JP2002248219A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent forgetting clearing the control information stored in a storage device in a game machine having an electric equipment device, the storage device for storing the control information, and a control device for controlling the electric equipment device according to the control information stored in the storage device, and having a function of saving the control information stored in the storage device when the power supply is interrupted, and restarting the suspended processing according to the saved control information when the power supply is recovered. SOLUTION: When a game condition initializing switch for operated for initializing the game condition is operated (YES in S12), the control information stored in the storage device is cleared (S16). After that, a sound informing that the control information stored in the storage device is cleared is generated (S18).

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 function of saving control information when power is cut off due to a power failure or the like and resuming a process interrupted by power cut using the saved control information when power is restored. The present invention relates to a technique for starting processing under appropriate conditions when power is turned on again after power is restored.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a gaming machine with a high degree of electrical equipment such as a pachinko machine, various electronic devices are provided in the gaming machine body. These electric devices are controlled based on a detection signal output from a detection device arranged at an appropriate position of the gaming machine. That is, the detection signal (control information) output from the detection device is temporarily stored in a storage device such as a memory, and the control information stored in the storage device is read out by the control device as appropriate to control the electrical device. . In such a gaming machine, the control information stored in the storage device includes information advantageous to the player (for example, payout information of a game medium). Therefore, if such information is erased when the power is cut off at the time of a power failure or the like, a disadvantageous result is brought about for a player who wants to continue playing after the power is restored. For this reason, there is a demand to save the control information stored in the storage device when the power is turned off, and to continue the game from the state before the power was turned off at the start of business after the return of the power. On the other hand, if the game is to be started from the state before the power is cut off after the power is restored,
In the case where it is not necessary to continue the game state before the power is cut off, such as when the player has returned due to the power cut,
A situation occurs in which the gaming state before power-off is continued. For this reason, it has a function of saving the control information stored in the storage device when the power is turned off, restarting the game using the stored control information after the power is restored, and saving the game when the power is turned on after the power is restored. It has been considered to provide a clear switch for selecting whether to use the obtained control information or to clear the information (Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-50035).

[0003]

However, in the technology described in the above publication, there is no means for checking whether or not the clear switch has been operated. For this reason, if a store clerk or the like forgets to operate the clear switch, the process before power off may be restarted using the control information to be deleted.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a gaming machine capable of clearing control information to be cleared by preventing forgetting to operate a clear switch. provide.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems, Functions and Effects In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a gaming machine according to claim 1 has an electric device, a storage device for storing control information, and stored in the storage device. A control device that controls the electrical device based on the control information, the control device stores the control information stored in the storage device when power is turned off, and based on the stored control information when power is restored. To resume the interrupted process. A game condition initialization switch that is operated to initialize the game condition; a clear unit that clears control information stored in the storage device when the game condition initialization switch is operated; A notifying means for notifying the clearing of the control information by the clearing means is added. Here, "notify clearing" means that the control information of the storage device is cleared (or cleared) to the operator by some method. Such a form may be adopted. For example, the information may be transmitted by hearing using sound, or may be transmitted visually using light, an image, or the like. Also, instead of outputting a sound or the like when it is cleared, a sound or the like may be output when it is not cleared to notify that clearing has not been performed (that is, a sound or the like must be output). In this case, it is transmitted that clearing has been performed.) In short, it is only necessary to be able to transmit whether the data has been cleared or not cleared. In the gaming machine described above, the clearing of the control information by the clearing means is notified from the notifying means. Therefore, if the game condition initialization switch is forgotten to be operated, clearing of the control information is not notified from the notification means. For this reason, if the player forgets to operate the game condition initialization switch, the control information to be cleared can be cleared by operating the switch again.

It is preferable that the gaming condition initialization switch is provided on a back surface of the gaming machine, and that the notification by the notifying means can be confirmed from the back surface side of the gaming machine. According to such a configuration, the game condition initialization switch is provided on the back surface of the gaming machine to prevent inadvertent erroneous operation, and that the game condition initialization switch is cleared from the back side of the gaming machine provided with the game condition initialization switch. Can be confirmed, so that the operability can be improved.

