JP2005137671A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine for improving the convenience of a player or the like by enriching an operation function. <P>SOLUTION: The pressing order of stop buttons for which the probability of winning is set high by internal winning is reported to the player by the flicker display of the stop buttons. Thus, even the player incapable of spot pressing can enjoy playing without losing interest. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a slot machine or other gaming machine provided with each stop button for performing a stop operation for each of a plurality of reels for variably displaying a picture.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a slot machine in which three types of reels that display a variety of patterns by drawing and rotating a plurality of types of patterns on an outer peripheral surface are arranged in parallel in the axial direction. In the slot machine, when the player inserts medals and presents the number of medals to bet on the game, the game becomes effective, and each reel of the picture display device is rotated by tilting the start lever. The reels are stopped as the stop buttons are sequentially pressed, and medals are paid out according to the combination of the images displayed when the reels are stopped.

  A stop button mounted on such a slot machine is a push button type switch that is turned on when pressed, and includes a light emitting diode that emits two colors of red and green. Then, when the reel can be stopped, and when the reel is in the stopped state, the color is changed and light emission is displayed.

  A stop button installed in a gaming machine such as a slot machine displays a light emitting display using two colors of light in order to indicate to the player that the reel can be stopped or stopped. It was only there.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine that improves the convenience of a player or the like by enhancing the operation functions.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a gaming machine provided with each stop button for performing a stop operation for each of a plurality of reels for variably displaying a picture, wherein the winning probability is set high by winning an internal winning According to the operation sequence of each stop button, the operation sequence is notified by sequentially lighting each of the stop buttons before being operated.

  According to the gaming machine of the first aspect, the stop buttons are sequentially lit and displayed before being operated while following the operation sequence of the stop buttons set with a high probability of winning by winning the internal lottery. Thereby, the player is notified of the operation order of each stop button set so as to increase the probability of winning.

  Therefore, the player can know which stop button to operate next when the internal winning is made, and the probability of winning is high, and even a player who does not have skill in gaming can play games without losing interest. Can enjoy.

  The invention according to claim 2 is a gaming machine provided with each stop button for performing a stop operation for each of a plurality of reels for variably displaying a picture, wherein the winning probability is set to be high by winning internally. According to the operation order of each stop button, the operation order is notified by sequentially blinking each stop button before being operated.

  According to the gaming machine of the second aspect, the stop buttons are sequentially blinked before being operated while following the operation sequence of the stop buttons set with a high probability of winning by winning the internal lottery. Thereby, the player is notified of the operation order of each stop button set so as to increase the probability of winning.

  Therefore, the player can know which stop button to operate next when the internal winning is made, and the probability of winning is high, and even a player who does not have skill in gaming can play games without losing interest. Can enjoy.

  The invention according to claim 3 is a gaming machine provided with each stop button for performing a stop operation for each of a plurality of reels that rotate and display the pattern variably. The stop button for stopping one reel set with a high probability of winning is turned on or blinked.

  According to the gaming machine according to claim 3, among the reels that are rotating and displaying the pattern in a variable manner, a stop button that stops one reel that has been set with a high probability of winning due to internal winning is displayed or blinked. . Thus, the player can know which stop button is operated to increase the probability of winning, and even a player who does not have skill in game operation can enjoy the game without losing interest.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gaming machine provided with each stop button for performing a stop operation for each of a plurality of reels that rotate and display a variation of a pattern, and among the rotating reels, an internal winning combination is provided. The stop button for stopping one reel set with a high probability of winning is illuminated or blinked in a different color from the other stop buttons.

  According to the gaming machine of claim 4, among the reels that are rotating and displaying the pattern variably, the stop button that stops one reel set with a high probability of winning due to internal winning is the other stop button. Lights up or blinks in a different color. Thereby, the player can easily recognize which stop button is set with a high probability of winning, and convenience is improved.

  The invention according to claim 5 is a gaming machine provided with each stop button that performs a stop operation for each of a plurality of reels that rotate and display a variable pattern, and pull-in control is performed among the rotating reels. The stop button for stopping one reel set as the target of the display is lit or blinked.

  According to the gaming machine of the fifth aspect, the stop button for stopping one reel set as the target of the pull-in control among the reels rotating and displaying the pattern in a variable manner is lit or blinked. Since the player can control the pulling-in of the corresponding reel by operating the stop buttons that are lit or blinking in sequence, and the probability of winning is increased, even a player who does not have skill in game operation may lose interest. You can enjoy the game without.

  The invention according to claim 6 is a gaming machine provided with each stop button for performing a stop operation for each of a plurality of reels that rotate and display the pattern in a variable manner. The stop button for stopping one reel set as the target of the display is lit or blinked in a color different from that of the other stop buttons.

