JP2005341997A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a game from being continued while a drawing function is being stopped by sensing abnormality in a clock signal which is fed to a random number generating device in a game machine which performs the drawing of a winning role object by using the random number generating device. <P>SOLUTION: This game machine is loaded with a clock generating circuit 311 which generates the clock signal CK of a specified cycle, a counting circuit 312 which performs a counting based on the clock signal, and the random number generating device 310 which is constituted of a storage circuit 313 storing the count value indicated by the counting circuit in response to the operation of a start lever 15. The game machine is equipped with a clock monitoring device 320 for monitoring abnormality in the clock signal. Thus, motion abnormalities of the random number generating device 310 can quickly be sensed, and the game can be prevented from being continued while the drawing function for winning role objects is being stopped. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine that generates a random number value by a random number generation device including a clock generation circuit and the like, and thereby draws a winning combination, an effect pattern, and the like.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in gaming machines that perform lotteries for winning combinations and production patterns, etc., as described in Patent Document 1, for example, a clock signal with a predetermined period generated by a clock generation circuit made of a crystal oscillator Is provided with a random number generation device that obtains a random number value from the count circuit in response to a game operation performed by the player at an arbitrary time.

  Random number generators composed of such hardware can easily generate uniformly distributed random numbers by increasing the clock cycle, etc., compared to the so-called software random number extraction method that obtains random numbers according to a random number generation algorithm. Therefore, it is widely used in gaming machines such as slot machines or pachinko machines that perform internal lottery such as winning a prize because it reduces the calculation load of the CPU that controls the overall operation of the gaming machine.

JP 2003-190483 A

  However, according to the above-described conventional random number generation device, if any abnormality occurs in the clock generation circuit and the above-described clock signal is not output, the count circuit is stopped. When such an operation abnormality occurs, the same random number value is always presented as a lottery value, so that the same lottery result always continues during the game. That is, for example, even if losing continues, it is difficult for the player to realize that this is due to an abnormality in the random number generation device, and therefore, there is a risk that the player will continue to be disadvantaged. there were.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and by detecting an operation abnormality of the random number generator, it is possible to prevent the game from continuing while the lottery function such as a winning combination is stopped. The purpose is to provide a gaming machine.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention described in claim 1 is a clock signal generating means for generating a clock signal of a predetermined period, a count calculating means for counting a count value in synchronization with the clock signal, and a player Based on a random number generator configured to include a random number acquisition unit configured to acquire the count value indicated by the count calculation unit as a random value when triggered by a predetermined game operation by the random number generator A gaming machine comprising an internal lottery means for drawing a winning combination, and further comprising a clock monitoring means for monitoring the clock signal.

  A second aspect of the present invention is the gaming machine according to the first aspect, wherein the clock monitoring means includes a charge / discharge circuit that is charged by the clock signal and discharges when the clock signal is stopped. And

  A third aspect of the present invention is the gaming machine according to the first aspect, wherein the clock monitoring means includes an integration circuit that receives the clock signal.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the clock monitoring unit is charged by the clock signal and discharges when the clock signal is stopped, and A second charge / discharge circuit charged by the clock signal and discharged when the clock signal is saturated; and a gate circuit means for detecting discharge of at least one of the first charge / discharge circuit or the second charge / discharge circuit; It is characterized by providing.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the gaming machine according to the first aspect, wherein the clock monitoring means includes a first integration circuit that receives the clock signal and a signal obtained by inverting the clock signal. A second integration circuit as an input, and gate circuit means for detecting a state where an output of at least one of the first integration circuit or the second integration circuit is equal to or lower than a threshold voltage.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the gaming machine according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the clock monitoring means detects an abnormality of the clock signal and stops the gaming operation. An abnormality processing means for performing processing is further provided.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein when the clock monitoring means detects an abnormality of the clock signal, an informing means for informing the abnormality. Is further provided.

