JP2013022318A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To retransmit a command signal to a main control means by allowing a subordinate control means to request the main control means to retransmit a main command signal including the same command information as the command signal received by the subordinate control means when it is determined that the command signal received by the subordinate control means is an abnormal signal.SOLUTION: The subordinate control means 400 executes normal/abnormal command determination for the command signal transmitted by the main control means, and when it is determined that the command signal is abnormal, the subordinate control means controls a presentation means 500 to execute a presentation to urge a player to operate an input means 200 in a used state. When the input means 200 in the used state is operated after the presentation, the main control means 100 retransmits a main command signal including the same command information as the command signal transmitted before.

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a spinning machine (slot machine) having a plurality of reels having a plurality of symbols arranged on an outer peripheral surface is known as a gaming machine. This type of gaming machine includes a main control unit that controls the game in an integrated manner, and a sub-control unit that controls a game effect via an effect display device, a lighting device, or an audio device. In order to control the winning probability, the main control means is preset so as to be unable to receive an external signal in order to prevent fraud, and a command signal including command information can be transmitted to the sub control means. However, it is electrically connected to the sub-control means by unidirectional communication so that the command signal from the sub-control means cannot be received.

  In this type of gaming machine, a command signal transmitted from the main control unit to the sub-control unit may change to an abnormal signal due to electromagnetic noise generated from an electric device or the like by playing a game. The use of shielded sensor amplifiers and sensor cables and the installation of filters that remove only electromagnetic noise have been carried out as countermeasures against electromagnetic noise, but these cannot be completely prevented. Further, the sub-control means cannot execute the effect that should be executed by receiving the command signal changed to an abnormal signal due to the influence of electromagnetic wave noise. It can be detrimental.

  As a gaming machine that solves such a problem, when the main control means transmits a command signal to the sub control means, the same command signal as the command signal transmitted to the sub control means is provided in the main control means. It is also transmitted to the receiver, and it is determined whether the command signal is normal or abnormal by detecting the difference between the command signal transmitted by the main controller and the command signal received by the receiver of the main controller. If the result of the determination is that the signal is abnormal, the main control means retransmits the same command signal as the transmitted command signal to the sub-control means (Patent Document 1).

JP2003-275441

  However, in this gaming machine, based on the fact that the command signal received by the receiving unit of the main control means is determined as a normal signal, the command signal received by the sub control means is only estimated as a normal signal. Thus, the command signal actually received by the sub-control means is not necessarily a normal signal. Similarly, based on determining that the command signal received by the receiving unit of the main control means is an abnormal signal, the command signal received by the sub control means is only estimated as an abnormal signal, and actually The command signal received by the sub control means is not necessarily an abnormal signal. That is, since this gaming machine does not perform the correct / incorrect determination to determine whether the command signal is a normal signal or an abnormal signal on the side of the sub-control means that receives the command signal, the sub-control is caused by trouble during command transmission. If an abnormal command signal is transmitted to the means, this cannot be determined, and the accuracy of the correctness determination is poor.

  Also, in this gaming machine, the correctness of the command signal is determined by detecting the difference between the command signal transmitted by the main control means and the command signal received by the receiving unit of the main control means. There is a possibility that there will be a difference between the timing of determination and the timing at which the sub control means actually receives the command signal. In other words, there is a possibility that the re-transmission of the command signal by the main control means will not be performed at an appropriate timing in the game. is there. That is, even if an abnormal command signal is transmitted to the sub-control unit due to a trouble during transmission as described above, the main control unit cannot grasp this, so no processing is performed and the abnormal command signal is not processed. Can be left unattended. Also, when the command signal is judged abnormal and the command signal is retransmitted, the game has already progressed or ended by the player, and the timing for displaying the effect corresponding to the command signal may be lost. It is done. These situations are caused by the fact that the main control means cannot grasp what is actually occurring in the sub-control means due to the one-way communication described above.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in the communication environment of the unidirectional communication system between the main control means and the sub control means, improves the accuracy of the judgment of the correctness of the command signal received by the sub control means. In addition, an object is to provide a gaming machine that can request a main control means to retransmit a command signal at an appropriate timing when it is determined as an abnormal command signal.

