JP2007260090A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inhibit the internal state of a game machine from being recognized from outside while the main control board and the subsidiary control board are formed as separate bodies, and a variety of performances are made possible. <P>SOLUTION: The main control board 60, the subsidiary control board 80 and a relay board 70 are electrically connected. The main control board 60 is equipped with a game input sensing means 61, a game output controlling means (a reel controlling means 64 and a putting out means 67), a winning combination lottery means 62, and a relay information transmitting means 69 which transmits game information to the relay board 70. The relay board 70 is equipped with a relay information receiving means 71 which receives the transmitted game information, a game information changing means 72 which can change and re-output the received game information, and a game information transmitting means 74 which transmits the re-output game information to the subsidiary control board 80. The subsidiary control board 80 is equipped with a game information receiving means 81 which receives the transmitted game information, and a performance output controlling means 84 which controls the output of a performance outputting apparatus based on the received game information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine provided with a main control board and a sub control board as separate bodies, and more specifically, the game information transmitted from the main control board to the sub control board can be changed. Technology.

  Conventional gaming machines such as slot machines and ball game machines have been provided with a control board on which a main CPU and a sub CPU are mounted. For example, in a conventional slot machine, game switches such as various switches, motors, lamps, and speakers provided in the slot machine, game output devices, and effect output devices are all electrically connected to the control board. .

  Then, the main CPU of the control board collectively manages and controls each of these devices, and for example, lightings for effect lamps or the like (effect output devices) to perform various effects during the game. Send the command. On the other hand, the sub CPU receives a command from the main CPU and controls to output a predetermined sound from a speaker (production output device). And in recent years, it has become possible to provide a deeper effect by diversifying the notification effect of the possibility of winning a role.

Here, in order to enable a wide variety of effects, a sufficient amount of effect data (including programs) must be processed. For this reason, attempts have been made to increase the capacity of the control board. As a method for increasing the capacity, a technique in which a main control board and a sub control board are provided separately is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). ).
JP 2001-58021 A

  According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 above, the main control board only transmits information on the lottery result of the role to the sub control board, and specific control of the effect output device is performed by the sub control board. Done. For this reason, the burden of control on the effect output device on the main control board is reduced, and it is possible to provide a margin for the processing capacity of the main control board and the data capacity for the effect.

  However, although the technology of Patent Document 1 enables a wide variety of presentations, for example, when trying to open a slot machine with an internal jackpot on the hall side before sales, information on the lottery result of the role is sub-controlled as it is Since it is transmitted to the substrate, the display of the effect output device (for example, the image display device) becomes “big hit”.

  Therefore, the internal state of the slot machine can be easily recognized from the outside, and the player can know in advance that the slot machine is in the internal jackpot state. As a result, there is a problem that the player's sense of expectation is lost.

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is that the main control board and the sub-control board are separated from each other, enabling a wider variety of effects while preventing the internal state from being recognized from the outside. It is to be able to have a sense of expectation.

The present invention solves the above problems by the following means.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a main control board on which a main CPU is mounted, a sub control board on which a sub CPU is mounted, the main control board, the sub control board, A relay board having a relay CPU mounted thereon, a game input device operated by a player to advance the game, a game output device that operates based on the operation of the game input device, The game input device, the game output device, the main control board, the main control board, the sub control board, the relay board, the effect output equipment, and the sub control board, respectively. The main control board is electrically connected, the game input detection means for detecting the input of the game input device, and the game output for controlling the output of the game output device Game information, including information on the input of the game input device, information on the output of the game output device, and information on the result of the lottery by the role lottery means. Relay information transmitting means for transmitting to the relay board, wherein the relay board changes the game information received by the relay information receiving means for receiving game information transmitted from the main control board and the relay information receiving means. And re-outputable game information changing means, and game information transmitting means for transmitting game information re-output from the game information changing means to the sub-control board, wherein the sub-control board is connected to the relay board. Game information receiving means for receiving the transmitted game information, and an effect output system for controlling output to the effect output device based on the game information received by the game information receiving means Characterized in that it comprises a means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the gaming machine according to the first aspect, the relay board includes game information change setting means capable of setting whether to change the game information received by the relay information receiving means, The game information changing means re-outputs game information based on the setting of the game information change setting means.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the gaming machine according to the second aspect, the game information change setting means can set the degree of change of the game information received by the relay information receiving means.

