JP2015136629A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine capable of driving a rotating accessory configured to transmit an electric signal or the like via a slip ring.SOLUTION: When a rotating accessory 128 is driven to rotate, a confirmation signal is periodically transmitted from a lamp control board 340 to a motor drive control part 806 inside the rotating accessory 128 via a slip ring 770, and supply voltages of motors 751-753 are supplied via the slip ring 770.

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine provided with an accessory that is rotationally driven.

  As various types of equipment mounted on the gaming machine, there is an electric drive effect section (for example, an LED or an effect member driven by a motor) driven by power supply, and the electric drive effect section is rotated. There is a rotating accessory configured to be able to operate while. In such a rotating combination, a slip ring is usually used to transmit electric power and an electric signal to the rotating electric drive effect unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-224436 A

  However, in the configuration in which electric power or an electric signal is transmitted to the electric drive effect section of the rotating combination through the slip ring, a conductive ring that rotates integrally with the rotating combination and a physical and electrical connection to the ring. There may be a so-called “flying” in which the contact state with the brush that touches the momentary separation occurs. When a jump occurs in the slip ring, while the jump is occurring (while the brush and the ring are separated), the accessory is electrically cut off, so the electric drive effect section of the rotating accessory is driven normally. Control may be lost.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to drive a rotating accessory configured to transmit an electrical signal or the like via a slip ring.

  The present invention employs the following configuration in order to solve the above problems. Note that the reference numerals in parentheses and supplementary explanations in this column show the correspondence with the embodiments described later in order to help understanding of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention at all. .

  The gaming machine (1) of the present invention is an accessory (128) that is rotationally driven, and is used to electrically connect the effect production unit (806) and the production unit to the outside of the game. The rotating part (780) of the slip ring (770) mounted thereon and a control means (340) for controlling the effect part, and the effect part receives a response request signal from the control means via the slip ring. Is received.

  Further, the gaming machine (1) of the present invention is an accessory (128) that is rotationally driven, and electrically connects a power source (360) for driving the accessory and the outside of the accessory. And a power supply (360) for driving the rotary combination, and the rotary combination is supplied from the power source through the slip ring. Power is supplied.

  According to the present invention, it becomes possible to drive a rotating accessory configured to transmit an electrical signal or the like via a slip ring.

It is a schematic front view of the gaming machine 1 of the embodiment. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a display device 111. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a gaming machine 1. (A) illustrates the jackpot determination table of the first special symbol, (B) illustrates the jackpot determination table of the second special symbol, and (C) is an explanatory diagram illustrating the hit determination table of the normal symbol. (A) illustrates the symbol determination table for jackpot, (B) illustrates the ratio of 15R jackpot, and (C) is an explanatory diagram illustrating the symbol determination table for lose. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the table for the determination of a fluctuation pattern. It is explanatory drawing showing the structure of the rotation accessory 128, (A) is the figure seen from the back surface, (B) is the figure seen from the surface. (A) shows an electrical configuration diagram of the rotating accessory driving device 343, and (B) is a perspective view showing a specific configuration of the slip ring 770. 3 is a flowchart showing main processing executed by a main CPU 301a of the main control board 300. 5 is a flowchart showing a recovery process executed by the main CPU 301a of the main control board 300. 5 is a flowchart showing a power interruption monitoring process executed by the main CPU 301a of the main control board 300. 5 is a flowchart showing a timer interrupt process executed by the main CPU 301a of the main control board 300. 4 is a flowchart showing a switch process executed by the main CPU 301a of the main control board 300. 3 is a flowchart showing a first starter switch process executed by a main CPU 301a of the main control board 300. 7 is a flowchart showing a second starter switch process executed by the main CPU 301a of the main control board 300. 4 is a flowchart showing a gate switch process executed by a main CPU 301a of the main control board 300. 5 is a flowchart showing special symbol processing executed by the main CPU 301a of the main control board 300. 7 is a flowchart showing a jackpot determination process executed by the main CPU 301a of the main control board 300. 5 is a flowchart showing a variation pattern table selection process executed by the main CPU 301a of the main control board 300. 7 is a flowchart showing a stop process executed by the main CPU 301a of the main control board 300. 3 is a flowchart showing normal symbol processing executed by a main CPU 301a of the main control board 300. 5 is a flowchart showing an electric tulip process executed by the main CPU 301a of the main control board 300. 7 is a flowchart showing a big prize device opening control process executed by a main CPU 301a of the main control board 300. 7 is a flowchart showing a game state setting process executed by the main CPU 301a of the main control board 300. 10 is a flowchart showing a timer interrupt process executed by a sub CPU 320a of the effect control board 320. 10 is a flowchart showing command processing executed by a sub CPU 320a of the effect control board 320. 12 is a flowchart showing a hold-related process executed by a sub CPU 320a of the effect control board 320. 10 is a flowchart showing a hold process executed by a sub CPU 320a of the effect control board 320. It is a flowchart which shows the lamp control board timer interruption process performed by CPU340 of the lamp control board 340. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the rotating accessory drive process performed by CPU340 of the lamp control board 340. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the ACK confirmation process performed by CPU340 of the lamp control board 340. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other Example of a slip ring.

Hereinafter, a gaming machine 1 as an embodiment of the gaming machine of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
[Configuration of gaming machine 1]
A schematic configuration of the gaming machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a gaming machine 1 according to the present embodiment. The gaming machine 1 is configured to fire a game ball based on a player's launch operation, and when a game ball wins a specific winning device, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out to the player based on the win. It is a pachinko machine. Note that the gaming machine 1 of the present embodiment is a pachinko gaming machine called a type 1 type.

As shown in FIG. 1, the gaming machine 1 includes a game board 100 provided with a prize and a prize related to determination, and a frame member 101 surrounding the game board 100.
The frame member 101 is a so-called glass frame that supports a transparent glass plate arranged in parallel with a predetermined distance from the board surface of the game board 100. A game area 102 in which a game ball can flow down is formed by the glass plate supported by the frame member 101 and the game board 100.

  The frame member 101 has a frame lamp 103 that emits light for production or the like in the upper center. Speakers 104 are provided on the left and right sides of the frame lamp 103. Further, the frame member 101 has a structure in which a lower portion thereof protrudes toward the player side, and a circular effect button 105 is provided on the upper surface of the protruding portion. An effect key 106 composed of four push buttons is provided in front of the effect button 105 on the left side. Further, on the back side of the effect button 105, a tray 107 for guiding the game ball to a launching device (not shown) is provided. The frame member 101 has a handle 108 at the lower right side. A lever 109 is rotatably attached to the handle 108. Further, the handle 108 is provided with a stop button 110 for temporarily stopping the launch of the game ball regardless of the rotation of the lever 109. A display 111 is provided in the lower right region of the game board 100 in the frame member 101.

  The game board 100 has a liquid crystal display device 121 at the center thereof. In addition, the game board 100 includes a first starting device 122, a second starting device 123, an electric tulip 124, a gate 125, a grand prize winning device 126, and four general winning devices 127 as a prize and a prize related to determination. ing.

Further, between the game board 100 and the frame member 101, a rotating accessory 128 is provided as an effect for the effect (gimmick). The rotating accessory 128 is a substantially ring-shaped accessory having substantially the same inner diameter as the outer periphery of the game area 102, and is arranged along the outer periphery of the game area 102. In FIG. 1, the rotating accessory 128 is schematically illustrated to such an extent that the arrangement position in the entire gaming machine 1 can be understood, and the detailed configuration is not illustrated. A detailed configuration of the rotating combination 128 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The first starter 122 is provided at the center of the game board 100 below the liquid crystal display device 121. A second starter 123 is provided below the first starter 122. In addition, an electric tulip 124 as a normal electric accessory is provided in the vicinity of the second starting device 123. The gate 125 is provided on the upper right side of the game board 100. A big winning device 126 is provided on the lower right side of the liquid crystal display device 121. Two of the four general winning devices 127 are provided in the lower left part of the game board 100, and the remaining two are provided in the lower right part of the game board 100. At the bottom of the game board 100, a discharge device 129 for discharging game balls that have not won a prize is provided.

  With such a configuration, when the player grasps the handle 108 and rotates the lever 109 in the clockwise direction, the game balls stored in the tray 107 are guided to the launching device (not shown), and the rotation angle of the lever 109 is set. The ball is fired toward the game area 102 with a corresponding hitting force. The game ball launched by the launching device rises between rails (not shown) provided on the left end side of the game board 100 and eventually reaches the upper part in the game area 102. The game ball that has reached the upper part in the game area 102 then falls in the game area 102. At this time, the game ball falls on the board of the game board 100 while changing its moving direction (unpredictably) by contacting a plurality of nails or windmills provided in the game area 102. As described above, the launch of the game ball is temporarily stopped when the player operates the stop button 110.

  When a player launches a game ball by rotating the lever 109 of the handle 108, if the player makes a so-called “left-handed” operation that maintains the lever 109 rotated at a small rotation angle, the game ball It is launched with a relatively weak hitting force. In this case, the game ball flows down the left area in the game area 102 as illustrated by the wavy arrow 131 in FIG. On the other hand, when the player performs a so-called “right strike” in which the lever 109 is rotated at a large rotation angle, the game ball is launched with a relatively strong hitting force. In this case, the game ball flows down the right area in the game area 102 as illustrated by the wavy arrow 132 in FIG. Therefore, “right-handed” is required to win the gate 125 and the big winning device 126.

  The first starter 122 is a starter that is always open. The first starter 122 is provided with a first starter detection switch 304 (see FIG. 3) that detects the entry of a game ball. When the first starter detection switch 304 detects that a game ball has entered and wins a prize, it is determined whether or not a jackpot game advantageous to the player is executed, and the determination result is displayed on the display 111. In addition, a predetermined prize ball (for example, three game balls) is paid out.

  The second starter 123 is a starter that is opened only when the electric tulip 124 is operating. The second starter 123 is provided with a second starter detection switch 305 (see FIG. 3) that detects the entry of a game ball. When the second starting device detection switch 305 detects that a game ball has entered and wins, it is determined whether or not a jackpot game advantageous to the player is executed, as with the first starting device 122 described above. The determination result is displayed on the display 111, and a predetermined prize ball (for example, three game balls) is paid out.

  In the following description, the determination executed on the condition that the winning of the game ball that has passed through the first starting device 122 is referred to as “first special symbol determination”, and the winning of the gaming ball to the second starting device 123 is determined. The determination executed as a condition is referred to as “second special symbol determination”, and these determinations are collectively referred to as “special symbol determination”.

The special winning device 126 is opened according to the result of the special symbol determination. This grand prize winning device 126
A plate for opening and closing the grand prize winning device 126 is provided at the opening. The big winning device 126 is normally closed by this plate. On the other hand, when a predetermined jackpot symbol indicating that the determination result of the special symbol determination is “big jackpot” is stopped and displayed on the display 111, that is, when a big jackpot occurs, the plate is operated to win a big prize. A jackpot game that opens the device 126 is executed. For this reason, the player can obtain more prize balls by making a right hit during the jackpot game compared to when the jackpot game is not being played.

  The electric tulip 124 is disposed close to the second starting device 123 and has a pair of blade members. The electric tulip 124 is configured so that the posture can be changed between a closed posture (see FIG. 1) in which the pair of blade members closes the second starting device 123 and an open posture (not shown) in which the second starting device 123 is opened. ing.

  The second starting device 123 is normally closed by an electric tulip 124 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the game ball passes through the gate 125, it is determined whether or not the second starter 123 is to be opened, although no prize ball is paid out. Here, when it is determined that the second starting device 123 is to be opened, the operation of returning to the closed position after the pair of blade members of the electric tulip 124 has maintained the open position for a specified time is repeated a specified number of times.

  In this way, the second starting device 123 is in a state where it is difficult for the game ball to pass when the electric tulip 124 is not operating (that is, when the pair of blade members are in the closed posture), whereas the electric tulip is When 124 is actuated (that is, when the pair of blade members are in the open position), the game ball easily passes. In the following description, the determination executed on condition that a game ball wins the gate 125 is referred to as “ordinary symbol determination”.

  The four general winning devices 127 are always open like the first starting device 122, and are a winning device having a predetermined number of winning balls by winning a game ball. Unlike the first starting device 122 and the like, even if a game ball wins the general winning device 127, no determination is made.

  The rotating role 128 as a production gimmick is a role that is driven to attract the player's interest or give the player various expectations. The rotating role driving motor 702 (FIG. 7 ( According to B), it is rotationally driven with a drive pattern determined in advance according to the progress of the game. In addition to being able to rotate, the rotating member 128 itself can be rotated, and as will be described later, various motors 751 to 753 (see FIG. 7) mounted on the rotating member 128 while the rotating member 128 rotates. , See FIG. 8) and LED 760 (see FIG. 8) are also driven.

[Configuration of Display 111]
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the display 111 in FIG. The display 111 mainly displays information related to the special symbol determination and the normal symbol determination. As shown in FIG. 2, the first special symbol display 201, the second special symbol display 202, and the first special symbol are displayed. The symbol holding display 203, the second special symbol holding display 204, the normal symbol display 205, and the normal symbol holding display 206 are provided.

  When the first special symbol determination is performed, the first special symbol display 201 displays the stop symbol indicating the determination result of the first special symbol determination after variably displaying the symbol, thereby displaying the first special symbol determination. The determination result is notified. On this first special symbol display 201, a jackpot symbol indicating that the result of the first special symbol determination is “big hit”, or a lost symbol indicating that the result of the first special symbol determination is lost Is done.

When the second special symbol determination is performed, the second special symbol display unit 202 displays the stop symbol indicating the determination result of the second special symbol determination after variably displaying the symbol, thereby displaying the second special symbol determination. The determination result is notified. In the second special symbol display 202, a jackpot symbol indicating that the determination result of the second special symbol determination is “big hit” or a lost symbol indicating that the result of the second special symbol determination is lost is stopped. Is displayed.

  By the way, when a game ball is newly won in the first starter 122 while the symbol variation display or jackpot game related to the special symbol determination is performed, the first special symbol triggered by this winning is used. Judgment and symbol variation display cannot be executed immediately. Therefore, the gaming machine 1 of the present embodiment is configured so that the right of the first special symbol determination is suspended when the first special symbol determination cannot be immediately executed even if a game ball wins the first starting device 122. It is configured. The first special symbol hold display 203 displays the number of hold of the first special symbol determination held in this way.

  Similarly, when a game ball is newly won in the second starting device 123 while the symbol change display or jackpot game related to the special symbol determination is being performed, the second special is triggered by this winning. Symbol determination and symbol variation display cannot be executed immediately. Therefore, the gaming machine 1 according to the present embodiment reserves the right to determine the second special symbol when the second special symbol determination cannot be executed immediately even if a game ball wins the second starting device 123. It is configured. The second special symbol hold indicator 204 displays the number of hold of the second special symbol determination held in this way.