  According to the gaming machine of the sixth aspect, the stop button for stopping one reel set as the target of the pull-in control among the reels that are rotating and displaying the pattern variably is different from the other stop buttons. Lights up or blinks with. As a result, the player can easily recognize which stop button should be operated next, and the corresponding reel is pulled in and controlled by simply operating the lighted or flashing stop button in sequence, so that the probability of winning a prize is increased. Therefore, even a player who does not have skill in game operation can enjoy the game without losing interest.

  According to the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the stop button is sequentially lit or flashed before being operated while following the operation sequence of the stop button set with a high probability of winning by winning the internal lottery. Let Thereby, the player is notified of the operation order of each stop button set so as to increase the probability of winning.

  Therefore, the player can know which stop button to operate next when the internal winning is made, and the probability of winning is high, and even a player who does not have skill in gaming can play games without losing interest. Can enjoy.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, among the reels that are rotating and displaying the pattern in a variable manner, the stop button that stops one reel that has been set with a high probability of winning due to internal winning is displayed or blinked. Thereby, the player can know which stop button is operated to increase the probability of winning.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, among the reels that are rotating and displaying the pattern in a variable manner, a stop button that stops one reel that has been set with a high probability of winning due to internal winning is referred to as another stop button. Light up or blink in different colors. Thereby, the player can easily recognize which stop button is set with a high probability of winning.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the stop button for stopping one reel set as the target of the pull-in control among the reels rotating and displaying the pattern in a variable manner is lit or blinked. Since the player can control the pulling-in of the corresponding reel by operating the stop buttons that are lit or blinking in sequence, and the probability of winning is increased, even a player who does not have skill in game operation may lose interest. You can enjoy the game without.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the stop button for stopping one reel that is set as the target of the pull-in control among the reels that are rotating and displaying the pattern variably is displayed in a different color from the other stop buttons. Lights up or blinks. As a result, the player can easily recognize which stop button should be operated next, and the corresponding reel is pulled in and controlled by simply operating the lighted or flashing stop button in sequence, so that the probability of winning a prize is increased. Therefore, even a player who does not have skill in game operation can enjoy the game without losing interest.

  Hereinafter, a slot machine as a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external structure of the slot machine SM. In the figure, the slot machine SM includes a front door FD facing a player and the like, and a box-shaped casing KT to which the front door FD is attached so as to be opened and closed.

  The front door FD is provided with an upper panel portion UP, a middle panel portion MP, and a lower panel portion LP corresponding to a so-called decorative plate made of hard plastic or the like, and the front door FD is formed by these panel portions UP, MP, LP. The front of is covered.

  The upper panel unit UP includes an upper lamp U1 formed of a fluorescent lamp, a high-intensity light emitting diode, and the like, and a slit groove that outputs a ringing sound of speakers SR and SL described later installed behind the upper panel unit UP. A sub-display unit U4 made up of a liquid crystal display unit SDU is provided between the sound emitting units U2 and U3 formed with the sound emitting units U2 and U3.

  The middle panel MP is provided with a display window WR that allows the three reels R1, R2, and R3 mounted in the housing KT to be visually recognized. That is, a substantially rectangular display window WR formed of a transparent hard plastic plate or the like is integrally attached to a substantially central portion of the middle panel portion MP, and a player or the like can enter the housing KT through the display window WR. The three reels R1, R2, and R3 attached to can be visually recognized, and the picture drawn on each of the reels R1, R2, and R3 can be visually recognized.

  Here, the three reels R1, R2, and R3 have a cylindrical shape, and are each rotatably attached to a reel unit RU provided in the housing KT in a state where the reels are arranged in the rotation axis direction. ing. Since a plurality of types of pictures are drawn on the outer peripheral surface of each reel R1, R2, R3, the reels R1, R2, R3 are rotated and stopped in response to an instruction operation by a player or the like. The type of reel picture displayed through the display window WR is changed.

  Further, on the panel surface of the middle panel MP, there are explanations of how to use the slot machine SM, explanation of the game contents, explanation of the number of game medals to be paid out at the time of winning a prize (hereinafter simply referred to as “medals”), etc. It is drawn with a picture, character, pattern, etc. that enhances. In addition, side lamps M1 and M2 formed of fluorescent lamps or high-intensity light emitting diodes are provided on the sides of the middle panel MP, and the side lamps M1 and M2 blink according to the progress of the game. By doing so, the production effect is enhanced.

  A console MT having a substantially horizontal horizontal plane is formed below the middle panel MP. A medal insertion part M3 for inserting medals is provided on the right side of the horizontal plane of the console MT, and three bet buttons M4, M5, and M6 that are push button switches are provided on the left side of the horizontal plane. .

  The bet button is a button switch for presenting the number of medals to bet on one game of the slot machine. That is, by pressing the bet buttons M4, M5, and M6, the number of medals of 1, 2, and 3 are presented to the slot machine, respectively.

  A start lever M7 for instructing the start of the game is provided on the left side of the front surface of the console MT, and three stop buttons M8, M9, and M10, which are push button switches for presenting the end of the game, are provided at almost the center. Is provided. A settlement button M11 formed by a push button switch is provided on the left end of the front surface of the console MT.

