JP2015000317A - Slot machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress occurrence of a fraudulent act.SOLUTION: A slot machine 100 has a ball circulation device 200. In the ball circulation device 200, space between an outer periphery of a sprocket 202 and an inner periphery of a casing 201 is a movement path 210 of a game ball T which is held by a holding claw 202a of the rotating sprocket 202. In the casing 201, a supply port 211 for supplying the game ball T in the movement path 210 and a discharge port 212 for discharging the game ball T of the number of balls which is in accordance with the bet number from the movement path 210 are formed. Furthermore, the ball circulation device 200 has a guide member 205 which connects the discharge port 212 and the supply port 211 and guides the game ball T discharged from the discharge port 212 to the supply port 211.

Description

  The present invention relates to a slot machine that uses a game ball (pachinko ball) to set the number of bets (the number of bets).

  Conventionally, as shown in Patent Documents 1 to 3, there has been proposed a slot machine that sets a bet number by a game ball instead of a medal. In such a slot machine, as shown in Patent Documents 2 and 3, a ball take-in device (game ball processing device) containing a sprocket discharges a game ball corresponding to the number of bets, thereby collecting the game ball. It has come to be.

JP 2009-160206 A Japanese Patent No. 4466151 Japanese Patent No. 4466170

  By the way, in a conventional slot machine using a game ball, a game is performed using a game ball thrown into the machine by a player, so that illegal acts such as using a game ball brought from outside a game store are suppressed. It had the problem that it was not possible.

  An object of the present invention is to suppress fraud in a slot machine that uses game balls.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a slot machine having a game ball as a game medium, which is rotated by a motor, and has a holding part for holding the game ball on the outer periphery, A casing for housing the sprocket, and a space between the outer periphery of the sprocket and the inner periphery of the casing serves as a moving path for a game ball held by the holding portion of the rotating sprocket. The casing has a supply port for supplying the game ball to the moving passage, and a number of game balls corresponding to the number of bets set in the slot machine for discharging from the moving passage. A discharge port is formed, the discharge port and the supply port are connected to each other, and a guide member for guiding the game ball discharged from the discharge port to the supply port is provided. Characterized by a.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, a game ball discharged from the discharge port by playing a game can be poured into the supply port as a game ball for use in a future game (that is, a game ball) It becomes possible to enclose game balls in the processing device and recycle them). Therefore, in the slot machine, it is possible to play the game without giving the player an opportunity to touch the game ball, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of fraud compared to the conventional slot machine using the game ball. .

  Further, the slot machine of the present invention is characterized in that a knob for manually rotating the sprocket is provided in addition to the above configuration.

  As a result, even if an irregular state where the sprocket is not driven and rotated due to ball biting or clogging occurs, the irregular state can be resolved by manually rotating the sprocket using the knob. That is, even if the irregular state occurs, the irregular state can be eliminated by a simple operation without disassembling the game ball processing apparatus (without tools).

  Furthermore, in addition to the above configuration, the slot machine of the present invention is determined to determine whether or not the sprocket is in a drivable state, and the determination unit has determined that the sprocket is not drivable. And a reporting unit for reporting an error in some cases.

  Thereby, even if an irregular state in which the sprocket is not driven and rotated due to ball biting, ball clogging, or the like occurs, it is possible to promptly notify a store clerk or the like.

  In the slot machine of the present invention, in addition to the above configuration, the motor is a stepping motor, and a determination unit that determines whether or not the sprocket is drivable and the determination unit can drive the sprocket And a retry control unit that performs retry control to return the excited stepping motor to the non-excited state and return to the excited state again.

  Thereby, even if an irregular state in which the sprocket is not driven and rotated due to ball biting or ball clogging or the like occurs, it can be expected that the irregular state is automatically eliminated.

  Furthermore, the slot machine of the present invention includes, in addition to the above configuration, a notifying unit that reports an error when the determination unit determines that the sprocket is not drivable even if the retry process is performed a predetermined number of times. It is characterized by having.

  As a result, it is possible to notify the store clerk that the irregular state is not resolved even by the retry process. In addition, a salesclerk etc. will cancel the said irregular state using the said knob.

  According to the slot machine of the present invention, it is possible to play a game without giving the player an opportunity to touch the game ball, and the effect that the occurrence of fraud can be suppressed more than the conventional slot machine using the game ball. Play.

