JP2008113956A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a configuration of a performance control part without causing any adverse effect even when performance contents are made complicated and upgraded. <P>SOLUTION: When a prescribed winning state related to the operation of a player is generated, the game machine determines whether or not to generate a profit state advantageous to the player by winning/losing drawing due to it. The game machine comprises a main control part 21 for generally controlling game operations including the winning/losing drawing and a performance control part 22 for controlling various kinds of performance operations on the basis of control commands received from the main control part 21. The performance control part 22 is configured so as to execute main processing by scheduled processing repeated at every prescribed interval of time. The scheduled processing comprises a generation means (ST5) for interpreting the control commands received from the main control part and generating a required number of different control commands to be transmitted to a control part on the downstream side and a transmission means (ST8) for continuously transmitting one, two or more control commands corresponding to remaining time before the start of the next scheduled processing to the control part on the downstream side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine configured by connecting a plurality of control boards having a computer circuit, and more particularly, to a gaming machine capable of realizing an advanced control operation in an effect control unit without hindrance.

  A ball and ball game machine such as a pachinko machine has a symbol start port provided on the game board, a symbol display unit for displaying a series of symbol variation modes such as stopping a plurality of display symbols after varying a predetermined time, and an opening / closing plate It is configured with a grand prize opening that opens and closes. When the detection switch provided at the symbol start port detects the passing of the game ball, the game ball is in a winning state and the symbol display unit changes the display symbol for a predetermined time. After that, when the symbol stops in a predetermined manner such as 7-7-7, a big hit state is established, and the big winning opening is repeatedly opened to generate a profit state advantageous to the player.

  The symbol display unit is usually composed of a liquid crystal display and executes various symbol effect operations including a reach effect and a notice effect. Reach production is a design production that continues to be a big hit state in one step and excites the player, and notice production is a sudden appearance of some character in the middle of the movement of the design, It is a design effect that warns of a big hit. At the time of executing such a symbol effect, a sound effect and a lamp effect are also executed in synchronism with this, and at the time of a reach effect, a relatively loud music is flashed or the lamp flashes flashy. Also, during the notice effect, an effect is given such as suddenly producing some kind of notice sound or flashing the lamp for a short time.

And in order to implement | achieve said operation | movement, generally, a ball game machine is a sub-control which performs separate production operation | movement based on the main control part which controls game operation collectively, and the control command from a main control part. And a control unit. Here, the sub-control unit receives from the effect control unit an effect control unit that realizes the sound effect and the lamp effect, and a control command corresponding to the sound effect and the lamp effect, based on the control command received from the main control unit. For example, a liquid crystal control unit that drives a liquid crystal display and a payout control unit that executes payout control of a game ball are classified (Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-329020

  In this case, the main control unit only needs to transmit a control command specifying the outline of the content of the effect to the effect control unit, so that the control burden on the main control unit can be greatly reduced. And the production | generation control part which received the control command which specifies the outline | summary of production content performs production lottery, for example, and specifies any one of the production contents rich in variety. The specified effect content is notified to the liquid crystal control unit by transmission of a control command, and the sound effect and the lamp effect are executed in synchronization with the control of the effect control unit. In addition, since it is necessary to perform such a control operation in the effect control unit while managing the elapsed time, the control operation is usually executed based on a timer interruption every certain time (τ).

  However, the more sophisticated the content of the production by increasing the variation of the content of the production, the more control burden on the production control unit will increase, and the number and type of control commands to be transmitted to the liquid crystal control unit will also increase. There is a possibility that not all processing can be executed by one timer interrupt.

  In such a case, it may be possible to shorten the time required for transmission of the control command. However, this increases the possibility that the liquid crystal control unit will miss the control command, which is inappropriate as a countermeasure. Although it is conceivable to set the interrupt interval (τ) of the timer interrupt to be long, this makes it impossible to produce a precise presentation in terms of time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a configuration of an effect control unit that does not cause adverse effects even if the effect content is complicated and advanced.