  The start lever M7 has a swingable operation rod with a spherical operation knob. The start lever M7 is turned on when the operation rod is tilted, and is automatically tilted by the biasing force of the spring when the operation lever is released. It is formed by a unit that returns to the OFF state.

  The stop buttons M8, M9, and M10 are pressed to stop the rotating reels R1, R2, and R3 independently of each other.

  That is, when a player or the like turns on one of the bet buttons M4, M5, and M6 to present the number of medals per game and then turns on the start lever M7, the game starts and reels R1, R2, and R3 Starts rotating. Subsequently, when a player or the like turns on the stop buttons M8, M9, and M10 in any order while the reels R1, R2, and R3 are rotating, the reel corresponding to the stop button is braked according to the turn-on order. And stop. Then, when the patterns drawn on the three reels R1, R2, and R3 are arranged in a predetermined combination, a prize is won, and the number of medals corresponding to the type of prize is paid out to the player or the like.

  The detailed configuration of the stop buttons M8, M9, and M10 will be described later.

  A lock part KY for locking the front door FD is provided on the right side of the front surface of the console MT. When an administrator of the slot machine SM inserts a predetermined key into the lock part KY and performs an unlocking operation, The front door FD attached to the housing KT can be opened forward by the hinge mechanism, and when the front door FD is closed, the locking portion KY automatically locks the front door FD and the housing KT. It has become.

  The lower panel LP includes a display area L1 for introducing game contents of the slot machine SM, a tray L2 provided below the display area L1, and a discharge for discharging medals etc. to the tray L2. An outlet L3 and a sound emitting part L4 for outputting a ringing sound of a speaker SW described later are provided.

  Next, the back surface structure of the front door FD and the internal structure of the housing KT will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the slot machine SM with the front door opened. Normally, the front door FD is locked by the locking portion KY engaging with an engaging member KYC provided at the side end of the housing KT.

  In FIG. 2, an upper lamp U1 is attached to the upper part of the rear surface of the front door FD, and a liquid crystal display unit SDU in which a liquid crystal display unit SD and a video display controller SDC are unitized is provided below the upper lamp U1. The liquid crystal display part SD is attached with the display surface facing the sub display part U4. The liquid crystal display unit SD is, for example, a small color liquid crystal display, and is controlled by a video display controller SDC that stores video data to display a moving image such as a game guide video or a production video.

  In addition, speakers SR and SL are provided on both sides of the liquid crystal display unit SDU in correspondence with the sound emitting units U2 and U3.

  On the lower side of the liquid crystal display unit SDU, a display window WR is provided integrally with the middle panel MP. When the front door FD is closed, the display window WR and the reel unit RU provided in the housing KT face each other, and the three reels R1, R2, and R3 of the reel unit RU are connected via the display window WR. It can be visually recognized. An illumination device LMP such as a fluorescent lamp for illuminating the reels R1, R2, and R3 is attached to the upper end of the display window WR.

  Below the display window WR, a bet button unit MU1 having bet buttons M4, M5 and M6, a start lever unit MU2 having a start lever M7, and a stop button unit MU3 having stop buttons M8, M9 and M10 are provided. It has been. That is, each of the switches M4 to M10 is configured as a detachable unit device for each function, and is attached to a predetermined portion on the back surface side of the front door FD by fitting or the like.

  Further, a medal management unit MU4 is provided at a position corresponding to the medal insertion unit M3, and the medal management unit MU4 distributes the input according to whether the medal is a regular medal or a foreign object. The first guide member G1 to be stored and the second guide member G2 to guide the foreign matter to the discharge port L4 side are provided. The first guide member G1 of the medal management unit MU4 incorporates a medal insertion sensor MS (not shown) that detects the inserted medal.

  When a medal is inserted into the medal insertion unit M3, the medal management unit MU4 determines whether the inserted medal is a regular medal, and if it is a regular medal, distributes the medal inserted to the first guide member G1 side. When the medal enters the first guide member G1, the medal insertion sensor MS detects this and supplies a detection signal to the main control unit MCU provided in the housing KT.

  In addition, a hopper device HP as a medal storage unit is provided in the housing KT. When the front door FD is closed to the housing KT, the first guide member G1 is connected to the medal management unit MU4 and the hopper. It is interposed between the devices HP and guides the inserted regular medals to the hopper device HP side. Further, a third guide member G3 for guiding the payout medal output from the hopper device HP to the discharge port L3 side is provided below the second guide member G2.

  For example, a speaker SW that outputs heavy bass is provided on the back side of the sound emitting portion L4 formed in the lower panel portion LP.

  A main control unit MCU that centrally manages the operation of the entire slot machine SM is provided in the upper part of the housing KT.