[0007] The notification by the notification means may be performed by sound. According to such a configuration, clearing of the control information can be known from either the front side or the back side of the gaming machine. Further, the notification by the notification means may be performed by a lamp (claim 4). In the case of this lamp, it is possible to give notification by changing the light emission mode before and after clearing. When a plurality of the storage devices are provided in the gaming machine, the notification means may be added to each of the storage devices (claim 5). According to such a configuration, clearing of the control information can be confirmed for each storage device.

[0008] The above object can also be achieved by a gaming machine according to claim 6. That is, a gaming machine according to a sixth aspect has a main control unit and a sub-control unit that executes a predetermined process based on a signal output from the main control unit. It has a function to restart interrupted processing. Then, a game condition initialization switch for outputting an initialization signal to the main control unit is added, and the main control unit receives the initialization signal output from the game condition initialization switch, Means for clearing necessary control information stored and for outputting an initialization signal to the sub-control unit are provided, and the sub-control unit receives an initialization signal output from the main control unit. A clear unit for clearing required control information stored in the sub-control unit and a notifying unit for notifying that the control information is cleared by the clear unit are provided. The same effect as the gaming machine according to the first aspect can be obtained by the gaming machine. In particular, in the gaming machine described above, the notification by the notification unit is performed only when both the main control unit and the sub control unit execute the clearing process. Therefore, the notification by the notification means is performed only in the normal case, so that the gaming machine can be started in a normal state.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a pachinko machine will be described below with reference to FIGS.
Here, FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of the pachinko machine,
2 is a rear view of the pachinko machine shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric system of the pachinko machine shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a structure of an initialization switch. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of the initialization switch, FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process performed when the power is turned on in the main control unit, and FIG. 7 shows an operation of the pachinko machine at the time of executing the clearing process. It is a timing chart.

As shown in FIG. 1, on the game board surface 12 of the pachinko machine 10, a symbol display device 14, a first-type starting port 30, a large winning port 34 and the like are appropriately arranged. Type 1 starting port 30
Has a starting port sensor (not shown), and detects a pachinko ball that has won the first type starting port 30 by the starting port sensor.
The special winning opening 34 has an opening / closing lid 36, and the opening / closing lid 36 is opened and closed by a solenoid (not shown) under specific conditions. 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. The symbol display device 14 includes a symbol display 22 that displays a special symbol in a variable manner.
For No. 2, a special symbol is fluctuated and displayed under specific conditions (for example, a win of a pachinko ball into the first-type starting port 30). The special symbol displayed fluctuating on the symbol display 22 is to make the player recognize that a transition to a so-called special game state (a state in which the special winning opening 34 is opened) is performed in a display mode when the fluctuation is stopped. A pachinko ball that has won a winning opening such as the first-type starting opening 30 and the special winning opening 34 is detected by a winning ball sensor (not shown) provided on the back side of the game board surface 12, and similarly on the back side of the game board surface 12. A pachinko ball is paid out from a prize ball device (not shown) assembled in the device. The operation of the prize ball device is controlled by a prize ball control unit described later.

The pachinko machine 10 has the above-described game board surface 1
In addition to 2, an upper plate 46 for storing pachinko balls including prize balls and rental balls is provided. On the back side of the upper plate 46, there are provided speakers 48 for generating a sound effect when a pachinko ball wins in each of the above-mentioned winning openings, a sound effect when a special symbol is displayed on the symbol display 22 in a fluctuating manner, and the like. ing. Below the upper plate 46, a lower plate 40 for temporarily storing pachinko balls when the pachinko balls stored in the upper plate 46 are full,
An ashtray 42 for holding cigarette butts is provided.
The structure and the like of these devices are the same as those of the already known pachinko machine, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the structure of the electrical system of the pachinko machine 10 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3, the electrical system of the pachinko machine 10 according to the present embodiment includes:
Similar to a conventional pachinko machine, a power supply device 100 and a control device (hereinafter, referred to as a main control unit) 200 that controls the entire pachinko machine with electric power supplied from the power supply device 100.
A prize ball control unit 300 that controls the prize ball device 40 based on control information (command data) transmitted from the main control unit 200; and a speaker 48 based on control information (command data) transmitted from the main control unit 200. A sound control unit 400 for performing control for generating a sound effect from the display unit; a display control unit 500 for controlling the symbol display 22 based on control information (command data) transmitted from the main control unit 200; Winning ball sensor 5 connected
0, starting port sensor 32, solenoid 35 (large winning opening 34)
(A driving device for opening and closing the flatbed lid 36). The configurations of the sound control unit 400 and the display control unit 500 may be the same as those provided in the conventional pachinko machine, and do not particularly characterize the present invention.
Detailed description is omitted.

