JP2006006830A - Monitoring system of game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a monitoring system of game machine, lowering the equipment cost and detecting illegal replacement of a game control board or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The monitored objects of the respective game panels and control boards of a plurality of game machines are directly or indirectly provided with monitoring means 3 having mutual monitoring functions. The monitoring means 3 respectively include: a storage part 4 for storing its own ID and monitored objects ID for mutual monitoring; a processing part 5; and a radio transmit/receive part 6, wherein the processing part 5 has a function of transmitting its own ID through the radio transmit/receive part 6, a function of receiving the monitored object ID of the mutual monitoring through the radio transmit/receive part 6, a function of comparing the received ID with the monitored object ID stored by the storage part 4, a function of determining whether both of compared IDs accord or not, and a function of outputting the determination result. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine monitoring system that monitors whether an illegal act has been performed on a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine.

A person who is trying to obtain an unfair advantage may enter the game hall after closing the store and illegally replace a game control board loaded with a program for controlling the gaming machine.
As described above, in order to detect that the control board has been illegally replaced, an IC chip having a function of storing and transmitting the ID is attached to the control board, and a regular ID transmitted from the IC chip is attached. It is conceivable that the system tries to confirm that no illegal exchange has been made by reading.
For example, an IC chip that transmits an ID is attached to each control board, and a reading device that reads the transmitted ID in a contactless manner is provided for each gaming machine, and the ID read by the reading device is transmitted to the management device. The management device stores in advance an ID corresponding to a regular control board, and when the ID transmitted from the reading device is different from the ID, it can detect that the control board has been illegally replaced. (See Patent Document 1).

In addition, there is a type in which a guide rail is provided for each gaming island, and one reading device is moved on the guide rail to monitor a plurality of gaming machines on the island with one device (see Patent Document 2). ).
JP 2000-288218 A JP 2000-202136 A

In the system as described above, since the ID read by the reading device or fraud detection device must be transmitted to the management device, wiring between each reading device or fraud detection device and the management device is necessary. In particular, a system for moving the fraud detection device within the island requires equipment such as a guide rail.
That is, the system as described above requires large-scale facilities such as wiring, and cannot be easily adopted in any game arcade.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine monitoring system that can detect unauthorized exchange of a gaming control board or the like while keeping facility costs low.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a monitoring unit having a mutual monitoring function is provided directly or indirectly on a monitoring target such as a game panel or a control board of a plurality of gaming machines. A storage unit for storing a monitoring target ID for monitoring, a processing unit, and a wireless transmission / reception unit, wherein the processing unit transmits a self ID via the wireless transmission / reception unit, and the monitoring target ID for mutual monitoring A function for receiving the ID via the wireless transmission / reception unit, a function for comparing the received ID with the monitoring target ID stored in the storage unit, a function for determining whether or not the two compared IDs match, and It has a feature in that it has a function of outputting the determination result.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ID transmission means provided directly or indirectly on a monitoring target such as a gaming panel or a control board of a gaming machine and having a function of storing a monitoring target ID and wirelessly transmitting the ID. Determination means provided in the gaming machine main body excluding the monitoring target, the determination means stores the monitoring target ID stored in the ID transmission means, and the ID transmitted from the ID transmission means A function for receiving, a function for comparing the received ID with the monitoring target ID stored in itself, a function for determining whether or not both compared IDs match, and a function for outputting the determination result It is characterized by the points provided.

Note that providing the monitoring means directly or indirectly on the monitoring target in the first and second inventions means that, for example, when the control board is a monitoring target, the monitoring device is incorporated into the control board. This includes not only directly attaching another board or the like having this monitoring function to the control board, but also attaching the monitoring means to a cover or case covering the control board.
In addition, the processing unit receives the function in which the processing unit compares the received ID with the monitoring target ID stored in the storage unit and determines whether the compared IDs match. A function for determining that an incorrect ID has been received when an ID is not received at a proper timing is included.

The third invention is based on the second invention, and when the processing unit determines that the compared IDs do not match, the control unit outputs a control signal for stopping the gaming function of the gaming machine as the determination result. It has a feature in that it has a function to do.
The gaming functions include all functions necessary for playing games provided in the gaming machine. For example, in the case of a pachinko machine, there are a function of launching a pachinko ball, a function of paying out a ball, and the like.

  4th invention consists of a monitoring apparatus and the connection part which connects the wiring each connected to two points in a monitoring apparatus outside the monitoring apparatus, and either one of these monitoring apparatuses or the said connection part is a game machine. Provided on a monitoring target such as a control board and the other on the gaming machine other than the control target, the monitoring device includes a processing unit, a data storage unit connected to the processing unit, a disconnection detection unit, A battery for supplying power to the processing unit, the data storage unit, and the disconnection detection unit, and the disconnection detection unit has a function of detecting a connection or disconnection between the monitoring device and the connection unit, and A function of outputting a result to the processing unit, and when the processing unit receives a disconnection detection signal from the disconnection detection unit, a function of storing the disconnection in the data storage unit as disconnection information; Characterized in that over data storage unit and a function of outputting a disconnection information stored.

  5th invention presupposes the said 4th invention, The said data storage part is provided with the function which memorize | stores apparatus ID intrinsic | native to the monitoring apparatus, The said process part is apparatus ID which the data storage part has memorize | stored It is characterized in that it has a function of outputting.

  Since the monitoring system of the first invention performs mutual monitoring by the monitoring means provided in each gaming machine, it is not necessary to transmit the ID transmitted from the monitoring target to the management device for fraud monitoring as in the prior art. . Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a large-scale wiring for fraud monitoring in the game hall, and the system can be introduced at a low equipment cost.

