JP2013223774A - Pinball game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pinball game machine which accurately indicates the number of variable reserves even after restoration from a power failure or after a reset operation in a sub-control board.SOLUTION: A pinball game machine includes: winning detection means (ST35, ST42) that detect a game ball entering symbol winning ports 15A, 15B, identify a winning port where the ball has entered and store it in storage areas INS-INS7; lottery means (ST55-ST57) that obtain the winning detection based on the contents of the storage areas and execute a win/lose lottery, and decide a performance content based on the lottery result; an updating means (ST54) that reduces the number of ball entries corresponding to the processing of the lottery means; and a transmission means for transmitting a first control command for identifying the decided performance content and a second control command that is decided based on the updated number of entries to a sub-control unit. The second control command is configured so that updated winning detection information for all of the winning ports can be obtained.

Description

  The present invention relates to a bullet ball game machine that is provided with a plurality of symbol start ports that are game ball winning holes, and that can resume a game operation without a sense of incongruity even after returning from a power-off state.

  A ball game machine is generally composed of a main control board that controls game operations in an integrated manner, and a plurality of sub-control boards that execute individual game operations based on control commands received from the main control board. . The sub-control board includes an effect control board for controlling the drawing operation of the liquid crystal display and a payout control board for controlling the prize ball operation of the game ball. For the main control board and the payout control board, a backup power supply is provided in view of the importance of its role, and the stored contents of the RAM are maintained even in the power-off state, so that the power supply before the power-off is restored when the power is restored. The game state can be reproduced.

  In addition, in a ball game machine, when the detection switch at the symbol start opening provided on the game board detects the passage of the game ball, the game ball is in a winning state, and the display symbol is changed on the liquid crystal display for a predetermined time after the big hit lottery process. ing. After that, according to the result of the big hit lottery process, when the display symbols are aligned and stopped, the big win state is established, and the big winning opening is repeatedly opened to generate a profit state advantageous to the player.

  Although there is usually one symbol start port, it is also conceivable to provide two symbol start ports A and B in order to stimulate the player's sense of expectation (Patent Document 1). This is because, as the number of symbol start ports increases, the probability that a game ball will win generally increases, and the frequency of symbol variation increases, so the player is expected to be more likely to hit a big hit. Because you can.

  When there are two symbol start ports A and B, when a game ball wins in succession at each of the symbol start ports A and B, the symbol effect operation and the jackpot lottery process executed prior to this are in a standby state. . The number of standby states is displayed as a variable number of suspensions on a 7-segment LED display device managed by the main control board or a liquid crystal display managed by the effect control board, for example.

  Specifically, in order to accurately notify the player of the standby state, for example, as shown in FIG. 14 (a), the variable holding number HORYU (A) for the symbol starting port A and the symbol starting port B The variable hold number HORYU (B) and the hold total number TOTAL are displayed. In order to notify the game balls to the winning order, for example, the total number of holdings TOTAL is displayed in blue for the variable starting number HORY (A) of the symbol starting port A and the variable holding number HORYU of the symbol starting port B, for example. (B) may be displayed in red. In the example of FIG. 14 (a), there are three variable hold counts for symbol start port A, and two variable hold numbers for symbol start port B, and start port A → start port B → start port A → start port A. → The fact that the game balls have won in the order of the start opening B is specified by the lighting color of the total number TOTAL. At the start of the symbol effect operation, the lighting state of the total number TOTAL is shifted to the left, and the number of lighting is decreased one by one.

  The display operation of the total number of hold TOTAL is realized by the drawing circuit based on the control command received from the main control unit by the control circuit of the effect control board. Specifically, the main control board performs either the control command CMD_A indicating the number of variable hold for the symbol start port A or the symbol start port B every time the change hold number HORY (A), HORYU (B) changes. Since the control command CMD_B indicating the fluctuation hold number is transmitted for the production control board that receives this, the hold total number TOTAL in the liquid crystal display is updated. Note that the variable hold number HORYU (A) for the symbol start port A and the variable hold number HORYU (B) for the symbol start port B are managed and displayed on the main control board.

Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-210742

  However, if a power failure occurs during a game operation, even if a backup power source is provided on the main control board and the game state is maintained, for a production control board that does not have a backup power source, the total number of holds before interruption after power recovery There was a problem that was not displayed correctly.

  For example, when a power failure occurs in the state of FIG. 14 (a), for the variable hold numbers HORYU (A) and HORYU (B) managed by the main control board, the game state before power-off can be reproduced, but production control Since the RAM work area is cleared to zero on the substrate, the total number TOTAL is displayed as zero (see FIG. 14B). After that, every time the control commands CMD_A and CMD_B indicating the variable hold number are received, the variable hold number TOTAL is updated, but the inconsistency with the variable hold numbers HORYU (A) and HORYU (B) may continue. Yes (see FIG. 14C).

  The above problem also occurs when only the effect control board is reset to the initial state. For example, if the CPU constituting the control circuit of the effect control board goes into a runaway state due to the influence of noise or the like, the watchdog timer circuit (WDT) functions to reset the CPU and clear the RAM to zero. The mismatch shown in FIG.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and accurately displays the number of variable suspensions even after returning from a power failure or after a reset operation on the sub-control board, regardless of the number of design start ports. It is an object of the present invention to provide a ball game machine that is devised so that the player can resume the production operation without a sense of incongruity.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a main control unit that comprehensively controls gaming operations and a sub-control unit that executes individual gaming operations based on control commands received from the main control unit. And a ball game machine that determines whether or not to generate a profitable state advantageous to the player through a lottery process when a game ball wins in any of a plurality of winning openings provided. The main control unit detects that a game ball has won the winning opening, specifies which winning opening has been won, and stores the fact of winning detection in a save area; and Based on the stored contents of the storage area, the fact of winning detection is determined, and the winning / not determining lottery is performed, and lottery means for determining the production contents based on the lottery result, and the winning prize corresponding to the processing of the lottery means Updater that reduces and updates the number of detections And a transmission means for transmitting the first control command for specifying the determined production content and the second control command determined based on the updated number of winning detections to the sub-control unit. The second control command is configured to be able to grasp the updated winning detection information for all winning ports. The winning detection information includes the total number of winning detections, the number of winning detections for each winning opening, and the time history of a series of winning detections, but also includes all the similar information.

