JP2013146364A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent flicker in a screen of a game machine and to avoid an overflow of a buffer.SOLUTION: A subordinate board for transmitting a command to a screen control board of a game machine includes: a command retrieving part for obtaining category discrimination information (stored command category discrimination information) when the command is stored in a buffer; a category comparing part for obtaining the category discrimination information of the command (generated command category discrimination information) and comparing the information with the stored command category discrimination information obtained by the command retrieving part; a command deleting part for deleting from the buffer, the command related to the stored command category discrimination information of the same category as the generated command category discrimination information; and a command registration part for storing the command generated by a command generating part in the buffer.

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 substrate (peripheral substrate, device control substrate) for controlling a display device 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, 2010-197142, A In the case where error notification based on another error command has already been performed, a predetermined priority order between the received error command and the error command currently being executed for error notification If the received error command has a lower priority than the error command that is being executed for error notification, and if the notification based on the error command that is being executed is finished, the received error command is in the notification time , Start notification based on the reception error command, and continuously perform display notification based on the reception error command during the notification time (when the notification period has already ended at the end of notification of the error command with a higher priority) The error command received later is not notified). JP, 2010-207262, A When a reach is performed, it is memorized as a history of reach. At that time, it is described that when the reach number exceeding the limit number is to be stored, the reach with the lower priority order is deleted. When the creation of the liquid crystal image of the next frame is not completed even when the frame update time is reached, a so-called processing failure occurs in which the update time is delayed by that time. With respect to the image of the next frame in which the processing failure has occurred, the portion where the processing failure has occurred is recovered by not drawing a sheet having a low priority.

  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.

  By the way, in such a situation, the screen of the liquid crystal display device may appear to flicker. This is because although a large number of commands are generated on the sub-board, it takes time to transmit the commands, and the screen may not be updated uniformly and appropriately in the liquid crystal display device. If the command transmission interval is long and the screen update interval is long, the movement seems to stop for a moment and it becomes awkward, and if multiple commands are sent at short intervals, the screen will be frequently updated and the screen will flicker .

  The above can also occur for other devices related to production.

  Also, if the command generation rate is higher than the command transmission rate, the capacity of the buffer for temporarily storing the command becomes insufficient (buffer overflow), and thus a part of the command may be lost. If the lost command is important for the production, the production may become unnatural and the quality of the command may deteriorate.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to improve the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine that can prevent the occurrence of screen flickering and avoid buffer overflow.

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 the presentation, a device for performing the presentation, and the sub board In a gaming machine comprising a device control board for controlling the device based on a command from
The command includes a command main body for controlling the device control board and category identification information indicating a predetermined category of the command,
The sub-board is
A command generator for generating the command and the category identification information;
A buffer for storing the command to be transmitted to the device control board and the category identification information;
A command search unit for acquiring the category identification information of the command stored in the buffer (hereinafter referred to as “stored command category identification information”);
Category comparison for acquiring the category identification information (hereinafter referred to as “generated command category identification information”) of the command generated by the command generation unit and comparing it with the stored command category identification information acquired by the command search unit And
A command deletion unit that deletes a predetermined number of the commands related to the stored command category identification information in the same category as the generated command category identification information from the buffer;
A command registration unit that stores the command generated by the command generation unit and the category identification information in the buffer;

In the buffer, the commands are stored in the order of transmission to the device control board,
The command registration unit may store the command and the category identification information generated by the command generation unit in the same position as the deleted command.

In the buffer, the commands are stored in the order of transmission to the device control board,
The command registration unit may store the command and the category identification information generated by the command generation unit at the end of the transmission order.

  According to the present invention, when commands are written to the buffer, commands in the same category among the commands already written to the buffer are deleted, so that buffer overflow can be prevented and a large number of commands are transmitted. It is possible to prevent a reduction in the quality of the production.

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 the command transmission system of the sub board | substrate which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is explanatory drawing of the command which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a block diagram of the transmission command setting part which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a process flowchart of the transmission command setting part which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the transmission command setting part which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the transmission command setting part which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the transmission command setting part which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is another operation | movement explanatory drawing of the transmission command setting part which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is another operation | movement explanatory drawing of the transmission command setting part which concerns on embodiment of invention.

Embodiment 1 of the 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 on 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 substrates are connected as shown in FIG. 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 following 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).

  FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of the sub-board 20. This figure is a block diagram of a command transmission function of the sub-board 20, that is, a function of generating a command, registering the generated command in a transmission buffer, and transmitting a command in the buffer.

  A command generation unit 20a generates a command for performing a predetermined effect based on a command from the main board 10 (specifically, reads a command from the ROM).

  The command generated by the command generation unit 20a indicates a command body (corresponding to a conventional command itself) for controlling the liquid crystal control board 200 and other peripheral boards 205 (device control board) in FIG. 5 and the category of the command. Category identification information. An example is shown in FIG.

