JP2009028164A - Game machine, token selector apparatus used in game machine, and token detecting method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine capable of making it extremely difficult to execute a fraudulent action of increasing credits using a fraudulent implement and quickly and surely finding such a fraudulent action as well, a token selector apparatus and a token detecting method. <P>SOLUTION: The main body of a token selector 100 inside a slot machine 1 is provided such that its angle can be changed. A selector control means 200 provided to a main control board 21, for instance, changes the angle of the token selector body randomly as needed, and discriminates an error when two photosensors do not output detection signals with a time difference of a speed corresponding to the changed angle. Thus, fraudulent credit increase using a fraudulent implement is prevented and such the fraudulent action is quickly found. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine in which a medal is inserted to play a game, a medal selector device used in the gaming machine, and a medal detection method using the medal selector device, and more particularly to an object for preventing fraud.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a gaming machine such as a slot machine that uses a game medal (hereinafter simply referred to as “medal”) to play a game, for example, a medal selector described in Patent Document 1 is provided inside the housing. Such a medal selector is a device that selects and distributes the suitability of medals inserted by a player from a medal insertion unit when the gaming machine is in a standby state or the like, and a medal distributed as an appropriate one is formed by a medal sensor including two photo sensors. When it is detected, the credit stored in the inside is increased.

  Incidentally, in recent years, as shown in FIG. 16, a fraudulent person inserts a fraudulent instrument F, commonly referred to as “Kureman-kun”, into the medal selector 900 from the medal insertion part of the gaming machine, and the light emission provided at the tip thereof. There is a problem of fraudulent acts that cause the sensors 901 and 902 to malfunction by simulating the passage of medals by causing the elements Fl and Fl to emit light in order. When such a fraudulent instrument F is used, the credit can be increased significantly in a short time, and there is a case where a hall providing a game suffers a great damage.

  In response to these problems, recently, medal detection by so-called pulse modulation, which uses pulsed light modulated with a predetermined signal and accepts medal insertion only when the photosensor receives reflected light synchronized with the signal. The system is used in gaming machines.

JP 2005-58492 A

However, following the progress of anti-fraud measures in such medal selectors, the above-described illegal devices have also become more sophisticated. For example, for the medal sensor that is detected by the above-described pulse modulation method, a new illegal instrument that malfunctions by generating false pulsed light in synchronization with the light emission pulse is also in the dark.
In addition, the shape of the fraudulent instrument is often formed to resemble the shape of the medal insertion part described above. In this case, even if the fraudulent instrument is inserted into the medal insertion part, the fact of fraudulent behavior can be determined at a glance. Is difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of these conventional problems, making it extremely difficult to execute fraudulent activities that increase credits using fraudulent equipment, and to quickly and reliably detect such fraudulent activities. An object of the present invention is to provide a game machine, a medal selector device, and a medal detection method that can be performed.

  The invention according to claim 1, which has been made to solve the above-described problem, is arranged in parallel in a direction along the moving direction of the game medals, which selects the appropriateness of the inserted game medals and selects them as appropriate. A gaming machine comprising: a medal selector device that is detected by at least two sensors, and a selector control unit that accepts insertion of the game medal based on the consistency of detection signals detected and output by the medal selector device. The main body of the medal selector device is provided in the gaming machine so as to be rotatable, and is provided with drive means for changing the inclination angle of the main body, and the selector control means controls the drive means. Selector angle setting means for setting the inclination angle of the main body of the medal selector device, and the order and time difference of each detection signal from the sensor. Determining whether or not the measured time difference and the inclination angle of the medal selector body set by the selector angle setting means have a predetermined correspondence, and having a predetermined correspondence And medal insertion determining means for accepting insertion of the game medal when the game is in progress.

The gaming machine according to claim 1 is, for example, a slot machine 1, and a game based on a medal selector device (for example, medal selector 100) that detects an inserted appropriate game medal and a detection signal detected by the medal selector device. Selector control means (for example, selector control means 200) that performs processing for authorizing and receiving insertion of medals is provided. The main body of the medal selector device is rotatably provided on, for example, the back surface of the front door 3 of the gaming machine, and is provided with drive means (for example, a rotary motor 155) that changes the inclination angle of the main body.
The selector angle setting means (for example, the selector angle setting means 204) of the selector control means controls and changes the tilt angle of the main body of the medal selector device by controlling the driving means at the start of each game, for example. The time difference measuring means (for example, the time difference measuring means 206) receives each detection signal from the sensor and measures their order and time difference. The medal insertion determination means (for example, medal insertion determination means 207) determines whether or not the measured time difference and the set inclination angle of the medal selector device have a predetermined correspondence, and has a predetermined correspondence. When the game medals are being executed, processing for authorizing and accepting the insertion of the game medals is performed.

According to the gaming machine according to claim 1, provided with such a medal selector device, even if an unauthorized device is inserted into the medal selector device, the sensor is detected at a timing interval corresponding to the tilt angle of the main body that is changed as needed. It will be difficult to malfunction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the execution of such illegal acts.
Further, by changing the inclination angle of the main body of the medal selector device as needed, it becomes difficult to insert an unauthorized instrument.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the selector control means includes a random number for changing the inclination angle of the main body of the medal selector device to a random amount. A quantity generating means is further provided.