  Further, the transmission means of the present invention transmits the first control command for specifying the production contents and the second control command determined based on the updated number of winning detections to the sub-control unit. It is not always necessary to transmit the control command and the second control command as a pair. For example, in the case where the first control command (variation pattern command) is transmitted in a state where the original number of variation hold is zero, the second control command (pending variation number command) No transmission is necessary. On the other hand, if the original variable hold number is not zero, it is necessary to transmit the first control command and the second control command at the same time.

  The second control command of the present invention is preferably configured so that the total number of winning detections and / or the number of winning detections for each winning mouth can be grasped. In addition to the total number of winning detections, it is also preferable that the time history of a series of winning detections can be identified and identified.

  The storage area is preferably provided with a fixed area for storing the storage contents to be grasped by the lottery means, and the storage contents of the fixed area are preferably rewritten corresponding to the operation of the update means. The storage area is preferably configured to be accessed based on a first pointer that specifies a read position and a second pointer that specifies a write position.

  Preferably, in response to the operation of the transmission means, a display operation based on the updated winning detection number should be executed in the main control unit. Further, the main control unit is configured to have a backup power source that maintains the contents of the storage area even after the power is turned off, and is stored at that time after the power is turned on and before the operation before the power is turned off is resumed. It is preferable that a third control command for specifying the number of winning detections is transmitted to the sub-control unit.

  According to the above-described present invention, even in a gaming machine having a plurality of symbol start ports, the player can resume the performance operation without a sense of incongruity even after recovery from a power failure or after a reset operation on the sub-control board.

It is a front view of the pachinko machine shown in an example. It is the front view which illustrated in detail the game board of the pachinko machine of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the pachinko machine of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of a main control part. It is drawing explaining the usage method of a prize storage area. It is a flowchart explaining the system reset process of a main control part, and drawing explaining a control command. It is a flowchart explaining the timer interruption process of a main control part. It is a flowchart explaining the starting port check process which is a part of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the principal part of the special symbol process of FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a part of FIG. 9 in detail. It is a flowchart explaining the starting port check process of 3rd Example. It is a flowchart explaining a part of special symbol process of 3rd Example in detail. The relationship between the variable hold number display part and the production hold number display part is illustrated. It is drawing explaining the problem of the conventional gaming machine. The modification of a control command is illustrated.

  Hereinafter, the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the ball game machine according to the embodiment. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a pachinko machine 1 according to the present embodiment. The illustrated pachinko machine 1 includes a rectangular frame-shaped wooden outer frame 2 that is detachably mounted on an island structure, and a front frame 4 that is pivotably mounted via a hinge 3 fixed to the outer frame 2. It consists of A game board 5 is detachably attached to the front frame 4 from the back side, and a glass door 6 and a front plate 7 are pivotally attached to the front side so as to be freely opened and closed.

  An upper plate 8 for storing game balls for launch is mounted on the front plate 7, and a lower plate 9 for storing game balls overflowing from or extracted from the upper plate 8 and a launch handle 10 are mounted at the bottom of the front frame 4. And are provided. The launch handle 10 is interlocked with the launch motor M2, and a game ball is launched by a hitting rod that operates according to the rotation angle of the launch handle 10.

  An elliptical chance button 11 with a built-in lamp is provided in the approximate center of the upper plate 8. The chance button 11 is provided at a position where it can be operated with the left hand of the player, and the player can operate the chance button 11 without releasing the right hand from the firing handle 10. The chance button 11 does not function normally, but when the game state becomes the button chance state, the built-in lamp is turned on and can be operated. The button chance state is a game state provided as necessary.

  On the right side of the upper plate 8, an operation panel 12 for lending the ball to the card-type ball lending machine is provided, a frequency display unit 12a for displaying the remaining amount of the card with a three-digit number, and a game ball for a predetermined amount of money. A ball lending switch 12b for instructing ball lending and a return switch 12c for instructing the return of the card at the end of the game are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the game board 5 is provided with a guide rail 13 formed of a metal outer rail and an inner rail in an annular shape, and a liquid crystal color display DISP is provided at the approximate center of the game area 5a inside. Has been placed. In addition, right and left two symbol start openings 15A and 15B, a single large winning opening 16, four left and right normal winning openings 17, and a gate 18 which is two right and left passing openings are provided at appropriate positions in the game area 5a. It is arranged. Each of these winning openings and gates 15 to 18 has a detection switch inside, and can detect the passage of a game ball.

  Below the liquid crystal display DISP, special symbol display units 14A and 14B each including a 7-segment LED, a dot matrix, or the like are provided. Two special symbol display portions 14A and 14B are provided corresponding to the left and right symbol start openings 15A and 15B, and a big hit lottery executed on condition that a game ball wins each symbol start opening 15A and 15B It is a display part for clearly showing the lottery result. Each of the special symbol display units 14A and 14B starts the changing operation of the display contents when a game ball wins the corresponding symbol start opening 15A or 15B, and then displays a lottery result indicating whether or not a big hit state is displayed and stops. It is like that. As shown in the figure, when the special symbol display portions 14A and 14B are configured by 7-segment LEDs, any special symbol (for example, “1” to “9”) is displayed in the big hit state, and there is a loss state. "-" Is displayed.

  Under the special symbol display portions 14A and 14B, two variable holding number display portions 19A and 19B each composed of four LED lamps are provided corresponding to the symbol start ports 15A and 15B. The variable number-of-holds display sections 19A and 19B indicate that more game balls have been won at the same symbol start ports 15A and 15B during the variable operation of the special symbol display sections 14A and 14B. Is stored, and the subsequent jackpot lottery process is put on hold.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the liquid crystal display DISP does not function as a special symbol display unit as in the conventional device, but functions as an effect symbol display unit 20 that variably displays effect symbols. And the effect operation | movement synchronized with 14A of special symbol display parts or the special symbol display part 14B is performed. Specifically, the effect symbol related to the big hit state (simply the same “1” to “9” as the special symbol) is variably displayed, and background images and various characters are animatedly displayed. .