  (1) Production means for executing a game production, main control means capable of controlling and controlling the game, and unidirectional communication with the main control means, and based on a command signal transmitted by the main control means. Sub-control means capable of controlling the effect means, and input means capable of transmitting an input signal corresponding to the operation to the main control means when a player performs an operation necessary for playing the game. In the gaming machine comprising: the input means is controlled to a used state in which an operation becomes invalid by transmitting the input signal to the main control means to perform a predetermined function, and the sub-control means Command correctness determination is performed to determine whether the command signal transmitted by the main control means is a normal signal or an abnormal signal, and the command signal is determined to be a normal signal as a result of the command correctness determination. The input means controlled to the used state with respect to the player when the command signal is determined to be an abnormal signal. Controlling the effect means so as to perform an operation promotion effect that is an effect of prompting the operation, and the main control means, after the operation promotion effect, when the input means controlled to the used state is operated, A command signal including the same command information as the previously transmitted command signal is transmitted again to the sub-control means.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to determine whether the command signal is a normal signal or an abnormal signal by the sub-control unit on the receiving side that actually receives the command signal. And when it is determined that the signal is abnormal as a result of the determination, it is possible to cause the player to perform the operation of the input means controlled to the used state by performing an operation promotion effect. With the operation as a trigger, a command signal including the same command information as the command signal transmitted once can be retransmitted. Therefore, even in a unidirectional communication environment in which signal transmission from the sub-control means to the main control means is not possible, it is possible to request that the command signal be re-transmitted to the main control means via the player. The command signal can be retransmitted at an appropriate timing before the game ends.

  (2) In the above item (1), the sub-control unit performs the command correctness determination on the command signal retransmitted by the main control unit, and determines that the re-transmitted command signal is normal. If it is determined as a signal, the rendering means is controlled so as to perform an effect based on the command signal, and if it is determined that the retransmitted command signal is an abnormal signal, an error effect for notifying an error is provided. The rendering means is controlled to perform.

  According to this configuration, the command correctness determination of the retransmitted command signal is executed, and when it is determined that the retransmitted command signal is an abnormal signal, an error effect is executed. It is possible to notify the abnormality of the gaming machine, and the manager of the gaming machine can improve this abnormality based on the error production, so that the maintainability of the gaming machine is improved.

  Even in the case of unidirectional communication in which signals cannot be transmitted from the sub-control means to the main control means, if the command signal is determined to be an abnormal signal, the same command as the command signal already transmitted to the main control means Since it is possible to request retransmission of the command signal including information at the timing of the operation to the input means that has been used by the player, without overlooking the command signal determined to be an abnormal signal The command signal can be transmitted again at an appropriate timing. In addition, since the sub-control means that actually receives the command signal can determine whether the command signal is correct or incorrect, the accuracy of the correct / incorrect determination is improved.

1 is a front view of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. Similarly, it is a block diagram which shows the relationship of each component of a gaming machine. Similarly, in the command transmission / reception process of the gaming machine, it is a flowchart for explaining a game control method including a determination process of whether or not the command signal is set to be retransmitted. Similarly, in the command transmission / reception process of the gaming machine, it is a flowchart for explaining a game control method set to request retransmission of a command signal until the command signal is not determined to be an abnormal signal. Similarly, in the command transmission / reception process of the gaming machine, it is a flowchart for explaining a game control method including a process of counting command signals determined to be abnormal signals.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the gaming machine of this embodiment is a so-called slot machine, and is a type of gaming machine that uses medals as gaming media.
The front side of the page in FIG. 1 is the “front” of the gaming machine, the back side of the page is also “rear”, the left is also “left”, and the right is also “right”.
As shown in FIG. 1, a slot machine S that is a gaming machine according to the present embodiment has a housing 1 having an opening (not shown) provided on the front surface and an opening of the housing 1 that can be opened and closed. The front door 2 provided on the front surface of the front door 2 and a right reel positioned on the right side with a plurality of symbols arranged on the outer peripheral surface, a middle reel positioned in the center, and a left reel positioned on the left These are collectively referred to as a reel 3), a display window 4 for enabling visual recognition from the front, an effect display unit 5 provided above the display window 4 and capable of displaying a plurality of types of images or images, and a front door 2. A speaker 6 for outputting a plurality of types of sound provided at both upper and lower corners, and an effect lamp 7 having a plurality of types of blinking patterns are provided on the upper peripheral edge of the front door 2.

  Below the display window 4 of the front door 2 is provided a medal insertion slot 8 into which medals are inserted, and is inserted into the medal insertion slot 8 in advance and credited (stored) as input means 200 to be described later. Among the medals, a 1-bet button 9 for setting one medal for playing a game one by one, and a MAX for setting three medals for playing a game (maximum bet number) in one operation. The bet button 10, the start lever 11 for starting the rotation of the three reels 3, and the front door 2 are juxtaposed in the left-right direction, corresponding to each of the rotating right reel, middle reel, and left reel. A left stop button, a middle stop button, and a right stop button (hereinafter collectively referred to as stop button 12) for stopping are provided.

  Further, a display panel 13 for displaying the model name of the slot machine S and the like is provided below the stop button 12 on the front surface of the front door 2, and a slot is displayed below the display panel 13 on the front surface of the front door 2. A medal tray 15 for collecting medals paid out from the medal payout opening 14 in the game of the machine S is provided.

