JP2012249711A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine that reduces the kinds of commands to be transmitted from a control substrate to a peripheral substrate, and prevents improper operation of a child command when a parent command is not transmitted/received.SOLUTION: When a liquid crystal control substrate does not receive, for some reason, a command (a parent command) related to color navigation registration, in command configuration configured to perform predetermined color navigation registration in response to start lever operation of a slot machine and perform display/deletion depending on the color after the first stop of reels, color information to be displayed/deleted after the first stop becomes indefinite, and correct color navigation is not displayed. The command is thereby provided with a security bit, to transmit the command (parent command) related to the color navigation registration without fail based on the security bit. As a result, processing of the child command never becomes indefinite, and the above trouble can be avoided even when a player performs quick shooting.

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine such as a slot machine or a pachinko machine, and more particularly to a gaming machine including a board (peripheral board, device control board) for controlling a device (device) that produces effects such as a liquid crystal display device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a gaming machine (rotational gaming machine, slot machine) having a plurality of reels having symbols arranged on an outer peripheral surface is known. This type of gaming machine gives a certain game value to a game medium (medal) and performs a game for acquiring such a game medium. Also, this type of gaming machine performs an internal lottery triggered by the player's rotation start operation and starts rotation of a plurality of reels in a mode according to the result of the internal lottery as a player's stop operation trigger. Control is performed to stop a plurality of reels. The game result is determined by the symbol combination displayed on the winning determination line in a state where the plurality of reels are stopped, and medals are paid out according to the game result.

  In the gaming machine, various effects are made to improve the interest of the game. For example, a decorative member, a monitor (screen display device, liquid crystal display device), a speaker, and an LED lamp are attached, and a visual effect, a video effect, a sound effect, a light effect, and the like are performed.

JP 2009-50655 JP According to the output mode of the stop command signal output from the stop switch in response to the operation of a plurality of stop buttons, any type of effect data stored in the control circuit It describes that effect data is selected and an effect image corresponding to the selected type of effect data is displayed. JP, 2009-178221, A In response to the winning combination determining means determining the winning combination, a first effect image including a pattern image corresponding to the winning combination is displayed on the liquid crystal screen, and a stop command signal or an effect progress command is displayed. A second effect image different from the first effect image is displayed according to the output of the signal.

  In order to display a predetermined image on the liquid crystal display device, a command is transmitted from the sub-board. When performing an effect by animation or the like, it is necessary to transmit a large number of commands successively one after another. Depending on the player's operation status and the contents of the production, there are a large number of commands to be transmitted, and the transmission / reception processing and the production device control processing may not be able to catch up. For example, if there are too many commands to be sent / received, there will not be enough buffers to temporarily store commands on the sending side (sub-board) (buffer overflow), commands will be lost, or continuous on the receiving side (device board). In some cases, some of the received commands are discarded without being executed. Such a state may occur, for example, when a player quickly presses a start lever or a stop button of a slot machine.

  In order to avoid such a state, it is conceivable to reduce the processing load by reducing the number of commands to be transmitted or the types of commands to be transmitted. However, if they are reduced carelessly, problems may occur in the essential performance processing.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine capable of reducing the types of commands to be transmitted and suppressing the occurrence of problems due to the commands.

The present invention includes a main board that executes control related to a game including an internal lottery process, a sub board that receives a command from the main board and executes a process related to an effect, a device for performing the effect, and the sub In a gaming machine comprising a device control board that controls the device based on a command from the board,
The command is classified into at least a parent command for causing the device to perform a predetermined operation and a child command for canceling the predetermined operation by the parent command,
The command includes a security bit for distinguishing the parent command and the child command, and an effect identifier (effect ID) related to the predetermined operation,
The sub-board is
Generating a parent command for setting the guarantee bit to perform the predetermined operation;
Generating a child command to reset the guarantee bit and cancel the predetermined operation;
The parent command is preferentially transmitted to the device control board based on the guarantee bit,
The device control board is:
Receiving a command including the parent command and the child command;
When the parent command is received, the device performs a predetermined operation based on the presentation identifier of the parent command,
When the child command is received, the operation content (setting information) of the device by the parent command is acquired, and the predetermined operation is canceled based on the acquired operation content,
The child command in which the security bit is not set has a lower transmission priority than the parent command and may not be transmitted.
The parent command having the security bit set is preferentially transmitted to the device control board.

The sub-board includes a buffer for temporarily storing generated commands,
The sub-board is
When the buffer is full and the command cannot be written
Check the existence of the guarantee bit for the generated command,
The command with the guarantee bit is sent to the device control board with the highest priority,
Commands that do not have the guarantee bit may be discarded.

There are a plurality of the predetermined operations of the device, and there are a plurality of the parent commands correspondingly,
The command further includes a security identifier (security ID) for associating the plurality of parent commands and the child command,
The sub-board is
Specifying a specific parent command among the plurality of parent commands by setting the guarantee identifier of the generated parent command,
Specifying the specific child command corresponding to the specific parent command by setting the guarantee identifier of the generated child command to the one corresponding to the specific parent command;
Check the existence of the guarantee bit for the generated command, and when the command does not have the guarantee bit, examine the guarantee identifier,
Check whether the specific parent command corresponding to the guarantee identifier of the command is transmitted,
Discard the command when sending the specific parent command,
When the specific parent command is not transmitted, error processing including reset may be performed.

There are a plurality of the predetermined operations of the device, and there are a plurality of the parent commands correspondingly,
The command further includes a security identifier (security ID) for associating the plurality of parent commands and the child command,
The sub-board is
Specifying a specific parent command among the plurality of parent commands by setting the guarantee identifier of the generated parent command,
Specifying the specific child command corresponding to the specific parent command by setting the guarantee identifier of the generated child command to the one corresponding to the specific parent command;
The device control board is:
Receiving a command including the specific parent command and the specific child command;
When the specific parent command is received, the device performs a predetermined operation based on the effect identifier of the specific parent command,
When the specific child command is received, the content (setting information) of the operation of the device by the specific parent command associated based on the guarantee identifier of the specific child command is acquired, and the acquired operation The predetermined operation may be canceled based on the contents of the above.

