JP2010246984A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine capable of eliminating malfunction associated with noise or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The game machine includes: a main control substrate controlling a game operation mainly; and a sub control substrate achieving an individual control operation based on a control command received from the main control substrate. The main control substrate executes: a command output processing (ST44) outputting the control command to a command output port as necessary; strobe output processings (ST47 and ST49) outputting a strobe signal STB to the specific sub control substrate which should receive the outputted control command after executing the command output processing; and a return processing (ST40) regularly making the strobe signal return to an initial state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine, an arrangement ball machine, a sparrow ball game machine, and a revolving game machine, and more particularly to a gaming machine with a sure noise countermeasure.

  A ball game machine such as a pachinko machine has a symbol start opening provided on the game board, a symbol display section for stopping a plurality of symbols after changing for a predetermined time, and a grand prize opening for opening and closing the opening and closing plate. Configured. When the detection switch provided at the symbol start port detects a winning of the game ball (passing of the game ball), the symbol display unit fluctuates the displayed symbol for a predetermined time, and then the special symbol stops in a predetermined manner. The winning opening is opened to generate a profitable state advantageous to the player. Specifically, game balls win one after another at the open big winning opening, and in response to this, prize balls are paid out to the player one after another.

  This type of gaming machine is usually composed of a main control board that mainly controls game operations and a sub control board that realizes individual control operations based on control commands received from the main control board. is there. As the sub control board, a symbol control board for controlling the operation of the above-described symbol display unit, a payout control board for controlling the prize ball operation, and the like are prepared.

  For example, when the main control board detects the winning of a game ball at the symbol start opening, this is transmitted to the symbol control board by a control command, and the symbol control board realizes the variable operation of the symbol display unit. . Also, for example, when the main control board detects the winning of a game ball at the symbol start opening or the big winning opening, this is transmitted to the payout control board by a control command, and the payout control board realizes the payout operation. ing.

  As described above, the control operation of the gaming machine is realized by the control command transmitted from the main control board to the sub control board. In transmitting the control command, for example, the main control board outputs a strobe signal STB, interrupts the CPU mounted on each sub control board, and each sub control board that receives the interrupt generates an interrupt. A control command reception process is executed in the processing program.

  However, the game hall is in a noisy environment due to the fact that a large number of gaming machines are operating at the same time. For this reason, troubles such as reading out control commands and multiple interrupts are a concern.

  In order to specifically explain this trouble, the CPU of the sub control board is interrupted at the rising edge of the strobe signal STB, and the interrupt processing program receives a control command output from the command output port of the main control board. Consider the configuration. For convenience, it is assumed that the control command has a configuration of MODE data + EVENT data.

As shown in FIG. 8A, when operating normally, MODE data is received at the first rising edge of the strobe signal STB, and EVENT data is received at the next rising edge. However, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the strobe signal STB rises abnormally due to the influence of noise or the like, the data of the command output port at that moment is received and the original MODE data is read out. Will end up. If the CPU of the sub control board accepts an interrupt not at the edge of the strobe signal STB but at a level, multiple interrupts occur and invalid data is repeatedly received.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine capable of eliminating a malfunction caused by noise or the like.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a main control unit that mainly controls gaming operations and a sub-control that realizes individual control operations based on control commands received from the main control unit. In the gaming machine provided with a control unit, the main control unit outputs command commands (ST44) for outputting control commands to a command output port as needed, and the output control commands after execution of the command output means. Strobe output means (ST47, ST49) for outputting a strobe signal to a specific sub-control unit that should receive the signal, periodically without overlapping with execution of the strobe output means, and / or the strobe output Prior to the execution of the means, there is provided return means (ST38, ST40) for returning the strobe signal to the initial level.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gaming machine comprising: a main control unit that mainly controls game operations; and a sub-control unit that implements individual control operations based on control commands received from the main control unit. The main control unit includes a command output unit (ST44) that outputs a control command to a command output port as necessary, and a sub-control unit that is to receive the output control command after the execution of the command output unit. On the other hand, the strobe output means (ST47, ST49) for outputting the strobe signal, periodically without overlapping the execution of the command output means and the strobe output means, and / or after the execution of the strobe output means, Disabling means (ST500) for outputting ineffective data as a control command to the command output port.