  Inside the housing 1 is a reel unit 310 (see FIG. 2) configured with a reel 3 visible from the display window 4 and a reel control device (not shown) that enables rotation and stop control of the reel 3. A hopper unit 320 (see FIG. 2) provided at the lower portion of the reel unit 310 and capable of paying out medals is accommodated. Also, inside the housing 1, there is a main control means 100 (see FIG. 2) that controls and controls the entire gaming machine, and a display effect that matches the game situation by receiving a signal transmitted from the main control means 100. A sub-control unit 400 (see FIG. 2) that performs control for executing an acoustic effect or the like is accommodated.

An outline of the game in the gaming machine of this embodiment will be described.
The player inserts three medals into the medal insertion slot 8 or presses the 1 bet button 9 or the MAX bet button 10 in a state where the medals are credited to obtain three medals as the prescribed number that can be played. By setting, the gaming machine is brought into a game ready state in which the reel 3 can be rotationally started. Then, based on the pressing operation of the start lever 11 by the player, the main control means 100 starts to rotate the reel 3 via the reel control device, and starts the game by executing an internal lottery related to winning the winning combination. Let

  Thereafter, when the player depresses the stop button 12 at an arbitrary timing, the reel 3 is stopped at the stop position corresponding to the result of the internal lottery. If the combination of symbols stopped and displayed at a predetermined display position set in advance in the display window 4 is a combination of symbols corresponding to a predetermined combination, the number of games corresponding to the result of the game A predetermined game process such as a medal being paid out from the medal payout opening 14 to the medal tray 15 is executed.

Next, the function of the gaming machine of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The gaming machine of this embodiment is controlled by the main control unit 100 and the sub control unit 400. The main control means 100 performs various arithmetic processes for controlling the execution of the game based on reception of input signals from the bet switch 210, the start switch 220, the stop switch 230, etc. as the input means 200, A command signal including command information based on the result is transmitted to the reel unit 310, the hopper unit 320, and the like, which are output means 300, and control related to the output operation is executed.

  The sub-control means 400 receives the command signal from the main control means 100, performs various calculations for executing effects according to the progress of the game, and is the effect means 500 based on the calculation results. Control related to effects such as the effect display device 510, the sound device 520, and the lighting device 530 is executed. Note that the communication signal transmitted from the main control unit 100 to the sub control unit 400 is set so as to be transmitted only in one direction (unidirectional communication).

  The functions of the main control unit 100 and the sub control unit 400 are realized by hardware such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, or software including a predetermined program stored in advance in the ROM.

  In the gaming machine of this embodiment, command information is included as a communication signal transmitted and received between the main control means 100, the input means 200, the output means 300, the sub-control means 400, and the rendering means 500, and is output from the main control means 100. The main command signal transmitted to the means 300 or the sub-control means 400, the sub-command signal including the command information and transmitted from the sub-control means 400 to the rendering means 500, and the input means 200 transmitted to the main control means 100. Input signal to be set.

  The main command signal is a command signal including command information generated by arithmetic processing by the main control unit 100 when the input signal transmitted based on the operation of the input unit 200 is received. And information for starting rotation of the reel 3 and information on the winning combination as a result of the internal lottery are transmitted.

  The sub-command signal is a command signal including a command signal generated by arithmetic processing by the sub-control unit 400 when the main command signal is received. The sub-command signal is transmitted to the effect unit 500, and the contents of the effect and the effect It includes information such as execution timing.

  The input signal is a bet signal transmitted by operating the bet switch 210 when the bet buttons 9 and 10 as the input means 200 are pressed, and the start signal is also transmitted when the start switch 220 is operated by pressing the start lever 11. This is a signal and a stop signal that is transmitted when the stop switch 230 is activated by pressing the stop button 12.

  The main control means 100 includes a game control device 110 and a main memory 120. The sub-control means 400 includes an effect control device 410 and a sub-memory 420.

First, each component of the main control means 100 will be described.
The game control device 110 sets the inserted medal, generates a random number for lottery, internal lottery for determining whether or not a winning combination, rotation and stop of the reel 3, determination of winning of the winning combination in the internal lottery, A game execution process that is a control for executing a game such as a payout of medals based on a winning or the like and a transition between a plurality of preset game states is performed.

In addition, the game control device 110 performs, as processing related to the input signal, input signal reception processing for receiving the input signal transmitted by the input means 200, arithmetic processing based on the input signal received by the input signal reception processing, and the like.
In addition, as a process related to the main command signal, a main command generation process that generates a main command signal including instruction information related to the plurality of game controls described above based on a result of the arithmetic process, and a result generated by the main command generation process are generated. Main command transmission processing for transmitting the main command signal to the sub-control means 400, re-transmission setting processing for setting the main command signal to be re-transmitted in response to a pressing operation of the predetermined input means 200, and the main command to be re-transmitted An identification information addition process for adding predetermined identification information to the signal is performed.