The sub-board is
When transmitting the specific child command with the security bit not set, determining whether the specific parent command associated with the security identifier of the specific child command has been transmitted;
If the specific parent command is not sent, wait for the specific child command to be sent,
The specific child command may be transmitted after the transmission of the specific parent command.

The sub-board includes a first buffer for preferential transmission and a second buffer having a lower transmission priority than the first buffer,
In order to transmit the parent command with the highest priority, the sub-board stores a command in which the guarantee bit is set in the first buffer, stores a command in which the guarantee bit is not in the second buffer, and transmits the command. When doing so, the command of the first buffer may be first read and transmitted, and the command of the second buffer may be transmitted after the first buffer becomes empty.

The device is a display device;
The device control board is a control board of the display device,
The parent command is a color appearance command for causing a colored element (item) to appear on the display device,
The child command is an erasure command for erasing the colored element.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the types of commands to be transmitted by providing a guarantee bit in a command and always transmitting the command when the guarantee bit is set.

  In addition, it is possible to prevent the operation of the child command from being deteriorated by not transmitting / receiving the parent command.

It is a front view of the slot machine which shows the state which closed the front door. It is a front view of the slot machine which shows the state which opened the front door 180 degree | times. It is a block diagram of a slot machine. It is a flowchart of the gaming process of the slot machine. It is explanatory drawing of the communication system of a sub board | substrate and a peripheral board | substrate. It is a block diagram of a sub board concerning an embodiment of the invention. 1 is a block diagram of a liquid crystal control board according to an embodiment of the invention. It is explanatory drawing of the production which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is explanatory drawing of the command which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is explanatory drawing of the parent command (color navigation appearance command) which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is explanatory drawing of the child command (color navigation deletion command) which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is explanatory drawing of the comparative example of a child command (color navigation deletion command). It is a flowchart of the command transmission process which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a flowchart of the other command transmission process which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a flowchart of the other command transmission process which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a flowchart of the other command transmission process which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a flowchart of the command reception process which concerns on embodiment of invention.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of the slot machine with the front door closed, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the slot machine with the front door opened 180 degrees.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 100 denotes a slot machine. As shown in FIG. 1, the slot machine 100 can be opened and closed by a hinge or the like on the slot machine main body 120 and one side of the front surface of the slot machine main body 120. And a front door 130 attached thereto. As shown in FIG. 1, a game display unit 131 is provided substantially in the center of the front door 130, and a medal insertion slot 132 for a player to insert medals is provided at the lower right corner of the game display unit 131. Provided below the medal insertion slot 132 is a reject button 133 for forcibly discharging a clogged medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 132 to the outside of the slot machine 100.

  Further, a start switch 134 for starting a game is provided at the lower left of the game display unit 131, and three stop switches 140 are provided corresponding to the three spinning cylinders. A medal payout port 135 is provided at the center of the lower end of the front door. A liquid crystal display device LCD is provided above the game display unit 131.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the slot machine main body 120 is fixed to the inner bottom surface, stores a plurality of medals therein, and stores the stored medals at a payout port 135 provided on the front surface of the front door 130. A hopper device 121 for paying out the sheets one by one is installed. An upper portion of the hopper device 121 is provided with a hopper tank 122 that opens upward and stores a plurality of medals therein. Inside the slot machine main body 120, a reel (rotating cylinder) unit 203 including three rotating cylinders is installed at a position where the game display unit 131 comes when the front door 130 is closed. The reel unit 203 includes three spinning cylinders (first to third drums) in which a plurality of types of symbols are arranged on the outer peripheral surface. The game display unit 131 is provided with an opening through which the player can see the symbols of the rotating drums of the reel unit 203. A power supply unit 205 is provided on the left side of the hopper device 121.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the medal (coin) selector 1 is attached to the back side of the front door 130 on the back side of the medal slot 132 provided on the front surface of the front door 130. This medal selector 1 rolls the medal toward the hopper device 121 while detecting the passage of the medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 132, and has a different diameter medal or iron or iron whose outer diameter is different from the predetermined dimension. This is an apparatus for selecting and removing illegal medals made of an alloy and selecting and eliminating a predetermined number or more of medals that can be inserted per game.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a lead-out path 136 that covers the lower side and communicates with the payout port 135 of the front door 130 is provided below the medal selector 1. The medals distributed by the medal selector 1 are returned to the player from the payout port 135 via the derivation path 136.

FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of the slot machine 100 according to the embodiment of the invention.
In this figure, the display about the power supply system is omitted. Although not shown, the slot machine includes a power supply unit for generating a DC power supply (+5 V or the like) from a commercial power supply (AC 100 V).

  The slot machine 100 includes a main substrate (processing unit) 10 and a sub substrate 20 that operates in response to a command from the main substrate (processing unit) 10 as main processing devices. At least the main substrate 10 is accommodated inside the case so that it cannot be contacted from the outside, and is sealed so that traces remain when these substrates are removed.

  The main board 10 is for performing an internal lottery in response to a player's operation, and performing processing (game processing) such as reel rotation / stop and medal payout. The main board 10 includes a CPU that performs a control operation according to a preset program, a ROM that is a storage unit that stores the program, and a RAM that temporarily stores processing results and the like.

  The sub board 20 is for receiving a command signal from the main board 10 and notifying the result of the internal lottery and performing various effects. The sub-board 20 includes a CPU that performs a control operation in accordance with a preset program corresponding to the command signal, a ROM that is a storage unit that stores the program, and a RAM that temporarily stores processing results and the like. Only one command flows from the main board 10 to the sub board 20, and conversely, no command is issued from the sub board 20 to the main board 10.

  The main board 10 is paid out from a bet switch BET, a start switch 134, a stop button 140, a reel unit (including a reel driving device) 203, a reel position detection circuit 71, a hopper driving unit 80, a hopper 81 and a hopper 81. A medal detection unit 82 for counting the number of medals (these constitute the hopper device 121 described above) is connected. A peripheral substrate (device control substrate) such as a liquid crystal control substrate 200 for controlling the liquid crystal display device, a speaker substrate 201, and an LED substrate 202 is connected to the sub substrate 20. The peripheral board is controlled by the sub-board 20 and produces effects mainly by video, light, and sound. In the following description, for the sake of convenience, the liquid crystal control substrate 200 and other peripheral substrates will be described separately.