  In order to achieve the above object, the gaming machine according to the present invention, when a predetermined winning state related to the player's movement occurs, whether or not to generate a profit state advantageous to the player by the winning / failing lottery resulting therefrom. A main control unit that comprehensively controls gaming operations including the winning / failing lottery, and a sub-control that controls various performance operations based on control commands received from the main control unit The sub-control unit is configured such that main processing is executed by a scheduled process repeated every predetermined time. The scheduled process interprets a control command received from the main control unit. The generation means for generating a necessary number of other control commands to be transmitted to the downstream control unit, and one or more control commands corresponding to the remaining time until the start of the next scheduled processing are continuously performed. It is configured by including a transmitting means for transmitting to the control unit of the flow side.

  The regular processing may be configured to be started directly by a timer interrupt (see FIG. 11A), or may be configured to be started indirectly due to a timer interrupt (see FIG. 11B and the embodiment). ). In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 11B, it is not always necessary to use a timer interrupt to determine whether or not the scheduled time has been reached. The determination may be made with reference to a counter value (timer value) or the like. good.

  Preferably, the generation means stores the generated control command in a transmission buffer having a ring buffer structure. The transmission means preferably reads and transmits a control command stored in a transmission buffer having a ring buffer structure.

  The upper limit value of the control command transmitted by the transmission means is preferably set in advance in a fixed manner. Regardless of whether or not an upper limit value is set, the transmission means continuously transmits one or more control commands corresponding to the remaining time until the start of the next scheduled processing to the downstream control unit. .

  The start timing of the scheduled processing is preferably managed by counting that repeats the counting operation to the limit value and then outputs an interrupt signal and restarts the counting operation from the initial value. Further, the transmission means includes a first process for reading the count value of the counter, a second process for comparing the read count value with a comparison reference value, and that the count value has not reached the comparison reference value. It is effective to be realized by repeatedly executing a third process for transmitting a control command to a downstream control unit as a condition.

  According to the above-described present invention, it is possible to realize a gaming machine having an effect control unit that does not cause adverse effects even if the effect contents are complicated and advanced.

  Hereinafter, the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the ball game machine according to the embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pachinko machine according to the present embodiment. The illustrated pachinko machine includes a rectangular frame-shaped wooden outer frame 1 that is detachably attached to an island structure, and a front frame 3 that is pivotally mounted via a hinge 2 fixed to the outer frame 1. It is configured. A game board 5 is detachably attached to the front frame 3 from the back side, and a glass door 6 and a front plate 7 are pivotally attached to the front side so as to be freely opened and closed.

  The front plate 7 is provided with an upper plate 8 for storing game balls for launch, and a lower plate 9 for storing game balls overflowing or extracted from the upper plate 8 and a launch handle 10 at the lower part of the front frame 3. And are provided. The launch handle 10 is interlocked with the launch motor, and a game ball is launched by a striking rod that operates according to the rotation angle of the launch handle 10.

  A chance button 11 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper plate 8. The chance button 11 is provided at a position where it can be operated with the left hand of the player, and the player can operate the chance button 11 without releasing the right hand from the firing handle 10. The chance button 11 does not function normally, but when the game state becomes the button chance state, the built-in lamp is turned on and can be operated. The button chance state is a game state provided as necessary.

  On the right side of the upper plate 8, an operation panel 12 for ball lending operation with respect to the card-type ball lending machine is provided, a frequency display unit for displaying the remaining amount of the card with a three-digit number, and a ball of game balls for a predetermined amount A ball lending switch for instructing lending and a return switch for instructing to return the card at the end of the game are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the game board 5 is provided with a guide rail 13 formed of a metal outer rail and an inner rail in an annular shape, and a liquid crystal color display DISP is provided at the approximate center of the game area 5a inside. Has been placed. In addition, at a suitable place in the game area 5a, a symbol starting port 15, a big winning port 16, a plurality of normal winning ports 17 (four on the right and left sides of the big winning port 16), and a gate 18 serving as two passing ports are arranged. Has been. Each of these winning openings 15 to 18 has a detection switch inside, and can detect the passage of a game ball.

