JP2016055033A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine for performing a game performance control by serial communication which can reduce processing load of a CPU in a performance control board.SOLUTION: When allowing a plurality of game composition devices to work in the same way, a performance control board transmits a serial data signal including a common operation control signal corresponding to all of the plurality of game composition devices, to all of the plurality of game composition devices, and performs a control to allow the plurality of game composition devices to work in the same way.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to gaming machines such as pachinko machines and pachislot machines.

  The gaming machine as described above has a main control board that comprehensively controls the operation of the gaming machine and a sub-control board (effect control board) that controls the game effect based on the control signal from the main control board. Configured. In such a gaming machine, a cable harness (hereinafter simply referred to as a cable) includes a plurality of gaming component devices (such as various prize-winning devices, an illumination device, and a speaker device) provided at various locations on the sub-control board and the gaming machine. The sub-control board is configured to perform control by parallel communication in which each control signal is transmitted to each game component device via each cable. However, in such a configuration in which control is performed by parallel communication, the sub-control board and a plurality of game component devices are connected using respective cables, which increases the number of wires and makes wiring difficult. . Therefore, a gaming machine (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2) that connects a sub-control board and a plurality of game constituent devices using a single cable and performs game effect control by serial communication has been developed in recent years.

JP 2012-139538 A JP 2014-124394 A

  As described above, in a gaming machine that performs game effect control by serial communication, the number of wires can be reduced because a sub-control board (effect control board) and a plurality of game component devices can be connected using a single cable. Although there is an advantage that it can be performed, there is a problem that the processing load of a CPU (central processing unit) provided on the sub-control board increases as compared with a gaming machine that performs game effect control by conventional parallel communication.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and in a gaming machine that performs gaming effect control by serial communication, a gaming machine that can reduce the processing load on the CPU of the sub control board (effect control board). The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve such an object, a gaming machine according to the present invention includes a plurality of gaming component devices that operate in response to an operation control signal (for example, the actuator and driver controller included in the gaming component device 19 in the embodiment), and Production control means (for example, production / image control board in the embodiment) for transmitting serial data signals configured by linking operation control signals for controlling the operations of the plurality of game construction devices to the plurality of game construction devices. 90), wherein the effect control means and the plurality of game constituent devices are serially connected, and the serial data signal is serially communicated from the effect control means to all of the plurality of game constituent devices, Each of the plurality of game constituent devices receives the serial data signal from the effect control means, and Configured to perform the operation based on the operation content information contained therein is accepted only actuation control signal to the self at Rudeta signal. And when the said effect control means operates the said several game structure apparatus the same, the serial data signal comprised by the common operation control signal corresponding to all of the said several game structure apparatus is said several game structure apparatus. Is transmitted to all of the plurality of game constituent devices, and is configured to perform control for operating the plurality of game constituent devices in the same manner.

  According to the gaming machine according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the processing load of the CPU provided on the sub control board (effect control board) that performs the game effect control by serial communication.

It is a front view of the pachinko machine which is an example of the game machine concerning the present invention. It is a rear view of the pachinko machine. It is a front view of the game board with which the said pachinko machine is equipped. It is a rear view of the game board. It is a block diagram which shows a part of board | substrate arrangement | positioning of the said pachinko machine, and a control system. It is a block diagram showing a part of the control system of the effect / image control board. It is a timing chart which shows an example of the serial data output from the said production | presentation and image control board, (a) is a timing chart in the case of normal control, (b) is a timing chart in the case of operating some actuators the same. is there. It is a timing chart of the said serial data in the case of hold | maintaining all the actuators in a stop state. It is a timing chart which shows an example of the above-mentioned serial data which also showed the contents of control when the above-mentioned production and image control board received the same actuator information.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, an overall configuration of a pachinko machine PM that is an example of a gaming machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pachinko machine PM has a rectangular frame size adapted to the front of the opening of the outer frame 1 that forms a vertically fixed holding frame that is configured to have an outer rectangular frame size. The front frame 2 that forms the upper and lower hinge mechanisms 3 disposed on the front left edge of each other is attached so as to be openable and closable and detachable, and is called a double lock provided on the front right edge. 4 is always kept in a closed state engaged and connected to the outer frame 1.

