timing of the command from the main control unit to the sub-control unit may be delayed by delaying the output timing of the system reset signal by a delay circuit.

(2) In Embodiment I described above, the activation of the main control unit is delayed so that the sub-control unit can receive commands by the time the command is transmitted from the main control unit. The invention can take the following forms. That is, in the gaming machine according to the first aspect, supply of power to the main control unit may be performed after the processing of the preparation processing unit is completed. According to the above configuration, the power supply itself to the main control unit is performed after the sub-control unit is ready to receive a command. Therefore,
The gaming machine according to claim 1 can also be realized by such a method. In this case, a power supply unit for supplying power to the main control unit and a power supply unit for supplying power to the sub control unit are separately provided, and power supply to the sub control unit is performed first, and then the main control unit The power may be supplied to the unit. In addition, as a method of controlling power supply, it can be performed by turning a control signal ON-OFF to a voltage stabilizing circuit such as a switching regulator.

(3) In Embodiment II described above,
Although the command transmission prohibition time setting value is set for each of the control units 70, 80, 90, and 100, this is not the case.
Only one command transmission prohibition time setting value may be set. In this case, the command transmission inhibition time set value set in the ROM 64 may be set according to the control unit that requires the longest time for the startup processing. Even with such a configuration, the commands transmitted from the main control unit 60 can be reliably received by each control unit. When such a configuration is adopted, only one command transmission prohibition counter to be set in the RAM 64 is required,
64 memories can be used effectively. further,
Since only one command transmission prohibition counter is required, it is only necessary to determine once whether the command transmission prohibition counter has reached 0.

(4) In Embodiment II described above,
The value of the command transmission prohibition counter provided in the RAM 64 is subtracted to determine whether or not command transmission is possible based on whether the value becomes 0. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. (Counting up), and when this value matches the command transmission prohibition time set value set in the ROM 63, it may be determined that command transmission is possible.

(5) In each of the above embodiments,
Each of the control units (prize ball control unit 70, symbol control unit 80, voice control unit 90,
The lamp control unit 100 is directly connected to the electrical equipment (symbol display 2).
2. It is configured to control the prize ball device 54, the speaker 52, and the lamp 16). However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the sub-control unit further creates a command based on the command transmitted from the main control unit, and each device based on the command created and transmitted by the sub-control unit. (A so-called grandchild control unit) may be provided. In this case, in any one of the above-described embodiments I and II, the configuration is such that the transmission of the command from the main control unit to the sub-control unit is prohibited until the grandchild control unit is ready to receive the command. Alternatively, the sub-control unit may be configured to prohibit the sub-control unit from transmitting a command to the grandchild control unit until the grandchild control unit is ready to receive a command.

(6) The above-described embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to a first-type pachinko machine. However, the present invention also includes, for example, a slot machine, an arrange hall machine,
The present invention can be applied to various game machines such as a sparrow ball game machine and a video game machine.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of a first-class pachinko machine.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the pachinko machine shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a power supply system for supplying power to each control unit.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a reset circuit of the main control unit.

FIG. 5 is a time chart of each signal output from the reset circuit shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a time chart of each signal output from the reset circuit of each control unit.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process in a main control unit.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process in a prize ball control unit.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a command analysis process.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of award ball processing.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a process performed by a main control unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a command transmission process.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a reset circuit according to another embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a reset circuit according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10. Pachinko machine 16 Lamp 22 Symbol display 52 Speaker 54 Prize ball device 60 Main control unit 70 Prize ball control unit 80 Symbol control unit 90 Voice control unit 100 lamp control unit

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A game machine having a main control unit and a sub-control unit for controlling an electric device based on a command transmitted from the main control unit, wherein the main control unit transmits a command to the sub-control unit. The sub-control unit has means for performing a preparation process for enabling a command transmitted from the transmitting means to be receivable when power supply is started, Is transmitted after completion of the processing by the preparation processing means. 2. The power supply control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main control unit includes a start unit that starts processing of the main control unit when power supply is started. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the gaming machine is configured to operate. 3. A signal output circuit for outputting a start signal to the main control unit when a predetermined voltage is reached by electric power supplied to the main control unit, and a signal output from the signal output circuit. 3. The gaming machine according to claim 2, further comprising a delay circuit for delaying the start signal by a predetermined time.