  For example, when a game ball wins at the symbol start opening 15A, the variation operation of the effect symbol display unit 20 is started in accordance with the start of the variation operation of the special symbol display unit 14A. Then, at the timing when the variation operation of the special symbol display unit 14A is finished and the success / failure result of the big hit lottery (for example, “1” to “9” or “−”) is displayed, the effect symbol display unit 20 also has a big hit. The display according to the result of the lottery is made and the changing operation is terminated.

  At the lowermost part of such a liquid crystal display DISP, an effect hold number display section TOTAL is provided, and the total number of hold where the operation start of the change display of the effect symbols is held is clearly shown. Here, since the maximum number of variable suspensions of the big hit lottery corresponding to the symbol start openings 15A and 15B is four each, the total number of effect suspensions (total number of variable suspensions) of the effect symbols is eight.

  A normal symbol display unit 21 is provided in the upper right part of the liquid crystal display DISP that functions as the effect symbol display unit 20 and the effect hold number display unit TOTAL. The normal symbol display unit 21 displays a normal symbol. When a game ball that has passed through the gate 18 is detected, the displayed normal symbol fluctuates for a predetermined time and is extracted when the game ball passes through the gate 18. The stop symbol determined by the random number for lottery is displayed and stopped. If the game ball passes through the gate 18 during the normal symbol variation operation, the start of the variation operation is suspended up to four.

  Assuming that the game symbol has been won again at the symbol start port 15A after the effect symbol display unit 20 has stopped in a state where it has lost, the display of the special symbol display unit 14A and the effect symbol display unit 20 is displayed as described above. The symbol fluctuates for a predetermined time and stops at a stop symbol determined based on a lottery result corresponding to the winning timing of the game ball to the symbol start port 15A. Then, when the special symbol display unit 14A and the stop symbol of the effect symbol display unit 20 are special symbols such as “7” and “7 · 7 · 7”, a special game called “big hit” is started.

  The special winning opening 16 is opened and closed by an opening / closing plate 16a that can be opened forward, but when the special game is started, the opening / closing plate 16a is continuously opened for a long time so that a considerable number of game balls enter. It has become so. Further, a predetermined number, for example, one winning detector for detecting a winning game ball is provided inside the special winning opening 16.

  Among the two left and right symbol start openings 15A and 15B, in particular, the symbol start opening 15A is opened and closed by an electric tulip having a pair of opening and closing claws, and the stop symbol after the fluctuation of the normal symbol display unit 21 displays the winning symbol. In this case, the opening / closing claw is opened for a predetermined time.

  After the opening / closing plate 16a of the big prize opening 16 is opened, the opening / closing plate 16a is closed when a predetermined time elapses or when a predetermined number (for example, 10) of game balls wins. At this time, the special game is continued up to, for example, 16 times at maximum, and is controlled in a state advantageous to the player.

  In addition, when the stop symbol after the change of the special symbol display unit 14 is a specific symbol of the special symbols, a privilege that the game after the end of the special game is in a high probability state is given. In this embodiment, for example, an odd value (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) is selected from the special symbols “1” to “9”. In particular, it is used for a probable big hit as a specific symbol.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the pachinko machine 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in the figure, the pachinko machine 1 sends a main control board 30 for overall control of game operations and a control command (such as a variable pending number command CMD_N) from the main control board 30 via a command relay board 31. An effect control board 32 that receives and executes an effect operation, a payout control board 33 that pays out a game ball by controlling the payout motor M1, and a launch control board 34 that fires a game ball by the launch motor M2 are mainly configured. Has been.

  The main control board 30 and the payout control board 33 are supplied with + 5V backup power and retain the data in the RAM area even after the power is shut off. Therefore, after the power is restored, the operation is resumed from the state before the power is shut off. Is possible. On the other hand, since there is no backup power supply on the other control boards, the operation is newly started from the initial state after the power supply is restored.

  As shown in the figure, the main control board 30 is connected to the normal symbol display section 21 and the two special symbol display sections 14A and 14B, and the symbol control operation is realized by direct control by the main control board 30. Yes. The main control board 30 is connected to variable hold number display sections 19A and 19B each consisting of four LEDs, and these are directly controlled by the main control board 30. As described above, in the variable hold number display units 19A and 19B, the variable hold number waiting for the start of the variable operation in the special symbol display units 14A and 14B (essentially the lottery hold number in which the big hit lottery process is held) ) Is specified.

  Furthermore, the main control board 30 receives switch signals from the detection switches of the winning ports and the gates 15 to 18 and controls the solenoid SLN to open and close the large winning port 16a.

  The effect control board 32 is connected to the LED lamp group, the liquid crystal display DISP, and the speaker SP to control the effect operation of each part. That is, when the symbol effect operation is executed in the effect symbol display unit 20 of the liquid crystal display DISP, the lamp effect operation by the LED lamp group and the voice effect operation by the speaker SP are realized in accordance with this. Note that the chance button 11 is connected to the effect control board 32.

  The main control board 30, the effect control board 32, and the payout control board 33 are each equipped with a computer circuit having a one-chip microcomputer, and the effect control board 32 and the payout control board 33 are control commands from the main control board 30. In response, individual control operations are realized. Thus, the circuits mounted on the main control board 30 and the effect control board 32 and the operations realized by the circuits are collectively referred to as functions, and hereinafter, the main control unit 30, the effect control unit 32, and the payout control unit 33 will be described. May be called. Further, the payout control unit 33 and the effect control unit 32 may be referred to as a sub control unit.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of the main control unit 30. As shown in the figure, the main control unit 30 includes a CPU circuit 30a composed of a one-chip microcomputer, a system clock generation unit 30b that generates a clock signal Φ0 that is an integer multiple of the CPU operation clock CLK, and an address signal from the CPU. Based on the decoding circuit 30c for generating the chip select signal of each part, the output port circuit 30d for outputting data from the CPU, the input port circuit 30e for the CPU to take in external data, and the sub-control parts 31, 32 , 33, and an output drive circuit 30f that outputs a control command and a switch input circuit 30g that inputs ON / OFF states of switches of each part of the game board. The CPU circuit 30a incorporates a CPU core equivalent to Z80CPU (Zilog).