  When the normal symbol determination is performed, the normal symbol display unit 205 notifies the determination result of the normal symbol determination by suspending and displaying the stop symbol indicating the determination result of the normal symbol determination after variably displaying the symbol. Note that the normal symbol determination and the symbol variation display related to the normal symbol determination cannot be immediately executed even if the game ball passes through the gate 125, such as during the symbol variation display on the normal symbol display 205, for example. Judgment rights are withheld. The normal symbol hold display unit 206 displays the number of hold for normal symbol determination held in this way.

  In the following description, the symbol displayed on the first special symbol display 201 or the second special symbol display 202 is referred to as “special symbol”, and the symbol displayed on the normal symbol display 205 is “normal symbol”. Shall be called.

[Internal configuration of gaming machine 1]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the gaming machine 1. The gaming machine 1 includes a main control board 300, a payout control board 310, an effect control board 320, an image control board 330, a lamp control board 340, a launch control board 350, and a power supply board 360.

  The main control board 300 controls the basic operation of the gaming machine. The main control board 300 includes a one-chip microcomputer 301, and the one-chip microcomputer 301 includes a main CPU 301a, a main ROM 301b, and a main RAM 301c. The main control board 300 includes an input port and an output port (both not shown) for main control.

  The main control input port includes a general winning device detection switch 302 for detecting that a game ball has entered the general winning device 127, and a gate detection switch for detecting that a game ball has entered the normal symbol gate 125. 303, a first starter detection switch 304 for detecting that a game ball has entered the first starter 122, a second starter detection switch 305 for detecting that a game ball has entered the second starter 123, A big winning device detection switch 306 for detecting that a game ball has entered the big winning device 126 and a payout control board 310 are connected. Various signals are input to the main control board 300 through the main control input port.

  In addition, a starting device opening / closing solenoid 307 for opening / closing a pair of blade members of the electric tulip 124 disposed in the vicinity of the second starting device 123 and a plate for opening / closing the grand prize winning device 126 are operated on the output port for main control. The big winning device opening / closing solenoid 308, the displays 201 to 206 constituting the display 111, the game information output terminal board 309 for outputting an external information signal, the payout control board 310, and the effect control board 320 are connected. Various signals are output from the main control output port.

  The game information output terminal board 309 is a board for outputting an external information signal generated in the main control board 300 to a hall computer or the like of the game shop. The game information output terminal board 309 is wired to the main control board 300, and the game information output terminal board 309 is provided with a connector for connecting to a hall computer of a game store.

  In the one-chip microcomputer 301 of the main control board 300, the main CPU 301a reads out the program stored in the main ROM 301b based on the input signals from the detection switches and timers, performs arithmetic processing, and directly controls each device. Alternatively, a command is transmitted to another board according to the result of the arithmetic processing.

  The main ROM 301b stores game control programs and tables necessary for various games. For example, a jackpot determination table referred to in the jackpot lottery, a symbol determination table for determining a special symbol stop symbol, a variation pattern determination table for determining a special symbol variation pattern, and the like are stored. The tables listed here are only a part, and a number of tables (not shown) are provided.

  The main RAM 301c functions as a data work area when the main CPU 301a performs arithmetic processing, and has a plurality of storage areas. For example, in the main RAM 301c, the number T of the normal symbol determination, the normal symbol random number, the numbers U1, U2 of the special symbol, the round number R, the number C of balls entered into the big winning device, the probability variation game flag, the short-time game flag, etc. Is memorized. In addition to the information listed here, a lot of information is stored.

  The payout control board 310 performs game ball launch control and prize ball payout control. The payout control board 310 includes a one-chip microcomputer composed of a payout CPU, a payout ROM, and a payout RAM (not shown), and is connected to the main control board 300 so as to be capable of bidirectional communication. The payout CPU reads out a program stored in the payout ROM based on an input signal from the payout ball measuring switch 311, the door opening switch 312, and the timer that detects whether or not the game ball has been paid out, and performs arithmetic processing. And corresponding data is transmitted to the main control board 300 based on the processing.

  Further, a payout motor 313 of a prize ball payout device for paying out a predetermined number of prize balls from a game ball storage unit to a player is connected to the output side of the payout control board 310. The payout CPU reads out a predetermined program from the payout ROM based on the payout number designation command transmitted from the main control board 300, performs arithmetic processing, and controls the payout motor 313 of the prize ball payout device to control the predetermined prize. Pay the ball to the player. At this time, the payout RAM functions as a data work area at the time of calculation processing of the payout CPU.

  The effect control board 320 mainly controls each effect such as during a game or standby. The effect control board 320 includes a sub CPU 320a, a sub ROM 320b, and a sub RAM 320c, and is connected to the main control board 300 so as to be communicable in one direction from the main control board 300 to the effect control board 320. .

The sub CPU 320a reads out a program stored in the sub ROM 320b based on a command transmitted from the main control board 300, an effect button detection switch 321, an effect key detection switch 322, and an input signal from the timer, and performs arithmetic processing. At the same time, based on this processing, corresponding commands and data are transmitted to the image control board 330 and the lamp control board 340. The sub RAM 320c functions as a data work area when the sub CPU 320a performs arithmetic processing.

  For example, when the sub CPU 320a in the effect control board 320 receives the fluctuation pattern designation command indicating the fluctuation pattern of the special symbol from the main control board 300, the sub CPU 320a analyzes the content of the received fluctuation pattern designation command, and displays the liquid crystal display device 121, the sound. Commands and data for causing the output device 331, the effect driving device 341, and the effect illumination device 342 to execute predetermined effects are generated, and these commands and data are transmitted to the image control board 330 and the lamp control board 340.

The sub ROM 320b of the effect control board 320 stores a program for effect control and data and tables necessary for determining various games.
For example, an effect pattern determination table for determining an effect pattern based on a variation pattern designation command received from the main control board 300, an ornamental symbol determination table for determining a combination of ornamental symbols to be stopped, and the like are stored in the sub ROM 320b. Has been. The effect pattern determination table includes a drive pattern determination table for determining the drive pattern of the rotating accessory 128. In addition, the table mentioned above only enumerates the characteristic table among the tables in this embodiment as an example, and many other tables and programs (not shown) are provided.

  The sub RAM 320c of the effect control board 320 has a plurality of storage areas. In these storage areas, a game state, an effect mode, an effect pattern, a decorative pattern, a counting counter, firing operation information, and the like are stored. In addition to this, a lot of information is stored.

  The image control board 330 includes an image CPU, control ROM, control RAM, CGROM, VRAM, and VDP (not shown) for performing image display control of the liquid crystal display device 121, a sound CPU, a sound ROM, and a sound RAM. . The image control board 330 is connected to the effect control board 320 so that bidirectional communication is possible, and a liquid crystal display device 121 and an audio output device 331 are connected to the output side thereof.

  The image CPU performs control to display a predetermined image on the VDP based on the command received from the effect control board 320. The control RAM functions as a data work area at the time of calculation processing of the image CPU, and temporarily stores data read from the control ROM. The control ROM stores a control processing program of the image CPU, an animation pattern for displaying an animation of the effect pattern, animation scene information, and the like.

  The CGROM stores a large number of image data such as decorative symbols and backgrounds displayed on the liquid crystal display device 121. The image CPU reads a predetermined program based on a command transmitted from the effect control board 320, and the CGROM. The predetermined image data stored in the VRAM is expanded in the VRAM, and the image data expanded in the VRAM is displayed on the liquid crystal display device 121.

  The audio ROM stores a large amount of audio data to be output from the audio output device 331, and the audio CPU reads out a predetermined program based on the command transmitted from the effect control board 320, and the audio ROM Audio output control is performed in the output device 331.

  The lamp control board 340 controls operations of the effect driving device 341 and the effect lighting device 342. The lamp control board 340 includes a CPU 340a, a ROM 340b, and a RAM 340c, and is connected to the effect control board 320 so as to be capable of bidirectional communication.

  The production drive device 341 includes various production solenoids and actuators such as motors. The CPU 340a of the lamp control board 340 controls the driving of these various actuators according to a program stored in the ROM 340b. The effect lighting device 342 includes various lighting / light emitting devices / elements of the gaming machine 1, such as a frame lamp 103 provided on the frame member 101 and a board lamp (not shown) provided on the gaming board 100. Including. The CPU 340a of the lamp control board 340 also controls the operation of these various lamps in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 340b. The CPU 340a of the lamp control board 340 performs each control described above based on commands and data (such as data generated based on the effect pattern determination table) transmitted from the effect control board 320. The RAM 340c of the lamp control board 340 functions as a data work area during the arithmetic processing of the CPU 340a.

  The effect driving device 341 includes a rotating character driving device 343 for driving the rotating character 128. The effect control board 320 generates data for controlling the operation of the rotating accessory 128 with reference to the drive pattern determination table stored in the sub ROM 320b based on the variation pattern designation command received from the main control board 300. Then, it outputs to the lamp control board 340.

  The CPU 340a of the lamp control board 340 controls the operation of the rotating accessory 128 while transmitting and receiving various signals to and from the rotating accessory driving device 343 based on commands and data from the effect control board 320. Control command is generated and output to the rotating accessory driving device 343 in the effect driving device 341. The rotating combination driving device 343 drives the rotating combination 128 in accordance with a control command from the lamp control board 340.

  The firing control board 350 inputs a touch signal from the touch sensor 351 and performs energization control on the firing solenoid 353 and the ball feed solenoid 354 based on the voltage supplied from the firing volume 352.

  The touch sensor 351 includes a capacitive proximity switch that uses a change in capacitance caused by the player touching the handle 108. When the touch sensor 351 detects that the player touches the handle 108, the launch control board is detected. A touch signal that permits energization of the firing solenoid 353 is output to 350.

  The firing volume 352 includes a variable resistor, and a constant voltage (for example, 5 V) applied to the firing volume 352 is divided by the variable resistor, and the divided voltage is supplied to the firing control board 350.

  Here, the rotational speed of the firing solenoid 353 is set to about 99.9 (times / minute) based on the frequency based on the output period of the crystal oscillator provided on the firing control board 350. As a result, the number of game balls fired per minute is about 99.9 (pieces / minute) because one ball is fired every time the firing solenoid rotates. That is, one game ball is fired about every 0.6 seconds.

  Note that the touch signal from the touch sensor 351 and the voltage signal from the firing volume 352 are input to the effect control board 320. Thereby, it is possible to detect the launch of the game ball on the effect control board 320.

  The power supply board 360 includes a backup power supply including a capacitor, and supplies a power supply voltage to each part in the gaming machine 1. Specifically, the power supply board 360 supplies a power supply voltage to the main control board 300, the payout control board 310, the effect control board 320, and the launch control board 350. Further, the power supply board 360 monitors the power supply voltage supplied into the gaming machine 1 and outputs a power interruption detection signal to the main control board 300 when the power supply voltage becomes a predetermined value or less. More specifically, when the power interruption detection signal becomes high level, the main CPU 301a becomes operable, and when the power interruption detection signal becomes low level, the main CPU 301a becomes inactive state. The backup power source is not limited to a capacitor, and may be a battery, for example, or a capacitor and a battery may be used in combination.

[Various tables]
Details of various tables stored in the main ROM 301b will be described with reference to FIGS.

  4 (A) and 4 (B) show a jackpot determination table used for “big jackpot determination”. FIG. 4 (A) is a jackpot determination table for the first special symbol, and FIG. 4 (B) is a jackpot determination table for the second special symbol.

  The jackpot determination table is for determining “big hit” or “losing” based on the gaming state and the acquired jackpot random number. The jackpot random number is acquired as a numerical value of “0” to “598” when entering the first starting device 122 or the second starting device 123.

Here, the gaming state shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B will be described.
In the present embodiment, “normal gaming state” and “probability changing gaming state” are included as states relating to the jackpot determination.

  “Normal gaming state” means that the probability of winning a jackpot is set to 1 / 299.5 in the jackpot determination performed on the condition that a game ball has entered the first starting device 122 or the second starting device 123. Refers to the played gaming state. On the other hand, the “probability gaming state” refers to a gaming state in which the probability of winning the jackpot is set to 1 / 29.95. Therefore, in the “probability game state”, it is easier to win a big hit than in the “normal game state”. It should be noted that in this probability variation game state, a probability variation game flag, which will be described later, is set to “ON”, and in the normal game state, the probability variation game flag is “OFF”. Also, the transition from the normal gaming state to the probability variation gaming state is after the probability variation big hit game is finished.

  The “big hit” is a special game that opens the big prize winning device 126. Specifically, it refers to a game that is executed when a big win is won in the jackpot determination performed on the condition that a game ball has entered the first starter 122 or the second starter 123.

  In the “hit”, the round game in which the grand prize winning device 126 is released is performed 15 times in total or 8 times in total. The maximum opening time of the grand prize winning device 126 in each round game is set to a maximum of 29.5 seconds, and if a prescribed number (9) of game balls enter the big prize winning device 126 during this time, one round game Ends. The “big hit” allows a large amount of winning balls to be obtained because a game ball enters the winning device 126 and the player can acquire a winning ball corresponding to the winning ball. Further, since the big winning device 126 is provided at the lower right side of the game board 100, when “hit”, the lever 109 of the handle 108 is greatly rotated, so that the game is performed by so-called “right-handed”. Become.

According to the jackpot determination table of the first special symbol shown in FIG. 4A, in the normal gaming state, when the acquired jackpot random number is “7” or “8”, it is determined to be a jackpot. On the other hand, when the probability variation gaming state, 20 big hit random numbers “7” to “26” are determined to be big hits. If the value is other than the above, it is determined as “lost”.

  Since the random number range of the jackpot random number is “0” to “598”, the probability of being determined to be a jackpot in the normal gaming state is 1 / 299.5, and the probability of being determined to be the jackpot in the probability variation gaming state Is increased by 10 times to 1 / 29.9.

FIG. 4C is an explanatory diagram illustrating a hit determination table used for “normal symbol hit determination”.
The winning determination table is for determining “winning” or “losing” based on the gaming state and the acquired normal symbol random number. The normal symbol random number is acquired as a numerical value of “0” to “65535” when passing through the gate 125.

Here, a description will be given of the gaming state shown in FIG.
In the present embodiment, there are a “non-short game state” and a “short-time game state” as states relating to the electric tulip 124 arranged in proximity to the second starting device 123. The states related to the jackpot determination (the normal gaming state, the probability variation gaming state) and the states related to the electric tulip 124 (the non-short-time gaming state and the short-time gaming state) can be associated with each other or can be made independent. .

It should be noted that the gaming state when the game is started, that is, the initial gaming state of the gaming machine 1 is the “normal gaming state” and is set to the “non-short game state”.
In the present embodiment, “non-short-time gaming state” means that in the normal symbol hit determination performed on the condition that the game ball has passed through the gate 125, the variation time of the normal symbol corresponding to the determination result is 12 seconds. This is a gaming state in which the opening control time of the second starting device 123 is set to be as short as 0.2 seconds when it is set to be long and won. In other words, when the game ball passes through the gate 125, the normal symbol is drawn, and the normal symbol display 205 displays the fluctuation of the normal symbol, but the normal symbol stops 12 seconds after the fluctuation display is started. indicate. If the lottery result is a win, the second starting device 123 is opened for about 0.2 seconds by the operation of the electric tulip 124 after the normal symbol is stopped.

