JP2013162817A - Enclosed type game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an enclosed type game machine easily and accurately predicting the dirt and the wear of a component of a polishing mechanism, and notifying proper maintenance time.SOLUTION: An enclosed type game machine includes a polishing mechanism to polish game balls used in a game and collected, and supplies the game balls polished by the polishing mechanism to a shooting mechanism to circulate and use the game balls. The enclosed type game machine detects the operation amount of a game. The enclosed type game machine decides whether or not the detected operation amount of the game has become a threshold value or above (S41, S47). When having decided that the operation amount of the game has become the threshold value or above (S41: YES, or S47: YES), the enclosed type game machine notifies the effect that the maintenance time of the polishing mechanism has arrived.

Description

  The present invention relates to an enclosed game machine that circulates game balls inside a main body without paying out the game balls.

  In recent years, a sealed game machine that circulates a game ball inside a machine body has been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The enclosed game machine includes a polishing mechanism for polishing a game ball inside the main body. The game balls used and collected for the game are polished by the polishing mechanism and supplied again to the launching mechanism for launching the game balls. Therefore, a large-scale facility for supplying game balls to a plurality of gaming machines is not necessary. Furthermore, according to the enclosed game machine, various benefits such as prevention of bringing in game balls from the outside and elimination of the burden of carrying the game balls to the counter can be obtained.

  In the polishing mechanism, as the number of game balls polished increases, dirt and wear of components (for example, a polishing belt) included in the polishing mechanism progress, and appropriate polishing cannot be performed. Therefore, an operator (for example, an employee of a game hall) needs to replace the polishing mechanism parts, clean it, etc. at an appropriate timing, and prepare the polishing mechanism. The device disclosed in Patent Document 2 is a large-scale device that collectively grinds game media used in a plurality of gaming machines, but includes a polishing belt whose color changes when worn. The operator grasps the replacement time of the polishing belt according to the color of the polishing belt. Further, the gaming system disclosed in Patent Document 3 determines the replacement timing of the parts of the polishing mechanism based on the number of game balls that have passed through the flow path of the polishing mechanism, the operating time of the polishing mechanism, and the like.

JP 2010-142475 A JP 2003-154148 A JP-A-10-258152

  When a polishing belt whose color changes due to wear is used, the wear of the polishing belt can be detected, but the cost of the polishing belt itself increases. Even in the method of counting the number of game balls that have passed through the flow path of the polishing mechanism, the operating amount of the polishing mechanism can be detected, but it is necessary to provide a switch for counting the number of game balls in the polishing mechanism. On the other hand, simply measuring the operating time of the polishing mechanism makes it difficult to accurately predict the contamination and wear of parts of the polishing mechanism and to notify the maintenance time. Therefore, it has been difficult for the conventional technology to easily and accurately predict the contamination and wear of the parts of the polishing mechanism and to notify the appropriate maintenance time.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an enclosed game machine that can easily and accurately predict dirt and wear of parts of a polishing mechanism and notify an appropriate maintenance time.

  An encapsulated gaming machine according to the present invention includes a launching mechanism for launching a game ball to a game area, and a polishing mechanism for polishing the game ball collected and used for the game, and a plurality of the game balls are disposed inside the main body. An enclosed game machine that circulates and uses the game ball by supplying the game ball polished by the polishing mechanism to the launch mechanism, and an operation amount of the game in the enclosed game machine The operating amount detecting means for detecting the operating amount, the operating amount determining means for determining whether or not the operating amount of the game detected by the operating amount detecting means is equal to or greater than a threshold, and the operating amount of the game by the operating amount determining means. And a notifying means for notifying that the maintenance time of the polishing mechanism has arrived when it is determined that the threshold value is exceeded.

  Enclosed game machines are used by circulating game balls enclosed inside the main body. Therefore, in the polishing mechanism of the enclosed game machine, unlike the polishing mechanism that polishes game balls used in a plurality of gaming machines at once, the number of game balls used in the game and the flow into the polishing mechanism. The number of game balls to be played is almost the same. The enclosed game machine according to the present invention can determine the maintenance time by accurately predicting the operation amount of the polishing mechanism by using the operation amount of the game. The operation amount of the game needs to be detected regardless of the presence or absence of the polishing mechanism, and the enclosed gaming machine according to the present invention notifies the maintenance timing of the polishing mechanism using the detected operation amount of the game. Therefore, the maintenance time can be determined without separately providing a means for detecting the operation amount of the polishing mechanism. That is, the enclosed game machine according to the present invention can easily and accurately predict the contamination and wear of the parts of the polishing mechanism and can notify an appropriate maintenance time.

  The enclosed game machine accepts an instruction to cancel the notification and receive an instruction to reset the next notification time while the notification means notifies that the maintenance time has arrived. And a resetting unit for resetting a trigger for the next notification when the instruction is input by the release instruction receiving unit. The notification means cancels the notification when the instruction is input by the release instruction reception means, and executes the notification again when the notification trigger reset by the resetting means arrives. Also good. For example, the operator can temporarily cancel the notification when the situation of the polishing mechanism is confirmed and it is determined that maintenance is not necessary, or when there is no time for immediate maintenance. Therefore, the worker can take appropriate measures according to the situation.

  The enclosed game machine may further include time determining means for determining whether or not it is during a notification time for executing the notification. The notification means may execute the notification when the operation amount determination means determines that the game operation amount has reached a threshold value or more and the time determination means determines that it is during the notification time. Good. In this case, the notification that the maintenance time has come is notified during the notification time. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the notification from being performed in a time zone where the notification is unnecessary. For example, it is possible to prevent a player from having a feeling of discomfort due to notification during business hours.