  In each of the above inventions, outputting a strobe signal means changing the level of the strobe signal in the initial state level, and typically, further outputting a pulse signal that returns to the initial state thereafter. Means.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a gaming machine that can eliminate a malfunction caused by noise or the like.

It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the pachinko machine which concerns on an Example. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a main control board. It is a block diagram which shows the output port part of a main control board. It is a flowchart which shows the system reset process in a main control board. It is a flowchart which shows the timer interruption process in a main control board. It is a flowchart which shows the command transmission process in a main control board. It is a flowchart which shows another command transmission process. It is a time chart explaining command transmission processing. It is a perspective view of the pachinko machine concerning an example. It is a side view of the pachinko machine of FIG. It is a front view of the game board of the pachinko machine of FIG. It is a rear view of the pachinko machine of FIG. It is a block diagram explaining the other example of a board | substrate structure.

  Hereinafter, the gaming machine of the present invention will be described in more detail based on examples. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a pachinko machine according to an embodiment. The illustrated pachinko machine includes a main control board 1 that mainly controls game operations, a symbol control board 2 that controls the operation of the display device 8, a voice control board 3 that realizes a voice game effect, and lamps. Lamp control board 4 for flashing operation, payout control board 5 for paying out game balls, launch control board 7 controlled by the payout control board 5 for launching game balls, and receiving 24V AC and applying DC voltage to each part of the device The power supply board 6 is mainly configured to be supplied.

The main control board 1, the symbol control board 2, the voice control board 3, the lamp control board 4, and the payout control board 5 are each configured by a computer circuit having a one-chip microcomputer, and the sub control boards 2 to 5 are the main control boards. Individual control operations are realized based on control commands from the substrate 1. All control commands are divided into MODE data indicating the type of command and EVENT data indicating the specific contents of the command, and each data has an 8-bit configuration. A value other than 00H is assigned to both MODE data and EVENT data. If 00H data is received by the sub control board, it is discarded.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the main control board 1. As shown in the figure, the main control board 1 includes a CPU circuit 1a composed of a one-chip microcomputer, a system clock generator 1b that generates a clock signal Φ0 that is an integer multiple of the CPU operating clock CLK, and an address signal from the CPU. A decoding circuit 1c for generating a chip select signal for each part, an output port circuit 1d for outputting data from the CPU, an input port circuit 1e for the CPU to take in external data, and the sub-control boards 2 to 5 The output drive circuit 1f for outputting a control command to the controller and the switch input circuit 1g for inputting the ON / OFF state of switches of each part of the game board are mainly configured. The CPU circuit 1a incorporates a CPU core equivalent to Z80CPU (Zilog).

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a specific configuration of the output port circuit 1d and the output drive circuit 1f. Specifically, the output port circuit 1d includes command output ports 9a to 9d that output control commands, and a strobe port 9e that outputs a strobe signal STB, and bus transceivers 10 and 11 (74245 in the embodiment), respectively. Connected to the CPU data bus. The command output ports are specifically a symbol port 9a, an audio port 9b, a lamp port 9c, and a prize ball port 9d.

  The command output ports 9a to 9d correspond to the symbol control board 2, the voice control board 3, the lamp control board 4 and the payout control board 5, respectively, and bus buffers 12a to 12d (74244 in the embodiment) as the output drive circuit 1f. Control commands are output to the sub-control boards 2 to 5 through equivalent products. The control terminals 1G and 2G of the bus buffers 12a to 12d and 12e are both fixed to the L level, and the received data is output as it is.

  The 4-bit output (P3 to P0) of the strobe port 9e is output as the strobe signals STB2 to STB5 through the bus buffer 12e (equivalent to 74244 in the embodiment) as the output drive circuit 1f to the sub control boards 2 to 5. Has been. The strobe signals STB2 to STB5 are supplied as interrupt signals to the CPU of each sub control board.

  Specifically, the output ports 9a to 9e are composed of D-type flip-flops (74273 equivalent product in the embodiment), and control commands and strobe signals are synchronized with the chip select signals CS0 to CS4 from the decode circuit 1c. The STB is acquired. In this embodiment, the port numbers of the output ports 9a to 9d are set to 80H to 83H, respectively. Further, after the main control board 1 is turned on, all the outputs of the output ports 9a to 9e are cleared to zero.