It is the schematic diagram which showed the slot machine of one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing hardware included in the slot machine shown in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the ball | bowl circulation apparatus attached to the slot machine of FIG. It is the perspective view of the ball | bowl circulator of FIG. 3, and is the figure which showed the inside with the broken line. It is the figure which decomposed | disassembled and showed the part of the ball | bowl circulator of FIG. 3, Comprising: It is the figure which showed the casing and sprocket which are comprised in a ball | bowl circulator. It is the figure which decomposed | disassembled and showed the part of the ball | bowl circulator of FIG. 3, and was the figure which showed the guide member comprised in a ball | bowl circulator. FIG. 4 is a front view of the ball circulation device of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a top view of the ball circulation device of FIG. 3. It is the side view which showed the side surface in which the guide member is provided among the both sides | surfaces of the ball | bowl circulator of FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view of the ball circulation device of FIG. 3, and shows the inside with a broken line. It is sectional drawing corresponding to CC line shown by FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a mechanism for rotationally driving the sprocket shown in FIG. 5. It is sectional drawing corresponding to the DD line | wire of FIG. 11, and shows the state in which the supply port formed in the casing is closed and the discharge port formed in a casing is open | released. It is sectional drawing corresponding to the DD line of FIG. 11, and shows the state in which the said supply port is open | released and the said discharge port is open | released. It is sectional drawing corresponding to the DD line of FIG. 11, and shows the state in which the said supply port is open | released and the said discharge port is closed. It is sectional drawing corresponding to the DD line of FIG. 11, and shows the state in which the said supply port is closed and the said discharge port is closed. It is the perspective view which showed the inside of the casing of FIG. 5, and shows the state in which the said supply port is closed and the said discharge port is open | released. It is the perspective view which showed the inside of the casing of FIG. 5, and shows the state in which the said supply port is open | released and the said discharge port is open | released. It is the perspective view which showed the inside of the casing of FIG. 5, and shows the state in which the said supply port is open | released and the said discharge port is closed. It is the perspective view which showed the inside of the casing of FIG. 5, and the said supply port is closed and the said discharge port is shown closed. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line DD in FIG. 11, showing a state in which the game ball T is filled in the casing and a discharge operation for discharging the game ball T from the casing has not yet started. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line DD in FIG. 11, showing a state when the game ball T is filled in the casing and a discharge operation for discharging the game ball T from the casing is started. It is a perspective view which shows a shaft and a torque limiter when a torque limiter is removed from a shaft attached to the ball circulation device shown in FIG. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of the process of the ball | bowl circulation apparatus of FIG.

  The slot machine of one embodiment of the present invention uses a game ball enclosed in a ball circulation device 200 (see FIGS. 3 to 6) installed in the machine as a game medium, and bets (BET) this game ball. As a target of playing games. First, the slot machine will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(About slot machines)
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a slot machine 100 of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing hardware included in the slot machine 100 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the slot machine 100 includes a drum driving unit 101, an operation unit 102, a card processing unit 103, a ball circulation device 200, and a control unit 105.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the drum driving unit 101 includes a plurality of reels, and is provided at an upper portion on the front side of the slot machine 100. In the drum drive unit 101, a drive motor (not shown) for rotating or stopping the reel is provided for each reel.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the operation unit 102 includes a plurality of operation buttons, and is provided on the front side of the slot machine 100 and below the drum drive unit 101. The operation buttons included in the operation unit 102 include a start button for instructing start of reel rotation, a stop button for instructing stop of the reel, and a bet number button (for setting the bet number). BET button). Instead of the start button, a start lever for instructing the start of reel rotation may be attached.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the card processing unit 103 is composed of a card insertion unit into which a prepaid card is inserted. The card processing unit 103 also includes a reader / writer (not shown) that reads and writes information from and to the prepaid card inserted in the card insertion unit.

  The ball circulation device 200 is a device that encloses game balls to be betted in the game of the slot machine 100. The ball circulation device 200 stores a game ball in a casing 201 (see FIGS. 3 to 6), which will be described later, and when the bet number is set by the bet number button of the operation unit 102, the game according to the bet number A process of discharging (collecting) the sphere from the casing 201 is performed. In addition, the ball circulation device 200 circulates the discharged (collected) game balls in the ball circulation device 200 and stores the game balls in the casing 201 again. Details of the configuration of the ball circulation device 200 will be described later.

  The control unit 105 is a block that controls each piece of hardware (drum drive unit 101, operation unit 102, card processing unit 103, ball circulation device 200, etc.) provided in the slot machine 100. For example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) It is implement | achieved by the microcomputer provided with, or a microprocessor. The control unit 105 extracts various information stored in a storage unit (not shown) and a program for performing various controls, performs arithmetic processing and determination processing, and performs each processing of the slot machine 100 based on these processing results. Control signals and information are sent to the hardware to control each hardware of the slot machine 100.

(About the ball circulation device 200)
Hereinafter, the ball circulation device 200 will be described. Before that, first, the outline of each of FIGS. 3 to 15 showing the ball circulation device 200 will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the ball circulation device 200. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the ball circulation device 200 of FIG. 3 and shows the inside with a broken line. FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a part of the ball circulation device 200, and shows a casing 201 and a sprocket 202 that are configured in the ball circulation device 200. FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a part of the ball circulation device 200 and shows a guide member 205 configured in the ball circulation device 200.

  FIG. 7 is a front view of the ball circulation device 200. FIG. 8 is a top view of the ball circulation device 200. FIG. 9 is a side view showing a side surface of the ball circulation device 200 where the guide member 205 is provided on both side surfaces.

  FIG. 10 is a front view of the ball circulation device 200 and shows the inside with broken lines. 11 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the CC line shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a mechanism for rotationally driving the sprocket 202 of FIG.

  13A to 13D are cross-sectional views corresponding to the line DD in FIG. In particular, FIG. 13A shows a state where the supply port 211 formed in the casing 201 is closed and the discharge port 212 formed in the casing 201 is opened. FIG. 13B shows a state where the supply port 211 is opened and the discharge port 212 is opened. FIG. 13C shows a state where the supply port 211 is opened and the discharge port 212 is closed. FIG. 13D shows a state where the supply port 211 is closed and the discharge port 212 is closed.

  14A to 14D correspond to FIGS. 13A to 13D, respectively, and are perspective views showing the inside of the casing 201. 14A shows a state where the supply port 211 is closed and the discharge port 212 is opened, and FIG. 14B shows a state where the supply port 211 is opened and the discharge port 212 is opened. FIG. 14D shows a state where the supply port 211 is opened and the discharge port 212 is closed, and FIG. 14D shows a state where the supply port 211 is closed and the discharge port 212 is closed.