  On the front side of the front frame 2, a rectangular glass frame 5 that fits the upper front area of the front frame 2 is assembled so that it can be opened and closed laterally and removably using the upper and lower hinge mechanisms 3, and the locking device 4 is used. Thus, it is always kept in a closed state covering the front surface of the front frame 2. On the front side of the front frame 2 located behind the glass frame 5, a storage frame for detachably storing the game board 10 is provided, and the game board 10 is detachable from the rear in an upper region of the storage frame. The game area PA on the front side of the game board 10 can be viewed through the multilayer glass of the glass frame 5 which is held in a set and is always closed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the game board 10 includes a decorative board 11 formed by attaching a cell printed with a predetermined pattern on a rectangular laminated plywood subjected to router processing or the like. A substantially circular game area PA on which the game ball can roll is defined on the front surface of the decorative board 11 and is not shown in detail in FIG. 3, but in this game area PA, a large number of game nails and A game composition device such as a windmill, various prize-winning devices 14, and a central ornament 15 is provided. At the lower end portion of the game area PA, an out port is formed through the decorative board 11 in the front-rear direction for discharging a game ball that has fallen to the back side without falling into the winning tool. Further, on the back side of the game board 10, as shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the ball gathering cover 12, a main control board unit 34 </ b> U that accommodates and holds a main control board 34 described later, a liquid crystal display device 50, and the like. A liquid crystal unit 40 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 1, upper and lower ball trays 6 and 7 for storing game balls are provided on the front side of the lower portion of the glass frame 5, and a game ball is fired on the front right side of the lower ball tray 7. A firing handle 8 is provided. In addition, on the front side of the glass frame 5, there are appropriately provided an electric decoration device such as a light emitting diode (LED) or a lamp, a speaker device for generating a sound effect according to the developed state of the game, etc. in FIG. It shows the state where is removed.

  On the back side of the front frame 2, as shown in FIG. 2, there is a back that is based on a base frame that is formed in a rectangular frame that is somewhat smaller than the front frame 2 and has a window that communicates with the front and rear. The set panel 20 is connected to the rear of the front frame 2 via the upper and lower hinge mechanisms 3 so as to be openable / closable and detachable. A transparent resin protective cover 29 having a rectangular box shape with an open front is detachably mounted on the back set board 20 and always covers the rear side of the game board 10 attached to the front frame 2. It is arranged.

  The back set board 20 is connected to a ball storage tank 21 for storing a large number of game balls, a tank rail 22 extending from the ball storage tank 21 with a gentle downward slope to the right, and a right end of the tank rail 22. An alignment standby passage 23 extending downward, a ball payout device 24 for paying out game balls waiting in the alignment standby passage 23 under predetermined conditions, and provided below the ball payout device 24 and paid out from the ball payout device 24 A payout passage (not shown) for guiding the game ball to the upper ball tray 6, and an overflow ball that branches from this payout passage and guides the game ball discharged when the upper ball tray 6 is full to the lower ball tray 7 A passage (not shown) and the like are provided. Under the back set panel 20, a power supply board unit 31U that accommodates and holds a power supply board 31 described later, a frame effect connection board unit 32U that accommodates and holds a frame effect connection board 32, and a payout control board that holds and holds a payout control board 33. A unit 33U and the like are attached.

  The pachinko machine PM configured as described above is used for gaming in a state where the outer frame 1 is fixedly installed on the game island (installation frame base) of the game facility, and the front frame 2, the glass frame 5 and the like are closed and locked. The game is started by storing the game ball in the upper ball tray 6 and rotating the launch handle 8. When the firing handle 8 is operated to rotate, the game balls stored in the upper ball tray 6 are sent one by one to the guide holder of the game assisting board by the ball feeding cassette disposed on the back side of the glass frame 5. Then, it is struck into the game area PA by the hammer of the launch mechanism, and thereafter the pachinko game is developed.