According to the second to fifth inventions, since a complete monitoring system can be provided in one gaming machine, the ID transmitted from the monitoring target is transferred to the management device for fraud monitoring as in the past. There is no need to send. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a large-scale wiring for fraud monitoring in the game hall, and the system can be introduced at a low equipment cost.
Furthermore, since monitoring is possible regardless of the arrangement of gaming machines, no special measures are required even if the gaming machines are replaced or rearranged after the introduction of the system.

In addition, according to the second and third inventions, since the communication between the ID transmission unit and the determination unit is performed wirelessly, wiring between the two is unnecessary.
In particular, according to the third aspect of the invention, it is possible not only to detect and notify fraud and abnormality, but also to stop a game by a gaming machine in which a fraudulent act has been performed.
Furthermore, in the fourth and fifth inventions, the connection portion provided outside the monitoring device does not require a data transmission / reception function with the monitoring device, and thus can be configured simply. Therefore, equipment costs can be kept lower.

1 to 6 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 shows one gaming island in which a plurality of gaming machines 1a, 1b, 1c,. A call lamp 2 is attached to the upper part of each gaming machine 1a, 1b, 1c,.
In the following description, when it is necessary to distinguish the arrangement of each gaming machine, reference numerals 1a, 1b, 1c,... Are used. It is assumed that code 1 is used as the code.

And in the system of this 1st Embodiment, the monitoring means 3 shown in FIG. 2 is attached to the control board case provided in the back surface of the game panel of each game machine 1. FIG. Each monitoring means 3 monitors the control board of the gaming machine 1 installed next to the gaming machine 1 to which it is attached.
That is, the monitoring means 3 attached to the gaming machine 1a monitors the control board of the gaming machine 1b, and the monitoring means 3 attached to the gaming machine 1b monitors the control board of the gaming machines 1a and 1c.

2 includes an IC chip, an electronic substrate, and the like, an ID storage unit 4 that stores its own ID (hereinafter referred to as its own ID) and a monitoring target ID that is a monitoring target ID, and a processing unit. 5 and a wireless transmission / reception unit 6 for performing wireless communication with other monitoring means 3.
An example of the ID stored in the ID storage unit 4 corresponding to each gaming machine 1 is shown in the table 1 of FIG. In Table 1, each monitoring means 3 is represented by its installed gaming machines 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d,..., And their own IDs are “k001”, “k002”, “k003”, “k004”, respectively. , ... Therefore, for example, the ID storage unit 4 of the monitoring means 3 attached to the gaming machine 1b stores “k002” as its own ID, “k001” and “k003” as monitoring target IDs, and stores the ID of the gaming machine 1c. The unit 4 stores the self ID “k003”, the monitoring target IDs “k002”, and “k004”.

Here, the self ID is a board ID to which the monitoring unit 3 is attached, and the monitoring target ID is a board ID of a board to be monitored.
The own ID can be stored in the ID storage unit 4 when the control board case to which the monitoring unit 3 is attached is determined, and can be stored when the gaming machine 1 is shipped from the factory. In addition, the monitoring target ID can also be stored in the ID storage unit 4 when the arrangement of the gaming machines 1 to which the control board is attached is determined.
However, the monitoring target ID may be stored after the gaming machine 1 is installed, as will be described later. The timing for storing each is not particularly limited, but both the own ID and the monitoring target ID need to be stored in the ID storage unit 4 at the start of the monitoring operation.

  Further, the processing unit 5 transmits the own ID stored in its own ID storage unit 4 via the wireless transmission / reception unit 6 and the monitoring means 3 installed in the adjacent gaming machines 1. And a function for determining whether or not an illegal act has been performed on a monitoring target, that is, a control board of both adjacent gaming machines 1. The processing unit 5 is also connected to a call lamp 2 linked to the gaming machine 1 and has a function of turning on the call lamp 2 when an abnormality to be monitored is detected. These functions are set in the processing unit 5 as a fraud monitoring program.

In the following, the procedure in which the monitoring means 3 performs fraud monitoring will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In addition, the said ID memory | storage part 4 has memorize | stored own ID and monitoring object ID.
Further, the signal transmitted from the wireless transmission / reception unit 6 is received only by the wireless transmission / reception unit 6 installed in the adjacent gaming machines 1. As described above, in order to enable signal reception only to the transmitting / receiving units 6 on both sides, it is realized by adjusting the reach distance or setting a specific frequency according to the output of the radio signal.

Here, the processing procedure of the monitoring means 3 of the gaming machine 1b will be described as an example (see FIG. 1).
In step S1 of FIG. 4, the processing unit 5 of the gaming machine 1b transmits an inquiry signal via the wireless transmission / reception unit 6 to inquire about the ID. This inquiry signal transmission timing is a timing programmed in the fraud monitoring program. This inquiry signal is received by both sides, that is, the processing units 5 of the gaming machines 1a and 1c. Each processing unit 5 transmits its own ID when receiving the inquiry signal. Therefore, if the processing unit 5 of the gaming machines 1a and 1c functions normally, the own ID stored in its own ID storage unit 4 is transmitted.

  On the other hand, when the processing unit 5 of the gaming machine 1b receives the ID in step S2, the processing unit 5 proceeds to step S3, and compares the received ID with the monitoring target ID stored in the ID storage unit 4. That is, the IDs transmitted from the gaming machines 1a and 1c are compared with the monitoring target IDs “k001” and “k003”. In step S4, it is determined whether or not they match. If they match, the process returns to step S1, and if they do not match, the process proceeds to step S5 to turn on the calling lamp 2.