  According to the gaming machine of the first aspect, the clock monitoring means monitors the clock signal to detect an operation abnormality of the random number generator.

  According to the gaming machine of the second aspect, the clock monitoring means is formed of a charge / discharge circuit, and the charged state is maintained when a clock signal having a predetermined period is supplied, and is discharged when the clock signal is stopped. That is, an abnormality that the clock signal stops due to the discharge of the charge / discharge circuit is detected.

  According to the gaming machine of claim 3, the clock monitoring means is formed of an integration circuit, and outputs a high voltage level signal when a clock signal of a predetermined period is supplied, and a low voltage level when the clock signal stops. The signal is output. An abnormality in which the clock signal stops due to a change in the output potential of the integration circuit is detected.

  According to the gaming machine of the fourth aspect, the clock monitoring means maintains the charge state in both the first and second charge / discharge circuits when the clock signal of a predetermined period is supplied, and stops when the clock signal stops. 1 charging / discharging circuit is discharged. Further, when the clock signal is saturated, the second charge / discharge circuit is discharged. The gate circuit means detects the abnormality of the clock signal by detecting the discharge of at least one of the charge / discharge circuits.

  According to the gaming machine of the fifth aspect, the clock monitoring means outputs a high voltage level signal to both the first and second integration circuits when a clock signal having a predetermined period is supplied. When the clock signal is stopped, the first integration circuit outputs a signal at a low voltage level, and when the clock signal is saturated at a high voltage level, the second integration circuit that receives a signal obtained by inverting the clock signal is input at a low voltage level. The signal is output. The gate circuit means detects a clock signal abnormality by detecting a potential change in at least one of the integration circuit outputs.

  According to the gaming machine of the sixth aspect, the abnormality processing means performs the abnormality processing for stopping the gaming operation when the clock monitoring means detects the abnormality of the clock signal. This prevents the game from being continued in a state where the internal lottery means for drawing the winning combination is stopped.

  According to the gaming machine of the seventh aspect, the notification means notifies the abnormality when the clock monitoring means detects the abnormality of the clock signal. Thereby, it is possible to quickly take a countermeasure against the abnormal operation of the random number generator, and to prevent the game from being continued with the internal lottery means for lottering the winning combination stopped.

  According to the gaming machine of the present invention, since the clock monitoring means for monitoring the abnormality of the clock signal from the clock signal generation means is provided, it is possible to detect the operation abnormality of the random number generator. In addition, when an operation abnormality of the random number generator is detected, processing such as stopping the operation of the gaming machine or notifying the abnormality is performed. As a result, problems such as the player continuing the game without being aware of it and suffering a disadvantage while the lottery function such as a winning combination is stopped are solved.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a gaming machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking a slot machine (pachislot machine) as an example. 1 is a perspective view showing an external structure of the slot machine 1, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an internal structure of the slot machine 1, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system provided in the slot machine 1. FIG.

  In FIG. 1, the slot machine 1 includes a box-shaped housing 2 and a front door 3 attached to the housing 2 and a hinge mechanism so as to be opened and closed.

  A side facing the player of the front door 3 is formed with a so-called decorative board designed to enhance visual effects, and is roughly divided into an upper panel portion 4 and a lower panel portion 5. The upper panel unit 4 includes a lighting unit 6 for producing light by providing a high-intensity light emitting diode and the like, and sound emitting units 7a and 7b for producing sound effect by providing a speaker inside. Each is arranged. In addition, a substantially rectangular display window 8 in which a transparent hard plastic plate or the like is fitted is formed between the sound emitting portions 7a and 7b for production, and is arranged on the back side of the front door 3 through the display window 8. The image of the liquid crystal display unit is visible.

  A panel plate made of hard plastic is attached to the approximate center of the upper panel portion 4. A transparent display window 9 having a substantially rectangular shape is formed at the center of the panel plate, and three cylindrical reels 10a, 10b, and 10c attached to the housing 2 through the display window 9 can be visually observed. It has become.