  The liquid crystal display DISP is a device that variably displays a specific symbol related to a big hit state and displays a background image and various characters in an animated manner. This liquid crystal display DISP has special symbol display portions Da to Dc in the center portion and a normal symbol display portion 19 in the upper right portion. The special symbol display portions Da to Dc execute a reach effect that expects a big hit state to be invited, and the special symbol display portions Da to Dc and the surroundings perform a notice effect that informs the result of the determination indefinitely. The

  The normal symbol display unit 19 displays a normal symbol. When a game ball that has passed through the gate 18 is detected, the displayed normal symbol fluctuates for a predetermined time and is extracted at the time when the game ball passes through the gate 18. The stop symbol determined by the random number for lottery is displayed and stopped.

  For example, the symbol start opening 15 is configured to be opened and closed by an electric tulip having a pair of left and right opening and closing claws 15a, and when the stop symbol after the fluctuation of the normal symbol display unit 19 hits the symbol, the opening and closing claws are displayed. 15a is opened for a predetermined time. When a game ball wins the symbol start port 15, the display symbols of the special symbol display portions Da to Dc change for a predetermined time and are determined based on the lottery result corresponding to the winning timing of the game ball to the symbol start port 15. Stop at the stop symbol. In addition, in special symbol display parts Da-Dc and its circumference, a notice effect may be performed between a series of symbol effects.

  The big winning opening 16 is controlled to open and close by, for example, an opening / closing plate 16a that can be opened forward. When the stop symbol after the symbol change of the special symbol display portions Da to Dc is a big hit symbol such as “777”, the “big hit” Is started, and the opening / closing plate 16a is opened. A winning area 16 b is provided inside the big winning opening 16.

  After the opening / closing plate 16a of the big prize opening 16 is opened, the opening / closing plate 16a is closed when a predetermined time elapses or when a predetermined number (for example, 10) of game balls wins. In such an operation, the special game is continued up to 15 times, for example, and is controlled in a state advantageous to the player. In addition, when the stop symbol after the change of the special symbol display parts Da to Dc is a specific symbol of the special symbols, a privilege that the game after the end of the special game is in a high probability state is given. Usually, the big hit by this specific symbol is called “probable big hit”, and the high probability state is called “probable change state”.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an overall circuit configuration of the pachinko machine 1 that realizes the above-described operations. Broken lines in the figure mainly indicate DC voltage lines. FIG. 4 shows the circuit configuration of the effect control board, the effect interface board, and the liquid crystal control board in a little more detail.

  As shown in FIG. 3, this pachinko machine 1 receives AC 24V, outputs various DC voltages, and outputs a power reset signal when the power is turned on, and a main control board 21 that comprehensively controls gaming operations. An effect control board 22 that executes a lamp effect and a sound effect based on a control command CMD received from the main control board 21, an effect interface board 23 that transmits a signal received from the effect control board 22 to each part, and an effect interface A liquid crystal control board 24 that drives the liquid crystal display DISP based on the control command CMD ′ received from the board 23 and a payout motor M based on the control command CMD ″ received from the main control board 21 to pay out the game ball. The payout control board 25 and the launch control board 26 for launching a game ball in response to the player's operation are mainly configured. It is.

  Here, on the main control board 21, the effect control board 22, the liquid crystal control board 24, and the payout control board 25, for example, computer circuits each including a one-chip microcomputer are mounted. Therefore, the functions mounted on the main control board 21, the production control board 22, the liquid crystal control board 24, and the payout control board 25 and the operations realized by the circuits are functionally named. Unit 21, effect control unit 22, liquid crystal control unit 24, and payout control unit 25. All or part of the effect control unit 22, the liquid crystal control unit 24, and the payout control unit 25 are sub-control units.