  On the other hand, the “short-time gaming state” means that in the normal symbol hit determination performed on the condition that the game ball has passed through the gate 125, the variation time of the normal symbol corresponding to the determination result is 3 seconds. A gaming state that is set to be shorter than the “non-short game state” and is set to be longer than the “non-short game state”, that is, the opening control time of the second starter 123 when winning in the win is 3.5 seconds. Say. Further, in the “non-short game state”, the probability of winning in the normal symbol hit determination is set to 1/65536, and in the “short time game state”, the probability of winning in the normal symbol hit determination is 65535 / 65536 is set. At this time, the short-time game flag, which will be described later, is set to “ON” in the short game state, and the short-time game flag is “OFF” in the non-short-time game state.

  Therefore, in the “short-time gaming state”, the second starting device 123 is more easily controlled to the open state as long as the game ball passes through the gate 125 than in the “non-short-time gaming state”. Thereby, in the “short-time gaming state”, the consumption of the game ball is suppressed in the progress of the game.

  Further, since the gate 126 is provided on the right side of the game board 100, in the “short-time gaming state”, the game is played by so-called “right-handed” in which the lever 109 of the handle 108 is greatly rotated.

It should be noted that the probability of winning in the normal symbol hit determination may be set so that it does not change in any of the “non-short game state” and the “short-time game state”.
According to the hit determination table shown in FIG. 4 (C), in the non-time-saving gaming state, it is determined that the normal symbol random number is “0”. On the other hand, in the short-time gaming state, it is determined that the normal symbol random number is any one of “0” to “65534”. If the random number is other than the above, it is determined as “lost”.

  Since the range of normal symbol random numbers is “0” to “65535”, the probability of being determined to be hit in the non-short game state is 1/65536, and the probability of being determined to be win in the time-short game state is 65535 / 65536 = 1 / 1.00002.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a symbol determination table for determining a special symbol stop symbol.
FIG. 5A is a symbol determination table for determining a stop symbol at the time of jackpot, FIG. 5B is an explanatory diagram showing the probability of 15R jackpot, and FIG. It is a symbol determination table for determining a stop symbol at the time of losing.

  In FIG. 5A, the type of “special symbol” (whether the game ball has entered the first starter 122 or the second starter 123) and the first starter 122 or the second starter 123 are The jackpot “type” and stop symbol data are determined based on the “hit symbol random number” acquired when the game ball enters. The range of the jackpot symbol random number is set to “0” to “99”. In addition, the probability of being a promiscuous jackpot or a normal jackpot is ½ (50%), respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (A), when the first special symbol is a jackpot, the jackpot symbol random number is referred to, and if the jackpot symbol random number is between “0” and “49”, the probability is ½. Becomes a “probable 15R jackpot” with a probability of 1/2 and becomes a “normal 15R jackpot”. At this time, the stop symbol data is “01” and “02”, respectively.

  Similarly, if the jackpot symbol random number is between “50” and “99”, it becomes “probability 8R jackpot” with a probability of 1/2, and “normal 8R jackpot” with a probability of 1/2. At this time, the stop symbol data becomes “03” and “04”, respectively.

  In the case of jackpot in the second special symbol, the jackpot symbol random number is referred to, and if the jackpot symbol random number is “0” to “74”, it becomes “probability 15R jackpot” with a probability of 1/2, It becomes “normal 15R big hit” with a probability of 1/2. At this time, the stop symbol data is “05” and “06”, respectively.

  Similarly, if the jackpot symbol random number is between “75” and “99”, it becomes “probability 8R jackpot” with a probability of 1/2 and “normal 8R jackpot” with a probability of 1/2. At this time, the stop symbol data becomes “07” and “08”, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (B), the ratio of 15R jackpot is 50% when the first special symbol is a big jackpot, whereas when the second special symbol is a big jackpot, it is 75%. It has become.

As shown in FIG. 5C, when the determination result is lost in both the first special symbol and the second special symbol, the stop symbol data is “00”.
In addition, the game state after jackpot end and the jackpot mode are determined by the type of special symbol (stop symbol data).

[Variation pattern determination table]
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a variation pattern determination table for determining the variation pattern of the special symbol.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the variation pattern determination tables for the first special symbol and the second special symbol are common. The variation pattern is determined based on the determination result, the gaming state, the number of reserved balls, the reach random number, and the variation pattern random number. The reach random number and the fluctuation pattern random number take values from “0” to “99”.

  As illustrated in FIG. 6, when the determination result is a probable big hit, the variation pattern is determined based on the variation pattern random number. Specifically, when the fluctuation pattern random number is “0” to “29”, the fluctuation pattern 1 is selected. At this time, the fluctuation time is 20 seconds, and the reach A is a big hit. Then, after the jackpot ends, the game is controlled in the probability variation gaming state. When the variation pattern random number is “30” to “99”, the variation pattern 2 is selected. At this time, the fluctuation time is 30 seconds, and a big hit is made by reach B. Then, after the jackpot ends, the game is controlled in the probability variation gaming state.

  When the determination result is usually a big hit, the variation pattern is determined based on the variation pattern random number. Specifically, when the fluctuation pattern random number is “0” to “29”, the fluctuation pattern 1 is selected. At this time, the fluctuation time is 20 seconds, and the reach A is a big hit. Then, after the jackpot ends, the game is controlled in the normal gaming state. When the variation pattern random number is “30” to “99”, the variation pattern 2 is selected. At this time, the fluctuation time is 30 seconds, and a big hit is made by reach B. Then, after the jackpot ends, the game is controlled in the normal gaming state.

When the determination result is a loss, the variation pattern is determined based on the gaming state, the number of reserved balls, the reach determination random number, and the variation pattern random number.
Specifically, when the game state is “non-short-time game state” and the number of held balls is “0 to 2”, one of the variation patterns 3, 4, and 5 is selected by the reach random number and the variation pattern random number. . The fluctuation pattern 3 is a normal fluctuation with a fluctuation time of 10 seconds, the fluctuation pattern 4 is a fluctuation time of 20 seconds and loses at reach A, and the fluctuation pattern 5 is a fluctuation time of 30 seconds and loses at reach B.

  When the game state is “non-short game state” and the number of reserved balls is “3-4”, one of the variation patterns 4, 5, and 6 is selected by the reach random number and the variation pattern random number. The variation pattern 6 is a shortened variation with a variation time of 5 seconds, the variation pattern 4 has a variation time of 20 seconds and loses at reach A, and the variation pattern 5 has a variation time of 30 seconds and loses at reach B.

  When the game state is “time-short game state” and the number of held balls is “0 to 1”, one of the variation patterns 3, 4, and 5 is selected by the reach random number and the variation pattern random number. The fluctuation pattern 3 is a normal fluctuation with a fluctuation time of 10 seconds, the fluctuation pattern 4 is a fluctuation time of 20 seconds and loses at reach A, and the fluctuation pattern 5 is a fluctuation time of 30 seconds and loses at reach B.

  When the game state is “time-short game state” and the number of held balls is “2-4”, one of the variation patterns 4, 6, and 7 is selected by the reach random number and the variation pattern random number. The variation pattern 4 is a shortened variation with a variation time of 5 seconds, the variation pattern 4 has a variation time of 20 seconds and loses at reach A, and the variation pattern 7 has a variation time of 5 seconds and loses at reach C. The variation pattern 7 is a variation pattern having a short variation time despite being reach.

As a feature of the special symbol variation pattern determination table illustrated in FIG. 6, the special symbol variation time is set to be short when the determination result is lost and the game is in the short-time gaming state. For example, if the jackpot determination result is a loss and the number of held balls is “2”, if the game is in the short-time game state, the variation pattern 6 (shortening variation) with a variation time of 5 seconds with a probability of 95% based on the reach random number However, in the non-time-saving gaming state, a variation pattern in which the variation time exceeds 10 seconds is determined. In this manner, the variation time is set to be short when the time-saving gaming state is entered.

[Rotating character 128]
The configuration of the rotating combination 128 and the rotating combination driving device 343 and the outline of the operation of the rotating combination 128 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, a specific configuration of the rotating combination 128 will be described with reference to FIG. 7A is a view of the rotating combination 128 seen from the back side (that is, from the game board 100 side), and FIG. 7B is a view of the rotating combination 128 from the front side (that is, from the player side). ) Viewed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the rotating accessory 128 includes a ring-shaped rotating frame 700 and an outer gear 701 that is fixed to the rotating frame 700. The outer gear 701 is transmitted with the rotational driving force of the rotary accessory driving motor 702 via the gear 703. Therefore, when the rotating combination drive motor 702 rotates, the outer gear 701 rotates, and thereby the entire rotating combination 128 rotates.

  Four movable branches 711, 721, 731 and 741 are attached to the rotating frame 700, respectively. Specifically, one end of the first movable branch 711 is attached to the rotating frame 700. The first movable branch 711 can rotate in the direction of arrow A around its one end. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the first movable branch 711 is rotated to one movable end in the rotatable range. The first movable branch 711 can be rotated to the other movable end by rotating from the state shown in FIG. When rotating to the other movable end, almost the entire first movable branch 711 overlaps the rotating frame 700.

  The same applies to the second movable branch 721, and one end of the second movable branch 721 is attached to the rotating frame 700. The second movable branch 721 can rotate in the direction of arrow B around its one end. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the second movable branch 721 is rotated to one movable end in the rotatable range. The second movable branch 721 can be rotated to the other movable end by rotating from the state shown in FIG. When rotating to the other movable end, almost the entire second movable branch 721 overlaps the rotating frame 700.

  The same applies to the third movable branch 731, and one end of the third movable branch 731 is attached to the rotating frame 700. The third movable branch 731 can be rotated in the direction of arrow C around the one end side. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the third movable branch 731 is rotated to one movable end in the rotatable range. The third movable branch 731 is rotatable from the state shown in FIG. 7 to the other movable end. When rotating to the other movable end, almost the entire third movable branch 731 overlaps the rotating frame 700.

  The same applies to the fourth movable branch 741, and one end of the fourth movable branch 741 is attached to the rotating frame 700. The fourth movable branch 741 can rotate in the direction of arrow D around its one end. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the fourth movable branch 741 is rotated to one movable end in the rotatable range. The fourth movable branch 741 can be rotated to the other movable end by rotating from the state shown in FIG. When rotating to the other movable end, almost the entire fourth movable branch 741 is in a state of overlapping the rotating frame 700.

  The first movable branch 711 and the second movable branch 721 are rotated by the first motor 751. That is, when the first motor 751 rotates, the rotational driving force is transmitted to the first movable branch 711 and the second movable branch 721 via a transmission mechanism (not shown), and these two movable branches 711 and 721 rotate simultaneously. Move.

  The third movable branch 731 and the fourth movable branch 741 are rotated by the second motor 752. That is, when the second motor 752 rotates, the rotational driving force is transmitted to the third movable branch 731 and the fourth movable branch 741 via a transmission mechanism (not shown), and these two movable branches 731 and 741 rotate simultaneously. Move.

  A first part 712 is attached to the other end side of the first movable branch 711 so as to be rotatable about a first part rotation shaft 713. A second part 722 is attached to the other end side of the second movable branch 721 so as to be rotatable about a second part rotation shaft 723. A third part 732 is attached to the other end side of the third movable branch 731 so as to be rotatable about a third part rotation shaft 733. A fourth part 742 is attached to the other end side of the fourth movable branch 741 so as to be rotatable about a fourth part rotation shaft 743.

  The four parts 712, 722, 732, and 742 are all rotated by a part drive motor 753. That is, when the parts driving motor 753 rotates, the rotational driving force is transmitted to the inner gear 754 via the driving mechanism, and the inner gear 754 rotates. The inner gear 754 is arranged concentrically with the rotating frame 700, as with the outer gear 701. However, the inner gear 754 is not fixed to the rotating frame 700 and can be freely rotated.

  A first gear 756, a second gear 757, a third gear 758, and a fourth gear 759 are meshed with the inner gear 754. Therefore, when the inner gear 754 rotates, these four gears 756 to 759 also rotate.

  The rotation of the first gear 756 is transmitted to the first part rotation shaft 713 through a gear mechanism arranged in the first movable branch 711, whereby the first part 712 rotates. The rotation of the second gear 757 is transmitted to the second part rotation shaft 723 through a gear mechanism arranged in the second movable branch 721, whereby the second part 722 rotates. The rotation of the third gear 758 is transmitted to the third part rotation shaft 733 through a gear mechanism arranged in the third movable branch 731, whereby the third part 732 rotates. The rotation of the fourth gear 759 is transmitted to the fourth part rotation shaft 743 through a gear mechanism arranged in the fourth movable branch 741, whereby the fourth part 742 rotates.

  Each movable branch 721, 722, 732, 742 is provided with a plurality of effects LEDs 760 (not shown in FIG. 7; see FIG. 8). Also, a part rotation position sensor 704 for detecting the rotation position of each part 721, 722, 732, 742 is provided in the vicinity of the transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation driving force of the part drive motor 753 to the internal gear 754. Yes.

  As described above, the rotating combination 128 is provided with a plurality of members (hereinafter referred to as “electric effect members”) that receive electric power to drive or transmit / receive electric signals. Specifically, the rotating combination 128 is provided with a first drive motor 751, a second drive motor 752, a parts drive motor 753, a plurality of LEDs 760, and a part rotation position sensor 704 as electric effect members.

  It is necessary to supply electric power to these electric performance members and to be able to send and receive electrical signals. However, since the rotating combination 128 rotates itself, the rotating combination 128 and the production are used. It is not preferable to directly connect the main body side (fixed side) of the driving device 341 with an electric wire.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, power is supplied or signals are transmitted / received to / from various electric effect members provided on the rotating accessory 128 via the slip ring 770. A rotating electrode 780, which is one of the constituent members of the slip ring 770, is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating frame 700 of the rotating tool 128 over the entire circumferential direction of the rotating frame 700. A specific configuration of the slip ring 770 including the rotating electrode 780 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Next, a specific configuration of the rotating accessory driving device 343 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 8 (A), the rotating accessory driving device 343 includes a rotating accessory driving motor 702 that rotationally drives the rotating accessory 128, and a rotating accessory driving motor according to a control command input from the lamp control board 340. A driver 805 for energizing the 702 and a reference position detection sensor for detecting that the rotational position of the rotating accessory 128 is at a predetermined reference position are provided.

  Further, the rotating accessory driving device 343 rotates the first driving motor 751, the third movable branch 731, and the fourth movable branch 741 for rotating the first movable branch 711 and the second movable branch 721. A second drive motor 752, a parts drive motor 753 for rotating each part 712, 722, 732, 742, a part rotation position sensor 704, a plurality of LEDs 760, a motor drive control unit 806, and an LED drive control unit 807 are provided. Yes. The first drive motor 751, the second drive motor 752, the part drive motor 753, the part rotation position sensor 704, the plurality of LEDs 760, the motor drive control unit 806, and the LED drive control unit 807 are mounted on the rotating accessory 128. Yes.