  According to the gaming machine according to claim 2, comprising the random amount generating means (for example, the random amount generating means 203), the illegal device that has been intruded by randomly changing the inclination angle of the main body of the medal selector device at any time. It is extremely difficult to cause the sensor to malfunction at a timing interval corresponding to the set tilt angle. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the execution of such illegal acts.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the selector control means includes the medal selector device set by the measured time difference and the selector angle setting means. When the inclination angle of the main body does not have a predetermined correspondence, it is further characterized by an abnormality processing means that regards this as an abnormality and notifies this.

  According to the gaming machine according to claim 3, comprising the abnormality processing means (for example, the abnormality processing means 210), based on a detection signal that does not have a predetermined correspondence with the inclination angle of the main body of the medal selector device that has been set. Therefore, for example, it is possible to quickly detect the fact of fraud using a fraudulent instrument and to quickly detect the fact of fraud and to prevent damage and prevent damage.

  Next, the invention according to claim 4 is provided rotatably in a gaming machine in which a game medal is inserted to play a game, and determines whether the inserted game medal is appropriate or not. A medal selector device that is detected by at least two sensors arranged side by side in a direction along the moving direction of the game medal, and includes a drive unit that changes the inclination angle of the main body of the medal selector device. To do.

  According to the medal selector device of the fourth aspect, when the driving means randomly changes the tilt angle of the device main body at any time, for example, when the intruder is used, the set tilt angle is set. It becomes extremely difficult to malfunction the sensor at the corresponding timing interval. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the execution of such illegal acts.

  Next, the invention according to claim 5 is provided rotatably in a gaming machine in which a game medal is inserted to play a game, and the game medal selected as appropriate is arranged in a direction along the moving direction of the game medal. A medal detection method used in a medal selector device that is detected by at least two sensors arranged in parallel, wherein the inclination angle of the main body of the medal selector device is changed to any one random angle, and the sensor Determining the order and time difference of each detection signal from the above, and determining whether or not the measured time difference and the set inclination angle have a predetermined correspondence, and have a predetermined correspondence And a step of accepting the insertion of the game medal when the game medals are provided.

  According to the medal detection method of the fifth aspect, by changing the inclination angle of the main body of the medal selector device at random, it is possible to cope with the set inclination angle by using the intruder that has entered. It becomes extremely difficult to malfunction the sensor at the timing interval. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the execution of such illegal acts.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the medal detection method according to claim 5, wherein when the measured time difference and the set inclination angle do not have a predetermined correspondence, It is further characterized by further comprising a step of considering and notifying this.

  According to the medal detection method of the sixth aspect, the abnormality is immediately detected and notified based on the detection signal that does not have a predetermined correspondence with the inclination angle of the main body of the medal selector device that has been set. In addition to being able to quickly discover the fact of fraud using equipment, it is possible to prevent fraud and prevent damage.

  According to the above-described gaming machine, medal selector device, and medal detection method, the setting of the tilt angle of the main body of the medal selector device may be set, for example, by changing the tilt angle to a random angle as needed. It becomes extremely difficult to cause the sensor to malfunction at a timing interval corresponding to the tilt angle. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the execution of fraudulent activities such as increasing credits using a fraudulent instrument, and to discover such fraudulent activities quickly and reliably. Further, by changing the inclination angle of the medal selector device as needed, it is possible to make it difficult to insert an unauthorized instrument.

  Hereinafter, a slot machine 1 will be described as a preferred embodiment of a gaming machine according to the present invention with reference to the drawings. Here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external structure of the slot machine 1. 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.

  A so-called front mask as a decorative board facing the player is formed on the front side of the front door 3. An upper lamp 5 and corner lamps 6a and 6b incorporating a high-brightness LED, left and right sound emitting parts 7a and 7b, and the like are disposed on the upper stage of the front mask. When the slot machine 1 reaches or wins, the upper lamp 5, the corner lamps 6a, 6b, etc. are turned on or blinked to produce an effect appealing to the player's vision, and are built into the sound emitting parts 7a, 7b, etc. The speaker outputs sound effects, musical sounds, etc. to produce an appeal to the player's hearing.

  In addition, a liquid crystal display unit 8 for effect image display is attached to the center position sandwiched between the sound emitting portions 7a and 7b at the upper part of the front mask with the screen facing from the back of the front door 3. The liquid crystal display unit 8 displays a moving image that is appropriately selected according to the progress of the game to give the game a story, and displays a more dynamic image in the case of a big hit such as a bonus game. In this way, a visual presentation that causes the player to expect high dividends is performed.

  A middle panel 9 made of a flat resin plate is provided in the middle part of the front mask, and three pieces inside the cabinet 2 are displayed through a display window 9a which is a rectangular transparent region formed at 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 panel portion 18 that slightly protrudes forward. The control panel 18 includes a medal insertion unit 11 for inserting medals to bet on the game, a bet button 12 for instructing operation to start the game, and a start for performing the rotation start operation of 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 mask, for example, a substantially rectangular plastic plate on which a picture of an appearance character (not shown) 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 mask, a lower tray member 4 is formed with 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. 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.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the structure inside the housing of the slot machine 1 will be described. Here, FIG. 2 is a front view showing the structure inside the housing of the slot machine 1 with the front door 3 opened. As described above, the cabinet 2 is mainly formed of a synthetic wood board as a rectangular box, and a microcomputer-based main control board 21 that performs overall control of the entire slot machine 1 is transparent at the upper position inside thereof. It is provided in a case member. The case member that accommodates the main control board 21 is closed through special sealing means called caulking, and is fixed to the inner surface of the back plate of the cabinet 2 so as not to be detached.