For example, when the control board case is removed in order to replace the control board of the gaming machine 1c with another board, the regular ID “k003” is not transmitted from the gaming machine 1c. When a different ID “00x” is transmitted, the processing unit 5 of the gaming machine 1b receives the ID “00x” and the ID “k001” from the gaming machine 1a, and the ID storage unit 4 stores them. Contrast with monitoring target IDs “k001” and “k003”. As a result, it is determined in step S5 that the ID “00x” does not match the monitoring target ID.
Further, since the control board case is removed from the gaming machine 1c and no ID is transmitted from the gaming machine 1c, no ID is received, and the process proceeds from step S2 to step S5. As described above, even when the ID is not received, the legitimate ID is not received. Therefore, it is assumed that an illegal ID is received.

As described above, when the control board is illegally replaced, the call lamp 2 next to the gaming machine can be turned on to notify the game hall employee.
FIG. 5 shows the arrangement of the gaming machines, and the portions where the calling lamp 2 is lit are indicated by diagonal lines. However, as described above, when the control board of the gaming machine 1c is replaced, Not only the call lamp 2 of the machine 1b is turned on, but also the call lamp 2 of the gaming machine 1d is turned on at the same time. Thus, it can be seen that there was an illegal act on the gaming machine 1c sandwiched between the lit call lamps 2. Accordingly, a game hall employee can go to the location and locate a gaming machine that is illegally profiting from the replaced control board.

However, for the island-side gaming machine 1a, the monitoring means 3 for monitoring the gaming machine 1a is provided only in the gaming machine 1b on one side. Therefore, even if the gaming machine 1a is illegal, the calling lamp 2 that lights up. Is only for 1b. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, only the calling lamp 2 of the gaming machine 1b is lit. In this case, since the calling lamp 2 of the gaming machine 1d is not lit, it can be determined that the gaming machine 1c is not cheating.
If it is assumed that an illegal act such as replacement of the control board of the gaming machine 1 is performed on one specific gaming machine 1, in the state of FIG. For example, even when there is an illegal act on both the gaming machines 1a and 1c, the lighting state as shown in FIG. 5 is obtained. In such a case, it is not possible to determine whether the gaming machine 1a has also been cheated only by turning on the gaming machine 1b. However, if an employee goes to the gaming machine 1b where the call lamp 2 is lit and looks at both sides, it is possible to find an abnormality from the number of balls acquired and the jackpot state.

In the first embodiment, the monitoring means 3 provided in the gaming machine 1 performs mutual monitoring with the adjacent gaming machines 1 to detect fraud, but each monitoring means 3 The monitoring target is not limited to both sides, and the range of the monitoring target may be expanded, for example, to include the next to the next or the backside gaming machine.
As described above, each gaming machine 1 is provided with the monitoring unit 3 for mutual monitoring, and the monitoring unit 3 has a function of transmitting its own ID, a function of receiving the monitoring target ID, and fraud determination. If the function is provided, it is not necessary to transmit the ID read in correspondence with each gaming machine 1 to the management device as in the prior art, so that a large-scale facility is unnecessary.
Therefore, the gaming machine 1 can be monitored with reduced equipment costs.

In the first embodiment, the output of the control signal for turning on the calling lamp 2 corresponds to the output of the determination result of the present invention. However, when an injustice is detected, a warning lamp different from the calling lamp is provided. The determination result may be output to an output device other than the lamp, such as a display or an alarm buzzer. Furthermore, the lamp may be turned on when normal, and turned off when abnormal.
Moreover, the timing at which the specific monitoring unit 3 transmits / receives the ID is not limited to the above example. For example, each monitoring means 3 may transmit its own ID at a pre-programmed timing, and the reception function may always function, or conversely, its own ID may be transmitted at all times. May be received at a predetermined timing by the monitoring means 3 of the adjacent gaming machine.

In the above example, the monitoring target ID is stored in the ID storage unit 4 in advance, but the monitoring target ID is stored in the ID storage unit 4 after the gaming machine 1 is installed in the game hall. An example of the method will be briefly described.
When installing the gaming machine 1, the ID storage unit 4 stores only its own ID. When the gaming machine is installed, for example, when the power is turned on in island units, the processing unit 5 operates. The processing unit 5 transmits its own ID via the wireless transmission / reception unit 6, receives the ID transmitted from the adjacent gaming machine 1, and stores it in the ID storage unit 4 as the monitoring target ID. When the processing unit 5 receives the ID, the processing unit 5 determines whether there is an ID stored in the ID storage unit 4 as the monitoring target ID. If the monitoring target ID is not stored, the processing unit 5 stores the received ID. A program for functioning to be stored as a monitoring target ID is set.

As described above, if the method for storing the monitoring target ID is used after the arrangement of the gaming machine 1 is determined, the arrangement of the gaming machine 1 can be freely set. In order to install the gaming machine 1 to which the monitoring means 3 in which the monitoring target ID is stored in advance is installed, it is necessary to arrange the gaming machines 1 according to the stored monitoring target ID.
Further, the monitoring target is not limited to the control board. For example, a game panel or the like can be mutually monitored if the monitoring means 3 is attached thereto.