  Here, the three reels 10a, 10b, and 10c are arranged in a line in the direction of the rotation axis, and a plurality of types of symbols are drawn on each outer peripheral surface. The player can visually check the three symbols in the vertical direction drawn on one reel and the symbols in the three rows of reels arranged in the horizontal direction through the display window 9. Then, the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c are rotated and stopped in accordance with the player's operation, thereby changing the type of reel symbols to be displayed.

  A game information display unit 11 formed of a dot matrix LED or a lamp is disposed on the panel plate of the upper panel unit 4. The game information display unit 11 displays information related to the current game state, such as an internal winning state for a winning combination, the number of medals credited to the slot machine 1, or the number of medals acquired by winning.

  On both sides of the upper panel portion 4 are provided lighting units 12a and 12b for production including fluorescent lamps or high-intensity light emitting diodes.

  The lower panel portion 5 is integrally formed with a console having a plane inclined slightly downward while facing the player side, and a medal insertion portion 13 having an insertion slot for inserting medals, and a push button switch. A certain bet button 14, a start lever 15 for starting the rotating operation of the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c, and stop buttons 16a, 16b that are push button switches for stopping the rotating reels 10a, 10b, and 10c, respectively. 16c is provided.

  That is, when the player presses the bet button 14 to indicate the number of medals to bet on the game and the start lever 15 is tilted, the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c rotate all at once. At this time, the slot machine 1 performs lottery of a combination (winning combination) related to winning of the game by an internal process. When each reel 10a, 10b, 10c reaches a predetermined number of revolutions, the reel stop operation by the stop buttons 16a, 16b, 16c is ready. In this state, when the player presses the stop buttons 16a, 16b, and 16c in an arbitrary order, the corresponding reels are controlled to stop. When the symbols displayed by the stopped three reels 10a, 10b, and 10c are aligned on an effective line in a combination corresponding to the winning combination in the lottery described above, a winning is confirmed, and according to the type of winning combination. A certain number of medals are distributed to the player.

  A key hole 17 into which a key for unlocking the front door 3 is inserted is provided on the front right side of the lower panel portion 5. When an administrator or the like of the slot machine 1 inserts a predetermined key into the key hole 17 and performs an unlocking operation, the front door 3 attached to the housing 2 can be opened forward by a hinge mechanism, and the front door 3 can be opened. These are automatically locked when closed to the housing 2 side.

  The lower panel 5 is provided with a panel 18 for displaying pictures such as characters appearing so that the player can recognize the model (model type) of the slot machine 1 and the like.

  At the lower part of the front door 3, a medal discharge port 19 for discharging medals at the time of winning a prize and a tray 20 for storing the discharged medals are provided. Further, an effect sound emitting unit 21 incorporating a speaker is provided adjacent to the medal outlet 19.

  Next, the internal structure of the housing 2 and the back surface structure of the front door 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows a state where the front door 3 is opened from the housing 2. In the figure, a main control board 30 having a CPU (microcomputer) for centrally controlling the entire operation of the slot machine 1 and housed in a hard plastic case is attached to the upper part of the housing 2.

  A reel unit 10 including reels 10 a, 10 b, and 10 c is provided at the center in the housing 2. The reel unit 10 is positioned and attached to a predetermined frame so that the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c face the display window 9 of the front door 3 when the front door 3 is closed to the housing 2 side. Each of the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c is rotationally driven by a built-in stepping motor.

  A reel control board (not shown) for sending a drive pulse signal to the stepping motor that rotationally drives each reel is attached to the upper part of the reel unit 10, and the main control board 30 is attached to the reel control board. By sending a reel control signal, the rotation, braking and stopping of each reel are controlled.