Hereinafter, the main control unit 200 and the prize ball control unit 3
Next, the configuration of the power supply device 100 will be described. In addition,
Main control unit 200, prize ball control unit 300, power supply device 10
0 are all provided on the back surface of the pachinko machine as shown in FIG. The main control unit 200 includes a CPU (processor) 202 and a ROM 2 connected to the CPU 202.
02a, storage device such as RAM 202b, input processing circuit 2
04, an output processing circuit 208, a communication control circuit 206, and the like. The CPU 202 controls the pachinko machine 10 according to a control program stored in the ROM 202a. For example, when a winning detection signal is received from the starting opening sensor 32, a command is output to the display control unit 500 to display a special symbol in a variable manner.
4 (that is, opening control of the opening / closing lid 36 by the solenoid 35). Note that the control program stored in the ROM 202a includes a program for implementing a clearing process and the like described later. The RAM 202b indicates that the winning ball information transmitted from the winning ball sensor 50, the starting opening information transmitted from the starting opening sensor 32, and the special symbol displayed on the symbol display 22 have a high probability of being a "big hit". Various data such as probability variation information is stored. In the RAM 202b, the electric charge stored in the capacitor provided on the power supply line connecting the power supply device 100 and the main control unit 200 during energization flows when the energization is interrupted (at the time of power failure). I have. Thus, the stored contents stored in the RAM 202b are retained even while the power is turned off. As a method of retaining the stored contents of the RAM 202b when the power is turned off or the like, a nonvolatile flash memory may be used for the RAM 202b in addition to the above-described method.
02b can also be stored.
The input processing circuit 204 is a circuit that processes a signal transmitted from the winning ball sensor 50, the starting port sensor 32, the initialization switch 102, the power failure detection unit 106, and the like so that the CPU 202 can handle the signal. The output processing circuit 208 is a circuit for outputting a drive signal to the solenoid 35, and the communication control circuit 206 is a circuit for transmitting command data to the prize ball control unit 300, the sound control unit 400, and the display control unit 500. is there.

The prize ball control unit 300 includes a main control unit 200
Receiving the command data (ball payout information) transmitted from the prize ball device 40, a prize ball payout process of paying out a predetermined number of prize balls from the prize ball device 40 is performed. The award ball control unit 300 includes a CPU 302, a ROM 302a, an RA
M302b, communication control circuit 303, input processing circuit 30
4. An output processing circuit 306 and the like. CPU
302 performs a prize ball payout control of the prize ball device 40 according to a control program stored in the ROM 302a.
The control programs stored in the ROM 302a include:
Like the main control unit 200, the main control unit 200 includes a program for realizing a clear process and the like to be described later. The RAM 302b stores various data such as ball payout information and input / output signals. Like the RAM 202b of the main control unit 100, the RAM 302b utilizes the electric charge stored in the capacitor during energization, so that the RAM 302b can be used while the power is cut off.
The content stored in b is retained. Note that a non-volatile flash memory is used
The point that the stored content of the memory 302b may be held is the same as that of the main control unit 100. The communication control circuit 303
The input processing circuit 304 is a circuit for receiving data transmitted from the main control unit 200, and is a circuit for receiving a signal output from the initialization switch 102 and the power failure detection unit 104. The processing circuit 306
Receiving the data sent from the CPU 302, the prize ball device 4
This circuit outputs a drive signal for performing prize ball payout control (drive control of a prize ball motor (typically, a stepping motor)) for 0.

