JP2002018095A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent erroneous control caused by a fraudulent action or the like by verifying the validity of control command data in a game machine transmitting the control command data from a main control board to a sub- control board in one direction. SOLUTION: The main control board generates and transmits control command data 3001, 3002 through 300k to the sub-control board. The main control board generates a state monitor command 305 for monitoring the state of the prescribed communication path of these control command data at the prescribed timing based on these control command data and transmits it to the sub-control board. The sub-control board verifies the validity of the received control command data by comparing the received control command data 3001, 3002 through 300k with the state monitor command data 305 and stops the control of a control object when it judges that the received control command data have an error.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gaming machine, and more particularly to a gaming machine in which control command data is transmitted in one direction from a main control board to a sub-control board, and the sub-control board controls a control target in accordance with the control command data. It is about.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a gaming machine disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-128494 (title of "Pachinko Machine"). The disclosed gaming machine includes a master unit (main control board), a plurality of slave units (sub-control boards), and a plurality of independent units, and each slave unit operates in accordance with a one-way instruction from the master unit. Only the minimum necessary control command data is transmitted from the master unit to each slave unit, and each slave unit controls each control target based on the control command data.

A payout unit, for example, is provided as one of the slave units. The payout unit of the payout mechanism unit pays out game balls corresponding to prize balls or rental balls according to a one-way instruction from the master unit. The payout operation is controlled. That is, the number-of-payouts control is performed so that the count value of the number-of-payouts count sensor becomes the same as the instruction received by the payout unit.

[0004]

However, according to the above-mentioned conventional gaming machine, only the control command data necessary for the control is transmitted in one direction from the master unit to each slave unit. It is not possible to determine whether the received control command data is valid with respect to the control command data transmitted from the master unit, and according to the control command data received by each slave unit, regardless of whether it is valid or not. The only option was to control the control target.

[0005] For this reason, when any transmission error occurs in the communication path of the control command data, or when an illegal act (so-called “goto” action) is performed intentionally, the control command data on the communication path is illegally transmitted. When operated, the control target is controlled based on incorrect control command data. That is, there is a problem that noise measures and security measures are insufficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to verify the validity of control command data received by a sub-control board, and to perform erroneous control due to the above-mentioned misconduct. It is to provide a gaming machine capable of preventing the problem.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a control command data corresponding to a result of winning a game ball on a game board provided with a winning opening to the winning opening. And a sub-control board for controlling a control target in accordance with the control command data received via a predetermined communication path, wherein the main control board includes the control command data. A first transmission unit for generating a command from the main control board to the sub-control board, and a state monitoring command for monitoring a communication state of the control command data in the predetermined communication path based on the control command data. And a second transmitting means for generating the control command data from the main control board to the sub control board at a predetermined timing. By comparing the received control command data with the status monitoring command, and when it is determined that the received control command data has an error, the control of the control target is stopped. A gaming machine.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the gaming machine according to the first aspect, the first transmitting means transmits a check sum to the control command data, and the second transmitting means transmits the control command data to the control command data. Transmitting a checksum of the control command data at the timing of the control command data as the status monitoring command, and the sub-control board checks whether the checksum added to the received control command data is received as the status monitoring command. A gaming machine for verifying the validity by comparing with a thumb was constructed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the gaming machine according to the first aspect, the second transmitting means transmits the number of transmissions of the control command data at the predetermined timing as the state monitoring command, The sub-control board constitutes a gaming machine that performs a validity verification by comparing whether the received number of the received control command data matches the transmitted number received as the status monitoring command.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the gaming machine according to the first aspect, the second transmitting means transmits a transmission data amount of the control command data at the predetermined timing as the state monitoring command, The sub-control board constitutes a gaming machine that performs a validity verification by comparing whether the received data amount of the received control command data matches the transmitted data amount received as the status monitoring command.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the gaming machine according to the first aspect, the controlled object is a payout device for paying out a game ball in accordance with a winning of the game ball to the winning opening, The first transmitting means transmits the number of prize balls according to the input as the control command data, and the second transmitting means transmits the integrated number of the prize balls at the predetermined timing as the state monitoring command, The sub-control board constitutes a gaming machine that performs a validity verification by comparing whether the integrated number indicated by the received control command data matches the integrated number received as the state monitoring command.