(Function)
In the above invention, the main control board on which the main CPU is mounted and the main control board are configured separately, the sub control board on which the sub CPU is mounted, and the main control board and the sub control board are configured separately. A relay board on which a CPU is mounted, and the main control board, the sub-control board, and the relay board are electrically connected. The relay board includes game information changing means that can change and re-output the game information received by the relay information receiving means.
Therefore, the output of the effect output device can be controlled by the sub control board, and not only the burden on the main control board is reduced, but also the changed game information can be transmitted to the sub control board by the relay board. .

According to the present invention, since the output of the effect output device can be controlled by the sub control board, the burden on the main control board is reduced, and a wider variety of effects can be achieved.
In addition, since the game information can be changed and re-output by the relay board, the changed game information can be transmitted to the sub-control board, and the internal state of the gaming machine can be prevented from being recognized by the effect output device. As a result, a gaming machine that does not impair the expectation of the game can be obtained.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the following, the slot machine 10 is taken as an example of the gaming machine of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a front view of the entire front side of the slot machine 10 of the present embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating the inside of the base portion 11 with the front mask portion 12 of the slot machine 10 opened in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing of the slot machine 10 includes a base body portion 11 and an openable / closable front mask portion 12 attached to the front surface of the base body portion 11.

  Here, the base body portion 11 is formed by assembling wood and the like and is formed in a box shape with an open front surface. As shown in FIG. A unit 101 and a medal payout device 102 including a hopper tank for storing medals are provided. A support plate 103 is provided above the power supply unit 101 and the medal payout device 102, and the reel unit 30 is mounted on the support plate 103.

  The reel unit 30 has three ring-shaped reels 31 arranged side by side. Further, a (stepping) motor 32 (not shown) is connected to the rotation center portion of each reel 31, and each reel 31 is individually rotated by drive control of this motor 32. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a lamp 21 is attached to the inner periphery of each reel 31.

  On the other hand, the front mask portion 12 is attached to the base portion 11 so as to be openable and closable so as to cover the front surface of the base portion 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the front mask portion 12 has a bet switch 40, a start switch 41, and three stop switches on the front side (player side) below the reel unit 30. 42, a medal slot 43, a medal tray 44, and the like are arranged.

  Here, the bet switch 40 is a switch operated when the player inserts a stored medal similarly to the insertion of a medal from the game medal insertion slot 43, and includes a three-sheet insertion switch, a one-sheet insertion switch, and 2 A sheet insertion switch is provided. That is, the three-sheet insertion switch is used to insert the maximum number (three) of stored medals within a range that does not exceed the number of stored medals and the prescribed number, and the one-sheet insertion switch is stored. The two-sheet insertion switch is used when a maximum of two stored medals are inserted within a range not exceeding the number of stored medals and the prescribed number.

The start switch 41 is a switch operated by the player when starting each reel 31 of the reel unit 30.
Furthermore, three stop switches 42 are provided corresponding to the three reels 31, and are operated by the player when the corresponding reels 31 are individually stopped.

An image display device 23 is provided above the front mask portion 12 so that various effects during the game can be displayed as images. A transparent display window 25 is provided on the front side of the image display device 23, and the image display device 23 can be seen through the display window 25.
A transparent window 13 is provided at the center of the front mask portion 12. And from this transparent window 13, each reel 31 inside the base | substrate part 11 can be seen through.

Furthermore, a reel tape (not shown) on which a plurality of symbols (designs constituting a role) are printed is attached to the outer peripheral surface of each reel 31. That is, 21 symbols are displayed on each reel 31 by reel tape, and from the transparent window 13 of the front mask portion 12 shown in FIG. It can be seen. For this reason, a total of nine symbols can be seen through the three reels 31 from the transparent window 13.
Then, there are a total of five effective lines, which are the combination lines of symbols when the reel 31 is stopped, in the horizontal upper line, the middle line, and the lower line, and in the diagonally downward and rightward diagonal lines.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a main control board 60 accommodated in a transparent case 105 is disposed inside the base body 11 and above the reel unit 30. The main control board 60 is a control board that performs overall control of the progress of the game and the like. Although not shown, the main CPU that performs the calculation, the main ROM that stores the game program, data for games, etc. is temporarily stored. It is provided with a main RAM for storing. The main control board 60 is caulked and sealed after being accommodated in the case 105 in order to prevent fraud.

  On the other hand, a sub control board 80 configured separately from the main control board 60 is provided on the back side of the front mask portion 12. This sub-control board 80 is a board that controls the effects during the game, and is attached to the lamp 21 (upper lamp and side lamp attached to the front mask portion 12 and the inner periphery of each reel 31 shown in FIG. The display back lamp is turned on or blinked, the sound output from the two speakers 22, the image display by the image display device 23, and the like are controlled. A sub-ROM storing production data, a sub-RAM storing various data temporarily, and the like are provided.