The power supply unit 100 includes a voltage transformation unit 106 for supplying electric power of a predetermined potential to each of the electric devices mounted on the pachinko machine 10, and a power failure detection unit 104 for detecting power interruption.
Various switches such as a power switch 108 and an initialization switch 102 are provided. The voltage transformer 106 is
As shown in FIG. 3, the main control unit 200 and the prize ball control unit 3
While supplying power of a predetermined potential to the sound control unit 400 and the display control unit 500, various electric devices (the winning ball sensor 5) are used.
0, starting port sensor 32, symbol display 22, solenoid 3
5, a prize ball device 40, a speaker 48, etc.). That is, the voltage transformer 106 rectifies and smoothes the AC input from the AC power supply in the hall by the rectifier circuit, and converts the rectified and smoothed DC power into a voltage suitable for each electrical device by the regulator and supplies the voltage. . FIG. 3 shows the main control unit 200 and the prize ball control unit 30.
Power supply lines to devices other than 0 are not shown. The power failure detection unit 106 continuously monitors the AC input from the hall AC power supply, determines that the power supply has been cut off when the waveform has been continuously lost for a predetermined period, and determines the main control unit 200 and the prize ball control. The power outage signal is output to the unit 300. The power switch 108 is a switch for operating ON / OFF of an AC input from a hall AC power supply, and is provided on the back surface of the pachinko machine as shown in FIG. The configurations of the voltage transformer 106, the power failure detector 104, and the power switch 108 may be the same as those of a conventionally known pachinko machine, and do not particularly characterize the present invention. .

The initialization switch 102 is a switch operated by a hall clerk at the start of business after the recovery from the power failure or the like, and is located on the back of the pachinko machine (specifically, on the substrate 120 of the power supply device 100) as shown in FIG. Is provided. The initialization switch 102 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The initialization switch 102 is a so-called reed switch of a type in which a contact is closed by being pressed, and more specifically, as shown in FIG. 4B, a push-type switch disposed on a substrate 120 of the power supply device 100. Switch. The initialization switch 102 is housed in a casing 110 formed of a plastic material having elasticity. In the casing 110, as shown in FIG.
A pressing portion 114 is provided at a position facing the initialization switch 102, and cutouts 112 are provided in three directions around the pressing portion 114. An initialization switch 1 is provided on the inner wall of the pressing unit 114 (the surface facing the initialization switch 102).
A contact portion 116 protruding toward the 02 side is formed. To turn on the initialization switch 102 having such a configuration,
It is necessary for a hall clerk or the like to press the pressing portion 114 toward the substrate 120 side. When the pressing portion 114 is pressed against the substrate 120 and deforms as shown in FIG. 4C, the contact portion 116 presses the initialization switch 102 and the initialization switch 102 is turned on.
State. In order to set the initialization switch 102 to the OFF state, the contact portion 116 is separated from the initialization switch 102 by its elasticity by releasing the pressing of the pressing portion 114, and the contact of the initialization switch 102 is opened to be in the OFF state. (State of FIG. 4B). In addition, as shown in FIG. 4B, the pressing portion 114 is erected without protruding from the surface of the casing 110 so that the pressing portion 1
14 is prevented from being pressed.

FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the control unit (the main control unit 200 and the prize ball control unit 300 in the present embodiment) connected to the initialization switch 102 configured as described above.
This will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the output signal of the initialization switch 102 has two buffer ICs (A and B in the figure).
) Is input to each control unit. As is clear from the circuit diagram shown in FIG.
In the F state, the output signal of the initialization switch 102 becomes a high-level signal, and a high-level signal is input to the control unit via the two buffer ICs. On the other hand, when the initialization switch 102 is in the ON state, the output signal of the initialization switch 102 becomes a low-level signal, and the low-level signal is input to the control unit via the two buffer ICs.

Next, the operation of the pachinko machine 10 configured as described above when the power is turned off and the operation when the business is started after the power is restored will be described. First, the operation when the power is turned off will be described. In the pachinko machine 10 of the present embodiment, when the power supply to the pachinko machine 10 is cut off, the power failure detection unit 1
In step 04, it is first determined whether or not the power interruption has actually occurred (whether a momentary power failure or not). If it is determined that the power supply is interrupted (if there is no AC input for a predetermined time), the main control unit 200 and the prize ball control unit 30
A power failure signal is output to 0. When the main control unit 200 receives this power failure signal, the power failure processing is started by the CPU 202. That is, by prohibiting access to the RAM 202b, the storage contents (for example, probability variation information) stored in the RAM 202b at that time are retained. Similarly, in the award ball control unit 300, the CPU
302 prohibits access to the RAM 302b,
The storage contents (for example, ball payout information) stored in the RAM 302b are held.