  The main control board 21 receives from the power supply board 20 a power supply abnormality signal output when the voltage drops and a power supply reset signal SYR output when the power is turned on, in addition to DC12V, DC32V, and backup power supply (DC5V). . In the main control board 21, the received DC 12V is stepped down to DC 5V, and used as the power supply voltage of the computer circuit in the board.

  The main control board 21 is connected to each game component of the game board 5 via the game board relay board 27. And while receiving the switch signal of the detection switch built in each winning opening 16-18 on a game board, solenoids, such as an electric tulip, are driven. Note that the switch signal from the symbol start port 15 is received directly by the main control unit 21 without going through the game board relay board 27.

  The main control unit 21 transmits a control command CMD ″ to the payout control unit 25 in one direction, while the payout control unit 25 receives a prize ball count signal indicating a payout operation of a game ball and an abnormality in the payout operation. The status signal CON is received, and the status signal CON includes, for example, an out-of-supply signal, an insufficient payout error signal, and a lower plate full signal.

  The effect control unit 22 is connected to the main control unit 21 in one direction via the command relay board 28. Specifically, an 8-bit parallel signal line that receives a control command and a 1-bit strobe signal line that receives an interrupt signal STB are connected to the main control unit 21.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the effect control unit 22 executes a sound effect / lamp effect / data transfer process, etc., and an audio signal based on an instruction (voice command) from the one-chip microcomputer 40. An audio reproduction LSI 41 to be generated and an audio memory (phrase ROM) 42 for storing compressed audio data, which is the original data of the audio signal to be generated, are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a strobe signal (interrupt signal) STB output from the main control board 21 is supplied to the one-chip microcomputer 40 of the effect control board 22. Then, the effect control unit 22 acquires the control command CMD by the reception interrupt process activated by the strobe signal STB. In addition to (a) error notification and other notification control commands, the control command CMD acquired by the effect control unit 22 includes (b) control for specifying an outline of various effect operations resulting from winning at the symbol start opening. Commands (hereinafter referred to as variation pattern commands) are included. Here, the outline of the production operation specified by the variation pattern command includes the production total time from the production start to the production end, and the result of winning or failing in the big hit lottery. In addition to these, the change pattern command including the presence or absence of the reach effect or the notice effect may be specified, but even in this case, the specific content of the effect content is not specified.

  Therefore, when the effect control unit 22 acquires the variation pattern command CMD, the effect lottery is subsequently performed, and the effect outline specified by the acquired variation pattern command is further specified. Then, according to the determined specific game content, the lamp production by blinking the LED group or the like and the voice production preparation operation by the speaker are performed, and the liquid crystal control unit 24 is adapted to the production operation by the lamp or the speaker. The control command CMD ′ relating to the design effect to be output is output. In this case, the effect control unit 22 outputs the command data CMD ′ to the effect interface board 23 together with the strobe signal (interrupt signal) STB ′ for the liquid crystal control unit 24. In addition, when receiving the notification control command or other control commands related to the liquid crystal display, the effect control unit 22 outputs the control command as it is to the effect interface board 23 together with the interrupt signal STB ′.

  Corresponding to the configuration of the effect control board 22, the effect interface board 23 is configured to receive 8-bit command data CMD ′ and a 1-bit interrupt signal STB ′ from the effect control board 22. These data CMD ′ and STB ′ are output to the liquid crystal control board 24 as they are via the buffer circuit 44. The effect interface board 23 receives the lamp driving control signal output from the effect control unit 22 and outputs it via the buffer circuit 45. As shown in FIG. 3, the lamp drive control signal output from the effect interface board 23 is supplied to the LED lamp group via the lamp connection board 30, and as a result, corresponds to the control command CMD output from the main control unit 21. The lamp effect is realized.