  15A to 15B are cross-sectional views corresponding to the line DD in FIG. 11, showing a case where the game ball T is filled in the casing 201. In particular, FIG. 15A shows a state where the discharging operation for discharging the game ball T from the casing 201 has not yet started, and FIG. 15B shows a state when the discharging operation has started.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the ball circulation device 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. The ball circulation device (game ball processing device) 200 mainly includes a casing 201, a sprocket 202, a guide member 205, a stepping motor M, a knob 204, a rotation amount sensor 213, a filling ball number sensor 214, a discharge ball number sensor 215, and an entrance shutter. 216, an exit shutter 217, a control circuit board 218, and the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the casing 201 is a disk-shaped casing having a hollow inside and houses a sprocket 202.

  The sprocket 202 is driven to rotate in the forward direction or the reverse direction (see FIG. 10) inside the casing 201. Further, the sprocket 202 has a holding claw (holding portion) 202a for fitting and holding the game ball T as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 10, 15A, 15 and the like. Fifteen holding claws 202a are formed at equal intervals on the outer periphery (outer edge) of the sprocket 202.

  As shown in FIG. 10, a space (annular space) between the outer peripheral surface of the sprocket 202 and the inner peripheral surface of the casing 201 in the casing 201 is a movement path for moving the game ball T. 210.

  That is, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 10, when the sprocket 202 rotates while the game ball T is fitted to the holding claw 202a of the sprocket 202, the game ball T moves along the moving passage 210 along with the sprocket 202. (The game ball T revolves around the rotation axis of the sprocket 202).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13B, a supply port 211 for supplying the game ball T from the outside of the casing 201 to the inside of the casing 201 (the movement path 210) is formed in the lower part of the casing 201. Further, as shown in FIG. 13B, a discharge port 212 is formed in the casing 201 for discharging the game ball T of the moving passage 210 from the casing 201 at a higher position than the supply port 211.

  In other words, the game ball T is supplied from the supply port 211 to the moving passage 210 and the game ball T is fitted into the holding claw 202a of the sprocket 202, whereby the game ball T is stored (filled) inside the casing 201. become. In addition, the game ball T inside the casing 201 is discharged from the inside of the casing 201 to the outside by passing through the discharge port 212.

  The guide member (circulation passage) 205 is a member that functions as a passage for circulating the game ball T in the ball circulation device 200 as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, 13, 14, etc. The supply port 211 and the discharge port 212 are connected. That is, one end side of the guide member 205 communicates with the movement passage 210 via the supply port 211, and the other end side of the guide member 205 communicates with the movement passage 210 via the discharge port 212.

  The discharge port 212 is positioned higher than the supply port 211, and the guide member 205 has a downward passage from the discharge port 212 side (upstream side) toward the supply port 211 side (downstream side). It has become. Therefore, the game ball T released from the casing 201 through the discharge port 212 moves to the supply port 211 through the guide member 205 by the action of gravity, passes through the supply port 211, and again enters the inside of the casing 201. It comes to be supplied.

  The stepping motor M in FIG. 12 functions as a driving means for rotationally driving the sprocket 202 together with the shaft 203, the first gear 206, and the second gear 207 shown in FIG. Details of this driving means will be described below. As shown in FIG. 12, the sprocket 202 is fixed and supported by the shaft 203, and the first gear 206 is also fixed and supported by the shaft 203. Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the first gear 206 is engaged with the second gear 207. Further, the second gear 207 is fixed and supported on a drive shaft 208 of a stepping motor (motor) M. That is, when the stepping motor M is driven, the driving shaft 208, the second gear 207, the first gear 206, the shaft 203, and the sprocket 202 are simultaneously rotated by this driving force, and when the stepping motor M is stopped, the driving shaft 208, The second gear 207, the first gear 206, the shaft 203, and the sprocket 202 are stopped all at once.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 12, a knob 204 is attached to the end of the drive shaft 208 of the stepping motor M opposite to the side on which the second gear 207 is attached. Further, the knob 204 is attached to a position exposed to the outside of the ball circulation device 200 as shown in FIG.

  The knob 204 is a member that can be rotated by a hand held by an operator or the like (a shop clerk or the like). When the knob 204 rotates, the drive shaft 208 also rotates, so that the second gear 207, the first gear 206, the shaft 203, and the sprocket 202 also rotate. That is, the knob 204 is a member for manually rotating the sprocket 202.

  The knob 204 is used to manually rotate the stepping motor M and the sprocket 202 when the accident occurs that the stepping motor M and the sprocket 202 do not rotate due to clogging or biting of the ball in the casing 201. This is for eliminating the ball bite.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ball circulation device 200 is attached to the inside of the slot machine 100, but the slot machine 100 is provided with a door (not shown). By opening this door, the ball circulation device 200 can be visually recognized from the outside of the slot machine 100. Further, the operator can touch the knob 204 with his hand and rotate the knob 204 with his hand.

  Next, the entrance shutter 216 shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 will be described. The entrance shutter 216 is a member that switches between a state in which the supply port 211 is closed (for example, FIG. 13A) and a state in which the supply port 211 is opened (for example, FIG. 13B).

