JP2013162866A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine capable of preventing the illegal game without consuming a memory storage area without any reason and without excessively increasing the control load of a CPU.SOLUTION: A slot machine includes: a main control part 50 including internal lottery processing (ST6) and centrally controlling game operation; and a performance control part 51 executing performance operation based on a series of control commands transmitted from the main control part 50 for each game, and determining whether game support operation (SP42) for making effective an internal winning state is executed or not in reception of a predetermined control command by a support lottery (SP38). The performance control part 51 prohibits game support operation in an abnormal state (SP53), based on the total value of a predetermined control command in a plurality of games.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic game machine with a built-in computer device, and is particularly preferably applied to a spinning game machine.

  In a spinning machine such as a slot machine, when a player inserts a medal into a medal slot and operates a start lever, the rotation of the rotating reel is started accordingly. When the player presses the stop button to stop the rotating reel, when the symbols are aligned on an effective stop line (hereinafter referred to as an effective line), a payout medal corresponding to the symbol is paid out.

  However, in reality, the success / failure state of each game is determined in advance by an internal lottery process (hereinafter also referred to as a symbol lottery process) in the main control unit before the player starts the stop operation. The payout medal is paid out when the player arranges the symbols won in the lottery process on the active line.

  Of the winning symbols, the combination of big bonus (BB) symbols is particularly valuable. When the player wins the BB role internally and the player aligns the BB symbol on the active line, a big bonus game is started. After that, the winning probability of the small role symbol is maintained extremely high. The number of dividend medals can be expected. However, since the big bonus game has a high game value, the winning probability has to be set lower accordingly. Therefore, other winning states are also prepared so that players other than the big bonus game can fully enjoy themselves.

  For example, a winning state called an assist time (AT) is provided, and in a game during this assist time (for example, about 50 games), a game in which a specific small role symbol won internally can be surely aligned on an active line. Assisting the person. Specifically, for example, if the player is notified of the stop order of the three rotating reels, and the rotating reels are stopped in that order, the small winning symbols that have been internally won can always be aligned. The small role symbol is, for example, a cherry symbol, a watermelon symbol, a bell symbol, etc., and a winning state called an assist replay time (AR) that increases the winning probability of the replay symbol is provided during the assist time (AT). There is also.

  In any case, whether or not to enter the assist time winning state (AT winning state) is determined not by the main control unit but by AT lottery executed by a sub-control unit that receives a control command from the main control unit. The winning probability of this AT lottery is different based on the winning state of the symbol lottery process in the main control unit. For example, when a control command indicating the winning state of the cherry symbol is received, the probability of the watermelon symbol is 1/20. When receiving the control command indicating the winning state, the sub-control unit controls the AT winning with a probability of 1/50 and receiving the control command indicating the winning state of the bell symbol with a probability of 1/1000.

JP 2010-259499 A JP 2010-233594 A JP 2010-068971 A JP 2010-046237 A JP 2010-005090 A JP 2009-213727 A

  As described above, when the assist time state is entered, medals can be prevented from being missed. Therefore, there is also a concern that an unauthorized control command is transmitted to the sub-control unit and an AT winning state is frequently generated. For example, if a camouflaged command indicating the winning state of a cherry symbol with a high AT lottery probability is repeatedly transmitted to the sub-control unit, it will eventually become an AT winning state with a probability of 1/20, thus generating a gaming state advantageous to the player Can be made.

  Various methods have been proposed as crime prevention measures for eliminating such illegal activities (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 6), but the memory space that can be used in the main control unit is legally limited. Since it is limited, it is not possible to take measures that put a burden on the main control unit. In addition, even if the AT is selected, the number of medals that can be increased per game is an average of about +1 to +1.5, and it is appropriate to raise the security level even at the expense of other game controls. Not.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a gaming machine that can prevent illegal games without consuming the storage area of the memory and without overloading the control load of the CPU. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in an internal lottery process executed based on a predetermined switch signal, when an internal winning is made in any of the winning states divided into a plurality of stages, a player's stop operation is performed. A game machine in which the internal winning state is made effective on the condition that predetermined stop symbols are aligned, and a main control unit that mainly controls game operations including internal lottery processing, Whether or not to execute a game support operation for activating the internal winning state when performing a presentation operation based on a series of control commands transmitted from the control unit and receiving a predetermined control command. And a sub-control unit that is determined by support lottery, and is provided with prohibiting means for prohibiting a game support operation based on a total value of predetermined control commands in a plurality of games.

  The winning probability of the support lottery is set in reverse to the winning probability of the internal lottery process, and the winning probability of the support lottery in the internal lottery state where the winning probability of the internal lottery process is high is low. It is preferable to set it lower than the winning probability of the support lottery in the internal winning state.

  The total value indicates the reception frequency of a predetermined control command. When the reception frequency is higher than a reference value, the game support operation is prohibited as a typical example. In such a case, the predetermined control command is preferably a control command for specifying an internal winning state in which the winning probability of the support lottery is the highest, or a plurality of control commands including this control command. Further, it is preferable to provide a count counter that is updated when a command other than a predetermined control command is received, and the value of the count counter when the predetermined control command is received is used as the total value.

  The transmission order of a plurality of control commands is defined in advance, and if the transmission order is unreasonable, it is also effective to prohibit the game support operation without determining the total value when the transmission order is unreasonable It is. A plurality of control commands are composed of a plurality of bytes and are transmitted as command data for each byte. The sub-control unit acquires the command data received this time on condition that it does not match the previous acquired value. It is also suitable.

  According to the above-described present invention, illegal games can be prevented without consuming the storage area of the memory and without increasing the control burden of the CPU.