  Next, the control boards provided on the game board 10 and the back set board 20 will be described in a little more detail with reference to FIG. 2, FIG. 4, and FIG. Each control board such as the main control board 34 and the payout control board 33 is properly accommodated in a transparent resin case member to prevent unauthorized modification (the main control board unit 34U and the payout control board unit described above). 33U).

  As shown in FIG. 2, a power supply board 31 (power supply board unit 31 </ b> U) that receives power from the amusement facility side and supplies power to each control board and electric / electronic components is disposed on the lower part of the back side of the back set board 20, and glass A frame effect connection board 32 (frame effect connection board unit 32U) that controls various effects such as electric decoration control, audio control, actuator control, etc. of the electric decoration device and the speaker device provided in the frame 5 is arranged side by side. It is arranged. And the payout control board 33 (payout control board unit 33U) which performs control regarding launch and payout of the game ball is attached so as to cover the rear side of the power supply board 31 and the frame effect connection board 32.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, a main control board 34 (main control board unit 34 </ b> U) that plays a central role in the control of the pachinko machine PM is attached to the back side of the game board 10. A game board relay terminal board (not shown) is attached to the front side. As shown in FIG. 5, a liquid crystal display panel 51 for displaying effect images and lottery symbols corresponding to various game developments is disposed above the main control board 34, and the rear surface of the liquid crystal display panel 51. On the side, the liquid crystal relay board 56, the effect / image control board 90, and the interface board 140 are attached to form the liquid crystal unit 40 described later.

  The effect / image control board 90 and the frame effect connection board 32 are conventionally constituted by a single circuit board as the effect board. However, the circuit board 10 (the liquid crystal display panel 51) is divided into a plurality of circuit boards. An effect / image control board 90 is provided on the game board 10 for realizing an effect function that differs depending on the type of the game board 10, and a frame for realizing an effect function common to the frame regardless of the type of the game board 10. The effect connection board 32 is provided on the back set board 20 side.

  Thus, the liquid crystal unit 40 holding the effect / image control board 90 and the like for controlling the image displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 51 is attached to the back side of the game board 10. As shown in FIG. 4, a central ornament mounting hole 13 penetrating the decorative board 11 is formed at a substantially central portion of the game board 10, and a central ornament (center accessory) is formed in the central ornament mounting hole 13. 15 is attached. The central ornament 15 is formed with a substantially rectangular parallelepiped internal space 16 (see FIG. 3) that opens forward and backward, and the opening surface area of the internal space 16 is disposed on the back side of the game board 10. It is formed in accordance with the display screen size of the liquid crystal unit 40 (liquid crystal display panel 51). The liquid crystal unit 40 is fixed by being screwed to the back side of the game board 10, and the player can view the liquid crystal unit 40 from the front of the pachinko machine PM through the double-glazed glass of the glass frame 5 and the internal space 16 of the game board 10. The entire display screen is visible.

  The liquid crystal unit 40 has a rectangular liquid crystal display device 50 having a liquid crystal display panel 51 for displaying a predetermined image as a display screen when attached to the game board 10, and a rear surface side of the liquid crystal display device 50. And a control board assembly 80 having circuit boards for controlling various effects including image display on the liquid crystal display panel 51.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the control board assembly 80 controls the game effect of the entire pachinko machine PM and the image displayed on the liquid crystal display device 50 based on the effect control signal input from the main control board 34. An effect / image control board 90 to be performed, and an interface board 140 that relays control signals output from the effect / image control board 90 to the game component devices 19 such as various prizes 14 and the central ornament 15 provided on the game board 10. A liquid crystal relay substrate 56 that relays a control signal output from the effect / image control board 90 to the liquid crystal display device 50; a first substrate cover 160 that covers the rear side of the effect / image control board 90 and the liquid crystal relay board 56; And a second substrate cover 165 that covers the rear surface side of the interface substrate 140, and is detachably attached to the rear surface side of the liquid crystal display device 50. It has been.