  The motor drive control unit 806 controls the drive of the first drive motor 751, the second drive motor 752, and the part drive motor 753 in accordance with a control command from the lamp control board 340. In addition, the motor drive control unit 806 transmits a detection signal of the parts rotation position sensor 704 (a signal indicating the rotation position of each part 712, 722, 732, 742) to the lamp control board 340. Further, the motor drive control unit 806 receives the confirmation signal periodically transmitted from the lamp control board 340, and each time it receives the ACK signal, which is a response signal to the received confirmation signal, to the lamp control board 340. Send (reply).

  The LED drive control unit 807 individually drives and controls the plurality of LEDs 760 in accordance with a control command from the lamp control board 340. In this embodiment, the LED drive control unit 807 does not have a function of receiving a confirmation signal from the lamp control board 340 and transmitting a response signal (ACK signal) thereto. However, like the motor drive control unit 806, the LED drive control unit 807 may have these functions.

  The electrical connection between the lamp control board 340 and the rotating member 128 is performed by the slip ring 770 as described above. A specific configuration of the slip ring 770 is as shown in FIGS. 8 (A) and 8 (B). The slip ring 770 includes a rotating electrode 780 attached to the rotating tool 128 and four brushes 801 to 804 that realize electrical connection with the rotating electrode 780 by sliding contact with the rotating electrode 780. Specifically, the rotating electrode 780 includes four rings 811 to 814, all of which are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating frame 700.

  The first ring 811 is an electrode for supplying electric power into the rotating combination 128, and the first brush 801 is in contact with the first ring 811. A power supply voltage is applied to the first ring 811 via the first brush 801, and the power supply voltage is supplied to the motor drive control unit 806 and the LED drive control unit 807. This power supply voltage becomes the power supply for operation of the motor drive control unit 806 and the LED drive control unit 807, and the power supply of the motors 751 to 753 and the plurality of LEDs 760.

  The fourth ring 814 is connected to the ground line in the rotary member 128 and is in contact with the fourth brush 804. The ground line in the rotating accessory 128 is connected to the ground line on the main body side of the effect driving device 341 via the fourth ring 814 and the fourth brush 804.

  The second ring 812 is an electrode for performing transmission / reception of various signals to / from the motor drive control unit 806 in the rotating accessory 128, and the second brush 802 is in contact therewith. Various signals are transmitted and received between the lamp control board 340 and the motor drive control unit 806 in the rotating accessory 128 via the second brush 802 and the second ring 812.

  The third ring 813 is an electrode for performing transmission / reception of various signals to / from the LED drive control unit 807 in the rotating accessory 128, and the third brush 803 is in contact therewith. Various signals are transmitted and received between the lamp control board 340 and the LED drive control unit 807 in the rotating accessory 128 via the third brush 803 and the third ring 813. Grease is applied to the contact surfaces of the rings 811 to 814 with the brushes for lubrication and wear reduction.

  In addition, a reference position detection sensor 808 for detecting a rotation reference position (initial position) of the rotation combination 128 is provided in the vicinity of the rotation combination 128. A detection signal (reference position detection signal) from the reference position detection sensor 808 is input to the lamp control board 340.

  The specific configuration of the reference position detection sensor 808 is not particularly limited. For example, the reference position detection sensor 808 is pressed when the rotating combination is at the rotation reference position, or an optical sensor that detects that the rotation combination is at the rotation reference position. It is conceivable to use a switch type sensor or the like.

[Main control board main processing]
The main process executed in the main control board 300 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of main processing executed in the main control board 300. The main control board 300 executes this main process when the power is turned on. The main process of the main control board 300 is executed by the main CPU 301a based on a program stored in the main ROM 301b.

  When the main process of FIG. 9 is started, the main CPU 301a permits access to the main RAM 301c in S901. This process is performed, for example, after waiting for 1000 ms after the power is turned on.

  In S902, it is determined whether or not the RAM clear switch is “ON”. If it is determined that the RAM clear switch is “ON” (S902: YES), the process proceeds to S911. On the other hand, when it is determined that the RAM clear switch is not “ON” (S902: NO), that is, when the RAM clear switch is “OFF”, the process proceeds to S903.

  In S903, it is determined whether or not the backup flag is “ON”. The backup flag is stored in the main RAM 301c, and is set to “ON” when the power to the gaming machine 1 is cut off. If it is determined that the backup flag is “ON” (S903: YES), the process proceeds to S904. On the other hand, when it is determined that the backup flag is not “ON” (S903: NO), that is, when the backup flag is “OFF”, the process proceeds to S911.

  In S904, it is determined whether the checksum is normal. The checksum is created for the backup information, and is intended to determine the validity of the backup information when the data addition values match. If it is determined that the checksum is normal (S904: YES), the process proceeds to S905. On the other hand, when it is determined that the checksum is not normal (S904: NO), the process proceeds to S911.

In S905, a recovery process is executed. Details of the recovery process will be described later.
In S906, the CTC cycle is set. This process sets the cycle of the CTC that is a built-in timer counter. For example, it is set to 4 ms. As a result, the main CPU 301a executes a timer interrupt process to be described later at a CTC cycle.

In S907, a power interruption monitoring process is executed. Details of the power interruption monitoring process will be described later.
In S908, interrupt prohibition setting is performed. This process prohibits the timer interrupt process by the main CPU 301a.

  In S909, random number update processing is performed. This process is to update various random values of jackpot random numbers, jackpot symbol random numbers, reach random numbers, variation pattern random numbers, and regular symbol random numbers. These random numbers are incremented by “1” every time this process is performed. Each random value is returned to “0” after reaching a preset maximum value.

  In S910, an interrupt permission setting is performed. This process permits timer interrupt processing by the main CPU 301a. Then, after the processing of S910 is completed, the processing from S907 is repeated.

  The process proceeds to S911 when an affirmative determination is made in S902, a negative determination is made in S903, and a negative determination is made in S904. In S911, the RAM is cleared. The RAM clear is to initialize various flags and count values set by the main control board 300. For example, various flags include a probability variation flag and a time reduction flag. Examples of the count value include the number of short-time fluctuations W.

  In S912, peripheral part initial setting is performed. In this process, an initial setting command is transmitted from the main control board 300 to the payout control board 310 and the effect control board 320. Thereby, initial setting is performed on the payout control board 310 and the effect control board 320. After the process of S912 is completed, the process proceeds to S906 described above.

[Recovery processing]
The recovery process executed in the main control board 300 will be described using FIG. This restoration process is executed in S905 of FIG.

In the first S1001, a work area is set. The work area is an area used for recovery processing. In the processing of S1001, the work area is set in the main RAM 301c.
In S1002, a recovery command is created. This recovery command includes a command related to the gaming state. That is, a probability variation game flag, a time-short game flag, and the like. In addition, the count value of the counter related to these flags is included. Furthermore, hold information related to the hold display is included.

In S1003, a recovery command is transmitted. This process is a process of transmitting the restoration command created in S1002 to the effect control board 320.
In S1004, the backup flag is set to “OFF”, and then the recovery process is terminated.

[Power failure monitoring processing]
The power interruption monitoring process executed in the main control board 300 will be described with reference to FIG. This power interruption monitoring process is executed in S907 of FIG.

In the first S1101, interrupt prohibition setting is performed. This process is a process for prohibiting the timer interrupt process by the main CPU 301a.
In S1102, it is determined whether or not the power supply is shut off. This process is a process for determining whether or not the power supply to the gaming machine 1 is cut off. If it is determined that the power supply has been cut off (S1102: YES), the process proceeds to S1103. On the other hand, when it is determined that the power is not shut off (S1102: NO), the process proceeds to S1106.

  In S1103, backup information is created and stored. The backup information is stored in the main RAM 301c. At this time, a checksum is created and stored together with the backup information. The backup information is used for creating a recovery command as described above.

In S1104, the backup flag is set to “ON”. The backup flag is stored in the main RAM 301c.
In S1105, RAM access is prohibited, and then the main process (see FIG. 9) is terminated.

  The process proceeds to S1106 when it is determined in S1102 that the power is not shut off. In S1106, interrupt permission setting is performed. This process permits the timer interrupt process of the main CPU 301a. After the process of S1106 is completed, the process proceeds to S908 in FIG.

[Timer interrupt processing]
The timer interrupt process executed in the main control board 300 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of timer interrupt processing executed in the main control board 300. The main control board 300 repeatedly executes a series of processes illustrated in FIG. 12 at regular time intervals (for example, 4 milliseconds) in a normal operation except for special cases such as when the power is turned on and when the power is turned off. . Note that the processing of the main control board 300 described based on the flowcharts of FIG. 12 and subsequent figures is executed by the main CPU 301a based on a program stored in the main ROM 301b.

  First, in S1201, random number update processing is executed. This process is to update various random values of jackpot random numbers, jackpot symbol random numbers, reach random numbers, variation pattern random numbers, and regular symbol random numbers. These random numbers are incremented by “1” every time this process is performed. Each random value is returned to “0” after reaching a preset maximum value.

In S1202, a switch process is performed. This process is executed when a detection signal from each switch is input. Details of the switch process will be described later.
In S1203, special symbol processing is performed. This process includes a process of stopping and displaying a stop symbol indicating the result of the special symbol determination after the special symbol is variably displayed on the first special symbol display 201 or the second special symbol display 202. Details of the special symbol process will be described later.

  In S1204, normal symbol processing is performed. This process includes a process of executing normal symbol determination, causing the normal symbol display 205 to display the normal symbol variably, and then stopping and displaying the normal symbol indicating the result of the normal symbol determination. Details of this normal symbol processing will be described later.

  In S1205, electric tulip processing is performed. This process activates the electric tulip 124 when it is determined that the second starter 123 is to be released as a result of the normal symbol determination. Details of the electric tulip process will be described later.

  In S1206, a special winning device opening control process is performed. In this process, when it is determined in S1203 that the game is a big hit, the big winning device opening / closing solenoid 308 is controlled to open the big winning device 126. Details of the big prize device opening control process will be described later.

In S1207, prize ball processing is executed. This process controls the payout of prize balls according to the winning of game balls.
In S1208, transmission processing is executed. In this processing, information necessary for determining various commands and production contents set (stored) in the main RAM 301c in the processing steps before S1207 is transmitted to the production control board 320.

[Switch processing]
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing details of the switch processing in S1202 of FIG.

  In the first S1301, first starter switch processing is executed. In this process, the presence or absence of a detection signal from the first starter detection switch 304 is monitored, and various random numbers (a jackpot random number, a jackpot design random number, a reach random number, and a variation pattern random number that are appropriately updated by the process of S1201. ) Is obtained at the time when the detection signal from the first starter detection switch 304 is input. The first starter switch process will be further described later.

  In subsequent S1302, a second starter switch process is executed. This process monitors the presence or absence of a detection signal input from the second starter detection switch 305, and various random numbers (big hit random number, big hit symbol random number, reach random number, and variation pattern random number that are updated as appropriate by the processing of S1201. ) Is obtained at the time when the detection signal from the second starter detection switch 305 is input. The second starter switch process will be further described later.

  In the next S1303, gate switch processing is executed. This process monitors the presence or absence of a detection signal input from the gate detection switch 303, and determines the value at the time when the detection signal from the gate detection switch 303 is input for the normal symbol random number that is updated as appropriate in the process of S1201. To get. The gate switch process will be further described later.

[First starter switch processing]
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing details of the first starter switch process in S1301 of FIG.

  In the first S1401, it is determined whether or not the first starter detection switch 304 is turned “ON”. This processing is based on whether or not a detection signal from the first starter detection switch 304 (ON signal indicating that the first starter detection switch 304 is “ON”) is input. It is determined whether or not the detection switch 304 is turned “ON”. Here, when it is determined that the first starter detection switch 304 is “ON” (S1401: YES), the process proceeds to S1402. On the other hand, if it is determined that the first starter detection switch 304 is not “ON” (S1401: NO), the subsequent process is not executed and the first starter switch process is terminated.

  In S1402, it is determined whether or not the hold number U1 is less than the maximum hold number Umax1. In this process, it is determined whether or not the hold number U1 for the first special symbol determination stored in the main RAM 301c is less than the maximum hold number Umax1 ("4" in the present embodiment) stored in the main ROM 301b in advance. Judgment. If it is determined that U1 <Umax1 (S1402: YES), the process proceeds to S1403. On the other hand, when it is determined that U1 ≧ Umax1 (S1402: NO), the subsequent processing is not executed and the first starter switch processing is terminated.

In S1403, the value of the holding number U1 is updated to a value obtained by adding “1” from the current value.
In S1404 to S1407, various random numbers are acquired. In this process, a jackpot random number, a jackpot symbol random number, a reach random number, and a variation pattern random number are acquired as acquisition information used for the first special symbol determination, and these random numbers are associated with each other and stored in the main RAM 301c. .

  In S1408, prior determination is performed. Here, jackpot determination, determination of jackpot symbol, and selection of variation pattern are performed in advance. These processes are the same as those performed in the special symbol process described later. Therefore, detailed processing will be described later.

Here, it is first determined whether or not the jackpot is based on the jackpot random number acquired in S1404.
If the result of the jackpot determination is a jackpot, a jackpot symbol (stop symbol data) is determined based on the jackpot symbol random number acquired in S1405. As shown in FIG. 5A, when the jackpot symbol random number is “0 to 49”, it becomes 15R jackpot, and when the jackpot symbol random number is “50 to 99”, it becomes 8R jackpot. Further, the probability variation 15R jackpot is a half of the 15R jackpot, and the ratio is usually 15R jackpot at a ratio of 1/2. At this time, the stop symbol data is “01” and “02”, respectively. Further, the probability variation 8R jackpot is a half of the 8R jackpot, and the ratio of 1/2 is usually the 8R jackpot. At this time, the stop symbol data is “03” and “04”, respectively.

On the other hand, when the result of the jackpot determination is a loss, a lost symbol (stop symbol data) is selected. The stop symbol data at the time of losing is “00”.
If the result of jackpot determination is a jackpot, a variation pattern is selected based on the variation pattern random number acquired in S1407. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, in the case of a big hit, the fluctuation pattern 1 or the fluctuation pattern 2 is selected.

  On the other hand, when the result of the jackpot determination is a loss, a variation pattern is selected based on the reach random number acquired in S1406, the variation pattern random number acquired in S1407, the gaming state, and the number of holds. In this case, one of the fluctuation pattern 3 to the fluctuation pattern 6 is selected.

  As described above, the jackpot determination, the determination of the jackpot symbol, and the selection of the variation pattern are performed by special symbol processing described later. Therefore, the variation pattern may be changed according to the number of holds at the time of executing the special symbol process.

  In S1409, a hold command is set. The hold command includes “starter data” for distinguishing whether the hold is related to the first special symbol or the second special symbol, and “hold number data” indicating the number of the hold (ie, the hold number data). The number of reservations U1), “stop symbol data” indicating the jackpot type and loss, and “variation pattern data” indicating the variation pattern are included.