  Below the reel unit 10, a hopper device 31, an auxiliary storage unit 32 for storing medals overflowing from the hopper device 31, and a main power supply device 33 are provided. On the side surface of the main power supply device 33, a power supply device substrate 34 corresponding to a so-called switchboard is provided. Further, an external concentration terminal board 35 that can be connected to a management computer called a “hall computer” installed in the game hall is attached to the inner wall on the upper right side of the housing 2.

  Next, a plurality of high-intensity light-emitting diodes 41, which are light sources of the effect lighting unit 6, are arranged on the upper back side of the front door 3, and the speaker faces the effect sound emitting units 7a and 7b. 42a and 42b are attached. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the display window 8 described above is positioned between the speakers 42 a and 42 b, and the liquid crystal display unit 43 is attached with the display surface facing the display window 8. Further, a sub-control board 40 formed of an electric circuit board is attached to the back side of the liquid crystal display unit 43.

  Note that the overall operation of the slot machine 1 is comprehensively controlled by the main control board 30 provided on the housing 2 side, and the sub control board 40 controls the display of effect video by the liquid crystal display unit 43 and effect lighting. Control related to game effects such as lighting control using the parts 6, 12a, 12b and effect sound effect control using the effect sound emitting parts 7a, 7b, 21 is mainly performed.

  A panel board on which a transparent display window 9 for allowing the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c to be visually observed is disposed below the sub-control board 40, and stop buttons 16a, 16b, and 16c are disposed below the display window 9. A central display board 44 is provided which functions as a relay board for transferring the output signals of the operation switches and the like to the main control board 30.

  A medal sorting device 45 is attached below the central display substrate 44. The medal sorting device 45 is a device that determines and distributes the suitability of medals inserted into the medal insertion unit 13. Further, the medal sorting device 45 has a built-in medal sensor, and when a normal medal is inserted in a standby state of the game or the like, the medal sensor detects this medal, and thereby a signal indicating acceptance of medal insertion is sent to the main control board. 30.

  Below the medal sorting device 45, a guide member 46 that guides regular medals distributed by the medal sorting device 45 to the hopper device 31 provided in the housing 2, and medals removed by the medal sorting device 45. A guide member 47 for guiding (or foreign matter) to the medal discharge port 19 is provided. In addition, a guide member 48 that guides the medals discharged from the hopper device 31 to the medal discharge port 19 is provided at the lower part on the back side of the front door 3. Further, a speaker 49 is attached adjacent to the medal discharge port 19 so as to face the above-described effect sound emitting unit 21.

  Next, a control system provided in the slot machine 1 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.

  The main control board 30 is connected to the sub-control board 40, the rotary control board 101, the central display board 44, the power supply board 34, and the external concentrated terminal board 35 by wiring cables.

  The main control board 30 is a control board on which ROM and RAM, which are storage devices composed of a semiconductor memory in addition to the CPU that is an arithmetic processing unit, and other electronic components are mounted, and slots that are stored in advance in the ROM By making each control board 40 and 101 perform distributed control in accordance with a machine game system program, the overall operation of the slot machine 1 is controlled in an integrated manner.

  The central display board 44 is connected to the bet button 14, the start lever 15, the stop buttons 16 a, 16 b, 16 c and the like, and functions as a relay board that transfers output signals output from these operation switches to the main control board 30. To do. In addition, the central display board 44 transfers an output signal from the medal sensor 451 built in the medal sorting device 45 to the main control board 30 and informs the medal insertion unit 241 of the number of medals inserted.

  The sub-control board 40 is a control board including a CPU, ROM and RAM as semiconductor memories, and an illumination control unit that controls and drives light emitting diodes and the like as light sources of the effect lighting units 6, 12a, and 12b. And an acoustic control unit that performs control driving for causing the production sound emitting units 42a, 42b, and 49 to produce production effect sounds and the like, and a VDP (Video Display Processor) that performs control for displaying the production video on the liquid crystal display unit 43. And a display device control unit comprising an image memory and the like, and a game information display control unit for performing control to display various game information such as the number of credits or the number of games on the game information display unit 11 are provided.