  Further, medal sensors S1 and S2 of the medal selector 1 are connected to the main board 10.

  The medal selector 1 is provided with medal sensors S1 and S2 for counting medals. The medal sensors S1 and S2 are provided on the downstream side (near the exit) of a medal passage (not shown) provided in the medal selector 1 (the upstream side of the medal passage communicates with the medal slot 132). The two medal sensors S1 and S2 are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval along the medal traveling direction. The medal sensors S1 and S2 are, for example, photointerrupters that have a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion that face each other, are formed in a U-shaped cross section, and are positioned so that the detection optical axis faces the medal passage from above. . Each photo interrupter detects the passage of a medal sent without being blocked on the way. The reason why two photo interrupters are adjacent is not only to detect the number of medals but also to monitor whether or not the passage of medals is normal. That is, by providing two photo interrupters adjacent to each other, it is possible to detect the passing speed and passing direction of medals, thereby detecting not only the number of medals but also an illegal act moving in the reverse direction.

  The hopper driving unit 80 rotates the hopper 81 and performs an operation of paying out medals of the payout number instructed by the main board 10. The gaming machine includes a medal detection unit 82 that operates every time a medal is paid out, and the main board 10 receives a medal actually paid out from the hopper 81 based on an input signal from the medal detection unit 82. You can manage the number.

  The insertion accepting unit 1050 receives the outputs of the medal sensors S1 and S2 of the medal selector 1, accepts the insertion of medals for each game, and determines that the medal corresponding to the specified number of insertions has been inserted. A process of permitting the rotation start operation of the first reel to the third reel is performed. Note that the pressing operation of the start switch 134 is an opportunity to start rotation of the first reel to the third reel and an opportunity to execute the internal lottery. Also, a prescribed number of throws is set according to the gaming state, the prescribed number of throws is set to 3 in the normal state and the bonus established state, and the prescribed number of throws is set to 1 in the bonus state.

  When medals are inserted, the inserted medals are set to the inserted state up to a specified number of insertions according to the gaming state. Alternatively, when the bet switch BET is pressed in a state where medals have been credited to the gaming machine, the credited medals are set to the inserted state by limiting the prescribed number of insertions according to the gaming state. The main board 10 controls whether or not to accept a medal. When it is not in a state of accepting insertion of medals (when not permitted), even if medals are inserted, they are not counted by the medal sensors S1 and S2 and are returned as they are. Similarly, the main board 10 controls the validity / invalidity of the bet switch BET. When the bet switch BET is not valid (when not permitted), even if the bet switch BET is pressed, it is ignored.

  The main board 10 incorporates random number generating means 1100. The random number generation means 1100 is a means for generating a random number for lottery. The random value can be generated based on, for example, a count value of an increment counter (a counter that counts numerical values so as to circulate a predetermined count range). In this embodiment, the “random number value” is not only a value that is randomly generated in a mathematical sense, but even if the generation itself is regular, the acquisition timing and the like are irregular. Includes a value that can function as a random number.

  The internal lottery means 1200 performs an internal lottery in which the player determines whether or not the winning combination is based on a start signal from the start switch 134. That is, a lottery table selection process for selecting a lottery table (not shown) stored in a memory (not shown) of the main board 10, a random number determination process for determining the winning of a random number obtained from the random number generation means 1050, The lottery flag setting process for setting a flag to that effect when a big win or the like is won by the determination result is performed.

  In the lottery table selection process, a lottery table (not shown) stored in a storage unit (ROM) (not shown) is used to determine which lottery table is used for internal lottery. In the lottery table, for each of a plurality of random values (for example, 65536 random values from 0 to 65535), replay, small role (bell, cherry), regular bonus (RB: bonus), and big bonus (BB :), etc., are associated with each other. In addition, a normal state, a bonus establishment state, and a bonus state can be set as the gaming state, and a replay lottery state, a replay low probability state, and a replay high probability state can be set as replay lottery states.

  In the random number determination process, a random value (lottery random number) is acquired from the random number generation means (not shown) for each game based on a start signal from the start switch 134, and the lottery table is referred to for the acquired random value. Then, it is determined whether or not the winning combination is won.

  In the lottery flag setting process, the lottery flag of the winning combination determined to be won based on the result of the random number determination process is changed from the non-winning state (first flag state, off state) to the winning state (second flag state, on Status). When two or more types of winning combinations are won, a lottery flag corresponding to each of the two or more types of winning winning combinations is set to the winning state. The lottery flag setting information is stored in storage means (RAM).

  A lottery flag (possible carryover flag) that can carry over the winning state for the next game until winning, and a lottery flag that is reset to the non-winning state without bringing the winning state to the next game regardless of winning Carry-over impossible flag) may be provided. In this case, there are a regular bonus (RB) and a big bonus (BB) as a combination to which the former carry-over possible flag is associated, and other combinations (for example, small role, replay) correspond to the latter carry-over impossible flag. It is attached. In other words, in the lottery flag setting process, if a regular bonus is won by internal lottery, the winning state of the regular bonus lottery flag is carried over until the regular bonus is won, and if the big bonus is won by internal lottery, the big bonus lottery A process of carrying over the winning state of the flag until the big bonus is won is performed. At this time, the main board 10 determines whether or not a role other than the regular bonus and the big bonus (small role and replay) is used even in a game in which the winning state of the regular bonus or big bonus lottery flag is carried over by the internal lottery function. An internal lottery is performed. In other words, in the lottery flag setting process, in a game in which the winning state of the regular bonus lottery flag is carried over, if a small role or replay is won in the internal lottery, the regular bonus lottery flag and the internal lottery already won In a game in which the lottery flags corresponding to two or more types of winning combinations or replay lottery flags won in the win state are set to the winning state and the winning state of the big bonus lottery flag is carried over, it is small in the internal lottery When a winning combination or replay is won, a lottery flag corresponding to two or more kinds of winning combinations including a big bonus lottery flag that has already been won and a small bonus or replay lottery flag that has been won in an internal lottery is set to a winning state. Set.