  Specifically, the inlet shutter 216 closes the supply port 211 by being disposed at a position G facing the supply port 211 when the sprocket 202 is stopped or when the sprocket 202 rotates in the reverse direction. (FIG. 13A or FIG. 13D). This prevents the game ball T from being supplied from the supply port 211 into the casing 201, or prevents the game ball T from flowing backward from the supply port 211 to the outside of the casing 201 (guide member 205). The

  On the other hand, when the sprocket 202 starts rotating in the forward direction, the entrance shutter 216 moves from the position G (see FIG. 13A) to the position F (see FIG. 13B) by sliding in the forward direction. While rotating in the forward rotation direction, the supply port 211 is opened by stopping at the position F (FIGS. 13B and 13C). When the sprocket 202 is stopped, the inlet shutter 216 slides from the position F to the position G and stops at the position G to close the supply port 211 (FIG. 13D).

  Next, a configuration for realizing the sliding movement of the entrance shutter 216 will be described. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, a torque limiter 300 is attached to the shaft 203 for rotating the sprocket 202.

  FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the shaft 203 and the torque limiter 300 when the torque limiter 300 is removed from the shaft 203.

  The torque limiter 300 has a polymerization structure in which the outer cylinder 300a and the inner cylinder 300b are polymerized. The inner cylinder 300b is fixed to the shaft 203 by the pin 203a of the shaft 203 being engaged with the recess 300d formed on one end surface of the inner cylinder 300b. On the other hand, a connecting portion 300c is formed on one end surface of the outer cylinder 300a, and a concave portion (non-end portion) of the end portion of the inlet shutter 216 shown in FIG. The inlet shutter 216 is fixed to the outer cylinder 300a by being connected to the connecting portion 300c.

  When the shaft 203 is rotated, the inner cylinder 300b is also rotated together with the shaft 203. Here, when the load acting on the torque limiter 300 is less than a predetermined value, torque is transmitted from the inner cylinder 300b rotating with the shaft 203 to the outer cylinder 300a, and the outer cylinder 300a also rotates. If it becomes above, slip will arise between the inner cylinder 300b and the outer cylinder 300a, transmission of the torque from the inner cylinder 300b to the outer cylinder 300a will be interrupted | blocked, and the outer cylinder 300a will stop, while the inner cylinder 300b rotates. It has become.

  Further, a biasing force in the reverse direction is applied to the entrance shutter 216 shown in FIGS. 10 and 13 by the torque limiter 300. When the sprocket 202 (shaft 203) is stopped, the entrance shutter 216 is applied to the first contact member 301 shown in FIG. 13A by the urging force. Accordingly, the entrance shutter 216 is disposed at a position G facing the supply port 211 as shown in FIG. 13A.

  Here, when the sprocket 202 (shaft 203) starts to rotate in the normal rotation direction (see FIG. 10), the inlet shutter 216 also starts to rotate together with the outer cylinder 300a. As a result, the entrance shutter 216 arranged at the position G as shown in FIG. 13A moves in the forward rotation direction and reaches the position F not facing the supply port 211 as shown in FIG. 13B.

  Then, the entrance shutter 216 that has reached the position F abuts against the second abutting member 302 as shown in FIG. 13B, and the second abutting member 302 is prevented from moving in the forward rotation direction. Furthermore, when the entrance shutter 216 contacts the second contact member 302, the load acting on the torque limiter 300 exceeds a predetermined value, and the inner cylinder 300b and the sprocket 202 (shaft 203) rotate in the forward rotation direction. However, the outer cylinder 300a and the entrance shutter 216 are stopped, and the entrance shutter 216 is stopped at the position F (see FIG. 13B).

  Furthermore, when the sprocket 202 (shaft 203) stops, the inlet shutter 216 slides from the position F (see FIG. 13B) to the position G (FIG. 13A) due to the negative biasing force acting on the inlet shutter 216, By being applied to the first contact member 301, it stops at the position G.

  Even if the sprocket 202 (shaft 203) starts rotating in the reverse rotation direction when the entrance shutter 216 is arranged at the position G (FIG. 13A), the entrance shutter 216 is applied to the first contact member 301. Therefore, the movement to the reverse direction side is prevented. Further, the load acting on the torque limiter 300 due to the contact between the entrance shutter 216 and the first contact member 301 exceeds a predetermined value, so that the inner cylinder 300b and the sprocket 202 (shaft 203) rotate in the reverse rotation direction, but the outer The cylinder 300a and the entrance shutter 216 are stopped, and the entrance shutter 216 remains stationary at the position G.

  Next, the exit shutter 217 shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 will be described. The exit shutter 217 is a member that switches between a state where the discharge port 212 is closed (for example, FIG. 15B) and a state where it is opened (for example, FIG. 13A).

  As shown in FIG. 14A, the exit shutter 217 includes a pair of lever pieces 217a and 217b that face each other with a gap therebetween. The distance between the lever piece 217a and the lever piece 217b is set to be shorter than the diameter of the game ball T and longer than the thickness of the sprocket 202 (length in the rotation axis direction).

  Further, the exit shutter 217 is rotatably supported by a fulcrum shaft 221 as shown in FIG. 14A, and is urged in the reverse direction by an elastic member (not shown) (that is, urged downward). Is).

  Then, the outlet shutter 217 is positioned at the position H as shown in FIGS. 13A and 14A by the biasing force of the elastic member unless pressed by the game ball T from below as shown in FIG. 15B. When the exit shutter 217 is located at the position H, the exit shutter 217 is retracted from the discharge port 212 although it is disposed in the moving passage 210, and the discharge port 212 is opened. Even if the exit shutter 217 is arranged in the moving passage 210, the sprocket 202 can pass between the lever piece 217a and the lever piece 217b, and therefore the rotation thereof is not hindered.