It is a front view of the slot machine which concerns on an Example. FIG. 2 is a right side view (a) and a plan view (b) of the slot machine of FIG. 1. It is the figure which illustrated the front panel of the slot machine from the back. It is an internal front view of the main body case of the slot machine. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the slot machine of FIG. 1. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of a main control board. It is a circuit diagram which shows a counter circuit. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of a power supply board. It is a flowchart explaining the main process in a main control part. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a part of the operation of FIG. 9. It is a flowchart explaining the timer interruption process in a main control part. It is a flowchart explaining the timer interruption process in a sub control part. It is a flowchart explaining a part of FIG. It is a flowchart explaining 2nd Example.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on examples. 1 to 4 illustrate a slot machine SL according to an embodiment. In this slot machine SL, a rectangular box-shaped main body case 1 and a front panel 2 fitted with various game members are connected via a hinge 3 so that the front panel 2 can be opened and closed with respect to the main body case 1. (FIG. 2). 1 is a front view of the front panel 2, FIG. 2 is a right side view (a) and a plan view (b) of the slot machine SL, FIG. 3 is a rear view of the front panel 2, and FIG. A front view is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a symbol rotating unit 4 including three rotating reels 4 a to 4 c is disposed in the approximate center of the main body case 1, and a medal payout device 5 is disposed below the symbol rotating unit 4. On each of the rotating reels 4a to 4c, a BB symbol, an RB symbol, various fruit symbols, a replay symbol, and the like are drawn. The medal payout device 5 is provided with a medal hopper 5a for storing medals, a payout motor M, a medal payout control board 55, a payout relay board 63, a payout sensor (not shown), and the like. Here, the medal is derived from the payout opening 5b toward the front of the drawing based on the rotation of the payout motor M. Note that medals stored exceeding the limit amount are configured to fall into the auxiliary tank 6 through the overflow portion 5c.

  A power supply board 62 is arranged adjacent to the medal payout device 5, a main control board 50 is arranged above the symbol rotation unit 4, and a rotating drum setting board 54 is arranged adjacent to the main control board 50. ing. In addition, inside the symbol rotating unit 4, a rotating LED relay substrate 58 and a rotating relay substrate 57 are provided, and an external concentrated terminal plate 56 is disposed adjacent to the symbol rotating unit 4.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a liquid crystal display unit 7 is disposed on the upper portion of the front panel 2, and three display windows 8a to 8c corresponding to the rotating reels 4a to 4c are disposed on the lower portion thereof. Through the display windows 8a to 8c, about 3 symbols can be seen in the rotational direction of each of the rotating reels 4a to 4c, and a total of 9 symbols in the horizontal direction and 2 in the diagonal direction. Becomes a virtual stop line.

  On the left side of the display window 8a, an LED group 9 indicating a gaming state is provided. Below that, a payout display unit 10 for displaying the number of medals to be paid out as a gaming result, and the number of medals in a credit state are displayed. The storage number display part 11 to display is provided.

  In the center of the front panel 2 in the vertical direction, a medal insertion slot 12 for inserting medals is provided, and adjacent thereto, a return button 13 for returning medals filled in the medal insertion slot 12 is provided. Also, a credit check button 14 for paying out a credit medal, an insertion button 15 for artificially inserting one credit medal in place of inserting a medal into the medal slot 12, and a credit medal in a pseudo manner A maximum loading button 16 for loading three sheets is provided.

  Below these game members, a start lever 17 for starting the rotation of the rotating reels 4a to 4c and stop buttons 18a to 18c for stopping the rotating reels 4a to 4c are provided. In addition, below the front panel 2, a horizontally long tray 19 for storing medals and a medal outlet 20 communicating with the payout port 5b of the payout device 5 are provided. Speakers SP are arranged on the left and right sides of the medal outlet 20.

  As shown in FIG. 3, on the back side of the front panel 3, a medal sorting device 21 that sorts medals inserted into the medal slot 12, and medals that are determined to be inappropriate by the medal sorting device 21 A return passage 22 that guides the vehicle 20 is provided. In addition, a board case 23 that houses the effect control board 51, the effect interface board 52, the liquid crystal control board 61, and the like is disposed on the upper back side of the front panel 2. A game relay board 53 that relays signals between the various game members shown in FIG. 1 and the main control board 50 is provided on the medal sorting device 21.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of the slot machine SL according to the embodiment. As shown in the figure, this slot machine SL realizes an effect operation based on a main control board 50 that controls the operation of various game members including the rotating reels 4a to 4c and a control command received from the main control board 50. The control board 51 and a power supply board 62 that converts an alternating voltage (24V) into a direct voltage (5V, 12V, 24V) and supplies them to each part of the apparatus are mainly configured.

  The main control board 50 outputs, to the effect control board 51, control commands for realizing the sound effect by the speaker SP, the lamp effect by the LED lamp or the cold cathode ray tube discharge tube, and the symbol effect by the liquid crystal display unit 7. doing. Then, the effect control board 51 executes AT lottery based on a predetermined control command (game start command) received from the main control board 50 as to whether or not to enter the assist time winning state.

  The effect control board 51 is connected to the liquid crystal control board 61 through the effect interface board 52, and the liquid crystal control board 61 realizes an appropriate symbol effect in the liquid crystal display (LCD) unit 7.

  The effect control board 51 realizes lamp effects in various LEDs and cold cathode ray tube discharge tubes via the LED board 59, the inverter board 60, and the rotary LED drive board 58 together with the effect interface board 52. In addition, the effect control board 51 drives the speaker SP through the effect interface board 52 to realize an audio effect.

  Then, in a predetermined number of games (during AT) after winning the AT lottery on the effect control board 51, in the small role winning state, the player can set the stop order of the three rotating reels so that the symbols can be aligned with the stop line. To inform. This assist operation is executed as all or part of the symbol effect, the liquid crystal effect, the lamp effect, and the sound effect.

  The main control board 50 is connected to various game members of the slot machine through the game relay board 53. Specifically, the start switch of the start lever 17, the stop switch of the stop buttons 18a to 18c, the input switch of the input buttons 15 and 16, the liquidation switch of the checkout button 14, and the photointerrupters PH1 and PH2 constituting the input number determination unit 21d These are connected to the blocker solenoid 30 and the various LED elements 9 to 11 constituting the inserted medal return unit 21c.

  Further, the main control board 50 is connected to the three stepping motors for rotating the rotating reels 4a to 4c and the index sensor for detecting the reference position of the rotating reels 4a to 4c via the rotating relay board 57. Has been. Then, by rotating or stopping the stepping motor, the rotating operation of the rotating reels 4a to 4c and the stopping operation at the target position are realized.