  As described above, the outputs P0 to P3 of the strobe port 9e are supplied to the sub-control boards 2 to 5 as the strobe signal STB, thereby interrupting the CPUs of the sub-control boards 2 to 5 (Maskable). interrupt), and control commands from the main control board 1 are acquired by the interrupt processing programs of the control boards 2 to 5.

4 to 6 are flowcharts showing a control program for the main control board 1. FIG. The control program for the main control board 1 is executed after the power is turned on, and normally ends with an interrupt permission process (ST13). The system reset process program (FIG. 4) and a timer interrupt process activated every predetermined time (Maskable Interrupt can be prohibited) An interrupt) program (FIG. 5) and an NMI processing program (not shown) that is driven by an NMI (Non Maskable interrupt) signal and backs up the register value of the CPU when the power supply voltage falls below a predetermined value.

  The system reset processing program (main routine) will be described below with reference to FIG. This main routine is started not only when the power is turned on, but also when the count value of the watchdog timer reaches a predetermined value due to a program runaway and the CPU is reset. In addition, there are two patterns when the power is turned on, and it can be considered that the power supply is restored from a power outage and the pachinko hall is opened.

  In the main routine shown in FIG. 4, first, the Z80 CPU sets itself to an interrupt disabled state, and initializes each part of the one-chip microcomputer including the Z80 CPU core (ST1). The CPU sets itself to interrupt mode 2 (ST2), and then checks the RAM clear switch (ST3).

  The RAM clear switch is a switch for clearing the RAM area at the time of business end or business start. Assuming the start of business, the gaming state of the previous day is saved by the NMI processing program unless special processing is performed, and the contents of the RAM are held by a backup power source. Therefore, for example, if the previous day's business end was in the middle of a big hit game, the staff would turn on the RAM clear switch and turn on the RAM clear switch at the start of business. . However, since it is usually complicated, the RAM clear switch is not operated, and the power is turned on in the OFF state.

  Therefore, normally, the content of the backup flag BFL is determined following the determination in step ST3 (ST4). The backup flag BFL is data indicating whether or not the backup data saved in the NMI processing is restored to the original state. In this embodiment, the backup flag BFL is set to 5AH by the NMI processing program. In step ST11 of FIG. 4, zero is cleared.

  At the time of normal power-on without turning on the RAM clear switch or at the time of recovery from the power failure state, since the backup flag BFL = 5AH, checksum processing is performed next (ST5). The sum value (SUM address value) to be checked here is calculated and stored in the NMI processing, and is held by the backup power source even after the power is shut off. Therefore, unless the power supply voltage drops abnormally fast, the total value obtained by adding 8 bits of data in the RAM area again in the process of step ST5 matches the value of the SUM address. Become.

  If the recalculated total value (8-bit addition) matches the value of the SUM address, the 16-bit data read from the SP storage area in which the SP (stack pointer) value is stored by NMI processing is stored in the CPU. Is written to the stack pointer SP (ST6). Next, the RAM area data backed up in the NMI process at the time of a power failure is read out, and a backup restoration command is created (ST7 to ST9).

  The payout control board backup return command creation process shown in step ST7 means a preparation operation for rechecking the error signal and outputting a control command according to the current state of the gaming machine to the payout control board 5. For example, if there is an error condition that the lower plate is full before the power failure, the error state is saved by the backup data, but it is highly possible that the player collects the game balls due to the power failure. The current situation is being confirmed.

In addition, the backup return command creation process (ST8, ST9) for the symbol control board and the lamp control board is a so-called probabilistic state in which the gaming machine before the power failure is in a big hit state or the winning probability is increased. In such a case, the background color of the display device 8 is set according to the operation state, or the hold lamp is turned on.

  When the processes of steps ST8 to ST9 are completed, the POP instruction is executed to restore the value of each register from the stack area (ST10). As a result of this processing, the return processing from the time of power-off is completed for the time being, so the backup flag BFL is cleared to zero to indicate that (ST11). Finally, it is checked based on the restored AF register value whether or not the interrupt was prohibited before the power was cut off (ST12), and the processing is finished in the interrupt disabled state or the interrupt enabled state. After returning to (ST13), the process is terminated. When the RET instruction is executed, the value of the PC (program counter) at the time of the PUSH process in the stack area is restored, and the process returns to the process before the power shutdown.