  The replay processing unit 1600 may perform control to change the winning probability of replay in the internal lottery under a predetermined condition. The replay processing unit 1600 will be described later again. The replay lottery states include a replay no lottery state in which replay is excluded from the internal lottery, a replay low probability state in which the replay winning probability is set to about 1 / 7.3, and a replay winning probability of about 1 / A plurality of lottery states such as a high replay probability state set to 6 can be set. By changing the replay lottery state, the winning probability of the replay in the internal lottery is changed.

  The reel control means 1300 rotates the first to third reels by a stepping motor based on a start signal generated by the player pressing the start switch 134 (rotation start operation), and the first to third reels are driven. Control that permits the pressing operation (stop operation) of the three stop buttons 140 respectively corresponding to the rotating reels in a state in which the rotation speed of the motor reaches a predetermined speed (about 80 rpm: a rotation speed of about 80 rotations per minute). And a control to stop the first reel to the third reel, which are rotationally driven by the stepping motor, according to the lottery flag setting state (result of the internal lottery).

  In addition, the reel control means 1300 receives the reel stop signal when the player presses the three stop buttons 140 in a state where the pressing operation (stop operation) with respect to the three stop buttons 140 is permitted (validated). Based on this, by stopping the supply of drive pulses (motor drive signals) to the stepping motor of the reel unit 203, control is performed to stop each of the first to third reels.

  That is, each time the three stop buttons 140 are pressed, the reel control means 1300 determines the reel stop position corresponding to the pressed button among the first to third reels. The reel is stopped at the stop position. Specifically, referring to a stop control table (not shown) stored in the storage means (ROM), the first reel according to the pressing timing, pressing order, etc. (stop operation mode) of the three stop buttons. The stop position of the third reel is determined, and the first reel to the third reel are stopped at the determined stop position.

  Here, in the stop control table, the position of the first reel to the third reel (press detection position) at the time when the stop button 140 is operated and the actual stop position (or the slip from the press detection position) of the first reel to the third reel. (Number of frames) is set. Depending on the setting state of the lottery flag, a stop control table for determining the stop positions of the first reel to the third reel may be prepared.

  In the gaming machine, the reel unit 203 includes a reel index (not shown) made of a photosensor, and the reel control means 1300 is based on a reference position signal detected by the reel index every time the reel rotates once. By determining the rotation angle (the number of rotation steps of the rotation axis of the step motor) from the reel reference position (the frame detected by the reel index), the current rotation state of the reel can be monitored. . That is, the main board 10 can obtain the position of the reel when the stop switch 140 is operated by obtaining the rotation angle from the reference position of the reel.

  The reel control means 1300 performs so-called pull-in processing and kick-out processing as control for stopping the reel. The pull-in process is a control process for stopping the reel so that the symbol corresponding to the combination whose lottery flag is set to the winning state is stopped on the winning determination line (so that the winning combination can be won). It is. On the other hand, the kicking process means that the reel corresponding to the combination for which the lottery flag is set to the non-winning state does not stop on the valid winning determination line (so that the non-winning combination cannot be won) This is a control process to be stopped. That is, in the gaming machine of the present embodiment, the lottery flag setting state, the stop button 140 pressing timing, the pressing order, the stop position of the reel that has already stopped (type of display symbol) in order to realize the above-described pull-in processing and kicking processing. ) Etc., the stop control table is set so that the stop position of each reel changes. In this way, the main board 10 can stop the symbol of the combination for which the lottery flag is set to the winning state in a winning form, while the symbol of the combination for which the lottery flag is set to the non-winning state is in the winning form. Control is performed to stop the first reel to the third reel so as not to stop.

  In the gaming machine of the present embodiment, the first to third reels are set to a control state in which the rotating reel corresponding to the pressed stop button is stopped within 190 ms from the time when the stop button 140 is pressed. ing. That is, in the stop control table for determining the stop position of each rotating reel, the number of frames required from when the stop button 140 is pressed until each reel stops is in the range of 0 to 4 frames (predetermined pull-in range). Is set in

  The winning determination means 1400 performs a process of determining whether or not a winning combination has been won based on the stop mode of the first reel to the third reel. Specifically, referring to the winning determination table stored in the storage means (ROM), the symbol combination displayed on the winning determination line when all of the first reel to the third reel are stopped, It is determined whether or not it is a predetermined winning combination.

  The winning determination means 1400 executes a winning process based on the determination result. As a process at the time of winning a prize, for example, when a small role wins, the hopper 81 is driven to perform a medal payout control process, or a credit is increased (a predetermined maximum number is increased to 50, for example, When the replay is won, a replay process is performed. When a big bonus or a regular bonus is won, a game state transition control process for shifting the game state is performed.

  The payout control means 1500 performs payout control processing relating to the payout of medals according to the game result. Specifically, when a small combination wins, the number of medals to be paid out in the game is determined based on a payout predetermined for each combination, and the medals corresponding to the determined number of payouts are determined by the hopper driving unit 80. Then, the hopper 81 is driven to pay out. At this time, a current flows through a motor (not shown) built in the hopper 81.

  When medal credits (internal storage) are permitted, instead of actually paying out medals by the hopper 81, the number of credits stored in a credit storage area (not shown) of the storage means (RAM) (not shown) A credit addition process for adding the number of payouts to the number of credited medals is performed to virtually pay out medals.

  When the replay is won, the replay processing means 1600 performs a replay process (regame process) for setting the same preparatory state as the previous game without requiring insertion of medals owned by the player for the next game. When a replay wins, an automatic insertion process is performed in which the same number of medals as the previous game is automatically set to the insertion state without using the player's own medals (including credit medals). The game machine is set in a state of waiting for a rotation start operation (pressing operation of the start switch 134 by the player) in the next game in a state where the same winning determination line as the previous game is validated.

  Further, the main board 10 may perform control to shift the gaming state between the normal state, the bonus establishment state, and the bonus state (gaming state transition control function). As the game condition transition condition, one condition may be defined, or a plurality of conditions may be defined. When a plurality of conditions are established, transitioning the gaming state to another gaming state based on the fact that one of the plurality of conditions is satisfied or all of the plurality of conditions are satisfied Can do.