  Further, a reel unit 10 in which three reels 10a, 10b, and 10c are arranged in the axial direction as a unit is fixed to a frame 22 that is provided so as to be bridged in the center of the cabinet 2. Note that a spinning device substrate 40 (see FIG. 3) is attached to the top plate portion of the reel unit 10, and relays a drive pulse signal from the main control substrate 21 to amplify the current, and each reel 10a, 10b, 10c. Are output to the stepping motors 41a, 41b, 41c that are directly connected to (see FIG. 3). Thus, the main control board 21 controls the rotation and stop operations of the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c.

  Below the reel unit 10, a hopper unit 23 is installed. The hopper unit 23 includes a generally bowl-shaped hopper portion 231 capable of storing a plurality of medals, and a payout mechanism portion 232 connected below the hopper portion 231. In the sheet metal case of the payout mechanism portion 232, a payout plate (not shown) in which holes for holding medals stored in the hopper portion 231 are formed along the circumference is provided. The hopper unit 23 rotates the payout plate to urge the held medal from the slit 23a and discharge it to the outside, thereby paying out the medal to the tray 4a.

  Also, adjacent to the hopper unit 23, there are an overflow tank 24 for storing medals overflowing from the hopper unit 231, and a main power supply device 25 for distributing required power to each device built in the slot machine 1. is set up.

  Next, the back side structure of the front door 3 will be described. The front door 3 has a front frame 301 integrally formed of relatively hard plastic as a main frame, and a horizontal frame 302 that is a reinforcing sheet metal member at the upper end and the left and right ends on the back side of the front frame 301, respectively. The vertical frames 303 and 304 are fixed with screws.

  The front door 3 is supported to the cabinet 2 so as to be able to be opened and closed via a hinge mechanism (not shown) whose ends are respectively fixed to the right vertical frame 304 and the opening end of the cabinet 2. The left vertical frame 303 is provided with a locking mechanism 320. When the front door 3 is closed to the cabinet 2 side, the front door 3 is automatically locked to the cabinet 2 by the locking mechanism 320.

  An image control board 81 (see FIG. 3) is provided at an upper portion of the front door 3, that is, a position corresponding to the back side of the liquid crystal display unit 8 (see FIG. 1), and the sub control board 31 is located behind the image control board 81. It is provided so that it cannot be detached. These substrates are also accommodated in a transparent case member. In addition, speakers 32a and 32b are respectively attached to the front side sound emitting portions 7a and 7b.

  The sub-control board 31 lights and blinks the upper lamp 5, the corner lamps 6b and 6c, etc. according to the progress of the game under the control of the main control board 21, and the speakers 32a and 32b etc. have sound effects and musical sounds. The game production control is mainly performed by light and sound such as sounding the sound. Further, the sub control board 31 outputs a display control command for displaying an image on the liquid crystal display unit 8 to the image control board 81 as described later.

  Operation switches such as a bet button 12, a start lever 13, stop buttons 14a, 14b, and 14c of the slot machine 1 are provided at a lower portion of the middle panel unit having a middle panel 9 (see FIG. 1) having a display window 9a attached to the front surface. A central display board 33 is arranged as a relay board for transferring a similar output signal to the main control board 21.

Further, below the central display substrate 33, a medal selector 100, which is an embodiment of the medal selector device according to the present invention, is attached that determines whether or not the medal inserted from the medal insertion unit 11 on the front surface is appropriate. When the medal selector 100 selects that the medal inserted into the medal insertion unit 11 is appropriate, the medal selector 100 passes the medal to the medal guide unit 34 side, and the internal medal sensor unit 150 (see FIG. 4 and the like) And the detection signals (light reception pulse signals R1, R2) are output to the main control board 21. As will be described later, the medal insertion determining means 207 provided in the main control board 21 determines whether an appropriate medal has been inserted or due to fraud based on the consistency of the detection signal.
The regular medals that have passed through the medal selector 100 are guided by the medal guide unit 34 and stored in the hopper unit 231 of the hopper unit 23.

  A lower panel unit 35 in which the lower panel 15 on the front surface is unitized is attached to the lower part on the rear surface side of the front door 3. Speakers 38a and 38b facing the cancel chute 36, the payout chute 37, and the front sound emitting portions 17a and 17b are attached to the back surface of the lower panel unit 35.

  The cancel chute 36 is positioned below the medal selector 100 and guides medals and foreign objects that the medal selector 100 refuses to accept the insertion of medals to the medal payout exit 16. On the other hand, the dispensing chute 37 is formed with an opening 37 a that is aligned with the discharge slit 232 a of the hopper unit 23. In other words, the hopper unit 23 discharges a medal from the discharge slit 232a through the opening 37a facing it into the payout chute 37, and the medal is guided to the payout chute 37 and paid out to the outside from the front medal payout port 16. It is formed to be.

  Next, a control system of the slot machine 1 having such a configuration will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The control system of the slot machine 1 has a main control board 21 in the center, a sub control board 31, a central display board 33, a spinning device board 40, an electric circuit board such as a power supply board 50, an external data bus, They are connected to each other with a wiring cable including an external control bus.

  The main control board 21 is an electronic circuit board on which a CPU 211, a semiconductor memory such as a ROM 212 and a RAM 213, an I / O, an interface circuit for connecting to peripheral devices, and the like are formed. In addition to the semiconductor memory, the CPU 211 is mounted on the main control board 21 as a microcomputer dedicated to a game machine integrated in one IC package together with a chip set such as an interrupt controller, an external bus interface, and a clock generator. .