  The effect / image control board 90 is a board for controlling the effect of the pachinko machine PM (including the version) and game development, and the image displayed on the liquid crystal display device 50. The production / image control board 90 uses a rectangular printed wiring board as a board, and CPU (central processing unit), various semiconductor devices, electronic components such as resistors, capacitors, etc. are mounted on the printed wiring board. A circuit and a liquid crystal panel drive circuit are formed. A first connection connector 94 is provided at the lower edge of the effect / image control board 90. The effect / image control board 90 is electrically connected to the effect / image control board 90 from the main control board 34 via a cable harness (not shown) connected to the first connection connector 94 so that one-way communication is possible. Has been.

A second connection connector 92 is provided on the left edge of the effect / image control board 90. The effect / image control board 90 is electrically connected to the liquid crystal relay board 56 via a cable harness (not shown) connected to the second connection connector 92. The effect / image control board 90 reads out the image data (animation image) stored in the image ROM of the effect ROM board (not shown) according to the game development situation, and the liquid crystal display panel 51 via the liquid crystal relay board 56. Control for outputting a video output signal to display an animation video is performed.

  A third connection connector 95 is provided on the effect / image control board 90 to the right of the first connection connector 94. The effect / image control board 90 is electrically connected to the frame effect connection board 32 via a cable harness (not shown) connected to the third connection connector 95. The effect / image control board 90 reads the sound data stored in the sound ROM of the sound ROM board (not shown) in response to the sound request, and synthesizes the sound data and generates the sound control signal as the frame effect connection board 32. To control the sound. In addition, the effect / image control board 90 outputs an electric decoration control signal to the frame effect connection board 32 to perform electric decoration control.

  A fourth connection connector 93 is provided on the right edge of the effect / image control board 90. The fourth connection connector 93 is a so-called board-to-board connector. The effect / image control board 90 is connected to the connection board 145 (board-to-board connector) provided on the interface board 140 by the fourth connection connector 93 and is electrically connected to the interface board 140 (board-to-board). -Board connection).

  The interface board 140 uses a rectangular printed wiring board as a board, and a plurality of connection connectors 142, 144, 145 are mounted on the printed wiring board 141. The interface board 140 is connected to the connector 142 through a cable harness (not shown), and a plurality of game constituent devices 19 (various prizes 14, center decoration 15, etc.) disposed on the board surface of the game board 10. And is electrically connected. The interface board 140 is electrically connected to the frame effect connection board 32 via a cable harness (not shown) connected to the connection connector 144. Further, the interface board 140 is electrically connected to the effect / image control board 90 (board-to-board) by the connection connector 145 and the fourth connection connector 93 provided on the effect / image control board 90 being fitted and connected. Board connection). The effect / image control board 90 outputs an actuator control signal and an electric decoration control signal to the plurality of game composition devices 19 disposed on the game board 10 via the interface board 140, and each of the plurality of game composition devices 19. Actuator control and electrical decoration control are performed.

  Next, as an example of an embodiment according to the present invention, actuator control and electrical decoration control of a plurality of game constituent devices 19 (various prizes 14, center decorations 15, etc.) by the production / image control board 90 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 will be used for explanation. FIG. 6 shows a control block diagram of a plurality of actuators (for example, an electric motor and a solenoid) constituting the plurality of game constituent devices 19. In the following description, the effect / image control board 90 corresponds to “effect control means” recited in the claims.