The hold command set in S1409 is transmitted to the effect control board 320 in the transmission process of S1208 in FIG.
[Second starter switch processing]
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing details of the second starter switch process in S1302 of FIG. The second starter switch process is the same as the first starter switch process described above.

In the first S1501, it is determined whether or not the second starter detection switch 305 is turned “ON”. This process is based on whether or not a detection signal from the second starter detection switch 305 (ON signal indicating that the second starter detection switch 305 is “ON”) is input. It is determined whether or not the detection switch 305 is turned “ON”. Here, when it is determined that the second starter detection switch 305 is “ON” (S1501: YES), the process proceeds to S1502. On the other hand, when it is determined that the second starter detection switch 305 is not “ON” (S1501: NO), the subsequent process is not executed and the second starter switch process is terminated.

  In S1502, it is determined whether or not the hold number U2 is less than the maximum hold number Umax2. In this process, it is determined whether or not the second special symbol hold number U2 stored in the main RAM 301c is less than the maximum hold number Umax2 ("4" in the present embodiment) stored in the main ROM 301b in advance. Is. Here, when it is determined that U2 <Umax2 is satisfied (S1502: YES), the process proceeds to S1503. On the other hand, when it is determined that U2 ≧ Umax2 (S1502: NO), the subsequent processing is not executed and the second starter switch processing is terminated.

In S1503, the value of the holding number U2 is updated to a value obtained by adding “1” from the current value.
In S1504 to S1507, various random numbers are acquired. This process acquires jackpot random numbers, jackpot symbol random numbers, reach random numbers, and variation pattern random numbers as acquisition information used for the second special symbol determination, associates these random numbers, and stores them in the main RAM 301c. .

  In S1508, a prior determination is performed. Here, jackpot determination, determination of jackpot symbol, and selection of variation pattern are performed in advance. These processes are the same as those performed in the special symbol process described later. Therefore, detailed processing will be described later.

Here, first, it is determined whether or not the jackpot is based on the jackpot random number acquired in S1504.
If the result of the jackpot determination is a jackpot, a jackpot symbol (stop symbol data) is determined based on the jackpot symbol random number acquired in S1505. As shown in FIG. 5A, when the jackpot symbol random number is “0 to 74”, it becomes 15R jackpot, and when the jackpot symbol random number is “75 to 99”, it becomes 8R jackpot. Further, the probability variation 15R jackpot is a half of the 15R jackpot, and the ratio is usually 15R jackpot at a ratio of 1/2. At this time, the stop symbol data is “05” and “06”, respectively. Further, the probability variation 8R jackpot is a half of the 8R jackpot, and the ratio of 1/2 is usually the 8R jackpot. At this time, the stop symbol data becomes “07” and “08”, respectively.

On the other hand, when the result of the jackpot determination is a loss, a lost symbol (stop symbol data) is selected. The stop symbol data at the time of losing is “00”.
If the result of the jackpot determination is a jackpot, a variation pattern is selected based on the variation pattern random number acquired in S1507. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, in the case of a big hit, the fluctuation pattern 1 or the fluctuation pattern 2 is selected.

  On the other hand, if the result of the jackpot determination is a loss, a variation pattern is selected based on the reach random number acquired in S1506, the variation pattern random number acquired in S1507, the gaming state, and the number of holds. At this time, any one of the fluctuation patterns 3 to 6 is selected.

  As described above, the jackpot determination, the determination of the jackpot symbol, and the selection of the variation pattern are performed by special symbol processing described later. Therefore, the variation pattern may be changed according to the number of holds at the time of executing the special symbol process.

  In S1509, a hold command is set. The hold command includes “starter data” for distinguishing whether the hold is related to the first special symbol or the second special symbol, and “hold number data” indicating the number of the hold (ie, the hold number data). The number of reservations U2), “stop symbol data” indicating the jackpot type and loss, and “variation pattern data” indicating the variation pattern are included.

Note that the hold command and the prefetch command set in S1509 are transmitted to the effect control board 320 in the transmission process in S1208 of FIG.
[Gate switch processing]
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing details of the gate switch processing in S1303 of FIG.

  In the first step S1601, it is determined whether or not the gate detection switch 303 is “ON”. In this process, the gate detection switch 303 is turned “ON” based on whether or not a detection signal from the gate detection switch 303 (ON signal indicating that the gate detection switch 303 is “ON”) is input. It is determined whether or not. If it is determined that the gate detection switch 303 is “ON” (S1601: YES), the process proceeds to S1602. On the other hand, if it is determined that the gate detection switch 303 is not “ON” (S1601: NO), the subsequent processing is not executed and the gate switch processing is terminated.

  In S1602, it is determined whether the hold number T is less than the maximum hold number Tmax. In this process, whether or not the normal symbol determination hold number T stored in the main RAM 301c is less than the maximum normal symbol determination hold number Tmax ("4" in this embodiment) stored in advance in the main ROM 301b. It is a judgment. If it is determined that T <Tmax (S1602: YES), the process proceeds to S1603. On the other hand, when it is determined that T ≧ Tmax (S1602: NO), the gate switch process is terminated without executing the subsequent processes.

  In S1603, the hold count T is updated to a value obtained by adding “1” from the current value. In subsequent S1604, a normal symbol random number used for normal symbol determination is acquired and stored in the main RAM 301c.

[Special symbol processing]
Details of the special symbol process executed by the main control board 300 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing details of the special symbol process in S1203 of FIG.

  In first S1701, it is determined whether or not a big hit game is being played. When the jackpot game is being played, the jackpot game flag stored in the main RAM 301c is set to “ON”. This process is to determine whether or not the jackpot game flag stored in the main RAM 301c is set to “ON”. If it is determined that the game is a big hit game (S1701: YES), the subsequent symbol processing is terminated without executing the subsequent processing. On the other hand, if it is determined that the game is not a jackpot game (S1701: NO), the process proceeds to S1702.

  In S1702, it is determined whether or not a special symbol variation display is in progress. If it is determined that the special symbol variation display is not in progress (S1702: NO), the process proceeds to S1703. On the other hand, if it is determined that special symbols are being displayed (S1702: YES), the flow proceeds to S1711.

In S <b> 1703, it is determined whether one of the holding number U <b> 1 for the first special symbol determination or the holding number U <b> 2 for the second special symbol determination is greater than “0”. If it is determined that U1> 0 or U2> 0 (S1703: YES), the process proceeds to S1704. On the other hand, if it is determined that U1 = U2 = 0 (S1703: NO), the subsequent process is not executed and the special symbol process is terminated.

  In S1704, if U2> 0, the pending number U2 is updated to a value obtained by subtracting “1” from the current value. If U2 = 0, the number of holds U1 is updated to a value obtained by subtracting “1” from the current value. That is, the reservation of the second special symbol is preferentially digested.

  In S1705, the storage area is shifted. This process executes a shift process for the storage area of the main RAM 301c. Specifically, the first or second special symbol determination jackpot random number, jackpot symbol random number, reach random number, and variation pattern random number subtracted in S1704 are stored first in the reserved storage area (the oldest one) Are shifted to the determination storage area, and the rest are shifted to the determination storage area.

  In S1706, a jackpot determination process is executed. In this process, the jackpot determination process is executed based on the random numbers stored in the determination storage area. By executing this jackpot determination process, it is determined whether it is a jackpot or loss, and the determination result is set in the main RAM 301c. When it is determined that the jackpot is a jackpot symbol (stop symbol data) indicating the type of jackpot. Details of the jackpot determination process will be described later.

  In S1707, a variation pattern selection process is executed. Specifically, referring to the variation pattern table stored in the main ROM 301b in advance, the determination result of the jackpot determination in S1706, the stopped symbol data set in the main RAM 301c, the current gaming state, the number of special symbol determination pending The variation pattern of the special symbol is selected based on the reach random number and the variation pattern random number stored in the storage area for determination U1 or U2. By performing the processing of S1707, it is also determined whether to perform a reachable effect or a reachless effect. Details of the variation pattern selection process will be described later.

  In S1708, a change start command is set. In this process, a change start command including stop symbol data set in the process of S1706, change pattern data indicating the change pattern set in the process of S1707, game state data indicating the gaming state of the gaming machine 1, etc. is set in the main RAM 301c. To do. This variation start command is a command for instructing the start of the variation effect accompanying the variation display of the special symbol, and is transmitted to the effect control board 320 by the transmission processing in S1208 of FIG.

  On the other hand, the effect control board 320 needs to specify the result of the special symbol determination by analyzing the variation start command received from the main control board 300, and perform either the effect with reach or the effect without reach. To determine the game state of the gaming machine 1 by acquiring the variation time during which the special symbol is variably displayed. From the voice output device 331, the display pattern of the decorative symbol is variably displayed on the liquid crystal display device 121 in accordance with the variation display of the special symbol on the first special symbol indicator 201 or the second special symbol indicator 202. What sound is to be output, what light emission pattern the frame lamp 103 emits, various actors including the rotating accessory 128 are operated, and which accessory is to be used when operating the various actors The image control board 330 and the lamp control board 340 are caused to execute the effect of the determined content.

In S1709, the variable display is started. This process starts the change display of the special symbol based on the data included in the change start command set in the process of S1708. The special symbol variation display is performed using the first special symbol display 201 or the second special symbol display 202.

In S1710, measurement of the variation time is started. In this process, measurement of a variation time that is an elapsed time since the start of variation display is started.
In the next S1711, it is determined whether or not the variation time has elapsed. In this process, it is determined whether or not the variation time corresponding to the variation pattern selected by the process in S1707 has elapsed since the measurement of the variation time in S1710. If it is determined that the fluctuation time has not elapsed (S1711: NO), the subsequent process is not executed and the special symbol process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the fluctuation time has elapsed (S1711: YES), the process proceeds to S1712.

  In S1712, a symbol confirmation command is set. In this process, a symbol confirmation command for notifying that the stop symbol indicating the determination result of the special symbol determination is stopped and displayed on the first special symbol display 201 or the second special symbol display 202 is set in the main RAM 301c. is there. The symbol confirmation command is transmitted to the effect control board 320 by the transmission process in S1208 of FIG. Thereby, the process etc. which stop-display the decoration symbol which was variably displayed on the liquid crystal display device 121 in the aspect which shows the determination result of a special symbol determination, etc. are performed.

  In S1713, the variable display ends. This process ends the special symbol variation display started in S1709. At that time, the stop symbol data (big hit symbol or lost symbol) set in the processing of S1706 is stopped and displayed on the special symbol indicators 201 and 202 that have been variably displayed on the special symbols. Specifically, when the special symbol is variably displayed on the first special symbol display 201, the first special symbol display 201 is caused to stop display the jackpot symbol or the lost symbol, and the second special symbol display 202 When the special symbol is variably displayed, the big special symbol or the lost symbol is stopped and displayed on the second special symbol display unit 202.

In S1714, the measured variation time is reset. This process is to reset the variation time when the measurement is started in the process of S1710.
In the subsequent S1715, the stop process is executed. This process includes a process of starting a jackpot game when the jackpot is won. Details of the stop process will be described later.

[Big hit judgment processing]
FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing details of the jackpot determination process in S1706 of FIG.

  In the first S1801, a big hit determination is performed. Here, when the jackpot determination relating to the winning to the first starter 122 is executed, the jackpot determination table (see FIG. 4A) of the first special symbol stored in advance in the main ROM 301b is used. On the other hand, when the jackpot determination relating to winning in the second starting device 123 is executed, a jackpot determination table (see FIG. 4B) of the second special symbol stored in advance in the main ROM 301b is used.

  A jackpot random number is described in the jackpot determination table of the first special symbol and the second special symbol. Therefore, the jackpot is determined based on whether or not the jackpot random number stored in the determination storage area matches the value described in the jackpot determination table of the first special symbol or the second special symbol. If they do not match, it is determined to be lost. At this time, when the gaming state is the normal gaming state, the jackpot random number is either “7” or “8”, and when the gaming state is the probability variation gaming state, the jackpot random number is “7” to “26”. Either.

In subsequent S1802, it is determined whether or not it is a big hit. This process determines whether or not the jackpot is based on the determination result of S1801. If it is determined that the game is a big hit (S1802: YES), the process proceeds to S1803. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not a big hit (S1802: NO), that is, if it is a loss, a lost symbol (stop symbol data “00”) is set in S1805, and the big hit determination process is terminated.

  In S1803, the type of jackpot is determined. In this process, a jackpot type is determined using a jackpot symbol determination table (see FIG. 5A) stored in the main RAM 301c. Here, 15R jackpot or 8R jackpot is determined based on the jackpot symbol random number stored in the determination storage area. In the case of the first special symbol, the value shown in the upper part of FIG. 5A is used, and in the case of the second special symbol, the value shown in the lower part of FIG. 5A is used. This makes it possible to realize the jackpot breakdown shown in FIG.

  In S1804, a jackpot symbol is set. In this process, a jackpot symbol (stop symbol data) corresponding to the jackpot type determined in S1803 is set in the main RAM 301c. Accordingly, during the process of S1713 in FIG. 17 described above, the jackpot symbol set here is stopped and displayed as a stop symbol on the first special symbol display 201 or the second special symbol display 202, and the jackpot game is executed. Will be. After the process of S1804, the jackpot determination process ends.

[Variation pattern selection processing]
FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing details of the variation pattern selection processing in S1707 of FIG.

  In first S1901, it is determined whether or not a big hit. This process is based on the jackpot determination in S1801 of FIG. If it is determined that the game is a big hit (S1901: YES), the process proceeds to S1902. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not a big hit (S1901: NO), that is, if it is a loss, the process proceeds to S1905.

  In S1902, it is determined whether or not it is a probable big hit. This processing is based on the jackpot type (stop symbol data) determined in S1803 of FIG. If it is determined that it is a probable big hit (S1902: YES), the fluctuation pattern table for the probable big hit is set in S1903, and then the process proceeds to S1909. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not a promising big hit (S1902: NO), that is, if it is a normal big hit, a normal big hit variation pattern table is set in S1904, and then the flow proceeds to S1909.

  In S1905, which shifts to a case where it is determined in S1901 that the game is not a big hit, the gaming state and the number of holds are determined. This process is to determine whether the current gaming state is the hourly gaming state or the non-hourly gaming state based on the hourly gaming flag stored in the main RAM 301c. Moreover, the number of pending special symbol determinations is determined. As a result, the corresponding variation pattern table is narrowed down.

  In S1906, it is determined whether or not a reach is reached. In the case of a loss, this process determines whether or not to perform a reach effect for causing the player to expect a big hit. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the reach random number stored in the determination storage area matches the value described in the variation pattern table. If it is determined that it is reach (S1906: YES), the process proceeds to S1907. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not reach (S1906: NO), the process proceeds to S1908.

  In step S1907, a reach variation pattern table is set. In this process, the reach variation pattern table is read from the main ROM 301b and set in the main RAM 301c based on the gaming state and the number of reserved balls determined in S1905. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S1909.

  In S1908, a fluctuation pattern table without reach is set. In this process, the unreachable variation pattern table is read from the main ROM 301b based on the gaming state and the number of reserved balls determined in S1905, and is set in the main RAM 301c. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S1909.