  In addition to the system program for controlling the overall operation of the slot machine 1, the ROM 212 stores table data for determining winning lottery probabilities and the like. The RAM 213 used as a work storage area of the CPU 211 is supplied with a drive current from a backup power supply (not shown) so that the stored contents are retained even when the main power supply 25 of the slot machine 1 is turned off. It is configured.

  The random number generator 215 connected to the CPU 211 is a hardware circuit including an oscillation element and a counter that counts a short-cycle pulse signal generated by the oscillation element. The CPU 211 is a predetermined game operation. The sampling circuit 216 obtains the value indicated by the counter of the random number generator 215 as a random value at the timing related to the above, and performs table lottery such as winning combination and effect pattern based on the random value.

  The clock interrupt signal generation unit 214 outputs a clock signal having a fixed period (about several milliseconds). The CPU 211 of the main control board 21 relays the central display board 33 in the interrupt process activated for each clock signal, and outputs switch outputs of the start lever 13, stop buttons 14a, 14b, 14c, the bet button 12, and the like. I'm reading.

  The main control board 21 controls the stepping motors 41a, 41b, and 41c directly connected to the shafts of the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c via the spinning device board 40. That is, the main control board 21 outputs pulse data as a rotation command signal to the spinning device board 40, and the four-phase drive pulse signals that are current-amplified by the spinning board 40 are sent to the stepping motors 41a, 41b, and 41c. By supplying, control of rotation and stop of each reel 10a, 10b, 10c is performed independently. The CPU 211 calibrates the rotational position data every time it receives a reference position signal from each of the reference position sensors 42a, 42b, 42c, and accurately detects each reel 10a, 10b, The rotational position control of 10c is performed.

  The power supply board 50 relays control signals and power lines between the main control board 21, the main power supply 25 and the hopper unit 23. When paying out medals by the hopper unit 23, the main control board 21 drives the payout motor 43 of the hopper unit 23 to rotate the payout plate, thereby continuously releasing the medals. When the number of payouts obtained by counting the number of actuations of the payout sensor 44 provided in the discharge slit 232a (see FIG. 2) of the hopper unit 23 reaches a predetermined payout number, the payout motor 43 Stop driving. The same control is performed when a medal lending operation is performed, and a predetermined number of medals are paid out to the player through the medal payout opening 16 by the hopper unit 23.

Next, the sub-control board 31 operating under the control of the main control board 21 includes LED lamps as light sources such as the upper lamp 5 and corner lamps 6a and 6b, and sound emitting units 7a, 7b, 17a and 17b. Device units used for effects such as the liquid crystal display unit 8 are connected via the speakers 32a, 32b, 38a, 38b and the image control board 81.
The illumination control unit 311 provided in the sub-control board 31 turns on or blinks the LED lamp described above in accordance with an effect command from the main control board 21.

  Further, the sub-control board 31 includes a sound source data memory 313 for storing sound source data such as musical sounds to be used for production, and an AMM decoder (Amusement Music Decoder) for decoding the selected sound source data and reproducing it into a sequence sound signal. and an acoustic control unit 312 comprising a sequencer). The sound control unit 312 reads the sound source data from the sound source data memory 313 in accordance with an effect command from the main control board 21, reproduces the sound signal, and outputs the sound signal from the speakers 32a, 32b, 38a, and 38b.

  Further, the sub control board 31 includes an image data processing unit 314 made of an image processing LSI (DSP). The image data processing unit 314 generates a display control command based on the effect control command from the main control board 21 and outputs it to the image control board 81. The image control board 81 acquires image data from the image data memory 82 in accordance with the display control command, performs data decompression and image reproduction processing, outputs a video signal to the liquid crystal display unit 8, and displays an effect image.

  The slot machine 1 configured as described above 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 21 can simultaneously rotate the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c and simultaneously perform pull-in control to the effective line set in the display window 9a. A random combination of symbols, that is, a prize is drawn inside.

  When any winning is won by this internal lottery, the result is set in an internal winning flag set in a predetermined storage area of the RAM 213 of the main control board 21. 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 21 sequentially stops the corresponding reels as the stop buttons 14a, 14b, and 14c are pressed. After the main control board 21 detects that all the reels 10a, 10b, and 10c have stopped, the winning combination referred to by the above-described internal winning flag and the combination of symbols displayed on the 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, the main control board 21 operates the hopper unit 23 and pays out medals exceeding the upper limit of the credit from the medal payout opening 16 to the lower plate member 4. ing.

  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 medal selector 100 as the medal selector device mounted on the slot machine 1 will be described in more detail. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the internal structure of the medal selector 100 with the front cover 101c partially broken. In the figure, the main body of the medal selector 100 is a rectangular case 101 integrally formed of synthetic resin such as hard plastic, and is attached to the case 101 so as to be openable and closable and covers substantially the upper half of the case 101. A base plate 102 made of a metal plate and a front cover 101c made of a synthetic resin and covering the substantially lower half of the case 101 so as to be opened and closed are configured. In FIG. 4, the upper portion of the front cover 101 c is shown by being broken substantially obliquely. FIG. 5 is a view of the case 101 as viewed from the front with the base plate 102 removed.

  The main body of the medal selector 100 is rotatably supported on the back surface of the front door 3 through a support shaft 129 inserted into a bracket 101b formed integrally with the upper side wall portion of the case 101. In addition, an arcuate arc gear 157 centered on the support shaft 129 is integrally formed on the lower side wall portion of the case 101, and the pinion gear 156 of the rotation motor 155 fixed to the back surface of the front door 3 is an arcuate gear. 157 is engaged. The rotation motor 155 is, for example, a stepping motor in which the rotation position is electrically controlled, and is used as a drive unit that changes the inclination angle of the medal selector 100 main body.