  Further, a relay board 70 is provided on the right side of the main control board 60 inside the base body 11. The relay board 70 is configured separately from the main control board 60 and the sub control board 80, and relays between the main control board 60 and the sub control board 80. That is, the relay board 70 is electrically connected to the upper main control board 60 by a harness (not shown) and is also electrically connected to the lower sub-control board 80 by a harness (not shown). Although not shown, the relay board 70 includes a relay CPU that performs calculations, a relay ROM that stores relay programs and relay data, a relay RAM that temporarily stores various data, and the like.

  As described above, the bet switch 40, the start switch 41, and the three stop switches 42 are provided on the front side of the front mask portion 12 of the slot machine 10. The game of the slot machine 10 is performed by the player inserting a medal into the medal insertion slot 43 or operating the bet switch 40 and further operating the start switch 41 and each stop switch 42. In addition, the overall progress of the game and the like is comprehensively controlled by the main control board 60, and the effects during the game are controlled by the sub control board 80 connected to the main control board 60 via the relay board 70.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the slot machine 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
As shown in FIG. 3, the slot machine 10 includes a main control board 60, a relay board 70, and a sub control board 80, all of which are configured separately. The main control board 60 and the relay board 70, and the relay board 70 and the sub-control board 80 are electrically connected to each other.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the main control board 60 includes a main CPU 60a, a main ROM 60b, a main RAM 60c, an I / O port 60d, and an I / O port 60e. Here, the main CPU 60a controls the main control board 60. The main ROM 60b stores programs necessary for games. Furthermore, the main RAM 60c temporarily stores data for games and the like. Further, the I / O port 60d is a part serving as an entrance / exit for transferring game information between the main control board 60 and a game input device and a game output device described later, and the I / O port 60e is a relay. This is a part serving as an exit for transmitting game information to the board 70.

  The game input device is operated by a player or the like in proceeding with the game. In the present embodiment, the game input device includes various switches as the game input device. That is, as the switches, in addition to the above-described bet switch 40, start switch 41, and stop switch 42, the clearing button used when starting or releasing the medal payout device 102 (see FIG. 2), the stage of the payout rate Setting keys for setting, canceling cancellation, medal payout error, medal insertion error, reset switch used when returning the gaming state to the initial state, setting buttons for processing such as step setting, front mask An error release switch for detecting an operation of turning the door key of the section 12 (see FIG. 2), a stop presence / absence setting switch for setting whether a stop is present or not, and when a medal is stored There is an automatic liquidation presence / absence switch for setting whether to perform automatic liquidation or not. These switches are electrically connected to the input side of the I / O port 60d provided on the main control board 60.

  In addition to the switches, the game input device includes sensors. That is, a sensor for detecting the rotational position of the reel 31 (see FIG. 2), a sensor for detecting the passage of medals when a medal is paid out from the medal payout device 102 (see FIG. 2), and a medal slot 43. There are sensors for detecting inserted medals. The switches and sensors are not limited to these.

  On the other hand, the game output device operates based on the operation of the game input device, and in the present embodiment, motors are provided as the game output device. That is, as motors, there are a motor 32 for driving the reel 31, a motor for paying medals to the medal tray 44 (see FIG. 1) by rotating a disk of the medal payout device 102, and the like. These motors are electrically connected to the output side of the I / O port 60d of the main control board 60.

  In addition to the motors, the game output devices include lamps (including LEDs). That is, a medal payout number display LED, a stored medal number display LED, a number display LED, a game state display lamp for displaying the number of games and the number of wins, etc., and a medal is automatically inserted to indicate that the next game (re-game) can be performed. A replay display lamp for displaying, a medal insertion display lamp for displaying a state in which a medal can be accepted, a weight display lamp that is lit while the reel 31 is not allowed to rotate after an operation of the start switch 41 is accepted, and a stop switch 42 There are a stop switch LED for displaying an operation acceptable state and an operation unacceptable state, an error display lamp for informing when an error occurs in the slot machine 10 and the like. The motors and lamps are not limited to these.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the sub control board 80 includes a sub CPU 80a, a sub ROM 80b, a sub RAM 80c, an I / O port 80d, and an I / O port 80e. Here, the sub CPU 80a controls the sub control board 80. Further, the sub ROM 80b and the sub RAM 80c store programs and data for production. Furthermore, the I / O port 80d is a part that serves as an entrance for receiving game information transmitted from the relay board 70, and the I / O port 80e is provided between the sub-control board 80 and an effect output device described later. It is a part serving as an exit for exchanging game information.