  In an appropriate scene in the progress of the game, the internal lottery means of the main control board 40 acquires a random number value using the random number generator 310, and uses the effect pattern table 332 stored in advance in the storage device of the main control board 40. An effect pattern based on the random value acquired by reference is selected. The sub-control board 40 drives each of the above-described effect devices according to the effect pattern selected on the main control board 30, thereby performing an effect appealing to the player's vision and hearing according to the progress of the game.

  A stepping motor that rotationally drives the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c is connected to the rotation control board 101, respectively. When a reel control signal indicating that each reel should be rotated or stopped is supplied from the main control board 30, the rotating control board 101 appropriately grasps the rotational position of each reel 10a, 10b, 10c and performs each stepping. The drive pulse signal to the motor is controlled to control the rotation, braking and stopping operations of each reel.

  The power supply board 34 is formed with a power distribution circuit that distributes various power supply voltages generated by the main power supply apparatus 33 to the hopper device 31 and other parts, and system power necessary for the operation of the slot machine 1 is supplied from the power distribution circuit. Supply. Further, when receiving a command to pay out medals from the main control board 30, the power supply board 34 controls the hopper device 31 to pay out medals.

  The external concentrated terminal board 35 is a terminal board for sending a status signal of the slot machine 1 output from the main control board 30 or a signal indicating the progress of the game to the hall computer.

  The slot machine 1 configured as described above enters a standby state when a prize is won in the previous game and the payout of medals is completed, or when a loss is confirmed in the previous game. In this standby state, when a player inserts a medal into the medal insertion unit 13 and presses the bet button 14, a predetermined number of medals are bet on the game from the medal (credit) stored therein, and the game starts. It becomes.

  When the start lever 15 is turned on in the game start state, the main control board 30 starts to rotate the three reels 10a, 10b, and 10c all at once.

  At the same time, the internal lottery means of the main control board 30 acquires a random number value from the random number generator 310 when the start lever 15 is turned on, and the acquired random number value is stored in the storage device of the main control board 30 in advance. The lottery table 331 is collated, and the winning combination of the game is internally drawn.

  That is, in the combination lottery table 331, information indicating the type of winning combination (small combination, replay, special combination, etc.) or loss corresponding to each random number generated by the random number generation device 310 (for example, 0 to 65535). Is stored. In addition, in the winning lottery table, coded information indicating a combination of symbols of each winning combination and information on the number of medals to be paid out when winning for each winning combination is confirmed are assigned to each winning combination. Each random number value is stored in association with each other.

  FIG. 4 is a model diagram for explaining an internal lottery method using the combination lottery table 331. This figure shows an example in the case where the slot machine 1 is in a general gaming state. As a winning combination, a small combination <1>, <2>, a re-playing combination called replay, and a regular bonus (RB) ) And a big win called Big Bonus (BB).

  Here, the small role is a winning combination in which a predetermined number of medals are paid out to the player, and the re-playing role (replay) is the player who has the right to re-game while maintaining the number of medals inserted in the previous game. It is a winning combination to give to. Further, the special combination (RB) is a winning combination that gives a player a gaming state (special gaming state) in which a medal with a higher payout is paid compared to the general gaming state until a predetermined number of times or a predetermined number of winnings is reached. The big winning combination (BB) is a winning combination that gives the player the gaming state of the special combination a predetermined number of times.

  In the combination lottery table 331, a range of random values corresponding to each winning combination is assigned according to the winning probability defined for each winning combination. That is, in the combination lottery table 331, for example, the range of random values corresponding to the loss is the largest, followed by a small combination <1>, a small combination <2>, a replay (re-playing combination), a special combination (RB), In the order of big winning combination (BB), the range of random values corresponding to each winning combination is set to be gradually reduced.

  When the start lever 15 is turned on, the internal lottery means of the main control board 30 acquires a random number value from the random number generator 310, compares the acquired random number value with the role lottery table 331, and draws a winning combination of the game. To do.