According to the gaming machine of the present invention having the above-described configuration, the state for transmitting the control command data from the main control board to the sub-control board and monitoring the communication state of the control command data on a predetermined communication path. The monitoring command is transmitted, the sub-control board verifies the validity of the control command data using the status monitoring command, and when it is determined that there is an error, the control of the control target is stopped.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, a schematic configuration of a pachinko machine as a gaming machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a game board of an embodiment of the game machine according to the present invention, and shows various components provided on the game board. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electric configuration of one embodiment of the gaming machine according to the present invention, and each block is provided on the back side of the gaming board.

In the gaming board 1 shown in FIG. 1, reference numeral 2 denotes a starting winning port in which the game ball 11 wins. The starting winning opening 2 is, for example, a normal electric accessory (electric tulip). Reference numeral 4 denotes a variable winning ball device (attacker) having a large winning port 5, for example. The big winning opening 5 is provided with, for example, a continuous winning area (V zone) 6. Further, a right sleeve winning opening and a left sleeve winning opening are provided.

3 is, for example, 3 of a left symbol, a middle symbol, and a right symbol.
It is a special symbol display device consisting of two display screens. 7 is
For example, it is an ordinary symbol display device of a mini digital format. 8
Is a normal symbol operation gate (through chucker). 9 is a display lamp. 10 is an out mouth. Further, a speaker for generating a sound effect is provided.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 100 denotes a main control board having a game management function and a control command generation function, and executes a communication algorithm for transmitting a state monitoring command according to the present invention.

The main control board 100 includes a CPU 101 for performing overall control, and a ROM 10 for storing various control programs for executing the communication algorithm.
2. A RAM 103 and the like used as a storage area for various data and a work area for arithmetic processing are provided. CP
The program for controlling the operation of U101 is stored in the ROM 102 in advance, and can be loaded from an external storage device (not shown). The ROM 102 further includes a module storage area 102a. Main control board 100
Is the input-side sub-board 20 via the interface unit.
And connected to each element on the output side.

An overflow switch 21 and a special symbol start switch 2 are connected to the sub-board 20 via an input port 30.
2, normal symbol operation switch 23, big winning opening switch 24
a, a starting port winning port switch 24b, a right sleeve winning port switch 24c, and a left sleeve winning port switch 24d are connected.
Each winning opening switch detects that a game ball has won a corresponding winning opening (see the description of FIG. 1). Further, a power supply circuit 28 and a reset circuit 29 for performing a reset operation of the main program at a predetermined cycle are provided.

On the output side via the output port 31, sub-control boards 32 to 35, each of which is a slave device using the main control board 100 as a master, a normal symbol display device 7, a normal electric accessory operating solenoid 36, A plurality of winning opening operating solenoids 37 corresponding to each winning opening are connected. Further, other than the above, actual inspection components, LEDs, various actuators (solenoids, rotary motors) and the like (not shown) are connected.

The display control board 3 which is each a sub control board
2. The lamp control board 33, the sound effect control board 34, and the payout control board 35 include a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and a command receiving means (see FIG. 4 described later) and are programmed. A program for controlling the operation of each of the sub-control boards 32 to 35 is stored in the ROM in advance, or can be loaded from an external storage device (not shown).

From the main control board 100 to each sub control board 32
The control command data is transmitted to the main control board 100 from each of the sub-control boards 32-35 to the main control board 100, and the mutual communication of commands and the like between the sub-control boards 32-35 is performed. Not to be. That is, the main control board 100 and the sub-control boards 32 to 35 are in a master-slave relationship.

The display control board 32 controls the display of the special symbol display device 3, the lamp control board 33 controls the lighting of the display lamp 9, the sound effect control board 34 controls the sound generation by the speaker, and the payout control board. Reference numeral 35 controls the number of game balls to be paid out by a prize ball payout mechanism (indicated by reference numeral 40 in FIG. 4 described later), and various game functions are divided.

In the gaming machine having the above configuration, the main control board 1
From the control command data and the status monitoring command transmitted in one direction according to the communication algorithm of No. 00, the validity of the control command data according to the present invention is verified in each of the sub-control boards 32 to 35, and the control command data has an error. Is stopped.

FIG. 3 is a communication sequence diagram for explaining a communication algorithm according to the present embodiment and validity verification of control command data according to the algorithm.

The main control board 100 sends control command data 300 ₁ , 300 ₂ ,..., 300 to the sub control boards 32 to 35 via a data bus in accordance with the winning result of the game ball.
_k ,... are sequentially transmitted. Control command data 300 ₁ , 3
00 _2, ..., 300 _k, is ... to be able to transmit by adding a checksum code. The destination sub-control board is any specific sub-control board.