  The main control board 50 is also connected to the medal payout device 5 through the payout relay board 63. The medal payout device 5 is provided with a medal payout control board 55, a medal payout sensor, and a payout motor M. The medal payout control board 55 is based on a control command from the main control board 50. Is rotated to pay out a predetermined amount of medals.

  In addition, the main control board 50 is also connected to the external concentration terminal board 56 and the rotary setting board 54. The external concentrated terminal board 56 is connected to, for example, the hall computer HC, and the main control board 50 outputs the number of inserted medals and the number of paid out medals through the external concentrated terminal board 56. Further, the rotating drum setting board 54 outputs a setting key signal indicating a setting value set by the staff using the setting key.

  Here, the set value defines the winning probability of the lottery process executed on the gaming machine in six stages from setting 1 to setting 6, and is appropriately set based on the sales strategy of the gaming hall. . For example, a gaming machine set to the highest rank is most advantageous to the player because the expected value of the number of medals to be paid out is the highest level.

  FIG. 6 illustrates the circuit configuration of the main control board 50. As shown in the figure, the main control board 50 includes a one-chip microcomputer 64, an I / O port circuit 65 for inputting / outputting 8-bit parallel data, a counter circuit 66 for generating random numbers in hardware, an effect control board 51, and the like. The interface circuit with the external board is mainly configured. Here, the one-chip microcomputer 64 incorporates a CTC (Counter / Timer Circuit) 64b, an interrupt controller 64c, and the like in addition to a Z80 equivalent CPU core 64a, ROM, RAM, and the like.

  The CTC 64b is a circuit in which an 8-bit counter and a timer are integrated, and adds a periodic interrupt, a pulse output creation function (bit rate generator) and a time measurement function to the Z80 system. Therefore, in this embodiment, a timer interrupt (FIG. 11A) is applied to the Z80 CPU 64a at a time interval τ of about 1.5 mS using the CTC 64b.

  As an interface circuit, an interface circuit 67 with a power supply circuit, an interface circuit 68 with a game relay board 53, a rotary motor driving circuit 69, an effect control board 51, an interface circuit 70, and the like are provided. Yes. When the power is shut off, a voltage drop interrupt is applied to the Z80 CPU 64a through the interface circuit 67. Note that the rotating motor driving circuit 69 is a circuit that generates a driving signal for the stepping motors of the rotating reels 4 a to 4 c, and the interface circuit 70 is an 8-bit parallel port for outputting a control command to the effect control board 51. It is.

  FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram illustrating the counter circuit 66 in more detail. The counter circuit 66 shown in the figure includes an input unit 24 that receives a start switch signal SG indicating ON operation of the start lever 17, a signal acquisition unit 25 by two D-type flip-flops 25a and 25b, and the lower 8 bits of hardware random numbers ( LOW) and an IC counter 26H that generates upper 8 bits (HI) of hardware random numbers. The output terminals (QA to QH) of the IC counters 26H and 26L are connected to the one-chip microcomputer 64 (CPU core 64a) through a data bus.

  The input unit 24 includes a low-pass filter including a resistor and a capacitor, and a Schmitt trigger type inverter. Therefore, the negative logic start switch signal SG is logically converted and supplied to the signal acquisition unit 25.

  The signal acquisition unit 25 includes two D-type flip-flops 25a and 25b connected in series. A reference pulse Φ is supplied to each clock terminal CLK, and data at the D input terminal is acquired and output to the Q output terminal at the rising edge timing of the reference pulse Φ. Therefore, after the start switch signal SG changes to L level, the lock terminal RCLK of each IC counter 26L, 26H rises to H level at the rising edge of the second reference pulse Φ.

  The reference pulse Φ is preferably oscillated separately from the system clock by a dedicated oscillation circuit, but for simplicity, a system clock for operating the one-chip microcomputer 64 may be substituted for the reference pulse Φ.

  Each of the two IC counters 26 includes an 8-bit binary counter and an 8-bit output register. When the clock signal supplied to the clock terminal CCLK is binary counted, when the holding signal is received at the lock terminal RCLK, the counter value of the binary counter at that moment is stored in the built-in output register. Yes. The counter value stored in the output register is output to the external output terminals (QA to QH) on condition that the output enable terminal OE is at the L level.

  As illustrated, in the counter circuit 66, as long as the power supply voltage value (DC5V) is a normal value, the reference pulse Φ is supplied to the clock terminal CCLK of the lower IC counter 26L via the NAND gate. On the other hand, the carry signal RCO of the lower IC counter 26L is supplied to the upper IC counter 26H. Therefore, the two IC counters 26 function as a 16-bit counter as a whole, and the two internal counters circulate between 0000H to FFFFH (decimal number 65535) counter values. The subscript H means a hexadecimal number including the following cases.

  As described above, when the start switch signal SG changes to L level, the lock terminal RCLK of each IC counter 26L, 26H rises to H level correspondingly, and the value of the internal binary counter is held in the output register. Is done. On the other hand, chip select signals CS0 and CS1 are supplied from the one-chip microcomputer 64 to the output enable terminals OE of the IC counters 26L and 26H. Therefore, the one-chip microcomputer 64 can acquire the data QA to QH held in the output registers built in the IC counters 26L and 26H by changing the chip select signals CS0 and CS1 to L level when necessary.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the power supply board 62. The power supply board 62 includes a rectifying unit 80 that receives AC 24V and converts it into a pulsating voltage, a first voltage converting unit 81 that converts the pulsating voltage into DC 5V, and a second that converts the pulsating voltage into DC 12V. A voltage conversion unit 82; a third voltage conversion unit 83 that converts the pulsating voltage into 24V DC; a power storage unit 84 that stores the output voltage of the first voltage conversion unit 81; And a power supply monitoring unit 85 that outputs

  The power storage unit 84 includes a capacitor C having a large capacity (about 1 Farad), limiting resistors r1 and r2 for overcurrent, and a diode D that blocks reverse current. The limiting resistance r1 is about 75Ω, and the limiting resistance r2 is about 10Ω. The voltage across the capacitor C is supplied to the one-chip microcomputer 64 as a backup power source.

