JP2009011359A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine which permits a replaceable part to be efficiently reused in accordance with the intrinsic service life by storing and managing the operation history of a liquid crystal display device or the like for example used as a second-hand part. <P>SOLUTION: A history management board 100 connected to a main control board 20 of a slot machine 1, branches and input switching signals of a start lever 13 and stop buttons 14a, 14b and 14c and branches and inputs a control command signal output from the main control board to reel unit 41 or the like. The history management board stores and manages operation history of unit parts by a flash memory 103 on the basis of input information, whereby the machine realizes a precise and efficient reuse from the service life of a variety of replaceable parts. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine in which a replaceable mounted component including a gaming machine main body is efficiently reused (reused / recycled).

In gaming stores where a lot of gaming machines such as slot machines and pachinko machines are installed, new machines are being replaced at any time to replace old and less popular gaming machines with new models. The gaming machines that became unnecessary due to replacement, etc. were disposed of by reselling them to other stores in the same series, selling them to second-hand dealers, or discarding them.
Many used gaming machine distributors remove only relatively expensive units (for example, liquid crystal display devices) from the purchased gaming machines and resell them to the market. Judgment was often made based on the date of manufacture attached to the machine.

  In view of this background, proposals have been made to ensure that components mounted on gaming machines can be reused and recycled in line with their original durable life. For example, a gaming machine described in Patent Document 1 is provided with an integration time meter on a control board such as a liquid crystal, and this integration time meter adds up the operating time of the gaming machine, and the date and time when the integration time meter is removed from the board. I remember it.

JP 2005-58492 A

  By the way, the operating time of a liquid crystal display device or a reel unit used in a gaming machine does not completely coincide with the operating time of the gaming machine. In other words, the ratio of the net operating time occupied by the normal gaming state excluding the standby state (idle state) and the frequency of the gaming state accompanied by effects such as jackpots with respect to the total operating time obtained by integrating the time when the main power is turned on The actual operation time of each part (unit) varies depending on the above. In addition, some of the gaming machines on the market are equipped with second-hand liquid crystal display devices. With only the conventional method described above, the accumulated operating time and future life expectancy of the parts to be reused. It was difficult to accurately determine the number of years.

  Further, for example, the slot machine is configured by incorporating many component devices such as a liquid crystal display device, a reel unit, and a hopper device as a game medium payout device, and these have different original useful lives. If recycling of these replaceable parts is left to the principles of the second-hand market, for example, only relatively expensive liquid crystal display devices are reused, and parts that can still be used are discarded. There was a concern that recycling would not take place.

  On the other hand, in recent years, the gaming machines are being remanufactured and reused, such as taking over used gaming machines under the responsibility of major gaming machine manufacturers and incorporating the used parts mounted on them into new models. However, even a gaming machine manufacturer cannot accurately grasp how much a gaming machine that has been on the market once has been used, and it is not possible to accurately manage the life expectancy of each replaceable part device. It was extremely difficult. For this reason, there has been a demand for a good measure that can improve the efficiency of reuse until the original durability life and service life of the component device are exhausted.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, such as a game output device (for example, a liquid crystal display device or a reel unit) or an operation input device (for example, a start lever or a stop button), which are replaceable mounting parts. It is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine that stores or manages each operation history so as to enable or enable efficient reuse according to the original durable life of these component devices.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention described in claim 1 is a gaming machine including a game output device that is driven and controlled by a game control board outputting a control command signal, wherein the game control board is Signal input means for branching and inputting the control command signal to be output, operation information integration means for integrating operation information of the game output device based on the input control command signal, and the integrated operation information of the game output device There is provided a history management board having storage means for storing history information relating to operation in a nonvolatile memory and information output means for outputting the history information stored in the nonvolatile memory in response to a predetermined request signal. It is characterized by that.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the history management board that can be realized with a simple configuration is provided, and the signal input means of the history management board is a control command to the game output device that is driven and controlled by the game control board. Branch signal input. Further, the operation information integration means of the history management board integrates the operation information of the game output device, for example, the operating time, the number of rotations, the number of operations, etc. based on the control command signal, and the storage means stores the integrated operation information. Is stored in the nonvolatile memory as history information related to the operation of the game output device. The information output means of the history management board outputs the history information stored in the nonvolatile memory in response to a predetermined request signal.
Thereby, for a game output device such as a liquid crystal display device or a reel unit which is a replaceable component device mounted on the gaming machine, the history management board can store and manage each operation history. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently reuse these game output devices in accordance with the original durability life.