The second embodiment shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 is an implementation of the second invention in which the ID transmission means 9 is attached to the control board 8 that is the monitoring target, and the determination means 13 is attached to the gaming machine main body that is not the monitoring target. The gaming machine 1 is a pachinko machine.
FIG. 7 schematically shows the back surface of the gaming machine 1, and a control board 8 is attached to the back surface of the gaming panel 7 of the gaming machine 1. In addition, in the gaming machine 1, a launch motor 17 for launching a pachinko ball is incorporated.
The ID transmission means 9 and the determination means 13 provided in the same gaming machine 1 constitute a monitoring system of the present invention.

  The ID transmission means 9 is composed of an IC chip or an electronic board, and includes an ID storage unit 10, a processing unit 11, and a wireless transmission / reception unit 12. The ID storage unit 10 of the ID transmission unit 9 stores a monitoring target ID that can identify the control board 8 to which the ID transmission unit 9 is attached. The processing unit 11 has a function of transmitting the monitoring target ID stored in the ID storage unit 10 to the determination unit 13 described later via the wireless transmission / reception unit 12.

On the other hand, the determination means 13 attached to the main body of the gaming machine is also composed of an IC chip or an electronic board, and includes an ID storage unit 14, a processing unit 15, and a wireless transmission / reception unit 16.
In the ID storage unit 14 of the determination unit 13, the same monitoring target ID as the monitoring target ID stored in the ID storage unit 10 of the ID transmission unit 9 is stored. Then, the processing unit 15 compares the function of receiving the monitoring target ID transmitted from the ID transmission unit 9 with the monitoring target ID stored in the ID storage unit 14 of the determination unit 13. A function of determining whether or not the two match, and outputting the determination result. Further, the processing unit 15 is connected to a calling lamp provided at the upper part of the gaming machine 1 and a launch motor 7 in the gaming machine main body.
In FIG. 7, dotted lines indicate wireless communication.

The procedure for determining whether or not the control board 8 has been replaced in this system will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Note that the flowchart of FIG. 8 shows a processing procedure of the processing unit 15 of the determination unit 13.
In step S11, the processing unit 15 transmits an inquiry signal to inquire about the ID. The processing unit 11 of the ID transmission unit 9 receives the inquiry signal via the wireless transmission / reception unit 12 and transmits the monitoring target ID stored in the ID storage unit 10.
When receiving the ID in step S12, the processing unit 15 of the determination unit 13 proceeds to step S13, compares the monitoring target ID stored in the ID storage unit 14 with the received ID, and in step S14, both It is determined whether or not.

If it is determined in step S14 that both IDs match, the process returns to step S11. If both IDs do not match, the process proceeds to step S15 to stop the firing motor 17 and turn on the calling lamp 2. .
The fact that the ID received by the processing unit 15 of the determination unit 13 does not match the monitoring target ID stored in the ID storage unit 14 means that the ID transmitted by the ID transmission unit 9 is not a regular monitoring target ID. That is. That is, the control board 8 to be monitored has been replaced. Accordingly, the processing unit 15 stops the launch motor 17 to stop the game in the gaming machine, and informs the game hall employee that the illegal act has been performed by turning on the calling lamp 2. it can.

The system of the second embodiment is not a system for centralized management by transmitting a monitoring target ID or the like to a management apparatus as in the prior art, so that no large-scale equipment is required. Further, since the monitoring system is completed only around one gaming machine 1, the arrangement of the gaming machines 1 does not become a problem as in the first embodiment. That is, even if only one is replaced from a plurality of gaming machines 1 arranged once, it is not necessary to store the monitoring target ID in the ID storage unit 14 of the determination unit 13 again.
The ID transmission unit 9 transmits the monitoring target ID when receiving the inquiry signal from the determination unit 13. The transmission timing of the monitoring target ID is set in the processing unit 11 in advance. Alternatively, the reception timing may be controlled on the determination means 13 side by always transmitting.

When the determination unit 13 does not need to transmit an inquiry signal, the wireless transmission / reception unit 16 of the determination unit 13 only needs to have a wireless reception function, and the wireless transmission / reception unit 12 of the ID transmission unit 9 Only the transmission function is required.
Also in this embodiment, the output destination of the determination result of the determination means 13 is not limited to the call lamp 2 or the firing motor 17 as in the first embodiment, and may be either one.
The control signal for stopping the firing motor 17 corresponds to the control signal for stopping the gaming function of the third invention. The gaming functions of the gaming machine include all functions necessary for playing games such as pachinko. For example, in addition to the function of launching pachinko balls, there is a function of paying out balls. The processing unit 15 on the determination means 13 side is linked to a payout mechanism or a power supply circuit, and when it is determined in step S14 in FIG. 8 that both IDs do not match, the payout mechanism is stopped or the power is turned off. You can also

The third embodiment shown in FIG. 9 is an example in which a plurality of monitoring targets are monitored in one gaming machine 1.
In this embodiment, an ID transmission means 9 a is provided on the control board 8 of the gaming machine 1, and another ID transmission means 9 b is attached to the game panel 7. Both of these ID transmission means 9a and 9b have the same configuration as the ID transmission means 9 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. For the same components, the ID transmission means 9a or 9b is distinguished by using the same numerals as those assigned to the elements of the ID transmission means 9 in FIG. And since the component which attached | subjected the code | symbol containing the same number is provided with the same function, the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.
In FIG. 9, dotted lines indicate wireless communication.

The ID storage unit 10a of the ID transmission unit 9a provided on the control board 8 stores an ID for specifying the control board 8 that is the monitoring target ID of the present invention, and the ID transmission unit provided on the game panel 7 The ID for identifying the gaming panel 7 that is the monitoring target ID is stored in the ID storage unit 10b of 9b. That is, the control board 8 and the game panel 7 are monitoring targets.
The game machine main body is provided with determination means 13. The determination unit 13 has the same configuration as the determination unit 13 of the second embodiment. However, the ID storage unit 14 of the determination unit 13 must store both the monitoring target ID stored in the ID storage unit 10a and the monitoring target ID stored in the ID storage unit 10b.