  The enclosed game machine receives a selection instruction for receiving a selection instruction for determining whether or not the notification is to be executed only during the notification time, and a time determination means for determining whether or not the notification is being executed. And a means. When the instruction to execute the notification is accepted by the selection instruction accepting means only during the notice time, the notifying means determines that the amount of operation of the game has become equal to or greater than a threshold by the amount of operation determining means. The notification may be executed when it is determined by the time determination means that the notification time is being reached. In this case, the operator can freely set whether or not to perform notification only during the notification time.

  The enclosed game machine may further include an output unit that outputs information indicating that the maintenance time of the polishing mechanism has arrived when the notification is performed by the notification unit. In this case, the worker can also grasp that the maintenance time for the polishing mechanism has come, even outside the enclosed game machine (for example, a hall computer that collectively manages game machines in the game hall). Therefore, the polishing mechanism can be more accurately maintained.

  The operating amount detection means is a number of times that the launch mechanism has fired the game ball, a drive time of the launch mechanism, a sum of a winning game ball and a game ball collected without winning, a hit that is advantageous to a player. At least one of the number of times a lottery for determining whether or not to execute a game and the number of times that the winning game is performed may be detected as the operation amount. In this case, the enclosed game machine can notify an operator of an appropriate maintenance time of the polishing mechanism by using an operation amount that needs to be detected in order to manage game contents.

1 is a front view of an enclosed game machine 1. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a polishing mechanism 25. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an enclosing game machine 1. 7 is a flowchart of a notification method setting process executed by a sub control board 58. It is a figure which shows an example of the time slot | zone setting screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the determination working amount setting screen. 5 is a flowchart of an operation amount detection process executed by a sub control board 58. 5 is a flowchart of maintenance time notification processing executed by a sub control board 58. It is a flowchart of the reset process performed in a maintenance time alerting | reporting process.

  Hereinafter, an enclosed gaming machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the mechanical configuration of the enclosed game machine 1 will be described. In the following description, the front side and the depth side of FIG. 1 are the front side and the back side of the enclosed game machine 1, respectively. The enclosed game machine 1 is a pachinko machine that encloses and circulates a plurality of game balls inside the machine.

  With reference to FIG. 1, the whole structure of the enclosure type game machine 1 is demonstrated. A game board 2 having a substantially square shape when viewed from the front is provided in the upper half portion of the enclosed game machine 1. The game board 2 is held by a middle frame (not shown). In the approximate center of the game board 2, an effect screen 21 for executing various effects is provided. On the effect screen 21, for example, an effect that notifies the player of the result of the jackpot determination is executed. Below the effect screen 21, a special symbol start electric accessory 22 is provided. The special symbol start electric accessory 22 includes an opening / closing member. When the opening / closing member is opened, it becomes easy to win a game ball to the special symbol start electric accessory 22. The enclosed game machine 1 acquires a random number in response to a winning of a game ball to the special symbol starting electric accessory 22 and performs a jackpot determination based on the acquired random number. A special prize opening 23 is provided below the special symbol starting electric accessory 22. The special winning opening 23 is provided with an opening / closing member, and the game ball cannot win the special winning opening 23 unless the opening / closing member is opened. The enclosed game machine 1 executes the jackpot game by opening the opening / closing member of the jackpot 23 when the result of the jackpot determination is a jackpot. Although the enclosed game machine 1 also executes a normal hit determination for opening the special symbol starting electric accessory 22, this description is omitted. Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to an enclosed game machine (for example, a general electric machine) that executes only normal hit determination.

  The front surface of the game board 2 is protected by a front frame 3 that holds a transparent glass plate 4. The left end portion of the front frame 3 is pivotally supported in a state that can be opened and closed horizontally with respect to an outer frame 9 having a rectangular frame shape (not shown). A substantially circular illumination device 5 is provided around the glass plate 4 in the front frame 3 so as to surround the glass plate 4. Further, the front frame 3 includes speakers 6 at each of the upper left and right corners. Further, an exchange notification lamp 7 and a cleaning notification lamp 8 are provided at the upper right corner of the front frame 3. Although details will be described later, the replacement notification lamp 7 notifies the operator that the replacement time of the polishing mechanism 25 (see FIG. 2) has come. The cleaning notification lamp 8 notifies the operator that the cleaning time of the polishing member 31 of the polishing mechanism 25 has come. The replacement notification lamp 7 and the cleaning notification lamp 8 slightly protrude to the front side so that the operator can easily confirm that the lamp is on.

  A support frame 10 is provided below the front frame 3. The left end portion of the support frame 10 is pivotally supported in a state that can be opened and closed horizontally with respect to the outer frame 9. The operator can open the support frame 10 by pulling the support frame 10 forward while pressing the hook (not shown) in a state where the front frame 3 is opened. A polishing mechanism 25 described later is fixed to the back side of the support frame 10 in an intermediate frame (not shown). An operator can maintain the polishing mechanism 25 by opening the support frame 10. The support frame 10 includes an information display screen 11, a touch panel 12, a launch handle 14, and a lock 15.

  The information display screen 11 is provided substantially in the center of the support frame 10 and includes games such as information on the number of balls held, balance information on amounts, and stored ball information (the number of game balls stored in the game hall without being exchanged for prizes). Display information. Therefore, the player can always easily check the number of balls held by looking at the information display screen 11. In addition, the enclosed game machine 1 causes the information display screen 11 to display a setting screen (see FIGS. 5 and 6) for setting a maintenance time notification method for the polishing mechanism 25 (see FIG. 2). Furthermore, it is possible to display on the information display screen 11 the occurrence of an error, the maintenance time of the polishing mechanism 25, and the like.

  The touch panel 12 is provided on the display surface of the information display screen 11. A player, an operator, or the like inputs various instructions by operating the touch panel 12. For example, the operator operates the touch panel 12 to set the notification method of the maintenance time of the polishing mechanism 25. Moreover, the enclosed game machine 1 can accept orders for articles such as beverages using the information display screen 11 and the touch panel 12.