Next, the operation of the pachinko machine 10 at the start of business after the power is restored will be described. In the pachinko machine 10 according to the present embodiment, the RAM 202b and 302b provided in the main control unit 200 and the prize ball control unit 300 retain the contents stored when the power is turned off. The stored contents stored in the RAMs 202b and 302b need to be retained when the player playing the game when the power is turned off and still play the same pachinko machine after the power is restored. When the player playing the game at the time of shutting down returns when the power is shut off, it is not preferable to retain the stored contents. For example, the RA of the main control unit 100
If the business is started with the probability variation information stored in M202b being stored, the pachinko machine starts playing in the probability variation state from the beginning, and the game is played by another pachinko machine arranged in the hall. Unfairness occurs with the player performing the game, and the disadvantage is also on the hall side. Also,
If the business is started while the ball payout information stored in the RAM 302b of the prize ball control unit 300 is stored, the prize ball will be paid out even if no person is sitting at the start of the business. It takes time for the clerk to collect the paid-out pachinko balls. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to clear the storage contents of the RAMs 202b and 302b by operating the initialization switch 102 when the power is turned on. As a specific operation procedure, first, the power switch 108 is turned off while the power is turned off.
Set to F state. Next, at the start of business after the power is restored, the power switch 108 and the initialization switch 102 are simultaneously turned on.
The contents of the RAMs 202b and 302b are cleared by the operation. Only when the power switch 108 and the initialization switch 102 are simultaneously turned ON in this manner, R
The reason why the storage contents of the AMs 202b and 302b can be cleared is to prevent unintended deletion of the storage contents due to an erroneous operation of the initialization switch 102. Further, the operation of turning off the power switch 108 during the power shutdown is performed when the power is turned on to the pachinko machine 10 at the same time that the power shutdown is restored (the power switch 108 is turned on).
This is because it is difficult to operate the initialization switch 102 at the same time (when the power is turned on) when the power is restored without knowing when the power is restored.

Hereinafter, the main control unit 200 and the prize ball control unit 30 for clearing the contents stored in the RAMs 202b and 302b will be described.
0 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. Note that the procedure of the clearing process in the main control unit 200 and the award ball control unit 300 is substantially the same, so the process of the main control unit 200 will be described first, and then the award ball control unit 300 will be different from the main control unit 200. Only points will be explained. First, a process when the power is turned on in the main control unit 200 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. When the power is turned on and the CPU 202 reaches the operable voltage, the main control unit 200 first initializes the CPU 202 (S10), and determines whether or not the clear signal output from the initialization switch 102 has been received (S12). ).
When a clear signal is received [YE in step S12]
In the case of S], the storage contents stored in the RAM 202b are cleared (S16). When the contents stored in the RAM 206b are cleared by the processing of step S16, first, a command for generating a clear sound is output from the speaker 48 to the sound control unit 400 (S18), and a predetermined screen is displayed on the symbol display 22. A command for displaying the (default screen) is output to the display control unit 500 (S2).
0). As a result, a clear sound is generated from the speaker 48 to notify that the stored contents of the RAM 202b have been cleared, and furthermore, a clear screen is displayed by displaying a predetermined screen on the symbol display 22. The effect is announced. Here, the generation of the clear sound may be performed before the clear processing is executed. Even in this case, it can be easily confirmed that the initialization switch 102 has been pressed (instruction to start the clearing process). However, it is desirable to generate a clear sound after the completion of the clearing process as in the present embodiment. That is, it is possible to confirm that the clear processing has actually been performed. These steps S1
8. When the notification process in S20 is completed, the process proceeds to the main process, which is a normal game process, with the stored contents of the RAM 202b cleared (S22). On the other hand, if the clear signal has not been received (NO in step S12), it is determined whether or not there is any abnormality in the RAM 202b (S14). This is because if there is an abnormality in the RAM 202b such as the storage contents of the RAM 202b being destroyed,
This is because the processing cannot be restarted using the storage contents of the AM 202b. If an abnormality has occurred in the RAM 202b (NO in step S14),
Since the restoration process cannot be performed using the content stored in the RAM 202b, the content stored in the RAM 202b is first cleared (S16). Then, steps S18 and S20 described above are performed.
After performing the notification process, the process proceeds to the main process (S2).
2). On the other hand, if no abnormality has occurred in the RAM 202b (YES in step S14),
The process proceeds to the main process using the information stored in 2b (S
22). After shifting to the main process of step S22, FIG.
As shown in the flowchart, the main process of step S22 is repeated. Therefore, after shifting to the main processing, it is not determined whether or not the clear signal in step S12 has been received. That is, the determination as to whether or not the clear signal in step S12 has been received (whether or not the initialization switch 102 has been turned ON) is executed only when the power is turned on, and is not executed in other cases. The process of the award ball control unit 300 is basically the same as the process of the main control unit 200 described above, and the only difference is that the notification process in step S18 and step S20 is not performed.