  In the input signal reception process, a reception process is performed to determine whether the input signal is received as a valid signal or an invalid signal based on the reception state of the input signal. When the input signal is received and processed as a valid signal, the game control device 110 executes a game execution process corresponding to the operation of the input means 200 (input signal). The game execution process corresponding to the input signal) is not executed. Here, the game execution processing specifically refers to processing for setting the internally stored medals to a prescribed number (three) as processing corresponding to the 1 bet button 9 and the MAX bet button 10. The process corresponding to the start lever 11 is a process of starting rotation of the reel 3, and the process corresponding to the stop button 12 is a process of controlling the stop of the rotating reel 3.

  For example, the 1-bet button 9 and the MAX-bet button 10 set the medal stored internally by pressing one of the 1-bet button 9 or the MAX-bet button 10 to a specified number (three). After that, the original function (predetermined function) of setting a prescribed number of medals is fulfilled in the game, and it is not necessary to use it. Therefore, the game control apparatus 110 receives an invalid signal as a bet signal based on the pressing operation of the 1 bet button 9 and the MAX bet button 10 after setting the prescribed number of medals (including the case where medals are inserted from the medal insertion slot 8). And processing for setting medals stored internally is not executed. In other words, the 1-bet button 9 and the MAX-bet button 10 are controlled by the game control device 110 as used states so that the pressing operation becomes invalid. Here, the operation of the 1-bet button 9 is effective until the medal is set to the prescribed number, so that the operation is effective from the state where no medal is set to the pressing operation three times. That is, the bet signal generated by operating the 1-bet button 9 is received as a valid signal up to three times.

  Further, the start lever 11 performs the original function (predetermined function) of starting the reel 3 in the game after the reel 3 is rotated by the pressing operation and the game is started, and it is not necessary to use the start lever 11. . Therefore, the game control device 110 receives a start signal based on the pressing operation of the start lever 11 after the reel 3 is rotated as an invalid signal, and does not execute the process for starting the reel 3. In other words, the start lever 11 is controlled by the game control device 110 as a used state so that the pressing operation becomes invalid.

  In addition, the stop button 12 performs an original function (predetermined function) of stopping the reel 3 in the game after the reel 3 being rotated is stopped by a pressing operation, and is not required to be used. Specifically, the left reel among the rotating reels 3 by pressing the left stop button of the stop buttons 12, and the middle reel of the rotating reels 3 by the same pressing operation of the middle stop button, Similarly, the original function of each stop button is performed by stopping the right reel of the rotating reels 3 by pressing the right stop button. Therefore, the game control apparatus 110 receives a stop signal based on the pressing operation of the stop button 12 after stopping the rotating reel 3 as an invalid signal, and performs processing for stopping the rotating reel 3. Do not execute. In other words, the stop button 12 is controlled by the game control device 110 as a used state so that the pressing operation becomes invalid.

Here, in the input signal reception process, a process of permitting or denying reception of the input signal may be performed based on the reception state of the input signal.
For example, the game control device 110 receives a bet signal transmitted by the pressing operation of the 1 bet button 9 and the MAX bet button 10 before setting the prescribed number of medals (including when a medal is inserted from the medal slot 8). , And after the setting of the prescribed number of medals (including the case where medals are inserted from the medal insertion slot 8), the reception of the bet signal transmitted by the pressing operation of the 1 bet button 9 and the MAX bet button 10 is rejected.

  In addition, the game control device 110 permits the reception of the start signal transmitted by the pressing operation of the start lever 11 before the rotation of the reel 3, and the start signal transmitted by the pressing operation of the start lever 11 after the rotation of the reel 3. Reject signal reception.

  In addition, the game control device 110 permits the reception of a stop signal transmitted by pressing the stop button 12 before stopping the rotating reel 3, and after stopping the rotating reel 3, The reception of the stop signal transmitted by the pressing operation of 12 is rejected.

  Thus, each input means 200 is controlled by the game control apparatus 110 as the above-mentioned used state by refusing reception of each input signal.

  In addition, each input means 200 controlled to the used state by the game control device 110 is canceled when one game is finished, and each input signal is used for performing the original function as described above. It is set to an initial state in which reception processing is effectively performed as a signal.

  The re-transmission setting process is triggered by the pressing operation of the MAX bet button 10 controlled to the used state, that is, the reception of the bet signal by the game control device 110 after the operation promotion effect process by the sub-control unit 400 described later. This is a process of setting so that the main command signal including the same command information as the main command signal generated in the command generation process is retransmitted. Further, at this time, the bet signal transmitted based on the pressing operation of the MAX bet button 10 controlled to the used state by the re-transmission setting process is used to perform the above-described original function from the invalid signal. Reception processing is effectively performed as a signal for retransmitting a main command different from the signal. Therefore, even after the re-transmission setting process, if the operation promotion effect process is not performed, the bet signal generated by pressing the MAX bet button 10 controlled to the used state is processed as an invalid signal. Therefore, erroneous processing due to erroneous operation of the MAX bet button 10 before the operation promotion effect processing can be prevented.

In the retransmission setting process, the main command signal may be retransmitted when the start lever 11 is pressed instead of the MAX bet button 10 being pressed.
The re-transmission setting for the pressing operation of the MAX bet button 10 (start lever 11) is reset when one game is completed.