  This backup power is supplied to an SRAM (static ram) built in the one-chip microcomputer 64, and even if the power supply voltage is cut off, the stored contents of the RAM (Random Access Memory) are usually held for 7 to 8 days. I have to. In this embodiment, the storage capacity of the RAM is about 512 bytes used as a work area for the gaming machine.

  The power supply monitoring unit 85 monitors the voltage level of the AC input voltage 24V and the voltage level of the DC power supply voltage 5V. Then, when any one level falls below a predetermined value, the detection signal RES changes to the L level. When an abnormality such as a momentary power failure or a power failure occurs, first, the detection signal RES is quickly output in response to the voltage drop of the AC input voltage.

  This detection signal RES is supplied to the interface circuit 67 (FIG. 6) of the main control board 50, and becomes a positive logic abnormality signal ALM and a negative logic abnormality signal ALM bar. A positive logic abnormality signal ALM is supplied to the I / O port circuit 65, while a negative logic abnormality signal ALM bar is supplied to an interrupt terminal INT (maskable Interrupt) of the one-chip microcomputer 64. Therefore, at this time, if the CPU core 64a is in the interrupt enabled state, the voltage drop interrupt process is started based on the negative logic abnormality signal ALM bar.

  The interface circuit 67 in FIG. 6 also includes a power reset circuit. When the power is turned on, the reset signal generated by the interface circuit 67 is supplied to the reset terminal RST0 of the one-chip microcomputer 64. As a result, the CPU core 64a is reset, and execution of the control program after the head address of the ROM is started.

  Next, the control operation realized by the one-chip microcomputer 64 (hereinafter referred to as the main control unit 50) of the main control board 50 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a control program executed by the main control unit 50. The control program of the main control unit 50 includes an infinite loop main process (FIG. 9) that is started when the power is turned on, a timer interrupt process (FIG. 11) that is started at regular intervals τ by a periodic interrupt from the CTC, This is composed of a voltage drop interrupt process (not shown) activated by a detection signal RES from the power supply board 62 when the power is shut off. However, the voltage drop interrupt process is not related to the gist of the present invention, so the description thereof will be omitted. First, the main process of FIG. 9A will be described.

  When the power is turned on, after an appropriate initial process (ST1), the process executed before the power is turned off is resumed and hot start is performed, or the process proceeds to the process of step ST2 and cold start is performed. For example, when the clerk operates the setting key and sets the winning probability of the lottery process before starting business, the cold start process is performed.

  When the process proceeds to step ST2, the main control unit 50 regularly repeats a series of main loop processes (ST2 to ST18). First, the RAM work area such as the check addition value SUM is appropriately cleared, and various flags for managing the game control are appropriately initialized (ST2). Next, a game state flag in the game is generated (ST3). Here, the gaming state flag is a flag that specifies a gaming state such as whether the current game is “in bonus game”, “in a bonus internal winning”, or “in normal game”.

  Subsequently, a medal insertion management process is executed for a medal actually inserted from the medal insertion slot 12 and a medal that is artificially inserted by pressing the insertion buttons 15 and 16 (ST4). In the medal insertion process (ST4), a medal inserted or pseudo inserted by the player is detected, the number of inserted medals is determined, and then the subroutine process ends when the start lever 17 is turned on. In this case, each time a medal is inserted, a control command (insertion command) indicating that is transmitted to the effect control board 51 (hereinafter referred to as the effect control unit 51). At this timing, a clearing command indicating a clearing operation by the player may be transmitted.

Control command of the present embodiment are all 2 bytes long, the upper byte D _H of the most significant bit (Most Significant Bit) is "1", the most significant bit is divided into a low byte D _L "0" (FIG. 9B) Each byte is transmitted from the main control unit 50 to the effect control unit 51. Here, the upper byte _DH includes a 3-bit length indicating the value of the gaming state flag and a 4-bit length (status information) indicating the type of the control command. Further, the lower byte D _L, contains event information EVENT 7-bit length, which is the notification information to be transmitted to the effect control unit 51.

  In this embodiment, the control commands include a throw command (D1), a game start command (D2), a rotation start command (D3), a stop acceptance command (D4), a stop result command (D5), a winning information command (D6), There are 16 types including a payout command (D7), a check command (D8), etc., and any one of them is specified by the status information.

The control commands described above are transmitted in the order of (D1) → (D2) →... → (D8). The stop acceptance command (D4) is transmitted every time the stop operation is performed by the stop buttons 18a to 18c. The stop result command (D5) is transmitted three times each time the rotating reels 4a to 4c corresponding to the stop operation are stopped. The control command from the game start command (D2) to the payout command (D7) is an 8-bit check addition process (SUM ← SUM + D _H + D _L ) prior to the output process (see ST44 in FIG. 11). ) Is executed (see ST22 in FIG. 10), and the final check addition value SUM specifies the lower byte of the check command (D8). If no medal is paid out, no payout command is transmitted, and in some cases, an error command may be transmitted, and the number of control commands subject to the check addition process is not necessarily constant. Not.

  At the time of transmission of each control command (ST44 in FIG. 11), the command setting process shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B and the command storage process shown in FIG. Executed. As shown in the figure, command setting processing includes command setting processing A (FIG. 10 (a)) with check addition processing as in the case of the game start command (D2) to payout command (D7), input command, error command, As in the case of a check command or the like, it is roughly divided into command setting processing B (FIG. 10B) that does not involve check addition processing. FIG. 10B shows the command setting process B for the check command, but the process contents are basically the same for other input commands and error commands.

First, command setting processing A executed for a game start command (D2), a rotation start command (D3), a stop acceptance command (D4), a stop result command (D5), a winning information command (D6), and a payout command (D7) Will be described. Figure 10 As shown in (a), the command setting processing A, the upper byte _{D H} and lower byte _{D L} configuration shown in FIG. 9 (b) is identified (ST20), the command storage shown in FIG. 10 (c) Processing is executed (ST21). Next, an 8-bit check addition process (SUM ← SUM + D _H + D _L ) is executed for the generated control command, and the subroutine process ends (ST22). The check addition value SUM is cleared to zero in the RAM initialization process (ST2) at the start of each game, and the check addition values SUM for a plurality of control commands generated in each game are correctly calculated.