  The normal state is a game state corresponding to the initial state among a plurality of types of game states, and a transition from the normal state to the bonus establishment state is possible. The bonus establishment state is a gaming state that shifts when a big bonus or a regular bonus is won in the internal lottery. In the bonus establishment state, when the big bonus is won in the internal lottery in the normal state, the lottery flag corresponding to the big bonus is maintained in the winning state until the big bonus is won, and the regular bonus is won in the internal lottery in the normal state Until the regular bonus is won, the lottery flag corresponding to the regular bonus is maintained in the winning state. In the bonus state, it is determined whether or not the end condition is satisfied based on the total number of medals paid out by the bonus game, and medals exceeding a predetermined payout limit number are paid out according to the type of bonus won. The bonus state is terminated and the gaming state is returned to the normal state.

  The reel unit 203 includes three reels (not shown), and one stepping motor is attached to each of the three reels. A stepping motor includes a gear-shaped iron core or permanent magnet as a rotor (rotor), a plurality of windings (coils) as a stator (stator), and is rotated by switching windings through which current flows. is there. That is, a current is passed through the windings of the stator to generate a magnetic force, and the rotor is rotated by attracting the rotor. Since the rotation axis can be stopped at a specified angle, it is used to drive the rotation of the reel of the slot machine. A plurality of windings constitute one phase. As the number of phases, for example, there are two (two phases), four (four phases), and five (five phases).

Next, game processing in the gaming machine will be described with reference to FIG.
Generally, in a gaming machine, one game is started from the insertion of medals (insertion of credits) until the end of payout (or until the increase in the number of credits is completed). There is a rule that it is not possible to proceed to the next game until one game is finished.

  First, when a prescribed number of medals are inserted, the start switch 134 is activated, and the processing of FIG. 4 is started.

  In step S1, the start switch 134 is turned on by operating the start switch 134. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S2.

  In step S2, a lottery process is performed by the main board 10. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S3.

  In step S3, the rotation of the first reel to the third reel starts. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S4.

  In step S4, when the stop button 140 is operated, the stop button 140 is turned ON. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S5.

  In step S5, rotation stop processing is performed on the reel corresponding to the pressed stop button 140 among the first to third reels. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S6.

  In step S6, it is determined whether or not the operation of the stop button 140 corresponding to the three reels has been performed. If it is determined that all three stop buttons 140 corresponding to the three reels have been operated, the process proceeds to the next step S7.

  In step S7, it is determined whether or not the winning symbols corresponding to the lottery flag are aligned on the effective winning line while the lottery flag is established, that is, whether or not the winning is confirmed. If it is determined that the winning is confirmed, the process proceeds to the next step S8. If the winning is not confirmed, no medals are paid out even if the lottery flag is established.

  In step S8, medals corresponding to winning symbols are paid out.

  The process from the insertion of the medal to the completion of the execution of step S8 is one game. When the standby process in step S8 ends, the process returns to the beginning of the flowchart. In other words, the next game is possible (transition to the next game).

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the connection between the sub-board 20 and its peripheral board (device control board). As shown in FIG. 3, a liquid crystal control board 200, a speaker board 201, and an LED board 202 are connected to the sub board 20. These should be called peripheral substrates of the sub-substrate 20.

  The plurality of peripheral boards are connected as shown in FIG. 5 (the display of the speaker board 201 is omitted). That is, a plurality of peripheral boards are connected to a common bus, and communicate with the sub board 20 through the bus. The signal flowing through the bus is a signal on two lines, a data line and a clock line, such as a parallel signal (for example, a signal transmitted by an 8-bit line) or a serial signal (for example, I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit)). ). In the example of FIG. 5, the signal output from the sub-board 20 is returned to the sub-board 20, but this is an example, and the end opposite to the connection end is opened as in a general bus structure. Also good.

  Data is transmitted from the sub board 20 to the peripheral board by designating an address. For example, when data is sent to the liquid crystal control board 200 as a peripheral board, an address previously associated with the liquid crystal control board 200 is designated and the data is sent to the bus. When the liquid crystal control board 200 recognizes that the data is addressed to itself by the address, the liquid crystal control board 200 takes in the data subsequent to the address into the latch. A predetermined operation is performed according to the fetched data. If the fetched data is a command for transmitting data acquired or obtainable by the liquid crystal control board 200 to the sub-board 20, the data is sent to the sub-board 20 (after receiving predetermined data, it is determined in advance. Data can always be transmitted to the sub-board 20).

  In the following description, a command is sent from the sub-board 20 to the liquid crystal control board 200 to control the display screen. In particular, the operation according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described through a “color navigation” process of notifying an internal winning by coloring an item (element) displayed on the screen.

  A very simple example of color navigation is shown in FIG. FIGS. 8A to 8D schematically show the display screen of the liquid crystal display device LCD. Symbols L, C, and R are left, middle, and right items (elements) displayed on the screen, respectively, and are shown in a circle for convenience of explanation. Three items are arranged in a horizontal row.

  When a predetermined state is reached (for example, when an internal winning state for a predetermined role is reached), the three items L to R are colored blue as shown in FIG. The color is specified according to the state. Then, the color of the item L is erased by the first stop as shown in FIG. 5B (assuming that the left stop button is pressed in the first stop), and the item is stopped by the second stop as shown in FIG. The color of C is erased (assuming that the middle stop button is pressed at the second stop), and the color of the item R is erased at the third stop as shown in FIG. Suppose the button is pressed).

  In the above example, an already displayed item is colored, but instead, a colored item may be displayed in a predetermined state. In this case, a parent command described later is a color appearance command for causing a colored item (element, see FIG. 8) to appear on the liquid crystal display device, and a child command described later is an already displayed item (colored). Is an erasure command for erasing an image). Since this method is different from the above method only in the appearance timing of items, the same processing procedure as that described above can be applied to the latter case. In the following description, the description will be given by taking the former case as an example, but it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to the latter case.