  The main control unit 30 having the configuration shown in FIG. 3 includes a system reset process (FIG. 6) started after power-on, and a timer interrupt process (FIG. 6) repeatedly executed every predetermined time (2 mS) by interrupting the system reset process. 7) and power-off interrupt processing (not shown) for saving data such as CPU registers when the power is turned off, the overall operation of the pachinko machine is controlled in an integrated manner.

  First, the system reset process shown in FIG. When the CPU is reset, for example, when the power is turned on, an initial setting operation (ST1) is performed, and a determination process (ST2 to ST5) is performed to determine whether or not the operation before power-off can be restored. In this embodiment, the determination process includes a RAM clear signal check (ST2), a backup flag check (ST3), and a checksum value check (ST5). The RAM clear signal indicates whether or not the game hall clerk has turned on the RAM clear switch when the power is turned on, and the backup flag value and the checksum value indicate whether the power-off interrupt processing has been executed normally. Is shown.

  Based on the above determination result, when an abnormal state is detected, the entire area of the RAM is cleared to zero (ST8), and then the outlier counter is updated in an infinite loop (ST9). The off-counter is used to determine a symbol change stop symbol when the big hit lottery is lost.

  On the other hand, when it is determined by the series of determination processes (ST2 to ST5) that the game operation before the power interruption should be resumed, the variable pending number command CMD_N is transmitted to the effect control unit 32 ( ST6). Since the latest variable hold number command CMD_N (and hold pattern command CMD_P) is stored in the CBUF address (or addresses CBUF1 to CBUF2) (see FIGS. 8 and 11), it is retransmitted.

  Further, the variable hold number display units 19A and 19B are driven based on the RAM variable hold number data held when the power is shut off, and the lighting operation of the variable hold number is started (ST6). The latest variable hold number data is stored in the HORYU address or the HORYU1 to HORY2 addresses (see FIGS. 8 and 11).

  After that, by the return process (ST7), the CPU registers are set to the state before power-off, and the value of the CPU program counter is set to the value before power-off, thereby resuming the interrupted gaming operation. To do.

  FIG. 6B to FIG. 6C illustrate the data structure of the first to third embodiments for the variable pending number command CMD_N. In either case, it is composed of MODE data (upper 8 bits) indicating the command type and EVENT data (lower 8 bits) that specifically specifies the number of variable suspensions.

  In the variable hold number command CMD_N of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6B, the total number of variable hold numbers of the symbol start opening A and the symbol start opening B is specified by the lower 4 bits of the EVENT data (see FIG. 6B). “5” in the example shown). Accordingly, in this case, the display of the variable hold number display units 19A and 19B and the production hold number display unit TOTAL is in the state of FIG. 13A at the timing of step ST6 after the power is restored.

  In the variable hold number command CMD_N of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6C, the variable hold number related to the symbol start port A (hereinafter, special figure A hold) by bits 4 to 6 in the lower 8 bits of the EVENT data. The number of variable suspensions related to the symbol starting port B (hereinafter, sometimes abbreviated as the special figure B retention number) is identified by bits 0 to 2 (in the illustrated example, “ 2 "). Therefore, in this case, the display of the variable hold number display units 19A and 19B and the effect hold number display unit TOTAL is in the state of FIG. 13B at the timing of step ST6 after the power is restored. In addition, the special figure A reservation number and the special figure B reservation number are specified by the difference in display colors in the production reservation number display section TOTAL.

  In the third embodiment, the variable hold number command CMD_N (B4 ** H) and the hold pattern command CMD_P (B5 ** H) are used. The lower 8 bits of the hold pattern command CMD_P (B5 ** H) express the special figure A hold number and the special figure B hold number as “1” and “0”, respectively. Since it is “10110000” toward the MSB, it indicates that the variable suspension state has occurred in the order of special figure A → special figure B → special figure A → special figure A → special figure B.

  On the other hand, since the lower 8 bits of the variable pending number command CMD_N (B4 ** H) indicate the total number of variable pendings, the current variable pending number is five in total by the two control commands CMD_P and CMD_N. It is specified that the number of reservations is 3, and the number of special figure B reservations is 2. Further, it is also specified that the order in which the game balls are won is special figure A → special figure B → special figure A → special figure A → special figure B from the oldest to the newest.

  Therefore, in this case, the display of the variable hold number display units 19A and 19B and the effect hold number display unit TOTAL is in the state of FIG. 13C at the timing of step ST6 after the power is restored. Also in this case, the special figure A hold number and the special figure B hold number are specified by the difference in display colors in the production hold number display section TOTAL.

  As described above, in any of the embodiments, the change hold number display units 19A and 19B and the production hold number display unit TOTAL are immediately after the power supply is restored (without going through a start opening check process, a change start process, etc.). In addition, accurate information can be displayed, and no inconsistency occurs as in the case of FIG. In the process of step ST6, of course, a work area that may cause a problem in the game restart operation due to the data writing process is not used.

  By the way, after the game operation is started, for example, when the CPU of the production control unit 32 goes into a runaway state, the watchdog timer circuit (not shown) functions to bring the production control unit 32 into a reset state, and the liquid crystal display is in the initial state. The display is restored. In such a case, since the process of step ST6 is not executed, normal display contents cannot be reproduced immediately.

  However, if there is a variable pending ball number, the latest variable pending number command CMD_N is transmitted in the command transmission process (ST26) of the timer interrupt process, so that normal display contents can be quickly reproduced. That is, a new symbol variation operation is not started with an abnormal display content as shown in FIG.

  Subsequently, the timer interrupt process of FIGS. 7 to 12 will be described mainly in accordance with the second embodiment. The timer interrupt processing includes processing related to the above-described CBUF addresses (or CBUF1 to CBUF2 addresses) and HORYU addresses (or HORYU1 to HORYU2 addresses).

  In the following, referring to FIG. 7, when a timer interrupt occurs, the contents of each register are saved in the stack area (ST10), and then random number generation processing is performed (ST11). The random number generation processing includes update processing of the winning counter RG and the big hit counter CT used in the lottery processing in the normal symbol processing ST19 and the special symbol processing ST23.