  For example, if the acquired random value Ri satisfies the relationship of R1 ≦ Ri <R2 shown in FIG. 4, the small role <1> is drawn, and if the relationship of R2 ≦ Ri <R3 is satisfied, the small role <2> is drawn. If the relationship of R3 ≦ Ri <R4 is satisfied, a replay (re-playing role) is drawn, and if the relationship of R4 ≦ Ri <R5 is satisfied, a special role (RB) is drawn, and the relationship of R5 ≦ Ri ≦ Rmax is satisfied. Draw a big hit (BB). Further, when the obtained random number value is 0 ≦ Ri <R1, it is lost. When the main control board 30 wins any of the winning combinations, the main control board 30 stores a flag corresponding to the combination.

  In the slot machine 1, a plurality of types of lottery tables 331 are prepared for use in accordance with the general game state, the special game state, and the payout rate setting stage.

  Next, when the player turns on the stop buttons 16a, 16b, and 16c in an arbitrary order, the main control board 30 performs control to sequentially stop the reels accordingly. When it is detected that all the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c are stopped, it is determined whether or not the symbol displayed on each reel matches the symbol combination related to the winning combination corresponding to the flag.

  For example, when three medals are bet on the game by pressing the bet button 14, among the nine symbols viewed through the display window 9, they are arranged on three horizontal rows in the upper, middle and lower rows. Examine the three sets of symbols and two sets of symbols arranged on two diagonal lines in the diagonally right and left diagonal directions, and the symbol combination condition of the winning combination corresponding to the above flag is determined by any one of the symbols. When satisfied and complete, it is determined that the winning combination has been won. When the winning of the winning combination is confirmed, medals with a predetermined number of dividends according to the type of the winning combination are paid out to the tray 20, or medals corresponding to the number of dividends are added to the number of credits stored internally.

  Next, the random number generator 310 provided in the above-described internal lottery means will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the internal lottery means. FIG. 6 is a term chart showing main signal waveforms in the internal lottery means.

  In FIG. 5, the internal lottery means includes a random number generator 310, a clock monitoring device 320 that monitors the operation of the random number generator 310, and when the clock monitoring device 320 detects an abnormal operation of the random number generator 310, the main control board When the clock monitoring device 320 detects an abnormal operation of the random number generator 310, the abnormality processing means 321 for executing processing such as stopping the game operation of the slot machine 1 for the 30 CPUs 300 is detected as a player or game And an informing means 322 for informing a site manager or the like.

  The random number generator 310 includes a clock generation circuit 311 formed from a crystal oscillator, a count circuit 312 that counts the clock signal CK generated by the clock generation circuit 311, and the CPU 300 in response to the start lever 15 being turned on. A trigger signal synchronization circuit 314 that outputs the generated trigger signal T in synchronization with the clock signal CK; and a storage circuit 313 that temporarily holds the count value indicated by the count circuit 312 when the trigger signal is input from the trigger signal synchronization circuit 314. It is configured with.

  For example, the clock generation circuit 311 constantly outputs a clock signal CK of about 14 MHz regardless of the operation of the CPU 300. The trigger signal synchronization circuit 314 is a delay circuit that outputs a trigger signal T generated by the player operating the start lever 15 at an arbitrary timing in synchronization with the clock signal CK. It is formed. The count circuit 312 is formed of, for example, a 16-bit increment counter, and repeatedly outputs the count value from 0 to 65535 in increments in synchronization with the clock signal CK. Further, the storage circuit 313 acquires and stores the count value indicated by the count circuit 312 when the trigger signal from the trigger signal synchronization circuit 314 is received. At this time, the CPU 300 reads the count value acquired by the storage circuit 313 and uses it as a random value for internal lottery.