  On the other hand, when the sprocket 202 holding the game ball T on the holding claw 202a rotates in the forward rotation direction, the exit shutter 217 is pressed by the game ball T from below. As a result, the exit shutter 217 moves upward against the urging force of an elastic member (not shown), and is positioned at the position K as shown in FIGS. 13C, 14C, and 15B. In FIG. 13C, FIG. 13D, FIG. 14C, and FIG. 14D, although the exit shutter 217 is located at the position K even though there is no game ball T, this is omitted for convenience of explanation. Just doing. That is, the exit shutter 217 of FIGS. 13C, 13D, 14C, and 14D is actually pushed out to the position K by the game ball T below the exit shutter 217, as in FIG. 15B.

  When the exit shutter 217 is located at the position K as shown in FIG. 15B, the exit shutter 217 is retracted from the moving passage 210 and closes the discharge port 212, and from the moving passage 210 via the discharge port 212. The game ball T is prevented from flowing out to the guide member 205.

  Next, the operation of the ball circulation device 200 when the game ball T is filled in the casing 201 will be described.

  First, in an initial state where the sprocket 202 is stopped and the game ball T is not filled in the casing 201, the supply port 211 is closed and the discharge port 212 is opened as shown in FIG. 13A. And Then, the game ball T can be filled in the casing 201 by rotating the sprocket 202 in the forward rotation direction shown in FIG. 13B. That is, when the sprocket 202 rotates in the forward rotation direction, the supply port 211 is opened as shown in FIG. 13B, so that the game ball T moves from the guide member 205 to the moving passage 210 inside the casing 201 through the supply port 211. Supplied. Then, the game balls T are sequentially filled in the holding claws 202a of the sprocket 202 that rotates in the forward rotation direction. Furthermore, since the exit shutter 217 is pushed out to the position K (FIG. 15B) by the game ball T filled in the holding claw 202a, and the discharge port 212 is closed by this, the game ball T moves without going to the discharge port 212. It moves around in the passage 210. In this way, the game ball T is filled in the casing 201 as shown in FIG. 15B.

  Next, the operation of the ball circulation device 200 when the game ball T is discharged from the inside of the casing 201 to the outside (guide member 205) will be described.

  In order to discharge the game ball T filled in the casing 201 to the outside of the casing 201, the sprocket 202 is rotated in the reverse direction shown in FIG. 15A. That is, when the sprocket 202 rotates in the reverse rotation direction, the game ball T is not pressed from the lower part of the exit shutter 217, so the exit shutter 217 is positioned at the position H in FIG. 15A. As a result, the discharge port 212 is opened as shown in FIG. 15A, and the game ball T is guided to the discharge port 212 by the exit shutter 217 protruding into the moving passage 210. Therefore, the game ball T fitted to the holding claw 202a of the sprocket 202 rotating in the reverse direction shown in FIG. 15A is discharged to the guide member 205 through the discharge port 212 (during this time, the ball supply port 211 is closed by an entrance shutter 216).

  Next, the rotation amount sensor 213 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 will be described. The rotation amount sensor 213 is a device that outputs a rotation amount signal for detecting the rotation amount of the sprocket 202. Hereinafter, the rotation amount sensor 213 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12, an encoder (disk) 206 a is integrally formed with the first gear 206 that rotates together with the sprocket 202.

  On the outer edge (outer periphery) of the encoder 206a, the same number of slits (recesses) as the holding claws 202a of the sprocket 202 are formed at equal intervals. The rotation amount sensor 213 includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element that face each other, and an outer edge of the rotating encoder 206a passes between the light emitting element and the light receiving element.

  When there is a slit of the encoder 206a between the light emitting element and the light receiving element, the light receiving element receives light, and the rotation amount signal output from the rotation amount sensor 213 indicates a light receiving state (for example, high). On the other hand, when the convex part between the slits of the encoder 206a passes between the light emitting element and the light receiving element, the light emitting element and the light receiving element are shielded from light by the convex part, and the rotation amount The signal indicates a light shielding state (for example, low). That is, the rotation amount signal is a signal indicating the number of slits (or convex portions) of the encoder 206a that passes between the light emitting element and the light receiving element. The number of slits (or the number of projections) on the outer edge of the encoder 206a is equal to the number of holding claws 202a on the outer periphery of the sprocket 202. Therefore, the rotation number of the sprocket 202 can be detected by referring to the rotation amount signal indicating the number of slits (or the number of protrusions) that have passed between the light emitting element and the light receiving element. For example, if the number of slits passing between the light emitting element and the light receiving element is 15, the sprocket 202 has made one rotation, and the number of slits passing between the light emitting element and the light receiving element is five. In this case, the sprocket 202 has rotated 1/3.

  The rotation amount signal output from the rotation amount sensor 213 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 is transmitted to the control circuit board 218 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

  The filled ball number sensor 214 shown in FIGS. 13A to 13D is disposed in the vicinity of the supply port 211 and outputs a filled ball number signal indicating the number of game balls T filled in the moving passage 210. It has become. The filled ball number signal output from the filled ball number sensor 214 is transmitted to the control circuit board 218 shown in FIGS.

  The discharge ball number sensor 215 shown in FIGS. 13A to 13D is disposed in the vicinity of the discharge port 212 in the guide member 205, and outputs a discharge ball number signal indicating the number of game balls T discharged from the discharge port 212. It is designed to output. The discharged ball number signal output from the discharged ball number sensor 215 is transmitted to the control circuit board 218 shown in FIGS.