  In step ST11, the winning counter RG and the big hit counter CT are updated by increment (+1) processing within a predetermined numerical value range, respectively, and the updated counter values are the hit determination random number value and the big hit determination random number, respectively. It is used as a numerical value in the lottery process. Specifically, the value of the winning counter RG is used in the winning lottery process in the normal symbol process (ST19) when the game ball passes through the gate 18, and the value of the big hit counter CT is determined by the game ball. When it passes through the start port 15A or 15B, it is used for the big hit lottery process in the special symbol process (ST23). The random number generating process (ST11) includes a winning symbol random number generating process and a big hit symbol random number generating process for determining a stop symbol in the normal symbol displaying unit 21 and the special symbol displaying unit 14.

  When the random number generation process (ST11) as described above is completed, a timer subtraction process is performed for the timer that manages the time of each gaming operation (ST12). The timer to be subtracted is used to manage the opening time of the special winning opening 16, the symbol changing operation times TA and TB, and other game effect times.

  When the timer subtraction process (ST12) is completed, switch signals of various switches including the symbol start port 15 and the detection switch of the gate 18 are inputted and stored (ST13). FIG. 8A illustrates the symbol start opening check process which is a part of the switch input management process.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, first, the symbol start port 15A (start port A) is checked (ST30), and if the detection switch of the symbol start port 15A is ON, the value of the HORYU address in the work area is set. Read into accumulator Acc (ST31). FIG. 8B illustrates the data structure of the HORYU address, and bits 4 to 6 indicate the number of variable suspensions related to the symbol start opening 15A (hereinafter referred to as the number of retained balls in the special figure A). is there). On the other hand, bit0 to bit2 indicate the number of variable suspensions related to the symbol start opening 15B (hereinafter may be referred to as the number of reserved balls in the special figure B).

  Next, the value of bit 6 of the accumulator Acc that has read the value of the HORYU address is determined (ST32). As for the number of reserved balls, both the special figure A and the special figure B have an upper limit value of 4. If the value of bit 6 is 1, the reserved ball number has reached the upper limit value. Therefore, if bit6 = 1, the process proceeds to step ST38, and the process related to the symbol start port 15A is continued only when bit6 = 0. Specifically, the number of fluctuation hold of special figure A is increased by 1 by the calculation of + 10H, and the increased value is stored in the HORYU address (ST33).

  Data 0FH is stored in an appropriate area from INS address to INS + 7 address (H means a hexadecimal number). In this embodiment, the 8th address after the INS address is a storage area for specifying whether the special figure A variable hold related to the symbol start port 15A or the special figure B change hold related to the symbol start port 15B. Each time the variable hold state occurs, a value of 0FH indicating the variable hold state of the special figure A or F0H indicating the variable hold state of the special figure B is stored in the storage area indicated by the pointer PT.

  Therefore, in the example of FIG. 8C, the fluctuation hold state occurs in the order of special figure A → special figure B →..., 0FH indicating the fluctuation hold state of special figure A at the timing of this step ST34. Is stored at the address INS + PT. Thereafter, the value of the pointer PT is incremented (ST34).

  Next, the random value for the big hit lottery for the special figure A related to the game ball winning at the symbol start opening 15A is acquired (ST35), and the random value for the big hit symbol determination for the special figure A is acquired (ST35). ST36). The process of step ST36 is to determine what symbols are arranged and the symbol variation operation is ended when the big hit lottery is won.

  As a result of the above processing, the processing related to the game ball winning at the symbol start opening 15A ends. In the case of the second embodiment (see FIG. 6C), the data of the HORYU address is copied to the CBUF address (ST37). On the other hand, in the case of the first embodiment (see FIG. 6B), the total number of reservations of the special figure A and the special figure B is calculated, and the calculated value is stored in the CBUF address.

  The CBUF address is a communication buffer for transmitting the variable hold number command CMD_N to the effect control board 32, and specifies the EVENT data of the variable hold number command. As is clear from the data structure of the HORYU address, in the second embodiment, the number of the variable holdings of the special figure A and the special figure B can be separately specified by a single variable holding number command CMD_N (FIG. 14B). )).

  Now, after the process of step ST37 is complete | finished, the process similar to the symbol starting port 15A is performed also about the symbol starting port 15B. That is, the symbol start port 15B (start port B) is checked (ST38), and if the detection switch of the symbol start port 15B is ON, the value of the HORYU address in the work area is read into the accumulator Acc (ST39).

  Next, the value of bit2 of the accumulator Acc is determined (ST40). If the value of bit2 is 1, it means that the number of reserved balls has reached the upper limit value 4. Therefore, the processing related to the symbol start port 15B is continued only when bit2 = 0. Specifically, the number of fluctuation hold in the special figure B is increased by 1 by the calculation of + 01H, and the increased value is stored in the HORYU address (ST41).

  Further, after storing the data F0H indicating the fluctuation pending state of the special figure B at the address INS + PT, the value of the pointer PT is incremented (ST42). Next, the random number value for the big hit lottery for the special figure B related to the game ball winning to the symbol start opening 15B is acquired (ST43), and the random value for the big hit symbol determination for the special figure B is acquired (ST43). ST44). Finally, in the case of the second embodiment, the data at the HORYU address is copied to the CBUF address, and the process ends (ST45).

  Regarding the subsequent processing, returning to FIG. In step ST14, the control command generated at this stage is transmitted to the sub-control units 32 and 33. However, the variable hold number command CMD_N prepared in the processes of steps ST37 and ST45 is not transmitted at this stage, but is transmitted at the timing of step ST26.

  The reason is that if the variable pending number command CMD_N is transmitted at the timing of step ST14, the variable pending number command displayed on the liquid crystal display by the process of step ST14 is transmitted at the timing of step ST26. This is because it is immediately updated by CMD_N, which is confusing for the player.

  When the command transmission process in step ST14 is completed, an error management process is performed (ST15). The error management process means a determination as to whether an abnormality has occurred inside the device, such as whether or not the supply of game balls has stopped or the game balls are clogged.

  Next, after creating a control command for the payout control unit 33 (ST16), the control command generated at this stage is transmitted to the corresponding sub-control unit (ST17).