  On the other hand, the audio signal output from the audio reproduction LSI 41 of the effect control board 22 is amplified by the digital amplifier 43 and output. Further, the mute signal MUTE output from the effect control board 22 is also supplied to the digital amplifier 43 to prohibit the output of the audio signal. As shown in FIG. 3, the audio signal output from the effect interface board 23 is supplied to the speaker via the speaker relay board 31, and as a result, the audio effect corresponding to the control command CMD output by the main control unit 21. Is realized. In this embodiment, two left and right speakers are provided at the upper part of the gaming machine and two left and right parts are provided at the lower part of the gaming machine, and receive audio signals through the relay board 32, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the liquid crystal control board 24 receives a control command CMD ′ via the effect interface board 23 and controls a one-chip microcomputer 46 that controls the design effect, and a control program that stores a control program for the one-chip microcomputer 46. ROM 47, graphic controller (specifically, VDP / Video Display Processor) 48 for driving the liquid crystal display DISP based on an instruction from the one-chip microcomputer 46, and basic data (sprite pattern data drawn on the liquid crystal display DISP) ) And the like.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the one-chip microcomputer 40 of the effect control unit 22. As shown in the figure, this one-chip microcomputer 40 includes an oscillation unit OSC that generates various clock signals, a CPU core 40a, a ROM 40b that stores a control program, a RAM 40c that is used as a work area, and an AD converter 40d. And a watchdog timer 40e that forcibly resets the CPU core in the event of an abnormality, a compare match timer 40f, a multi-function timer pulse unit (MTU) 40g, and a serial communication controller 40h that enables serial signal transmission / reception. Has been.

  In this embodiment, two types of timer interrupt signals are generated using the count operation of the compare match timer 40f built in the one-chip microcomputer 40. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing in detail the internal configuration of the compare match timer 40f.

  As shown in the figure, the compare match timer 40f includes two circuit blocks having the same configuration and connected to the CPU core 40a through the bus interface unit 50. Each divided circuit block includes a clock selection unit 51 that receives a clock signal from the oscillation unit OSC, a 16-bit timer counter CMCNT that receives a clock CK from the clock selection unit 51, and performs a counting operation, and a CPU core 40a. Timer constant register CMCOR having a fixed value set by the timer, a comparator 52 for comparing the count value of the timer counter CMCNT with the fixed value of the timer constant register CMCOR, and outputting a match signal, and receiving the match signal to the CPU core And a control circuit 53 that outputs an interrupt signal INT. In FIG. 6, the circuit block is divided into channel 0 and channel 1, and each component is distinguished by subscript a and subscript b.

  In the above circuit configuration, the timer counter CMCNT receives the count clock CK from the clock selection unit and performs a 16-bit count-up operation, and the count value after the count-up matches the fixed value of the timer constant register CMCOR. Then, the interrupt signal INT is set to be output. When the timer counter CMCNT is counted up to the upper limit value (fixed value of the timer constant register CMCOR), it automatically returns to the initial value and becomes zero.

  By the way, in this embodiment, the system clock Φ is 20 MHz, and the clock selection unit 51 supplies the 5 MHz count clock CK divided by ¼ by the prescaler (FIG. 5) to the timer counter CMCNT. It is configured. A fixed value 19999 is set in one timer constant register CMCORa, and a fixed value 9999 is set in the other timer constant register CMCORb.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, one interrupt signal INTa is output every 1/5 × (19999 + 1) = 4 mS, and the other interrupt signal INTb is output every 1/5 × (9999 + 1) = 2 mS. become.

  As described above, the timer counter CMCNT repeats the count-up operation and the initial setting operation, and the count value changes in a sawtooth waveform (see FIG. 6B), but the count value at each moment is the CPU core 40a. Can be read from. Therefore, by referring to the count value of the timer counter CMCNT, the CPU core 40a can grasp where the current position is in one interrupt cycle (4 mS / 2 mS).

  Subsequently, the operation content of the one-chip microcomputer 40 of the effect control board 22 will be described. The operation of the effect control unit 22 includes a main process (FIG. 7A) that is started when the CPU core is reset, and a reception interrupt process that is started when the control command CMD is received from the main control unit 21 (FIG. 7). 7 (b)) and first and second timer interrupt processing (FIGS. 6C and 6D) started at predetermined time intervals (4 mS / 2 mS).