  On the other hand, if the RAM clear switch is in the ON state, the backup flag BFL = 0, or the checksum process indicates an abnormality, the RAM area built in the one-chip microcomputer is cleared to zero (ST14). . The process of step ST14 is executed when the RAM clear switch is turned on, when the SUM address value does not match the recalculated value due to some trouble, or when the CPU runs out of control. A case where the watchdog timer is activated and the CPU is forcibly reset can be considered.

  In any of the above cases, the game state until then (or the previous day) disappears by the operation of step ST14. Therefore, even when the CPU runs away or the game hall is closed during the big hit game yesterday. The game is started in a state where the initial state is restored.

  Then, the CPU is set to the interrupt disabled state (DI) (ST15), and the value of the sub-counter BGN that determines the initial value of the big hit counter CT is updated (ST16). The value of the sub-counter BGN becomes the initial value of the big hit counter CT in the next round operation every time the big hit counter CT makes a round of the numerical range, and the same numerical range ( 0 to MAX-1) are circulated. Further, since the update of the sub-counter BGN is performed in a state where the CPU does not accept an interrupt (DI), the sub-counter BGN is being updated and the sub-counter BGN value is used in the timer interrupt process. It will not be done.

  Next, in the state where the CPU is returned to the interrupt permission state (EI), the value of the off symbol counter is updated (ST17, ST18). The off symbol counter is used to determine what type of off game is to be produced in the big symbol determination in the special symbol processing (ST34) in FIG. It should be noted that the update of the off symbol counter and the update of the sub-counter BGN are executed in an infinite loop as shown in FIG. 4, so that the value of each counter can be used as a random value having sufficient randomness.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the contents of an interrupt processing program of a timer interrupt INT (maskable interrupt disableable interrupt) that occurs every 2 msec during the infinite loop processing (ST15 to ST18) of the main routine shown in FIG. When a timer interrupt occurs, the contents of each register are saved in the stack area (ST20), and then random number generation processing is first performed (ST21). The random number generation processing includes update processing of the winning counter RG and the big hit counter CT used in the lottery operation in the normal symbol processing ST29 and the special symbol processing ST34.

When the random number generation process is completed, after a timer subtraction process is performed for the timer that manages the time of each game operation (ST22), signals from various switches including a symbol start port and a gate detection switch are input and stored. (ST23). In addition, each timer subtracted by the process of step ST22 is for managing the opening time of an electric tulip or a special winning opening and other game effect times.

  Subsequently, after the command generated at this stage is transmitted to the corresponding sub-control board (ST24), error management processing is performed (ST25). The error management process is a determination as to whether or not an abnormality has occurred inside the device, such as whether or not the supply of game balls has stopped or the game balls are clogged. Next, after creating a control command for the payout control board (ST26), the control command generated in each of the above processes is transmitted to the corresponding sub-control board (ST27).

  Next, normal symbol processing is performed on the condition that the current operation mode is not the hit mode (ST29). The normal symbol processing means determination as to whether or not to operate an ordinary electric accessory such as an electric tulip. Specifically, when it is determined from the switch input result of step ST23 that the game ball has passed through the gate, the winning counter RG updated in the random number generation process (ST21) is compared with the winning winning value. Done. If the comparison result is a winning state, the operation mode is changed to the winning operation mode. Also, if it is hit, processing for the operation of the ordinary electric accessory such as an electric tulip is performed (ST31).

  Subsequently, necessary control commands are transmitted to the corresponding sub control board (ST32), and special symbol processing is performed on the condition that the current operation mode is not a big hit (ST34). The special symbol process is a determination as to whether or not to operate the first type special electric accessory such as a big prize opening. Specifically, when it is determined from the switch input result of step ST23 that the game ball has passed the symbol start port, the big hit counter CT updated in the random number generation process (ST21) is used as the big win winning value Hit. In contrast to. Then, if the comparison result is a winning state, the operation mode is changed to the big hit mode. Also, if it is a big hit, processing for the operation of the first type special electric accessory such as a big prize opening is performed (ST36).