  Each of the plurality of game configuration devices 19 includes a plurality of actuators A11, A12,..., A72 and a plurality of driver controllers IC1 to IC7. Each of the plurality of driver controllers IC1 to IC7 has two connection terminals ChA and B. Using these connection terminals ChA and B, each of the plurality of driver controllers IC1 to IC7 has a separate cable harness. Is electrically connected. For example, as shown in the figure, two actuators A11 and A12 are connected to the first driver controller IC1. Note that the two actuators connected to one driver controller are actuators having the same structure that are operated by the same type of operation control signal.

  Each of the actuators A11, A12,..., A72 is provided with an operation state sensor that detects the operation state of the actuator, and each of the operation state sensors S11, S12,. Each of which is electrically connected. In FIG. 6, the driver controllers IC <b> 3 to IC <b> 6 and the actuators and operating state sensors connected to these are omitted. In FIG. 6, seven driver controllers IC1 to IC7 and 14 actuators A11, A12,..., A72 connected to these are shown as an example. The number is changed according to the type of the game board 10 (the number and type of the game constituent devices 19).

  The effect / image control board 90 and the plurality of driver controllers IC <b> 1 to IC <b> 7 are electrically connected using a single cable harness, and are configured to perform serial communication via this cable harness. In the following, the cable harness connecting the production / image control board 90 and the plurality of driver controllers IC1 to IC7 is referred to as a serial communication cable. This serial communication cable is a cable harness composed of four signal lines of a chip enable line CE, a serial clock line SCL, a first serial data line SDA, and a second serial data line SDO, and each signal line branches. The driver controllers IC1 to IC7 are electrically connected (serial connection). On the other hand, each of the driver controllers IC1 to IC7 and the two actuators are electrically connected (parallel connection) so as to perform parallel communication via different cable harnesses.

  The effect / image control board 90 configured as described above is based on the effect control signal input from the main control board 34, and a plurality of operation controls having address information and operation content information of the actuators A11 and the like. A serial data signal (see FIG. 7 (a)) formed by connecting a signal (control command) and one load command signal (LOAD command) in a line is sent to all driver controllers via the serial communication cable. Transmit to IC1 to IC7. When each of the driver controllers IC1 to IC7 receives the serial data signal, the driver controller IC1 to IC7 extracts only the operation control signal having the address information of the actuator connected to itself from the serial data signal, and updates and stores it in the memory. The operation control signal having the address information is passed through. Then, in response to the load command signal at the end of the serial data signal, the operation control signal (parallel data) stored in the memory is separately transmitted to the actuator corresponding to the address information to operate the actuator. Is supposed to do. In this way, the production / image control board 90 is configured to transmit the serial data signal to all the driver controllers IC1 to IC7 at a predetermined interval (for example, every 1 ms) to control the operation of all the actuators A11 and the like. Yes.

  In this way, the driver controller and the actuator send an operation control signal to each actuator by parallel communication. For this reason, for example, the first driver controller IC1 requires a serial data signal including two operation control signals for the first and second actuators A11 and A12 connected to the first driver controller IC1. Therefore, when the first and second actuators A11 and A12 are operated separately, the production / image control board 90 has the first operation control signal (first operation) having the address information and the operation content information of the first actuator A11. A serial data signal (see FIG. 7A) including a control command) and a second operation control signal (second control command) having address information and operation content information of the second actuator A12. The first driver controller IC1 extracts only the first operation control signal and the second control signal from the received serial data signal, updates and stores them in the memory, receives the load command signal, and stores the first operation control signal stored in the memory. Is transmitted to the first actuator A11 to operate the first actuator A11, and the second operation control signal is transmitted to the second actuator A12 to control the operation of the second actuator A12.

  However, the production / image control board 90 has a common operation control signal (common control command) having address information and operation content information for designating all actuators to be operated in the same manner when a plurality of actuators are operated in the same manner, and other A serial data signal (see FIG. 7B) configured by linking an actuator control signal (control command) having address information and operation content information of each actuator and a load command signal (LOAD command) in a line. It transmits to all the driver controllers IC1-IC7, and it is comprised so that operation control of an actuator may be performed by the driver controller IC1-IC7 similarly to the above, and the said several actuator may be controlled to operate | move the same.