  In S1909, a variation pattern random number determination process is performed. In this process, the fluctuation pattern random number is determined using the fluctuation pattern table set in the process of S1903, S1904, S1907, or S1908. Specifically, the variation pattern corresponding to the variation pattern random number stored in the determination storage area is selected with reference to the variation pattern table set in the main RAM 301c. By performing the processing of S1909, the variation pattern (variation time) of the special symbol is determined.

  In S1910, a variation pattern is set. In this process, variation pattern data indicating the variation pattern selected in S1909 is set in the main RAM 301c. The variation pattern data is included in the variation start command set in the processing of S1708 in FIG. 17 together with the symbol (stop symbol data) set by the jackpot determination processing, and the effect control board 320 is transmitted by S1208 in FIG. Sent to.

[Processing while stopped]
FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing details of the stopping process in S1715 in FIG.

  In the first S2001, it is determined whether or not a big hit. This process determines whether or not the jackpot is based on the determination result of S1801 in FIG. If it is determined that the game is a big hit (S2001: YES), the big win game flag is set to “ON” in S2002, and then the process proceeds to S2003. On the other hand, when it is determined that it is not a big hit (S2001: NO), the process proceeds to S2006.

  In S2003, it is determined whether or not the time-saving game flag is “ON”. This process is to determine whether or not the short-time game flag stored in the main RAM 301c is set to “ON”. The short-time game flag is a flag indicating whether or not the gaming state of the gaming machine 1 is a short-time game state, and is set to “ON” when transitioning from the normal game state to the short-time game state. It is set to “OFF” when returning to the gaming state. If it is determined that the short-time game flag is set to “ON” (S2003: YES), the short-time game flag is set to “OFF” in S2004, and then the process proceeds to S2005. On the other hand, when it is determined that the short-time game flag is not set to “ON” (S2003: NO), that is, when the short-time game flag is set to “OFF”, the process of S2004 is not executed. The process proceeds to S2005.

  In S2005, an opening command is set in the main RAM 301c. The opening refers to a period from when the jackpot game is started until the first prize-winning device 126 starts to be released. The opening command is a command for notifying that the opening is started, and is transmitted to the effect control board 320 by the transmission process of S1208.

  In S2006, the process proceeds to S2006 after the process of S2005 or when it is determined that the game is not a big hit in S2001, it is determined whether or not the probability variation game flag is “ON”. The probability change game flag is stored in the main RAM 301c, and is set to “ON” when the probability change game state is set, and is set to “OFF” when the normal game state is set. If it is determined that the probability variation game flag is “ON” (S2006: YES), the subsequent processing is terminated without executing the subsequent processing. On the other hand, when it is determined that the probability variation game flag is “OFF” (S2006: NO), the process proceeds to S2007.

  In S2007, it is determined whether or not the time-saving game flag is “ON”. The time saving game flag is stored in the main RAM 301c, and is set to “ON” when the time saving gaming state is set, and is set to “OFF” when the non-time saving gaming status is set. If it is determined that the time-saving game flag is “ON” (S2007: YES), the process proceeds to S2008. On the other hand, when it is determined that the time-saving game flag is “OFF” (S2007: NO), the subsequent processing is terminated without executing the subsequent processing.

In S2008, the number of short-time fluctuations W is updated by subtracting “1” from the current number of short-time fluctuations W. The time fluctuation number W is stored in the main RAM 301c.
In S2009, it is determined whether or not the short-time variation count W is “0”. If it is determined that W = 0 (S2009: YES), the time-saving game flag is set to “OFF” in S2010, and then the in-stop process is terminated. On the other hand, if W ≠ 0 (S2009: NO), the process of S2010 is not executed and the stopped process is terminated.

[Normal pattern processing]
FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing details of the normal symbol processing in S1204 of FIG.

  In first S2101, it is determined whether or not the auxiliary game flag is “ON”. This process determines whether or not the auxiliary game flag stored in the main RAM 301c is set to “ON”. The auxiliary game flag is a flag that indicates whether or not the electric tulip 124 is in an auxiliary game in which the operation of returning to the closed posture after maintaining the open posture for a predetermined time is performed, and is set to “ON” during the auxiliary game. When it is not in the auxiliary game, “OFF” is set. If it is determined that the auxiliary game flag is set to “ON” (S2101: YES), the subsequent symbol processing is terminated without executing the subsequent processing. In this case, it moves to the electric tulip process of S1205 of FIG. On the other hand, when it is determined that the auxiliary game flag is not “ON” (S2101: NO), that is, when the auxiliary game flag is set to “OFF”, the process proceeds to S2102.

  In S2102, it is determined whether or not the normal symbol is changing. This process is to determine whether or not the variable display on the normal symbol display 205 is being performed. Here, when it is determined that the normal symbol is not changing (S2102: NO), the process proceeds to S2103. On the other hand, if it is determined that the normal symbol is changing (S2102: YES), the flow proceeds to S2114.

  In S2103, which is shifted to when the normal symbol is not changing, it is determined whether or not the number T of the normal symbol determination is “1” or more. Here, when it is determined that the hold number T is “1” or more (S2103: YES), the process proceeds to S2104. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of holdings T is not “1” or more (S2103: NO), that is, if the number of holdings T is “0”, the subsequent process is not executed and the normal symbol processing is terminated. .

In S2104, the hold count T is updated to a value obtained by subtracting “1” from the current value. And S2
At 105, a hit random number determination process is performed. In this process, whether the oldest normal symbol random number among the normal symbol random numbers stored in the main RAM 301c in S1604 of FIG. 16 matches any of the winning values related to the normal symbol determination stored in the main ROM 301b in advance. It is to determine whether or not.

  In S2106, it is determined whether or not it is a win. This process determines whether or not the determination result of the normal symbol determination is correct based on the determination result of S2105. If it is determined that the game is successful (S2106: YES), the winning symbol is set in the main RAM 301c in S2107, and then the process proceeds to S2109. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not a hit (S2106: NO), that is, if it is a loss, the lost symbol is set in the main RAM 301c in S2108, and then the process proceeds to S2109.

  In S2109, it is determined whether or not it is a non-time saving gaming state. This process determines whether or not the current gaming state of the gaming machine 1 is a non-short-time gaming state based on whether or not the hourly gaming flag is set to “ON”. If it is determined that the game is in the non-short game state (S2109: YES), the normal symbol variation time is set to 12 seconds in S2110, and then the process proceeds to S2112. On the other hand, if it is determined that the game is not in the non-short game state (S2109: NO), that is, if it is in the short-time game state, the normal symbol variation time is set to 3 seconds in S2111, and then the process proceeds to S2112. The normal symbol variation time is the time for the normal symbol display 205 to display the normal symbol in a variable manner. The normal symbol variation time set here is temporarily stored in the main RAM 301c.

In step S2112, the normal symbol change by the normal symbol display unit 205 is started. In step S2113, measurement of elapsed time from the start of the variable display is started.
On the other hand, in S2114, which is shifted to when the normal symbol is changing, it is determined whether or not to end the change of the normal symbol. Specifically, it is determined whether or not to end the normal symbol variation display based on whether or not the elapsed time when measurement was started by the processing of S2113 has reached the normal symbol variation time set in S2110 or S2111. To do. If it is determined that the normal symbol variation is to be terminated (S2114: YES), the normal symbol variation display on the normal symbol display unit 205 is terminated in S2115, and the winning symbol or the lost symbol is stopped and displayed. The process moves to S2116. On the other hand, if it is determined not to end the variation of the normal symbol (S2114: NO), the subsequent symbol processing is terminated without executing the subsequent processing.

In S2116, the elapsed time is reset. This process resets the elapsed time when the measurement was started in the process of S2113.
In S2117, as in S2106, it is determined whether or not the determination result of the normal symbol determination is correct. If it is determined that it is a win (S2117: YES), the auxiliary game flag is set to “ON” in S2118, and then the normal symbol process is terminated. On the other hand, when it is determined that it is not a hit (S2117: NO), the process of S2118 is not executed, and the normal symbol process is terminated.

[Electric tulip treatment]
FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing details of the electric tulip process in S1205 of FIG.

  In the first S2201, it is determined whether or not the auxiliary game flag is “ON”. If it is determined that the auxiliary game flag is “ON” (S2201: YES), the process proceeds to S2202. On the other hand, when it is determined that the auxiliary game flag is not “ON” (S2201: NO), that is, when the auxiliary game flag is “OFF”, the subsequent processing is not executed and the electric tulip is executed. The process ends.

  In S2202, it is determined whether or not the electric tulip is operating. If it is determined that the electric tulip is operating (S2202: YES), the process proceeds to S2207. On the other hand, when it is determined that the electric tulip is not operating (S2202: NO), the process proceeds to S2203.

  In S2203, it is determined whether or not the non-time-saving gaming state. This process is the same as S2109 in FIG. If it is determined that the game is in the non-short game state (S2203: YES), the operation pattern is set in S2204, and then the process proceeds to S2206. In S2204, as an operation pattern of the electric tulip 124, an operation pattern for performing the operation of opening the second starting device 123 for 0.1 second twice is set in the main RAM 301c. Thereby, the opening for a total of 0.2 seconds is realized. On the other hand, if it is determined that the game is not in the non-short game state (S2203: NO), that is, if it is in the short-time game state, the operation pattern is set in S2205, and then the process proceeds to S2206. In S2205, as an operation pattern of the electric tulip 124, an operation pattern for performing the operation of opening the second starter 123 for 0.5 seconds seven times is set in the main RAM 301c. Thereby, the opening for a total of 3.5 seconds is realized.

  In S2206, the operation of the electric tulip 124 is started. This process is to start the operation of the electric tulip 124 with the operation pattern set in S2204 or S2205.

  In S2207, it is determined whether the operation is completed. If it is determined that the operation of the electric tulip 124 is completed (S2207: YES), the auxiliary game flag is set to “OFF” in S2208, and then the electric tulip process is terminated. Thereby, an auxiliary game is complete | finished. On the other hand, when it is determined that the operation of the electric tulip 124 has not been completed (S2207: NO), the process of S2208 is not executed, and the electric tulip process is terminated.

[Large winning device opening control processing]
FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing details of the big winning device opening control process in S1206 of FIG.

  In the first S2301, it is determined whether or not the jackpot game flag is set to “ON”. If it is determined that the jackpot game flag is set to “ON” (S2301: YES), the process proceeds to S2302. On the other hand, when it is determined that the jackpot game flag is not set to “ON” (S2301: NO), that is, when the jackpot game flag is set to “OFF”, the subsequent processing is not executed. The big prize device opening control process is terminated.

  In S2302, it is determined whether or not opening is in progress. For example, it is determined whether or not the jackpot game is being opened based on whether or not the elapsed time after setting the opening command related to the jackpot game by the process of S2005 in FIG. 20 has reached a predetermined opening time. That's it. If it is determined that the opening is being performed (S2302: YES), the process proceeds to S2303. On the other hand, if it is determined that the opening is not in progress (S2302: NO), the process proceeds to S2311.

In S2303, it is determined whether or not the opening time has elapsed. If it is determined that the opening time has elapsed (S2303: YES), the process proceeds to S2304. On the other hand, when it is determined that the opening time has not elapsed (S2303: NO), the subsequent process is not executed and the large winning device opening control process is terminated.

  In S2304, an operation pattern is set. In this process, the round upper limit number Rmax (“15” or “8”) and the operation pattern are determined and stored in the main RAM 301c. By the processing of S2304, various times related to the jackpot game such as the interval time between rounds and the next round, and the ending time after the end of the final round are also set.

  In S2305, the winning number Y of game balls to the big winning device 126 is reset to “0”. In subsequent S2306, the number R of the big hits R stored in the main RAM 301c is updated to a value obtained by adding “1” from the current value. The round number R is set to “0” before the jackpot start, and is incremented by “1” every time the process of S2306 is executed.

  In S2307, opening control of the big winning device is started. In subsequent S2308, measurement of an opening time that is an elapsed time since the opening control in S2307 is started is started. In next S2309, a round start command is set. In this process, a round start command for notifying that a round game has started is set in the main RAM 301c. After the process of S2309 is completed, the process proceeds to S2316.

  In S2311, the process proceeds to S2311 when it is determined that the opening is not in progress, and it is determined whether or not the ending is in progress. This process determines, for example, whether the ending immediately after the end of the final round is in progress based on information indicating when the current state stored in the main RAM 301c is in the jackpot game. If it is determined that the ending is in progress (S2311: YES), the process proceeds to S2324. On the other hand, if it is determined that the ending is not in progress (S2311: NO), the process proceeds to S2312.

  In S2312, it is determined whether it is during the interval. In this process, for example, whether or not the current state stored in the main RAM 301c is in the interval (between the rounds) is determined based on the information indicating the time point in the jackpot game. To do. If it is determined that it is during the interval (S2312: YES), the process proceeds to S2313. On the other hand, if it is determined that the interval is not in progress (S2312: NO), the process proceeds to S2314.

  In S2313, it is determined whether or not the interval time has elapsed. This process is to determine whether or not the interval time set by the process of S2304 has elapsed since the big winning device 126 was closed at the end of the previous round. If it is determined that the interval time has elapsed (S2313: YES), the process proceeds to S2304 because it is time to start the next round. On the other hand, when it is determined that the interval time has not elapsed (S2313: NO), the subsequent process is not executed and the large winning device opening control process is terminated.

In S2314, it is determined whether or not the special winning device detection switch 306 is turned “ON”. The big winning device detection switch 306 is a switch for detecting a winning of a game ball to the big winning device. This process is to determine whether or not the big winning device detection switch 306 is turned “ON” based on the presence / absence of the detection signal input from the big winning device detection switch 306 during the round. If it is determined that the big winning device detection switch 306 has been turned “ON” (S2314: YES), it is determined that one gaming ball has won the big winning device 126, and a winning game ball is won in S2315. The number Y is updated to a value obtained by adding “1” from the current value, and thereafter, the process proceeds to S2316. On the other hand, when it is determined that the special winning device detection switch 306 is not “ON” (S2314: NO), the processing of S2315 is not executed, and the processing proceeds to S2316.

  In S2316, it is determined whether the specified opening time has elapsed. In this process, it is determined whether or not the specified opening time has elapsed since the opening of the special winning device 126. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the opening time at which the measurement is started by the process of S2308 has reached a specified opening time (29 seconds in the present embodiment) stored in advance in the main ROM 301b. If it is determined that the specified opening time has not elapsed (S2316: NO), the process proceeds to S2317. On the other hand, if it is determined that the specified release time has elapsed (S2316: YES), the processing of S2317 is not executed, and the process proceeds to S2318.

  In S2317, it is determined whether or not the winning number Y has reached the winning upper limit number Ymax. In this process, the winning number Y of game balls in the current round stored in the main RAM 301c is the maximum number of winnings Ymax (for example, “9”) that prescribes the closing timing of the big winning device 126 stored in the main ROM 301b in advance. ) Is determined. If it is determined that Y = Ymax (S2317: YES), the process proceeds to S2318. On the other hand, when it is determined that Y ≠ Ymax (S2317: NO), the subsequent process is not executed and the large winning device opening control process is terminated.

