JP2016073759A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine capable of suitably enhancing an attention degree to a motion of a game ball.SOLUTION: A lower operation ball entry part, where game balls can enter, is provided in a game board of a pachinko machine. A stage device 310 for guiding the game balls to the lower operation ball entry part is arranged above the lower operation ball entry part. The stage device 310 comprises a plurality of movable plates arranged side by side in a front-and-rear direction, and a drive mechanism for raising and lowering the movable plates individually. The game balls placed on the upper end parts of the movable plates are guided in front of a game machine by raising and lowering the movable plates. The upper end parts of the movable plates have a wave shape extending to the left and right. The game balls retained in the wave-shaped portions are distributed to the left and right according to a relative position of the two opposing movable plates when the game balls are guided to the front. Eccentric cams are arranged in the drive mechanism parallely in the left and right. The movable plates are raised and lowered in accordance with the rotation of the eccentric cams. A phase difference is set in both eccentric cams. The relative position changes when the movable plates are displaced in the left and right due to the generation of a vertical interval during the raising and lowering of the movable plates.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine.

  Some gaming machines, such as pachinko gaming machines, include a game board in which a game area in which game balls flow down is formed. When the game ball launch handle is operated by the player, the game ball is fired toward the game area, and when the fired game ball enters the entrance part provided in the game area, the game ball is paid out based on the game ball. Are given to the player.

  In gaming machines where the provision of benefits depends on the movement of the game ball in this way, by arranging nails, windmills, etc. in the game area, the flow path of the game ball is dispersed and the movement of the game ball is controlled. Some diversify to increase attention to the movement of the game ball.

  Also, in recent years, a game with increased attention to the movement of the game ball by providing a guide unit such as a stage unit that guides the game ball to a predetermined entry part, etc., and changing the movement of the game ball. A machine has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-071059 A

  Here, the game ball that has reached the above-described guiding unit (stage unit) often swings the stage unit, for example, at a constant rhythm, and the configuration of the stage unit is such as providing unexpectedness to the movement of the game ball. There is still room for improvement.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a gaming machine that can suitably increase the degree of attention to the movement of a game ball.

The present invention
A game board in which a game area is formed;
A plurality of movable members provided in the gaming area and arranged side by side;
Containing by the upper end of these movable members, and a staying portion formed so as to be able to stay in a state where a game ball is placed,
A guide means is provided for guiding the game ball staying in the staying portion at least in front of the gaming machine by raising and lowering the movable member to cause a height difference in the staying portion.

  The degree of attention to the movement of the game ball can be preferably increased.

It is a front view of the pachinko machine in one embodiment. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the main structures of a pachinko machine. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the main structures of a pachinko machine. It is a front view which shows the structure of an inner frame. It is a front view which shows the structure of a game board. It is a rear view which shows the structure of an inner frame. It is a perspective view which shows the back surface structure of a game board. It is a rear view of the game board which shows the state which removed the main controller unit. It is a front view which shows the structure of a back pack unit. (A) is a front view of a variable game device, (b) is a rear view of a variable game device. It is the perspective view which looked at the variable game device from the front side. It is a disassembled perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows a variable game apparatus for every main structures. (A) is a front view of a stage unit, (b) is a top view of a stage unit. It is the perspective view which looked at the stage unit from the game machine front. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the stage unit from the front side. It is an AA line fragmentary sectional view of Drawing 13 (a). 13A is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 13A, FIG. 13B is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 13B, and FIG. 13C is a front view of the drive mechanism. It is a timing chart which shows a motion of each movable plate. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of a movable plate. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of a movable plate. It is the schematic which shows the structure regarding distribution of a game ball. (A) is explanatory drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the movable plate based on a 1st drive signal, (b) is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the movement of the movable plate based on a 2nd drive signal. It is the schematic which shows a motion of a movable plate. (A) is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the change of the positional relationship of the 1st movable plate group and 2nd movable plate group based on a 1st drive signal, (b) is the 1st movable plate based on a 2nd drive signal. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the change of the positional relationship of a group and a 2nd movable plate group. It is the schematic which shows the relationship between movable plates. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of a pachinko machine. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the content of the various counters used for a success / failure lottery. (A) is a flowchart showing timer interrupt processing in the MPU of the main control unit, and (b) is a flowchart showing stage drive processing in the MPU of the main control unit.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a pachinko gaming machine (hereinafter referred to as “pachinko machine”), which is a type of gaming machine, will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of the pachinko machine 10, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views showing an unfolded main configuration of the pachinko machine 10. In FIG. 2, the configuration in the game area in the pachinko machine 10 is omitted for convenience.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pachinko machine 10 includes an outer frame 11 that forms an outer shell of the pachinko machine 10, and a gaming machine main part 12 attached to the outer frame 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer frame 11 is configured by connecting a wooden plate member to four sides and has a rectangular frame shape. By attaching and fixing the outer frame 11 to the island facility, the pachinko machine 10 is installed in the game hall. In the pachinko machine 10, the outer frame 11 is not an essential configuration, and the outer frame 11 may be provided on the island facility of the game arcade.

  The gaming machine main part 12 is supported by the outer frame 11 so as to be opened and closed. Specifically, the upper support bracket 17 is fixed to a connection portion between the upper frame portion and the left frame portion in the outer frame 11, and further, a lower portion is connected to the connection portion between the lower frame portion and the left frame portion in the outer frame 11. Side support fittings 18 are provided. The upper support bracket 17 and the lower support bracket 18 form a support mechanism. The support mechanism causes the gaming machine main unit 12 to turn the left side of the pachinko machine 10 in the front view with respect to the outer frame 11. In addition, the right side can be turned forward of the pachinko machine 10 with the turning tip side.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the gaming machine main part 12 includes an inner frame 13 as a base body, a front door frame 14 arranged in front of the inner frame 13, and a back pack arranged behind the inner frame 13. Unit 15. The inner frame 13 of the gaming machine main part 12 is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the outer frame 11. Specifically, the inner frame 13 can be rotated forward with the left side as a rotation base end side and the right side as a rotation front end side in front view.

  A front door frame 14 is rotatably supported by the inner frame 13 and can be rotated forward with the left side as a rotation base end side and the right side as a rotation front end side in a front view. Further, a back pack unit 15 is rotatably supported on the inner frame 13, and the back pack unit 15 is rearward with the left side as a rotation base end side and the right side as a rotation front end side in a front view of the gaming machine. It can be rotated (see FIG. 3).

  Next, the front door frame 14 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the front door frame 14 is mainly composed of a synthetic resin frame body 20 whose outer shape is substantially the same as that of the outer frame 11, and covers almost the entire front surface of the inner frame 13. Yes. A substantially elliptical window portion 21 is formed in the central portion of the frame body 20 so that almost the entire gaming area described later can be viewed from the front. The door frame 14 is closed from the back side.

  The glass unit 22 includes a plurality of transparent glass panels 23 and a glass holder 24 that holds the glass panels 23. The glass holder 24 is formed with a partition portion for partitioning the holding region of the glass panel 23 in the front-rear direction, and the two glass panels 23 face each other in the front-rear direction with the partition portion interposed therebetween. That is, by securing a predetermined gap between the glass panels 23, the gaming area PE is covered by the glass panels 23 from the front side of the pachinko machine 10 while avoiding interference between the glass panels 23. It is in a state.