  The effect output device outputs an effect during the game (including a notification effect of the possibility of winning the role) that is not directly related to the game. In the present embodiment, each of the lamps 21 and the speaker described above are used as the effect output device. 22 and an image display device 23. Such an effect output device is electrically connected to the output side of the I / O port 80e of the sub control board 80.

Here, the lamp 21 is an effect lamp for the slot machine 10 and lights and blinks in a predetermined pattern when a predetermined condition is satisfied. That is, the lamp 21 is attached to the front mask portion 12 shown in FIG. 1 and is attached to the inner side of each reel 31 and the upper lamp and the side lamp blinking when winning a winning combination, etc., and is located on the front side. There is a back lamp that allows the design to be seen through the transparent window 13 (see FIG. 1).
The speakers 22 are provided on both sides of the upper portion of the front mask portion 12, and output a predetermined sound when a predetermined condition is satisfied so as to perform various effects during the game.
Furthermore, the image display device 23 (in the present embodiment, a liquid crystal display) can display various symbols, and displays various effects by symbols during the game. The production output device is not limited to these.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the relay board 70 includes a relay CPU 70a, a relay ROM 70b, a relay RAM 70c, an I / O port 70d, and an I / O port 70e. Here, the relay CPU 70a controls the relay board 70. The relay ROM 70b and the relay RAM 70c store relay programs and data. Furthermore, the I / O port 70d is a part that serves as an entrance for receiving game information transmitted from the main control board 60, and the I / O port 70e serves as an exit for sending game information to the sub control board 80. Part.

  In this way, game input devices such as the bet switch 40, the start switch 41, and the stop switch 42 are connected to the input side of the I / O port 60d of the main control board 60, and the output side of the I / O port 60d is connected to the input side. Are connected to a game output device such as a motor 32 for driving the reel 31. Then, the player inserts a medal from the game medal slot 43 (see FIG. 1) or operates the bet switch 40 to activate a valid line. Next, when the start switch 41 is operated, the main CPU 60a drives and controls the motor 32 to rotate the reel 31. Therefore, the reel 31 is rotated by the operation of the start switch 41, and the symbols of each reel 31 are moved and displayed at a predetermined speed in the transparent window 13 (see FIG. 1).

  When the start switch 41 is operated, a signal to that effect is transmitted to the relay board 70 via the I / O port 60e. Then, the relay board 70 receives a signal to that effect via the I / O port 70d, and further transmits it to the sub-control board 80 via the I / O port 70e. The sub control board 80 receives a signal indicating that the start switch 41 has been operated via the I / O port 80d, and the sub CPU 80a receives the lamp 21, the speaker 22, and the image display device via the I / O port 80e. Controls production output equipment such as 23.

  Furthermore, when the stop switch 42 is operated, a signal generated at that time is input to the main control board 60, and the main CPU 60 a controls the drive of the motor 32 and the reel 31 corresponding to the operated stop switch 42. Stop. Further, when the main control board 60 receives a signal indicating that the stop switch 42 has been operated, the main control board 60 transmits a signal indicating that the stop switch 42 has been operated, and the relay board 70 transmits a signal indicating that fact to the sub-control board 80. To do. Then, the sub CPU 80a of the sub control board 80 controls the effect output device based on this signal.

All the stop switches 42 are operated, all the reels 31 are stopped, and the combination of symbols on the effective line in each reel 31 coincides with a predetermined combination of symbols of some combination, and the combination is won. When this happens, the medal payout device 102 connected to the main control board 60 is activated, and medals are paid out according to the winning combination.
The sub-control board 80 controls lighting or blinking of the lamp 21, output of sound from the speaker 22, and image display control of the image display device 23.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an outline of control by the slot machine 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
As shown in FIG. 4, the main control board 60, the sub control board 80, and the relay board 70 are configured separately, and the relay board 70 and the sub control are provided between the main control board 60 and the relay board 70. The substrate 80 is electrically connected.

  First, the main control board 60 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, the main control board 60 comprises a main CPU 60a, a main ROM 60b, a main RAM 60c, an I / O port 60d, and an I / O port 60e. As shown in FIG. 4, the main control board 60 has a game input detection means 61, a role lottery means 62, a role lottery table 63, a reel control means 64 (corresponding to the game output control means in the present invention), a stop. It has functions as a position determination table 65, stop symbol determination means 66, payout means 67 (corresponding to the game output control means in the present invention), special game control means 68, and relay information transmission means 69.