  A reel unit RU is provided below the main control unit MCU and substantially in the center of the housing KT. The reel unit RU includes reels R1, R2, and R3 that are driven by a drive motor RM (not shown) that is a stepping motor. Further, the reel unit RU includes a reference position sensor RS (not shown) that detects the reference positions of the reels R1, R2, and R3. The reference position sensor RS is an optical sensor that is turned on when the reels R1, R2, and R3 are at a predetermined rotation angle (reference position), and supplies a detection signal to the main control unit MCU every time the reel rotates once. To do.

  The hopper device HP described above is provided below the reel unit RU. The hopper device HP receives a regular medal sent from the medal management unit MU4 via the first guide member G1 and a regular medal additionally supplied from a medal supply system (not shown). The storage unit HP1 and the alignment mechanism HP2 that aligns a plurality of medals stored in the medal storage unit HP1 one by one while stirring are configured. Further, an auxiliary storage part HP3 is provided in the vicinity of the medal storage part HP1, and medals that have overflowed in the medal storage part HP1 are stored in the auxiliary storage part HP3.

  The hopper device HP has a hopper motor HM (not shown) for sending medals stored in the medal storage part HP1 to the third guide member G3 side and discharging them from the discharge port L4, and the hopper motor HM receives medals. A medal payout sensor HS (not shown) that is turned on each time it is sent to the third guide member G3 is incorporated.

  On the left side of the hopper device HP, a power supply device PWU that covers the operating power of the entire slot machine SM is provided.

  Next, a control system for controlling the operation of the slot machine SM will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram showing a control system configuration of the slot machine SM.

  The overall operation of the slot machine SM is controlled by the main control unit MCU. The main control unit MCU includes a microprocessor (MPU) 200, a storage unit (ROM) 201 in which a system program for causing the microprocessor 200 to execute control and the like are stored in advance, and storage as a working storage area of the microprocessor 200 (RAM) 202 is provided.

  The main control unit MCU also includes an input / output port 203 for inputting and outputting control signals and the like with peripheral devices or peripheral circuits. That is, the microprocessor 200 inserts medals provided in the bet buttons M4, M5, M6, the start lever M7, the stop buttons M8, M9, M10, the checkout button M11, and the medal management unit MU4 via the input / output port 203. The sensor MS is further connected to a medal payout sensor HS and a hopper motor HM provided in the hopper device HP.

  That is, the microprocessor 200 inputs a status signal of an operation switch such as a bet button provided in the periphery and a detection signal from a sensor such as a medal insertion sensor via an input / output port 203, and an actuator such as a hopper motor HM. And a control signal for causing the operation to be performed and a data signal for displaying a numerical value on a numerical display element described later to the stop buttons M8, M9, and M10.

  The main control unit MCU also includes a motor controller 214 that controls the rotation operation of a stepping motor as a drive motor RM provided in the reel unit RU. A stepping motor (drive motor) RM that drives the reel of the reel unit RU is connected to the motor controller 214. The stepping motor RM rotates the reel by a predetermined angle each time a drive pulse is supplied from the motor controller 214.

  A reference position sensor RS that detects the reference positions of the reels R1, R2, and R3 is connected to the main control unit MCU.

  That is, when the start lever M7 is operated and a rotation start instruction signal is input to the main control unit MCU, the microprocessor 200 controls the motor controller 214 to rotate the reels R1, R2, and R3 at a predetermined rotation speed. A drive pulse is output as described above. At this time, the reference position sensor RS outputs a detection signal to the main control unit MCU every time the reels R1, R2, and R3 reach the reference position. The microprocessor 200 can obtain the rotation angle of the rotating reel by counting the number of drive pulses output by the motor controller 214 after receiving the detection signal from the reference position sensor RS.

  When the stop button is operated and a rotation stop instruction signal is input to the main control unit MCU, the microprocessor 200 controls the motor controller 214 to lower the drive pulse frequency and brake the reels R1, R2, and R3. Stop while. Also at this time, the microprocessor 200 can obtain the rotation angle of the rotating reel from the detection signal from the reference position sensor RS and the number of drive pulses, and can know the picture to be displayed when each reel stops.

  In addition, the main control unit MCU reproduces sound effects by playing the lamp driving circuit 211 for lighting the upper lamp U1, the lamp driving circuit 212 for lighting the side lamps M1 and M2, and the speakers SR, SL and SW. An acoustic controller 213 for sounding is provided, and each is connected to the microprocessor 200 via an input / output port 203.

  Further, the main control unit MCU is connected to a video display controller SDC provided in the liquid crystal display unit SDU.

  That is, according to the contents of the effect control commanded from the microprocessor 200 according to the progress of the game, the lamp driving circuits 211 and 212 control the lighting effect by the lamps U1, M1, and M2, and the acoustic controller 213 includes the speakers SL, SR, The control of the sound effect by SW, the video display controller SDC controls the effect display by the liquid crystal display unit SD.

  Next, stop buttons M8, M9 and M10 provided in the above-described slot machine SM will be described. Since the stop buttons M8, M9, and M10 have the same configuration, the operation button 100 mounted as one stop button will be described here.