  The processing unit 15 of the determination unit 13 compares the IDs received from the ID transmission unit 9a and the ID transmission unit 9b via the wireless transmission / reception unit 16 with the IDs stored in the ID storage unit 14, respectively. Then, it is determined whether or not the received ID matches the ID stored in the ID storage unit 14. If one or both of the received IDs do not match the ID stored in the ID storage unit 14 as a result of the determination, the calling lamp 2 is turned on and the firing motor 17 is stopped. As a result, the control board 8 or the gaming panel 7 of the gaming machine 1 can be informed that the gaming board employee has been illegally replaced, and the game cannot be continued in that state. it can.

Since the system of the third embodiment is also completed within one gaming machine 1 as in the second embodiment, no large equipment is required outside the gaming machine 1, and the arrangement of the gaming machines 1 Can be free.
In the system of the third embodiment, not only the control board 8 but also the game panel 7 is provided with the ID transmission means 9b. Therefore, the fraud that was made when the game panel 7 was replaced while the control board 8 was left as it was was performed. Even if it can be detected.
As described above, if a plurality of ID transmission units 9a and 9b are provided, a plurality of monitoring targets can be individually monitored.
Any number of monitoring targets may be set in one gaming machine 1, but the more IDs are provided, the more ID transmission means must be provided, and the determination means 13 must store more monitoring target IDs. Therefore, the monitoring target may be determined according to the cost, the frequency of fraud, and the like.
In the second and third embodiments, the determination means 13 is provided in the gaming machine main body because the gaming machine main body is not likely to be replaced by an illegal act compared to the control board or the control panel.

The fourth embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 is an example using the monitoring system of the invention according to claim 4.
Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the monitoring device 18 is attached to the gaming machine body of the gaming machine 1, and the connection portion 24 connected to the monitoring device 18 is attached to the control board 8 provided on the back surface of the gaming panel 7. ing.
As shown in FIG. 11, the monitoring device 18 includes a processing unit 19, a disconnection detection unit 20, a data storage unit 21, an output unit 22, and a battery 23 connected thereto. The battery 23 is a battery for supplying power to the processing unit 19, the disconnection detection unit 20, the data storage unit 21, and the output unit 22 in the monitoring device 18.

The disconnection detection unit 20 of the monitoring device 18 is connected to two wires 25a and 25b that go outside the monitoring device 18, and the connection unit 24 that connects the ends of these wires is connected to the control board 8. Provided.
As shown in FIG. 12, a resistor R is mounted on the control board 8, and both ends thereof are connected to the connectors 26a and 26b. The wires 25a and 25b are connected to the connectors 26a and 26b, respectively. As a result, the wires 25 a and 25 b connected to the two points of the disconnection detection unit 20 are connected via the resistor R in the control board 8, which is outside the monitoring device 18.
The portion of the one-dot chain line including the resistor R, the connectors 26a and 26b, and the wirings 25a and 25b corresponds to the connecting portion of the present invention.

The disconnection detection unit 20 has a function of detecting whether or not the wirings 25a and 25b are connected. For example, a circuit for detecting the resistance value of the resistor R using the voltage of the battery 23 is incorporated. Therefore, when the wirings 25a and 25b are disconnected from the connectors 26a and 26b or when the wiring is cut off, the disconnection detection unit 20 determines that a disconnection occurs because a normal resistance value cannot be detected. The disconnection detection unit 20 has a function of outputting a disconnection detection signal to the processing unit 19 when it is determined that a disconnection has occurred.
In addition, as the connection part 24, other electronic components such as a capacitor may be used instead of the resistor R. Alternatively, the connectors 26a and 26b may be simply connected by a conducting wire. In short, it is sufficient that the disconnection detection unit 20 can detect whether the wirings 25a and 25b are in a connected state or a disconnected state.

When the disconnection detection signal is input, the processing unit 19 stores the disconnection in the data storage unit 21 as disconnection information. In the normal use state of the gaming machine, the disconnection state does not occur, so the disconnection information may be information in bit units indicating whether or not the disconnection state has occurred once, or data such as disconnection time There may be.
The processing unit 19 has a function of outputting the disconnection information stored in the data storage unit 21 to the outside via the output unit 22 in response to a request from the outside.

A procedure for detecting that the control board 8 of the gaming machine 1 installed in the game arcade has been illegally replaced using such a monitoring system will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, when the control board 8 is removed in the state where the connection portion 24 is provided on the control board 8, the wirings 25a and 25b are removed from the connectors 26a and 26b. The wirings 25a and 25b are connected to the connector on the board.
The disconnection detection unit 20 detects disconnection and outputs a disconnection detection signal when the wires 25a and 25b are disconnected from the connectors 26a and 26b.
The data storage unit 21 receives the disconnection detection signal and stores the disconnection information in the data storage unit 21. Thereafter, even if another control board is attached and the wirings 25a and 25b are connected, the data storage unit 21 stores the disconnection information.

Accordingly, the processing unit 19 outputs the disconnection information stored in the data storage unit 21 in response to an inquiry from an external device (not shown). It can be known from the output disconnection information that the control board 8 may have been replaced.
For example, even when the control board is illegally replaced after the store is closed, the illegal act can be confirmed from the disconnection information stored in the data storage unit 21.
In the fourth embodiment, the control board 8 is the monitoring target of the present invention, the monitoring device 18 is provided on the monitoring target side, and the connection unit 24 is provided in a portion other than the monitoring target. The monitoring device 18 may be provided in the part.
In short, what is necessary is just to be comprised so that the disconnection between the monitoring apparatus 18 and the connection part 24 can be detected when removing the monitoring object.