In S2318, the opening control of the big winning device 126 is finished. As a result, the special winning device 126 is closed.
In S2319, it is determined whether the round number R has reached the round upper limit number Rmax. If it is determined that R = Rmax (S2319: YES), the flow proceeds to S2321. On the other hand, when it is determined that R ≠ Rmax (S2319: NO), the measurement of the interval time is started in S2320, and then the special winning device opening control process is ended. The process of S2320 starts measurement of an interval time that is an elapsed time after the big winning device 126 is closed in order to control the start timing of the next round. This interval time is used for the processing of S2313.

  In S2321, the ending time measurement is started. In S2322, the round number R is reset to “0”. In step S2323, an ending command is set in the main RAM 301c. This ending command is a command for notifying that the final release of the big winning device 126 has been completed, and is transmitted to the effect control board 320 by the transmission process of S1208.

  In S2324, it is determined whether or not the ending time has elapsed. In this process, it is determined whether or not the ending time when the measurement is started by the process of S2321 has reached the set ending time set by the process of S2304. If it is determined that the ending time has elapsed (S2324: YES), the process proceeds to S2325. On the other hand, if it is determined that the ending time has not elapsed (S2324: NO), the subsequent process is not executed and the large winning device opening control process is terminated.

  In S2325, a game state setting process is executed. The game state setting process is to set the game state of the gaming machine 1 after the jackpot game ends. Details of the game state setting process will be described later.

  In S2326, the big hit game flag is turned “OFF”, and then the big winning device opening control process is ended. By setting the jackpot game flag to “OFF”, the jackpot game ends.

[Game state setting process]
FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing details of the game state setting process in S2325 of FIG.

  In the first step S2401, the presence / absence of a probability change is determined based on the jackpot symbol (stop symbol data). This process is based on the jackpot symbol set in S1804 of FIG.

  In S2402, based on the determination result in S2401, it is determined whether or not the probability variation big hit. Here, when it is determined that it is a probable big hit (S2402: YES), the process proceeds to S2403. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not a probable big hit (S2402: NO), that is, if it is a normal big hit, the process proceeds to S2405.

  In S2403, the probability variation game flag is set to “ON”. The probability change game flag is stored in the main RAM 301c, and is set to “ON” when the probability change game state is set, and is set to “OFF” when the normal game state is set.

  In S2404, the time-saving game flag is set to “ON”. The time saving game flag is stored in the main RAM 301c, and is set to “ON” when the time saving gaming state is set, and is set to “OFF” when the non-time saving gaming status is set. After the process of S2404 is completed, the game state setting process is terminated.

In S2405, which is a transition to a case where it is determined in S2402 that the probability variation is not a big hit, the probability variation game flag is set to “OFF”.
In S2406, the short-time game flag is set to “ON”, and in S2407, “100” is set to the short-time fluctuation count W. Thereby, a game (a so-called short-time game) in which a decrease in the number of game balls in the low probability state is suppressed is awarded 100 times. After the process of S2407 is completed, the game state setting process is terminated.

[Timer interrupt processing of effect control board 320]
The contents of the timer interrupt process of the effect control board 320 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing the timer interrupt process performed by the sub CPU 320a of the effect control board 320. Note that this processing is performed by a reset clock pulse generation circuit (not shown) provided on the effect control board 320 during a normal operation except for special cases such as when the effect control board 320 is turned on or off. It is repeatedly executed every cycle (for example, 2 ms). In addition, the processing performed on the effect control board 320 described based on the flowchart of FIG. 25 is executed based on a program stored in the sub ROM 320b. Furthermore, processes that are not related to the present invention are omitted as appropriate.

  When the power is turned on, the sub CPU 320a executes a startup program, thereby initializing each unit such as a memory (for example, the sub RAM 320c). After initialization, the program stored in the sub ROM 320b is read into the sub RAM 320c, and the program is executed by the sub CPU 320a.

  In the first step S2501, the effect random number is updated. This process is to update various random numbers used for production. Specifically, “1” is added to various random numbers for updating, and when reaching a predetermined value, the random number is reset to “0”.

In S2502, command processing is executed. This process is for performing effects based on various commands. The commands processed here are a change start command, a symbol determination command, an opening command, a round start command, transmitted from the main control board 300,
And an ending command. Details of the command processing will be described later.

  In S2503, a hold related process is executed. This process is for effect display based on a hold command or the like. The commands processed here are a hold command and a recovery command transmitted from the main control board 300. Details of the hold-related processing will be described later.

  In S2504, effect button processing is performed. This process is for realizing an effect by the effect button 105. Specifically, various types of effects are performed based on the input from the effect button detection switch 321 by the player operating the effect button 105.

In S2505, transmission processing is performed. In this process, the command set in the processes up to S2504 is transmitted to the image control board 330 and the lamp control board 340.
[Command processing]
FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing details of the command processing executed in S2502 of FIG.

  In first S2601, it is determined whether or not a command is received. The command transmitted from the main control board 300 is stored in the buffer area of the effect control board 320. This process determines whether a command is stored in the buffer area. If it is determined that a command has been received (S2601: YES), the flow proceeds to S2602. On the other hand, if it is determined that a command has not been received (S2601: NO), the subsequent processing is not executed and the command processing is terminated.

  In S2602, it is determined whether or not the command determined to be received in S2601 is a change start command. The change start command is set in S1708 of FIG. If it is determined that the command is a change start command (S2602: YES), the change process is executed in S2603, and then the command process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the command is not a change start command (S2602: NO), the process proceeds to S2604. The variation processing in S2603 is mainly processing for setting a variation command for causing the liquid crystal display device 121 to perform variation display of decorative symbols.

  In S2604, it is determined whether or not the command determined to be received in S2601 is a symbol determination command. The symbol confirmation command is set in S1712 of FIG. If it is determined that the command is a symbol determination command (S2604: YES), the process proceeds to S2605. On the other hand, if it is determined that the command is not a symbol determination command (S2604: NO), the process proceeds to S2606.

  In S2605, a symbol determination process is executed. The symbol confirmation command is a command for notifying that the stop symbol indicating the determination result of the special symbol determination is stopped and displayed on the first special symbol display 201 or the second special symbol display 202. Therefore, in the symbol determination process, a process of stopping and displaying the decorative symbol that has been variably displayed on the liquid crystal display device 121 in a manner indicating the determination result of the special symbol determination is performed. After the process of S2605 ends, the command process ends.

  In S2606, it is determined whether or not the command determined to be received in S2601 is an opening command. If it is determined that the command is an opening command (S2606: YES), the process proceeds to S2607. On the other hand, if it is determined that the command is not an opening command (S2606: NO), the process proceeds to S2608.

In S2607, an opening process is executed. The opening refers to a period from when the jackpot game is started until the first prize-winning device 126 starts to be released. The opening command is a command for notifying that the opening is started, and is set in S2005 of FIG.

  As the opening process, a live-action video (for example, an idle group video) stored in advance in the sub-ROM 320b is read out and transmitted together with a command to the image control board 330 so that the real-action video is displayed on the liquid crystal display device 121. It is illustrated that it is a simple process. Further, the voice data (for example, “congratulations”) stored in advance in the sub-ROM 320b is read and transmitted together with the command to the image control board 330, thereby performing voice output from the speaker 104 via the voice output device 331. It is exemplified. Furthermore, by transmitting control data together with a command to the lamp control board 340, the accessory is driven via the effect driving device 341, or the frame lamp 103 is turned on via the effect lighting device 342. The process is exemplified.

  In addition, in the opening process, the player can be rotated by driving the rotary combination 128 or by driving various electric effect members mounted on the rotary combination 128 together with the rotation of the rotary combination 128. You may make it perform the production which envy the expectation. In that case, a rotating character driving command as a command for instructing driving of the rotating character or the electric effect member, an electric effect member driving command, or a rotating object (drive motor) to be driven or an electric effect member as control data. The data indicating the control contents of is transmitted. Note that these drive commands and control data are actually transmitted to the lamp control board 340 when the transmission process of S2505 is executed. In S2607, these commands and control data are set in the sub RAM 320c and the like. Become. After the process of S2607 ends, the command process ends.

  In S2608, it is determined whether or not the command determined to be received in S2601 is a round start command. If it is determined that the command is a round start command (S2608: YES), the flow proceeds to S2609. On the other hand, if it is determined that the command is not a round start command (S2608: NO), the process proceeds to S2610.

  In S2609, round processing is executed. The round start command is a command for notifying that a round game has started, and is set in S2309 in FIG. Therefore, as the round processing, a live-action live video (for example, a live video of an idle group) stored in advance in the sub-ROM 320b is read and transmitted together with a command to the image control board 330, whereby the live-action live video is displayed on the liquid crystal display device 121. The process is exemplified to display a video. Also, music data (for example, music data corresponding to live video) stored in advance in the sub-ROM 320b is read out and transmitted to the image control board 330 together with the command, so that music from the speaker 104 via the audio output device 331 is obtained. It is illustrated that this is a process for performing the output. Furthermore, by transmitting control data together with a command to the lamp control board 340, the accessory is driven via the effect driving device 341, or the frame lamp 103 is turned on via the effect lighting device 342. The process is exemplified.

  Also in this round process, by appropriately transmitting the rotating accessory driving command and the electric effect member driving command together with the control data for the rotating accessory 128 and the electric effect member mounted on the rotating object 128 as a driving target, the rotating accessory 128 is transmitted. Alternatively, the electric effect member may be operated in a predetermined operation pattern at a predetermined timing. Note that these drive commands and control data are actually transmitted to the lamp control board 340 when the transmission process of S2505 is executed. In S2607, these commands and control data are set in the sub RAM 320c and the like. Become. After the process of S2609 ends, the command process ends.

  In S2610, it is determined whether or not the command determined to be received in S2601 is an ending command. If it is determined that the command is an ending command (S2610: YES), the process proceeds to S2611. On the other hand, if it is determined that the command is not an ending command (S2610: NO), the process of S2611 is not executed and the command process is terminated.

  In S2611, an ending process is performed. The ending command is a command for notifying that the final release of the big winning device 126 has been completed, and is set in S2323 of FIG. Therefore, as the ending process, a message image (for example, rush time entry or chance time entry) stored in advance in the sub ROM 320b is read out and transmitted to the image control board 330 together with the command, whereby the message is displayed on the liquid crystal display device 121. It is exemplified that the process is to display an image. The audio data (for example, “RUSH time entry” or “chance time entry”) stored in advance in the sub-ROM 320b is read out and transmitted to the image control board 330 together with the command, whereby the speaker 104 via the audio output device 331 is obtained. It is exemplified that the process is to perform audio output from. Furthermore, by transmitting control data together with a command to the lamp control board 340, the accessory is driven via the effect driving device 341, or the frame lamp 103 is turned on via the effect lighting device 342. The process is exemplified.

  Also in this ending process, the rotating character 128 and the electric effect member mounted on the electric effect member mounted on the rotating object 128 and the electric effect member driving command are appropriately transmitted together with the control data, so that the rotating character 128 is transmitted. Alternatively, the electric effect member may be operated in a predetermined operation pattern at a predetermined timing. Note that these drive commands and control data are actually transmitted to the lamp control board 340 when the transmission process of S2505 is executed. In S2607, these commands and control data are set in the sub RAM 320c and the like. Become. After the process of S2611, the command process ends.

[Pending-related processing]
FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing details of the hold-related process executed in S2503 of FIG.

  In first S2701, it is determined whether or not a command is received. This process is the same as S2601 in FIG. The command transmitted from the main control board 300 is stored in the buffer area of the effect control board 320. This process determines whether a command is stored in the buffer area. If it is determined that a command has been received (S2701: YES), the process proceeds to S2702. On the other hand, if it is determined that a command has not been received (S2701: NO), the subsequent processing is terminated without executing the subsequent processing.

  In S2702, it is determined whether or not the command determined to be received in S2701 is a pending command. The hold command is set in S1409 of FIG. 14 or S1509 of FIG. If it is determined that the command is a hold command (S2702: YES), a hold process is executed in S2703, and then the hold related process is terminated. Details of the hold process will be described later. On the other hand, if it is determined that the command is not a pending command (S2702: NO), the process proceeds to S2704.

  In S2704, it is determined whether the command determined to be received in S2701 is a recovery command. The recovery command is transmitted in S1003 of FIG. If it is determined that the command is a recovery command (S2704: YES), the process proceeds to S2705. On the other hand, if it is determined that the command is not a recovery command (S2704: NO), the processing of S2705 is not executed and the hold-related processing is terminated.

  In S2705, a hold recovery process is executed. As described above, the recovery command is transmitted when the power is cut off. Since this recovery command includes hold information, here, the hold display is returned to the state before power-off based on the hold information. After executing the process of S2705, the hold related process is terminated.

[Hold processing]
FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing details of the hold process executed in S2703 of FIG.

  In the first S2801, the pending command is analyzed. The hold command includes “starter data” for distinguishing whether the hold is related to the first special symbol or the second special symbol, and “hold number data” indicating the number of the hold (ie, the hold number data). The number of holds U1, U2), “stop symbol data” indicating the jackpot type and loss, and “variation pattern data” indicating the variation pattern are included.

  In S2802, a suspended object is selected. Here, the hold object in the normal display mode is selected. In the present embodiment, the hold related to the first special symbol and the hold related to the second special symbol share the hold object in the normal display mode, but may be different. At this time, the hold object in the normal display mode may be selected based on the “starter data”.

  In S2803, data is stored in the reserved area. This process specifies whether the hold is related to the first special symbol or the second special symbol based on the “starter data”, and the number of the hold based on the “hold number data” And the data is stored in one of the first to fourth reserved areas related to the first special symbol and the first to fourth reserved areas related to the second special symbol. The data to be stored are “object data” for specifying the pending object, “stop symbol data” indicating the jackpot type and loss, and “variation pattern data” indicating the variation pattern.

  In S2804, a hold display command is set. This hold display command is transmitted to the image control board 330 by the transmission processing in S2505 of FIG. Thereby, regarding the new hold, the hold display by the hold object in the normal display mode is realized. After executing the process of S2804, the hold process is terminated.

[Timer interrupt processing of lamp control board]
With reference to FIG. 29, a rotation combination control process for controlling the operation of the rotation combination 128 among the timer interruption processes executed in the lamp control board 340 will be described. This rotating accessory control process is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals by the CPU 340a of the lamp control board 340 in a normal operation except for special cases such as when the lamp control board 340 is turned on or when the power supply is momentarily interrupted. . This rotating accessory control process is executed based on a program stored in the ROM 340b of the lamp control board 340. Note that the timer interrupt processing in the lamp control board 340 actually includes control processing for other actors other than the rotating accessory 128, a driving target (in the effect driving device 341), an effect lighting device 342, and the like. However, in FIG. 29, the control processing of the rotating combination 128 (including the control processing of various electric effect members mounted on the rotating combination 128) is illustrated and described, and other control processing is illustrated. The description is omitted.