  FIG. 4 is a front view showing the external structure of the stop button arranged at the center of the console MT of the slot machine SM. In FIG. 4, the operation button 100 includes a button member 103 having an operation surface to be pressed with a finger of a player or the like, and incorporates a numerical display element 112. The numerical value display element 112 can display a single-digit numerical value, and the numerical value displayed through the button member 103 is visible.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of the operation button 100 taken along line VV shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the operation button 100 taken along the line VI-VI shown in FIG. 4 and shows a state where the button member 103 is pressed.

  5 and 6, the operation button 100 includes the above-described button member 103, a holding member 102 attached to the inside of the button member 103, a substantially cylindrical casing member 101, a spring 105, a wiring board, and the like. 106.

  The button member 103 is made of plastic having a property of transmitting light, and is integrally formed so that the cylindrical tube portion 103b and the upper end of the tube portion 103b are closed by the operation portion 103a. A plurality of strips 103d extending downward and elastically deformable in the radial direction are formed on the tube 103b. A wedge-shaped protrusion 103e is formed at the tip of the band plate portion 103d. A plurality of locking holes 103c for locking the holding member 102 are formed on the inner wall of the cylinder portion 103b.

  The holding member 102 has a chamber portion 102a into which a numerical display element 112 (described later) is inserted, a window portion 102b that opens to the top of the chamber portion 102a, and a slightly smaller outer diameter along the outer periphery of the holding member 102. A stepped portion 102c is formed. The window portion 102b is formed in a size larger than the display surface of the numerical display element 112 described later, and the numerical display displayed by the numerical display element 112 through the window portion 102b and the light-transmissive button member 103 is a game. It is possible to see from the person side.

  Further, a strip-shaped light shielding piece 102e extending downward is formed at one end (right side in FIG. 5) of the bottom of the holding member 102. Furthermore, a plurality of wedge-shaped protrusions 102 d for locking with the locking holes 103 c of the button member 103 are formed on the outer peripheral wall of the holding member 102 at corresponding locations. As described above, in the holding member 102, the chamber portion 102a, the window portion 102b, the stepped portion 102c, the protruding portion 102d, and the light shielding piece 102e are integrally formed of hard plastic.

  Here, the holding member 102 and the button member 103 are inserted into the cylindrical portion 103b of the button member 103, and the protrusion 102d of the holding member 102 and the locking hole 103c of the button member 103 are locked. It is stuck. The holding member 102 and the button member 103 may be integrally formed of the same material.

  The casing member 101 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a cylindrical portion 103b of the button member 103 is inserted into an upper portion of a hole penetrating the inner side, and a guide hole 101a that is in sliding contact with the cylindrical portion 103b is formed. The diameter of the bottom end of the hole passing through the casing member 101 is increased, thereby forming a stepped portion 101b. And the locking hole 101c for locking the locking member 107 mentioned later is formed in the multiple places of the hole diameter-expanded by the bottom end part of the casing member 101. As shown in FIG.

  A plurality of cantilever portions 104 extending from the hole toward the center are formed at approximately the center in the depth direction of the hole penetrating the casing member 101 along the circumferential direction of the hole. A concave spring receiving groove 104 a is formed on the upper base end side of the cantilever 104. Furthermore, a plurality of engagement grooves 101d are formed in a hole penetrating the casing member 101 from a position sandwiched between adjacent cantilever portions 104 toward the lower side.

  The casing member 101 is integrally formed of hard plastic including the above-described guide hole 101a, stepped portion 101b, locking hole 101c, engaging groove 101d, and cantilever 104.

  The cylindrical portion 103b of the button member 103 is inserted into the guide hole 101a of the casing member 101, and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 103b and the inner peripheral surface of the guide hole 101a slide so that the button member 103 extends along the guide hole 101a. (In the vertical direction in FIG. 5 or 6), reciprocal movement is possible.

  That is, the band plate portion 103d formed on the cylindrical portion 103b of the button member 103 is deformed so as to be bent inward, and the protrusion 103e of the band plate portion 103d is pushed into the guide hole 101a of the casing member 101 while sliding. Thus, the protrusion 103e is fitted into the engagement groove 101d formed on the bottom side of the guide hole 101a. At this time, the spring 105 which is a coil spring is attached in a compressed state with one end abutting on the spring receiving groove 104a of the cantilever 104 and the other end abutting on the step 102c of the holding member 102. As a result, the button member 103 is urged outward from the casing member 101 (upward in FIGS. 5 and 6), and the projection 103 e formed on the band plate portion 103 d of the button member 103. Since the upper end and the upper end wall of the engagement groove 101d of the casing member 101 are in contact with each other, the button member 103 is prevented from coming off.

  When the operating portion 103a of the button member 103 is pressed, the button member 103 moves downward along the guide hole 101a against the urging force of the spring 105, and as shown in FIG. The pushing amount of the button member 103 is limited by the upper part of the holding part 104 being in contact.