  The command according to the embodiment of the present invention is divided into a first part (left half, first half part) and a second part (right half, second half part), and these constitute a single command. Yes. The first part (0001, 0002, 0003 in FIG. 7) corresponds to the category identification information, and the second part (XXXX) corresponds to the command body. The second part (XXXX) shows the control contents of the device control board such as designating the display contents of the liquid crystal control board 200. In FIG. 7, all are XXX, but this means that an arbitrary command enters here, and actually different commands are entered. The content of the latter half (XXXX) is the same as the conventional one.

  Each first part indicates a category. A category is identification information predetermined for each of a plurality of commands. In the following description, it is assumed that three categories (first category, second category, and third category) 0001, 0002, and 0003 are designated in advance for each command. The number of categories of three types is an example, and any number of categories such as two types, four types, five types,... Can be set.

  Which category is assigned to a specific command is arbitrary. An example is given.

  There are various types of image-related commands generated by the command generation unit 20a. For example, command A that changes a part of the screen that has already been generated and displayed, such as changing the character image, command B that newly generates the entire screen to change to a completely different screen, and default screen Command C to be executed. If the category of the command for changing a part of the screen is 0001, the category of the command for newly generating the entire screen is 0002, and the category of the command for setting the default screen is 0003, the categories of the commands A, B, and C are They are 0001, 0002, and 0003, respectively.

  In this way, the commands can be grouped by focusing on the command function, and the category can be defined for each. Thereby, even if a command in the same category is deleted by a process described later, the influence on the effect can be reduced. That is, since the category = 0001 only changes a part of the screen, even if the mode of the change is changed by deleting the command, the player does not feel so uncomfortable (for example, the character X is displayed on the screen). It is considered acceptable if the difference is displayed or character Y is displayed). In addition, since the entire screen is changed for category = 0002, the player does not feel discomfort in the screen display itself (screen X and screen Y after the entire screen change are correct screens). This also applies to category = 0003.

  It should be noted that commands having similar functions may be merged into one unit, and a category may be assigned thereto. In the above example, the group of command B and the group of command C can be combined into one category = 0002. This is possible because both command B and command C update the entire screen.

  Or, conversely, the categories may be subdivided by paying attention to the difference in function details. For example, for the command A for changing a part of the screen, the categories are 0001a and 0001b according to the difference in the change position (for example, the left or right side of the screen) and the type of image to be inserted (for example, character X or character Y) Can be divided into

  If the number of categories is reduced when the processing according to the embodiment of the present invention is performed, the number of commands stored in the buffer can be reduced, the buffer overflow can be reliably prevented, and a large number of commands are transmitted. It is possible to prevent the deterioration of the quality of the production more effectively. On the other hand, detailed production becomes difficult due to the decrease in the number of categories. When emphasizing the quality of production, it is considered preferable to increase the number of categories within an allowable range.

  Reference numeral 20c denotes a command transmission unit 20c that transmits a command registered in the buffer to the liquid crystal control board 200 and other peripheral boards 202 in FIG. Since the command transmission itself is the same as that of the conventional gaming machine, the description thereof is omitted.

  A transmission command setting unit 20b registers the command generated by the command generation unit 20a in a transmission buffer.

  FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of transmission command setting unit 20b according to the embodiment of the invention. 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 2001 denotes a command receiving unit that receives a command generated by the command generating unit 20a.

  A buffer 2002 temporarily stores commands to be transmitted to the liquid crystal control board 200 and other peripheral boards 205 (hereinafter “device control board”).

  Reference numeral 2003 denotes a command search unit that acquires category identification information (hereinafter, “stored command category identification information”) of the stored command when at least one command is stored in the buffer 2002.

  Reference numeral 2004 denotes a category comparison unit that acquires category identification information (hereinafter, “generated command category identification information”) of a command received by the command reception unit 2001 and compares it with the saved command category identification information acquired by the command search unit 2003. .

  Reference numeral 2005 denotes a command deletion unit that receives a result of the comparison by the command search unit 2004 and deletes a command related to the same category identification information as the generated command category identification information from the buffer 2002.

  A command registration unit 2006 stores the command received by the command reception unit 2001 in the buffer 2002.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the transmission command setting unit 20b and shows the contents of the buffer 2002. This figure shows a state in which commands (a) to (c) are stacked in order in the buffer. Commands are transmitted in order from the top (that is, they are transmitted in the order of (a) (b) (c)). The figure shows a state in which the total number of categories is 3, and three commands are present in the buffer 2002 without being transmitted. (A) is a command that is most recently stacked in the buffer 2002 and is transmitted first (at the next transmission opportunity). The stacking order is, for example, (a) (b) (c) (note that the stacking order is not limited to this).