  The check addition value SUM calculated in this way is referred to in the check command setting process (ST12). That is, as shown in FIG. 10B, the 7-bit length excluding the most significant bit of the final check addition value SUM cumulatively added in the processes of steps ST6 and ST8 to ST11 is the lower order of the control command. A check command serving as event information (7 bits) of the byte DL is generated (ST23), and stored in the communication buffer BUF through the processing shown in FIG. 10C (ST24).

In the command storage process (ST21, ST24) shown in FIG. 10C, the control command (D _H + D _L ) generated in the command setting process (ST20, ST23) is stored in the communication buffer BUF having a fixed length (MAX byte). It is a process to store. The control command stored in the communication buffer BUF is output in the command output process (ST44 in FIG. 11) of the timer interrupt process and transmitted to the effect control unit 51.

  As shown in FIG. 10D, the communication buffer BUF is a storage area of a ring buffer format of MAX byte length (address BUF + 1 to address BUF + MAX). The write operation and the read operation are managed by the write pointer WR and the read pointer RD that are cyclically updated between 0 and MAX-1. The pointers WR and RD are initialized for each game in the initialization process together with the transmission number counter CT. Specifically, the write pointer WR is initialized to BUF address, and the read pointer RD is initialized to BUF + 1 address (ST2). The transmission number counter CT is initialized to zero. This transmission number counter CT manages the total number of bytes of the control command transmitted to the effect control unit 51 in one game, and transmits the control command stored in the communication buffer BUF to the effect control unit 51 without omission. It is used for purposes.

  Based on the above, the command storage process shown in FIG. In the command storing process, first, it is determined whether or not there is a free area in the communication buffer BUF (ST30). Specifically, the value of the transmission number counter CT is determined. If CT = MAX, it is determined that there is no free area. On the other hand, if it is determined in step ST30 that there is an empty area in the communication buffer BUF (CT <MAX), the transmission number counter CT is incremented by 2 (ST31).

In this way, when the process of step ST31 is completed, the write pointer WR is incremented (+1) (ST32), and then the control command generated by the command setting process is stored in the storage area of the communication buffer BUF indicated by the write pointer WR. stores the upper byte _{D H} (ST33). Then, after further increments the write pointer WR (ST34), the storage area of the communication buffer BUF that write pointer WR instructs the subroutine stores the lower byte D _L of the control command generated by the command setting process Finish (ST35).

  The command setting process and the command storage process have been described above, so the process after step ST4 will be described with reference to FIG. As described with reference to FIG. 7, when the start lever 17 is turned ON, the start switch signal SG changes to L level, and the counter value at that moment is held and stored in the output registers built in the IC counters 26H and 26L. (See FIG. 7).

  Therefore, when the start lever 17 is turned on, random numbers stored in the IC counters 26H and 26L are acquired (ST5). Specifically, the one-chip microcomputer 64 changes the chip select signals CS0 and CS1 to the L level to acquire the counter value held in the counter circuit 66, which is a random value RND (numerical range: 0 to 0). 65535) and stored in the corresponding address of the RAM.

  Next, an internal lottery process (symbol lottery process) is executed based on the stored random number value RND (ST6). In this symbol lottery process, it is determined whether or not the bonus symbol is won, whether or not the small role symbol is won, and whether or not the replay symbol indicating replay is won, and a control command indicating the determined lottery result (Game start command) is transmitted to the effect control unit 51. As described above, the control command check addition process is executed when the game start command is transmitted and when the control command is transmitted thereafter (see ST22 in FIG. 10).

  By the way, as a small role symbol, for example, “cherry symbol”, “bell symbol”, “watermelon symbol” and the like can be exemplified. In this embodiment, the winning probability of the small role symbol in the internal lottery process (ST6) is reversed to the winning probability of the AT lottery (SP38 in FIG. 13) described later, and the internal lottery process (ST6). ), The winning probability of the “bell symbol” is the highest, and the winning probability of the “cherry symbol” is the lowest.

  When the internal lottery process (ST6) with such a winning probability is completed, next, preparation work for rotating the rotating reels 4a to 4c is executed, and the rotation control of the rotating reels 4a to 4c by timer interruption is enabled. (ST7 to ST8). At the start of rotation of the rotating reel, a control command (rotation start command) indicating that is transmitted to the effect control unit 51.

  Thereafter, when the stop buttons 18a to 18c are pressed, a rotating cylinder stop process for stopping the corresponding rotating reels 4a to 4c is executed (ST9). In this spinning cylinder stop process, stop control is executed so as to follow the result of the internal lottery process (ST6). That is, as a result of the internal lottery process (ST6), if there is any internal winning state, the symbols of the rotating reels 4a to 4c are aligned so as to match the winning result on condition that the player performs an appropriate stop operation. However, if the timing at which the player presses the stop button or the order of the stop operation is inappropriate, the player is stopped in a lost state pattern. As a result, the small winning combination at the corner is wasted, but the bonus winning is carried over after the next game. If the game state is AT (assist time), an assist operation (AT operation) in which the player is notified of the correct stop operation order when the small role is won is executed, so that medal loss can be avoided. .

  Further, in this spinning cylinder stop process (ST9), each time the stop buttons 18a to 18c are pressed, a control command (stop reception command) for specifying the operated stop button is transmitted to the effect control unit 51. Each time the stop control for each of the rotating reels 4 a to 4 c is completed, a control command (stop result command) indicating the stop position is transmitted to the effect control unit 51.

  In this way, when the three stop operations and the stop control operation are completed and all the rotating reels 4a to 4c are stopped, it is determined whether or not the winning symbol (winning combination) is aligned on the active line. A control command (winning information command) indicating the result is transmitted to the effect control unit 51 (ST10). If the winning symbols are available, a required number of medals are paid out and a control command (payout command) indicating the medal payout is transmitted to the effect control unit 51 (ST11).

  Next, a check command for specifying the check addition value SUM of nine or more control commands transmitted from step ST6 to step ST11 is generated (ST12). The nine control commands are a game start command, a rotation start command, three stop acceptance commands, three stop result commands, and a winning information command.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the player is in the replay winning state (ST13). If the player is in the replay winning state, a re-game operation start process (ST16) is executed, and then the process proceeds to step ST2.