  The control circuit board 218 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is an integrated circuit that rotates the sprocket 202 by driving the stepping motor M based on an instruction from the control unit 105 of FIG. The control circuit board 218 refers to the outputs of the rotation amount sensor 213, the filled ball number sensor 214, and the discharged ball number sensor 215 to determine the timing for stopping the rotation and to detect an error.

  Next, the number of game balls T enclosed in the ball circulation device 200 of the present embodiment will be described. In a slot machine that uses medals as a game medium, one medal is usually bet for one bet. However, in the slot machine 100 using the game ball T as a game medium according to the present embodiment, five game balls T can be bet for one bet and can be set in one game. Since the maximum bet number is 3, a maximum of 15 game balls T are bet.

  Therefore, in the ball circulation device 200, it is necessary to collect 15 game balls T at a time in one game. By forming 15 holding claws 202a on the sprocket 202, 15 balls 15 are formed inside the casing 201. The game balls T are stored, so that 15 game balls T can be collected at once.

  Since 15 game balls T can be stored inside the casing 201, it is necessary to enclose 15 or more game balls T in the ball circulation device 200. However, if too many game balls T are enclosed, it becomes a factor that hinders downsizing of the ball circulation device 200. Therefore, about 1 to 5 balls are added to the number of balls that can be stored in the casing 201 (15 in this example). It is preferable to enclose the number of game balls T. In the ball circulation device 200 of the present embodiment, 17 game balls T are encapsulated.

  Next, the processing speed of the ball circulation device 200 of the present embodiment will be described. In a slot machine that uses medals as game media, one medal is processed for a bet number of 1. On a slot machine that uses game balls as game media, 5 game balls are processed for a bet number 1 Will be.

For this reason, in a slot machine that uses game balls as game media, it is necessary to process the game balls at a high speed in order to play a game at the same speed as a slot machine that uses medals as game media. This point will be specifically described below.
In a slot machine that uses game balls as game media, the game balls are filled into the casing containing the sprockets at 15/2 seconds and the game balls are discharged from the casing at 15/300 msec. The game can be played at the same speed as a slot machine using medals as game media.
Here, when the speed of the discharge operation is converted to a minute unit, it becomes 3000 pieces / min. On the other hand, the speed of game ball payout processing using sprockets in a known pachinko machine is 300 to 1000 pieces / min. Therefore, in a slot machine using game balls as game media, processing of game balls is performed at a higher speed than pachinko machines. As described above, the ball circulation device 200 of the present embodiment performs the game ball filling operation on the casing 201 at 15 pieces / 2 sec, and the game ball discharge operation from the casing 201 at 15 pieces / 300 msec. Designed to be done at.

  In addition, as described above, in the ball circulation device 200 that encloses the game balls, the number of game balls that can be encapsulated is limited in order to suppress the increase in the size of the device, so that it is necessary to process the game balls at high speed.

  Next, the processing flow of the ball circulation device 200 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the flowchart of FIG. 17, S1 to S6 are processes corresponding to the filling operation of the game ball T from the guide member 205 to the inside of the casing 201, and S10 to S18 are games from the inside of the casing 201 to the guide member 205. This is processing corresponding to the discharge operation of the sphere T.

  First, it is assumed that the game ball T is not filled in the casing 201 in the initial state. First, when a filling command is input from the control unit 105 to the control circuit board 218, the control circuit board 218 rotates the stepping motor M to rotate the sprocket 202 in the forward rotation direction shown in FIG. 10 (S1). ).

  Next, the control circuit board 218 refers to the rotation amount signal of the rotation amount sensor 213 and determines whether or not the sprocket 202 is rotating (S2). If the light shielding state and the light receiving state are repeated in the rotation amount signal, it can be determined that the sprocket 202 is rotating. If the light shielding state or the light receiving state continues, the sprocket 202 is rotating. It can be judged that there is no. Then, the control circuit board 218 performs error processing when the state where the sprocket 202 is not rotating continues for a certain time (S4). The error processing will be described later.

  On the other hand, when the sprocket 202 is rotating (YES in S2), the control circuit board 218 refers to the filled ball number signal from the filled ball number sensor 214 in the moving passage 210 inside the casing 201. It is determined whether or not a predetermined number of game balls T are filled (S5). The specified number of balls is the maximum number of balls (15) that can be stored in the casing 201.

  The control circuit board 218 repeats S2 and S5 until the specified number of game balls T are filled in the moving passage 210 inside the casing 201, and the specified number of game balls T are stored in the moving path 210 inside the casing 201. If it is filled (YES in S5), the stepping motor M is stopped (S6).

  Next, in S7, the control circuit board 218 determines whether or not the discharging operation (S10 to S18) has been performed before S7. If the discharging operation has been performed, the process proceeds to S8 (to S7). YES), when the discharging operation is not performed, the process proceeds to S9 (NO in S7).

  In S <b> 8, the control circuit board 218 determines whether or not a filling command is input from the control unit 105. When a filling command is input from control unit 105 (YES in S8), control circuit board 218 returns the process to S1. If no filling command is input from control unit 105 (NO in S8), control circuit board 218 moves the process to S9.