  Thereafter, the control command generated in each of the above processes is transmitted to the corresponding sub control board (ST37). For example, when the special symbol process (ST34) is executed, the command transmission process of step ST37 is executed regardless of the lottery result, and the symbol change operation is started in the display device 8 triggered by this transmission process. Will be.

  When such command transmission processing is completed, clear data (0000B) is output to P3 to P0 of the strobe port 9e, and all the strobe signals STB2 to STB5 are forcibly set to L level (ST38). Thereafter, the register saved in the process of step ST20 is restored (ST39), and the interrupt process is completed. As a result, normally, the routine returns from the interrupt processing routine to the infinite loop processing (ST16 to ST19) of the main routine.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the strobe signals STB2 to STB5 are periodically set to the L level in the timer interrupt process shown in FIG. 5 (ST38). Therefore, even if the strobe signal STB rises due to the influence of noise or the like, it returns to the normal level at least after 2 mS. The merit of such operation will be described below separately for the CPU that interrupts at the rising edge of the strobe signal STB (the former) and the CPU that interrupts at the level of the strobe signal STB (= H level) (the latter).

When the CPU of the sub-control board is the former, if the configuration of the present embodiment is adopted, there is virtually no possibility that the strobe signal is already at the H level at the original rise timing of the strobe signal STB ( As shown in FIG. 8C, the CPU of the sub-control board virtually does not miss the reception interrupt of the original control command. If the strobe signal rises due to noise, etc., the CPU of the sub control board is abnormally interrupted. For this abnormality, the sub control board checks the validity of the data from the numerical range of the received data. This can be eliminated sufficiently.

  On the other hand, even if the CPU of the sub control board is the latter, if the configuration of this embodiment is adopted, the strobe signal STB rises abnormally and abnormal reception interrupts are prevented from occurring repeatedly (FIG. 8). (See (c)). Note that when the strobe signal rises due to noise or the like, an interrupt is applied to the CPU of the sub-control board. However, the strobe signal falls quickly thereafter, so that the multiple multiplexing is not interrupted repeatedly. Also, erroneously received data can be sufficiently eliminated by checking the validity of the control command.

  FIG. 6A is a flowchart showing in detail the command transmission process (ST24, ST27, ST32, ST37), and FIG. 6B shows the command buffer area of the RAM. In the case of this embodiment, a command buffer area (for 8 bytes from the TOP address) for storing control commands for the symbol control board, the voice control board, the lamp control board, and the payout control board is secured.

  This command buffer area is all zero-cleared in the initial state, but necessary control commands are stored by processing prior to each command transmission processing (ST24, ST27, ST32, ST37).

  6A, first, the TOP address is set to the variable ADR indicating the address value, and the port number of the symbol port 9a (80H in this embodiment) is set to the variable i (first embodiment). ST41). Next, data (control command) for two addresses starting from the variable ADR is acquired, and it is determined whether or not the control command exists (ST42). As described above, in this embodiment, since the control command data is 2-byte data excluding 0000H, it is determined that there is a control command unless the acquired data is zero.

  If the presence of the control command can be confirmed in the determination in step ST42, 2 is stored in the variable LOOP so that the 2-byte control command (MODE + EVENT) is output separately for each byte (ST43). Next, the control command data stored in the command buffer area is output to the command output port of port number i (ST44). Also, the command buffer area storing the output control command data is cleared to zero (ST45).

  Thereafter, after some time consumption processing is executed (ST46), STB data stored in the RAM area is output to the strobe port 9e (ST47). The initial value of the STB data is 01H. However, if it is the timing to output a control command directed to the symbol control board 2, 00000001B data is output to the strobe port 9e, and only the strobe signal STB2 is at the H level. Become.

  As a result of the processing in step ST47, any one of the strobe signals STB2 to STB5 becomes H level, and the CPU of the corresponding sub control board is interrupted. Therefore, in the sub control board that has received the interrupt, a control command is input in the interrupt processing program. On the other hand, the main control board 1 consumes sufficient time to complete the data acquisition process in the sub-control board that has received the control command (ST48), and then outputs clear data (= 00H) to the strobe port 9e. All strobe signals STB are set to L level (ST49).