  The identification information addition process is a process of adding retransmission identification information for identifying a signal to be retransmitted to the main command signal to be retransmitted when performing the retransmission setting process. That is.

  The main memory 120 stores in advance information necessary for the game control device 110 to execute various controls or processes related to the game, or predetermined information according to predetermined control or processing by the game control device 110. Is a storage means for temporarily storing.

Next, the configuration of the sub control unit 400 will be described.
The effect control device 410 is based on the effect data stored in the effect data storage means 422 stored in the sub-memory 420, and the display effect performed via the effect display device 510 and the sound effect performed via the audio device 520. Or the control which concerns on the illumination production performed via the illuminating device 530 is performed. For example, inserting a medal from the medal slot 8, pressing the bet buttons 9, 10, the start lever 11, and the stop button 12, as a notice at the time of winning the winning combination, and paying out when winning the winning combination, Furthermore, the game is assisted or the game is boosted by executing control that performs various effects in response to the occurrence of a game event such as a change in the game state.

In the production control device 410, as processing related to the main command signal, the command reception processing for receiving the main command signal from the game control device 110, the arithmetic processing based on the received main command signal, and the main command signal subjected to the command reception processing are normal. A command correctness determination process for determining whether the signal is an abnormal signal, a retransmission command determination process for determining whether the signal is a retransmitted main command signal based on the identification information of the main command signal, and the like are performed.
Further, as processing related to the sub-command signal, sub-command generation processing that generates a sub-command signal including instruction information related to the above-described plurality of controls based on the result of the arithmetic processing, and sub-command generated as a result of the sub-command generation processing Sub-command transmission processing for transmitting a command signal to the rendering means 500 is performed.
Furthermore, as the process related to the effect, an operation promotion effect process for prompting the player to operate the input means 200 set during the re-transmission setting process of the game control device 110, a command correctness determination process, and a re-execution process. Based on the determination result of the transmission command determination process, a read-out process, a normal effect process, and the like performed as an effect process are performed.

  In the command correctness determination process, the main command signal received by the effect control device 410 is referred to the command determination table stored in the command signal determination table storage means 424 stored in the sub memory 420, and the normal signal Is a process for determining whether the signal is abnormal. In the command determination table, a plurality of pieces of information related to the main command signal transmitted from the game control device 110 of the main control means 100 are stored in advance, and the sub control means 400 received in the command correctness determination process. When the main command signal matches one of the main command signals stored in the command determination table, the transmitted main command signal is determined as a normal signal, and when the main command signal does not match, the transmitted main command signal is abnormal. Is determined to be a correct signal.

  The retransmission command determination process is a process for determining whether or not there is retransmission identification information added in the identification information addition process, and determining whether or not it is a retransmitted main command signal. The effect process executed by the control device 410 is set to change.

In the operation promotion effect process, it is determined that the main command signal determined as an abnormal signal is not the main command signal retransmitted by the retransmit command determination process of the effect control device 410 as a result of the command correctness determination process. In this case, an effect for prompting the player to press the MAX bet button 10 is performed through the effect display device 510, the sound device 520, and / or the lighting device 530 of the effect means 500.
If the command signal is set to be retransmitted in response to the pressing operation of the start lever 11 in the re-transmission setting process, it is necessary to perform an effect for prompting the pressing operation of the start lever 11.

  When the main command signal determined to be abnormal as a result of command correctness determination processing is determined to be the main command signal retransmitted by the retransmit command determination processing of the effect control device 410, This is a process of invalidating the main command signal.

  The normal effect process is an effect process that is executed when the main command signal is determined to be a normal signal as a result of the command correctness determination process and includes information such as the contents of the effect and the timing for executing the effect. This is a process for producing an effect based on a command signal. For example, there is a notice effect for notifying the winning role.

The effect control device 410 selectively executes the normal effect process or the discarding process according to the timing of the pressing operation of the MAX bet 10 by the player after the operation promotion effect and the timing at which the effect is actually executed.
For example, if the player ignores the operation promotion effect and performs the pressing operation of the stop button 12 (for example, the left stop button of the stop buttons 12) before the pressing operation of the MAX bet 10, then MAX Even when the command signal retransmitted by the bet 10 pressing operation is determined to be a normal signal, the effect based on the command signal is a press of the stop button 12 (for example, the left stop button of the stop buttons 12). If the operation is triggered by the operation, the stop button 12 (for example, the left stop button of the stop buttons 12) that is the trigger for starting the production has already been pressed, so the normal production process is performed. Instead, it is discarded. In addition, when the operation promotion effect is ignored and all the stop buttons 12 are pressed without pressing the MAX bet 10, the normal effect process is not performed and the abandonment process is performed.