  In addition, it is not always necessary to unitize both glass panels 23 using the glass holder 24, and each glass panel 23 may be individually attached to the frame body 20. Furthermore, the number of glass panels is arbitrary, and may be one or three or more. However, from the viewpoint of improving safety and security, it is preferable to employ a plurality of glass panels and to make the glass panels face each other across a predetermined gap. Incidentally, it is also possible to employ a synthetic resin panel member having transparency instead of the glass panel.

  As shown in FIG. 1, light emitting means such as various lamps are provided around the glass unit 22 (specifically, the window portion 21). For example, an annular illumination part 26 incorporating a light emitting means such as an LED is provided along the periphery of the window part 21. In the annular illumination part 26, lighting or blinking is performed according to a change in the gaming state at the time of big hit or at a predetermined reach. In addition, an error display lamp unit 27 is provided at the center of the annular illumination unit 26 and at the uppermost part of the pachinko machine 10 to be lit when a predetermined error occurs. A prize ball lamp unit 28 is provided to light up. Further, a speaker unit 29 is provided at a position close to the left and right prize ball lamp units 28 to output sound effects corresponding to the gaming state.

  Below the window portion 21 in the front door frame 14 (frame body 20), an upper bulging portion 31 and a lower bulging portion 32 that bulge toward the front side are arranged side by side. An upper pan 33 that opens upward is provided inside the upper bulging portion 31, and a lower pan 34 that also opens upward is provided inside the lower bulging portion 32. The upper plate 33 has a function of temporarily storing game balls paid out from a payout device described later and guiding them to the game ball launching mechanism described later while aligning them in a line. In addition, the lower tray 34 has a function of storing game balls that become surplus in the upper tray 33.

  A game ball launching handle 41 is provided on the right side of the lower bulging portion 32 so as to protrude toward the front side. By operating the game ball launch handle 41, a game ball is launched from a game ball launch mechanism described later.

  A display unit 45 constituted by a dot display having a large number of light-emitting dots is provided above the game ball launch handle 41, between the symbol display device described later in detail and the game ball launch handle 41. On the display unit 45, various information related to the game (for example, suggestion of jackpot etc.) is displayed. Further, in the present embodiment, there is a configuration in which there is a difference in advantage and disadvantage in game progress between when the game ball flows down so as to bypass the right side of the symbol display device and when it flows down so as to bypass the left side. The display unit 45 displays information on how the game ball can be launched to advantageously advance the game. Specifically, information that prompts the player to launch a game ball that bypasses the left side of the symbol display device is displayed during the low-frequency support mode described later, and the right side of the symbol display device is bypassed during the high-frequency support mode. Information that prompts the player to launch a game ball is displayed, and the game can be advantageously advanced by performing a game ball launch operation according to the displayed information. In addition, as described above, information related to the operation is displayed at a position close to the game ball launch handle 41 (between the symbol display device and the game ball launch handle 41 in more detail). The amount of eye movement between the handle 41 and the symbol display device is reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a passage forming unit 50 is attached to the back surface of the front door frame 14. The passage forming unit 50 is formed of a synthetic resin, and includes a front door side upper dish passage 51 that communicates with the upper dish 33 and a front door side lower dish passage 52 that communicates with the lower dish 34. In the passage forming unit 50, a receiving portion 53 that protrudes rearward and opens upward is formed at an upper corner portion thereof, and the receiving portion 53 is divided into left and right portions by a partition wall 54, whereby the front door side upper plate is formed. An entrance portion of the passage 51 and an entrance portion of the front door side lower dish passage 52 are partitioned. The upstream side of the front door side upper dish passage 51 and the front door side lower dish path 52 are connected to a game ball distributing section described later, and the game balls that have entered the front door side upper dish path 51 are guided to the upper plate 33, The game balls that have entered the door-side lower dish passage 52 are guided to the lower dish 34.

  Projecting shafts are provided at the upper end and the lower end of the rotation base end side of the back surface of the front door frame 14. These projecting shafts constitute an assembly mechanism for the inner frame 13. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of metal fittings 63 extending rearward are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction on the rotating front end side of the back surface of the front door frame 14. These hooks 63 constitute a locking mechanism for the inner frame 13.

  Next, the inner frame 13 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a front view of the inner frame 13. In FIG. 4, the configuration in the game area PE of the pachinko machine 10 is omitted for convenience as in FIG. 2.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the inner frame 13 is mainly configured by a resin base 70 whose outer shape is substantially rectangular like the outer frame 11. The height dimension of the resin base 70 is set slightly smaller than the height dimension of the outer frame 11. The resin base 70 is arranged close to the upper frame portion of the outer frame 11, and a slight gap is formed between the lower frame portion of the outer frame 11 and the resin base 70. A curtain plate is attached to the outer frame 11 so as to close the gap. The curtain plate is disposed below the resin base 70 (specifically, the lower end portion thereof). When the inner frame 13 is closed with respect to the outer frame 11, the resin base 70 is placed on the curtain plate. . A slight clearance may be provided between the curtain plate and the resin base 70.

  As shown in FIG. 4, support brackets 71 and 72 are attached to the upper and lower ends of the rotation base end side (left side in FIG. 4) on the front surface of the resin base 70. Although illustration is omitted, shaft holes are formed in the support fittings 71 and 72, and the projection shaft of the front door frame 14 is inserted into these shaft holes, so that the front door frame 14 is attached to the inner frame 13. It is rotatably supported.

  Insertion holes 73 for inserting the metal fittings 63 (see FIG. 2) provided on the back surface of the front door frame 14 are provided on the rotation tip side (right side in FIG. 4) on the front surface of the resin base 70, respectively. Yes. The pachinko machine 10 is configured such that a locking device 75 for locking the inner frame 13 and the front door frame 14 is hidden behind the inner frame 13 (see FIG. 2). Therefore, the front door frame 14 is locked to the inner frame 13 so that it cannot be opened by the hook metal 63 being locked to the locking device 75 (specifically, the front door hook receiving member 76) through the insertion hole 73. The The locking device 75 has an inner frame collar member 77 extending rearward of the inner frame 13. These inner frame hook members 77 are hooked on the hook receiving member 19 of the outer frame 11, so that the gaming machine main part 12 is locked in a closed state with respect to the outer frame 11.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a cylinder lock 78 for performing an unlocking operation of the locking device 75 is installed at the lower right corner of the resin base 70. The cylinder lock 78 is integrated with the locking device 75. When the key inserted into the key hole of the cylinder lock 78 is turned to the right, the lock of the front door frame 14 with respect to the inner frame 13 is released, and the cylinder lock 78 is inserted into the key hole of the cylinder lock 78. The locking device 75 is configured such that when the key is turned counterclockwise, the locking of the inner frame 13 with respect to the outer frame 11 is released.

  A substantially elliptical window hole 74 is formed at the center of the resin base 70, and the window hole 74 is closed from the rear of the gaming machine by a game board 80 attached to the resin base 70. The game board 80 includes a wooden plywood and a sheet material that covers a front plate surface of the plywood, and the front surface thereof is exposed to the front side of the resin base 70 through the window hole 74. In the exposed portion, that is, the front surface of the game board 80, a game area PE in which game balls flow down is formed. As already described, the game area PE is covered with the glass unit 22 (specifically, the rear glass panel 23).

  In the glass unit 22, the gap between the rear glass panel 23 and the front surface of the game board 80 is slightly larger than the diameter of the game ball, that is, the game balls flowing down the game area PE are the same in the game area PE. It is arranged so that it is not lined up back and forth at a point. Thereby, the ball blockage in the game area PE is suppressed. Note that the game board 80 is not limited to wooden, and may be made of synthetic resin.