  If it is not in the replay winning state, it is determined whether or not a bonus game is currently being played (ST14). If a bonus game is being played, a corresponding process (ST17) is executed and the process proceeds to step ST2.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step ST14 is NO, it is determined whether or not the bonus symbol is aligned (ST15). If the bonus symbol is aligned, the bonus game start process (ST18) is executed. The process proceeds to step ST2.

  Next, timer interrupt processing that is started at predetermined time intervals (τ) will be described with reference to FIG. In the timer interrupt processing, after the CPU register is saved (ST40), data of the input port that receives various switch signals and sensor signals is acquired and stored (ST41). Next, a rotation control operation for rotation of the rotating reel is executed (ST42), and various timer variables are updated (ST43).

  Next, command output processing (ST44) shown in FIG. Here, the command output process is a process of transmitting the control command set in the communication buffer BUF to the effect control unit 51 for each byte. Specifically, first, the value of the transmission number counter CT is determined (ST50). As described above, the transmission number counter CT is updated to +2 every time a control command having a 2-byte length is stored in the communication buffer BUF (ST31 in FIG. 10C).

Therefore, when the value of the transmission number counter CT is not zero, the control command to be output from the communication buffer BUF is specified by the read pointer RD, and the control command (its upper byte _DH or lower byte D) indicated by the read pointer RD. _L ) is transmitted to the production control unit 51 (ST51). Next, a pulsed strobe signal (see FIG. 11D) is transmitted to the effect control unit 51 (ST52). This strobe signal is a signal for activating the reception interrupt process (FIG. 12A) of the CPU of the effect control unit 51, and the upper byte of the control command transmitted in step ST51 by the activated reception interrupt process. _DH or lower byte _DL is acquired.

Subsequently, by writing zero data to the communication buffer BUF indicated by the pointer RD, the control command output in the process of step ST51 is deleted (ST53). Since the transmission of one byte of the control command (upper byte _DH or lower byte D _L ) has been completed by the above processing, the read pointer RD is incremented (+1) and the transmission number counter is decremented (−1). After that, the subroutine processing is finished (ST54, ST55).

As is clear from the above description, the control command is 2 bytes long, whereas only one byte of the control command is transmitted in one timer interrupt process. It is transmitted via interrupt processing. Therefore, the transmission interval between the first byte (upper byte D _H ) and the second byte (lower byte D _L ) of the control command is the same as the timer interrupt cycle (τ), and the presentation control unit 51 ensures that the control command is transmitted. Can be received. Note that the timer interrupt period τ is set to about 1.5 mS, for example.

  When the command output process (ST44) is completed, information such as the paid-out medals is transmitted to the hall computer (ST45), and the display operation of various lamps is updated (ST46). Next, an abnormality monitoring process (ST47) for determining the suitability of sensor signals from various sensors is executed, the register saved in the process of step ST40 is returned to the CPU (ST48), and the timer interrupt process is completed.

  The operation of the main control unit 50 has been described above. Next, the operation of the CPU of the effect control unit 51 that executes the effect operation based on the control command will be described. The operations of the effect control unit 51 are started at a reception interrupt process (FIG. 12 (a)) activated by a strobe signal, an infinite loop main process (not shown) started at power-on, and at regular intervals. Timer interrupt processing (FIG. 12B). However, since the main process is not related to the gist of the present invention, the description thereof will be omitted, and the reception interrupt process (FIG. 12A) and the timer interrupt process (FIG. 12B) will be described.

When the stove signal is transmitted from the main control unit 50, the production control unit 51 starts the reception interrupt process shown in FIG. In this reception interrupt process, command data ( _DH or D _L ) is input from the input port for obtaining a control command after a typical register saving process (SP1), and this input data is continuously input multiple times. (SP2). Here, if the same command data can be input a plurality of times in succession, then it is confirmed that the command data acquired in the previous reception interrupt process and the current command data are not the same value (SP3). Then, on the condition that the two command data are not the same value, the current command data is acquired in the reception buffer RV shown in FIG. 12D (SP4). Specifically, the command data received this time is stored in the corresponding area of the reception buffer RV specified by the write pointer WR ′ (SP4).

Next, a receiving flag is set according to whether the command data acquired this time is the upper byte (D _H ) or the lower byte (D _L ) of the control command (SP5). The receiving flag indicates whether or not a 2-byte control command has been acquired. The receiving flag is set when the upper byte (D _H ) is acquired, and the lower byte (D _L ) is acquired. At this time, the receiving flag is reset (SP5). When the above processing is completed, the routine for register restoration is executed, and then the reception interrupt processing is completed.

In this way, in this embodiment, command data is repeatedly input from the input port, and the command data is acquired on the condition that the same value can be input a plurality of times. The possibility of doing so is greatly reduced. As shown in FIG. 11D, in particular, the second byte (low-order byte D _L ) of the control command may be maintained in the transmission path for a long time even after it is acquired by the effect control unit 51, and noise. However, in this embodiment, even in such a case, it is not possible to deny the possibility that multiple reception interrupt processes are activated.

  Next, the timer interrupt process shown in FIG. In the timer interrupt process, first, a random value for randomizing the rendering operation is updated (SP10), and it is determined whether a control command is being received (SP11). Specifically, it is determined whether the reception flag is set or reset. If it is confirmed that the 2-byte control command has been acquired in the reset state, the reception buffer is It is determined whether there is an unprocessed control command in the RV (SP12). Whether or not the control command is in an unprocessed state is determined based on the values of the read pointer RD 'and the write pointer WR'.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether there is no irrational order of receiving the received control commands (SP13). In this embodiment, the main control unit 50 transmits control commands in the order of game start command → rotation start command → stop acceptance command → stop stop result command → winning information command → payout command → check command. It is determined whether it is received. If the reception order is not correct, it is considered that the control command is garbled or an illegal control command. Therefore, the inconsistency flag is set to ON, and the gaming state is temporarily AT (assist time). (See SP40 in FIG. 13), this is canceled (SP13).

  In the process of step SP13, when the inconsistency flag is set to ON, the subsequent received command handling process (SP15) is skipped. Note that the inconsistency flag in the ON state is, for example, returned to the OFF state at the end of the game (SP29), and is maintained in the ON state at least until the end of the game.