  The invention according to claim 2 is a gaming machine including a game control board that drives and controls the game output device in response to an operation signal from the operation input device, the operation signal input to the game control board. A signal input means for branching input, an operation frequency integration means for integrating the operation frequency of the operation input device based on the input operation signal, and a history relating to the operation frequency of the operation input device with information obtained by integrating the operation frequency A history management board comprising: a storage unit that stores information in a nonvolatile memory; and an information output unit that outputs the history information stored in the nonvolatile memory in response to a predetermined request signal. To do.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the history management board that can be formed with a simple configuration is provided, and the signal input means of the history management board is an operation signal from the operation input device that is input to the game control board. Branch input. Further, the operation frequency accumulating unit of the history management board accumulates the operation frequency of the operation input device based on the input operation signal, and the storage unit relates the information obtained by integrating the operation frequency to the operation frequency of the operation input device. It is stored in the nonvolatile memory as history information. The information output means of the history management board outputs the history information stored in the nonvolatile memory in response to a predetermined request signal.
As a result, the history management board can store and manage the operation histories of the operation input devices such as start levers and stop buttons, which are replaceable component devices mounted on the gaming machine. Accordingly, it is possible to efficiently reuse these operation input devices according to the original durability life.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the history management board is detachably connected to the game control board via a connector, and is connected to the game control board. Common input / output communication means that allows the signal input means to input a signal through the connected connector, and allows the information output means to output a signal through the connector detached from the game control board. It is characterized by having.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the history management board can be formed with a simplified structure by providing the common input / output communication means capable of inputting and outputting signals.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the history management board is a common input in which the signal input means inputs a signal and the information output means outputs information. The game control board includes an output communication means, and the game control board includes history information acquisition means for acquiring the history information in response to a predetermined operation from the connected history management board, and the acquired history information in a predetermined conversion method. Coding means for converting into a two-dimensional code and information display means for displaying history information converted into a two-dimensional code on any of the game output devices are provided.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, the history information acquisition means provided in the game control board of the gaming machine acquires the history information from the history management board in response to a predetermined operation. The encoding means converts the acquired history information into a two-dimensional code by a predetermined conversion method, and the information display means displays the history information converted into the two-dimensional code on any game output device. Thereby, the history information can be collected without removing the history management board from the gaming machine, and centralized management of the operation history is facilitated.

  As described above, according to the present invention, individual operation histories of game output devices such as liquid crystal display devices and reel units mounted on gaming machines and operation input devices such as start levers and stop buttons are managed as history. The board stores and manages nonvolatile memory. As a result, when remanufacturing a used gaming machine, it is possible to collect the operation history information of these component devices from the history management board, and based on this, replaceable component devices have their original endurance life. Can be reused efficiently.

[Example 1]
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external structure of a slot machine 1 as an embodiment of a gaming machine. The slot machine 1 includes a casing including a rectangular box-shaped cabinet 2 and a front door 3 attached to the cabinet 2 so as to be opened and closed. In a normal state, as shown in FIG. 1, the front door 3 is locked with the cabinet 2 closed.

On the front side of the front door 3, a so-called front panel is formed as a decorative board facing the player. In the upper part of the front panel, an upper lamp 5 and corner lamps 6a and 6b incorporating high-brightness LEDs, and left and right sound emitting parts 7a and 7b incorporating speakers are disposed.
A liquid crystal display device 8 is disposed at the center of the upper portion of the front panel. The upper lamp 5, the corner lamps 6a and 6b, and the liquid crystal display device 8 are all used as effect means here.

  A middle panel 9 made of a flat resin plate is provided in the middle part of the front panel, and three pieces inside the cabinet 2 are displayed through a display window 9a which is a rectangular transparent region formed in the center of the middle panel 9. The reels 10a, 10b, and 10c are visible. Each of the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c can be rotated independently, and three vertical and three horizontal symbols (not shown) drawn on the outer peripheral surface of the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c are displayed in a variable manner via the display window 9a. It has come to be.