  As described above, in the color navigation, two kinds of commands are used to perform the coloring and erasing operations of items. If so-called fast pressing is performed, commands may be generated one after another and the commands may be discarded as described above, but the problem caused by the processing is solved by the processing described below. The commands related to color navigation will be described in detail later.

  FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the sub-board 20. This figure shows only the part of command generation (particularly, parent command and child command described below) and transmission processing. More specifically, the apparatus shown in the figure is realized by a CPU provided on the sub-board 20 executing a program stored in advance in a memory (ROM).

  Reference numeral 20a denotes a command generation unit that generates a command. The command generated here is a color navigation command. That is, an item coloring command (parent command) and a colored color erasing command (child command).

  The parent command is a command for causing the device to perform a predetermined operation, and the child command is a command for canceling the predetermined operation by the parent command.

  The command structure is shown in FIG. This command is a guarantee bit for identifying whether it is a parent command or a child command (0 is a child command and 1 is a parent command), and which parent command the child command is associated with Security ID (identification information that defines the parent-child relationship) and setting information that specifies what processing is to be performed on the screen of the liquid crystal display device (information that defines the operation content of the liquid crystal display device) Is included. The setting information includes a stage ID that indicates the stage (stage) of the effect and an effect ID that specifies specific content of the effect at the stage.

  The security ID is a security identifier for associating a specific parent command with a child command when there are a plurality of parent commands. The effect ID is an effect identifier (for example, a parameter that specifies the contents of the effect) related to a predetermined operation of the device.

  The security ID takes any value from 1 to 7, for example. If the guarantee IDs match between the two parent and child commands, they are associated with each other, and color deletion (operation cancellation processing) is performed with the child commands. If the guarantee IDs do not match, the color is not erased.

  The command generation unit 20a sets the security bit = 1 (set) when generating the parent command, and sets the security bit = 0 (reset) when generating the child command.

  Reference numeral 20b denotes a security bit determination unit that determines the status of the security bit, that is, whether it is set (= 1) or reset (= 0).

  Reference numeral 20c denotes a command transmission unit that transmits the generated command. The command transmission unit 20c performs one of the following processes (a) and (b) according to the state of the guarantee bit.

(A) It is determined whether or not a command for which the security bit is not set is transmitted to the liquid crystal control board 200, and the command determined to be transmitted is transmitted.

  This is a normal process (a process performed in a conventional gaming machine). That is, the command is temporarily stored in a buffer (not shown), and is extracted and transmitted at a predetermined timing, for example, in the storage order (first in first out). If a large number of commands occur due to the player pressing quickly, the buffer may overflow and some commands may be lost.

(A) If the command has the security bit set, the parent command is always transmitted to the liquid crystal control board (device control board) 200.

  This is a specific operation according to the embodiment of the invention. Unlike (a), the command in which the guarantee bit is set is not lost.

  For example, when a command with a guarantee bit set is stored in the buffer, the presence or absence of the guarantee bit is checked inside, and the command with the guarantee bit set is rearranged so that it is read first. . As a result, the reading order is not the storage order but the guaranteed bit order (priority order). This operation is realized by processing of the CPU of the sub-board 20, or is realized as a function of a buffer itself (not shown). In the latter case, for example, a logic circuit that preferentially reads data with the security bit = 1 is configured.

  Note that this read order change is not essential and may not be performed. In this case, transmission is performed in the order in which the commands are stored. In this case, even when the command is discarded due to an overflow or the like (conventionally), the command with the security bit set is always transmitted. The command to be discarded due to overflow is checked, and when the guarantee bit is set, the command is always transmitted.

  Alternatively, the security bit is checked when the buffer is read. If the security bit is set, the command is read and transmitted. If the security bit is not set, the security bit of the next command is determined. Then, after reading to the end of the buffer, the process returns to the end of the buffer, and thereafter, commands for which the security bit is not set are also read and transmitted in order.

  In addition, two types of buffers, a first buffer for preferential transmission and a second buffer with a low priority, are provided, and commands for which the security bit is set are stored in the first buffer. When the command is transmitted, the command in the first buffer is first read and transmitted, and when the first buffer becomes empty, the command in the second buffer can be transmitted thereafter.

  Note that there is a method in which the determination regarding the “guaranteed bit” in (a) is not performed. In other words, basically, everything is sent without determining whether to send a command, and if there is a guarantee bit, even if the command is discarded due to overflow etc. A command with the bit set may always be transmitted. In short, normal command transmission processing does not perform processing related to the security bit, but checks for the presence of the security bit in the event of an abnormality such as an overflow (when the command has been lost in the past), and always sends a command with a security bit. Like that.

  FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the liquid crystal control board (device control board) 200. The figure shows only the reception of commands (particularly, parent commands and child commands described below) and the rendering process (coloring / color erasing) based thereon.

  Reference numeral 2001 denotes a command receiving unit that receives commands from the sub-board 20.

  Reference numeral 2002 denotes a command decoding unit that decodes a received command. The command decoding unit 2002 distinguishes a parent command (color navigation appearance command) and a child command (color navigation deletion command) by checking the set / reset of the security bit, but has a function other than this. There may be. When it is not necessary to make this distinction, it is sufficient to analyze and execute the effect ID (effect content) of the received command.

  In 2003, an operation (predetermined operation) for receiving the parent command (color navigation appearance command) from the command decoding unit 2002 and coloring the item of the liquid crystal display device (device) based on the effect ID (effect identifier) of the parent command. It is a coloring processing unit that performs the operation, holds the contents of the operation, and sends it to the coloring instruction unit 2004.

  Reference numeral 2004 denotes a coloring identification unit that receives a child command (color navigation deletion command) from the command decoding unit 2002 and obtains the content (setting information) of the device operation by the parent command from the coloring processing unit 2003. When there are a plurality of device operation details (coloring information), the corresponding operation content (coloring information) is selected based on the command guarantee ID. That is, when performing an effect, the operation content is selected with reference to the effect ID. In the effect ID, for example, the type and display timing of the effect are defined. In this case, the production ID itself holds information for instructing the operation content. Note that the production ID may simply be an index, a location for storing information indicating the operation content may be specified, and necessary information may be read from the location to perform a predetermined operation.