  In S <b> 9, the control circuit board 218 determines whether or not a discharge command is input from the control unit 105. When a discharge command is input from control unit 105 (YES in S9), control circuit board 218 moves the process to S10. If no discharge command is input from control unit 105 (NO in S9), control circuit board 218 moves the process to S7. Note that the control unit 105 is configured to transmit the discharge command to the control circuit board 218 when the player sets the bet amount by operating the operation unit 102 (see FIG. 1). Further, the control unit 105 sets the number of balls corresponding to the number of bets as a designated number of balls, and transmits this designated number of balls to the control circuit board 218 together with the discharge command.

  Next, S10 and after will be described. In S10, the control circuit board 218 rotates the sprocket 202 in the reverse rotation direction shown in FIG. 10 by rotating the stepping motor M (S10).

  Next, the control circuit board 218 refers to the rotation amount signal of the rotation amount sensor 213 and determines whether or not the rotation amount corresponding to the designated number of balls has been rotated (S11). The control circuit board 218 refers to the number of passages of the slits (number of light receiving states) indicated by the rotation amount signal or the number of passages of the projections between the slits (number of light shielding states). Can be detected. The rotation amount corresponding to the designated number of balls is, for example, one revolution when the number of bets is 3 (max bet) and the designated number of balls is 15.

  Then, when the rotation amount corresponding to the designated number of balls is rotated (YES in S11), control circuit board 218 stops the stepping motor (S13). On the other hand, when the rotation amount corresponding to the designated number of balls is not rotated (NO in S11), control circuit board 218 repeats the determination in S11 until a predetermined time has elapsed after the determination in S11 is started. (NO at S12). If a certain amount of time has elapsed since the start of S10 without rotating the rotation amount corresponding to the designated number of balls (YES in S12), the control circuit board 218 performs error processing (S14). ). The error processing will be described later.

  After S13, the control circuit board 218 refers to the discharge ball number signal of the discharge ball number sensor 215 to determine whether or not the specified number of game balls T have been discharged from the inside of the casing 201 to the guide member 205. (S15). When the designated number of game balls T are discharged, the control circuit board 218 shifts the process to S18 (YES in S15). On the other hand, when the designated number of game balls T have not been discharged (NO in S15), control circuit board 218 repeats the determination in S15 until a predetermined time has elapsed from the execution of S13 (NO in S16). . Then, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the execution of S13 without discharging the designated number of game balls T (YES in S16), the control circuit board 218 performs an error process (S17). The error processing will be described later.

  When the designated number of game balls T are discharged (TES in S15), the control circuit board 218 determines whether or not there are remaining balls inside the casing 201 (S18). This process is repeated (NO in S18), and if there is no remaining sphere, the processes after S1 are repeated (YES in S18). It should be noted that the presence or absence of remaining balls can be determined from the total number of designated balls for each discharging operation performed after one filling operation.

  By the flow as described above, the filling operation and the discharging operation are repeatedly performed in the ball circulation device 200.

Next, error processing (S4, S14, S17) will be described in detail. When the process proceeds to S4, S14, and S17, there is a possibility that an irregular state in which the sprocket is not properly driven and rotated is caused by the clogging of the balls or the biting of the balls.
That is, when shifting to S4 or S14, since the rotation is not properly performed (NO in S2, NO in S14), the occurrence of the irregular state is considered. In addition, in the case of shifting to S17, although the rotation amount corresponding to the designated number of balls has been rotated, the game balls of the designated number of balls have not been discharged, so that the ball clogging has occurred near the discharge port 212. In this case, there is a possibility that the sprocket 202 will not drive and rotate properly thereafter, and the irregularity may occur.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the control circuit board 218 performs a retry operation (retry control) as an error process when the process proceeds to S4, S14, or S17. The retry operation will be described below. The retry operation (restart) refers to a process of shifting the excited stepping motor M to the non-excited state, returning the excited state to the excited state after continuing the non-excited state for a predetermined period (the excited state means the stepping motor M The at least one excitation phase (coil) is energized, and the non-excitation state is a state in which all the excitation phases (coils) of the stepping motor M are de-energized). By this process, the drive shaft 208 of the stepping motor M swings, and the first gear 206, the second gear 207, the shaft 203, and the sprocket 202 swing in response to this, and the ball engagement and the ball clogging may be eliminated ( The above irregularity may be resolved).

  Specifically, when the process proceeds to S4, S14, or S17, the control circuit board 218 performs a retry operation by controlling the stepping motor M, and thereafter performs a filling operation (S1 to S6). If this filling operation is normally performed and the process can proceed to S6, the process proceeds to S7 as it is.

  On the other hand, if the process moves to S4 in this filling operation, the control circuit board 218 again performs the retry operation and the filling operation.

  In the filling operation after the retry operation is repeated a predetermined number of times (for example, 3 times), when the process proceeds to S4, the control circuit board 218 performs a notification process for reporting an error.

An example of the notification process will be described below. For example, a reporting lamp (not shown) for reporting the occurrence of the irregularity is provided in a table display lamp unit (not shown) installed at the top of the slot machine 100. Then, when the control circuit board 218 moves to S4, S14, or S17, the control lamp 105 is lit to notify the occurrence of the irregularity to the store clerk or the like. Also good.
Alternatively, the control circuit board 218 may notify the hall computer (not shown) of the occurrence of irregularities via the control unit 105 when the process proceeds to S4, S14, or S17. Thereby, the occurrence of the irregularity can be transmitted to the store clerk via the hall computer.

  Then, the store clerk who knows the occurrence of the irregularity opens the door of the slot machine 100, turns off the power of the ball circulation device 200, and manually operates the sprocket 202 using the knob 204 (see FIG. 6 or FIG. 12). By rotating, the irregularity is eliminated.