The CPU 340a of the lamp control board 340 executes the activation program when the power is turned on, thereby initializing each unit such as a memory (for example, the RAM 340c). After initialization, the CPU 340a reads and executes the timer interrupt processing program stored in the ROM 340b.

  First, in step S2901, the CPU 340a of the lamp control board 340 determines whether or not a drive command (at least one of a rotating accessory drive command and an electric effect member drive command) has been received from the effect control board 320. In the timer interrupt process of the effect control board 320 in FIG. 25, data such as various commands transmitted in S2505 is received by the lamp control board 340 and stored in the buffer area of the lamp control board 340. The process of S2901 is a process of determining whether or not the command received from the effect control board 320 is stored in the buffer area.

  When the drive command has not been received, the timer interruption process (specifically, the process relating to the control of the rotating accessory 128) in FIG. 29 is terminated. If a drive command has been received, in S2902, the received drive command, control data received with the drive command, and the like are analyzed. The analysis processing of S2902 determines whether or not the rotating combination 128 itself should be rotated, how it should be specifically rotated, and various electric effect members mounted on the rotating combination 128. This is a process for analyzing whether it should be operated, and how it should be specifically operated when it should be operated.

  In S2903, a rotating accessory driving process is executed. In this rotating combination driving process, control data is sequentially or in parallel processed for the driving object (the rotating combination 128 itself or various electric effect members mounted thereon) determined to be driven by the analysis process of S2902. This is a process of specifically driving by executing a driving process based on the above.

[Rotating character drive processing]
FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing details of the rotating accessory driving process executed in S2903 of FIG.

  In the first S3001, the driving of the rotating combination 128 is started. For example, in the case where a rotating combination driving command and control data are received from the lamp control board 340, the driver 805 is caused to rotate the rotating combination driving motor 702 with the driving pattern indicated by the received control data. Output control commands. As a result, the rotating combination driving motor 702 is driven with the driving pattern, and as a result, the rotating combination 128 rotates according to the driving pattern.

  In addition, when the rotation accessory 128 stops rotating, the rotation position is normally returned to a predetermined reference position. Therefore, the rotation of the rotating combination 128 based on the rotating combination drive command is normally started from the reference position.

  When the electric effect member drive command and the control data are received from the lamp control board 340, the command is received via the slip ring 770 to the motor drive control unit 806 and the LED drive control unit 807 in the rotating accessory 128. A control command for driving the electric effect member with the drive pattern indicated by the control data is output.

  For example, when a command (and control data) instructing driving of the first drive motor 751 and the second drive motor 752 is received as the electric effect member drive command, the received control data is sent to the motor drive control unit 806. A control command for driving the first drive motor 751 and the second drive motor 752 is output in the drive pattern indicated by. Upon receiving the control command from the lamp control board 340 via the slip ring 770, the motor drive control unit 806 drives the first drive motor 751 and the second drive motor 752 according to the control command.

Further, for example, when a command (and control data) for instructing driving of the parts drive motor 753 is received as the electric effect member drive command, the parts are displayed in the drive pattern indicated by the received control data to the motor drive control unit 806. A control command for driving the drive motor 753 is output. Upon receiving the control command from the lamp control board 340 via the slip ring 770, the motor drive control unit 806 drives the part drive motor 753 according to the control command.

  Further, for example, when a command (and control data) for instructing driving of the plurality of LEDs 760 is received as the electric effect member driving command, a plurality of driving patterns indicated by the received control data are transmitted to the LED drive control unit 807. A control command for driving the LED 760 is output. When receiving the control command from the lamp control board 340 via the slip ring 770, the LED drive control unit 807 drives the plurality of LEDs 760 according to the control command.

  In S3002, transmission of a confirmation signal to the motor drive control unit 806 via the slip ring 770 is started. Specifically, the confirmation signal is repeatedly transmitted to the motor drive control unit 806 at a predetermined transmission cycle (for example, every 50 μsec).

  As described above, when receiving the confirmation signal from the lamp control board 340, the motor drive control unit 806 mounted on the rotating accessory 128 returns an ACK signal each time it is received. The return of the ACK signal is also performed via the slip ring 770 (specifically, via the second ring 812 and the second brush 802), similarly to the confirmation signal.

  In S3003, it is determined whether or not the driving of the rotating combination 128 (including the driving of the electric effect member) based on the driving command received from the lamp control board 340 is completed. When the driving of the rotating combination 128 is completed, the process proceeds to S3006, the rotation position of the rotating combination 128 is returned to the reference position, and the rotation combination driving process is ended. Specifically, the rotating accessory 128 is rotated in a specific direction, and when the reference position detection sensor 808 detects arrival of the reference position during the rotation, the rotation is stopped.

  In the determination process of S3003, when the driving of the rotating combination 128 has not been completed yet, it is determined in S3004 whether or not an interruption (abnormality notification) has occurred. This interruption indicates that an abnormal state has occurred in which the ACK signal for the confirmation signal is not normally received. This interruption is output by an ACK confirmation process (see FIG. 31) that is executed in parallel with the rotating accessory driving process.

  In the present embodiment, electrical connection between the lamp control board 340 and the rotating accessory 128 is performed using the slip ring 770. The slip ring 770 is in a state where the brushes and the rings are always in contact with each other, but there is a possibility that the “flying” of the contact state may occur for some reason.

  One of the main causes of jumping is grease. As described above, grease is applied to the rotating electrode 780 of the slip ring 770. It is ideal that the grease application state is flat (uniform), and when the slip ring 770 is manufactured, the grease is applied so that the application state is flat. There may be unevenness in the grease application state due to changes or the like. If unevenness occurs in the application state, the contact state between the brush and the ring becomes unstable during the rotation of the ring, and the brush may momentarily leave the ring when sliding on the uneven part. .

The “ringing” of the contact state may occur in the slip ring 770 not only due to the uneven application of grease but also due to other factors. When a jump occurs in the slip ring 770, the electric effect member in the rotating accessory 128 is electrically cut off while the jump is occurring (while the brush and the ring are separated). There is a risk that drive control cannot be performed normally.

  For example, the rotations of the drive motors 751 to 753 provided in the rotary accessory 128 become unstable, the drive motors 751 to 753 fail, and the movable branches 711, 721, and 731 rotated or rotated by these. , 741 and parts 712, 722, 732, 742 may occur. In addition, for example, the lighting state of the plurality of LEDs 760 provided on each rotating accessory 128 may become unstable, which may give a player a sense of incongruity.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the check signal is periodically transmitted from the lamp control board 340 to the motor drive control unit 806 in the rotating accessory 128, and the reception state of the ACK signal with respect to the confirmation signal is monitored, thereby the slip ring. Whether the electrical connection state by 770 is normal or not is related. Specifically, the ACK confirmation process of FIG. 31 is executed in parallel with the rotating accessory driving process of FIG. 30, and an interruption (abnormality notification) is detected in this ACK confirmation process when an abnormality in the reception state of the ACK signal is determined. ) Is output.

  The determination process of S3004 in the rotating accessory driving process of FIG. 30 is a process of determining whether or not an interrupt is output in the ACK confirmation process of FIG. If it is determined in S3004 that there is no interruption, the process returns to S3003. If it is determined in S3004 that an interrupt has occurred, the process proceeds to S3005. The fact that there is an interruption means that signals can be normally transmitted and received between the motor drive control unit 806 and the lamp control board 340 in the rotating accessory 128 because the contact state of the slip ring 770 is not normal. It means that there may be no state. Therefore, in that case, retry processing is performed in S3005.

  In the retry process of S3005, the drive of the electric effect member mounted on the rotating combination 128 is stopped and returned to the initial position, and the rotation position of the rotating combination 128 is returned to the reference position, and then the rotating combination 128 is restored. This is a process for resuming the driving of. After executing the retry process in S3005, the process returns to S3003.

[ACK confirmation processing]
Details of the ACK confirmation processing will be described with reference to FIG. The CPU 340a of the lamp control board 340 executes the ACK confirmation process of FIG. 31 in parallel with the rotating combination driving process while the rotating combination driving process of FIG. 30 is being executed.

  In first S 3101, it is determined whether or not an ACK signal is received from the motor drive control unit 806 via the slip ring 770. If an ACK signal is received, the non-reception period Ta is reset in S3102, and the process returns to S3101.

  If the ACK signal is not received in S3101, the non-reception period Ta is counted in S3103. The non-reception period Ta indicates the duration of a state in which no ACK signal is received. In S3104, it is determined whether or not the current non-reception period Ta is equal to or longer than a predetermined upper limit period Tx (for example, 50 milliseconds).

  If the non-reception period Ta has not yet reached the upper limit period Tx, the process returns to S3101. If the non-reception period Ta is equal to or longer than the upper limit period Tx, an interrupt (abnormality notification) is output in S3105. After the output of the interrupt, in S3106, the process waits for the retry process of the rotating combination 128 (the process of S3005 in FIG. 30) to be completed, and when the retry process is completed, the process returns to S3101.

[Effects of the gaming machine 1 of the present embodiment]
(1) The gaming machine 1 according to the present embodiment includes a rotating accessory 128 that is equipped with a plurality of types of electric effect members and can rotate integrally with the electric effect member as an accessory. The electric effect member and the main body of the effect driving device 341 are electrically connected via a slip ring 770. When the rotating combination 128 is driven, the CPU 340a of the lamp control board periodically transmits a confirmation signal via the slip ring 770 to the motor drive control unit 806 that constitutes the electric effect member. Check the return status of the ACK signal. When the ACK signal is not normally received, an abnormality is determined and an interrupt (abnormality notification) is output.

Therefore, when an abnormality such as a jump occurs in the slip ring 770, this can be appropriately detected, and an appropriate treatment for the occurrence of the abnormality can be quickly performed.
(2) In the present embodiment, whether the slip ring 770 is abnormal is determined based on the time when the ACK signal from the motor drive control unit 806 is not continuously received. Specifically, an interrupt is output when an ACK signal has never been received for the upper limit period Tx. Further, the upper limit period Tx is set to a time at which an ACK signal is received a plurality of times within the upper limit period Tx if it is normal.

Therefore, it is possible to detect an abnormality at an appropriate timing when an abnormality occurs while suppressing the occurrence of erroneous determination.
(3) In this embodiment, when an abnormality is detected as a result of the abnormality determination based on the ACK signal, an interrupt is output and a predetermined retry process is executed. By executing the retry process when an abnormality occurs, it is possible to resume normal operation while preventing failure or breakage of the rotating accessory 128.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, when an abnormality is detected, the rotational position of the rotating combination 128 is returned to the reference position, the electric effect member is returned to the initial position, and then the rotational combination 128 is re-driven. Therefore, re-driving after abnormality detection can be appropriately performed.

[Other Embodiments]
(1) As the rotary combination provided with the electric effect member, the rotary combination 128 exemplified in the above embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention can be applied to other various rotary combinations. That is, the shape and configuration of the rotating combination, the operation content, the arrangement position in the gaming machine 1, the number of arrangements, and the like can be appropriately determined. In addition, the type and number of electric effect members mounted on the rotating combination, the mounting position, the operation content, and the like can be determined as appropriate.

Then, the number and type of slip rings to be used, the mounting position, and the like can be appropriately determined according to the configuration of the rotating combination, the type and number of electric performance members to be mounted, and the like.
For example, LED is mounted on each of four parts 712, 722, 732, and 742 that are rotatably mounted on the rotating accessory 128, and a slip ring is provided on the rotating shaft of each of the parts 712, 722, 732, and 742, You may make it supply electric power to LED of each part via the slip ring.

  At this time, slip rings may be provided on the rotating shafts of the movable branches 711, 721, 731, 741, and power may be supplied to each part via the slip rings. The same applies to the case where each movable branch 711, 721, 731, 741 itself is provided with some kind of electric effect member such as an LED.

(2) Regarding the specific configuration of the slip ring, the configuration shown in FIG. 8 is merely an example, and other various slip rings can be used.
For example, a slip ring 3200 illustrated in FIG. 32A may be used. A slip ring 3200 shown in FIG. 32A includes a rotating electrode 780 that rotates integrally with a rotating body on which an electric performance member to be supplied with power is mounted, and four brushes 3201 to 3204. The rotating electrode 780 is the same as the rotating electrode 780 of the above embodiment, and includes a first ring 811, a second ring 812, a third ring 813, and a fourth ring 814. The first brush 3201 is in contact with the first ring 811, the second brush 3202 is in contact with the second ring 812, the third ring 3203 is in contact with the third brush 813, and the fourth The fourth brush 3204 is in contact with the ring 814.

  Specifically, the first brush 3201 has a long brush part 3201a and a short brush part 3201b shorter than the long brush part 3201a. Each brush part 3201a, 3201b is in the first ring 811. Touching different parts. The same applies to the second brush 3202, the third brush 3203, and the fourth brush 3204, which have long brush portions 3202a, 3203a, 3204a and short brush portions 3202b, 3203b, 3204b, respectively.

  By using the slip ring 3200 shown in FIG. 32A, the contact state between the pair of brushes and the ring can be kept better as a whole. That is, for example, in the first brush 3201, for example, even if the short brush portion 3201b jumps for some reason, as long as the long brush portion 3201a is in contact with the first ring 811 as a whole, the first brush 3201 as a whole. And the first ring 811 are maintained in contact with each other.

  For example, a slip ring 3210 as illustrated in FIG. 32B may be used. A slip ring 3210 shown in FIG. 32B has four annular electrodes 3221 concentrically with the rotation center of the rotating body 3211 on the rotating side surface (a surface parallel to the rotating surface) instead of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 3211. 3222, 3223, and 3224 are formed. The first brush 3231 is in contact with the first electrode 3221, the second brush 3232 is in contact with the second electrode 3222, and the third brush 3233 is in contact with the third electrode 3223, A fourth brush 3234 is in contact with the fourth electrode 3224. A slip ring 3210 as shown in FIG. 32B can be used in place of the slip ring 770 in the above embodiment.

Each of the slip rings 3200 and 3210 shown in FIGS. 32A and 32B is merely an example, and any other type of slip ring can be used.
(3) In addition, the present invention is not limited to the specific means and structure shown in the above embodiment, and can take various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, a part of the configuration of the above embodiment is replaced with a known configuration having the same function, added to or replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, or omitted as long as the problem can be solved. May be. Moreover, you may comprise combining several said embodiment suitably.

1 ... A game machine,
128 ... Rotating character,
340 ... Lamp control board (control means),
770 ... slip ring,
780 ... Rotating electrode,
806: Motor drive control unit (production unit),
808 ... Reference position detection sensor (reference position detection means)

Claims (2)

Rotating accessory, which is a rotationally driven accessory, on which an effect part for production and a rotating electrode of a slip ring for electrically connecting the effect part and the outside of the accessory are mounted,
Control means for controlling the effect unit;
With
The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the rendering unit receives a response request signal from the control means via the slip ring. A rotationally driven accessory, in which a rotating electrode of a slip ring for electrically connecting a power source for driving the accessory and the outside of the accessory is mounted,
A power source for driving the rotating combination;
With
The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein power is supplied from the power source through the slip ring.