The operation of the pachinko machine according to the above-described processing is as follows.
This will be specifically described with reference to the timing chart of FIG.
FIG. 7A shows the initialization switch 102 and the power switch 10.
8 shows a case where the power switch 8 is turned on at the same time, and FIG. 7B shows a case where only the power switch 108 is turned on. FIG.
As shown in (a), when the power switch 108 is turned on, an AC signal is input to the voltage transformer 106 from an external AC power supply. The voltage transformer 106 converts the input AC signal into a DC signal and outputs the DC signal to the CPU 2 of the main controller 200.
02 and the CPU 302 of the award ball control unit 300 are started to supply power. When power supply is started by the voltage transformer 106, the voltage (CP) supplied to each of the CPUs 202 and 302
The voltage of the U control power supply) gradually increases with time. When the voltage supplied to the CPUs 202 and 302 reaches the operable voltage of the CPU, the CPU 20
Steps 302 and 302 start the above-described power-on processing (see FIG. 6). That is, first, an initialization process is performed (S1).
0), and then determine whether or not to clear the storage contents of the RAMs 202b and 302b (S12). In particular,
It is determined whether each of the CPUs 202 and 302 has received the clear signal transmitted from the initialization switch 102 (whether or not the clear signal is at a low level). Each CPU 20
When the initialization signal 102 is operated (when the initialization switch 102 is operated), the RAM 202
b, the contents stored in the RAM 302b are cleared. Then, as shown in FIG. 7A, a clear sound is output from the speaker 48 (further, a predetermined image is displayed on the symbol display 22). Therefore, the operator turns off the initialization switch 102 after hearing the clear sound (or after confirming the image displayed on the symbol display 22). On the other hand, when each of the CPUs 202 and 302 has not received the clear signal (when the initialization switch 102 has not been operated), as shown in FIG. 7B, no clear sound is output.