  The firing handle 14 is provided at the lower right portion of the support frame 10. Although not shown, the firing handle 14 includes a touch sensor that detects whether or not the player is touching, and an angle sensor that detects a rotation angle. The launch mechanism 37 (see FIG. 3) adjusts the launch of the game ball based on the detection results of the touch sensor and the angle sensor.

  The lock 15 is provided in the upper right part of the support frame 10. For example, the operator can open a middle frame (not shown) holding the game board 2 by inserting a key (not shown) into the lock 15 and rotating it counterclockwise. The front frame 3 can be opened by inserting the key clockwise.

  A ball number management unit 17 is attached to the left end of the enclosed game machine 1. The ball number management unit 17 includes a cash insertion slot 18 into which cash is inserted, and a card insertion slot 19 into which a membership card, a prepaid card or the like is inserted. The number-of-balls management unit 17 manages information such as the balance of money and storage by reading and writing information on the card inserted into the card insertion slot 19.

  The polishing mechanism 25 will be described with reference to FIG. The lower left side and upper right side in FIG. 2 are the front side and the back side of the polishing mechanism 25, respectively. As described above, the polishing mechanism 25 is fixed to the back side of the support frame 10 (see FIG. 1) in the middle frame (not shown). The polishing mechanism 25 mainly includes a main body 26, a screw 27, a motor 30, a polishing member 31, and a cover 32.

  The main body 26 is a hollow member having an open front, and extends straight in the vertical direction. On each of the left and right side surfaces of the main body 26, three locking holes 28 for locking the claws 33 of the cover 32 described later are formed. Further, a step portion 29 for positioning the polishing member 31 is formed inside each of the left and right side surfaces of the main body 26. The screw 27 is provided inside the main body 26. The axial direction of the screw 27 and the axial direction of the main body 26 are parallel. The motor 30 is fixed to the bottom surface of the main body 26. The output shaft of the motor 30 is connected to the screw 27, and the screw 27 rotates as the motor 30 rotates.

  An out-ball passage 35 for guiding game balls (out-balls) used and collected for games is connected to the lower right end of the main body 26. In addition, a launch ball passage 36 for guiding the game ball to the launch mechanism 37 (see FIG. 3) is connected to the upper left end of the main body 26. The out sphere passes through the out sphere channel 35 and enters the lower end of the main body 26. The game ball that has entered the main body 26 moves upward by the rotating screw 27. When the game ball reaches the upper end of the main body 26, the game ball moves to the launch mechanism 37 through the launch ball channel 36.

  The polishing member (buff) 31 is formed of rubber, sponge or the like. The game ball moving upward by the screw 27 is polished by contacting the polishing member 31. The shape of the polishing member 31 is a substantially plate shape having a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and the back side is curvedly formed in a concave shape in accordance with the shape of the game ball. When the operator pushes the polishing member 31 from the front side of the main body 26, the left and right edges of the polishing member 31 come into contact with the stepped portion 29 of the main body 26, and the polishing member 31 is accurately positioned.

  The cover 32 is a member having a substantially U shape in plan view and a rectangular shape in front view. Inside the cover 32, a leaf spring (not shown) for appropriately pressing the polishing member 31 against the game ball is installed. Three claws 33 projecting inward are formed on each of the left and right rear end portions of the cover 32 so as to correspond to the positions of the locking holes 28 of the main body 26. When the operator locks the claw 33 in the locking hole 28, the front side opening of the polishing member 31 and the main body 26 is covered with the cover 32. As a result, the polishing member 31 is fixed to the main body 26. The operator can expose the polishing member 31 by removing the claw 33 from the locking hole 28.

  When the polishing mechanism 25 polishes a large number of game balls, dust or the like is accumulated in the polishing member 31. Therefore, it is desirable to clean the polishing member 31 regularly. Further, when more game balls are polished, the polishing member 31 is worn down and sufficient polishing is not performed. Therefore, it is desirable to replace the polishing member 31 periodically. In the polishing mechanism 25, the polishing member 31 is installed in the main body 26 in a replaceable state, so that an operator can easily maintain (that is, clean and replace) the polishing mechanism 25. Needless to say, the configuration of the polishing mechanism 25 can be changed. For example, cloth, paper or the like may be used for the polishing member 31. The game ball may be moved using a belt or the like instead of the screw 27.

  With reference to FIG. 3, the electrical configuration of the enclosed game machine 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 40 of the enclosed game machine 1 includes a main board 41, a sub control board 58, a lamp driver board 46, an effect control board 43, and a relay board 47.

  The main board 41 controls the main control of the enclosed game machine 1. The main board CPU unit 50 of the main board 41 is provided with a CPU 51 that performs various processes, a RAM 52 that temporarily stores data, and a ROM 53 that stores a control program and the like. An interrupt signal generation circuit 57 is connected to the main board CPU unit 50. The CPU 51 executes the program every time an interrupt signal is input from the interrupt signal generation circuit 57. The main board 41 is connected to the sub control board 58, the relay board 47, the output port 55, the start switch 72, the ball number management unit 17, and the launch mechanism 37 via the I / O interface 54. The output port 55 outputs information of the enclosed game machine 1 to an external game hall management computer (not shown). The start switch 72 detects a game ball won in the special symbol start electric accessory 22 (see FIG. 1).

  The sub control board 58 includes a CPU 581, a RAM 582, and a ROM 583, and is connected to the lamp driver board 46, the effect control board 43, and the speaker 6. The sub control board 58 performs comprehensive control such as effects according to the command transmitted from the main board 41. The lamp driver board 46 controls the illumination device 5, the replacement notification lamp 7, the cleaning notification lamp 8, and the like according to commands received from the sub control board 58. The effect control board 43 includes a CPU 43a and controls the display of the effect screen 21.