  The base plate 102 is pivotally supported by the case 101 at the right end when viewed from the front, and is always urged in a closing direction toward the case 101 by a torsion spring 103 wound around the shaft. The base plate 102 has a pair of outer diameter restricting claws 104a and 104b that are separated by the maximum diameter of the medal so as to restrict insertion of medals having a prescribed diameter or more, and a notch portion 105 that drops a medal having a prescribed diameter or less. A speed limiting means 106 for limiting the falling speed of the inserted medal is provided.

The speed limiting means 106 is formed of a swing bar 107 that is pivotally supported in a predetermined stroke range, and a spring member 108 that urges the swing bar 107 in the rotation direction and applies a drag force to the falling medal. ing.
The base plate 102 includes a gate member 110 that is pivotally supported so as to open and close the notch 105. The gate member 110 is always urged by the torsion spring 111 toward the side where the notch 105 is closed.

  Below the notch 105, an inclined linear lower end portion of the base plate 102 is bent into an L shape on the case 101 side so that the outer peripheral surface of the medal is placed and rolled downward by its own weight. 109a is formed. The upper side wall of the inclined rail portion 109a is formed with a cut-and-raised portion 109 that is inclined at a predetermined angle toward the front side of the drawing (the side that opens with respect to the movement direction of the medal).

In FIG. 5, the wall surface on the front side of the case 101 occupies a substantially upper half region of the case 101, and a flat surface portion 121 in which a guide groove 122 for reducing frictional resistance with a transferred medal is formed, and a flat surface An inclined surface portion 124 that is refracted in a downward direction at a predetermined angle with a refracting portion 123 that is an oblique edge below the surface portion 121 as a boundary line is formed.
The base plate 102 shown in FIG. 4 faces the flat surface portion 121 of the case 101 with a predetermined distance, so that a medal guide passage 133 from the medal inlet 131 to the medal outlet 132 at the lower right is formed in the gap. Is done.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, in a state where the base plate 102 faces the case 101, the inclined rail portion 109 a is parallel to the refracting portion 123 of the case 101 and is positioned slightly below the refracting portion 123. A gap between the inclined rail portion 109a and the inclined surface portion 124 formed thereby serves as a medal exclusion port 134 for dropping and removing inappropriate medals.

  Returning to FIG. 5, in the vicinity of the medal inlet 131 of the case 101, a thickness screw 125 that protrudes toward the base plate 102 is provided in order to exclude medals having a thickness greater than a specified thickness. Further, below the thickness screw 125, a synthetic resin pressing lever 126 that is pivotally supported is provided. The pressing lever 126 is urged by a compressed coil spring 127 (see FIG. 7) provided behind the case 101 so as to protrude from the flat surface portion 121 to the medal guide passage 133 side through an opening 128 formed in the case 101. ing.

  In addition, the notch part 105 shown in FIG. 4 is formed in the minimum outer diameter of a regular medal from the inclined rail part 109a. For this reason, as will be described later, when a medal having a diameter less than a prescribed value is inserted, the minimum diameter restricting means that causes the medal to fall to the side of the cut portion 109 by the pressing lever 126 and drop the medal to the medal removal port 134. Is configured.

  In addition, a blocker mechanism 140 is formed at approximately the middle position of the medal guide passage 133 of the case 101 to transfer the medal to the medal outlet 132 side or drop it to the medal exclusion port 134. The blocker mechanism 140 is mainly formed from the gate member 110 shown in FIG. 4, a metal blocker plate 141 provided in the case 101, and a blocker solenoid 145 that operates the blocker plate 141.

  The blocker plate 141 is pivotally supported at its rear side by a shaft pin 142 on the back side of the case 101, and is attached so that the blocker claw 141 a at the tip projects to the medal guide passage 133 side by the pulling force of the coil spring 143. It is energized. The blocker solenoid 145 is provided behind the blocker plate 141. When the blocker solenoid 145 is energized and turned on, the blocker plate 141 is attracted by the magnetic force, and the blocker claw 141a is retracted from the medal guide passage 133. It is arranged.

  Next, along with the description of the operation of the medal selector 100 having such a configuration, a medal detection method for eliminating a false detection signal using an unauthorized tool will be described. Here, FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of the selector control means 200 that controls the medal selector 100, which is provided in the main control board 21 so as to be able to execute calculations by a program. FIG. 7 is a front view for explaining the mechanical operation of the medal selector 100.

  First, when a medal is inserted into the medal insertion unit 11 (see FIG. 1) of the slot machine 1, the medal is guided to the inside from the medal entrance 131 of the medal selector 100. Then, only the medal M1 having an outer diameter and a thickness not more than a certain value passing between the pair of outer diameter restricting claws 104a and 104b and the thickness screw 125 shown in FIG. 4 falls to the next-stage minimum diameter restricting means. At this time, the speed of the falling medal M1 is limited by rotating the tip of the swing bar 107 of the speed limiting means 106 while contacting the medal M1.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the portion of the minimum diameter restricting means along the line AA shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 8A shows a case where a regular medal is inserted, and FIG. It is an operation | movement figure when the medal of an outer diameter smaller than a medal is thrown in. In the minimum diameter restricting means, as described above, the rotatable pressing lever 126 is urged by the coil spring 127, and the inserted medal is pressed against the notch 105 side by the pressing lever 126.