  The game input detection means 61 detects inputs from game input devices such as the bet switch 40, the start switch 41, and the stop switch 42 shown in FIG. That is, on the input side of the I / O port 60d (see FIG. 3) of the main control board 60, there are game input devices such as switches such as a bet switch 40, a start switch 41, and a stop switch 42, and various sensors. When these switches are connected and operated, the game input detection means 61 will detect them.

  For example, when a medal is inserted by the player, the input detection means 61 detects that a medal has been inserted based on an input signal from the sensor. Further, when the player operates the bet switch 40, it detects how many medals have been betted by an input signal from the bet switch 40. Furthermore, when the player operates the start switch 41, it is detected that the start switch 41 is turned on. When the player operates the stop switch 42, it is detected that the stop switch 42 is turned on. Further, when the reel 31 rotates by turning on the start switch 41, the rotational position of the reel 31 is periodically detected by an input signal from the sensor.

The role lottery means 62 performs a lottery for a role. Here, special types (BB and RB), small combinations, replays, and the like are provided as types of combinations in the present embodiment.
BB (Big Bonus) is one of the roles corresponding to the special role, and is a role to be transferred to the BB game corresponding to one of the special games. Also, RB (Regular Bonus) is one of the roles corresponding to the special role as in the case of BB, and is a role for shifting to the RB game corresponding to one of the special games. These BB games and RB games will be described later.
Furthermore, the small combination is a combination in which a predetermined number of medals are paid out, and the replay is a re-playing combination in which medals are automatically inserted and the next game (re-playing) can be performed.

  The role lottery means 62 corresponds to the random number generation means (hardware random number or software random number) for the role lottery, the random number extraction means for extracting the random number generated by the random number generation means, and the random number value extracted by the random number extraction means. The value is compared with a combination lottery table 63 described later, and determining means for determining a winning combination (including non-winning) corresponding to a range to which the value belongs.

  And, a combination of symbols corresponding to each combination is determined, and when all the reels 31 are stopped, when a combination of symbols corresponding to any combination is stopped on the active line, the winning combination of the combination is awarded. The number of medals corresponding to the combination will be paid out.

The combination lottery table 63 defines the type of combination to be selected and the winning probability of each combination. The combination lottery table 63 is provided with a specific combination lottery table 63 for each gaming state (inside non-normal game, inside normal game, or special game).
Each combination lottery table 63 has a predetermined range of lottery areas. The lottery area is divided into a winning area and a non-winning area for each combination, and the winning combinations are determined in advance. It is set to a predetermined ratio so as to be a probability.

  In this embodiment, the reel control means 64 corresponds to one of the game output control means of the present invention, and controls the output of the game output device (rotation drive of the reel 31). Specifically, the reel control means 64 first controls the rotation of all (three) reels 31 when the start switch 41 is operated. The reel control means 64 refers to a stop position determination table 65 to be described later based on the timing when the stop switch 42 is operated, determines the stop position of the reel 31 corresponding to the stop switch 42, and The motor 32 is driven and controlled to stop the reel 31 at the determined position.

  That is, the reel control means 64 controls to stop the reel 31 so that the combination of symbols corresponding to the winning combination is stopped at the effective line within the range of the stop control of the reel 31 in the game won for the winning combination. The reel 31 is controlled to stop so that a combination of symbols corresponding to a combination other than the combination is not stopped on the effective line.

For example, if the reel 31 is stopped immediately at the moment when the stop switch 42 is operated at the time of winning the winning combination, if the symbol related to the winning combination does not stop on the active line, the reel 31 is stopped when the reel 31 stops. By controlling the rotational movement of the reel 31 within the "stop control range", the symbol related to the winning combination is controlled so as to stop on the effective line as much as possible.
On the contrary, when the reel 31 is stopped immediately at the moment when the stop switch 42 is operated at the time of non-winning of the winning combination, when the combination of symbols corresponding to the winning combination is stopped on the active line, When the reel 31 is stopped, the reel 31 is controlled so as to rotate and move “within the range of stop control of the reel 31”, so that the combination of symbols corresponding to the winning combination is not stopped on the effective line.