  The sub-control board 58 is connected to the maintenance completion button 61, the release / extension button 62, the information display screen 11, the touch panel 12, and the launch mechanism 37. The sub control board 58 receives an instruction input from the touch panel 12 and controls display of the information display screen 11. The maintenance completion button 61 is pressed by the operator when maintenance of the polishing mechanism 25 (cleaning or replacement of the polishing member 31) is completed. Further, the operator presses and holds the maintenance completion button 61 when resetting the information related to the notification of the maintenance time of the polishing mechanism 25. The cancel / extend button 62 is pressed by the operator when canceling the notification of the maintenance time of the polishing mechanism 25 and resetting the notification time. Since the maintenance completion button 61 and the release / extension button 62 are provided on the back side or inside of the enclosed game machine 1, they cannot be operated unless unlocked. The firing mechanism 37 outputs a command indicating that it is being driven to the sub-control board 58 and the polishing mechanism 25 while firing the game ball. Although details will be described later, the sub-control board 58 determines whether or not the maintenance time of the polishing mechanism 25 has arrived, based on commands received from the main board 41, the firing mechanism 37, and the like. Further, the polishing mechanism 25 rotates the motor 30 (see FIG. 2) while driving the firing mechanism 37 to polish the game ball.

  A winning ball detection switch 73, a firing ball detection switch 74, a missed ball detection switch 75, an electric accessory opening / closing solenoid 77, and a symbol display section 78 are connected to the relay board 47. The winning ball detection switch 73 is provided in each of the winning ports (for example, the big winning port 23, etc.) other than the special symbol starting electric accessory 22, and detects the game ball that has won the winning port. The launch ball detection switch 74 is provided in the launch mechanism 37 and detects a game ball (hereinafter referred to as “launch ball”) launched by the launch mechanism 37. The missed ball detection switch 75 detects a missed ball that has not won any winning award among the game balls launched by the launching mechanism 37. The electric accessory opening / closing solenoid 77 opens and closes the opening / closing members provided in the special symbol starting electric accessory 22 and the special winning opening 23. The symbol display unit displays a special symbol indicating the result of the jackpot determination.

  As described above, the ball count management unit 17 reads and writes information on the card to manage information such as the balance of money and stored balls. The main board 41 uses the information input from the ball number management unit 17, the information on the launch ball detected by the launch ball detection switch 74, and the information on the winning ball detected by the start switch 72 and the winning ball detection switch 73. , Grasp the number of balls. The number of balls is output to the sub-control board 58 and the like. The main board 41 drives the firing mechanism 37 only when a ball is present.

  With reference to FIGS. 4 to 9, the operation of the sub-control board 58 of the enclosed game machine 1 will be described. The ROM 583 of the sub control board 58 stores a notification method setting program, an operation amount detection program, and a maintenance time notification program. The CPU 581 of the sub-control board 58 executes the notification method setting process shown in FIG. 4, the operation amount detection process shown in FIG. 7, and the maintenance time notification process shown in FIG. 8 according to the program stored in the ROM 583. Note that the CPU 581 can execute three processes in parallel.

  The notification method setting process will be described with reference to FIGS. The notification method setting process is executed, for example, when the enclosed game machine 1 is delivered to the game hall or when the maintenance method of the polishing mechanism 25 is reviewed. In the notification method setting process, a specific notification method for notifying whether or not the maintenance time of the polishing mechanism 25 has arrived is set according to an instruction input by the operator. When the operator operates touch panel 12 (see FIGS. 1 and 3) and inputs an instruction to start setting of the notification method, CPU 581 of sub control board 58 starts notification method setting processing.

  First, the time zone setting screen 81 is displayed on the information display screen 11 (see FIGS. 1 and 3) (S1). As shown in FIG. 5, on the time zone setting screen 81, one of a check box 86 for “specify a time zone for notification” and a check box 88 for “always notify when maintenance time comes” can be selected. . The operator operates a check box for a desired notification method to display a check. In addition, when the check box 86 of “specify a time zone during which notification is performed” is operated, the CPU 581 displays a check in the check box 86 and starts accepting input to the time zone input unit 87. The operator inputs a desired time zone using a numeric keypad (not shown) displayed on a part of the information display screen 11. When the operator inputs a desired notification method to the time zone setting screen 81, the operator operates the OK button 83. To end the setting process, the cancel button 84 is operated. Note that the CPU 581 may separately accept designation of a time zone for notifying the arrival of the cleaning time and designation of a time zone for notifying the arrival of the replacement time.

  The CPU 581 determines whether or not the cancel button 84 has been operated (S2). If the cancel button 84 has not been operated (S2: NO), it is determined whether or not the OK button 83 has been operated (S3). If the OK button 83 is not operated (S3: NO), the processes of S2 and S3 are repeated. When the cancel button 84 is operated (S2: YES), the process ends as it is.

  When the OK button 83 is operated in a state where the normal input to the time zone setting screen 81 is performed (S3: YES), “designating a time zone during which notification is performed” (hereinafter also referred to as “time zone designation”) It is determined whether or not (Yes) is selected (S4). When the time zone designation is selected (S4: YES), “necessary” information indicating that the time zone designation is performed is stored in the storage device (the RAM 582 or the non-volatile storage device not shown) (S5). . Next, the notification time zone input to the time zone input unit 87 by the worker is stored in the storage device (S6). When the time zone designation is not selected (S4: NO), “unnecessary” indicating that the time zone designation is not performed is stored in the storage device (S7). When the RAM 582 is used as a storage device, the sub control board 58 supplies backup power to the RAM 582 in order to retain the stored contents even when the power is shut off. The same applies to the following description.