  Next, the wiring substrate 106 has a conductive wiring pattern formed on a disk-shaped insulating resin substrate, and a numerical display element 112, an optical switch 111, and a high-intensity light emitting diode LED1 on the surface side of the wiring substrate 106. , LED2, LED3, and LED4 are mounted. On the back side of the wiring board 106, connectors CN1 and CN2 for electrical connection with the main control unit MCU of the slot machine SM by a harness (not shown) are mounted.

  The wiring board 106 is mounted by being sandwiched between a stepped portion 101 b of the casing member 101 and a stop member 107 locked at the bottom of the casing member 101. A plurality of wedge-shaped protrusions 107 a are formed on the outer peripheral wall of the stopper member 107. The stopper member 107 is inserted into a hole whose diameter is increased at the bottom of the casing member 101, and the protrusion 107 a is a locking hole of the casing member 101. By engaging with 101 c, the stop member 107 is locked to the casing member 101.

  The stop member 107 is formed with openings 107b and 107c corresponding to the positions and sizes of the connectors CN1 and CN2, and the connectors CN1 and CN2 and the harness side connector are connected through these openings 107b and 107c. And are connected.

  The numerical display element 112 mounted on the wiring board 106 has a long lead wire 112a so as to be installed as close to the button member 103 as possible. Then, the lead wire 112a is inserted into the hollow portion of the columnar spacer 113, and the numerical display element 112 is attached to the wiring board 106 via the spacer 113, whereby the numerical display element 112 vibrates or the lead wire 112a is caused by vibration. Prevents problems such as peeling or disconnection from the wiring pattern of the wiring board 106.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the arrangement of electronic components and the like mounted on the wiring board 106, and FIG. 8 is a wiring diagram of an electric circuit formed on the wiring board 106.

  The numerical display element 112 is a self-luminous display element (hereinafter referred to as “7-segment display”) in which seven segments of light-emitting diodes are arranged in the shape of 8 and each segment is selectively lit to display a number from 0 to 9. LED ").

  That is, in FIG. 8A, for example, when a current is supplied to the terminal Ps of the connector CN1 at a predetermined voltage value and the terminals Pa, Pb, Pd, Pe, Pg are connected to the ground, the segments Sa, Sb of the 7-segment LED 112 , Sd, Se, and Sg emit light, and therefore the 7-segment LED 112 displays the number “2”.

  When the numerical display element 112 emits and displays a numerical value, the operation button 100 allows the player to visually recognize the numerical value displayed on the numerical display element 112 through the operation portion 103a of the light-transmissive button member 103. It has become.

  The numerical display element 112 is not limited to the self-luminous 7-segment LED described above. For example, each segment is formed of a liquid crystal layer having a property of changing the molecular orientation and changing the polarization angle of light according to the applied voltage. Alternatively, it may be composed of a 7-segment liquid crystal display element.

  The optical switch 111 is an optical switch (photo interrupter) that is turned on and off by transmitting or blocking sensing light. In FIG. 8B, when a predetermined voltage is applied between the terminal Ptp and the terminal Ptc of the connector CN2, the current limited by the resistor R is supplied to the light emitting element built in the optical switch 111, and the light emitting element receives light. Irradiate sensing light toward the element. When the light receiving element receives the sensing light, the light receiving element is turned on to conduct (collector output) between the terminal Pto and the terminal Ptc of the connector CN2. When the sensing light is shielded by the light shielding piece 102e or the like, the light receiving element is turned off, and the terminals Pto and Ptc are electrically insulated.

  That is, when the operation portion 103a of the button member 103 is pressed by a player or the like, the button member 103 moves downward along the guide hole 101a while resisting the biasing force of the spring 105. When the light shielding piece 102e formed on the holding member 102 reaches the optical switch 111 and the sensing light is shielded, the optical switch 111 is turned off. When the main control unit MCU detects that the terminal Pto and the terminal Ptc are in an insulated state, the main control unit MCU recognizes that the operation button 100 is pressed.

  The light emitting diodes LED1 and LED3 are red diodes, and the light emitting diodes LED2 and LED4 are green diodes. These light emitting diodes are respectively mounted on the outer edge portion of the wiring board 106.

  In FIG. 8B, when a predetermined amount of current is supplied to the terminal Plp of the connector CN2 and the terminals Pl1 and Pl3 are connected to the ground, the light emitting diodes LED1 and LED3 emit light, and the operation unit is passed through the window 102b of the holding member 102. The back side of 103a is illuminated in red, and the operation part 103a of the button member 103 appears to be displayed in red from the player side. Similarly, when a predetermined amount of current is supplied to the terminal Plp of the connector CN2 and the terminals Pl2 and Pl4 are connected to the ground, the light emitting diodes LED2 and LED4 emit light, and the back side of the operation unit 103a is illuminated in green, and the player side The operation portion 103a of the button member 103 appears to be displayed in green. The light emitting diodes LED1, LED2, LED3, and LED4 may each have red and blue light emitting diode elements and emit light of these two colors.