  Hereinafter, the game board 80 (in particular, various configurations arranged in the game area PE) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view of the game board 80.

  The game board 80 is formed with a plurality of large and small openings penetrating in its own thickness direction (front-rear direction) by performing router processing. Each opening is provided with a general winning opening 81, variable ball portions 82 and 83, operation ball portions 84 and 85, a through gate 86, a main display unit 87, a variable game device 88, and the like. When game balls enter the general winning opening 81, the variable ball entering portions 82 and 83, and the operation ball entering portions 84 and 85, the game balls are detected by a detection sensor which will be described later, and a predetermined number of prize balls are based on the detection results. Benefits such as paying out are given to the player. In addition, an out port 89 is provided at the lowermost part of the game board 80, and game balls that have not entered various winning ports etc. are discharged from the game area PE through the out port 89. In the following description, in order to clearly distinguish the game ball from entering the out port 89, the general winning port 81, the variable ball entering portions 82 and 83, the operation ball entering portions 84 and 85, and the game to the through gate 86 are described. A ball entry is also expressed as a prize.

  The game board 80 is provided with a large number of nails 90 in order to disperse and adjust the flow path of the game ball as appropriate, and various members (functions) such as a windmill. The flow path of the game ball is differentiated by various configurations such as the nails 90 and the windmills, and is adjusted so that a winning in the above-described general winning opening 81 and the like occurs with an appropriate probability.

  The variable game device 88 is arranged in the center of the game board 80, and the operation entrance parts 84, 85 and the like are arranged around the variable game device 88. The operation entrance balls 84 and 85 are a lower operation entrance ball portion 84 (hereinafter referred to as a lower operation entrance ball portion 84 for convenience) disposed below the variable gaming device 88, and the variable game device 88. It is composed of a right-hand operating ball portion 85 (referred to as a right-hand operation ball portion 85 for the sake of convenience hereinafter) disposed on the right side. In addition, an electric accessory is provided as a movable entrance assist device (entrance assist means) or an entrance restricting device (entrance restricting means). The electric accessory can be switched between a state in which it is possible or easy to enter the right-hand actuated entrance part 85 (assist state) and a state in which the entry is impossible or difficult (non-assist state). . Details regarding the right-hand actuating entrance 85 will be described later.

  When the through gate 86 is disposed above the right-hand actuating ball 85, and the winning combination is a lottery triggered by the passage of the game ball through the through gate 86, the electric accessory is held for a predetermined time. Open state.

  In addition, when the entrance to the lower operation entrance portion 84 occurs, the payout of 3 game balls is executed, and when the entrance to the right operation entrance portion 85 occurs, 4 games are played. Although the payout of the balls is executed, the payout number of the game balls is not limited to the above. However, in order to increase the advantage of the right working ball portion 85 with respect to the lower working ball portion 84, the number of payouts related to the right operation ball portion 85 is set larger than the number of payouts related to the lower operation ball portion 84. It is preferable to do.

  Similarly to the lower operation entrance portion 84 and the right operation entrance portion 85, the variable entry portions (special entry device or special entry means) 82 and 83 are individually provided below and to the right of the variable game device 88. Is arranged. Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience, the variable ball entry portion 82 disposed below the variable game device 88 (specifically, below the lower operation ball entry portion 84) will be referred to as a “lower variable ball entry portion 82”. The variable entrance portion 83 disposed on the side (specifically, below the right side operation entrance portion 85) is referred to as a “right entry portion 83”.

  The lower variable ball entry portion 82 includes a lower variable ball entry portion 82 that leads to the back side of the game board 80, and serves as an opening / closing member (opening / closing means) that opens and closes the lower variable ball entry portion 82. An open / close door 82b is provided. The open / close door 82b can be switched between an open state (assist state) where a game ball can be entered or facilitated and a closed state (non-assistant state) where the entrance ball is impossible or difficult. The door 82b is connected to a variable ball driving portion 82c (specifically a solenoid) provided on the back side of the game board 80, and the door 82b is kept closed in a normal state. In the internal lottery, when the winning / opening execution mode (opening / closing execution state) is won, the open state is switched.

  Here, the opening / closing execution mode is a mode to be shifted to when a big win is won. As an opening mode of the lower variable pitching portion 82 in the opening / closing execution mode, for example, a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) or a predetermined number (for example, 10) winnings is defined as one round, and a plurality of rounds (for example, 15 rounds) are performed. Some are set so that the opening of the open / close door 82b as the upper limit is repeated.

  As with the lower variable ball entry portion 82, the right variable ball entry portion 83 is a right big prize opening 83 a that leads to the back side of the game board 80, and an opening / closing member (opening / closing means) that opens and closes the right big prize entry port. Open / close door 83b. The open / close door 83b can be switched between an open state (assist state) in which a game ball can be entered or facilitated and a closed state (non-assist state) in which the entrance ball is impossible or difficult. Further, the opening / closing door 83b is connected to a variable ball driving unit 83c (specifically, a solenoid) provided on the back side of the game board 80, and the opening / closing door 83b is kept closed in a normal state. In the internal lottery based on the entry to the right operation entry portion 85, when a special win described later is won, the lottery result confirmation mode is switched.

  In the lottery result confirmation mode, the lottery result (special hit) in the right-hand side actuated entry unit 85 becomes valid and the right variable entry unit 83 is shifted to the opening / closing execution mode, that is, the transition to the opening / closing execution mode is confirmed This is a mode in which the lottery result is invalidated and whether the shift to the opening / closing execution mode is avoided or not. As an opening mode of the right side variable pitching portion 83 in the lottery result confirmation mode, it is opened / closed until a predetermined period (for example, 3 sec) elapses from the timing when a picture indicating a special hit is displayed on the display portion for the right actuation pitching portion described later The door 83b is set to be opened.

  Here, a supplementary description will be given of the configuration of the right-side variable pitching portion 83. The right variable pitching portion 83 is provided with a guide passage that guides the game balls flowing in from the right large winning opening 83a to the back side of the game board 80, specifically to a collection passage described later. The guide passage is formed so that a plurality of game balls cannot pass through the same location in the guide passage at the same time, and is branched into two branches from the middle position. In other words, the guide passage has one upstream passage located on the upstream side of the branch position and two downstream passages located on the downstream side of the branch position.

  In the upstream passage, a part of the downstream side including the outlet portion extends in the vertical direction, and the outlet portion is opened downward. On the extension of the upstream passage to the downstream side, an inlet portion of one downstream passage (hereinafter referred to as a first downstream passage for convenience) is located, and the inlet portion is on the outlet portion side of the upstream passage ( (Upward). On the other hand, the inlet portion of the other downstream passage (hereinafter referred to as the second downstream passage for convenience) is disposed at a position outside the extension of the upstream passage and is opened in a direction different from the extension direction. ing. For this reason, the game ball falling along the upstream passage normally flows into the first downstream passage, and the inflow to the second downstream passage is avoided.

  The branch position is provided with a switching member that can be switched between a guiding state for guiding the game ball that has flowed out of the upstream passage to the second downstream passage and a non-inducing state in which the guiding is not performed. The switching member is prevented from projecting into the guide passage (specifically, the entrance portion of the first downstream passage) in the non-guide state, and by switching to the guide state, the entrance member covers the entrance portion and the game to the entrance portion is performed. It protrudes to a position where the inflow of the sphere is prohibited.