  In the reception interrupt process, the control command CMD received from the main control unit 21 is stored in the reception buffer area, and the process ends (see FIG. 7B). The first and second timer interrupt processes are started by interrupt signals INTa and INTb from the compare match timer 40f. In the first timer interrupt process, the timer flag FG is set every 4 ms and the process ends (see FIG. 7C). On the other hand, in the second timer interruption process, the LED lighting operation is advanced every 2 mS to finish the process (see FIG. 7D).

  The main processing in FIG. 7A is started when the CPU core receives a system reset signal SYR at power-on and a CPU reset signal from the watchdog timer WDT40e. In this main process, after initial setting of each part of the one-chip microcomputer (ST1), the random numbers used for the effect lottery are continuously updated in an infinite loop (ST2 to ST3). When a control command is received during such an infinite loop process, a reception interrupt (FIG. 7B) is activated, and a first timer interrupt process (FIG. 7C) is activated every 4 ms. Thus, the timer flag FG is set to 1.

  When it is confirmed in the main process that the timer flag FG is set to 1, after the timer flag FG is reset, the process proceeds to step ST4. In step ST4, the reception buffer area is checked, and it is determined whether or not a new control command has been stored by the reception interrupt process. If a new control command is confirmed, an effect start process corresponding to the type of the control command is executed (ST5).

  The control commands received by the effect control unit 22 include (a) error notification and other notification control commands, and (b) an outline of various effect operations resulting from winning at the symbol start opening. The point that the variation pattern command is included is as described above. Therefore, the presentation start process (ST5) includes not only the presentation start process based on the variation pattern command but also the interpretation process of the notification control command and the notification process. The effect start process based on the variation pattern command will be further described later with reference to FIG.

  After the process of step ST5, the effect scenario progress process is executed through other processes (ST6). The effect scenario progression process (ST6) is a process of advancing the effect started in the effect etc. starting process in step ST5. For example, for the symbol effect on the liquid crystal display, a control command (stop symbol command) for specifying a stop symbol at the end of symbol variation is prepared. Also included is a process for preparing a control command (deterministic command) for deterministically ending symbol variation. The prepared control command is only stored in the transmission buffer BUF (FIG. 10B), and is not transmitted at this timing.

  In addition, in the effect scenario progress process (ST6), the lighting state of the lamp is advanced with the lapse of time from the start of the effect. After such processing of step ST6, the voice command of the CPU core 40a to the voice reproduction LSI 41 is also updated as appropriate (ST7), and a voice signal corresponding to the elapsed time is output from the speaker via the digital amplifier 43. .

  Thereafter, after passing through other processes, a command transmission process is finally executed (ST8). In the present embodiment, the control commands stored in the transmission buffer BUF (FIG. 10B) are finally sent to the liquid crystal control unit 24 at the end during steps ST2 to ST8 in which the main process is completed. The

  By the way, in the present embodiment, the production scenario progress process (ST6) and the audio output signal (ST7) need to be periodically executed every predetermined time, so the processes of steps ST4 to ST8 → ST2 → ST3 are: It must be completed within 4mS. However, depending on the gaming state of the gaming machine, the processing time of steps ST4 to ST8 varies considerably, and the number of control commands to be transmitted in the processing of step ST8 also varies greatly depending on the gaming state of the gaming machine. To do.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the transmission buffer BUF is configured as a ring buffer, and in the command transmission process of step ST8, only the control commands that can be transmitted are liquid crystal controlled in consideration of the remaining time of one interrupt time (= 4 mS). The data is transmitted to the unit 24.

  Hereinafter, prior to explaining the command transmission process (ST8), the production start process (ST5) when a variation pattern command is received will be described in more detail.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, when a variation pattern command is received, an effect lottery is first performed (ST11). As described above, in the effect lottery, the effect outline specified by the variation pattern command CMD received from the main control unit 21 is further embodied. Specifically, it is specifically determined including the type of reach production and whether or not to perform continuous variation production. As shown in FIG. 10 (c), the continuous variation effect means an effect that provides a temporary stop state in the middle of the symbol variation operation and energizes the player to reach the final stop symbol.