The stop position determination table 65 is based on the lottery result of the combination by the combination lottery means 62 and the position of the reel 31 at the moment when the stop switch 42 is operated. The above pattern).
Then, the reel control means 64 uses one of the stop position determination tables 65 to stop the reel 31 so that the combination of symbols corresponding to the winning combination stops at the active line in the game won for the winning combination. The reel 31 is controlled to stop so that combinations of symbols corresponding to the winning combinations other than the winning combination do not stop on the active line.

  The stop symbol discriminating means 66 discriminates whether or not the symbol combination of the reel 31 stopped on the effective line matches the symbol combination corresponding to any combination when the reel 31 is stopped. The stop symbol discrimination means 66 discriminates the symbols on the effective line by detecting, for example, the angle or number of steps when the motor 32 that drives the reel 31 is stopped.

  In the present embodiment, the payout means 67 corresponds to one of the game output control means of the present invention together with the reel control means 64 described above. The output of the game output device (medal payout by the medal payout device 102, etc.) ) To control. Specifically, the payout unit 67 determines that the combination of symbols stopped on the active line when the reel 31 is stopped matches the combination of symbols corresponding to any combination by the stop symbol determination unit 66 described above. When a winning combination is won, a predetermined number of medals corresponding to the winning combination are paid out to the player, or credits are added. When a replay is won, control is performed so that the number of medals inserted in the game is automatically inserted without paying out medals.

  The special game control means 68 starts the special game (BB game and RB game) (transition from the normal game to the special game), progress of the game during the special game, and end of the special game (from the special game to the normal game). Transition) and the like. When the symbol combination corresponding to BB stops on the active line, the special game control means 68 shifts from the normal game to the BB game, and when the specific symbol combination corresponding to RB stops on the active line. , Transition from normal game to RB game.

  First, during the normal game, when the symbol combination corresponding to BB stops on the active line, BB is won and the BB game is started from the next game. In the BB game, a BB general game is played first. Then, when the RB game transition combination is won and won during the BB general game, the RB game is played from the next game.

  The RB game is a game that is executed until the number of winning combinations reaches 8 or until the number of games reaches 12. During the RB game, the special game control means 68 counts the number of winning combinations and the number of games of the winning combination, and if either one is satisfied, the RB game is terminated, and control is performed so that the BB general game is started again. To do. As described above, during the BB game, the BB general game and the RB game are repeated.

  In this embodiment, as the BB game end condition, it is set that the number of medals paid out during the BB game is 450 or more. Therefore, in this embodiment, the special game control means 68 keeps counting the number of medals paid out during the BB game and updates the number of medals paid out for each game. When the special game control means 68 determines that the counted number of payouts has reached 450 or more, the special game control means 68 determines that the end condition of the BB game is satisfied, and controls to shift to the normal game.

  Further, the special game control means 68 controls to shift to the RB game on the condition that the combination of symbols corresponding to the RB stops on the active line, that is, the RB wins. The RB game is a game that is executed until the number of winning of the combination reaches 8 times or until the number of games reaches 12 times, and the special game control means 68 is configured such that during the RB game, The number of games is counted, and if either one is satisfied, the RB game is terminated and control is performed so as to shift to the normal game.

  The relay information transmitting means 69 includes information relating to the input of the game input device (such as the bet switch 40), information relating to the output of the game output device (such as the reel 31), and information relating to the result of the lottery by the role lottery means 62. Information is transmitted to the relay board 70. The game information transmitted from the relay information transmitting unit 69 to the relay board 70 is specifically as follows.

  (1) Information about the start of a game, information on the number of games, information on the number of medals inserted in the game, operation information on the bet switch 40, start switch 41, and stop switch 42, information on a lottery result of a combination, medal Information on the operation of the payout device 102, information on the number of medals to be paid out for the game, information on replays, information on active lines won at the time of winning, information on stopping and canceling, and when the expectation for winning a special role increases (for example, When the two reels 31 are stopped, the symbols constituting the special role are aligned and stopped on the effective line, and the last reel 31 is rotating) information, information in the weight, information on whether the reel 31 is rotating, reels 31 stop position information, various types of error information, set value information, and other information related to effects. However, it is not restricted to these.

  (2) Information on the number of special games, information indicating that a special role (BB, RB, SB, high-probability character) has been won, information indicating that a combination of symbols constituting the special character has been won, and being in a special game Information to the effect, information to the effect that the BB game is in the general game and information about the number of games in the general game, information to the effect that the combination of symbols to be transferred from the general game in the BB game to the bonus game has been won, BB Information indicating that a bonus game is being played, information on the number of games played in the bonus game and the number of winning times, information on the number of games and winning times during the RB game, information indicating that a high-probability game is being played, and benefits Information indicating that a game is in progress. However, it is not restricted to these.