  More specifically, the switching member is formed with a guide inclined surface that is positioned on the extension of the upstream passage in the guide state and that slopes downward toward the inlet portion of the second downstream passage. For this reason, in the guidance state, the game ball that has flowed out of the upstream passage collides with the guidance inclined surface, and is guided along the guidance inclined surface to the second downstream passage. Thus, if attention is paid to the function of guiding the game ball to the second downstream passage, the switching member can also be referred to as “guidance means”. Further, if attention is paid to the point of preventing the game ball from flowing into the first downstream passage, the switching member can also be referred to as a “shutter”.

  In addition to the switching member, the right variable ball entry portion has an urging member that urges the switching member toward a position where protrusion to the guide passage is suppressed, and an urging force of the urging member. And a solenoid-type drive unit that moves the switching member to the protruding position. The drive unit is electrically connected to a main controller described later, and is driven based on a signal output from the main controller.

  In the present embodiment, the switching member is normally held in a non-inducted state by the urging force of the urging member, and when the special winning occurs in the lottery based on the winning to the right working ball entering portion, the drive unit Is driven, the switching member is switched to the guiding state. That is, the game ball is allowed to flow into the second downstream side passage.

  In the guide passage, an upstream detection sensor is disposed upstream of the branch position. The upstream detection sensor detects an incoming ball when a game ball passes through a detection area provided in an upstream passage, and grasps a change in a magnetic field generated when the game ball passes through the detection area. A magnetic sensor is employed. The upstream side detection sensor is electrically connected to the main controller, and a predetermined number of game balls are paid out when the upstream side detection sensor detects the game ball flowing into the guide passage 92. It has a configuration.

  Further, a downstream detection sensor is provided downstream of the branch position. Specifically, a first downstream detection sensor is disposed in the middle of the first downstream passage, and a second downstream detection sensor is disposed in the middle of the second downstream passage. These downstream detection sensors detect a ball entering when a game ball passes through a detection area provided in a downstream passage, and a photo sensor is employed unlike the upstream detection sensor. The downstream detection sensor is electrically connected to the main control device, and it is determined whether or not there is a ball entering the second downstream passage as an advantageous ball entry portion based on detection information output from the detection sensor. It becomes the composition which is done.

  The variable game device 88 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 again. The variable game device 88 includes a variable display unit 96 that displays a predetermined character image or the like by using a winning at the lower working ball entering portion 84 as a trigger and displaying a symbol variably. The center frame 97 is provided so as to surround the variable display unit 96. The variable display unit 96 includes a lower working ball holding part holding lamp part 98 corresponding to the lower working ball entering part 84, and a right working ball entering part holding lamp part 99 corresponding to the right working ball entering part 85. Is provided. In the present embodiment, the number of times that a game ball has passed through each of the actuated entrance parts 84 and 85 is held up to a maximum of 4 times. The reserved number corresponding to the sphere parts 84 and 85 is individually displayed.

  The variable display unit 96 includes a symbol display device 260 as a liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal display 261, and display contents are controlled by a display control device described later. On the display screen 261a of the symbol display device 260, a plurality of symbols (specifically, symbol rows) are displayed side by side on top, middle, and bottom, and these symbols are scrolled in the horizontal direction (specifically, leftward in detail), for example. Are displayed in a variable manner. When a predetermined combination of symbols is stopped and displayed on a preset active line, a special gaming state (hereinafter referred to as a jackpot) occurs.

  Note that the above-described hold lamp units 98 and 99 are not indispensable components, and the symbol display device 260 may display information related to the number of holds displayed by the hold lamp units 98 and 99.

  The operation entrance parts 84 and 85 are arranged at positions close to the variable game device 88. Since a big win can be triggered by winning a prize in the activated ball portions 84 and 85, the player pays attention to whether or not to win each of the activated ball portions 84 and 85, and whether or not a big hit occurs. It is considered that attention is paid to the variable gaming device 88 (specifically, the symbol display device 260) for the purpose of grasping. Providing the respective operation balls 84 and 85 close to the variable gaming device 88 is a device for concentrating the portion that the player wants to pay attention to around the variable gaming device 88.

  The main display unit 87 is disposed on the opposite side of the variable game device 88 with respect to the right variable ball entry portion 83. The main display unit 87 is arranged along the outer edge on the lower side of the game area PE, and protrudes from the front surface of the game board 80 to the front of the pachinko machine 10. The front surface of the main display unit 87 is opposed to the glass unit 22 (specifically, the rear glass panel 23) that allows the game area PE to be visually recognized from the front of the pachinko machine 10, and further to the rear glass panel 23. The distance between them is narrower than that of one game ball. This prevents the game ball from dropping in front of the front surface of the main display unit 87.

  In the main display unit 87, a main display portion D on which a predetermined pattern or the like is displayed is provided at a portion facing the glass unit 22. The main display portion D was performed based on the lower operation entry portion display portion DL for displaying the lottery result based on the winning to the lower operation entry portion 84 and the winning to the right operation entry portion 85. It has a display part DR for the right action entrance part that displays the lottery result.

  In the display part DL for the lower action ball entry part, the variation display of the pattern is performed with the winning of the lower action ball entry part 84 as a trigger, and as a result of stopping the fluctuation display, the prize is awarded to the lower action ball entry part 84. The result of the internal lottery conducted based on If the result of the internal lottery based on the winning to the lower operation entrance portion 84 is a winning result corresponding to the shift to the opening / closing execution mode, the change display is stopped on the lower operation entrance portion display section DL. Then, after a predetermined pattern is displayed as a stop result, the mode is shifted to the opening / closing execution mode.

  In the display section DR for the right action pitching part, the display of the variation of the picture is performed with the winning of the right action pitching part 85 as a trigger, and based on the winning of the right action pitching part 85 as a result of stopping the fluctuation display. The result of the internal lottery performed is clearly indicated. If the result of the internal lottery based on winning in the right-hand actuated entry part 85 is a winning result corresponding to a big hit or special win, the change display is stopped at the display part DR for the right-acting entry part and stopped. After a predetermined pattern is displayed as a result, the mode is shifted to the opening / closing execution mode or the lottery result determination mode according to the result.

  Here, on the basis of winning in any of the actuated balls 84 and 85, the variable display is started on the corresponding display units DL and DR, a predetermined stop result is displayed, and the above variable display is stopped. Corresponds to one game time. However, the number of game times is not limited to the above-mentioned content. For example, a single display area is provided, and even if a winning is made to any of the activated ball entering parts 84 and 85, the single game area is not. In the configuration in which the variable display is performed in one display area, the variable display is started in the single display area, and the above-mentioned variable display is stopped in a state where the predetermined stop result is displayed. Once.

  In addition to the display portions DL and DR, the main display unit D of the main display unit 87 is also provided with a through gate display portion DS for displaying a lottery result based on winning through the through gate 86. In the through gate display unit DS, the display of the variation of the picture is performed with the winning of the through gate 86 as a trigger, and the result of the internal lottery performed based on the winning of the through gate 86 is displayed as a result of stopping the variation display. It is clearly shown. When the result of the internal lottery based on the winning to the through gate 86 is a winning result corresponding to the transition to the electric power open state, a predetermined stop result is displayed on the through gate display section DS, and the display is changed. After is stopped, it shifts to the electric utility open state. In the state where the electric combination is released, the electric combination provided in the right operation entrance portion 85 is opened in a predetermined manner.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the number of times that the game ball has passed through the through gate 86 is retained up to 4 times, but the number of suspension is displayed on the main display portion D of the main display unit 87. A holding number display section DH is provided.