  Below the middle panel 9 is formed a table-like console 18 that slightly protrudes forward. The console 18 includes a medal insertion unit 11 for inserting medals to bet on the game, a bet button 12 for instructing an operation to start the game, and a start for rotating the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c. The lever 13 and stop buttons 14a, 14b, 14c, etc. for stopping the rotation of the reels 10a, 10b, 10c are arranged at predetermined positions.

A lower panel 15 is attached to the lower part of the front panel, which is a substantially rectangular plastic plate on which, for example, a picture (not shown) of an appearing character is printed so that the player can recognize the model type of the slot machine 1 and the like. It has been.
At the bottom of the front panel, a medal payout opening 16 for paying out medals at the time of winning or the like, and a tray 4a for storing medals paid out from the medal payout opening 16 are formed. Is attached. In addition, the lower plate member 4 is formed with sound emitting portions 17a and 17b with built-in speakers at the left and right positions, respectively.

  In the slot machine 1 having such a configuration, the game operation is controlled by a main control board 20 (see FIG. 2) described later composed of a microcomputer. That is, the slot machine 1 enters a standby state when winning in the previous game and completing the payout of medals, or when a loss is confirmed in the previous game. In this state, when the player presses the bet button 12, a medal is bet on the game from the medal (credit) stored inside, and the game starts. When the start lever 13 is tilted in this game start state, the main control board 20 can simultaneously rotate the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c and simultaneously perform pull-in and stop control to the effective line set in the display window 9a. Lots of symbol combinations, that is, lottery of internal roles.

  When any internal combination is won by the internal lottery (the winning internal combination is also referred to as “internal winning combination”), the result is set in an internal winning flag set in a predetermined storage area of the RAM of the main control board 20 Is done. The state where the internal winning flag is set and the winning is decided is referred to as “internal winning state”.

  Next, the main control board 20 sequentially stops the corresponding reels as the stop buttons 14a, 14b, and 14c are pressed. The main control board 20 detects that all the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c have stopped, and then a winning combination referred to by the above-described internal winning flag and a combination of symbols displayed on each active line by each reel. It is determined whether or not the combination of the symbols related to. Then, when the symbols match in any active line, the winning is determined, and credits are added by the number of medals to be paid out. If the credit exceeds the upper limit as a result of the payout, medals corresponding to the number exceeding the upper limit are paid out to the player from the medal payout opening 16.

  In this way, the player of the slot machine 1 loses the bet medals if the symbols displayed in a variable manner are not obtained by performing a game operation for rotating / stopping the reels 10a, 10b, 10c. By aligning, winning can be achieved and more medals than bet can be obtained, so that it is possible to enjoy a game with an interest of increasing medals by skill and luck.

  Next, the history management board 100 that stores and manages the operation history of units and operation switches mounted in the slot machine 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the history management board 100 connected to the main control board 20 of the slot machine 1 via the connector 110. As shown in FIG. 2, the main control board 20 is housed between a case main body 24 and a case lid 25 made of transparent plastics facing each other.

  The main control board 20 is a microcomputer-based electronic circuit board on which a CPU, a semiconductor memory such as a ROM and a RAM, an I / O, an interface circuit for connecting to peripheral devices, and the like are formed. The CPU of the main control board 20 is a gaming machine in which an interrupt controller, an external bus interface, a clock generator, and the like are connected to each other by an internal bus in addition to the semiconductor memory described above, and these are integrated in one IC package. It is stored and mounted in a dedicated microcomputer chip 21 (see FIG. 3).

  On the upper edge of the case main body 24, hinge shaft portions 26 that fit into the hinge receiving portions 27 of the case lid 25 are formed at a plurality of locations. A plurality of pairs of caulking caps 28 and 29 are formed at the lower edge of the case main body 24 and the case lid 25 so that the opening sides face each other. The case body 24 and the case lid 25 are connected to any pair of caulking caps 28 and 29 after the hinge shaft portion 26 is rotatably fitted to the hinge receiving portion 27 and the main control board 20 is stored inside. By fitting the medium 30 inside, it is closed so as not to be opened.

  When mounted in the slot machine 1, the connector 110 extending through the history management board 100 and the flat cable 111 through the connector opening 31 of the case lid 25 is the connector 22 for external output of the main control board 20. Connected to.

  FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of the main control board 20 that controls each unit of the slot machine 1 and the history management board 100 connected to the main control board 20. As shown in the figure, the main control board 20 of the slot machine 1 has a switch signal SW1 such as a bet button 12, which is an operation switch as an operation input device, a start lever 13, and stop buttons 14a, 14b, 14c. , SW2, SW3, SW4, SW5 are input via the central display substrate 80. Further, when the rotation of the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c is controlled, the main control board 20 is connected to the reel motors 41a, 41b, and 41c connected to the rotation shafts of the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c via the rotating device board 40. Control command signals CM1, CM2, and CM3. Similarly, a control command signal CM4 is output to the hopper unit 50 as a medal payout device via the power supply board 60 when paying out medals.

  Further, the liquid crystal display device 8, the lamps such as the upper lamp 5 and the corner lamps 6a and 6b, and the speakers of the sound emitting units 7a, 7b, 17a, and 17b are connected to the sub control board 70 as an effect control board. The main control board 20 outputs control command signals CM5, CM6, and CM7 for driving and controlling each effect device to the sub-control board 70 when performing the effect operation.

  When the gaming machine according to this embodiment is the slot machine 1, the reel unit 41 including the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c described above, the hopper unit 50, the liquid crystal display device 8 that is an effect device, and various lamps. Speakers are examples of game output devices controlled by the main control board 20.

  Similarly, as shown in FIG. 3, the history management board 100 includes an I / O communication port 101 as an input / output communication means, a control unit 102, and a flash memory 103 which is a nonvolatile memory that does not require a backup holding power source. Configured. The switch signals SW1 to SW5 from the operation input device and the control command signals CM1 to CM7 to the game output device are connected so as to be input via a signal line branched in the main control board 20. That is, in a state where the history management board 100 is connected to the main control board 20 via the connectors 22 and 110, the control unit 102 operates via the I / O communication port 101 in an operation independent of the operation of the main control board 20. The switch signals SW1 to SW5 and the control command signals CM1 to CM7 are input as needed.

  The history management board 100 is connected to the microcomputer chip 21 of the main control board 20 through a communication control line TC and a data line TD so that serial communication is possible. When the communication procedure between the two boards is established, the main control board 20 outputs information relating to the gaming state currently in progress (standby mode, normal game mode, jackpot mode) or the like to the history management board 100 as a serial signal. To do. Although not shown, the history management board 100 may also branch and input a relay output of an external concentration terminal board that outputs the gaming state of the slot machine 1 to a hall computer or the like.

  The control unit 102 of the history management board 100 acquires information regarding these operations via the I / O communication port 101, adds the previous value of the history information stored in the flash memory 103, and then adds the integrated value. Is again stored in the flash memory 103 (for example, history information described later shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9).

  Further, the history management board 100 can output the above history information to the information terminal device 200 via a common connector 110 as shown in FIG. As will be described later, the information terminal device 200 also has a function of rewriting (clearing or initializing) the contents of the flash memory 103 of the history management board 100. Here, FIG. 5 is a circuit block diagram of the information terminal device 200 to which the history management board 100 is connected.

  The information terminal device 200 includes a communication unit 201 that enables communication with the history management board 100, a control unit 202 that controls the overall operation, a monitor unit 203 such as a liquid crystal display, and key inputs for operation inputs by workers. The switch 204 and at least an external output unit 205 that outputs information externally in a wired or wireless manner are provided.

  Next, the operation of the history management board 100 having such a configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the control unit 102 of the history management board 100 attempts to communicate with a connected external device via the communication control line TC and the data line TD when power is turned on or reset (step S101). When communication is established (step S101: YES) and the device identification information included in the received ACK signal indicates the main control board 20 in step S102, the history management board 100 is connected to the main control board 20. And the information collection mode including the loop processing in steps S103 to S106 is activated.

  In this information collection mode, until the communication times out (step S103: YES), the above-described switch signals SW1 to SW5 and control command signals CM1 to CM7, and status information data of the slot machine 1 are stored in the history management board 100. Is input (step S104).

  Here, FIG. 7 is an example of a data table of history information regarding the operation frequency of each operation input device (operation switch), and the table data having such a configuration is stored and managed in the flash memory 103. The “operation frequency” is an amount corresponding to the number of operations of the operation switch. For example, in the data table shown in FIG. 7, the number of operations (1000 times) is converted into one frequency. The history information includes an initial value of operation frequency and a cumulative value. The “initial value” here is an accumulated operation frequency at the time when the slot machine 1 is mounted. That is, when this value is zero, it indicates that a new part is attached. The cumulative value of the operation frequency represents the cumulative operation frequency at the present time. That is, it also includes history information when used as a used part for generations of gaming machines.