  Next, the determined operation amount setting screen 82 is displayed on the information display screen 11 (S11). Although details will be described later, the CPU 581 determines whether or not the maintenance time of the polishing mechanism 25 has arrived, using the amount of game operation in the enclosed game machine 1. The determined operation amount is an operation amount that is used to determine the arrival of the maintenance time among the detectable operation amounts. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, in the determination operation amount setting screen 82, a check box 90 for “number of times a game ball has been fired”, a check box 91 for “driving mechanism drive time”, and a check box 92 for “number of out balls” Then, a check box 93 for “number of hit determinations” and a check box 94 for “number of win games” are displayed. The worker operates at least one operating amount and operates the OK button 83.

  Here, the out ball is a game ball used and collected as described above, and the sum of the winning ball and the off ball is the “number of out balls”. The “number of times a game ball has been fired (that is, the number of fired balls)” and the “number of out balls” match. Therefore, the operator can reduce the processing load on the CPU 581 if only one of “the number of times the game ball has been fired” and “the number of out balls” is designated as the determined operation amount. On the other hand, if both the “number of times the game balls have been fired” and the “number of out balls” are designated as the determined operating amounts, the maintenance time can be grasped more accurately. Similarly, for other operating amounts, if a large number of determined operating amounts are specified, the maintenance time can be accurately grasped, and if the number of determined operating amounts is reduced, the processing load decreases. Thus, the operator can specify a desired determination operation amount according to various purposes.

  If neither the cancel button 84 nor the OK button 83 is operated (S12: NO, S13: NO), the processes of S12 and S13 are repeated. When the cancel button 84 is operated (S12: YES), the process ends as it is. When the OK button 83 is operated in a state where at least one operation amount is specified (S13: YES), the specified operation amount is stored in the storage means as the determined operation amount (S14). The notification method setting process ends.

  The operation amount detection process will be described with reference to FIG. In the operation amount detection process, the operation amount of the game in the enclosed game machine 1 is detected. Here, in this embodiment, a counter for cleaning and a counter for replacement are provided as counters for determining the operation amount. The cleaning counter is used to determine whether or not the cleaning time of the polishing mechanism 25 has arrived in maintenance time notification processing (see FIG. 8) described later. The replacement counter is used to determine whether or not it is time to replace the polishing member 31 of the polishing mechanism 25. When the enclosed game machine 1 is powered on, the CPU 581 of the sub control board 58 starts the operation amount detection process.

  First, it is determined whether or not a shot ball has been detected by the shot ball detection switch 74 (that is, whether or not a game ball has been shot by the launch mechanism 37) (S21). When the CPU 51 of the main board 41 inputs the detection results of the switches 72 to 75 (see FIG. 3), the CPU 51 transmits a command indicating the detection results to the sub-control board 58. When the CPU 581 of the sub-control board 58 receives a command indicating that the game ball has been detected by the shot ball detection switch 74 (S21: YES), the cleaning shot ball counter and the replacement shot ball counter for counting the shot balls are received. "1" is added to (S22, S23). The process proceeds to the determination in S25. If the firing ball is not detected (S21: NO), the process proceeds to the determination of S25 as it is.

  It is determined whether or not the firing mechanism 37 is being driven (S25). When the firing mechanism 37 is driven, a command indicating that it is being driven is transmitted to the sub-control board 58. If the firing mechanism 37 is being driven (S25: YES), the driving time is sequentially added to the cleaning firing time counter and the replacement firing time counter for measuring the driving time of the firing mechanism 37 (S26, S27). ). The process proceeds to the determination in S29. If the firing mechanism 37 is not being driven (S25: NO), the process proceeds directly to the determination in S29.

  It is determined whether or not a game ball (hereinafter referred to as “winning ball”) that has won a prize opening (special symbol starting electric accessory 22 and large prize opening 23, etc.) has been detected (S29). When a command indicating that a game ball has been detected by the start switch 72 and the winning ball detection switch 73 is received (S29: YES), “1” is displayed in the cleaning out ball counter and the replacement out ball counter for counting out balls. Are added (S31, S32). If no winning ball is detected (S29: NO), it is determined whether or not a missed ball is detected (S30). When a command indicating that a game ball has been detected by the off-ball detection switch 75 is received (S30: YES), “1” is added to the cleaning out ball counter and the replacement out ball counter (S31, S32). The process proceeds to the determination in S34. If a missed ball is not detected (S30: NO), the process proceeds directly to the determination of S34. Again, the out ball is the sum of the number of balls out of the number of winning balls.

  It is determined whether or not the jackpot determination is executed (S34). The CPU 51 of the main board 41 transmits a command indicating that the jackpot determination is executed to the sub-control board 58 when the game ball wins the special symbol starting electric accessory 22 and executes the jackpot determination. When this command is received (S34: YES), “1” is added to the values of the cleaning determination count counter and the replacement determination count counter that count the number of jackpot determinations (S35, S36). The process proceeds to the determination at S38. If the big hit determination is not executed (S34: NO), the process proceeds to the determination of S38 as it is.

  It is determined whether or not the jackpot game has been executed (S38). When the CPU 51 of the main board 41 determines that the jackpot game and executes the jackpot game, it transmits a jackpot game start command to the sub-control board 58. When the jackpot game start command is received (S38: YES), “1” is added to the cleaning jackpot counter and the replacement jackpot counter for counting the number of times the jackpot game has been performed (S39, S40). The process returns to the determination in S21. If the jackpot game is not being executed (S38: NO), the process returns to the determination of S21.

  In the present embodiment, all of the five operating amounts are detected regardless of the determined operating amount specified in the notification method setting process (see FIG. 4). However, this embodiment is merely an example, and the operation amount detection method can be changed as appropriate. For example, in the operation amount detection process, only the operation amount designated as the determined operation amount may be detected. The present invention can be realized by detecting at least one operation amount. In addition to the five operating amounts illustrated, other operating amounts can be detected and used to determine the maintenance time.