  These display parts DL, DR, DS, and DH are visible from the front of the pachinko machine 10 through the glass unit 22 of the front door frame 14, and the front of these various display parts DL, DR, DS, and DH. Visibility is secured by avoiding the movement of the game ball. In addition, the display mode in each of these display units DL, DR, DS, and DH will be described later.

  Referring to FIG. 4 again, the configuration of the inner frame 13 will be described below. A game ball for launching a game ball to the game area PE based on the operation of the game ball launch handle 41 is provided below the game board 80 in the resin base 70. A firing mechanism 110 is provided. The game ball launching mechanism 110 includes a solenoid 111 that launches a game ball placed at a predetermined launch standby position, a launch rail 112 that defines the launch direction of the game ball launched by the solenoid 111, and a game at the launch standby position. A ball feeding device 113 for supplying a ball and a base plate 114 on which the various configurations 111 to 113 are mounted are provided as main components, and the base plate 114 is fixed to the resin base 70, whereby the resin base 70. Are integrated.

  The firing rail 112 is fixed to the base plate 114 in an inclined state so as to be inclined upward toward the game board 80 side. A ball stopper that holds the game ball supplied from the ball feeding device 113 at the above-described firing standby position is disposed at a position closer to the downstream end portion (that is, the lower end portion) of the firing rail 112. The solenoid 111 is arranged at a position further downstream than the ball stopper.

  The solenoid 111 is electrically connected to a power source / launch control device described later. Based on the output of the electrical signal from the power supply / launch control device, the output shaft of the solenoid 111 reciprocates in the expansion / contraction direction, so that the game ball placed at the launch standby position is on the game board 80 side, more specifically, the game. It is driven out toward the guide rail 100 mounted on the board 80.

  In the guide rail 100, the game area PE is partitioned so that the outer shape of the game area PE is substantially circular. In addition, the guide rail 100 includes an inner rail 101 and an outer rail 102 arranged so as to face each other with a gap slightly larger than the diameter of the game ball, and a single guide passage 103 is defined by both the rails 101 and 102. Is formed. The guide passage 103 has an inlet portion that is open to the tip end side (obliquely downward) of the firing rail 112 and an outlet portion that is located above the game area PE. The game ball fired based on the operation of the solenoid 111 is guided to the game area PE by moving in the order of the firing rail 112 → guide rail 100 (entrance portion → exit portion). In the game board 80, a reverse prevention member 106 for preventing the game ball reaching the game area PE from going back into the guide passage 103 is attached to the front side of the exit portion, specifically near the tip of the inner rail 101. Thus, it is possible to prevent the subsequent launch of the game ball from being hindered by the game ball that has reached the game area PE first.

  Each of the rails 101 and 102 constituting the guide rail 100 has an arc shape centered at a substantially central portion of the game area PE. For this reason, the game ball passing through the guide passage 103 is likely to move (slide or roll) along the outer rail 102, that is, in contact with the outer rail 102 due to the centrifugal force generated by itself.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the guide rail 100 and the launch rail 112 are arranged such that the entrance portion of the guide rail 100 and the tip end portion of the launch rail 112 face each other with the lower end edge of the game board 80 interposed therebetween. ing. That is, both the rails 100 and 112 are arranged such that the entrance portion of the guide rail 100 and the tip portion of the firing rail 112 are shifted left and right in the vicinity of the lower end edge of the game board 80. Thus, a gap of a predetermined interval is formed between the entrance portion of the guide rail 100 and the launch rail 112 while bringing both rails 100 and 112 close to the lower end edge of the game board 80.

  A foul ball passage is disposed below the gap formed in this way. The foul ball passage is integrally formed with the passage forming unit of the front door frame 14. If the game balls launched from the game ball launching mechanism 110 do not reach the game area PE and return to the inside of the guide passage 103 as foul balls, the foul balls enter the foul ball passage through the gap. Become. The foul ball path leads to the front door side lower dish path, and the game balls that have entered the foul ball path are discharged to the lower dish 34 shown in FIG. This suppresses interference between the foul ball and the next game ball to be launched.

  A through hole that penetrates the resin base 70 in the front-rear direction is formed on the left side of the firing rail 112 in the resin base 70 (specifically, the side that supports the front door frame 14). A passage forming member is formed in the through hole. 121 is disposed. The passage forming member 121 is screwed to the resin base 70 and has a main body side upper dish path 122 and a main body side lower dish path 123. The upstream side of the main body side upper dish passage 122 and the main body side lower dish passage 123 communicates with a game ball distributing section described later. A receiving portion of a passage forming unit attached to the front door frame 14 enters below the passage forming member 121, and a front door side upper plate passage 51 is disposed below the main body side upper plate passage 122. The front door side upper dish passage 51 is disposed below the main body side lower dish passage 123.

  An opening / closing member 124 that opens and closes the main body side upper dish path 122 and the main body side lower dish path 123 is attached below the passage forming member 121 in the resin base 70. The opening / closing member 124 is supported by a support shaft provided at the lower end of the opening / closing member 124 so as to be pivotable in the front-rear direction. A member is provided. Therefore, when the front door frame 14 is opened with respect to the inner frame 13, the opening / closing member 124 rises as shown in the figure, and the main body side upper dish passage 122 and the main body side lower dish path 123 are closed. Thereby, when the front door frame 14 is opened in a state in which the game balls are stored in the main body side upper dish passage 122 or the main body side lower dish passage 123, it is possible to prevent the stored balls from spilling down. On the other hand, when the front door frame 14 is closed, the opening / closing member 124 is pushed open against the biasing force by the receiving portion 53 provided in the passage forming unit 50 of the front door frame 14. In this state, the main body side upper dish path 122 and the front door side upper dish path 51 communicate with each other, and the main body side lower dish path 123 and the front door side lower dish path 52 communicate with each other.

  Next, the back configuration of the inner frame 13 (the resin base 70 and the game board 80) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a rear view of the inner frame 13.

  On the rotation base end side (the right side in FIG. 6) on the back surface of the resin base 70, bearing fittings 132 are arranged vertically. The bearing bracket 132 is formed with bearing portions spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, and the back pack unit 15 is rotatably attached to the inner frame 13 by these bearing portions.

  A plurality of locking fittings 135 are provided on the back surface of the resin base 70, and the game board 80 is attached to the resin base 70 by the locking fittings 135 as described above. Here, with reference to FIG.7 and FIG.8, the structure of the back surface of the game board 80 is demonstrated. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the gaming board 80 as seen from the back of the gaming machine, and FIG. 8 is a rear view showing a state where the main controller unit is removed from the gaming board 80.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the variable gaming device 88 disposed in the center of the game board 80 includes a synthetic resin that covers the central opening 80 a of the game board 80 from behind and accommodates the main configuration of the variable display unit 96. A housing 250 made of metal is provided so as to protrude rearward. The symbol display device 260 is mounted on the housing 250 from the rear side, and a display control device for driving the symbol display device 260 is mounted (not shown).

  The symbol display device 260 and the display control device are arranged so as to overlap in the front-rear direction (the symbol display device 260 is in front and the display control device is in rear), and further, an audio lamp control device unit 142 is disposed behind the symbol display device 260 and the display control device. The sound lamp control device unit 142 includes a sound lamp control device 143 and a mounting base 144 to which the sound lamp control device 143 is attached. The mounting base 144 is fixed to the housing 250. Thus, it is integrated with the variable display unit 96.