  11 and 13 are explanatory diagrams of command deletion in the buffer 2002. FIG. 11 and 13 are almost the same as FIG. 10, except that the XXX of the command body is AAAA for convenience. This is done only to distinguish it from the added command BBBB. (D) indicates that a new command is generated and a command 0x0002BBBB is added to the buffer 2002. There is no substantial difference between XXXXXX, AAAA, and BBBB in performing the processing according to the embodiment of the invention.

  12 and 14 show an example of the contents of the buffer 2002 after command deletion.

  FIG. 9 is a process flowchart of the transmission command setting unit 20b according to the embodiment of the invention.

  Next, the operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

S10: A command to be transmitted is received.
A command is received from the command generator 20a.

S11: It is checked whether there is an untransmitted command in the buffer 2002.
The command search unit 2003 searches the buffer 2002 for a command. The command in the buffer 2002 is an untransmitted command. In the example of FIG. 10, there are three untransmitted commands (a) to (c).

  If there is an unsent command (YES), the processing after S12 is performed. If not (NO), the process of S16 is performed.

S12: The category of the untransmitted command in the buffer 2002 is confirmed.
The command search unit 2003 searches the buffer 2002 and acquires the category of each command. In the example of FIG. 10, the categories for (a) to (c) are 0001, 0002, and 0003, respectively.

S13: The category of the unsent command is compared with the category of the received command.
The category comparison unit 2004 compares the category of the command received in S10 with the category acquired in S12. In the example of FIGS. 11 and 13, since the category of (A) is 0002, it matches the newly generated command (D).

S14: The category comparison unit 2004 determines whether there is an unsent command that has the same category as the newly generated and received command.

  In the example of FIGS. 11 and 13, (A) corresponds to (YES), and the process proceeds to S15.

S15: The command deletion unit 2005 deletes a command in the same category as the category of the newly generated and received command.
In the example of FIGS. 11 and 13, (A) is deleted. If there are a plurality of commands corresponding to (A), they are all deleted.

  Alternatively, a total of X commands may be deleted using a predetermined number of X as parameters. For example, if X = 4, delete up to 4 commands from the beginning (all of the commands received this time are not included and if the number of commands is less than 4), or up to 4 commands from the end Delete all commands if there are less than 4 commands received this time, or 2 commands counted from the beginning and 2 commands counted from the last (not including the command received this time, If there are less than 4 in total, delete all).

S16: The received command is registered in the buffer 2002 as a command to be transmitted.
There are two ways to register at this time.

(1) Add to the end of the buffer 2002. In most cases, a first-in first-out memory (FIFO) is used as the buffer 2002. In this case, it is a normal method to add the buffer 2002 at the end. In this case, the transmission order of the added command is last. FIG. 11 shows an example of this (1). Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the commands are arranged in the order of (a) (c) (d). The order of categories is 0001, 0003, and 0002, which changes from before command deletion. The method of defining the category is arbitrary. For example, as described above, it is considered that the same type of functions are often grouped into the same category. Considering this point, although the method (1) has the advantage of being simple, the order in which the functions are performed may be disturbed. For example, when category = 0001 is a partial image change, 0002 is a full screen rewrite, and 0003 is a default screen display, before the processing of FIG. Although the default screen is displayed, according to the method (1), the order is changed after the processing, such as partial image change, default screen display, and full screen rewrite. As a result, there is a possibility that the effect of the production will be different before and after the processing of FIG. However, since there may be no problem depending on the specific contents of the production, whether or not to adopt the method (1) is case by case (this point will be further described later).

(2) Write a newly generated command at the position of the deleted command. In other words, a newly generated command is overwritten (replaced) with a command of the same category. In this way, the problem (1) does not occur. In the sense of maintaining the effect of production, it may be preferable to add a command in the manner of (2). FIG. 13 shows an example of this (2). Then, as shown in FIG. 14, the commands are arranged in the order of (a), (d), and (c), and the category order is 0001, 0002, 0003, which is the same as before the command deletion. However, whether or not to adopt the method (2) is on a case-by-case basis (this will be described in Example 2 below).

  The merits and demerits of the above (1) and (2) will be further described based on specific examples.

  (Example 1) The current screen is the background of the daytime. At this time, the command 1 (the pigeon crosses the screen of the daytime background. The type is the command A, the category is 0001), and the command 2 is the night background. Are command B, category is 0002), and the commands are sent in the order of commands 1 and 2, and are expressed in the order of night after the pigeon flies in the daytime. Think about the case. At this time, if command 1 is newly deleted by registering command 3 (an owl flies and stops on the tree. The type is the same as command 1 and category is 0001), The method of (1) above does not become unnatural in time series before and after deletion (According to (1) above, nocturnal owls fly after night and fly before night) And there is no sense of incongruity).