Further, if the device ID unique to the monitoring device 18 is stored in the data storage unit 21 and is output in response to an inquiry from an external device, fraud can be detected more reliably. Can do.
This is because when the data storage unit 21 stores the disconnection information detected by the disconnection detection unit 20 of the monitoring device 18 as described above, fraud is detected, but the monitoring device 18 itself is replaced. In addition, it can be detected that the monitoring device 18 has been replaced by whether or not the correct device ID has been output.
For example, when the monitoring device 18 is attached to the control board 8 and the connection unit 24 is attached to the gaming machine body, the control board 8 is removed together with the monitoring device 18 and then the control board with the fake monitoring device attached is attached. Even if it reconnects with the connection part 24 of a game machine main body, that may not be detected. However, if the monitoring device 18 outputs the device ID, it is possible to know that there is a fraud when the correct device ID is not output from the false monitoring device.

The fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 13 shows a group monitoring system including three monitoring devices A, B, and C. Each of the monitoring devices A, B, and C is attached to a monitoring target such as a control board of a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine installed in the game hall.
Each monitoring device A, B, C is a monitoring system that monitors all other monitoring devices.
Since the monitoring target and each of the monitoring devices A, B, and C attached thereto are integrated, the following description will be made assuming that the monitoring devices monitor each other.

As shown in FIG. 14, the monitoring devices A, B, and C perform wireless transmission and reception for communication between the processing unit 27, the ID storage unit 28 that stores IDs, and the other monitoring devices B and C. Part 29.
The communication area in which signals can be exchanged by the wireless transmission / reception unit 29 is a circle centered on each of the monitoring devices A, B, and C (see FIG. 13). And the ID signal transmitted from the monitoring apparatus located in each communication area is directly received.
Note that all the monitoring devices located in the communication area of any of the monitoring devices are defined as members of the same group. Strictly speaking, the gaming machines to which the respective monitoring devices are attached belong to the same group. For example, a monitoring device is attached to a gaming machine installed on the same island so that the gaming machines on the island monitor other members.

The ID storage unit 28 is a storage unit that stores the ID of the monitoring device, and stores only its own ID in the initial state.
The processing unit 27 has a function of transmitting the ID stored in the ID storage unit 28 via the wireless transmission / reception unit 29 and storing the received ID as a group ID in the ID storage unit 28. The ID transmission / reception timing is controlled based on a program set in the processing unit 27 in advance. For example, the ID stored in the ID storage unit 28 is periodically transmitted, and the ID transmitted from another monitoring apparatus is periodically received. Alternatively, an ID inquiry signal may be transmitted to another monitoring device at a predetermined timing, and the monitoring device that has received the ID inquiry signal may transmit its own ID stored in the ID storage unit 28.
Further, the processing unit 27 has a function of storing all IDs received via the wireless transmission / reception unit 29 in the ID storage unit 28 as group IDs.

As shown in FIG. 13, the monitoring device A is located in the communication area of the monitoring device B, the monitoring device B is located in the communication area of the monitoring devices A and C, and the monitoring device C is the monitoring device. It is located in the B communication area. That is, when the monitoring device A is one monitoring device, the monitoring device B is another monitoring device located in the communication area of the one monitoring device, and the monitoring device C is the other monitoring device (monitoring device B). The monitoring device is located within the communication area and outside the communication area of the one monitoring device (monitoring device A). The three monitoring devices A, B, and C having such a positional relationship are members of the same group. And the monitoring apparatus with which each monitoring apparatus A, B, and C can communicate directly is as showing in FIG.
Each monitoring device also has a function of transmitting an ID received from another device to another device in its own communication area.

Below, the procedure in which each monitoring device A, B, C starts communication and stores the group ID while maintaining the positional relationship of FIG. 13 will be described.
In the initial state, each ID storage unit 28 stores only its own ID and does not store a group ID.
First, the processing unit 27 transmits its own ID via the wireless transmission / reception unit 29 and receives an ID transmitted from another monitoring device. The received ID is transmitted to the monitoring device in the communication area, and is stored as a group ID in its own ID storage unit 28.

In the table of FIG. 15, each monitoring device is associated with a device capable of direct transmission / reception and a reception ID. The ID of each device is expressed by adding parentheses () to the device code.
The ID that is directly received and the ID that is indirectly received are separately shown as the ID to be received. The ID that is directly received is an ID that is transmitted from a monitoring device located in its own transmission area. . That is, the ID of the monitoring device located in the communication area, and the ID that is indirectly received is the ID of another monitoring device.

For example, the monitoring device A transmits its own ID (A) to the monitoring device B, and the monitoring device B transmits ID (B) to the monitoring device A and the monitoring device C. The monitoring device B receives the ID (A) from the monitoring device A and the ID (C) from the monitoring device C, and stores them together with its own ID (B) as a group ID. That is, the monitoring apparatus B stores ID (A), ID (B), and ID (C) in the ID storage unit 28.
Further, since the monitoring device B can transmit and receive with the monitoring devices A and C, the ID (A) received from the monitoring device A is transmitted to the monitoring device C, and the ID (C) received from the monitoring device C is received. ) To the monitoring device A.
Thereby, the monitoring device A and the monitoring device C receive the ID (A), ID (B), and ID (C), and store them in the ID storage unit 28 as group IDs.