Since the transmission of the control command for 1 byte is completed by the above processing, next, the variable LO
The OP is decremented (ST50), and the processes of steps ST44 to ST51 are repeated until the value becomes 0. As a result, the processing of ST44 to ST51 is executed twice for the sub control board to which the control command is to be output, and the control command (MODE + EVENT) having a length of 2 bytes is continuously output byte by byte.

  When the transmission of the control command to the specific sub-control board is thus completed, the STB data in the RAM area is shifted to the left (ST52), the address variable ADR is incremented by +2, and the variable i indicating the port number is incremented by 1 (ST53). ). Then, based on the updated address variable ADR, it is determined whether or not necessary transmission processing has been completed up to the final address of the command buffer (ST54).

  As a result, the processing in steps 42 to ST54 is repeated four times, and the STB data in the command buffer area changes as 00000001 → 00000010 → 00000100 → 00001000. Unless there is a skip processing in step ST42, step ST46 is performed. By this processing, strobe data STB2-> STB2-> STB3-> STB3-> STB4-> STB4-> STB5-> STB5 are output in order.

  As described above, the strobe signal STB is generated by the processing of steps ST47 to ST9 in FIG. 6, but in this embodiment, since the strobe signal STB is periodically cleared to zero in the timer interrupt (ST38), abnormal operation is performed. Is prevented from occurring. That is, MODE data is not missed as shown in FIG. 8B, and MODE data and EVENT data are reliably acquired as shown in FIG. 8C.

  However, if the strobe signal STB rises due to noise or the like, in any case, the CPU of the sub control board is interrupted. Therefore, in this case also, command transmission processing as shown in FIG. 7 is effective in reliably preventing malfunction. That is, in this embodiment, since the clear data is output to the strobe port 9e at the beginning of the command transmission process, the strobe signal can be reliably raised by the process of step ST47.

  In this embodiment, since the clear data (00H) is always output after using the command output port (ST500), 00H is acquired even in the interrupt processing program started abnormally due to noise or the like. Thus, since such a value is immediately discarded, there is no risk of malfunction. Of course, the value output in step ST500 may be another value, such as FFH, as long as it is unused as MODE data or EVENT data.

  Subsequently, a bullet ball game machine to which the present invention is preferably applied will be described for confirmation. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the pachinko machine 22 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a side view of the pachinko machine 22. A plurality of pachinko machines 21 are arranged in the length direction of the island structure of the pachinko hall while being electrically connected to the card-type ball lending machine 22.

  The illustrated pachinko machine 21 includes a rectangular frame-shaped wooden outer frame 23 that is detachably mounted on an island structure, and a front frame 24 that is pivotably mounted via a hinge H fixed to the outer frame 23. It consists of A game board 25 is detachably attached to the front frame 24 from the back side, and a glass door 26 and a front plate 27 are pivotally attached to the front side so as to be freely opened and closed.

The front plate 27 is provided with an upper plate 28 for storing game balls for launch. A lower plate 29 for storing game balls overflowing from or extracted from the upper plate 28 and a launch handle 30 are disposed below the front frame 24. And are provided. The launch handle 30 is linked to a launch motor, and a game ball is launched by a striking rod 31 (see FIG. 12) that operates according to the rotation angle of the launch handle.

  On the right side of the upper plate 28, an operation panel 32 for lending the ball to the card-type ball lending machine 22 is provided, and on this operation panel 32, a card remaining amount display unit 32a for displaying the remaining amount of the card with a three-digit number. A ball lending switch 32b for instructing lending of game balls for a predetermined amount, and a return switch 32c for instructing to return the card at the end of the game. On the upper part of the glass door 26, a big hit LED lamp P1 indicating a big hit state is arranged. In addition, in the vicinity of the big hit LED lamp P1, abnormality notification LED lamps P2 and P3 are provided to indicate a replenishment state or a full state of the lower plate.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the game board 25 is provided with a guide rail 33 formed of a metal outer rail and an inner rail in an annular shape, and the display device 8 (for example, Liquid crystal color display, CRT display, dot matrix, 7 segment LED, etc. are used. In addition, at a suitable place in the game area 25a, a symbol start opening 35, a big winning opening 36, a plurality of normal winning openings 37 (four on the right and left of the big winning opening 36), and a gate 38 which is two passage openings are arranged. Has been. Each of these winning openings 35 to 38 has a detection switch inside, and can detect the passage of a game ball.