  Reference numeral 2005 denotes a coloring processing unit that cancels a predetermined operation based on the content of the operation acquired by the coloring identification unit 2004.

  Reference numeral 2006 denotes an image memory.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of a parent command (color navigation appearance command). When a predetermined condition is met, when a start switch (lever) 134 is pressed, one of the commands in FIG. 10 is sent to the liquid crystal control board 200. As can be seen from this figure, there are five types of commands CNV W to CNV R for navigating with five colors of white, blue, yellow, green and red.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of a child command (color navigation deletion command). When one of the three stop switches 140 is pressed, a corresponding command is sent to the liquid crystal control board 200. When the left stop switch 140 is pressed, a left color navigation delete command is transmitted. The same applies to the middle and right stop switches 140. In the example of the figure, each command is composed of a combination of a command (READ) for reading a color colored by a color navigation appearance command and a command (INV) for erasing the read color. This is an example, and both operations may be performed with a single command.

  FIG. 12 shows a comparative example of the child command (color navigation deletion command). The command in the figure does not include a command (READ) for reading out the color, and directly specifies the color to be erased by the command parameter. This method is simple and reliable, but causes the problem of increasing the number of commands. The command in FIG. 12 is five times the same as in FIG. 11 (same as the type of coloring). In this regard, the command of FIG. 11 according to the embodiment of the present invention is excellent. On the other hand, if the parent command is not transmitted due to a quick press of the lever or the like, the command is erased by a child command (color navigation erase command). The power color becomes indeterminate, and it is impossible to animate the stop animation with the correct color. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the above problem is solved by providing a guarantee bit and always transmitting a parent command.

  FIG. 13 is a schematic flowchart of command transmission processing performed by the sub-board 20.

S10: The command generated by the command generator 20a is analyzed.
Specifically, the command structure of FIG. 9 is examined, and the value of the guarantee bit is acquired.

S11: It is determined whether or not the guarantee bit is 1.
If the guarantee bit = 1, it is a parent command, and the process proceeds to S12 to transmit with the highest priority.
If the security bit is not 1, it is a child command and is handled in the same way as other commands.

S12: Priority command transmission The parent command is transmitted with priority and is always transmitted. The method was described above.

S13: Normal command transmission The child command performs normal command transmission. Since this process is known, a description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 14 is another flowchart of command transmission processing performed by the sub-board 20. This process determines whether the parent command corresponding to the child command has been transmitted based on the guarantee ID of the child command, and waits for the transmission of the child command if it has not been transmitted. That is, the following processing is performed in addition to FIG.

S11b: Check the guarantee ID of the child command.

S11c: It is determined whether or not a parent command having the same security ID has been transmitted.
The transmission record of the command transmitted in the past is searched using the guarantee ID of the child command as a key, and it is determined whether or not the parent command corresponding to the child command has been transmitted. If the transmission has been completed, the process proceeds to S13. If the transmission has not been completed, the process is repeated after waiting for a predetermined time in S11d: wait.

  If the parent command is not transmitted even after waiting for a certain period of time, the child command may be invalid and a process for stopping the transmission (timeout process) may be performed.

  15 and 16 are schematic flowcharts of other command transmission processing performed by the sub-board 20. 15 and 16 show processing at the time of overflow, and display of processing when overflow has not occurred is omitted.

  FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 show a method in which the judgment regarding the guarantee bit is not performed in normal command transmission. That is, in normal command transmission, basically all are transmitted without determining whether to transmit a command. If there is a guarantee bit, a command with the guarantee bit set is always transmitted even if the command is discarded due to an overflow or the like (conventionally). In short, normal command transmission processing does not perform processing related to the security bit, but checks for the presence of the security bit in the event of an abnormality such as overflow (when the command has been lost in the past), and always sends a command with a security bit. Like that.

  The overflow is a state where a buffer (memory, for example, provided in the command transmission unit 20c) provided in the sub-board 20 for temporarily storing commands is generally used, and the generated command cannot be stored in the buffer. . The commands are extracted and transmitted in the order of storage in the buffer (first in first out), for example. If many commands occur for any reason, the buffer overflows.

  Hereinafter, processing for countermeasures against overflow will be described.

S10b: It is determined whether the command generated by the command generation unit 20a is discarded.
Normally, the command is discarded when the buffer is full. When the buffer is full, the buffer outputs a signal to that effect, so that the command transmission unit 20c (CPU of the sub board 20) can know it easily.
If there is no overflow, there is no possibility that the command will be discarded, and the process of FIG. 15 is exited.
If it is overflow, the process proceeds to S11.

S11: It is determined whether or not the guarantee bit is 1.
If the guarantee bit = 1, it is a parent command, and the process proceeds to S12 to transmit with the highest priority.
If the guarantee bit is not 1, it is a child command and is allowed to be discarded.

S12b: Command transmission The parent command is transmitted with priority and is always transmitted. For example, the parent command is transmitted even if the process of reading and transmitting the command from the buffer is temporarily stopped (prior to this).

S13b: Discard the command.
Child commands can be discarded, so discard them. Specifically, the process of FIG. 15 is exited without performing command transmission.

  FIG. 16 is another flowchart of command transmission processing performed by the sub-board 20. In this process, based on the guarantee ID of the child command, it is determined whether or not the parent command corresponding to the child command has been transmitted. If it has not been transmitted, an error process is performed. That is, the following processing is performed in addition to FIG.

S11b: Check the guarantee ID of the child command.

S11c: It is determined whether or not a parent command having the same security ID has been transmitted.
The transmission record of the command transmitted in the past is searched using the guarantee ID of the child command as a key, and it is determined whether or not the parent command corresponding to the child command has been transmitted. If it has been transmitted, the process proceeds to S13b, and if it has not been transmitted, the process proceeds to S11e.

S11e: Perform error processing.
For example, a software reset is performed so that a series of processes is performed again from the beginning.

FIG. 17 is a schematic flowchart of command reception processing performed by the liquid crystal control board 200.
When it is not necessary to refer to the guarantee bit, it is only necessary to analyze and execute the effect ID (effect content) of the received command, and therefore it is not necessary to execute the processing of FIG. 17 (especially S20, S21, S23). .