Therefore, even if a camouflaged game start command (fake command) is transmitted following a regular game start command, illegal games are avoided by disregarding the camouflaged command. On the other hand, the camouflaged command may be transmitted prior to the regular game start command. However, in this case as well, the inconsistency flag is turned on based on the regular game start command. Therefore, even if the gaming state is set to AT due to the preceding camouflaged command (see SP40), the assist operation is performed. There is no problem because it is interrupted. However, it is also possible to assume an illegal case in which only a fake command is transmitted instead of a normal start command without transmitting a normal start command by an advanced hanging board. Accordingly, in this embodiment, it receives the command corresponding processing (SP15), accumulating a control command is _{(SUM '← SUM' + D} H + D L) to be, to enhance the security function.

That is, in the received command corresponding process (SP15), an effect operation corresponding to the received control command is executed (SP21, SP23, SP25), but in each process (SP21, SP23, SP25), a check addition operation (SUM) is always performed. '← SUM' + D _H + D _L ) is executed. Then, the check addition value SUM ′ is compared with the check addition value SUM received from the main control unit 50 in the check command processing (SP27), and in the case of mismatch, appropriate abnormality handling for eliminating illegal actions is performed. Processing (SP53 in FIG. 13) is executed. Therefore, the assist operation is not started even if there is an illegal act of transmitting only a camouflaged command without transmitting a regular start command.

  When the received command handling process (SP15) as described above ends, on the condition that the inconsistency flag is not in the ON state, based on the production scenario generated in the process of step SP21 this time or before that Then, the production operation is advanced to complete the periodic interruption process (SP16 to SP17).

  As described above, the timer interrupt process (FIG. 12 (b)) has been schematically described. Therefore, in order to supplement the description of the security function related to the assist operation, a game start command is received based on the flowchart of FIG. 13 (a). The operation will be described.

  FIG. 13A is a flowchart for explaining game start command processing (SP21) when a game start command is received. As described above, the game start command specifies the lottery result of the internal lottery (ST6). In addition, if a small role symbol such as “cherry symbol”, “bell symbol”, or “watermelon symbol” is selected, an AT lottery is executed.

Specifically, when a game start command is received, first, a check addition operation (SUM '← SUM' + D _H + D _L ) is executed (SP30). Since the check addition value SUM ′ is cleared to zero after the check command processing (SP28), the processing at this timing is substantially the initial setting of the check addition value SUM ′ (SUM ′ ← D _H + D _L )

  Next, it is determined whether the current time is AT (assist time) (SP31) or BB (bonus game) (SP32), and an effect to be executed by the effect control unit 51 or the liquid crystal control unit 61 is determined. An effect lottery table for determining the lottery is specified (SP33 to SP35). Subsequently, the effect lottery is executed based on the specified effect lottery table and the random value updated in the process of step SP10, and an effect scenario that specifically defines the effect content to be executed from now is determined by lottery. (SP36).

  Subsequently, an AT lottery corresponding to the gaming state and the winning combination is executed on the condition that the AT is not already in progress (SP37). Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, if the “cherry symbol” is in the internal winning state, the AT lottery is won with a high probability, and if the “bell symbol” is in the internal winning state, the AT lottery is won with a low probability. It is configured. Correspondingly, in the internal lottery process executed by the main controller 50, the winning probability of the “bell symbol” is set high and the winning probability of the “cherry symbol” is set low as described above. is there.

  If the AT lottery (SP38) results in an AT winning state, the gaming state is set to AT and the subroutine processing is terminated (SP40). In this case, the AT game continuation count (AT continuation count) and the AT game start timing are defined. In any case, since the AT game is started after the next game, there is no problem even if the AT lottery is won by the camouflaged game start command in this game. That is, since the abnormality handling process (SP53) is started by the check command handling process (SP27) executed at the end of the current game, there is no problem.

  Thus, when the AT (assist time) state is reached (SP37 is Yes), it is determined based on the game start command whether the predetermined small role symbol is in the internal winning state (SP41). If in the small role winning state, an assist operation (AT operation) is executed (SP42). That is, since the rotation reel stop operation order is notified in order to make the small combination winning state effective, the player can obtain a profit that the amount of medal dropout is reduced.

As described above, the game start command process (SP21) has been described. Next, based on FIG. 13B, a winning information command process (when receiving a winning information command transmitted after all stop operations are completed) ( SP23) will be described. Also in this case, after executing the check addition operation (SUM '← SUM' + D _H + D _L ) (SP44), it is determined whether or not the gaming state at that time is AT (SP44).

  Here, if the gaming state is AT, it is determined whether or not the winning symbols in the winning state are aligned on the active line in the internal lottery process (ST6). If it is not in the winning state or if the winning symbol is not aligned on the active line even in the winning state, the process proceeds to step SP47. On the other hand, if the combination of specific symbols is aligned on the effective line, an extra lottery for determining whether or not to increase the number of AT continuations is executed, and if it is won, the number of AT continuations is added (SP46).

  Subsequently, the AT continuation count is subtracted by one time, and it is determined whether or not the subtraction result is zero (SP47, SP48). If the number of AT continuations is zero, the game state is changed from “AT” to “Normal” (SP49), and the winning symbol (winning role) in the internal lottery is aligned with the winning symbol. An appropriate game effect corresponding to whether or not there is specified, and the effect operation is started (SP50).

Finally, the check command process (SP27) will be described with reference to FIG. The check command is transmitted by specifying the check addition value SUM at the timing when one game is completed (ST23 in FIG. 10). Upon receiving this, the effect control unit 51 extracts the check addition value SUM from the check command. (SP51). As described with reference to FIG. 10B, the check addition value SUM has a 7-bit length indicating the operation result of the 8-bit check addition operation (SUM ← SUM + D _H + D _L ).

The effect control unit 51 also executes the 8-bit addition operation (SUM '← SUM' + D _H + D _L ) corresponding to the above check addition operation, so that the check addition value SUM 'calculated by itself and the check By comparing with the check addition value SUM extracted from the command, it is determined whether or not all the 7-bit lengths match (SP52). If they do not match, there is a possibility that a camouflaged command has been received, and an appropriate abnormality handling operation is started (SP53).