As apparent from the above description, in the pachinko machine of this embodiment, when the initialization switch 102 is operated to clear the contents of the RAMs 202b and 302b, a clear sound is generated from the speaker 48, and ,
An image is displayed on the symbol display 22 to inform the user of the completion. Therefore, the clerk of the game hall turns on the power switch 108 without pressing the initialization switch 102.
In this case, it is possible to immediately recognize that the initialization switch 102 has been forgotten to be pressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the game from being restarted in a state before the power is turned off by performing the initialization operation again. In particular, in the present embodiment, the clear sound output from the speaker 48 notifies that the stored contents of the RAM have been cleared.
Therefore, the clear sound can be heard from the back side of the pachinko machine in which the initialization switch 102 and the power switch 108 are provided. Therefore, RAM
The operation of switches for erasing the contents and confirmation of clearing can be confirmed from the same side (back side) of the pachinko machine, and operability can be improved.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above in detail, but this is merely an example, and the present invention is embodied in various modified and improved forms based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. be able to.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the control device for clearing the contents stored in the RAM is the main control unit 20.
0 and the award ball control unit 300, but the present invention is not limited to this. If the control device is configured to retain the contents stored in the RAM while the power is turned off, the control device according to the present invention may be used. Can be applied. In the above-described embodiment, the sound is output only when the content of the RAM of the main control unit is cleared. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example, and the content of the RAM of the prize ball control unit is cleared. In this case, a separate sound may be output. Specifically, when the contents of the RAM of the prize ball control unit are cleared,
A command (or control signal) may be directly transmitted from the prize ball control unit to the sound control unit to output a sound from the speaker, or both the main control unit and the prize ball control unit may include a piezoelectric buzzer or the like. A configuration in which an audio output device is provided may be employed. In this case, it is preferable that the clear sound output from each control unit be generated in a different manner. Specifically, the tone of the sound (clear sound, distorted sound) for each control unit,
This means that the sound is generated by changing the scale, tone, loudness, melody, or the like, or that different animal sounds (such as dog and cat sounds) are generated for each control unit. In other words, it is only required that the sound is generated in such a manner that the clerk of the game store can recognize which control unit is the clear sound. According to such a configuration, it is possible to easily recognize which of the control units the RAM whose stored contents have been cleared.
In the case where sound is output from each control unit, the main control unit and the clear sound of the RAM of the prize ball control unit (sub-control unit) are not output simultaneously with the clear sound of the RAM of the main control unit. It is preferable that the start timing after turning on the power of the prize ball control unit (the timing to shift to the main process; the timing to complete the clearing process) is shifted. In a case where the start timings of the respective control units are shifted, it is preferable that the start timing of the main control unit is later than the start timing of the award ball control unit. Thus, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the command transmitted from the main control unit is not received by the prize ball control unit (sub-control unit) when the main control unit is activated first. Note that the start timing of each control unit can be adjusted by canceling the reset signal for resetting the CPU of each control unit. Also,
Unlike the example described above, a configuration may be such that a clear sound is generated only when the RAM of the award ball control unit is cleared. For example, the configuration is such that the signal output from the initialization switch is input only to the main control unit. Then, when the main control unit receives a signal output by operating the initialization switch, the main control unit clears the contents of the RAM, and then instructs the prize ball control unit to clear the contents of the RAM. Output a command. Upon receiving this command, the prize ball control unit clears the contents of the RAM, and thereafter notifies by sound that the RAM clear has been completed.
In this case, the sound is output to notify that both RAMs have been cleared, and the sound is not output to notify that the contents of the RAM of at least one of the control units have not been cleared. be able to. Further, in the case of notifying by sound as in each example described above, the RAM
A startup sound in a predetermined mode may be generated when clearing and normal startup are performed, and a startup sound in another mode may be generated when normal startup without RAM clearing is performed. With such a configuration, it can be confirmed whether or not the gaming machine has started normally by determining whether or not a starting sound has been generated at the time of starting the gaming machine. It can be confirmed whether or not the clear processing has been performed. When there are a plurality of control units each having a RAM to be cleared, the start-up sound described above for each control unit (that is, the start-up sound when the RAM clear processing is performed and the normal start-up is performed, and the RAM clear processing May be made different when starting up normally without performing the above). In this case, the “startup sound mode” is
As in the “sound generation mode” described above, it is preferable that the setting be made different for each control unit. Therefore, for example, when there are two control units each having a RAM to be cleared, the start-up sound is generated in four ways in total.

In the above-described embodiment, the fact that the contents of the RAM have been cleared is notified by the sound output from the speaker (and the image displayed on the symbol display). However, the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, lighting a lamp such as an LED,
The notification may be made by blinking or turning off the light. When such a lamp is used to notify clearing, it is preferable that this lamp is disposed at a position where it can be confirmed from the side where the initialization switch is provided (the back surface in the above-described embodiment). For example, from the viewpoint of facilitating the checking operation, it is preferable to provide it near the initialization switch. Also, when a clear notification is made by a lamp, RA
A lamp may be provided for each control unit from which the contents of M are erased, and the corresponding lamp may be turned on (or flashed) when the contents of the RAM of each control unit are cleared. According to such a mode, it is possible to notify that the storage content of the RAM has been cleared for each control unit. In this case, it is preferable that the CPU of each control unit directly turns on the corresponding lamp. Therefore, such a lamp for each control unit is preferably provided in the vicinity of each control unit from the viewpoint of shortening wiring and the like. Furthermore, notification of RAM clear may be performed using LED lamps of two different colors. For example, an LED of one color may be turned on when the contents of the RAM are cleared, and an LED of another color may be turned on when the contents of the RAM are not cleared.
Note that, unlike the above-described method, it is also possible to mechanically notify the RAM clear. For example, when the RAM clear is completed, the movable piece may be moved by driving a solenoid or the like, and the RAM clear may be notified by the movement of the movable piece.