  The sub memory 420 stores in advance information necessary for the effect control device 410 to execute various controls or processes related to the effect, or temporarily stores predetermined information according to the control or process. Storage means. In addition, the sub memory 420 includes effect data storage means 422 storing effect data, and command signal determination table storage means storing data for determining whether the main command signal is a normal signal or an abnormal signal. 424.

Next, transmission / reception control of the main command signal in the present embodiment will be described.
When the gaming machine in the present embodiment determines that the main command signal transmitted from the main control unit 100 to the sub-control unit 400 is an abnormal signal, the gaming machine has predetermined input means 200 (for example, the MAX bet button 10). The operation promotion effect that prompts the pressing operation is performed. Then, the player can cause the main control means 100 to retransmit the main command signal by operating the input means by the operation promotion effect.

  More specifically, when the player depresses the MAX bet button 10 with the medals credited, the bet switch 210 is activated and a bet signal is transmitted to the main control means 100 (three medals are dropped). In this case, a signal equivalent to the bet signal is transmitted to the main control means 100). The game control device 110 of the main control means 100 sets the gaming machine to the game ready state based on receiving the transmitted bet signal.

  When the start switch 220 is operated by the player pressing the start lever 11 and a start signal is transmitted to the main control means 100, the game control device 110 of the main control means 100 receives the start signal (input). Signal reception processing), and a control for starting rotation of the reel 3 based on the start signal, and an internal lottery of the winning combination (arithmetic processing). Furthermore, the game control device 110 generates a main command signal including winning information of a small role that is a result of the internal lottery (main command generation processing), and the MAX bet controlled to the used state after the operation promotion effect processing. When the button 10 is pressed, the main command signal including the same command information as the main command signal subjected to the main command generation process is set to be retransmitted (retransmission setting process). Identification information is added to the command signal (identification information addition processing). Then, the main command signal generated in the main command generation process is transmitted to the sub-control means 400 (main command transmission process).

  The effect control device 410 of the sub-control unit 400 receives the main command signal (command reception process), and determines whether the main command signal is a normal signal or an abnormal signal by referring to the received main command signal in the command determination table. (Command correctness determination processing). If it is determined that the signal is abnormal as a result of the command correctness determination process, it is determined whether or not it is a retransmitted main command signal based on the identification information added in the identification information addition process (retransmission command determination process). As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the command signal is not the retransmitted main command signal, the effect control device 410 generates an effect that prompts the user to press the MAX bet button 10, for example, “press the MAX bet button!” The promotion effect is executed via the effect display device 510 of the effect unit 500 (operation promotion effect process). When the effect control device 410 determines that the main command signal is a normal signal, a normal effect based on the main command signal is performed (normal effect processing).

  After the operation promotion effect process of the effect control device 410, when the player performs a pressing operation on the MAX bet button 10 according to the operation promotion effect, the bet switch 210 is activated and a bet signal is transmitted to the main control means 100. Based on the retransmission setting process executed when the game control device 110 of the main control means 100 receives the bet signal (input signal reception process) and the identification information addition process executed at the time of the retransmission setting process, The main command signal including the same command information as the main command signal subjected to the main command transmission processing and added with the identification information for determining the retransmitted signal is retransmitted to the sub-control unit 400 (main command transmission). processing).

  The production control device 410 receives the retransmitted main command signal (command reception processing), and determines whether the main command signal is a normal signal or an abnormal signal by referring to the command determination table (command correctness determination) processing). If it is determined as an abnormal signal as a result of the command correctness determination process, it is determined whether or not it is a retransmitted main command signal based on the identification information of the main command signal determined as an abnormal signal (retransmission command). Determination process). If it is determined as a result of the determination that the main command signal has been retransmitted, the effect control apparatus 410 performs a process of discarding and invalidating the retransmitted main command signal (abandonment process). Instead of performing the process of discarding the main command signal, an error effect that notifies the gaming machine that an error has occurred may be executed (error effect process).

  By constructing such a command signal transmission / reception environment, even if the command signal is determined to be an abnormal signal even in unidirectional communication in which the signal cannot be transmitted from the sub-control unit 400 to the main control unit 100, Since it becomes possible to request retransmission of the command signal including the same command information as the command signal already transmitted to the main control means 100, without overlooking the command signal determined to be abnormal, The command signal can be retransmitted at an appropriate timing. In addition, since the sub-control unit 400 that actually receives the command signal can perform the correctness determination process of the command signal, the accuracy of the correctness determination process is improved.

Next, an example of processing for realizing the control method of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
When the player depresses the start lever 11 in the game preparation state (S100), the main control means 100 performs a reception process of a start signal transmitted when the start switch 220 is activated (S105). In the arithmetic processing based on this reception processing, a main command signal is generated (S110), and the main command signal including the same command information as the generated main command signal is pressed by pressing the MAX bet button 10 controlled to the used state. Then, a retransmission setting process, which is a setting for retransmission, is performed (S115). Further, identification information addition processing for adding identification information for determining whether or not the command signal is retransmitted with respect to the main command signal set during the retransmission setting processing is performed (S120). And the main command transmission process which transmits the main command signal produced | generated in S110 with respect to the sub-control means 400 is performed (S125).