  The voice lamp control device 143 includes a voice lamp control board that controls voice output, lamp display, and control of the display control apparatus in accordance with instructions from a main control apparatus to be described later. The voice lamp control board is a transparent resin material. It is accommodated in a substrate box 145 made of, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 8, below the variable gaming device 88, there is a collective board unit 150 that collects the game balls that have moved to the back side of the game board 80 via the general winning port 81, the action ball portions 84, 85, and the like. Is provided. The collective board unit 150 is fixed to the game board 80, and the main controller unit 160 is mounted on the collective board unit 150 so as to cover the collective board unit 150 from behind (see FIG. 7). Note that the mounting target of the main controller unit 160 is not limited to the collective plate unit 150. For example, the main controller unit 160 can be mounted on the game board 80.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the main controller unit 160 includes a colorless and transparent mounting base 161 made of a synthetic resin, and a main controller 162 mounted on the mounting base 161. The mounting base 161 is rotatably supported by the collective plate unit 150, and the main control unit 162 is rotated together with the mounting base 161 so that the main control unit 162 is removed from the mounting base 161 for visual confirmation. Work is possible.

  The main controller 162 includes a main control board having a function (main control circuit) that controls the main control of the game and a function (power failure monitoring circuit) that monitors the power source, and the main control board is made of a transparent resin material. It is configured to be accommodated in a substrate box 163 made of, for example.

  The board box 163 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box base (front case body) and a box cover (back case body) that covers an opening of the box base. The box base and the box cover are connected so as not to be opened by a sealing portion 164 as a sealing means, whereby the substrate box 163 is sealed. Five sealing portions 164 are provided on the long side portion of the substrate box 163, and at least one of them is used for sealing processing.

  Any configuration can be applied to the sealing portion 164 as long as the box base and the box cover are coupled so as not to be opened. However, the box base and the box cover can be inserted by inserting a locking claw into the long hole constituting the sealing portion 164. And can be unopened. The sealing process by the sealing unit 164 prevents unauthorized opening after the sealing, and makes it possible to detect such a situation early and easily even if unauthorized opening is performed. It is possible to perform the sealing process again even after it has been performed. That is, the sealing process is performed by inserting a locking claw into at least one of the five sealing portions 164. When opening the board box 163 such as when a failure occurs in the housed main control board or when inspecting the main control board, the connecting part between the sealing part into which the locking claw is inserted and another sealing part is provided. Disconnect. As a result, the box base and the box cover of the substrate box 163 are separated, and the internal main control substrate can be taken out. Thereafter, when the sealing process is performed again, the locking claws are inserted into the long holes of the other sealing portions. If the history of opening the substrate box 163 is left in the substrate box 163, it can be easily found that the unauthorized opening has been performed by looking at the substrate box 163.

  A plurality of coupling pieces are provided on one short side portion of the substrate box 163 so as to protrude laterally. These coupling pieces have a one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of coupled pieces formed on the mounting base 161, and a sealing process is performed between the board box 163 and the mounting base 161 by the coupling pieces and the coupled pieces. Is called.

  Next, the back pack unit 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a front view of the back pack unit 15.

  As already described, the inner frame 13 is covered from the rear by the back pack unit 15 (see FIG. 3). As shown in FIG. 9, the back pack unit 15 includes a back pack 201, and a payout mechanism unit 202, a discharge passage board, and a control device assembly unit 204 are attached to the back pack 201.

  The back pack 201 is formed of a synthetic resin having transparency, and includes a base portion 211 to which the payout mechanism portion 202 and the like are attached, and a protective cover portion 212 that protrudes rearward from the pachinko machine 10 and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The protective cover 212 has a shape in which the left and right side surfaces and the upper surface are closed and only the lower surface is opened, and has a size sufficient to surround at least the variable display unit 96 (see FIG. 3).

  The base portion 211 is provided with an external terminal plate 213 at the upper right portion thereof. The external terminal board 213 is provided with various output terminals, and various signals are output to the management control device on the game hall side through these output terminals. Further, the base portion 211 is provided with a pair of upper and lower retaining pins 214 at the right end when viewed from the rear of the pachinko machine 10, and the bearing pins 132 (in detail, bearings are provided on the inner frame 13). The back pack unit 15 is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the inner frame 13. In addition, a fastening tool 215 for fastening to a fastening hole provided in the inner frame 13 is provided at the rotating tip of the base portion 211, and the fastening tool 215 is fitted into the fastening hole. Thus, the back pack unit 15 is fixed to the inner frame 13.

  In the base portion 211, a payout mechanism portion 202 is disposed so as to bypass the protective cover portion 212. The payout mechanism 202 is provided with a tank 221 that is arranged at the top of the back pack 201 and that opens upward, and game balls supplied from the island facilities of the game hall are sequentially replenished to the tank 221. The A tank rail 222 that is gently inclined toward the downstream side is connected to the lower side of the tank 221, and a case rail 223 that extends in the vertical direction is connected to the downstream side of the tank rail 222. A payout device 224 is provided at the most downstream portion of the case rail 223. The game balls paid out from the payout device 224 are supplied to the game ball distribution unit 225 provided in the base portion 211 of the back pack 201 through a payout passage (not shown) provided on the downstream side of the payout device 224.

  The game ball distribution unit 225 has a function of distributing the game balls paid out from the payout device 224 to any one of the upper plate 33, the lower plate 34, and a discharge passage described later, and the inner opening is the main body described above. It is formed so that it communicates with the upper plate 33 through the side upper plate passage 122 and the front door side upper plate passage, and the outer opening communicates with the lower plate 34 through the main body side lower plate passage 123 and the front door side lower plate passage. Has been.

  At the lower end portion of the base portion 211, the discharge passage board and the control device assembly unit 204 are attached so as to sandwich the lower end portion in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 3). In the discharge passage board, a discharge passage opened rearward is formed on a surface facing the control device assembly unit 204, and an open portion of the discharge passage is closed by the control device assembly unit 204. The discharge passage is formed so as to discharge the game ball to the island facility or the like of the game hall, and the game ball led to the discharge passage from the recovery passage described above passes through the discharge passage to the outside of the pachinko machine 10. Discharged.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the control device assembly unit 204 has a horizontally long mounting base 241, and a payout control device 242 and a power supply / launch control device 243 are mounted on the mounting base 241. The payout control device 242 and the power supply / launch control device 243 are arranged so as to overlap each other so that the payout control device 242 is behind the pachinko machine 10.

  In the payout control device 242, a payout control board for controlling the payout device 224 is accommodated in the board box 244, and a state return switch 245 provided on the payout control board projects out of the board box 244. For example, when the state return switch 245 is pressed when a payout error occurs, such as a ball jam in the payout device 224, the ball jam is eliminated.

  The power source / launch control device 243 includes a power source / launch control board housed in the board box 246, and a predetermined power source required for various control devices and the like is generated and output by the board. Control of the launch of the game ball accompanying the operation of the firing handle 41 is performed. Further, the power supply / launch control device 243 is provided with a RAM erase switch 247. This pachinko machine 10 has a function to store and store various data so that even if a power failure occurs, it maintains the state at the time of the power failure, and when it recovers from the power failure, it can be restored to the state at the time of the power failure. It has become. Therefore, for example, when the power supply is turned off in the normal procedure, as in the case of the game hall being closed, the state before the interruption is stored and held, but when the power is turned on while the RAM erase switch 247 is pressed, the RAM data is initialized. It is like that.