  FIG. 8C is a wiring diagram showing an example of an electric circuit formed on the wiring board 106 in the case of driving such two-color light emitting diodes. In this case, when a predetermined amount of current is supplied to the terminal Plp of the connector CN2 and the terminal Plg is connected to the ground, each of the light emitting diodes LED1, LED2, LED3, and LED4 emits green light. Further, when a predetermined amount of current is supplied to the terminal Plp and the terminal Plr is connected to the ground, each of the light emitting diodes LED1, LED2, LED3, and LED4 emits red light. Thereby, the operation button 100 can be displayed in green or red.

  Further, a predetermined amount of current is supplied to the terminal Plp, and the terminal Plg and the terminal Plr are each periodically connected to the ground. The duty ratio for connecting the terminal Plr to the ground (the period for connecting the terminals Plr to the ground) is equal to the duty ratio for connecting the terminal Plg to the ground (the connection time width if the period for connecting each terminal to the ground is the same). If they are the same, the connection time width) is changed from large to small, so that the color emitted by each light-emitting diode can be changed from red to orange to yellow to green for display.

  Next, the operation of the slot machine SM will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS. The overall operation of the slot machine SM is controlled mainly by the microprocessor 200 that operates according to a system program stored in advance in a storage unit (ROM) 201 provided in the main control unit MCU.

  Here, “to push” means to press the stop button at the timing in order to stop a specific picture drawn on the reel at the target position, or to perform the operation in accordance with such timing. To stop.

  The player can store medals in the slot machine SM (also referred to as “credit”) by inserting medals from the medal insertion unit M3 or by acquiring medals by winning a game. After at least the number of medals that can play one game is stored, the slot machine game is started.

  In step S1, the microprocessor 200 stands by until the bet buttons M4, M5, M6 are pressed by the player. When any one of the bet buttons M4, M5, M6 is pressed and the number of medals bet on the game is presented, the process proceeds to step S2 and waits for a start lever operation.

  When the player tilts the start lever M7, the microprocessor 200 rotates each reel R1, R2, R3 in step S3.

  In step S4, the microprocessor 200 performs a role lottery based on an internal process called an internal lottery. More specifically, one value is sampled from a 16-bit random number, and a winning combination corresponding to the sampled number is drawn as an internal winning combination based on a comparison table in which a winning combination and a numerical value of the game are associated in advance. . If there is no winning combination corresponding to the sampling numerical value by referring to the comparison table, it means that the internal lottery is off.

  In addition, among the winning combinations set in the internal lottery, there are special bonus winning combinations that can be played continuously under favorable conditions for a certain period of time when the winning is confirmed and high profits can be expected, and the operation sequence of stop buttons. There is a push order assisting role in which winning is determined with high probability if the stop button is operated according to the assigned order.

  When the internal lottery is performed, in step S5, the process stands by until a stop operation of the reels by the stop buttons M8, M9, and M10 is possible. That is, when each reel reaches a predetermined rotation speed (for example, 80 rpm), the reel can be stopped, and the process proceeds to step S6.

  In step S6, all stop buttons M8, M9, M10 are lit in green. At this time, if a single color light emitting diode is built in the stop button, only the green light emitting diode is caused to emit light. Or when the light emitting diode of 2 colors is mounted, it will be made to light-emit in green.

  In step S7, if it is determined that the push order assist combination is won by the internal lottery, the process proceeds to step S8, and the stop button to be operated first according to the operation sequence of the stop button assigned to the internal win push order assist combination. For example, blinking green. As a result, the player is notified of which stop button to be pressed which is set to a high winning probability.

  In step S9, when the stop button blinked is pressed and the microprocessor 200 recognizes this, the process proceeds to step S10, and the pressed stop button is lit in red. In step S11, the reel corresponding to the pressed stop button is pulled in and stopped.

  Here, “retraction control” refers to braking control that stops the reel so that the symbol of the winning combination is displayed on the effective line if it is within a predetermined range even if the timing of pushing is slightly shifted. Say. For this reason, when the pull-in control is applied, the probability of aligning the pattern and confirming the winning combination is higher than in the case of only timing braking described later.

  After stopping the reels in step S11, if it is determined in step S12 that all the reels have stopped, the process proceeds to the next step S21. If there is another reel that is rotating, the process proceeds to step S13, and the stop button to be operated next is blinked in green on the basis of the operation order of the stop button assigned to the internal winning push order assist combination. In other words, the player is notified of which stop button is to be pressed next after the high winning probability is set. Then, the processes after step S9 are repeated.

  If it is determined in step S9 that a stop button other than the blinking stop button has been operated, the pressed stop button is lit in red in step S14, and the pressed operation is performed in step S15. The reel corresponding to the stop button is stopped by normal timing braking.

  Here, “timing braking” refers to braking control in which the reel is stopped by sliding a certain number of frames (pictures) after the stop button is operated without applying pull-in control.