  For example, when causing the first and second actuators A11 and A12 connected to the first driver controller IC1 to perform the same operation, the effect / image control board 90 causes both the first and second actuators A11 and A12 to operate. A serial data signal (see FIG. 7B) including a common operation control signal (common control command) having address information to be specified and operation content information is transmitted. The first driver controller IC1 extracts only the common operation control signal from the received serial data signal, updates and stores it in the memory, receives the load command signal, and transmits the common operation control signal stored in the memory to the first and second actuators. Control is performed so that the first and second actuators A11 and A12 are operated in the same manner by transmitting to both A11 and A12. FIG. 7B shows a serial data signal that also includes a common operation control signal when the two actuators A71 and A72 connected to the seventh driver controller IC7 are operated in the same manner. Thus, by making the operation control signals of the actuators to be operated in common to each other, the number of operation control signals (data amount of serial data) constituting the serial data signal can be reduced. Therefore, the processing load on the CPU (central processing unit) provided on the effect / image control board 90 can be reduced.

  When the serial data signal is not transmitted from the effect / image control board 90, the driver controllers IC1 to IC7 perform control to continue the operation of all the actuators A11 and the like by the serial data transmitted last time. . Therefore, in consideration of control stability and safety (for example, prevention of abnormal control), each of the driver controllers IC1 to IC7 continuously outputs serial data from the rendering / image control board 90 for a predetermined time (for example, 320 ms). When no signal is received, a stop control signal is transmitted to the two connected actuators to perform control to stop the operation of the two actuators.

  As described above, when the driver controllers IC1 to IC7 do not receive the serial data, the driver controllers IC1 to IC7 perform control to continue the operations of all the actuators A11 and the like. There is no need to transmit a serial data signal from the effect / image control board 90, but when no serial data signal is transmitted from the effect / image control board 90 for a predetermined time (eg, 320 ms) as described above, Each of the driver controllers IC1 to IC7 transmits a stop control signal to two actuators connected to the driver controller IC1 to IC7 to stop the actuators.

Therefore, the production / image control board 90 sends serial data signals consisting only of load command signals to all the driver controllers at intervals shorter than the predetermined time (time set for the driver controller to transmit the stop control signal). Transmit to IC1 to IC7. Each of the driver controllers IC1 to IC7 receives the load command signal of the received serial data signal, and transmits the operation control signal previously transmitted and stored in the memory to the two actuators connected to the driver controller IC1 to IC7, respectively. In this way, control is performed so that all actuators A11 and the like continuously perform the same operation. In this way, the production / image control board 90 periodically transmits the serial data signal consisting only of the load command signal, so that the malfunction of the actuator due to noise can be prevented.

  In addition, when the same operation is continuously performed for some actuators and another operation is performed for other actuators, the production / image control board 90 outputs an operation control signal of the some actuators. The serial data signal which is not included and is constituted by connecting the operation control signal having the address information and the operation content information of the other actuators and the load command signal in a line is transmitted to all the driver controllers IC1 to IC7. Each of the driver controllers to which the part of the actuators are connected receives the load command signal of the received serial data signal, and transmits the operation control signal previously transmitted and stored in the memory to the actuator to perform the same operation. To continue. On the other hand, each of the driver controllers to which the other actuators are connected extracts only the operation control signal corresponding to the actuator connected to itself from the received serial data signal, updates and stores it in the memory, and receives the load command signal. The operation control signal stored in the memory is transmitted to the actuator to perform control to perform another operation. That is, the production / image control board 90 does not transmit a new operation control signal to the driver controller corresponding to the actuator that continuously performs the same operation, but transmits only the load command signal, and the previous serial data. The actuator is made to continuously perform the same operation using the operation control signal already stored in the memory of the driver controller at the time of signal transmission. According to such a configuration, the data amount of serial data can be reduced by the amount of the actuator operation control signal for continuing the same operation. Therefore, the processing load on the CPU (central processing unit) provided on the effect / image control board 90 can be reduced.