The main control board 1 together with the command data transmission
On the 00 side, control command information on the transmitted control command data is sequentially acquired. Here, the control command information includes, for example, the added checksum code, the total number of transmitted control command data (the number of times), the number of bytes of the transmitted control command data, that is, the data amount, and the like. If the destination sub-control board is the payout control board 35 and the control command is the number of prize balls according to the winning result, the transmitted control command data is the integrated number of the prize balls indicating the payout. Can be.

On the other hand, on the sub-control board side of the transmission destination, the control command data 300 ₁ , 300 ₂ ,
, 300 _k ,... Are sequentially received, and control command information about the control command data received within a predetermined period is obtained. As described above, the control command information may include an error due to noise or “goto”.

Next, the main control board 100 having acquired the control command information corresponding to the transmission control command data within the predetermined period generates a status monitoring command from the control command information. Here, the status monitoring command includes, for example, all checksum codes added to the control command data transmitted within a predetermined period, the total number (number of times) of control command data transmitted within a predetermined period, and the control command data transmitted within a predetermined period. Is the total number of bytes, that is, the data amount. If the sub-control board of the transmission destination is the payout control board 35 and the control command is the number of prize balls according to the winning result, the number of prize balls within a predetermined period can be obtained.

The generated state monitoring command 305 is transmitted to the sub-control board via the data bus. The status monitoring command 305 is the control command data 300 here.
_{1, 300 2, ..., 300} k, ... represent the control command information about.

In the sub-control board, the checksum codes of all control command data received within a predetermined period, the total number of control command data received (number of times), and the total bytes of received control command data are obtained from the control command information already obtained. The number (data amount) and the total number of awarded balls are obtained in advance, and these information is newly added to the control command information received from the main control board 100 by the control command information (the control command information obtained by the main control board 100). ) Is verified by comparing with ()).

For example, the data amount (total number of bytes) of the transmission control command data represented by the received status monitoring command 305
However, if it matches the data amount (total number of bytes) of the control command data received by the sub-control board, the control command transmission state via the data bus is good, and the received control command data has an error. It can be determined that there is not. If a comparison result that the two do not match is obtained, it is certain that the received control command data contains an error, and it is highly probable that noise mixing or "goto" has been performed. Can be determined.

Then, according to the erroneous control command data, the control target (special symbol display device 3, display lamp 9,
The sub-control-board-side CPU stops the normal control of each control target so as not to control the speaker, the winning ball payout mechanism 40, and the like. Therefore, improper control based on erroneous control command data can be prevented even in the case of the above-described noise mixing or “goto” action.

The above-described algorithm is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals. That is, the main control board 100 transmits the status monitoring command 305 and then sends the sub-control board 3
Control command data 31 through data bus
_{0 1, 310 2, ...,} 310 k, ... sequentially sends, to execute the subsequent processing as described above. The same process is repeatedly executed on the sub-control board side. Although an example in which such repetition is managed at time intervals has been described, the repetition may be performed every time the number (number of times) of communication of control command data reaches a predetermined number.

Next, a control algorithm in the case where the sub-control board of the transmission destination is the payout control board 35, for which the application of the present invention is considered to be particularly effective, will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. .

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a main part of one embodiment of the gaming machine according to the present invention.
5 is a timing chart of an example of a winning ball payout operation in the configuration of FIG.

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 40 denotes a prize ball payout mechanism. The prize ball payout mechanism 40 is controlled by a payout control board 35, and by driving a prize ball payout solenoid 45, a main control command 10 generated according to a winning result in each winning opening.
The payout control board 35 pays out the designated number of game balls by the control command data from 0. The paid out game balls are counted by the prize ball coefficient switch 44, and the counting result is input to the payout control board 35 via the relay board 46. The payout control board 35 monitors the counting result,
You can pay out the number of prize balls as instructed.

Reference numeral 41 denotes a prize ball supply switch, reference numeral 42 denotes a prize ball standby switch, and reference numeral 43 denotes a prize ball vibration motor, which are provided on supply paths for payout game balls. Since these elements are not related to the present invention, their description is omitted.

In FIG. 5, the start winning port switch 25 is shown.
When (a) in the figure detects a winning, the main control board 100 transmits control command data 300 ₁ ((b) in the figure). The control command data 300 ₁ indicates five prize balls. The payout control board 35, which has received the control command data 300 ₁ , waits while the prize ball counting switch 44 (FIG. 9E) counts the number of game balls as instructed.
The payout is performed by driving the prize ball payout solenoid 45 ((d) in the figure).