That is, the monitoring device A receives the ID (C) of the monitoring device C located outside the communication area and its own ID (A) transmitted by itself first from the monitoring device B, but receives these indirectly. I decided to call it an ID.
Similarly, the monitoring device C also directly receives ID (B) from the monitoring device B and indirectly receives ID (A) and ID (C).
FIG. 16 shows these transmission / reception relationships, with direct reception indicated by a solid line and indirect reception indicated by a dotted line. As a result, all the monitoring devices A, B, and C directly or indirectly receive the ID (A), ID (B), and ID (C) of all the monitoring devices that belong to the same group as the group ID. Memorize and group registration.

The monitorable area of the group registered in this way is an area S1 indicated by hatching in FIG. If a new monitoring device is located in this area S1, it can be registered as a member of the group.
For example, within the hatched area S1 shown in FIG. 17, the ID storage unit 28 of all the monitoring devices A to C stores the ID (D) as a group ID, regardless of where the new monitoring device D enters. The monitoring device D can also store the IDs of all the monitoring devices A to D in the ID storage unit 28 and register them as members of the group. For example, this is a case where the monitoring device D is attached to a gaming machine installed next to a gaming machine equipped with the monitoring device C.

When the monitoring device D enters the position of the white circle ◯ in FIG. 17, since this monitoring device D is located in the communication area of the monitoring device C, ID can be directly transmitted to and received from the monitoring device C. Communication with other monitoring devices A and B is not possible.
In a state before the monitoring device D enters the area S1, each of the monitoring devices A to C obtains all ID (A), ID (B), and ID (C) as a result of communication as shown in FIG. It is stored as a group ID.

FIG. 18 shows the ID transmission / reception relationship when the monitoring device D is entered. Again, direct transmission / reception is indicated by a solid line and indirect transmission / reception is indicated by a dotted line.
As shown in FIG. 18, the monitoring device D transmits its own ID (D) to the monitoring device C and directly receives the ID (C) transmitted from the monitoring device C, and receives ID (A), ID ( B), ID (D) is received indirectly.
When the monitoring device C receives the ID (D) from the monitoring device D, the monitoring device C stores the ID (D) in the ID storage unit 28 as a group ID, and also monitors this ID (D) in the own communication area. And transmitted to the monitoring device D.

The monitoring device (B) that has received the ID (D) from the monitoring device C stores the ID (D) as a group ID in the ID storage unit 28 and also provides an ID to the monitoring device A in its own communication area. (D) is transmitted.
When receiving the ID (D), the monitoring device A stores it in the ID storage unit 28 as a group ID.

Through the above procedure, all the monitoring devices A to D store all ID (A) to ID (D) in the ID storage unit 28 as group IDs, and new group registration is completed.
In this way, when a new monitoring device enters the communication area of the monitoring devices of the members constituting the existing group, that is, in an area that can be monitored, the new monitoring device is automatically added to the group. Registration is complete. Even when new gaming machines are additionally installed, group registration can be performed one after another without special registration work for group registration.
In the above example, each monitoring device transmits the received ID to the transmission source. However, when the ID is received, the transmission source is identified and transmitted to the transmission source. It may be set so as not to. However, if the transmission is performed to the transmission source, the function of specifying the transmission source of the ID is not required when the ID is received.
Similarly, the own ID received from another monitoring apparatus may be transmitted without the received ID.

Next, a procedure for monitoring whether or not members of each of the monitoring apparatuses A to D that have completed group registration have dropped out of the group will be described.
Any member dropping out means that the member is out of any communication area of the other member. For example, the monitoring device D dropping out means that the monitoring device D has moved out of the area S1 shown in FIG. Specifically, this is a case where the control board of the gaming machine to which the monitoring device D is attached is removed.

  And in order to identify a drop-off member, the processing unit 27 of each of the monitoring devices A to D has the following functions. That is, the processing unit 27 has received all group IDs by comparing the IDs received from other monitoring devices located within its own communication area with the group IDs stored in the ID storage unit 28. And a function of outputting an abnormality detection signal when there is an ID that is not received among the group IDs. The processing unit 27 is connected to an output unit such as an alarm device (not shown) so that an alarm is generated by the abnormality detection signal. However, the output destination of the abnormality detection signal is not limited to the alarm device, and any device may be used as long as the abnormality is detected.

  As described above, each of the monitoring devices A to D stores the ID (A), ID (B), ID (C), and IC (D) as the group IDs. The monitoring device D cannot communicate with any of the other monitoring devices A to C when it moves away from the area S1 indicated by the diagonal line. Therefore, at the transmission / reception timing after the monitoring device D leaves, the monitoring devices A, B, and C do not receive ID (D). Therefore, the processing unit 27 of each of the monitoring devices A to C recognizes that the ID (D) in the group ID stored in each ID storage unit 28 has not been received, and outputs an abnormality detection signal. . Thereby, it can detect that the monitoring apparatus D left | separated from the group.

On the other hand, since the monitoring device D cannot receive any ID transmitted from the other monitoring devices A to C, any of the group IDs (A) to ID (D) stored in its own ID storage unit 28 is not received. Do not receive. Therefore, the processing unit 27 of the monitoring device D also detects an abnormality and outputs an abnormality detection signal.
In such a case, it can be considered that the monitoring device D has been separated from the monitoring devices A to C, or the monitoring devices A to C which are other members have been separated from the monitoring device D. it can.