  The display device 8 is a device that variably displays a specific symbol related to the big hit state and displays a background image and various characters in an animated manner. The display device 8 has special symbol display portions Da to Dc in the center portion and a normal symbol display portion 39 in the upper right portion. The normal symbol display unit 39 displays a normal symbol. When a game ball that has passed through the gate 38 is detected, the displayed normal symbol fluctuates for a predetermined time and is extracted when the game ball passes through the gate 38. The stop symbol determined by the random number for lottery is displayed and stopped.

  For example, the symbol start opening 35 is configured to be opened and closed by an electric tulip having a pair of left and right opening and closing claws 35a. When the stop symbol after fluctuation of the normal symbol display unit 39 displays a winning symbol, the symbol start port 35 is opened and closed. The claw 35a is opened only for a predetermined time. When a game ball wins the symbol start opening 35, the display symbols of the special symbol display portions Da to Dc change for a predetermined time, and are determined based on a lottery result corresponding to the winning timing of the game ball to the symbol start opening 35. Stop at the stop symbol.

  The big winning opening 36 is controlled to open and close by, for example, an opening / closing plate 36a that can be opened forward, but when the stop symbol after the symbol change of the special symbol display portions Da to Dc is a big hit symbol such as “777”, “big hit” Is started, and the open / close plate 36a is opened. There is a specific area 36b inside the big winning opening 36, and when the winning ball passes through the specific area 36b, a special game advantageous to the player is continued.

  After the opening / closing plate 36a of the big winning opening 36 is opened, the opening / closing plate 36a is closed when a predetermined time elapses or when a predetermined number (for example, 10) of game balls wins. At this time, if the game ball does not pass through the specific area 36b, the special game ends, but if it passes through the specific area 36b, the special game is continued up to, for example, 15 times, which is advantageous to the player. To be controlled. Furthermore, when the stop symbol after the change is a special state occurrence symbol among the special symbols, a special state is generated.

Any of the following is suitable as an example of the special state. That is, (1) a special symbol high probability state in which the probability that the stop symbol after the symbol change in the special symbol display portion becomes a big hit symbol such as “777” is higher than that in the non-special state, Compared to the special state, the extra prize opening time is extended to increase the opening time of the special prize opening so that more game balls can be won easily. (3) Compared to the non-special condition In order to make it easier to win more prizes, the number of times the number of opening of the big prize opening is increased, and (4) the big prize is given to make it easier to win more game balls than in the non-special state. Compared to the state where the opening amount of the big prize opening increases to increase the opening amount of the mouth or (5) the non-special state, the normal symbol that increases the probability that the stopped symbol after the symbol change of the normal symbol display portion becomes a winning symbol Compared to high probability state and (6) non-special state, game balls are better Electric tulip opening time is extended to make it easier to win more prizes. (7) The number of times the electric tulips are opened so that more game balls are easier to win than in the non-special state. Increased electric tulip opening number increasing state, (8) Electric tulip opening increasing state for increasing the opening amount of electric tulips so that more game balls can be won more easily than in the non-special state, (9 ) Special symbol fluctuation shortened state that shortens the variation time of special symbols compared to non-special state, or (10) Increased effective stop line that increases the effective stop line of special symbols compared to non-special state Compared to the state and (11) the non-special state, a normal symbol variation shortened state in which the variation time of the normal symbol is shortened.

  Any of these may be combined, and the generated special state is preferably terminated when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Here, the predetermined condition is a predetermined pattern change of the special symbol display part, a predetermined fluctuation of the normal symbol display part, a lapse of a predetermined time, a predetermined symbol after the fluctuation of the normal symbol display part, Typically, when a predetermined symbol is stopped and displayed after the symbol change in the special symbol display unit, a game ball wins a predetermined winning opening, a game ball passes through a predetermined gate, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 12, on the back side of the front frame 24, a back mechanism plate 40 for holding the game board 25 from the back side is detachably mounted. An opening 40a is formed in the back mechanism plate 40, and a prize ball tank 41 and a tank rail 42 extending therefrom are provided on the upper side thereof. A payout device 43 connected to the tank rail 42 is provided on the side of the back mechanism plate 40, and a passage unit 44 connected to the payout device 43 is provided below the back mechanism plate 40. The game ball paid out from the payout device 43 is paid out to the upper plate 28 from the upper plate discharge port 28a (FIG. 9) via the passage unit 44.