  The maintenance time notification process will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. In the maintenance time notification process, the operation amount detected in the operation amount detection process (see FIG. 7) is compared with a threshold value to determine whether or not the maintenance time of the polishing mechanism 25 has arrived. When the maintenance time has arrived, the fact that the maintenance time has arrived is notified in accordance with the set notification method. In addition, processing such as when maintenance is performed or when an instruction to cancel or extend notification is performed is performed. When the enclosed game machine 1 is powered on, the CPU 581 of the sub control board 58 starts the maintenance time notification process.

  As shown in FIG. 8, first, it is determined whether or not at least one of one or a plurality of cleaning counters that detect the designated determination operation amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (S41). ). The threshold value is set according to each counter and stored in the storage device. The manufacturer may set the threshold when manufacturing the enclosed game machine 1, or the operator may set the threshold by operating the touch panel 12 or the like. The threshold value may be set as appropriate in consideration of the period during which the polishing mechanism 25 should be cleaned according to the structure of the polishing mechanism 25, the material of the polishing member 31, and the like. If all the cleaning counter values are lower than the threshold value (S41: NO), the process proceeds to the determination of S47.

  If any one of the cleaning counters is equal to or greater than the threshold (S41: YES), it is determined whether or not the time zone designation is set to “necessary” (S42). If the time zone designation is set to “unnecessary” (S42: NO), the cleaning notification lamp 8 (see FIGS. 1 and 3) is turned on to indicate that the cleaning time of the polishing mechanism 25 has come. Notification is made (S44). Information indicating that the cleaning time has arrived is output from the output port 55 (see FIG. 3) to the game hall management computer (S45). The process proceeds to determination of S47.

  If the time zone designation is set to “necessary” (S42: YES), the current time is acquired, and it is determined whether or not the current time is within the notification time zone (whether or not it is during the notification time). (S43). If the current time is not during the notification time (S43: NO), the process proceeds directly to the determination of S47. If the current time is during the notification time (S43: YES), the cleaning notification lamp 8 is turned on (S44), and information indicating that the cleaning time has arrived is output (S45).

  Next, it is determined whether or not at least one of the one or a plurality of replacement counters that detect the designated determination operation amount is equal to or greater than a corresponding threshold value (S47). The threshold value of the replacement counter may be set to a value larger than the threshold value of the cleaning counter in consideration of the period during which the polishing member 31 should be replaced. If the values of all the replacement counters are lower than the threshold value (S47: NO), the process proceeds to S54.

  If any of the replacement counters is equal to or greater than the threshold value (S47: YES), it is determined whether or not the time zone designation is set to “necessary” (S48). If the time zone designation is set to “unnecessary” (S48: NO), the replacement notification lamp 7 (see FIGS. 1 and 3) is turned on, so that the replacement time of the polishing member 31 of the polishing mechanism 25 has arrived. (S50). When the cleaning notification lamp 8 is turned on at the same time, the cleaning notification lamp 8 is turned off because the need for cleaning is eliminated by replacing the polishing member 31 (S51). Information indicating that the replacement time has arrived is output from the output port 55 to the game hall management computer (S52). The process proceeds to S54.

  If the time zone designation is set to “necessary” (S48: YES), it is determined whether or not the current time is within the notification time zone (S49). If the current time is not during the notification time (S49: NO), the process proceeds to S54 as it is. If the current time is during the notification time (S49: YES), the replacement notification lamp 7 is turned on (S50), the cleaning notification lamp 8 is turned off (S51), and information indicating that the replacement time has arrived is output. (S52). The process proceeds to S54. Next, a reset process is performed (S54), and the process returns to the determination of S41.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the reset process is started, it is determined whether or not the cleaning notification lamp 8 is lit (S61). If it is not lit (S61: NO), the process proceeds to the determination of S68. If the cleaning notification lamp 8 is on (S61: YES), it is determined whether or not the maintenance completion button 61 (see FIG. 3) has been pressed (S62). As described above, when the operator performs maintenance (cleaning or replacement) of the polishing mechanism 25 in accordance with the notified contents, the operator presses the maintenance completion button 61. In this case (S62: YES), all the cleaning counters are initialized (S63), and the cleaning notification lamp 8 is turned off (S66). The process proceeds to the determination of S68.

  If the maintenance completion button 61 has not been pressed (S62: NO), it is determined whether the release / extension button 62 (see FIG. 3) has been pressed (S64). The worker presses the release / extension button 62 when the player is playing or when maintenance cannot be performed immediately due to busyness. In this case (S64: YES), the cleaning counter is decremented by a predetermined amount (S65). Various methods can be adopted as a counter subtraction method. For example, the value of the counter may be multiplied by a predetermined ratio (for example, 70%), or may be subtracted uniformly to a predetermined subtraction value. A predetermined amount of subtraction may be subtracted from the counter value. Next, the cleaning notification lamp 8 is turned off (S66), and the process proceeds to the determination of S68. If the cancel / extend button 62 is not pressed (S64: NO), the process proceeds directly to the determination of S68.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the replacement notification lamp 7 is lit (S68). If not lit (S68: NO), the process proceeds to the determination of S75. If the replacement notification lamp 7 is lit (S68: YES), it is determined whether or not the maintenance completion button 61 has been pressed (S69). If pressed (S69: YES), all replacement counters and all cleaning counters are initialized (S70). The replacement notification lamp 7 is turned off (S73), and the process proceeds to the determination of S75.