  FIG. 8 is an example of a data table of history information regarding the operation of each game output device, and the table data having such a configuration is stored and managed in the flash memory 103. The history information includes an initial value and an accumulated value of the operation time. Here, the “initial value” represents an accumulated operation time at the time when the slot machine 1 is mounted. The accumulated value of the operating time represents the accumulated operating time at the current time. Although not shown in FIG. 8, the history information includes a cumulative value of the number of rotations and the number of operations of the reel unit 41, the hopper unit 50, and the like.

  FIG. 9 is an example of a data table of history information related to the slot machine 1, and table data having such a configuration is stored and managed in the flash memory 103. The history information related to the slot machine 1 includes a power-on time, a normal game time, a standby (idle) time, a jackpot number, the number of inserted medals, and an integrated value (cumulative value) of the number of paid-out medals.

  Then, after inputting signals indicating these various information, these acquired values are added to the previous integrated value stored in each predetermined data table of the flash memory 103 (step S105). The added new integrated value is stored and updated at the address of each predetermined data table in the flash memory 103 (step S106).

  Next, when the device identification information included in the received ACK signal indicates the information terminal device 200 in step S102 described above, the history management board 100 determines that it is connected to the information terminal device 200, and outputs information. Activate the mode. That is, in this information output mode, the control unit 102 of the history management board 100 first determines whether an output request signal is transmitted from the information terminal device 200 (step S110). On the information terminal device 200 side, an output request signal is output via the communication control line TC and the data line TD by an operation input to the key input switch 204, and when the history management board 100 receives the output request signal (step S110: YES). Then, the various history information (for example, the table data shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9) stored in the flash memory 103 is output to the information terminal device 200 (step S111). As a result, on the information terminal device 200 side, the collected history information is displayed on the monitor unit 203, or, for example, the slot machine 1 sucked up to the data center that centrally manages the history information of each gaming machine via the external output unit 205. Information can be output.

  Further, the history management board 100 receives an input request signal via the communication control line TC and the data line TD by an operation input to the key input switch 204 on the information terminal device 200 side (step S112: YES). For example, the initial value of the operation frequency of each operation input device, the initial value of the operation time of the game output device, etc. transmitted along with it are stored in the addresses of predetermined data tables of the flash memory 103 and updated and initialized (step S113).

  According to the slot machine 1 of the first embodiment described above, the history management board 100 connected to the main control board 20 includes the start lever 13 and the stop buttons 14a, 14b, and 14c that are input to the main control board 20. The switch signals SW1 to SW5 of various operation input devices are branched and input, and the control command signals CM1 to CM7 output from the main control board 20 to the game output devices such as the reel unit 41 and the hopper unit 50 are branched and input. Based on the information of each input signal, the operation information of each switch and unit is integrated and stored in the flash memory 103. As described above, the history management board 100 stores and manages the detailed history information regarding the operation frequency and the operating time accumulated at the present time for each replaceable part, device, and unit mounted in the slot machine 1. These component devices can be reused and recycled accurately and efficiently until the original useful life and endurance life of these component devices are exhausted.

  In addition, when the gaming machine is picked up by the recycling factory, history information is collected and managed intensively, and history information on used parts used in the remanufactured gaming machine is stored in the history management board 100 of the gaming machine. By storing it as an initial value, history information relating to these operations is inherited by successive gaming machines. Therefore, it becomes easy to perform a detailed search for the accumulated operating time and the life expectancy for each used part used.

In the first embodiment, the history management board 100 is connected only to the main control board 20, but the history management board 100 is also connected to the central display board 80 shown in FIG. Alternatively, the switch signals SW1 to SW5 from the stop buttons 14a, 14b, and 14c may be branched and input. By doing so, a state in which the switch operation is not accepted, that is, an invalid operation in which the switch signal is not read from the main control board 20 can be accumulated and managed as history information. This makes it possible to perform management that is more realistic.
Further, the history management board 100 may be connected to the sub-control board 70, and drive signals such as lamps and speakers may be branched and managed as history information. Similarly, when the history management board 100 branches and inputs drive signals from the spinning device board 40 and the power supply board 60 to the reel motors 41a, 41b, 41c and the hopper unit 50, the number of rotations, the number of operations, or the operation You may make it manage time etc. as a log | history of operation information.