  Subsequently, the normal symbol processing is performed on the condition that the current operation mode is not the hit mode (ST19). The normal symbol process means a determination as to whether or not to operate an ordinary electric accessory. Specifically, when it is determined that the game ball is passing the gate based on the switch input result in step ST13, the winning counter RG updated in the random number generation process (ST11) is compared with the winning winning value. Done. If the comparison result is a winning state, the operation mode is changed to the winning operation mode. Further, if it is a hit, processing for the operation of the ordinary electric accessory is performed (ST21).

  Next, a necessary control command is transmitted to the corresponding sub-control unit (ST22), and special symbol processing is performed (ST23). The special symbol process is a determination of whether or not to operate a special electric accessory such as the big prize opening 16, and is a process including a big hit lottery process. The general operation is as shown in FIG. 9, and the change start process (ST42) for starting the change operation of the special symbol according to the value of the operation status (ST42) → the process during the change of the special symbol (ST43) → the special symbol and the production symbol The content of the operation changes in the order of the end process (ST44) for ending the fluctuations.

  FIG. 10 illustrates the contents of the variation start process (ST42) in more detail. The process related to the symbol start port 15A (FIG. 10A) and the process related to the symbol start port 15B (FIG. 10B). It is divided and displayed.

  First, FIG. 10A related to the symbol start port 15A will be described. First, based on the value of the operation status of the special figure B, it is confirmed that the special figure B is not currently in a variable operation (ST50). If the variable operation is not being performed for the special figure B, the data of the INS address is checked (ST51).

  As described with reference to FIG. 8, the INS address to the INS + 7 address are areas that store the winning state of the game balls to the symbol start ports 15A and 15B. The older ones are stored at higher addresses. Therefore, the oldest game ball winning is determined by the data check of the INS address. Then, according to the data of the INS address, if 00H, the number of variable hold is zero, if it is F0H, the oldest hold state is the variable hold related to the symbol start port 15B, and if it is 0FH, it is the oldest It is found that the hold state is a change hold related to the symbol start opening 15A.

  Therefore, only when the data at the INS address is 0FH, the 8-bit data from the INS + 1 address to the INS + 8 address is shifted to the address one higher and copied from the INS address to the INS + 7 address (ST52). Since 00H is stored in the initial state at address INS + 8, the number of variable suspensions for the special figure A is reduced by one by the process of step ST52. Therefore, the value of the pointer PT is decremented (ST53), and -10H subtraction processing is performed on the data at the HORYU address (ST54).

  Next, a jackpot lottery is performed based on the random number value acquired in step ST35 (ST55), and a stop symbol in the symbol variation effect is determined based on the random value acquired in step ST36. (ST56). Note that the control command is stored in a communication buffer (not shown) in order to transmit the control command for specifying the determined stop symbol to the effect control unit 32.

  In addition, the control operation is stored in a communication buffer (not shown) so that the effect operation on the liquid crystal display is determined based on the success / failure result of the big hit lottery, and the effect control unit 32 transmits the variation pattern command specifying the effect content. (ST57).

  Subsequently, the operation status for the special figure A is changed from 00H to 01H (ST58), and the data of the HORYU address is copied to the CBUF address (ST59). Since the data of the HORYU address has been updated by the process of step ST54, the value of the communication buffer CBUF is updated again to transmit the variable pending number command CMD_N to the effect control board 32.

  Subsequently, the process (ST501 to ST591) related to the symbol start port 15B is substantially the same as the process (ST50 to ST59) related to the symbol start port 15A. However, in the fluctuation start process for the special figure B, a subtraction process of -01H is performed on the data of the HORYU address (ST541). This is because the variable suspension number of special figure A is stored in bits 4 to 6, while the variable suspension number of special figure B is stored in bits 0 to 2.

  When the special symbol variation start process (ST42 in FIG. 9) is executed through the procedure shown in FIG. 12, from the time of the next timer interruption, the variation operation in the special symbol display unit 14A and the symbol variation timer TM (here, TA) is subtracted. The value of the symbol variation timer is initially set corresponding to the variation pattern command (ST57, ST571).

  In the changing process executed when the operation status is 01H, first, it is determined whether or not the symbol change timer TM (TA for special figure A, TB for special figure B) is zero. Finish. If such a process is repeated, the symbol variation timer TM (specifically TA or TB) will eventually become zero. Therefore, when TM = 0, the effect operation of the effect control unit 32 is performed as a transition process. An effect stop command for termination is transmitted and the operation status is changed from 01H to 02H.

  When the operation status changes to 02H in this way, in the next variation end process (ST44) by timer interruption, the symbol variation operation of the special symbol display unit 14 is terminated after a predetermined time, and the operation status is changed from 02H to 00H. To do. And if it is in the big hit state in the big hit lottery of step ST55, the operation mode is set to “medium big hit” and the process is ended.

  The special symbol process (ST23) is roughly as shown in FIG. 9, and if the winning state is achieved by the big hit lottery process (ST55, ST551) in FIG. 10, the operation mode during the big hit is changed in the variation end process (ST44). change. Also, if it is a big hit, processing for the operation of the special electric accessory such as a big prize opening is performed (ST25 in FIG. 7).

  Returning to FIG. 7, the description of the timer interrupt processing will be continued. In step ST26, the control command (variation pattern command, variation pending number command and symbol designation command) generated in the variation start processing of FIG. Transmit (ST26). Therefore, the effect control unit 32 receives the variation pattern command via the command relay board 31 and starts the effect operation corresponding to the variation pattern command. The production operation is accompanied by symbol variation in the liquid crystal display.

In addition, the production control unit 32 grasps the variable hold number NU _B for the special figure B by cutting out bits 0 to 2 from the lower 8 bits (EVENT data) of the received variable hold number command CMD_N, and bit 4 By cutting out bit 6, the variable holding number NU _A for the special figure _B is grasped. And the display content of the production | presentation hold number display part TOTAL is updated, specifying a display color (refer FIG.13 (b)).

  The above description is in accordance with the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, the total number of variable pending numbers is obtained by cutting out bits 0 to 3 in the lower 8 bits of the variable pending number command CMD_N. And the display content of the production hold number display section TOTAL is updated (see FIG. 13A).