Next, when the special winning opening switch 24 (FIG. 4B) detects a winning, the main control board 100 transmits control command data 300 ₂ (FIG. 4B). The control command data 300 ₂ indicates 15 prize balls. Upon receiving the control command data 300 ₁ , the payout control board 35 sets the prize ball payout solenoid 45 (FIG. 4D) while the prize ball counting switch 44 (FIG. 4E) counts the number of game balls as directed. ) To pay out. As described above, the control command data is transmitted, and the payout according to the winning result can be performed. In the case where another winning port is won, for example, seven prize balls are indicated.

A status monitoring command 305 obtained by accumulating the number of awarded balls instructed during the predetermined time T is transmitted from the main control board 100 to the payout control board 35. Dispensing control board 35, as previously described, the control command data _{300 1, 300 2, ...,} 300 k, a data bus with the winning balls accumulated number of number and a status monitor command 305 (control command information) obtained from ... The validity of the communication result via the communication is verified, and if it is determined that there is an error, the control is performed so that the prize ball payout solenoid 45 is not driven regardless of the number of prize balls.

Therefore, if the transmission destination from the main control board 100 is the payout control board 35, the control command data to be transmitted is the number of prize balls, and the control target is the prize ball payout mechanism 40, Even if there is something that manipulates the control command data to obtain the number of prize balls incorrectly,
Since no payout is performed for such an action, security can be ensured.

[0043]

As described above, according to the gaming machine of the present invention, the control command data is transmitted from the main control board to the sub-control board, and the communication state of the control command data on a predetermined communication path is monitored. The sub-control board verifies the validity of the control command data using the status monitoring command, and if it determines that there is an error, the control of the control target is stopped. The control of the control target is stopped when an error generated due to a disturbance in the communication state is detected or an error generated in the control command data due to the communication state such as noise is detected. Therefore, it is possible to provide an effective security measure when an illegal “goto” action is performed on a predetermined communication path and control command data is operated, and when a transmission error due to noise or the like occurs on a predetermined communication path. This has the effect of preventing incorrect control.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a game board of one embodiment of a gaming machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electric configuration of one embodiment of the gaming machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a communication sequence diagram for explaining a communication algorithm and verification of validity of control command data in an embodiment of the gaming machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a main part of the gaming machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart of an example of a prize ball payout operation according to a communication algorithm in the configuration of FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

3 Special symbol display device 9 Display lamp 24 Big winning opening switch 25 Start winning opening switch 26 Right sleeve winning opening switch 27 Left sleeve winning opening switch 32 Display control board 33 Lamp control board 34 Sound effect control board 35 Payout control board 40 Prize ball dispensing mechanism 100 main control board _{101,351 CPU 102,352 ROM 103,353 RAM 300 1} , 300 2, 300 k control command data 305 status monitor command

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A main control board for transmitting control command data according to a result of winning a game ball on a game board provided with a winning opening to said winning opening, and said control received via a predetermined communication path. A gaming machine comprising: a sub-control board that controls a control target according to command data; wherein the main control board generates the control command data and transmits the control command data from the main control board to the sub-control board. Means for generating a status monitoring command for monitoring the communication status of the control command data in the predetermined communication path at a predetermined timing based on the control command data, and transmitting the status monitoring command from the main control board to the sub control board The sub-control board compares the received control command data with the status monitoring command, and Control commands to verify the validity of the data, the gaming machine characterized by stopping the control of the control object when it is determined that there is an error in the control command data the received. 2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the first transmitting unit transmits the control command data with a checksum added thereto, and the second transmitting unit transmits the control command data at the predetermined timing. The sub-control board compares whether the checksum added to the received control command data matches the checksum received as the status monitoring command. A gaming machine characterized by performing validity verification. 3. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the second transmission means transmits the number of transmissions of the control command data at the predetermined timing as the state monitoring command, and wherein the sub-control board receives the control command data at the predetermined timing. A game machine for performing a validity verification by comparing whether the number of received control command data matches the number of transmissions received as the state monitoring command. 4. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the second transmission unit transmits a transmission data amount of the control command data at the predetermined timing as the state monitoring command, and the sub control board performs the reception. A game machine for performing a validity verification by comparing whether a received data amount of the received control command data matches the transmitted data amount received as the state monitoring command. 5. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the control target is a payout device that pays out game balls in accordance with a prize of the game balls to the winning opening, and wherein the first transmitting means includes: The second transmission means transmits the number of awarded balls at the predetermined timing as the status monitoring command, and transmits the number of awarded balls according to the input as the control command data. A game machine for performing a validity verification by comparing whether the integrated number indicated by the obtained control command data matches the integrated number received as the state monitoring command.