[Example 2]
Next, a history management board 300 provided in a pachinko machine will be described as a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 10, a typical pachinko machine mainly has two game control boards (main control board 410 and effect control board 420), and various switches and sensors (for example, a start port switch 451 and a launch intensity volume 461). And a solenoid and a motor (for example, a launch solenoid 441 and a grand prize opening solenoid 454), a liquid crystal display device 421 as a rendering device, lamps (for example, an illumination lamp 423), a speaker 422, and the like, are a plurality of relay boards. The wiring connection is made in a dispersed state at various locations of the main body of the pachinko machine via (for example, the game board relay board 450 and the payout control board 440).

  Hereinafter, the signal system in the pachinko machine will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 10, the main control board 410 and the effect control board (sub control board) 420 are connected so as to be able to communicate in one direction, and the main control board 410 is further connected with a payout control board 440 and a game board relay board 450. Is connected. The main control board 410 is provided with a pin switch 414 that can be operated from the outside in order to activate a history information output mode to be described later. Further, the main control board 410 is provided with history information acquisition means 411 as means for executing the history information output mode, encoding means 412, and information display means 413 in a state in which computation by a program can be executed. .

  The payout control board 440 is connected to a firing strength volume 461 of the firing handle and a touch sensor 462 that detects contact of the player's hand through the handle connection board 460. The voltage signal based on the operation amount of the firing intensity volume 461 and the operation signal of the touch sensor 462 are input to the payout control board 440 and converted into drive signals for driving the firing solenoid 441 and the ball feed solenoid 442.

  The payout control board 440 receives a payout control command from the main control board 410 and outputs a drive signal for driving the payout motor 443. A switch signal from the main switch 471 of the entire pachinko machine provided on the power supply board 470 is input to the main control board 410 via the payout control board 440.

  Further, the game board relay board 450 receives switch signals from the start port switch 451, the prize opening switch 452 and the gate switch 453, and relays the output of these switch signals to the main control board 410. In addition, the game board relay board 450 receives a winning control command from the main control board 410, and sends a driving signal to a large winning opening solenoid 454 for opening and closing the large winning opening and an electric combination solenoid 455 for operating the electric combination. Output.

  The effect control board 420 is connected with a liquid crystal display device 421, a speaker 422, and an illumination lamp 423, and the respective drive signals are output to these units as the effect devices under the control of the main control board 410. . In addition, a movable body motor 431 and a movable body solenoid 432 for operating the movable body of the center stage are connected to the effect control board 420 via a center connection board 430 as a relay board, and the center illumination that illuminates these is provided. A lamp 433 is connected. Also for these solenoids and lamps, the effect control board 420 outputs drive signals under the control of the main control board 410.

  The history management board 300 includes an I / O communication port 301 as an input / output communication unit, a control unit 302, and a flash memory 303 that is a nonvolatile memory that does not require a backup holding power source. The history management board 300 is connected to the main control board 410 via the connector 310, connected to the effect control board 420 via the connector 320, connected to the payout control board 440 via the connector 340, and via the connector 350. It is connected to the game board relay board 450.

  The history management board 300 is branched from the signal lines such as switch signals, sensor signals, drive signals, and control command signals on these boards, and is connected so that these signals can be input. That is, when the history management board 300 is in the above-described information collection mode, the history management board 300 can acquire information related to the game state currently in progress (whether it is standby mode, normal game mode, or jackpot mode) from the main control board 410. It is connected. As for the game board relay board 450 that simply functions as a relay board and can receive signals from the main control board 410, these signals are input via the main control board 410 without connecting the connectors. May be.

  The history management board 300 also includes, for example, an analog video signal from the effect control board 420 to the liquid crystal display device 421, a sound demodulation signal to the speaker 422, a lighting signal to the electric lamp 423, and the movable body motor 431. For example, a motor drive signal, an excitation drive signal to the movable body solenoid 432, and a drive signal such as a lighting signal to the center illumination lamp 433 are branched and input so as to be input.