  The sub control unit 400 performs command reception processing of the main command signal transmitted by the main control unit 100 (S130), and performs command correctness determination processing on the main command signal subjected to command reception processing (S140). As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the signal is normal (NO in S150), normal effect processing based on the command signal is performed (S155). If it is determined that the signal is abnormal (YES in S150), a retransmission command determination process is performed based on the identification information added in the identification information addition process (S157). As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the main command signal has not been retransmitted (NO in S160), an operation promotion effect for prompting the pressing operation of the MAX bet button 10 that has already been pressed and controlled to the used state. Processing is performed (S170).

  When the player performs a pressing operation on the MAX bet button 10 controlled to the used state according to the operation promotion effect (S180), the main control means 100 displays the bet signal transmitted by the bet switch 210 being operated. Reception processing is performed (S190). When the bet signal is received, a main command signal transmission process set based on the retransmission setting process and the identification information adding process performed in S115 and S120 is executed (S125).

  If it is determined that the main command signal is an abnormal signal (YES in S150) and has been retransmitted (YES in S160), the main command signal is discarded (S165). In addition, you may make it perform the error effect process which alert | reports an error instead of a discard process here.

As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, it is possible to give the following various deformation | transformation and change with respect to this Embodiment within the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.
(First modification)
Immediately after the main command generation process (S110 in FIG. 3), the bet signal reception process (S190 in FIG. 3) is performed without performing the retransmission setting process (S115 in FIG. 3) and the identification information addition process (S120 in FIG. 3). ), A process for retransmitting the command signal in place of the above-described retransmission setting process, and the above-described identification information adding process may be performed on the retransmitted command signal.

More specifically, first, the main control means 100 executes the processing in which steps S115 and S120 are removed from steps S100 to S125 in FIG. The main control means 100 sends the same main command signal as the main command signal transmitted in the main command transmission process (S125 in FIG. 3) at any timing between steps S110 to S120 in FIG. The data is stored in temporary storage means (not shown) stored in 120. Subsequently, the sub-control unit 400 executes the processes of steps S130 to S170 in FIG. When the player performs a pressing operation on the MAX bet button 10 in accordance with the operation promotion effect (S180 in FIG. 3), the main control means 100 executes a bet signal reception process (S190 in FIG. 3). Upon receiving this bet signal (pressing operation on the MAX bet button 10), a retransmission process is performed to retransmit a command signal including the same command information as the main command signal stored in the temporary storage means. Further, when performing retransmission processing, identification information addition processing for adding retransmission identification information to the main command signal to be retransmitted is performed. Then, the sub control unit 400 performs a command reception process of the main command signal subjected to the identification information addition process and the retransmission process by the main control unit 100 (S130 in FIG. 3).
The temporary storage means storing the main command signal is reset when one game is completed.

By executing the process according to such a procedure, when a normal main command signal is received (NO in S150 in FIG. 3), it is not necessary to perform the re-transmission process and the identification information adding process described above. Only when the main command signal is transmitted to the sub-control means (YES in S150 in FIG. 3), it is only necessary to perform the above-described retransmission processing and identification information addition processing, so that the normal main command signal and the abnormal main command It is possible to perform processing efficiently without performing unnecessary processing on the signal.

(Second modification)
The identification information addition process (S120 in FIG. 3), the retransmission command determination process (S157 and S160 in FIG. 3), and the discarding process (S165 in FIG. 3) are omitted, and the command signal is determined as a normal signal. It may be set to execute loop processing that repeats processing related to transmission / reception of a series of main command signals.

A second modification will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. In addition, since description of step S200-S225 in a figure is the same as the description except FIG.3 from step S100-S125 in FIG. 3, it abbreviate | omits.
The sub-control unit 400 performs a command reception process of the main command signal transmitted by the main control unit 100 (S230), and performs a command correctness determination process for the main command signal subjected to the command reception process (S240). If it is determined that the signal is a normal signal (NO in S250), a normal effect process based on the command signal is performed (S255). If the signal is determined to be an abnormal signal (YES in S250), MAX. An operation promotion effect process for prompting the user to press the bet button 10 is performed (S260).

  When the player performs a pressing operation on the MAX bet button 10 controlled to the used state according to the operation promotion effect (S270), the main control means 100 displays the bet signal transmitted by the bet switch 210 being operated. Reception processing is performed (S280). When the bet signal is received, the main command signal transmission process set based on the retransmission setting process performed in S215 is executed (S225).

(Third Modification)
Instead of omitting the above-described identification information addition processing (S120 in FIG. 3) and retransmission command determination processing (S157 and S160 in FIG. 3), the main command signal determined to be an abnormal signal in the command correctness determination processing is used. An abnormal signal counter (not shown) for counting up may be used to execute processing related to reception of a series of main command signals.