  Next, the relay board 70 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, the relay board 70 includes a relay CPU 70a, a relay ROM 70b, a relay RAM 70c, an I / O port 70d, and an I / O port 70e. As shown in FIG. 4, the relay board 70 has functions as relay information receiving means 71, game information changing means 72, game information change setting means 73, and game information transmitting means 74.

  The relay information receiving means 71 receives game information transmitted from the main control board 60. In other words, the relay information transmitting means 69 of the main control board 60 is used for information relating to the input of the game input device (such as the bet switch 40), information relating to the output of the game output device (such as the reel 31), and the lottery of the character by the character lottery means 62 Various game information as described above including information on the result is transmitted to the relay board 70. Therefore, the relay board 70 can receive at least game information such as a lottery result of a role related to the output content of the effect.

  The game information changing means 72 can change and re-output the game information received by the relay information receiving means 71. That is, if the sub-control means 80 (to be described later) receives game information such as a lottery result of a role related to the output content of the production as it is, for example, the store is opened with the slot machine 10 in the internal big hit state on the hall side before sales. In such a case, the display of the effect output device (for example, the image display device 23) becomes a “hit”, and the player can easily recognize the internal state (hit state) from the outside. Therefore, the game information is changed by the game information changing means 72 so that the internal state cannot be recognized from the outside and the player has a sense of expectation of the game, and can be re-output.

  The game information change setting means 73 is for setting whether to change the game information received by the relay information receiving means 71. That is, the game information can be changed and re-output by the game information changing means 72, but the game information change setting means 73 can set whether or not to change. The game information change setting means 73 can set the degree of change when game information is changed. For example, even if it is BB winning, it can be changed so that it is SB winning, or it can be changed so that it is not winning. Then, the game information changing means 72 re-outputs the game information based on the setting of the game information change setting means 73.

  The game information transmitting unit 74 transmits the game information re-output from the game information changing unit 72 to the sub-control board 80. Therefore, the game information received by the relay information receiving means 71 is not always transmitted to the sub-control board 80 as it is. If the game information change setting means 73 is set to change the game information, the game information is changed. The changed game information is re-output from the game information changing means 72, and the changed game information is transmitted to the sub-control board 80 by the game information transmitting means 74.

  Next, the sub control unit 80 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, the sub control means 80 is composed of a sub CPU 80a, a sub ROM 80b, a sub RAM 80c, an I / O port 80d, and an I / O port 80e. As shown in FIG. 4, the sub-control means 80 has functions as a game information receiving means 81, an effect pattern storage means 82, an effect pattern selection means 83, and an effect output control means 84.

  The game information receiving means 81 is for receiving game information transmitted from the relay board 70. That is, the game information transmitting unit 74 of the relay board 70 transmits the game information (for example, changed game information) re-output from the game information changing unit 72 to the sub-control board 80. Therefore, the sub control board 80 can receive the game information changed from the game information of the main control board 60 via the relay board 70.

  For example, information that a medal has been inserted from the game medal slot 43, information that the bet switch 40 has been operated, information that the start switch 41 has been operated, and information that the stop switch 42 has been operated , It is possible to know that these have been operated on the sub-control board 80 side. Further, for example, if the lottery result information of the combination has been changed, the changed information is received.

  The effect pattern storage means 82 stores a plurality of types of effect patterns. As for the performance pattern, as to the progress of the game, at what timing (when the start switch 41 is operated, when each stop switch 42 is operated, etc.), what effect is output (how the lamp 21 is lit) , Blinking or turning off, what kind of sound is output from the speaker 22 and what kind of image is displayed on the image display device 23). There are multiple types. For example, a plurality of types of effect patterns are provided for each of BB winning, small role winning (not inside or inside), and not winning (not inside or inside).

  The effect pattern selection means 83 re-outputs the information received by the game information receiving means 81 for each game (the lottery result information of the roles by the role lottery means 62 of the main control board 60 is output by the game information changing means 72 of the relay board 70. Information, which may be information in which the lottery result of the combination is changed), when the game is started, the effect pattern is selected. A plurality of effect patterns selected by the effect pattern selection means 83 are provided for each winning combination. In the present embodiment, any of the plurality of effect patterns corresponding to the winning combination is selected by lottery using software random numbers. One production pattern is selected.