  Further, the history management board 300 receives a branching input of the voltage signal of the firing intensity volume 461 and the operation signal of the touch sensor 462 from the payout control board 440. In addition, the history management board 300 is branched and input with an excitation drive signal to the firing solenoid 441, an excitation drive signal to the ball feed solenoid 442, and a motor drive signal to the payout motor 443.

  In addition, the history management board 300 receives the switch signals of the start opening switch 451, the winning opening switch 452, and the gate switch 453 from the game board relay board 450, and is excited to the big winning opening solenoid 454 and the electric accessory solenoid 455. The drive signal is connected so that it can be branched.

  The control unit 302 of the history management board 300 inputs signals indicating information related to these operations via the I / O communication port 301, and then stores these acquired values in predetermined data tables of the flash memory 303. Add to the previous integrated value. Then, the added new integrated value is stored at the address of each predetermined data table in the flash memory 303 and updated. In this way, the history management board 300 is provided with a launch handle, a ball launch device, a prize opening switch, a prize opening, a liquid crystal display device 421, an illumination lamp 423, an electric accessory, and a movable escutcheon mounted on the pachinko machine. It is configured to be able to store and manage operation history information such as the accumulated operation time of each unit component up to the present time.

  The history management board 300 can display and output the above-described history information and the like to a liquid crystal display device 421 of a pachinko machine, for example. A specific example of a method for outputting the history information will be described. FIG. 11 is a block diagram in which only hardware related to means for outputting information stored and managed by the history management board 300 to the liquid crystal display device 421 is extracted from the pachinko machine system. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an information output method of the history management board 300 executed by the main control board 410 of the pachinko machine.

  Referring mainly to the flowchart of FIG. 12, in the initialization process when the power is turned on when the main switch 471 of the pachinko machine is first turned on, if the pin switch 414 is not operated at the same time as the power is turned on (S201: NO) A normal game mode starts (step S202).

  When the pin switch 414 is turned on simultaneously with power-on (S201: YES), the history information acquisition unit 411 is activated to acquire history information from the history management board 300 (step S203). Specifically, when the main control board 410 outputs an output request signal to the history management board 300, the history management board 300 receives this and shifts to the information output mode. That is, in this information output mode, the control unit 302 of the history management board 300 outputs table data of various history information stored in the flash memory 303 to the main control board 410.

  When the main control board 410 receives the history information data, the encoding means 412 is activated. The encoding unit 412 converts the acquired history information into a two-dimensional QR code by a predetermined conversion method (step S204). Then, the information display means 413 transfers the converted QR code to the effect control board 420, and the effect control board 420 converts it into an image signal and displays the QR code on the display screen of the liquid crystal display device 421 (step S205). By displaying history information in QR code format on the display screen of the liquid crystal display device 421, even in a system in which a large number of units, switches, sensors, solenoids, and other parts are distributed and arranged like a pachinko machine, Thus, it is possible to collect the history information of each component with a simple operation without removing the history management board 300.

  According to the pachinko machine of the second embodiment described above, the history management board 300 connected to a plurality of game control boards and relay boards includes a ball launcher, a liquid crystal display device 421, an electric lamp 423, an electric accessory, etc. Drive signals, switch signals such as a prize opening switch, etc. are branched and input from the game control board or relay board. Based on the information of each input signal, the operation information of each switch and unit is integrated and stored in the flash memory 303. In this way, the history management board 300 stores and manages detailed history information regarding the operation frequency and operation time accumulated at the present time for each replaceable part, device, and unit mounted on the pachinko machine, These component devices can be reused and recycled accurately and efficiently until the original useful life and endurance life of these component devices are exhausted.

  In addition, since the history information collected from the history management board 300 is displayed in the QR code format on the display screen of the liquid crystal display device 421, parts such as a lot of units, switches, sensors, solenoids, etc. are dispersed especially like a pachinko machine. In the arranged system, it is possible to collect the history information of each component with a simple operation without removing the history management board 300 from each. And, for example, by reading the QR code with a portable information terminal device and sending it to the data center, history information can be centrally managed, and detailed searches such as the accumulated operating time and remaining life of used parts used in gaming machines can also be performed. It becomes easy.

  The present invention can also be applied to general gaming machines that are not limited to slot machines and pachinko machines.