  The operation of the actuator includes an operation for stopping the actuator (stop operation). For example, when stopping all the actuators A11 and the like, the effect / image control board 90 includes a stop control signal (stop control command) having address information and stop operation information for specifying all the actuators A11 and the like, and a load command. A serial data signal (see FIG. 8) configured by connecting a signal (LOAD instruction) in a line is transmitted to all the driver controllers IC1 to IC7. Each of the driver controllers IC1 to IC7 updates and stores the stop control signal of the received serial data signal in the memory, receives the load command signal, and receives the stop control signal stored in the memory for both of the two actuators connected to itself. To stop all actuators A11 and the like. When all the actuators A11 and the like are stopped in this way, the serial data signal is made up of two control signals, that is, a stop control signal and a load command signal, and the amount of serial data can be greatly reduced. Therefore, the processing load on the CPU (central processing unit) provided on the effect / image control board 90 can be reduced.

  Each of the driver controllers IC1 to IC7 receives the operating state information of the actuators from the operating state sensors provided in the two actuators connected to itself, and stores the operating state information of the two actuators in the memory. It is like that. When each of the driver controllers IC1 to IC7 receives a serial data signal (operation control signals for the two connected actuators) from the effect / image control board 90, the operation of the two actuators stored in the memory is performed. State information is sent back to the effect / image control board 90. The effect / image control board 90 transmits a new serial data signal to control the operation of each actuator based on the operating state information of the actuator returned in this way.

For example, when the first driver controller IC1 receives the operation control signal of the actuator A11 in the serial data signal, the operation state information of both of the two actuators A11 and A12 stored in the memory is returned to the effect / image control board 90. Further, when the operation control signal of the actuator A12 in the serial data signal is received, the operation state information of both of the two actuators A11 and A12 is returned to the effect / image control board 90 again. Here, when receiving the load command signal in the serial data signal, the first driver controller IC1 transmits the operation control signal stored in the memory to operate the actuators A11 and A12. Therefore, the operation state information of the actuators A11 and A12 returned when the operation control signal of the actuator A11 is received is the same as the operation state information of the actuators A11 and A12 returned when the operation control signal of the actuator A12 is received. Information.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the production / image control board 90 receives the actuator operation state information from the same driver controller a plurality of times before sending the load command signal in the serial data signal. One operation state information is stored in the memory, and the other operation state information is not stored in the memory but ignored. At this time, the effect / image control board 90 compares the received plurality of operating state information, and determines that the information is reliable when the operating state information matches, and stores the information in the memory when the operating state information does not match. It may be configured to perform control so that the operating state information is not stored in the memory. When the operating state information of the same actuator is returned in this way, only one of the information is stored in the memory, so that the number of processing times stored in the memory can be reduced, thereby producing the production / image control. The processing load on the CPU of the substrate 90 can be reduced.

  In addition, as for the illumination control of the illumination part (light emitting diode (LED) or lamp) of the plurality of game composition devices 19 (center decoration 15 or the like) by the production / image control board 90, as in the actuator control described above, The image control board 90 is configured to connect one serial data signal formed by linking the operation control signal having the address information and operation content information of each of the plurality of illumination units and the load command signal in a row, and the plurality of illumination units. Are transmitted to all the driver controllers provided for each of the plurality of lighting units, and the lighting control of each of the plurality of lighting units is performed. The details of the electrical decoration control are the same as the actuator control described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  Further, the actuator control and the illumination control by the effect / image control board 90 are divided into different systems to perform control (for a plurality of driver controllers provided for a plurality of actuators and a plurality of illumination units). A plurality of driver controllers provided may be connected to the effect / image control board 90 using different serial communication cables for control). In addition, for the lighting control, voice control and actuator control by the frame effect connecting board 32 such as the lighting device and speaker device provided in the glass frame 5, the actuator control and the lighting control by the effect / image control board 90 are also described. Similarly, control is performed using serial communication.