The abnormal signal counter is stored in the sub-memory 420, and every time the main command signal is determined to be an abnormal signal in the command correctness determination process, the production control device 410 adds one abnormal signal to the stored value of the abnormal signal counter. Incremental updating is performed by adding a value corresponding to the number of cases (for example, 1), and when one game is completed, the stored value of the abnormal signal counter is set to an initial value (for example, 0).
The stored value of the abnormal signal counter is associated with the main command signal processing method by the effect control device 410, and the command signal processing method by the effect control device 410 is set to change based on the change of the stored value. ing. For example, the stored value “1” is associated with the operation promotion effect process in the effect control device 410, and the stored value “2” or more is associated with the main command signal discarding process in the effect control device 410. . These associations can be freely changed. For example, the discarding process may be executed when the stored value is 3 or more, and an error effect process is associated instead of the discarding process. It may be.

A third modification will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In addition, since description of step S300-S325 in a figure is the same as the description except step S120 from step S100-S125 in FIG. 3, it abbreviate | omits.
The sub-control unit 400 performs command reception processing of the main command signal transmitted by the main control unit 100 (S330), and performs command correctness determination processing on the main command signal subjected to command reception processing (S340). As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the signal is normal (NO in S350), normal effect processing based on the command signal is performed (S355). If it is determined that the signal is abnormal (YES in S350), 1 is added to the stored value of the abnormal signal counter (S360). As a result, when the stored value of the abnormal signal counter is less than 2 (YES in S370), an operation promotion effect process for prompting the pressing operation of the MAX bet button 10 is performed (S380).

When the player performs a pressing operation on the MAX bet button 10 controlled to the used state according to the operation promotion effect (S385), the main control means 100 displays the bet signal transmitted by the bet switch 210 being operated. Reception processing is performed (S390). When the bet signal is received, a main command signal transmission process set based on the retransmission setting process performed in S315 is executed (S325).
Further, when it is determined that the signal is abnormal in the command correctness determination process (S340) (YES in S350) and 1 is added to the stored value of the abnormal signal counter (S360), the stored value of the abnormal signal counter is 2 or more. (NO in S370), the command signal discarding process is executed (S375). Here, an error effect process may be executed instead of the discarding process.

(Fourth modification)
In addition to the abnormal signal counter of the second modification described above, an abnormal signal accumulation counter (not shown) that cumulatively counts main command signals determined to be abnormal signals may be provided.
The abnormal signal accumulation counter is stored in the sub memory 420, and every time the main command signal is determined to be an abnormal signal in the command correctness determination process, the storage value of the abnormal signal accumulation counter is incremented and updated by the effect control device 410. Even if the game is completed, the stored value is not initialized and the value is accumulated.
As a result, it is possible to check the generation status of abnormal signals over the long term, so that the maintainability of the gaming machine is improved.

S Slot machine 1 Housing 2 Front door 3 Reel 4 Display window
5 Production display section 6 Speaker 7 Production lamp 8 Medal insertion slot
9 1 bet button 10 MAX bet button 11 Start lever 12 Stop button
100 Main control means 110 Game control device 120 Main memory
200 Input means 210 Bet switch 220 Start switch
230 Stop switch
300 Output means 310 Reel unit 320 Hopper unit
400 Sub control means 410 Production control device 420 Sub memory
422 effect data storage means 424 command signal determination table storage means 500 effect means 510 effect display device 520 sound device
530 lighting device

Claims (2)

An effect unit for executing an effect of a game, a main control unit capable of controlling the game in an integrated manner, and the main control unit connected to the main control unit by one-way communication, and the effect based on a command signal transmitted by the main control unit A game comprising sub-control means capable of controlling the means, and input means capable of transmitting an input signal corresponding to the operation to the main control means when a player performs an operation necessary for performing the game. In the machine
The input means is controlled to a used state in which an operation becomes invalid by transmitting the input signal to the main control means and performing a predetermined function.
The sub control means executes a command correctness determination for determining whether the command signal transmitted by the main control means is a normal signal or an abnormal signal. As a result of the command correctness determination, the command signal is determined to be normal. If it is determined that the signal is an abnormal signal, the effect means is controlled to perform an effect based on the command signal. If the command signal is determined to be an abnormal signal, the player is controlled to the used state. Controlling the effect means to perform an operation promotion effect that is an effect prompting the operation of the input means,
When the input means controlled to the used state is operated after the operation promotion effect, the main control means outputs a command signal including the same command information as the command signal transmitted last time. A game machine characterized by being transmitted to again.   The sub control means performs the command correctness determination on the command signal retransmitted by the main control means, and determines that the command signal is normal when the retransmitted command signal is determined to be a normal signal. Controlling the rendering means so as to perform an error rendering for notifying an error when the retransmitted command signal is determined to be an abnormal signal. The gaming machine according to claim 1.

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