  In any case, since the specific content of the effect is determined by the effect lottery in step ST11, the control command for the liquid crystal control unit corresponding to the determined content is stored in the transmission buffer BUF (ST12). As described above, since the transmission buffer BUF has a ring buffer structure, the control command is stored at the address indicated by the write pointer WR, and the write pointer WR is incremented within the area of the transmission buffer BUF.

  Next, when it is determined that the continuous variation effect is to be executed by the effect lottery (ST13 is Yes), the number of times of variation N is set as a variable (ST14). When the continuous variation effect is not executed, the variation number N is 1 as it is with the initial value.

  Subsequently, the effect time of the first continuous variation effect is set in the variation timer TM1 (ST15), and the notice effect for determining the notice content is executed (ST16). Then, the processing of steps ST15 to ST16 is repeated as many times as the number of fluctuations, and the production start processing is finished. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 10C, when the number of continuous fluctuations is two times, together with the first pseudo fluctuation effect time TM1 and the second pseudo fluctuation effect time TM2, The content of the notice effect at the time of the pseudo variable effect is determined.

  The notice lottery is executed by the algorithm shown in FIG. 8B using, for example, a lottery table as shown in FIG. First, the notice lottery 1 is executed (ST21), and if it is won, a control command (notice command 1) for specifying the notice contents is stored in the transmission buffer BUF (ST23). Next, it is determined whether or not a reach effect is determined in the effect lottery (ST24). When a reach effect is performed, a notice effect 2 is executed (ST25). Then, when winning, the notice command 2 is stored in the transmission buffer BUF (ST27). In addition, the notice effect 3 is executed (ST28), and in the case of winning, the notice command 3 is stored in the transmission buffer BUF (ST30).

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the current gaming state is a probable change state (ST31), and the notice lottery 4 or the notice lottery 5 is executed in accordance with each. It is stored in the transmission buffer BUF (ST32 to ST37).

  The contents of the notice lottery are as described above, for example, and this is executed as many times as the continuous variation effect. Therefore, at the time of the start process of the production etc., a maximum of 4 × N notice commands are stored in the transmission buffer. Therefore, if it is attempted to transmit all these control commands to the liquid crystal controller 24 in one command transmission process (ST8) in one interrupt period (4 mS), there is a possibility that the process will not be completed until the next timer interrupt. .

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the control command is transmitted to the liquid crystal control unit 24 by a unique method. FIG. 10A is a flowchart illustrating in detail the command transmission process in step ST8. FIG. 10B shows the state of the transmission buffer BUF in the state where the control command is stored in the production start process (ST5). As shown in the figure, the location indicated by the write pointer WR indicates a new storage location of the control command in the future, and the location indicated by the read pointer RD indicates the storage location of the control command to be transmitted in the command transmission process. .

  In the command transmission process (ST8), first, the counter value T of the timer counter CMCNTa of the compare match timer 40f is read. As described above, the timer counter CMCNTa is zero at the start of the first timer interrupt process, and is then incremented every 0.2 μS (= 1/5 MHz) toward 19999 (see FIG. 6). .

  Therefore, whether or not there is a sufficient remaining time in the current timer interrupt can be determined based on whether or not the counter value T of the timer counter CMCNTa is close to the upper limit value Tmax (= 19999). Therefore, the counter value T acquired in the process of step ST41 is compared with the comparison reference value Tr. Here, the comparison reference value Tr is set to Tr = Tmax−TIME−α based on the time TIME (= processing time of ST43 to ST47) required to finish transmitting one control command. Α is a sufficiently secured margin time.

  Therefore, if the counter value T of the timer counter CMCNTa is T <Tr, at least one control command can be transmitted. Therefore, when the condition of T <Tr is satisfied, the control command is read from the address indicated by the read pointer RD (ST43). Since the read control command has a 16-bit length divided into 8-bit MODE data and EVENT data, the first byte and the second byte are transmitted in order (ST44 to ST45).