  Here, a supplementary description will be given of the aggregate plate unit 150 and the configuration related thereto. The collective board unit 150 includes a collective board 151 that collects game balls guided to the back side of the game board 80 through the above-described general winning opening 81 or the like. The collective plate 151 is made of a light-transmitting (specifically colorless and transparent) synthetic resin material, which facilitates visual confirmation of the flow path of the game balls. Thereby, even if a ball clogging or the like occurs in the collective plate 151, it is possible to easily grasp where such an inconvenience occurs.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the collective plate 151 is formed by integrally forming a main body portion provided with a function of collecting game balls and a mounting portion for the game board 80, and straddles the left and right ends of the game board 80 as a whole. It has a horizontally long shape. The mounting portion has a plate shape parallel to the back surface of the game board 80, and the mounting plate 151 and the game board 80 are connected to each other by screwing in a state where the mounting portion is in contact with the game board 80. It is integrated.

  The main body portion of the collective plate 151 is provided with a pair of wall portions that stand up toward the back surface of the game board 80, and a collection passage for collecting game balls is defined by these wall portions. A plurality of collection passages are provided corresponding to the respective winning portions, such as the general winning opening 81, the working entering portions 84 and 85, and the variable entering portions 82 and 83. All of the game balls that have won the respective ball entry portions are collected at the lower part of the game board 80 through the collection passage.

  The above-described discharge passage board 203 (see FIG. 3) is arranged below the game board 80, and the game balls collected at the lower part of the game board 80 by the collection passage are led to the discharge passage, and then the pachinko machine 10 It is discharged to the outside, and in detail it is returned to the island facility. In addition, the above-mentioned out port 89 is similarly connected to the discharge passage, and the game balls that have not won any prize opening are led out into the discharge passage through the out port 89 and are external to the pachinko machine 10. To be discharged.

  A detection sensor for detecting the passage of the game ball is provided at a midway position in the collection passage corresponding to the general winning opening 81 and the lower operation entrance portion 84 among the collection passages. Each detection sensor detects a ball entering a ball-entry portion such as the general winning opening 81 by passing a game ball through a detection area provided in the middle of each collection passage. A magnetic sensor that grasps a change in a magnetic field that occurs when a game ball passes through the detection area is employed.

  Each of these detection sensors is electrically connected to a main control unit 160 (specifically, main control unit 162) provided on the back side of the game board 80, and the detection signals generated by these detection sensors are the same. It is configured to be output to the main controller 162.

<Variable game device 88>
In the present embodiment, the variable gaming machine 88 described above (detailed later, a stage unit) has a characteristic configuration. Therefore, the variable game device 88 will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 5 and 10 to 12. 10A is a front view of the variable gaming device 88, FIG. 10B is a rear view of the variable gaming device 88, FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the variable gaming device 88 viewed from the front side, and FIG. 12 is a variable gaming device. It is a disassembled perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows 88 for every main structure. In FIG. 11, for convenience, the variable display unit 96 and the center frame 97 are integrally displayed with the game board 80 omitted.

  As described above, the variable gaming device 88 includes the variable display unit 96 and the center frame 97 as main components, and the central opening 80a in which the variable display unit 96 is formed in the game board 80 (see FIG. 10). ) Is mounted on the gaming board 80 so as to cover from behind the gaming machine, and the center frame 97 is mounted on the gaming board 80 so as to cover the central opening 80a from the front of the gaming machine. Integrated.

  As shown in FIG. 10 (a), the center frame 97 is formed larger than the central opening 80a (see the two-dot chain line) of the game board 80 in the front view of the pachinko machine 10, and the edge of the central opening 80a is formed. It is difficult to see from the front of the gaming machine. In this way, by suppressing the exposure of the edge portion of the central opening 80a to the front side of the gaming machine, a decrease in decorativeness in the gaming board 80 is suppressed. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the outer shape of the variable display unit 96 from projecting into the central opening 80a of the game board 80 from being constrained by the inner shape of the central opening 80a. As a result, an improvement in the degree of freedom in designing the variable display unit 96 and an improvement in the decoration of the variable display unit 96 are realized.

  As described above, the variable display unit 96 includes the housing 250 serving as a storage unit that stores various components of the variable display unit 96. The housing 250 has a substantially box-shaped main body portion 251 that is open to the center opening 80 a side of the game board 80, and a plate-like attachment portion 252 that is formed at the opening edge of the main body portion 251 and abuts against the back surface of the game board 80. Thus, the variable display unit 96 is attached to the game board 80 by screwing the attachment portion 252 to the game board 80 (see FIG. 12).

  As shown in FIG. 12, a portion of the bottom 251a of the main body 251 facing the central opening 80a of the game board 80 (see FIG. 10 (a), etc.) has a window 251b opened in the front and rear directions, An upright portion 251c is formed which forms an annular shape surrounding the window portion 251b and rises behind the gaming machine. And the said symbol display apparatus 260 is accommodated in the area | region enclosed by this standing part 251c.

  The symbol display device 260 includes a liquid crystal display 261 having a display screen 261 a and a frame body 262 formed along the periphery of the liquid crystal display 261, and a claw portion formed on the frame body 262 is fixed to the housing 250. The display controller 170 is integrated with the housing 250 by being hooked. The window 251b is covered from the back of the gaming machine by the display screen 261a of the symbol display device 260 thus mounted. That is, the display screen 261a is exposed to the front of the gaming machine through the window 251b and the central opening 80a.

  A ring unit 270 as a movable accessory is provided on the side opposite to the symbol display device 260 across the window 251b of the housing 250, that is, on the front side of the window 251b. The ring unit 270 constitutes a variable display unit 96 together with the housing 250 and the symbol display device 260 described above, and an effect executed on the display screen 261a of the symbol display device 260 and an effect executed on the ring unit 270. The rendition function in the pachinko machine 10 is improved by giving the relevance to the above.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the ring unit 270 has a substantially annular shape as a whole, and is disposed at a position surrounding a display screen 261a (a display area described later in detail) in the symbol display device 260 when viewed from the front of the gaming machine. (See FIG. 5). Thereby, the visibility of the display screen 261a through the central opening 271 of the ring unit 270 is secured.

  The ring unit 270 includes an annular base portion 275 that forms a fixed portion with respect to the housing 250, and a movable portion 276 that is movable (rotatable) along the base portion 275 in the circumferential direction of the base portion 275. I have. The movable portion 276 includes a decoration member 277 provided so as to be visible from the front of the gaming machine, and the decoration member 277 surrounds the display screen 261a (specifically, a display area) according to the effect mode on the display screen 261a described above. By moving, an integrated effect by the symbol display device 260 and the ring unit 270 is performed.

  Below the ring unit 270, a stage unit 300 is provided for temporarily retaining the game balls flowing down the game area PE (see FIGS. 5 and 11). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the housing 250 (specifically, the main body portion 251) includes a ring unit housing portion 253 that houses the ring unit 270 and a stage unit housing portion 254 that houses the stage unit 300. The stage unit 300 is integrated with the housing 250 by being fixed to the housing 250 while being accommodated in the stage unit accommodating portion 254.

<Stage unit 300 and accompanying structure>
Hereinafter, the stage unit 300 and the configuration associated therewith will be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 11, and 13 to 16. 13A is a front view of the stage unit 300, FIG. 13B is a plan view of the stage unit 300, FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the stage unit 300 viewed from the front of the gaming machine, and FIG. 15 is a front view of the stage unit 300. FIG. 16 is a partial sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. In FIG. 16, for convenience, various game parts such as the game board 80, the display control device 170, the symbol display device 260, the ring unit 270, and the like are schematically displayed by two-dot chain lines.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the frame body 281 of the center frame 97, an inflow port 283 that allows inflow of game balls flowing down the game area PE, and a game ball that has flowed in from the inflow port 283 are partitioned by the frame body 281. A frame-side guide passage 284 for guiding a region below the variable display unit 96, specifically, a region where the game ball is allowed to move by the stage unit 300, is formed.