  The effect output control means 84 controls the output of the effect at a predetermined timing according to the selected effect pattern. That is, the effect output control means 84 controls lighting or blinking of the lamp 21, output of sound from the speaker 22, and image display of the image display device 23 based on one effect pattern selected by the effect pattern selection means 83. To do. Here, when displaying an image by the image display device 23, control is performed so that predetermined image data is extracted from the sub ROM 80b, predetermined signal processing is performed on the image data, and an image is displayed on the image display device 23. To do.

  As described above, in the slot machine 10 of the present embodiment, the relay board 70 is interposed between the main control board 60 and the sub control board 80, and the game information changing unit 72 of the relay board 70 transmits the data from the main control board 60. The changed game information (for example, game information such as a lottery result of a role related to the output content of the effect) can be changed and re-output, and the changed game information can be transmitted to the sub-control board 80. Therefore, for example, even if the slot machine 10 is opened on the hall side with a big jackpot on the hall side before sales, it is possible to prevent the internal state from being reflected in the production so that it cannot be recognized from the outside. , You will be able to give the game a sense of expectation.

As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, For example, the following various deformation | transformation is possible.
(1) In this embodiment, the slot machine 10 is given as an example of a representative gaming machine. However, the present invention is not limited to the slot machine 10 and may be applied to other types of gaming machines such as a ball gaming machine. Applicable.
(2) In the present embodiment, the relay board 70 is provided with the game information change setting means 73 capable of setting whether or not to change the game information received by the relay information receiving means 71, and the game information change setting means 73 plays a game Although the degree of information change can be set, the game information change setting means 73 can be omitted.

It is a front view of the front side which shows the whole slot machine of this embodiment. In FIG. 1, the front mask part of the slot machine is open | released, and it is the front view shown in figure so that the inside of a base | substrate part could be seen. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the slot machine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of control by the slot machine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Explanation of symbols

10 Slot machines (gaming machines)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Base part 12 Front mask part 13 Transparent window 21 Lamp 22 Speaker 23 Image display apparatus 25 Display window 30 Reel unit 31 Reel 32 Motor 40 Bet switch 41 Start switch 42 Stop switch 43 Game medal insertion slot 44 Medal tray 60 Main control board 60a Main CPU
60b Main ROM
60c main RAM
60d I / O port 60e I / O port 61 Game input detection means 62 Role lottery means 63 Role lottery table 64 Reel control means (game output control means)
65 Stop position determination table 66 Stop symbol determining means 67 Dispensing means (game output control means)
68 Special game control means 69 Relay information transmission means 70 Relay board 70a Relay CPU
70b Relay ROM
70c Relay RAM
70d I / O port 70e I / O port 71 Relay information receiving means 72 Game information changing means 73 Game information change setting means 74 Game information transmitting means 80 Sub control board 80a Sub CPU
80b Sub ROM
80c sub RAM
80d I / O port 80e I / O port 81 Game information receiving means 82 Production pattern storage means 83 Production pattern selection means 84 Production output control means 101 Power supply unit 102 Medal payout device 103 Support plate 105 Case

Claims (3)

A main control board equipped with a main CPU;
A sub-control board that is configured separately from the main control board and on which a sub-CPU is mounted;
It is configured separately from the main control board and the sub control board, and a relay board on which a relay CPU is mounted;
A game input device operated by the player in progressing the game;
A game output device that operates based on an operation of the game input device;
With production output equipment that outputs production,
The game input device and the game output device and the main control board, the main control board and the sub control board and the relay board, the effect output device and the sub control board are electrically connected, respectively.
The main control board is
Game input detection means for detecting input of the game input device;
Game output control means for controlling the output of the game output device;
A role lottery means for drawing a role;
Relay information transmitting means for transmitting game information to the relay board, including information related to the input of the game input device, information related to the output of the game output device, and information related to a result lottery result by the role lottery means,
The relay board is
Relay information receiving means for receiving game information transmitted from the main control board;
Game information changing means capable of changing and re-outputting the game information received by the relay information receiving means;
Game information transmitting means for transmitting game information re-output from the game information changing means to the sub-control board, and
The sub-control board is
Game information receiving means for receiving game information transmitted from the relay board;
An effect output control means for controlling an output to the effect output device based on the game information received by the game information receiving means. In the gaming machine according to claim 1,
The relay board includes game information change setting means capable of setting whether to change the game information received by the relay information receiving means,
The gaming machine is characterized in that the game information changing means re-outputs game information based on the setting of the game information change setting means. The gaming machine according to claim 2,
The gaming machine, wherein the game information change setting means can set the degree of change of the game information received by the relay information receiving means.

Images