As shown in FIG. 8 (a), the height from the inclined rail portion 109a of the base plate 102 to the upper edge of the notch 105 is formed slightly shorter than the outer diameter of the regular medal. The medal M2 having a diameter rolls and falls on the inclined rail portion 109a with its own weight while being sandwiched between the pressing lever 126 and the upper edge of the notch portion 105.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8B, the medal M3 having an outer diameter smaller than that of the regular medal passes through the cutout portion 105 by the pressing lever 126 and is brought down to the cut and raised portion 109, and the inclined rail portion. Drop off from 109a. Thereby, the medal M3 is excluded downward through the medal exclusion port 134.

  The regular medal M2 selected and passed by the selecting means rolls down on the inclined rail portion 109a and moves to the blocker mechanism portion 140. The blocker driving means 201 provided in the main control board 21 supplies an excitation current to the blocker solenoid 145 only when the slot machine 1 is in a state where it can accept insertion of medals (this is referred to as “medal insertion possible state”). To do.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB shown in FIG. 7 and shows a main structure of the blocker mechanism unit 140 in a state where a medal can be inserted. In this state, the blocker solenoid 145 is turned on (excited) when the blocker driving means 201 supplies an exciting current, the blocker plate 141 is attracted by the magnetic force, and the blocker claw 141a at the tip of the blocker plate 141 is guided to the medal. Retreats from the passage 133. At the same time, the gate member 110 is biased in a direction to close the base plate 102 by the torsion spring 111, but the stopper pin 110 a of the gate member 110 abuts against the flat surface portion 121 of the case 101, so that it is substantially parallel to the base plate 102. It is stationary at the rotating position. That is, in the state where the medal can be inserted, the notch portion of the base plate 102 is substantially closed by the gate member 110, so that the medal M4 that has entered the blocker mechanism portion 140 as shown in FIG. Passes through the gap between the gate member 110 and the medal sensor unit 150 in the next stage.

  On the other hand, when the slot machine 1 is in a state of prohibiting acceptance of insertion of medals (this is referred to as “medal insertion prohibition state”), the blocker driving means 201 does not supply current, and the blocker solenoid 145 is turned off. Here, FIG. 10 shows the main structure of the blocker mechanism 140 in the medal insertion prohibited state. In this state, since the blocker solenoid 145 is in an off (non-excited) state, the blocker plate 141 is rotated by the pulling force of the coil spring 143 as shown in FIG. It is held at a position protruding into 133. At this time, the blocker plate 141 pushes up the pressing pin 110 b of the gate member 110 against the urging force of the torsion spring 111, and thereby stops the gate member 110 at a rotational position where the notch portion of the base plate 102 is opened.

  For this reason, the medal M5 moving in the medal guide passage 133 collides with the protruding blocker claw 141a and falls down toward the open cut-and-raised portion 109 of the base plate 102. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the medal M5 falls off the inclined rail portion 109a and falls downward from the medal removal port 134.

  Next, the regular medal M4 that has passed through the blocker mechanism unit 140 is sent to the medal sensor unit 150, and the passage is detected by the medal detection means 202. The medal detection unit 202 shown in FIG. 6 includes a random amount generation unit 203 and a selector angle setting unit 204.

  The random amount generation means 203 selects one random numerical value by, for example, software random number generation processing. The selector angle setting unit 204 controls the position of the pinion gear 156 of the rotation motor 155 by the rotation amount corresponding to the random value selected by the random amount generation unit 203, so that the medal selector is set to the offset angle corresponding to the random value. 100 main units are set.

Here, the “offset angle” is based on the state in which the main body of the medal selector 100 is installed horizontally, and the rotation direction in the front left rotation direction (CCW direction) with respect to this reference posture is normal. (See, for example, FIG. 13). Here, for example, the posture in which the inclination angle of the inclined rail portion 109a is the steepest is described as a state where the main body of the medal selector 100 is in a horizontal state, that is, a reference posture. However, this is only a relative meaning and the invention is not limited to this.
Note that the main body angle of the medal selector 100 is changed as needed every game, every predetermined time, or every time a predetermined number of medals are inserted. When changing every time a predetermined number of medals are inserted, for example, the inclination angle of the medal selector 100 main body is changed for each number (for example, about 5 or 10) smaller than the maximum number of credits (50). Further, the inclination angle of the medal selector 100 main body may be changed in response to an internal lottery.

  Here, each operation will be described by comparing two cases in which the main body angle of the medal selector 100 is changed. 11 is a front view when the offset angle of the main body of the medal selector 100 is set to zero, and FIG. 12 is a time chart of the detection signals and command reception signals of the photosensors 151 and 152 in the case of FIG. In addition, the movement state of the medals is shown in the time zone. Similarly, FIG. 13 is a front view when the offset angle of the main body of the medal selector 100 is set to, for example, 5 degrees, and FIG. 14 shows detection signals and command reception signals of the photosensors 151 and 152 in the case of FIG. And a time chart showing the movement state of medals.

  First, the case where the offset angle of the main body of the medal selector 100 in the state shown in FIG. 11 is set to zero will be described. When detecting a medal, the photosensor light emitting means 205 outputs, for example, light pulse signals S1 and S2 having a fixed period shown in FIG. Make it emit light.

  When the regular medal M4 reaches the photosensor 151 at time T10, the time difference measuring means 206 receives the pulsed light reflected on the medal M4 by the light receiving element of the photosensor 151 and has the same phase of the received light pulse signal R1. (First detection signal) is received. When the medal M5 moves by the interval of the sensor and reaches the photo sensor 152 at time T20, the time difference measuring means 206 receives the received light pulse signal R2 (detected by the light receiving element of the photo sensor 152 from the light reflected by the medal M4. 2nd detection signal) is received. Then, the time difference measuring means 206 measures and determines the time difference t0 of the rising edges of these detection signals.