In the above-described embodiment, the contents of the RAM are erased by operating the initialization switch when the power is turned on. However, the operation procedure of the initialization switch is not limited to this example, and various changes and improvements can be made. It is. For example, by turning off the power while pressing the initialization switch, the contents of the RAM may be cleared in a power failure process performed after the power is turned off, or by turning off the power while pressing the initialization switch. Alternatively, the information for clearing the RAM may be stored in the RAM, and the RAM may be cleared based on the stored information when the power is restored. If the structure is such that the contents of the RAM can be cleared when the power is turned off, the RAM can be used during a busy time before opening.
It is not necessary to perform the operation of clearing the shop, and the shop opening operation can be performed smoothly. In the embodiment described above,
The process of directly erasing the contents of the RAM was performed based on the determination as to whether or not the initialization switch was operated. However, without such a method, the contents of the RAM are cleared, for example, when an abnormality occurs in the RAM. Using a program
The contents of the AM can be erased. That is, when the power is turned off or when the power is turned on, a process of forcibly rewriting part of the contents of the RAM based on the operation of the initialization switch is performed.
If the contents of the RAM are partially rewritten,
The RAM check processing at power-on determines that the RAM is abnormal, and erases the contents of the RAM. Therefore, in the above-described method, the contents of the RAM can be erased by a simple process of partially rewriting the contents of the RAM.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of a pachinko machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the pachinko machine shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electrical system of the pachinko machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining the structure of an initialization switch.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram for explaining a connection relationship between an initialization switch and a control unit;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a clear process in a control unit.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing the operation of the pachinko machine during the clearing process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, pachinko machine 48, speaker 100, power supply device 102, initialization switch 108, power switch 200, main control unit 300, prize ball control unit 400, sound control unit 500, display control unit

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Nobuyuki Kuritani No. 1 Nishinokawa, Okimura, Nishiharu-machi, Nishikasugai-gun, Aichi F-term (reference) 2C088 BC08 BC23 BC58 EA10

Claims (6)

[Claims] An electronic device, a storage device for storing control information, and a control device for controlling the electrical device based on the control information stored in the storage device, wherein the control device includes a power supply In a gaming machine having a function of saving control information stored in the storage device at the time of interruption and restarting interrupted processing based on the saved control information at the time of power return, in order to initialize gaming conditions A game condition initialization switch to be operated, clear means for clearing control information stored in the storage device when the game condition initialization switch is operated, and notification of clearing of control information by the clear means. A gaming machine to which a notification means is added. 2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the gaming condition initialization switch is provided on a back surface of the gaming machine, and the notification by the notification means can be confirmed from the back surface side of the gaming machine. Machine. 3. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the notification by the notification unit is performed by sound. 4. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the notification by the notification means is performed by a lamp. 5. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said storage devices are provided,
A gaming machine wherein the notification means is added to each of the storage devices. 6. A main control unit, and a sub-control unit that executes a predetermined process based on a signal output from the main control unit, and each of these control units transmits necessary control information when power is cut off. In a gaming machine having a function of saving and restarting an interrupted process based on the saved control information when power is restored, a game condition initialization switch for outputting an initialization signal to a main control unit is added, The section clears required control information stored in the main control section when receiving an initialization signal output from the game condition initialization switch,
Means for outputting an initialization signal to the sub-control unit is provided, and the sub-control unit receives necessary control information stored in the sub-control unit when receiving the initialization signal output from the main control unit. A gaming machine comprising: a clearing means for clearing; and a notifying means for notifying that the control information is cleared by the clearing means.