  The opening 40a of the back mechanism plate 40 is fitted with a back cover 45 mounted on the back side of the game board 25 and a winning ball discharge basket (not shown) for discharging the game balls won in the winning holes 35 to 37. Has been. The main control board 1 is disposed inside the case CA1 attached to the back cover 45, and the symbol control board 2 is disposed on the front side thereof (see FIG. 23). Below the main control board 1, the lamp control board 4 is provided in the case CA2 attached to the back cover 45, and the sound control board 3 is provided in the adjacent case CA3.

  Below these cases CA2 and CA3, a power supply board 6 and a payout control board 5 are provided in a case CA4 mounted on the back mechanism plate 40. A power switch 53 and a RAM clear switch 54 are disposed on the power board 6. The parts corresponding to both the switches 53 and 54 are notched, and both switches can be operated simultaneously with a finger. Inside the case CA5 attached to the rear side of the launch handle 30, a launch control board 7 is provided. And these circuit boards 1-7 are each comprised independently, The computer circuit provided with the one-chip microcomputer is mounted in the control boards 2-6 except the power supply board 6 and the launch control board 7. FIG.

In the above, one embodiment capable of taking measures against noise has been specifically described without providing a two-way communication path. However, the gaming machine of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of each embodiment described above, and can be changed as appropriate. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, only the strobe port 9e is periodically cleared in the timer interrupt. Instead, the strobe port 9e and the command output ports 9a to 9d are periodically cleared. Also good. In this embodiment, 00H is data that is not valid as a control command. Therefore, even if the CPU of the sub control board is interrupted due to the influence of noise or the like, the acquired 00H data can be immediately discarded. Of course, when data that is not valid as a control command is ** H, ** H is output to the command output port in the process of step ST38 ′.

  In the above embodiment, the main control board and the plurality of sub-control boards are configured as different board configurations, and the control command from the main control board is transmitted by one-way communication. For example, the configuration of FIG. 13 is also included. Any combination configuration is possible. In FIG. 13, an arrow indicates the transmission direction of a signal such as a control command. For example, an acknowledgment signal (ACK) may be returned as shown in FIG. Further, the voice control board does not need to be configured as an independent circuit board, and may be a composite board with another control unit as shown in FIGS.

1 Main control unit (main control board)
2-5 Sub-control unit (sub-control board)
ST44 Command output means ST47, ST49 Strobe output means ST38, ST40 Return means

Claims (4)

In a gaming machine comprising a main control unit that centrally controls gaming operations and a sub-control unit that realizes individual control operations based on control commands received from the main control unit, the main control unit includes:
Command output means (ST44) for outputting a control command to a command output port as required;
Strobe output means (ST47, ST49) for outputting a strobe signal to a specific sub-control unit that is to receive the output control command after execution of the command output means;
Return means (ST38, ST40) for returning the strobe signal to the initial level at regular intervals without overlapping with the execution of the strobe output means and / or prior to the execution of the strobe output means. A gaming machine characterized by In a gaming machine comprising a main control unit that centrally controls gaming operations and a sub-control unit that realizes individual control operations based on control commands received from the main control unit, the main control unit includes:
Command output means (ST44) for outputting a control command to a command output port as required;
Strobe output means (ST47, ST49) for outputting a strobe signal to a sub-control unit that is to receive the output control command after execution of the command output means;
Invalidation of outputting invalid data as a control command to the command output port periodically and / or after execution of the strobe output means without overlapping the execution of the command output means and the strobe output means A gaming machine comprising means (ST500).   The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the strobe signal functions as an interrupt signal for a CPU mounted on a sub-control board. The main control unit is configured to include a system reset process executed after power-on and a timer interrupt process executed every predetermined time,
The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the return unit or the invalidation unit is executed in the timer interrupt process.

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