  The medal insertion determination unit 207 detects the received light pulse signals R1 and R2 from the photosensors 151 and 152 in a normal order, and the time difference t0 between these detection signals corresponds to the above-described set offset angle. Authorize and accept medal insertions. Specifically, the ROM 212 of the main control board 21 stores an angle / time difference comparison table 208 shown in FIG. 15 as data, and the medal insertion determination means 207 refers to this comparison table to determine the time difference of the detection signal. Check whether it is within the allowable time difference. The correspondence relationship of the angle / time difference comparison table 208 is experimental and statistical in advance based on the relationship between the speed at which medals roll and fall on the inclined rail portion 109a due to gravity and the predetermined intervals of the light receiving elements of the photosensors 151 and 152. Is tuned.

  That is, when the medal insertion determining means 207 determines that the time difference t0 is within the allowable time difference of 50 ± 5 msec when the offset angle of the main body of the medal selector 100 is set to zero, an appropriate medal is inserted. Authenticate. Then, the medal acceptance processing unit 209 performs a process of accepting insertion of the medal M4 by activating the medal acceptance command signal after time T30 when the medal M4 passes the photo sensor 152.

Also, as shown in FIG. 13, even when the offset angle of the main body of the medal selector 100 is set to 5 degrees, for example, the medal insertion determining unit 207 detects the light reception pulse signal R1 detected by the photosensor 151 at time T15. Then, it is determined whether or not the time difference t5 from the received light pulse signal R2 detected by the photosensor 152 at time T25 corresponds to the set offset angle.
When the offset angle set in the example of FIG. 15 is 5 degrees, the corresponding time difference is 75 ± 5 msec. Therefore, when it is determined that the measured time difference t5 is within the allowable time difference of 75 ± 5 msec, the medal reception is accepted. The processing unit 209 performs a process of accepting insertion of the medal M4 by activating the medal acceptance command signal after the time T35 when the medal M4 passes the photo sensor 152.

  The medal insertion determining means 207 also determines that the time difference between the rising edges of the light reception pulse signal R1 and the light reception pulse signal R2 is not within the allowable time difference corresponding to the set offset angle, or the light reception pulse signal R1 and the light reception pulse. When only one of the signals R2 is detected, or when the order of the light reception pulse signal R1 and the light reception pulse signal R2 is reversed, an error is determined. The cause of the occurrence of these errors is highly likely to be caused by an illegal instrument commonly called “Kureman-kun”, and when such an error is determined, the abnormality processing means 210 is activated. In this case, the abnormality processing means 210 outputs an error signal to the sub-control board 31 and outputs an alarm to a rendering device such as the liquid crystal display unit 8 or a speaker. Further, the abnormality processing means 210 may externally output an error signal to the hall computer or the like via the external output concentration terminal board 60.

  According to the slot machine 1 adopting the medal selector 100 and the medal detection method, the inclination angle of the main body of the medal selector 100 is mechanically changed by a random amount at any time. The medal insertion is accepted only when the two photosensors 151 and 152 output detection signals at a speed corresponding to the changed main body angle. In this way, even if an unauthorized instrument is inserted into the medal sensor unit 150, it is extremely difficult to output pseudo light at a timing interval within an allowable time difference corresponding to the set angle. It is possible to prevent the execution of fraudulent acts (got acts) that increase credits using.

  Further, when the received light pulse signals R1 and R2 are detected at a timing or sequence deviating from the allowable time difference corresponding to the set angle, an error is immediately determined, so that the fact of fraudulent acts can be quickly found. be able to. Thereby, unauthorized credit up can be prevented beforehand.

  Further, changing the posture angle of the medal selector 100 as needed also has an effect of making it difficult for an unauthorized device to enter.

  In the present embodiment, the reflection type photosensors 151 and 152 have been described as sensors for detecting medals (medal sensor unit 150). However, a light-shielding type photosensor or other detection type sensor may be used. Further, the present invention can be applied to a medal detection means not only a sensor but also a mechanical contact switch.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the tilt angle of the main body of the medal selector 100 is changed by the rotation motor 155 as the driving means has been described. For example, the medal selector is connected to the swing motor via a cam or using a solenoid. The main body angle of 100 may be changed. Further, the angle of the internal inclined rail portion 109a may be changed as needed, instead of the entire medal selector 100 (main body).

  Further, the selector control means 200 for controlling the medal selector 100 may be mounted on a dedicated control board (for example, a selector control board) instead of the main control board 21 of the slot machine 1. Furthermore, the main body of the medal selector 100 and the rotation motor 155 may be unitized. By doing so, the medal selector device according to the present invention can be easily attached as an option without modifying the existing gaming machine.

  The present invention is not limited to slot machines and can be widely applied to general gaming machines that play games using medals such as sparrow balls.