  If the maintenance completion button 61 has not been pressed (S69: NO), it is determined whether the release / extension button 62 has been pressed (S71). If it has not been pressed (S71: NO), the process proceeds directly to the determination of S75. If the cancel / extend button 62 is pressed (S71: YES), all the replacement counters and all the cleaning counters are subtracted by a predetermined amount (S72). As the counter subtraction method, various methods can be adopted in the same manner as the subtraction method in S65. The replacement notification lamp 7 is turned off (S73), and the process proceeds to the determination of S75.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the maintenance completion button 61 has been pressed for a long time (S75). When the operator desires initialization of the counter for some reason (for example, when the polishing member 31 is consumed before the replacement notification lamp 7 is turned on and the polishing member 31 is replaced), the maintenance completion button 61 is pressed for a predetermined time. Continue pressing. In this case (S75: YES), all replacement counters and all cleaning counters are initialized (S76), and the process returns to the maintenance time notification process (see FIG. 8). If the maintenance completion button 61 has not been pressed for a long time (S75: NO), the process returns to the maintenance time notification process.

  As described above, the enclosed game machine 1 of the present embodiment is used by circulating the game ball enclosed in the main body. Accordingly, in the polishing mechanism 25 of the enclosed game machine 1, unlike the polishing mechanism that polishes the game balls used in a plurality of pachinko machines in a lump, the number of game balls used in the game and the polishing mechanism The number of game balls that flow into 25 matches as long as there is no fraud or failure. The enclosed game machine 1 according to the present embodiment can determine the maintenance time by accurately predicting the operation amount of the polishing mechanism 25 by using the operation amount of the game.

  It is necessary to detect the amount of game operation regardless of the presence or absence of the polishing mechanism 25. Specifically, the five operation amounts detected in the present embodiment are used to prevent fraud, to grasp the operation status of the enclosed game machine 1, to understand the balance, to present game data to the player, etc. It needs to be detected. The detection of “the number of times a game ball has been fired” is not essential for a non-encapsulated pachinko machine, but is essential for an encapsulated pachinko machine. The enclosed game machine 1 of the present embodiment determines the maintenance time of the polishing mechanism 25 using the detected operation amount of the game. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the maintenance time has come without separately providing means for detecting the operation amount of the polishing mechanism 25 (for example, a switch for detecting a game ball flowing into the polishing mechanism 25). it can. That is, the encapsulated gaming machine 1 of the present embodiment can easily and accurately predict the contamination and wear of the parts of the polishing mechanism 25 (specifically, the polishing member 31) and notify an appropriate maintenance time. .

  According to the enclosed game machine 1 of the present embodiment, when the operator determines that there is no need for maintenance by checking the situation of the polishing mechanism 25, or when maintenance cannot be performed immediately, etc. Can be released automatically. Therefore, the worker can take appropriate measures according to the situation.

  In the present embodiment, when the time zone designation “necessary” is set, the fact that the maintenance time has arrived is notified during the notification time. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the notification from being performed in a time zone where the notification is unnecessary. For example, it is possible to prevent a player from having a feeling of discomfort due to notification during business hours. Further, the player can freely set whether or not to perform notification only during the notification time.

  When it is determined that the maintenance time has arrived, the enclosed game machine 1 of the present embodiment outputs information to that effect to an external game room management computer. Therefore, the operator can grasp that the maintenance time of the polishing mechanism 25 has arrived even outside the enclosed game machine 1. Therefore, the polishing mechanism 25 can be maintained more easily and accurately.

  The enclosure-type gaming machine 1 of the present embodiment separately determines when to perform light maintenance (cleaning) and when to perform heavy maintenance (replacement), and determines each determination result. Can be notified. Therefore, the worker can perform optimum maintenance according to the notified contents.

  In the above embodiment, the CPU 581 that executes the operation amount detection process shown in FIG. 7 functions as the “operation amount detection means” of the present invention. The CPU 581 that determines whether or not the counter value is equal to or larger than the threshold value in S41 and S47 of FIG. 8 functions as an “operation amount determination unit”. The CPU 581 that notifies that the maintenance time has come in S44 and S50 of FIG. 8 functions as “notification means”. The CPU 581 that receives a notification release / extension instruction in S64 and S71 of FIG. 9 functions as a “release instruction reception unit”. The CPU 581 for resetting the next notification trigger in S65 and S72 in FIG. 9 functions as a “resetting unit”. The CPU 581 that determines whether or not the notification time is in S43 and S49 in FIG. 8 functions as “time determination means”. The CPU 581 that receives an instruction on whether or not to specify the time zone in the notification method setting process shown in FIG. 4 functions as “selection instruction receiving means”. The CPU 581 that outputs information in S45 and S52 in FIG. 8 functions as an “output unit”.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described in detail above, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, five types of game operation amounts are detected, and the maintenance time is determined based on the designated operation amount (determination operation amount) among the five types of operation amounts. However, the present invention can be realized by detecting one or more game operation amounts. In this case, the operation amount of the game to be detected can be selected as appropriate. However, if there is no fraud or the like, the “number of times the game balls have been fired” and the “number of out balls” completely match the number of game balls flowing into the polishing mechanism 25. Therefore, the enclosed game machine 1 can determine the maintenance time more accurately by including either “the number of times the game balls have been fired” or “the number of out balls” in the determined operation amount. Moreover, it is also possible to detect the operation amount by a method other than the method exemplified in the above embodiment. For example, the operation amount of the game in the enclosed game machine 1 may be detected from the number of balls managed by the ball number management unit 17.

  In the enclosed game machine 1 of the above embodiment, all of the out balls are polished by the polishing mechanism 25. However, the present invention can be applied even when a part of the out sphere is polished by the polishing mechanism 25. Even in this case, the number of game balls flowing into the polishing mechanism 25 is proportional to the amount of game operation. For example, when half of the out balls flow into the polishing mechanism 25, the threshold for judging whether or not the maintenance time has arrived is doubled compared to when all the out balls flow in. do it. That is, a new threshold is set by multiplying the reciprocal of the ratio W (= n / N) of the out sphere n flowing into the polishing mechanism 25 with respect to all the out spheres N to the threshold when all out spheres flow in. do it.