1 is an external perspective view of a slot machine that is a first embodiment of a gaming machine according to the present invention; FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a history management board and a main control board according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of a main control board and a history management board according to the first embodiment. It is a perspective view of the log | history management board | substrate and information terminal device by 1st Example. It is a circuit block diagram of the history management board and information terminal device by the 1st example. It is a flowchart showing the control operation | movement of the log | history management board | substrate by 1st Example. It is an example of the data table of the historical information regarding the operation frequency of an operation input device (operation switch). It is an example of the data table of the historical information regarding operation | movement of a game output device. It is an example of the data table of the history information regarding the slot machine. It is a block diagram showing the signal system of the pachinko machine by 2nd Example of this invention. It is the block diagram which extracted only the hardware relevant to the means to output the information which a history management board memorize | stores and manages among the systems of the pachinko machine by 2nd Example. It is a flowchart showing the output method of the information which the log | history management board | substrate which the main control board of the pachinko machine by 2nd Example performs performs memory management.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Slot machine 2 Cabinet 3 Front door 4 Lower plate member 5 Upper lamp 6a, 6b Corner lamp 7a, 7b Sound emission part 8 Liquid crystal display device 9 Middle panel 9a Display window 10a, 10b, 10c Reel 11 Medal insertion part 12 Bet button 13 Start lever 14a, 14b, 14c Stop button 15 Lower panel 16 Medal payout port 17a, 17b Sound emitting part 18 Console 20 Main control board 21 Microcomputer chip 22 Connector 24 Case body 25 Case lid 31 Connector opening 40 Retractor board 41 Reel unit 41a, 41b, 41c Reel motor 50 Hopper unit 60 Power supply board 70 Sub control board 80 Central display board 100 History management board 101 I / O communication port 102 Control unit 103 Flash memory 110 Connector DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Flat cable 200 Information terminal device 201 Communication part 202 Control part 203 Monitor part 204 Key input switch 205 External output part 300 History management board 301 I / O communication port 302 Control part 303 Flash memory 310 Connector 410 Main control board 411 History information acquisition Means 412 Encoding means 413 Information display means 414 Pin switch 420 Production control board 421 Liquid crystal display device 422 Speaker 423 Electric lamp 430 Center connection board 431 Movable motor 432 Movable solenoid 433 Center electric lamp 440 Discharge control board 441 Fire solenoid 442 Solenoid 443 Payout motor 450 Game board relay board 451 Start port switch 452 Winning port switch 453 Gate switch 454 Large winning port solenoid 55 Electric won game solenoid 460 handles the connection substrate 461 radiation strength Volume 462 touch sensor 470 supply substrate 471 main switch CM1~CM7 control command signal SW1~SW5 switch signal TC communication control line TD data lines

Claims (4)

A game machine having a game output device that is driven and controlled by the game control board outputting a control command signal,
Signal input means for branching and inputting the control command signal output by the game control board;
Operation information integration means for integrating operation information of the game output device based on the input control command signal;
Storage means for storing the accumulated operation information in the nonvolatile memory as history information related to the operation of the game output device;
A gaming machine comprising: a history management board having information output means for outputting the history information stored in the nonvolatile memory in response to a predetermined request signal. A gaming machine comprising a game control board that drives and controls a game output device in response to an operation signal from an operation input device,
Signal input means for branching and inputting the operation signal input to the game control board;
Operation frequency integration means for integrating the operation frequency of the operation input device based on the input operation signal;
Storage means for storing information obtained by integrating the operation frequency in a nonvolatile memory as history information related to the operation frequency of the operation input device;
A gaming machine comprising: a history management board having information output means for outputting the history information stored in the nonvolatile memory in response to a predetermined request signal.   The history management board is detachably connected to the game control board via a connector, and the signal input means enables signal input via the connector connected to the game control board, and the game control board The gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a common input / output communication unit that enables the information output unit to output a signal through the connector detached from the connector. The history management board includes a common input / output communication unit that the signal input unit inputs a signal and the information output unit outputs information,
In the game control board, history information acquisition means for acquiring the history information triggered by a predetermined operation from the connected history management board;
Encoding means for converting the acquired history information into a two-dimensional code by a predetermined conversion method;
The gaming machine according to claim 1, further comprising: information display means for displaying history information converted into a two-dimensional code on any one of the game output devices.

Images