  Then, the value of the read pointer RD is updated (ST46). Here, since the transmission buffer BUF has a ring buffer structure, the read pointer RD is incremented until the upper limit address is reached, and if the upper limit address is exceeded, the value of the read pointer RD is rewritten to the lower limit address. The above update rule is the same for the write pointer WR.

  When the update processing of the value of the read pointer RD is completed, it is determined whether or not the updated value of the read pointer RD matches the value of the write pointer WR (ST47). If the values of the two pointers match, this means that the control command to be transmitted no longer remains in the transmission buffer BUF, and the transmission process is terminated. On the other hand, if the values of the two pointers do not match, the process proceeds to step ST41, and the counter value T of the timer counter CMCNTa is acquired again. Then, in contrast to the comparison reference value Tr, if T <Tr, command transmission is repeated, and if T ≧ Tr, the transmission process ends.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the control command is transmitted in consideration of the remaining time (Tmax-T), so that the maximum number of control commands that can be transmitted can be transmitted before the next timer interruption. Therefore, no matter how much the control commands to be transmitted with the enhanced contents of the production increase, it is not necessary to shorten the transmission time of each control command, so that troubles such as reading-out in the liquid crystal control unit 24 increase. Absent. Since the control command that could not be transmitted is transmitted in the next command transmission process (ST8) after about 4 ms, no problem occurs.

  As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was described concretely, the concrete description content does not specifically limit this invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the control command is transmitted from the effect control unit 22 to the liquid crystal control unit 24 as long as transmission is possible, but it is also preferable to set an upper limit value of the control command to be transmitted. This is because if the number increases too much, the burden of the reception processing of the liquid crystal control unit 24 becomes too large.

It is a perspective view of the pachinko machine shown in an example. It is the front view which illustrated in detail the game board of the pachinko machine of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the pachinko machine of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of an effect control part, an effect interface part, and a liquid-crystal control part. The internal structure of the one-chip microcomputer of an effect control part is illustrated. FIG. 2 illustrates a part of the internal configuration of the one-chip microcomputer of the production control unit in detail. It is a flowchart explaining the operation | movement content of an effect control part. It is a flowchart explaining a part of FIG. 7 in detail. The content of the notice effect is specifically illustrated. It is a flowchart explaining a part of FIG. 7 in detail. It is a schematic flowchart explaining a part of structure of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

21 Main Control Unit 22 Sub Control Unit ST5 Generation Unit ST8 Transmission Unit

Claims (6)

A gaming machine that determines whether or not a profit state advantageous to a player is generated by a winning / raising lottery resulting from a predetermined winning state related to a player's action, including the winning / raising lottery A main control unit that comprehensively controls gaming operations and a sub-control unit that controls various performance operations based on control commands received from the main control unit,
The sub-control unit is configured such that main processing is executed by a scheduled process that is repeated every predetermined time.
Generating means for interpreting the control command received from the main control unit and generating a necessary number of other control commands to be transmitted to the control unit on the downstream side;
Transmission means for continuously transmitting one or more control commands corresponding to the remaining time until the start of the next scheduled processing to the downstream control unit;
A gaming machine characterized by comprising the above.   The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit stores the generated control command in a transmission buffer having a ring buffer structure.   The gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transmission means reads and transmits a control command stored in a transmission buffer having a ring buffer structure.   The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the upper limit value of the control command transmitted by the transmission unit is fixedly set in advance.   The game according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the start timing of the scheduled processing is managed by counting that repeats the counting operation up to a limit value, then outputs an interrupt signal and restarts the counting operation from the initial value. Machine. The transmission means includes a first process for reading a count value of the counter;
A second process for comparing the read count value with a comparison reference value;
6. The game according to claim 5, wherein the game is realized by repeatedly executing a third process of transmitting a control command to a downstream control unit on condition that the count value does not reach the comparison reference value. Machine.

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