  Next, the clock monitoring device 320 monitors the clock signal CK output from the clock generation circuit 311 to detect whether the clock generation circuit 311 normally supplies the clock signal CK as a periodic pulse signal. . Specifically, the clock monitoring device 320 includes an integration circuit that is a charge / discharge circuit formed of an electric resistance element (hereinafter simply referred to as “resistance”) TR1 and a capacitor TC1. The time constant of the integrating circuit including the resistor TR1 and the capacitor TC1 is set longer than the normal period of the clock signal CK. Further, the detection result may be output as the clock monitoring device output W through the threshold circuit formed from the NOT circuit TG1 as the output of the integration circuit.

  In the clock monitoring device 320 that outputs the output of the integration circuit via the threshold circuit (NOT circuit TG1), as shown in the time chart of FIG. 6, a clock signal CK having a normal cycle is supplied to the integration circuit by the clock generation circuit 311. When supplied, the capacitor TC1 of the integrating circuit is kept charged. Therefore, the NOT circuit TG1, which is a threshold circuit, outputs the clock monitoring device output W at the low voltage level. On the other hand, when the clock generation circuit 311 stops outputting the clock signal CK due to some abnormality, the capacitor TC1 of the integration circuit gradually discharges, and when the output voltage of the integration circuit falls below the threshold value, the NOT circuit TG1 that is the threshold circuit. Outputs a clock monitoring device output W at a high voltage level. As described above, the clock monitoring device 320 constantly monitors the operation of the clock generation circuit 311 and outputs the clock monitoring device output W at the high voltage level to the abnormality processing means 321 at the next stage when the abnormality of the clock signal CK is detected. It is formed as follows.

  Note that the clock monitoring device 320 may have the circuit configuration shown in FIG. The clock monitoring device 320 is improved so that an abnormality can be detected when the clock signal CK stops in a saturated state at a high voltage level. That is, in addition to the integration circuit described above, there is provided an integration circuit formed of a resistor TR2 and a capacitor TC2 for inputting a clock signal CK via an inverting circuit (NOT circuit) TN2. Then, when the clock signal CK is stopped or the like, and the output voltage of one of the above integration circuits falls below the threshold, the gate circuit TG2 (using a NAND circuit) that outputs the clock monitoring device output W at a high voltage level. Even the logic matches). When some abnormality occurs in the clock generation circuit 311 and the oscillation of the clock signal CK is stopped, the integration circuit formed by the resistor TR1 and the capacitor TC1 is discharged as described above, and thus the high voltage is supplied via the gate circuit TG2. A voltage monitor clock output W is output. Further, when the clock signal CK is saturated and stopped at a high voltage level, the integration circuit formed by the resistor TR2 and the capacitor TC2 is discharged, so that the high voltage level clock monitoring device is also connected via the gate circuit TG2. Output W is output.

  As described above, when the clock monitoring device 320 detects the abnormality of the clock signal CK, the clock monitoring device 320 outputs the clock monitoring device output W at the high voltage level to the abnormality processing means 321 at the next stage.

  When the abnormality monitoring means 321 receives the clock monitoring device output W at a high voltage level indicating an operation abnormality of the clock generation circuit 311, the abnormality processing means 321 causes the CPU 300 to stop the game operation of the slot machine 1. Further, the abnormality processing unit 321 causes the notification unit 322 to notify the abnormality when the above-described operation abnormality is detected. Specifically, the notification means 322 is, for example, the effect lighting units 6, 12 a, 12 b, the effect sound emitting units 7 a, 7 b, 21 or the game information display unit 11 provided on the front door 3 of the slot machine 1. is there. The abnormality processing unit 321 notifies the player or the like of the operation abnormality of the random number generation device 311 or the stop of the internal lottery function by light or voice by driving these effect lighting units and the like. Further, the abnormality processing means 321 may send an abnormality notification signal to a management computer called a “hall computer” in the game hall to notify the manager of the game hall or the like of the operation abnormality of the random number generator 311.