  Although the abnormality handling operation (SP53) is not particularly limited, for example, an operation that avoids the AT effect (SP42) or the AT lottery (SP38) can be exemplified only for the predetermined number of games thereafter. In addition to the avoidance operation, the abnormality notification may be started, but the two check addition values SUM and SUM ′ may be inconsistent due to the garbled control command. Not necessarily required.

  Even if the AT effect (SP42) or the AT lottery (SP38) is avoided a predetermined number of times, there are few disadvantages given to the player. For example, even if the avoidance operation is based on garbled control commands, there is a special problem. It is understood that there is no.

  As described above, in this embodiment, transmission of an illegal command is detected based on a statistical value obtained by adding control commands in one game, so that a normal start command is not transmitted by an advanced hanging board. Even if an illegal operation that transmits only a camouflaged command is executed, the illegal operation can be reliably detected.

  However, depending on the circuit configuration of the hanging board, the possibility that all the series of control commands in one game are fake commands cannot be denied. Therefore, when considering such a point, the second embodiment shown in FIG. 14 is adopted.

In the second embodiment, the main control unit 50 does not execute the check addition operation (SUM ← SUM + D _H + D _L ) and does not transmit a check command. Therefore, the main control unit 50 has an advantage that the control burden on crime prevention does not increase and the amount of use of the ROM area where the legally restricted area is restricted does not increase.

Corresponding to the configuration of the main control unit 50, in the second embodiment, the production control unit 51 does not execute the check addition operation (SUM '← SUM' + _DH + _DL ) (see FIG. 14A). There is also no check command processing. However, instead of this, in the second embodiment, the statistical reception frequency of a game start command for specifying a winning symbol (for example, cherry symbol) having a high AT lottery winning probability is determined (FIG. 14). SP38 ').

  This is because it is not unlikely that an illegal acter who wants to win an AT lottery will send a game start command specifying a winning symbol with a high winning probability of an AT lottery every time or frequently in each game. It is possible.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, instead of the process of step SP38 in FIG. 13, it is determined each time whether or not to execute the AT lottery in accordance with the gaming state and the winning combination (in SP38 ′ of FIG. 14). AT processing). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14B, an operation corresponding to the value of the counter variable NUM for counting the winning history for a predetermined winning combination is executed.

  In the AT process (SP38 ′) shown in FIG. 14B, first, the counter variable NUM is stored in the determination value JUD (SP50), and it is determined whether or not a predetermined winning combination with a high AT lottery winning rate is won. Determine (SP51). In this embodiment, a “cherry symbol” is exemplified as a winning combination having a high AT lottery winning ratio, but is not necessarily limited, and there may be a plurality of predetermined winning combinations.

  If the predetermined winning combination is not won, the counter variable NUM is incremented (SP52), and the AT lottery corresponding to the winning state and the winning combination is executed (SP55). This is because it is considered that there is no possibility that an illegal acter would bother to send a camouflaged command of a winning role with a high AT winning probability.

  On the other hand, in the determination of step SP51, when the game start command indicates that a predetermined winning combination with a high AT lottery winning rate is won, the counter variable NUM is initialized to zero ( SP53), it is determined whether the counter variable NUM (determination value JUD) stored in the process of step SP50 is abnormally low (SP54). As explained earlier, an illegal acter is likely to send a game start command specifying a winning combination with a high probability of winning an AT lottery every game or frequently, so if the judgment value JUD is abnormally low , The possibility of illegal activities is not low.

  Therefore, if the determination value JUD is abnormally low (JUD ≦ MIN), the processing of SP55 is skipped and the subroutine processing is terminated. In addition, when the determination value JUD is abnormally low, and it is already in the AT winning state, it is also preferable to cancel this.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, when a predetermined winning combination with a high probability of winning the AT lottery is won frequently, the AT lottery is not executed. However, in this embodiment, the predetermined winning combination having a high AT lottery winning probability is set to have a low corresponding winning probability in the internal lottery (ST6), so the threshold value in the determination in step SP54 (JUD: MIN) It is understood that setting the MIN to a suitable value does not give a disadvantage to a legitimate player. In the unlikely event that a misjudgment occurs, the AT lottery process is only avoided once, so it is understood that there is no substantial disadvantage.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above, the specific description is not particularly intended to limit the present invention and can be appropriately changed.

50 Main control unit 51 Sub control unit ST6 Internal lottery processing SP38 Support lottery SP42 Game support operation SP53 Inhibiting means

Claims (7)

In the internal lottery process executed based on the predetermined switch signal, if the internal winning is made in any of the winning states divided into a plurality of stages, the predetermined stop symbols are aligned through the player's stop operation. A gaming machine in which the internal winning state is activated,
Based on a main control unit that centrally controls game operations including internal lottery processing, and a series of control commands transmitted from the main control unit for each game, a presentation operation is executed and a predetermined control command is received A sub-control unit that determines whether or not to perform a game support operation for effecting the internal winning state by support lottery,
A gaming machine comprising a prohibiting means for prohibiting a game support operation based on a total value of predetermined control commands in a plurality of games. The winning probability of the support lottery is set in reverse to the winning probability of the internal lottery process.
Winning probability of support lottery in internal winning state with high winning probability of internal lottery processing,
The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the winning probability of the internal lottery process is set lower than the winning probability of the support lottery in the internal winning state. The total value indicates the reception frequency of a predetermined control command,
The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the game support operation is prohibited when the reception frequency is higher than a reference value.   4. The control command according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined control command is a control command for specifying an internal winning state in which the winning probability of the support lottery is the highest, or a plurality of control commands including the control command. Gaming machine. Provide a counter that is updated when a command other than the specified control command is received,
The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a value of a count counter when a predetermined control command is received is the total value. The transmission order of a plurality of control commands is defined in advance,
The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sub-control unit is configured to prohibit the game support operation without determining the total value when the transmission order is unreasonable. The plurality of control commands are composed of a plurality of bytes and are transmitted as command data for each byte.
The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sub-control unit acquires the command data received this time on condition that the sub-control unit does not match the previous acquired value.

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