  As described above, according to the gaming machine according to the present embodiment, when the production / image control board 90 operates a plurality of actuators in the same manner, a common operation including address information and operation content information for designating all the actuators to be operated in the same manner. A serial data signal having a control signal is transmitted to operate the plurality of actuators in the same manner. According to such a configuration, in the serial data signal, by making the operation control signal of the actuator to be operated the same as a common signal, the effect / image control board 90 transmits to all the driver controllers IC1 to IC7. The data amount of the data signal (the number of operation control signals constituting the serial data) can be reduced (see FIG. 7B). Therefore, the processing load on the CPU (central processing unit) provided on the effect / image control board 90 can be reduced.

Further, when the production / image control board 90 causes the actuator to continue to perform the same operation, a new operation control signal is not transmitted to the driver controller corresponding to the actuator, and only the load command signal is transmitted. The actuator is configured to continuously perform the same operation using the operation control signal already stored in the memory of the driver controller when the serial data signal is transmitted last time. According to such a configuration, the same operation is continued with the amount of serial data (the number of operation control signals constituting the serial data) transmitted from the rendering / image control board 90 to all the driver controllers IC1 to IC7. Thus, the actuator operation control signal can be reduced. Therefore, the processing load on the CPU of the effect / image control board 90 can be reduced.

  In addition, the actuator / operating state information is returned from the same driver controller a plurality of times until the production / image control board 90 transmits the load command signal in the serial data signal (before each actuator is operated). In such a case, the received one operation state information is stored in the memory, and the other operation state information is not stored in the memory but ignored. According to such a configuration, the CPU of the rendering / image control board 90 can reduce the number of times the CPU of the rendering / image control board 90 stores the operation state information of the actuator in the memory. Can be made.

  Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a pachinko machine has been described. However, other game machines such as a pachislot machine, a sparrow ball game machine, an arrange ball game machine, and an ECO game machine (enclosed pachinko machine). The present invention can be applied to the same, and in that case, the same effect can be obtained.

PM Pachinko machine (game machine)
19 Game composition device 34 Main control board 90 Production / image control board (production control board)
IC1 to IC7 Driver controller

Claims (3)

A plurality of game components that operate in response to an operation control signal;
Production control means for transmitting serial data signals configured by linking operation control signals for controlling the operations of the plurality of game constituent devices in a row to the plurality of game constituent devices,
The effect control means and the plurality of game composition devices are serially connected, and are configured to serially communicate the serial data signal from the effect control means to all of the plurality of game composition devices,
Each of the plurality of game constituent devices receives the serial data signal from the effect control means, receives only the operation control signal for itself in the serial data signal, and operates based on the operation content information included therein. Configured as
When the plurality of game constituent devices are operated in the same manner, the effect control means sends a serial data signal constituted by a common operation control signal corresponding to all of the plurality of game constituent devices to all of the plurality of game constituent devices. The gaming machine is configured to perform control for transmitting the plurality of gaming component devices to the same operation. A plurality of operation state sensors for detecting the operation states of the plurality of game component devices;
Each of the plurality of operation state sensors returns the operation state information of the detection target game constituent device to the effect control means when the detection target game constituent device receives an operation control signal for itself in the serial data signal. Configured to
The production control means transmits the serial data signal and activates the plurality of game configuration devices based on the operation content information included therein, and the same game configuration from each of the plurality of operation state sensors. When the operating state information of the apparatus is returned a plurality of times, the received one operating state information is stored in a storage unit, and the other operating state information is not stored and is ignored. The gaming machine according to claim 1.   Each of the plurality of game constituent devices includes a plurality of actuators and a driver controller that receives the serial data signal from the effect control means and performs control to operate the plurality of actuators based on the operation content information. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the gaming machine is configured.

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