  The enclosed game machine 1 according to the above-described embodiment separately determines the timing for cleaning and the timing for replacement, and notifies each determination result. Therefore, the worker can perform optimum maintenance according to the notified contents. However, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of criteria for notification. For example, the operator may be notified of the arrival of one of the cleaning and replacement periods. Further, three or more determination criteria may be provided to notify each determination result.

  When the release / extension button 62 is pressed, the enclosed gaming machine 1 of the above embodiment resets the next notification trigger by subtracting a predetermined amount from the counter value. However, the method for resetting the trigger for the next notification can be selected as appropriate. For example, the worker may set the next notification time. After a predetermined time (for example, 3 days later, 3 hours later, etc.), the next notification time may be set. In addition, the enclosed game machine 1 of the above embodiment includes the maintenance completion button 61 and the release / extension button 62, so that the notification can be temporarily released / extended and the notification can be completely released when the maintenance is completed. And can be used properly. However, the present invention can be realized without providing a plurality of buttons. For example, temporary release / extension and complete release may be used properly according to the amount of operation of one button (for example, pressing time). It is also possible to perform only complete cancellation without executing temporary cancellation / extension.

  In the above embodiment, the notification is canceled when the maintenance completion button 61 or the cancel / extend button 62 is pressed. However, the release method can also be changed. For example, a switch that detects removal and attachment of the polishing member 31 or the cover 32 of the polishing mechanism 25 may be provided. The enclosed game machine 1 may cancel the notification when the switch detects that the polishing member 31 or the cover 32 is removed and attached. Accordingly, the notification can be automatically released without requiring the operator to operate the button.

  In the above embodiment, it is determined whether the current time is within the notification time zone designated by the worker, thereby determining whether it is during the notification time. However, this determination method can also be changed. For example, a predetermined time from when the main power source of the enclosed game machine 1 is shut off may be set as a “notification time zone”, and notification may be performed using charged power or the like. Similarly, a predetermined time from when the main power is turned on may be set as the “notification time zone”. The notification time zone may be set in advance by the manufacturer and stored in the ROM 583 or the like.

  In the above embodiment, the lamps (replacement notification lamp 7 and cleaning notification lamp 8) are turned on to notify the operator that the maintenance time has come. However, it goes without saying that the notification method can be changed. For example, the enclosed game machine 1 may perform notification using light emission of the lighting device 5, display on the information display screen 11, sound output from the speaker 6, and the like. Further, the arrival of the cleaning time may be notified by turning on one lamp, and the arrival of the replacement time may be notified by blinking.

  In the above-described embodiment, processing such as maintenance time determination and notification is executed by the sub-control board 58. However, it goes without saying that the processing may be performed with another substrate (for example, the main substrate 41 or a dedicated substrate for controlling the notification of the maintenance time). In the above embodiment, it is determined that the maintenance time has arrived when any of the specified determined operation amounts exceeds the threshold value. However, it is also possible to determine that the maintenance time has come when all of the determined operation amounts exceed the threshold. The determination operation amount for cleaning and the determination operation amount for replacement may be separately specified.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Enclosed game machine 7 Replacement notification lamp 8 Cleaning notification lamp 11 Information display screen 12 Touch panel 25 Polishing mechanism 31 Polishing member 37 Launching mechanism 58 Sub-control board 61 Maintenance completion button 62 Release / extension button 72 Start switch 73 Winning ball detection switch 74 Launch ball detection switch 75 Off ball detection switch 581 CPU
582 RAM
583 ROM

Claims (6)

A launch mechanism for launching a game ball into the game area;
A polishing mechanism for polishing the game balls collected and used for games,
A plurality of game balls are enclosed in a main body, and the game balls polished by the polishing mechanism are supplied to the launch mechanism to circulate and use the game balls,
An operation amount detecting means for detecting an operation amount of a game in the enclosed game machine;
An operation amount determination means for determining whether or not the operation amount of the game detected by the operation amount detection means is equal to or greater than a threshold;
An enclosed game characterized by comprising: an informing means for informing that the maintenance time of the polishing mechanism has arrived when the operating amount determining means determines that the operating amount of the game has exceeded a threshold value. Machine. Release instruction receiving means for receiving an instruction to cancel the notification and reset the next notification time while the notification means that the maintenance time has arrived.
When the instruction is input by the release instruction receiving means, further comprising a resetting means for resetting a trigger for the next notification,
The notification means includes
Canceling the notification when the instruction is input by the cancellation instruction receiving means,
The enclosed game machine according to claim 1, wherein the notification is executed again when the notification trigger reset by the resetting unit arrives. It further comprises time determination means for determining whether or not it is during a notification time for executing the notification,
The notification means executes the notification when it is determined by the operation amount determination means that the game operation amount is equal to or greater than a threshold, and when the time determination means determines that the notification time is in progress. The enclosed game machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that Time determination means for determining whether or not the notification time for executing the notification is in progress;
A selection instruction receiving means for receiving a selection instruction as to whether or not to execute the notification only during the notification time;
The notification means includes
When the instruction to execute the notification only during the notification time is received by the selection instruction reception unit, the operation amount determination unit determines that the operation amount of the game is equal to or greater than a threshold, and the time determination The enclosed game machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the notification is executed when it is determined by the means that it is during the notification time.   5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an output unit that outputs, to the outside, information indicating that the maintenance time of the polishing mechanism has arrived when the notification is performed by the notification unit. The enclosed game machine described.   The operating amount detection means is a number of times that the launch mechanism has fired the game ball, a drive time of the launch mechanism, a sum of a winning game ball and a game ball collected without winning, a hit that is advantageous to a player. 6. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a number of times a lottery for determining whether or not to execute a game is performed and a number of times that the winning game is performed is detected as the operation amount. The enclosed game machine described.

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