  Of course, the control circuit board 218 may immediately perform the notification process without performing a retry operation when the process proceeds to S4, S14, or S17.

(Summary of embodiment)
As described above, the ball circulation device (game ball processing device) 200 of this embodiment is attached to the slot machine 100 and includes the sprocket 202 and the casing 201. The casing 201 accommodates the sprocket 202. The sprocket 202 is rotated by a stepping motor (motor) M, and has a holding claw 202a for holding the game ball T on the outer periphery. A space between the outer periphery of the sprocket 202 and the inner periphery of the casing 201 is a moving path 210 of the game ball T held by the holding claw 202a of the rotating sprocket 202. The casing 201 also has a supply port 211 for supplying the game ball T to the movement passage 210 and a number of game balls T corresponding to the number of bets set in the slot machine 100 to be discharged from the movement passage 210. The discharge port 212 is formed.

  Further, the ball circulation device 200 includes a guide member 205 that connects the discharge port 212 and the supply port 211 and guides the game ball T discharged from the discharge port 212 to the supply port 211.

  According to the above configuration, a game ball T discharged from the discharge port 212 by playing a game can be poured into the supply port 211 as a game ball T for use in a future game ( In other words, the game ball T can be enclosed and reused in the ball circulation device 200). Therefore, in the slot machine 100, it is possible to play a game without giving the player an opportunity to touch the game ball T, and the effect that the occurrence of fraud can be suppressed as compared with the conventional slot machine using the game ball. Play.

  Further, as described above, in the ball circulation device 200 of the present embodiment, the game machine is used in the slot machine 100 and the game ball T is enclosed so that the number of game balls enclosed is limited. Therefore, it is predicted that an irregular state will occur in which the sprocket 202 is not properly driven and rotated due to ball engagement or ball clogging.

  Therefore, the ball circulation device 200 of the present embodiment includes a knob 204 for manually rotating the sprocket 202. As a result, even if an irregular state where the sprocket 202 is not driven and rotated due to ball engagement, ball clogging, or the like occurs, it is possible to eliminate the irregular state by manually rotating the sprocket 202 using the knob 204. Become. That is, even if the irregular state occurs, the irregular state can be eliminated by a simple operation without disassembling the ball circulation device 200 (without tools).

  Further, in the ball circulation device 200 of the present embodiment, in the determination process of S2 and S3, the determination process of S11 and S12, and the determination process of S15 and S16, it is determined whether or not the sprocket 202 is in a drivable state. It can be said that. In S4, S12, and S17, error notification is performed. That is, the control circuit board 218 of the present embodiment functions as a determination unit that determines whether or not the sprocket 202 is in a drivable state, and when it is determined that the sprocket 202 is not in a drivable state. It functions as a reporting unit that reports errors.

  Thereby, even if an irregular state in which the sprocket is not driven and rotated due to ball biting, ball clogging, or the like occurs, it is possible to promptly notify a store clerk or the like.

  In the ball circulation device 200 of the present embodiment, the control circuit board 218 functions as a determination unit that determines whether or not the sprocket 202 is in a driveable state, and is not in a state in which the sprocket 202 can be driven. If it is determined that the stepping motor is in an excited state, it functions as a retry control unit that performs a retry control to return to the excited state again.

  Thereby, even if an irregular state in which the sprocket is not driven and rotated due to ball biting or ball clogging or the like occurs, it can be expected that the irregular state is automatically eliminated.

  Further, in the ball circulation device 200 of the present embodiment, the control circuit board 218 reports an error when the determination unit determines that the sprocket is not drivable even if the retry process is performed a predetermined number of times. It functions as a part.

  As a result, it is possible to notify the store clerk that the irregular state is not resolved even by the retry process. In addition, a salesclerk etc. will cancel the said irregular state using the said knob.

  In the present embodiment, the control circuit board 218 that performs the processing (determination and control) shown in FIG. 17 is attached to the ball circulation device 200, but it is not necessary to be attached to the ball circulation device 200. As long as it is inside the slot machine 100, it may be attached anywhere. Further, a control circuit board or a computer (determination unit, notification unit) that performs the processing shown in FIG. 17 may be installed at any location inside the slot machine 100.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The present invention can be used for a slot machine used in a game store, a game center, or a casino.

100 slot machine 200 ball circulation device (game ball processing device)
201 Casing 202 Sprocket 202a Holding claw (holding portion)
204 Knob 205 Guide member 210 Movement path 211 Supply port 212 Discharge port 218 Control circuit board (determination unit, notification unit)
M Stepping motor (motor)
T game ball

Claims (3)

A slot machine using a game ball as a game medium,
It is rotated by a motor, and includes a sprocket having a holding portion for holding a game ball on the outer periphery, and a casing for housing the sprocket,
A space between the outer periphery of the sprocket and the inner periphery of the casing serves as a moving path for a game ball held by the holding portion of the rotating sprocket,
The casing has a supply port for supplying the game ball to the moving passage, and a discharge port for discharging a number of game balls according to the number of bets set in the slot machine from the moving passage. Formed,
A slot machine comprising: a guide member that connects the discharge port and the supply port and guides the game ball discharged from the discharge port to the supply port.   The slot machine according to claim 1, further comprising a knob for manually rotating the sprocket. A determination unit that determines whether or not the sprocket is drivable and a notification unit that reports an error when the determination unit determines that the sprocket is not drivable. The slot machine according to claim 1 or 2.

Images