  Note that it is not always necessary to transmit the variable pending number command CMD_N when the variable pattern command is transmitted, and the variable variable total number (displayed content of the production pending number display section TOTAL) is zero by the transmission of the past variable pending number command CMD_N. In this case, it is not always necessary to transmit the variable pending number command CMD_N in duplicate. The reason is that the variable pending number command CMD_N at such timing only means that the variable pending number is zero in both the special figure A and the special figure B. However, as long as the total number of variable holds (display contents of the production hold number display section TOTAL) is not zero, the variable hold number command CMD_N is issued even if the variable hold number of either special figure A or special figure B is zero. Should be transmitted.

  In any case, after that, the main control unit 30 updates the display of the variable suspension number display units 19A and 19B based on the data of the HORYU address (ST27). Finally, the register saved in the process of step ST10 is restored, and the timer interrupt process is completed (ST28). As a result, the process returns to the main routine. However, when the predetermined time (2 mS) has elapsed, the process of step ST10 is started again, so that the processes of steps ST10 to ST28 are repeated every 2 mS.

  FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 are flowcharts showing the start port check process and the fluctuation start process regarding the third embodiment (FIG. 6D). FIG. 11 is a start port check process corresponding to FIG. 8. In the illustrated embodiment 3, HORYU address 1 and HORYU address 2 are used in order to manage the number of fluctuation suspensions of special figure A and special figure B. . Also, 01H is stored after the INS address for the variable suspension of the special figure A, and 00H is stored after the INS address for the variable suspension of the special figure B.

  First, if the symbol start port (start port A) 15A is in the ON state (ST60), the data at the HORY1 address is incremented on the condition that the data at the HORYU1 address is less than 4 (ST61 to ST63). Next, in order to store the winning of the game ball, data 01H indicating the winning of the special figure A is stored in the address indicated by the pointer PT among the addresses INS to INS + 7 (ST64). Note that INS address to INS + 7 address are storage areas for storing the change pending state.

  Subsequently, the pointer PT is incremented and the value of the increased pointer PT is copied to the CBUF1 address (ST64). In this embodiment, the address CBUF1 is used as a communication buffer for the variable pending number command CMD_N, and the value of the pointer PT indicating the total number of variable pending is stored (see FIG. 11B).

Next, the calculation of SUM ← SUM + INS (i) * 2 ⁱ is executed for the data of INS address to INS + 7 (INS (0) to INS (7)) (ST65). As described above, since 01H is assigned to special figure A and 00H is assigned to special figure B, each bit0 of 8-byte data is extracted and compressed to 1 byte length by the above calculation. It will be. For example, 8-byte data (INS (0) to INS (7)) of 00H, 01H, 00H, 00H, 01H, 00H, 00H, and 00H is converted into 1-byte data of 00010010 (binary display) (see FIG. 6 (d)).

  Therefore, this compressed data is stored at address CBUF2 (ST66). In this embodiment, the address CBUF2 is used as a communication buffer for the hold pattern command CMD_P, and the lower 8 bits (EVENT data) of the hold pattern command CMD_P are stored in the address CBUF2 (see FIG. 11B). ). The subsequent processes of steps ST67 to ST68 are the same as steps ST35 to ST36 of FIG.

  Subsequently, the process for the symbol start port (start port B) 15B is executed, but is substantially the same as the process in steps ST61 to ST68 except that the address HORYU2 is used instead of the address HORYU1. In addition, after the variable hold number command CMD_N and the hold pattern command CMD_P are prepared in this way, these control commands are transmitted to the effect control unit 32 by the command transmission process of step ST26.

  Next, the variation start process according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This process is also similar to the process of FIG. 10, but in the third embodiment, since the number of variable holds is grasped by the value of the pointer PT, the data at the INS address is only obtained when the value of the pointer PT is PT> 0. Checked (ST81, ST82). As described above, the hold state of special figure A is specified by 00H, and the hold state of special figure B is specified by 01H. Therefore, only when the data at the INS address is 00H, the data at the INS address to the INS + 7 address is shifted to the upper position, and the value of the pointer PT is decremented (ST83, ST84).

Then, as the data at INS address to INS + 7 is changed, the operation of SUM ← SUM + INS (i) * 2 ⁱ is re-executed (ST85), and a 1-byte compressed hold pattern is stored at CBUF2 Stored (ST86). At the same time, the data at address HORY1 is decremented (ST87). The subsequent processes (ST88 to ST91) are ST55 to ST58 in FIG.

  The hold pattern command CMD_P and the change hold number command CMD_N prepared in the processes of steps ST84 and ST86 are transmitted to the effect control unit 32 at the timing of step ST26 in FIG. 7 together with the change pattern command. Therefore, the production control unit 32 displays the number of holdings specifying the time history as illustrated in FIG. 13C by driving the production holding number display unit TOTAL based on the bit pattern of the holding pattern command CMD_P. Is possible.

  Specifically, in accordance with the start of the symbol variation operation of the liquid crystal display, if the production hold number display section TOTAL is in a lighting state at that time, the lighting state is shifted leftward. The number of significant digits (effective bit length) of the bit pattern of the hold pattern command CMD_P is specified by the variable hold number command CMD_N.

  In the third embodiment, since the holding pattern command CMD_P and the variable holding number command CMD_N are used, whether the symbol variation effect of special figure A is started or whether the symbol variation effect of special figure B is started. It becomes possible to grasp only by changing the display content of the production hold number display section TOTAL. In addition, since the display contents of the production hold number display section TOTAL are accurately reproduced from the beginning of the recovery from the power failure or even if the production control unit 32 is forcibly reset, the player will not feel uncomfortable. .

  As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was described concretely, the concrete description content does not specifically limit this invention. That is, in particular, the specific control method exemplified in the flowchart does not limit the present invention.

In addition, the method of using the winning storage area from INS address to INS + 7 is also appropriate. Instead of fixing the read address to the INS address as in the above-described embodiments, the INS address to INS + 7 address are used as ring buffers. May be used. Figure 5 is an illustration by comparing two use cases, FIG. 5 (a), as in each embodiment described above, the fixing of the read pointer PT _R, only the variable write pointer PT _W Shows the case.