  When the story of the production is a natural flow and the variation is only slightly changed, it is preferable to use the method (1). However, if you want to use the sense of incongruity effectively, such as when the nightly owl flies in the daytime, such as when the expression is incongruous, the expectation of bonuses and ART will increase. Crosses the screen. The new command 3 (an owl flies and stops on the tree. The type is the same command A as the command 1 and the category is 0001) is overwritten at the position of the command A and the category is 0001. It is preferable to perform the method (2).

  (Example 2) When the current screen is a daytime background, command 1 (character X in black clothes crosses the screen. Character X is either black clothes (command 1) or yellow clothes (command 3) depending on the command) However, in command 1, black clothes are used. Type is command A, category is 0001), command 2 is a night background. Type is command B, category is 0002. By sending the commands in the order of commands 1 and 2, it is expressed in the order that the character X in black clothes crosses in the daytime and then goes into the night, and when the character X crosses the screen in the daytime, Consider a case where the degree of expectation of winning an AT or the like is high (the color of clothes is almost irrelevant). At this time, if command 1 is newly deleted by registering command 3 (a command in which character X of yellow clothes crosses the screen. The command is the same as command 1 and the category is 0001), The method (2) can produce a presentation expression having substantially the same meaning before and after the deletion, and is suitable without being unnatural.

  On the contrary, since the entire screen is basically bright during the daytime, the character X in black clothes is allowed to pass, whereas at night the character X in yellow clothes is allowed to pass due to the darkness of the entire screen. In such a case, the above method (1) is preferable.

  However, if you want to increase the number of screen display patterns (whether the character X passes in the daytime or at night, it is not used for notification of the expected degree of winning of bonus or AT etc. In the case where there is no problem with the character X in black clothes passing at night, or the like, the method of (1) is preferable.

  With the above processing, two or more commands of the same category are not registered in the buffer, and the buffer capacity is not exceeded. The maximum number of commands that can be accumulated is the number of categories, and it is sufficient to prepare a memory capacity corresponding to this number. Since buffer overflow does not occur, it is not necessary to perform the processing. In addition, a highly necessary command can be transmitted quickly, and the quality of production is improved.

  According to the embodiment of the invention, it is possible to suppress flickering of the screen and the like, to prevent deterioration in the quality of the production, and to avoid overflow of the buffer.

For reference, the case where the command is not deleted will be described.
Since the timing (speed) of the stop operation of the slot machine of the slot machine is different for each person, a large number of commands may be waiting when the operation is fast. In such a case, the command may be transmitted at a very short interval. As a result, the command is executed in a short time on the received device control board, and the effect may be frequently switched. Such a situation makes it impossible for the player's eyes to follow, and the situation cannot be followed. It will give the impression of flickering.

  Further, a buffer overflow may occur, and there is a demerit that the cost increases if the memory capacity is increased so as not to occur.

  On the other hand, according to the embodiment of the invention, the above disadvantageous situation does not occur.

  The above description has been given by taking the liquid crystal display device as an example for the sake of convenience, but can also be applied to commands for other devices. For example, for the arch lamp 130, the three areas of the left lamp (up, down, left and right, the direction when the player faces directly), the center (upper) lamp, and the right lamp are different commands. Can be divided into commands belonging to the left lamp category, commands belonging to the central lamp category, and commands belonging to the right lamp category. Can be applied. In addition, the speakers are also divided into four categories according to the arrangement of upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right, and the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to this.

  In the above description, the slot machine is taken as an example as a gaming machine, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to other gaming machines such as a pachinko machine.

  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 Transmission command setting 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 reception unit 2002 Buffer 2003 Command search unit 2004 Category comparison unit 2005 Command deletion unit 2006 Command registration unit LCD Liquid crystal display device (screen display unit)

Claims (3)

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 includes a command main body for controlling the device control board and category identification information indicating a predetermined category of the command,
The sub-board is
A command generator for generating the command and the category identification information;
A buffer for storing the command to be transmitted to the device control board and the category identification information;
A command search unit for acquiring the category identification information of the command stored in the buffer (hereinafter referred to as “stored command category identification information”);
Category comparison for acquiring the category identification information (hereinafter referred to as “generated command category identification information”) of the command generated by the command generation unit and comparing it with the stored command category identification information acquired by the command search unit And
A command deletion unit that deletes a predetermined number of the commands related to the stored command category identification information in the same category as the generated command category identification information from the buffer;
A gaming machine comprising: a command registration unit that stores the command generated by the command generation unit and the category identification information in the buffer. In the buffer, the commands are stored in the order of transmission to the device control board,
The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the command registration unit stores the command and the category identification information generated by the command generation unit in the same position as the deleted command. In the buffer, the commands are stored in the order of transmission to the device control board,
The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the command registration unit stores the command and the category identification information generated by the command generation unit at the end of the transmission order.

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