S20: The command received by the command receiving unit 2001 is analyzed.
Specifically, the command structure of FIG. 9 is examined, and the value of the guarantee bit is acquired.

S21: Determine the type of command.
If the guarantee bit = 1, it is a parent command (color navigation appearance command), and S22: Item coloring processing is performed. Since the coloring process is known, description thereof is omitted.

  If the guarantee bit is not 1, it is a child command (color navigation erase command), and the processes of S23 and S24 are performed.

S23: Acquire item coloring information.
Specifically, the executed coloring information is acquired using the guarantee ID as a search key. The acquired information is coloring information of the parent command corresponding to the child command.

S24: Item deletion processing is performed.
The color of a predetermined item is erased based on the coloring information acquired in S23. Since this process itself is well-known, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the types of commands to be transmitted, and it is possible to prevent the operation of the child commands from being deteriorated by not transmitting / receiving the parent commands. Incorrect liquid crystal display due to omission of registration of color information, etc. can be avoided.

  That is, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, in a command configuration in which a predetermined color navigation is registered by operating the start lever and the color is displayed / erased depending on the color after the first stop of the rotating cylinder, for some reason. When the liquid crystal control board does not receive a command related to color navigation registration (parent command), the color information to be displayed / erased after the first stop is indefinite, and correct color navigation is not displayed. Therefore, a security bit is provided in the command, and based on this, a command (parent command) relating to color navigation registration is always transmitted. Thereby, even when the player makes a quick hit, the above-described problem can be avoided.

  In the above description, the control command related to the item on the screen of the liquid crystal display device is taken as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other devices (such as an electric decoration device and a sound generation device) used for the effect of the gaming machine. Can also be applied. For example, the present invention can be applied to an operation of turning on a part of a plurality of LEDs of the lighting device and then turning it off, or generating a specific sound from a speaker and then stopping it.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Main board | substrate 20 Sub board | substrate 20a Command generation part 20b Security bit determination part 20c Command transmission part 200 Liquid crystal control board (device control board)
201 Speaker board (device control board)
202 LED board (device control board)
2001 Command Receiving Unit 2002 Command Decoding Unit 2003 Coloring Processing Unit 2004 Coloring Identification Unit 2005 Erase Processing Unit 2006 Image Memory LCD Liquid Crystal Display Device (Screen Display Unit)

Claims (7)

A main board that executes control related to a game including an internal lottery process, a sub board that receives a command from the main board and executes a process related to the presentation, a device for performing the presentation, and a command from the sub board In a gaming machine comprising a device control board for controlling the device based on
The command is classified into at least a parent command for causing the device to perform a predetermined operation and a child command for canceling the predetermined operation by the parent command,
The command includes a guarantee bit for distinguishing the parent command and the child command, and an effect identifier relating to the predetermined operation,
The sub-board is
Generating a parent command for setting the guarantee bit to perform the predetermined operation;
Generating a child command to reset the guarantee bit and cancel the predetermined operation;
The parent command is preferentially transmitted to the device control board based on the guarantee bit,
The device control board is:
Receiving a command including the parent command and the child command;
When the parent command is received, the device performs a predetermined operation based on the presentation identifier of the parent command,
When the child command is received, the content of the operation of the device by the parent command is acquired, and the predetermined operation is canceled based on the content of the acquired operation.
The child command in which the security bit is not set has a lower transmission priority than the parent command and may not be transmitted.
The parent machine having the security bit set is preferentially transmitted to the device control board. The sub-board includes a buffer for temporarily storing generated commands,
The sub-board is
When the buffer is full and the command cannot be written
Check the existence of the guarantee bit for the generated command,
The command with the guarantee bit is sent to the device control board with the highest priority,
2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein a command not having the security bit is discarded. There are a plurality of the predetermined operations of the device, and there are a plurality of the parent commands correspondingly,
The command further includes a security identifier for associating the plurality of parent commands and the child command,
The sub-board is
Specifying a specific parent command among the plurality of parent commands by setting the guarantee identifier of the generated parent command,
Specifying the specific child command corresponding to the specific parent command by setting the guarantee identifier of the generated child command to the one corresponding to the specific parent command;
Check the existence of the guarantee bit for the generated command, and when the command does not have the guarantee bit, examine the guarantee identifier,
Check whether the specific parent command corresponding to the guarantee identifier of the command is transmitted,
Discard the command when sending the specific parent command,
3. The gaming machine according to claim 2, wherein error processing including reset is performed when the specific parent command is not transmitted. There are a plurality of the predetermined operations of the device, and there are a plurality of the parent commands correspondingly,
The command further includes a security identifier for associating the plurality of parent commands and the child command,
The sub-board is
Specifying a specific parent command among the plurality of parent commands by setting the guarantee identifier of the generated parent command,
Specifying the specific child command corresponding to the specific parent command by setting the guarantee identifier of the generated child command to the one corresponding to the specific parent command;
The device control board is:
Receiving a command including the specific parent command and the specific child command;
When the specific parent command is received, the device performs a predetermined operation based on the effect identifier of the specific parent command,
When the specific child command is received, the content of the operation of the device by the specific parent command associated based on the guarantee identifier of the specific child command is acquired, and based on the acquired content of the operation The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined operation is canceled. The sub-board is
When transmitting the specific child command with the security bit not set, determining whether the specific parent command associated with the security identifier of the specific child command has been transmitted;
If the specific parent command is not sent, wait for the specific child command to be sent,
5. The gaming machine according to claim 4, wherein the specific child command is transmitted after the specific parent command is transmitted. The sub-board includes a first buffer for preferential transmission and a second buffer having a lower transmission priority than the first buffer,
In order to transmit the parent command with the highest priority, the sub-board stores a command in which the guarantee bit is set in the first buffer, stores a command in which the guarantee bit is not in the second buffer, and transmits the command. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first buffer command is read and transmitted when the first buffer is empty, and then the second buffer command is transmitted after the first buffer becomes empty. The gaming machine described in Crab. The device is a display device;
The device control board is a control board of the display device,
The parent command is an appearance command for causing a colored element to appear on the display device,
The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the child command is an erasing command for erasing the colored element.

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