  According to the slot machine 1 configured as described above, since the clock monitoring device 320 for monitoring the abnormality of the clock signal CK generated by the clock generation circuit 311 is provided in the internal lottery means for performing the lottery such as a winning combination, the random number generator 310 It is possible to quickly detect an abnormal operation. Also, when the clock monitoring device 320 detects an abnormal operation of the random number generator 310, the abnormality processing means 321 executes processing such as stopping the game operation of the slot machine 1 or notifies the game hall manager or the like. . As a result, it is possible to quickly take countermeasures against the abnormality of the random number generation device 310. Therefore, the problem that the player continues to play without noticing the winning combination lottery and suffers a disadvantage is solved.

  The present invention can be applied not only to slot machines, but also to pachinko machines and other gaming machines that perform lotteries such as winning lotteries and production patterns using a hardware random number generator based on a clock signal.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external structure of a slot machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the internal structure of the slot machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system provided in the slot machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a model diagram for explaining an internal lottery method using a role lottery table according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the internal lottery means according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a term chart showing main signal waveforms in the internal lottery means according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the clock monitoring apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Slot machine, 2 ... Housing, 3 ... Front door,
6 ... Illumination unit for production, 7a, 7b ... Sound emission unit for production,
10a, 10b, 10c ... reel,
12a, 12b ... Illumination unit for production, 13 ... Medal insertion unit,
14 ... Bet button, 15 ... Start lever,
16a, 16b, 16c ... stop button,
19 ... medal outlet, 20 ... saucer, 21 ... production sound emitting part,
30 ... Main control board, 31 ... Hopper device,
40 ... Sub-control board, 41 ... Light emitting diode,
42a, 42b ... speaker, 43 ... liquid crystal display unit,
45 ... Medal sorting device 49 ... Speaker,
300 ... CPU, 310 ... random number generator,
311: Clock generation circuit, 312: Count circuit,
313 ... Memory circuit, 314 ... Trigger signal synchronization circuit,
320 ... Clock monitoring device, 321 ... Abnormal processing means,
322 ... Notification means, 331 ... Role lottery table,
332 ... Production pattern table,
CK ... Clock signal, T ... Trigger signal,
TC1, TC2 ... capacitors, TR1, TR2 ... electric resistance elements,
TG1, TG2 ... gate circuit, TN2 ... inverting circuit,
W ... Clock monitoring device output

Claims (7)

A clock signal generating means for generating a clock signal of a predetermined period; a count calculating means for counting a count value in synchronization with the clock signal; and the count value indicated by the count calculating means in response to a predetermined game operation by a player A random number generator configured to have a random number acquisition means for acquiring a random number as a random value;
A gaming machine comprising internal lottery means for lottering a winning combination based on a random value acquired by the random number generator,
A gaming machine comprising clock monitoring means for monitoring the clock signal.   The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the clock monitoring unit includes a charge / discharge circuit that is charged by the clock signal and discharges when the clock signal is stopped.   The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the clock monitoring unit includes an integration circuit that receives the clock signal.   The clock monitoring means includes a first charge / discharge circuit that is charged by the clock signal and discharges when the clock signal is stopped, and a second charge / discharge circuit that is charged by the clock signal and discharges when the clock signal is saturated And a gate circuit means for detecting discharge of at least one of the first charging / discharging circuit or the second charging / discharging circuit.   The clock monitoring means includes a first integration circuit that receives the clock signal, a second integration circuit that receives a signal obtained by inverting the clock signal, and the first integration circuit or the second integration circuit. The gaming machine according to claim 1, further comprising gate circuit means for detecting a state in which at least one output of the integrating circuit is equal to or lower than a threshold voltage.   The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising an abnormality processing unit that performs an abnormal process for stopping a gaming operation when the clock monitoring unit detects an abnormality of the clock signal. .   The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising notification means for notifying the abnormality when the clock monitoring means detects the abnormality of the clock signal.

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