In such a group monitoring system, it is possible to monitor a wide area as a group compared to the communication area of one monitoring device.
The monitoring device can be mounted on a control board of a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine to monitor the gaming machine.
In amusement halls, game machines of the same model are often installed side by side, but a group can be configured for each model, and IDs of game machines in the group can be monitored and managed as a group.

In this case, if at least one monitoring device provided in an adjacent gaming machine is located in the communication area of one monitoring device, IDs can be transmitted one after another. Therefore, it is not necessary for all the gaming machine monitoring devices to be located within the communication area of the monitoring device installed in the last gaming machine. In other words, a wider area can be monitored as a group than the communication area of each monitoring device.
An area in which a newly installed gaming machine can be recognized as a group member, that is, an area that can be monitored as a group is, for example, the area S1 in FIG.

On the other hand, when each monitoring device can receive only the ID of the monitoring device that can directly communicate, it is necessary to enlarge the communication area of each monitoring device.
For example, in order to allow one monitoring device A to monitor all the gaming machines in the group, as shown in FIG. 19, all the monitoring devices A to D attached to the gaming machine are connected to the monitoring device A. Must be located within the communication area. In other words, the communication area of one monitoring device A and the area that can be monitored must match.
In such a case, as shown in FIG. 19, the communication area S <b> 2 of one monitoring device A becomes very large compared to the individual circles shown in FIG. 13.

In addition, in the system of the fifth embodiment, when a new gaming machine is installed in a group, the ID can be transmitted and received between the monitoring devices and the group ID can be automatically registered. Sometimes no special settings are required.
Furthermore, even if the placement of gaming machines is exchanged within the group after the group registration once, the group ID is maintained as it is.

It is the front view which showed the state of the amusement island. It is a system configuration figure of a 1st embodiment. It is the table which showed ID which the ID memory | storage part has memorize | stored in the system of 1st Embodiment. It is the flowchart which showed the process sequence of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the fraud detection state in 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the fraud detection state in 1st Embodiment. It is a system configuration figure of a 2nd embodiment. It is the flowchart which showed the process sequence of 2nd Embodiment. It is a system configuration figure of a 3rd embodiment. It is a system individuality figure of 4th Embodiment. It is a block diagram of the monitoring apparatus of 4th Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the connection part of 4th Embodiment. It is the schematic diagram which showed the communication area of the monitoring apparatus in the system of 5th Embodiment. It is a block diagram of the monitoring apparatus of 5th Embodiment. It is the table | surface which showed communication of each monitoring apparatus of 5th Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the flow of ID signal in 5th Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state in which the new member entered the group of 5th Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the flow of ID signal at the time of performing a new group setting in 5th Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the monitoring system using the monitoring apparatus picture which can only communicate directly.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1a, 1b,... Gaming machine 4 ID storage unit 5 processing unit 6 wireless transmission / reception unit 7 gaming panel 8 control board 9, 9a, 9b ID transmission means 10, 10a, 10b ID storage unit 11, 11a, 11b Unit 12, 12a, 12b wireless transmission / reception unit 13 determination means 14 ID storage unit 15 processing unit 16 wireless transmission / reception unit 18 monitoring device 19 processing unit 20 disconnection detection unit 21 data storage unit 23 battery 24 connection unit 25a, 25b wiring 26a, 26b connector

Claims (5)

A monitoring unit having a mutual monitoring function is provided directly or indirectly on a monitoring target such as a game panel or a control board of a plurality of gaming machines, and this monitoring unit sets its own ID and monitoring target ID for mutual monitoring. A storage unit for storing, a processing unit, and a wireless transmission / reception unit are provided, and the processing unit transmits a self ID through the wireless transmission / reception unit, and the monitoring target ID of the mutual monitoring through the wireless transmission / reception unit. A function for receiving the ID, a function for determining whether or not both IDs compared with the function for comparing the received ID with the monitoring target ID stored in the storage unit, and a function for outputting the determination result; A gaming machine monitoring system. A game that is provided directly or indirectly on a monitoring target such as a gaming panel or a control board of a gaming machine, stores an ID of the monitoring target, and has a function of wirelessly transmitting the ID, and a game excluding the monitoring target of the gaming machine A determination unit provided in the machine body, the determination unit storing a monitoring target ID stored in the ID transmission unit, a function of receiving an ID transmitted from the ID transmission unit, and a reception Of a gaming machine provided with a function for comparing the ID that has been recorded with the monitored ID stored therein, a function for determining whether or not the compared IDs match, and a function for outputting the determination result system. 3. The gaming machine monitoring according to claim 2, further comprising a function of outputting a control signal for stopping a gaming function of the gaming machine as the determination result when the processing unit determines that the compared IDs do not match. system. It consists of a monitoring device and a connection part for connecting wirings respectively connected to two points in the monitoring device outside the monitoring device, and either the monitoring device or the connection part is a monitoring target such as a control board of a gaming machine And the other is provided in a portion other than the control target, and the monitoring device includes a processing unit, a data storage unit connected to the processing unit, a disconnection detection unit, these processing units, and data. The storage unit and the disconnection detection unit include a battery for supplying power, and the disconnection detection unit detects a connection or disconnection between the monitoring device and the connection unit, and the result is sent to the processing unit. And a function for storing the disconnection information as disconnection information in the data storage unit when the disconnection detection signal is received from the disconnection detection unit, and the data storage unit Gaming machine monitoring system having a by a function of outputting a disconnection information to. The gaming machine according to claim 4, wherein the data storage unit has a function of storing a device ID unique to the monitoring device, and the processing unit has a function of outputting a device ID stored in the data storage unit. Monitoring system.

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