It is a perspective view showing the appearance structure of a slot machine which is an example of a gaming machine. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the internal structure of the slot machine shown in FIG. 1 with the front door opened. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the slot machine shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the internal structure of a front cover of a medal selector, which is an example of a medal selector device, with a part thereof broken. FIG. 5 is a front view of the medal selector shown in FIG. 4 with a base plate removed. It is a figure showing the example of a structure of the selector control means which controls the medal selector shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view for explaining the mechanical operation of the medal selector shown in FIG. 4. It is sectional drawing of the part of the minimum diameter control means in alignment with the AA shown in FIG. 7, and is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement. It is sectional drawing of the blocker mechanism part in alignment with the BB line shown in FIG. 7, and is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement. It is sectional drawing of the blocker mechanism part in alignment with the BB line shown in FIG. 7, and is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement. It is a front view when the offset angle of the medal selector body is set to zero, and is a diagram for explaining the operation. 13 is a time chart showing waveforms and the like of each detection signal and command reception signal of the photosensor in the case of FIG. It is a front view when the offset angle of the medal selector body is set to 5 degrees, and is a diagram for explaining the operation. FIG. 14 is a time chart showing waveforms and the like of each detection signal and command reception signal of the photosensor in the case of FIG. 13. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration and contents of an angle / time difference comparison table referred to in the detection of medals using the medal selector illustrated in FIG. 4. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure and subject of the conventional medal selector.

Explanation of symbols

1 slot machine (game machine)
2 Cabinet 3 Front door 4 Lower plate member 4a Receptacle 5 Upper lamp 6a, 6b Corner lamp 7a, 7b Sound emission part 8 Liquid crystal display unit 9 Middle panel 9a Display windows 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 Panel part 21 Main control board 23 Hopper unit 24 Overflow tank 25 Main power supply device 31 Sub control board 32a, 32b Speaker 33 Central display board 34 Medal guide part 35 Lower panel unit 36 Cancel chute 37 Discharge chute 38a, 38b Speaker 40 Cylinder device board 41a, 41b, 41c Stepping motor 42a, 42b, 42c Reference position sensor 50 Power supply Substrate 60 external output common terminal plate 81 image control board 82 the image data memory 100 Medals selector (medal selector device)
101 Case 101b Bracket 102 Base plate 103 Torsion springs 104a, 104b Outer diameter regulating claws 105 Notch portion 106 Speed limiting means 107 Swing bar 108 Spring member 109 Cut-up portion 109a Inclined rail portion 110 Gate member 110a Stopper pin 110b Pressing pin 111 Torsion Spring 121 Flat surface portion 122 Guide groove 123 Refraction portion 124 Slope surface portion 125 Thickness screw 126 Pressing lever 127 Coil spring 128 Opening 129 Support shaft 131 Medal inlet 132 Medal outlet 133 Medal guide passage 134 Medal exclusion port 140 Blocker mechanism portion 141 Blocker plate 143 Coil spring 145 Blocker solenoid 150 Medal sensor 151, 152 Photo sensor (sensor)
155 Rotating motor (drive means) 156 Pinion gear 157 Arc gear 200 Selector control means 201 Blocker drive means 202 Medal detection means 203 Random amount generation means 204 Selector angle setting means 205 Photosensor light emission means 206 Time difference measurement means 207 Medal insertion determination means 208 Angle / time difference comparison table 209 Medal reception processing means 210 Abnormality processing means 211 CPU 212 ROM
213 RAM 214 Clock interrupt signal generation unit 215 Random number generator 216 Sampling circuit 231 Hopper unit 232 Dispensing mechanism unit 301 Front frame 302 Horizontal frame 303, 304 Vertical frame 311 Illumination control unit 312 Acoustic control unit 313 Sound source data memory 314 Image data processing Part 320 Locking mechanism S1, S2 Light emission pulse signal R1, R2 Light reception pulse signal (detection signal)

Claims (6)

A medal selector device that detects the suitability of the inserted game medals and detects the game medals selected as appropriate by at least two sensors arranged side by side in a direction along the moving direction of the game medals, and the medal selector device. A selector control means for accepting insertion of the game medal based on the consistency of the detection signal detected and output,
The main body of the medal selector device is rotatably provided in the gaming machine, and is provided with driving means for changing the inclination angle of the main body.
The selector control means includes a selector angle setting means for controlling the driving means to set an inclination angle of the main body of the medal selector device;
Time difference measuring means for measuring the order and time difference of each detection signal from the sensor;
It is determined whether or not the measured time difference and the inclination angle of the medal selector main body set by the selector angle setting means have a predetermined correspondence, and the game medal is determined when there is a predetermined correspondence. And a medal insertion determining means for receiving the insertion of the game machine.   The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the selector control means is further provided with a random amount generating means for changing the inclination angle of the main body of the medal selector device to a random amount.   The selector control means regards an abnormality when the measured time difference and the inclination angle of the main body of the medal selector device set by the selector angle setting means do not have a predetermined correspondence, and notifies the abnormality The gaming machine according to claim 1, further comprising a processing unit. A game machine that inserts a game medal and is provided so as to be rotatable. The game medals selected according to the suitability of the inserted game medals are sorted in the direction along the direction of movement of the game medals. A medal selector device for detecting by at least two sensors,
A medal selector device comprising driving means for changing an inclination angle of the main body of the medal selector device. A medal that is provided so as to be rotatable in a gaming machine that inserts a game medal and plays a game, and that is detected by at least two sensors arranged in parallel in a direction along the moving direction of the game medal. A medal detection method used in a selector device,
Changing the inclination angle of the main body of the medal selector device to any one random angle;
Measuring the order and time difference of each detection signal from the sensor;
Determining whether or not the measured time difference and the set inclination angle have a predetermined correspondence relationship, and accepting the insertion of the game medal when the predetermined correspondence relationship exists. A medal detection method characterized by being provided.   6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of notifying that the measured time difference and the set inclination angle are abnormal when they do not have a predetermined correspondence. Medal detection method.

Images