On the other hand, FIG. 5 (b), the read pointer PT _R, a write pointer PT _W, both used in the variable, which shows a case of cyclically using INS address ~INS + 7 address. In the example of FIG. 5 (b), each for detecting the winning (ST34, etc. T42), the write pointer PT _W, cyclically incremented treated within the 0 to N, each time starting the variation operation ( ST53 etc., T531), the read pointer PT _R, may be cyclically increment processing within the 0 to N. When such a ring buffer configuration is adopted, data erasure processing (ST52 and the like) by data movement as in the first to third embodiments is not necessary. Incidentally, in the case of adopting the ring buffer configuration, fluctuation hold cell count is calculated, for example, from the relative distance between the write pointer PT _W and the read pointer PT _R.

  Further, as in the above-described embodiment, it is not always necessary to execute the big hit lottery process and the effect process in the order in which the game balls are won in the symbol start openings 15A and 15B. Game ball winnings may be handled preferentially. In this case, the configuration of the control command (variable pending number command) is also changed. For example, as shown in FIG. 15B, any one of special figure A and special figure B is used using bit 3 and bit 7 of the EVENT data. What is necessary is just to specify whether to give priority to the winning of (1 of Example 2). If the configuration of the control command as in 1 of the second embodiment is adopted, it is possible to appropriately change which of the special figure A and the special figure B is given priority according to the game state or the passage of time. .

  In the third embodiment, the variable pending number command CMD_N (2 bytes) and the pending pattern command CMD_P (2 bytes) are transmitted, but two control commands may be combined. FIG. 15 (e) illustrates Example 1 of Example 3. In addition to the B * sequence control command in which the MODE data is B * H, the C * sequence control in which the MODE data is C * H. You are using a command. In the control command of the C * series, the total number of variable holds is specified by the lower 4 bits of the MODE data.

  Similarly, with respect to 1 of the second embodiment, the total number of variable suspensions may be specified by the lower 4 bits of the MODE data using a C * series control command (2 of the second embodiment of FIG. 15C). ). In the second embodiment, bit corruption during command transmission can be detected by comparing the upper 8 bits with the lower 8 bits of the control command. When bit corruption is detected, for example, a message that “even if the current fluctuation hold count is incorrect, it will be corrected to the correct display at the next fluctuation” is displayed on the liquid crystal display.

30 Main Control Unit 32 Sub Control Units 15A and 15B Symbol Winning Ports INS to INS7 Storage Areas ST35 and ST42 Winning Detection Units ST55 to ST57 Lottery Units ST54 Update Units

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides first and second whether or not to generate a gaming state advantageous to a player in response to winning of a game ball in the first and second winning ports. While performing the lottery process, the first and second main display units provided corresponding to the two winning openings, and the fluctuation operation of the main display unit leading to the notification of the results of the first and second lottery processes Corresponding to the start of the variable operation of the first or second main display unit and the main control unit that controls the display of the first and second variable hold number display units that specify the variable hold number that is the start waiting number The production operation of the production symbol is started, and until the result notification of the main display unit is finished, the sub display unit that does not start the next production operation, and the production of the production symbol concerning the result notification of the first and second lottery processes have a presentation number of holding the display unit for specifying the number of demonstration hold operation, and effect control unit for display control, the A ball-shooting game machine which is configured Te, it is detected that the game ball is finished in the first and one of the second winning hole, variation of the predetermined conditions, the first or second winning hole The winning detection means for increasing the number of holds by 1 and the function that the first and second main display units are not in a variable operation, the first or second winning opening of which the number of changes is not zero A lottery means for reducing the number of change hold by one and executing a lottery process corresponding to the winning slot to start the changing operation of the main display unit corresponding to the winning prize slot, and a lottery executed by the lottery means A first transmission means for transmitting a variation pattern command for specifying a lottery result of processing to the effect control unit; a second transmission means for transmitting a hold number command for specifying the number of change suspensions to the effect control unit when necessary; Is provided in the main control unit, while the production control unit Based on the variation pattern command transmitted by the transmission means, the production operation of the production symbol is started, and based on the hold number command transmitted by the second transmission means, the production hold number can be displayed on the production hold number display section. The lottery processing operation and the production symbol production operation are configured so that priority is given to the operation related to winning in one winning slot regardless of the winning order of the game balls in the first and second winning slots .

Claims (7)

A plurality of award ports that are configured to have a main control unit that comprehensively controls gaming operations and a sub-control unit that executes individual gaming operations based on control commands received from the main control unit. When a game ball wins any of the above, a ball game machine that determines whether or not to generate a profit state advantageous to the player through a lottery process,
The main control unit
A winning detection means for detecting that a game ball has been won in the winning opening, identifying which winning opening has been won, and storing the fact of winning detection in a storage area;
A lottery means for grasping the fact of winning detection based on the stored contents of the storage area, performing the success / failure lottery, and determining the production content based on the lottery result;
In response to the processing of the lottery means, an updating means for reducing and updating the number of winning detections;
Transmission means for transmitting the first control command for specifying the determined production contents and the second control command determined based on the updated number of winning detections to the sub-control unit. Configured,
2. The bullet ball game machine according to claim 2, wherein the second control command is configured to be able to grasp the updated winning detection information for all winning holes. The second control command is:
2. The ball game machine according to claim 1, wherein the total number of the winning detection numbers and / or the number of winning detections for each winning slot can be grasped. The second control command is:
2. The ball game machine according to claim 1, wherein the time history of a series of winning detections together with the total number of winning detections is configured so as to be able to identify and win a winning opening. The storage area is provided with a fixed area for storing the storage contents to be grasped by the lottery means,
The ball game machine according to claim 1, wherein the content stored in the fixed area is rewritten in response to the operation of the updating means.   The ball game machine according to claim 1, wherein the storage area is configured to be accessed based on a first pointer that specifies a read position and a second pointer that specifies a write position.   2. The ball game machine according to claim 1, wherein a display operation based on the updated number of winning detections is executed in the main control unit in response to the operation of the transmission means. The main control unit is configured to have a backup power source that maintains the contents of the storage area even after power is shut off,
The third control command for specifying the number of winning detections stored at that time is transmitted to the sub-control unit prior to resuming the operation before power-off after power-on. A ball game machine described in Crab.

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