  After stopping the reels in step S15, if it is determined in step S16 that all reels have stopped, the process proceeds to the next step S21. If there are other reels that are rotating, the processing from step S9 onward is repeated again.

  In Step 7, when the internal lottery shifts to a winning combination other than the push order assisting role or the internal lottery, the process proceeds to Step S17, and when the stop button is pressed, the pressed stop button is pressed in Step S18. Lights up in red. In step S19, the reel corresponding to the pressed stop button is stopped by performing normal timing braking. If it is determined in step S20 that all reels have stopped, the process proceeds to step S21.

  In step S21, when the pattern related to the winning combination won in the internal lottery is aligned with the effective line and the winning is confirmed, in step S22, the number of medals corresponding to the winning is paid out.

  As described above, the series of operations in the slot machine SM has been described. In steps S8 and S13, the stop button to be pressed is flashed in green to notify the pressing order of the stop button due to internal winning. Needless to say, any notification form may be used as long as the display form of the stop button to be pressed next is different from that of the other stop buttons. For example, the stop button to be pressed next may be lit or flashed in a color different from that of other stop buttons, or the stop button to be pressed may be lit in a certain color (without flashing). It may be distinguished.

  In this embodiment, the slot machine has been described as an example. However, for example, a gaming machine (slot machine) that can perform a game similar to the slot machine, such as a pachislot machine or a game machine that can execute a slot machine game by computer simulation. It can also be applied to gaming machines.

  As described above, according to the slot machine SM configured as described above, when a push order assist combination is won by internal lottery, the stop button operation sequence assigned to the push order assist combination and set with a high probability of winning is set. Based on this, a stop button to be pressed next is blinked or the like to notify the player.

  As a result, even if the player is unable to push the player, if the player performs a pressing operation according to the pressing order of the stop button notified by flashing or the like, a winning can be obtained with a high probability and the interest of the game will not be impaired.

The perspective view showing the external structure of the slot machine concerning an embodiment The top view showing the internal structure of the slot machine concerning an embodiment A circuit block diagram showing a control system configuration of the slot machine according to the embodiment The front view showing the appearance structure of the operation button carried as a stop button concerning an embodiment Sectional drawing showing the internal structure of the operation button which concerns on embodiment Sectional drawing which further represented the internal structure of the operation button which concerns on embodiment The top view showing arrangement of the electronic component mounted in the wiring board of the operation button concerning an embodiment Wiring diagram of electric circuit formed on wiring board of operation button according to embodiment The flowchart showing the operation of the slot machine according to the embodiment A flowchart further illustrating the operation of the slot machine according to the embodiment. A flowchart further illustrating the operation of the slot machine according to the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100 ... operation buttons, 101 ... casing member,
101a ... guide hole, 102 ... holding member,
102e ... a shading piece, 103 ... a button member,
103a ... operation part, 103b ... cylinder part,
105 ... spring, 106 ... wiring board,
111 ... Optical switch, 112 ... Numerical display element,
LED1, LED2, LED3, LED4, ... light emitting diode,
200 ... Microprocessor, 203 ... I / O port,
SM ... slot machine, MCU ... main control unit,
RU ... reel unit, R1, R2, R3 ... reel,
M3 ... medal insertion part, M4, M4, M6 ... bet button,
M7 ... Start lever, M8, M9, M10 ... Stop button

Claims (6)

A gaming machine provided with each stop button for performing a stop operation for each of a plurality of reels that display a picture in a variable manner,
According to the operation order of each stop button set with a high probability of winning by winning internally, the operation order is notified by sequentially lighting each stop button before the operation. Gaming machine. A gaming machine provided with each stop button for performing a stop operation for each of a plurality of reels that display a picture in a variable manner,
According to the operation order of each stop button set with a high probability of winning by winning an internal winning, the operation order is notified by sequentially blinking each stop button before it is operated. Gaming machine. A gaming machine provided with each stop button for performing a stop operation for each of a plurality of reels that rotate and display a variable pattern,
A gaming machine characterized in that, among the rotating reels, the stop button for stopping one reel set with a high probability of winning a prize by internal winning is lit or blinked. A gaming machine provided with each stop button for performing a stop operation for each of a plurality of reels that rotate and display a variable pattern,
A game characterized in that, among the spinning reels, the stop button for stopping one reel set with a high probability of winning through an internal winning is lit or blinked in a color different from that of the other stop buttons. Machine. A gaming machine provided with each stop button for performing a stop operation for each of a plurality of reels that rotate and display a variable pattern,
A gaming machine, wherein the stop button for stopping one reel set as a target for pull-in control among the rotating reels is lit or blinked. A gaming machine provided with each stop button for performing a stop operation for each of a plurality of reels that rotate and display a variable pattern,
A gaming machine characterized in that, among the rotating reels, the stop button for stopping one reel set as a target for pull-in control is lit or blinked in a color different from other stop buttons.

Images