  The stage unit 300 includes a stage device 310 to which a retention function for temporarily retaining the game ball guided by the frame side guide passage 284 is provided. As shown in FIG. 13, the stage device 310 includes a plurality of (in this embodiment, 10) movable plates 320 arranged side by side, and a state in which the movable plate 320 is erected (the plate surface faces the front). And a case body 330 accommodated in a facing state. The case body 330 has a substantially box-shaped main body portion 331 opened upward, and the upper end portion of the movable plate 320 is exposed from the opened portion upward (see FIG. 14). ).

  As shown in FIGS. 13B and 16, each movable plate 320 is disposed such that the plate surface of one movable plate 320 is opposed to the plate surface of another adjacent movable plate 320 with a gap. Has been. The gap between the movable plates 320 is set to be smaller than the diameter size of the game balls (specifically, smaller than the radius size of the game balls), and the staying portion 311 where the game balls stay by the upper end portions of these movable plates 320. Is configured.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the upper end portion of the movable plate 320 has a curved shape that curves upward in the juxtaposed direction (front-rear direction) so as to protrude upward. Therefore, the game ball placed on the upper end portion of one movable plate 320 moves forward or rearward along the upper end portion of the movable plate 320, and moves to both the movable plate 320 and another movable plate 320 adjacent to the movable plate 320. It stays in the contacted state. That is, the staying game ball is prevented from remaining on one movable plate 320.

  In a state where the game ball stays so as to straddle the two movable plates 320, the front movable plate 320 contacts the front portion (front hemisphere) of the game ball, and the rear portion (rear) of the game ball The rear movable plate 320 comes into contact with the side hemisphere. Note that the gap between the movable plates 320 is set so that the interference between the game ball in contact with the two adjacent movable plates 320 and the other movable plate 320 is avoided.

  Here, a configuration relating to the assembly of the movable plate 320 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 17A and 17B. 17A is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 13A, and FIG. 17B is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 13B.

  As shown in FIG. 15, a groove 333 extending in the vertical direction (vertical direction) is formed in the side wall portion 332 facing the movable plate 320 from the left and right sides (sides) in the case body 330 (specifically, the main body portion 331). Yes. As shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, these groove portions 333 are open to the accommodation region side of the movable plate 320, and the left and right end portions of the movable plate 320 through this open portion, more specifically, the movable plate 320. An extension part 322 extending from the main body part 321 to the left and right is inserted into the groove part 333. The front-rear width dimension of the groove part 333 is set to be equal to the thickness dimension of the extension part 322, and the front-rear position of the extension part 322 is changed by fitting the extension part 322 to the groove part 333. It is prescribed. That is, the movement of the movable plate 320 in the front-rear direction is restricted.

  The extension portion 322 is allowed to slide along the groove portion 333 in the groove portion 333, and the movable plate 320 moves in the vertical direction based on the movement of the extension portion 322. A stopper portion 334 is disposed above and below the groove portion 333 so as to face the extended portion 322 from the front side in the sliding direction (longitudinal direction of the groove portion 333). The extension portion 322 is prevented from falling off. Thereby, removal of the movable plate 320 from the case body 330 is restricted.

  The stage device 310 is provided with a drive mechanism 340 that causes a difference in height in the staying portion 311 by individually driving the movable plate 320 and guides a game ball staying in the staying portion 311 to the front of the gaming machine or the like. However, a detailed description of the drive mechanism 340 will be given later.

  The case body 330 is arranged at a position side by side with the staying portion 311, specifically, placed on both the left and right sides of the staying portion 311, and restricts the movement of the game ball to the right and left sides of the staying portion 311. A restricting portion 335 is provided. The restricting portion 335 is formed with an inclined surface that is positioned higher than the staying portion 311 and descends toward the staying portion 311, and a stage side guide passage 336 that communicates with the frame side guide passage 284. The exit portion 337 of the stage side guide passage 336 is located above the inclined surface, and the game ball dropped on the inclined surface through the inlet 283 → the frame side guide passage 284 → the stage side guide passage 336 → the outlet portion 337. Will move to the staying part 311 along the inclined surface.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the lower end of the center frame 97 (specifically, the frame body 281) is located in front of the staying portion 311, and the lower end is guided to the front of the gaming machine through the staying portion 311. A receiving port 285 for receiving the played game ball is formed.

  The receiving port 285 is opened above the gaming machine, and a ball passage 286 that communicates with the receiving port 285 is formed in the center frame 97. The ball passage 286 has a predetermined width so that a plurality of game balls can pass through the same place in the ball passage 286, and the exit portion of the ball passage 286 is located above the lower operation ball entry portion 84. Is arranged.

  A guide groove 287 that guides the game ball that has flowed into the receiving port 285 to the lower operation entrance ball portion 84 is formed in a central portion in the width direction of the ball passage 286, that is, a portion immediately above the lower operation entrance ball portion 84. 11) is formed. In other words, among the game balls that have flowed into the receiving port 285, those that have reached the guide groove 287 are guided to the lower operation ball entry portion 84, thereby making it easier to enter the lower operation ball entry portion 84, Since the game balls that have not reached the guide groove 287 are distributed to the left side or the right side of the lower operation entrance ball portion 84, they enter the lower operation entrance ball portion 84 as compared with the game balls that have moved along the guide groove 287. It becomes difficult to make a ball.

  The receiving port 285 is located substantially in the center in the left-right direction (lateral direction or width direction) in the staying portion 311, and on both the left and right sides of the receiving port 285 is a stopper portion 288 that prevents the movement of the game ball forward of the gaming machine. (See FIGS. 12 and 16). In other words, among the game balls that have moved forward along the staying portion 311, the game balls that have not reached the receiving port 285 do not flow out of the staying portion 311, but remain on the staying portion 311 until reaching the receiving port 285. It is easy to continue to stay.

  The staying part 311 is arranged behind the front surface of the game board 80 and is surrounded by the ring unit 270 and the restriction part 335 described above (see FIG. 16). As a result, it is possible to prevent the staying part 311 from being irradiated with light installed from the ceiling of the game hall or the like or light from the symbol display device 260 (specifically, the display screen 261a). Is producing. The stage unit 300 according to the present embodiment is provided with a light emitting device 370 provided with an illumination function, so that light from the light emitting device 370 is irradiated to the staying portion 311. Thereby, the visibility of the game ball that is staying at the staying portion 311 is secured. Hereinafter, the light emitting device 370 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16.

<Light-emitting device 370>
As shown in FIG. 15, the light-emitting device 370 includes a light-emitting substrate 372 on which a plurality of light-emitting bodies 371 (specifically LEDs) are mounted, and a diffusion that is disposed in front of the light-emitting substrate 372 and diffuses light from the light-emitting body 371. A plate 375 and a front cover 376 that is disposed in front of the diffusion plate 375 and that faces the diffusion plate 375 from the front of the gaming machine are combined to be disposed behind the staying portion 311 (see FIG. 16). ).

  The front cover 376 and the diffusion plate 375 are formed using a synthetic resin material having transparency, and light from the light emitter 371 is emitted forward through the diffusion plate 375 and the front cover 376. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, the light from the light-emitting device 370 is irradiated to the front of the gaming machine through the staying area (see the dot hatched portion) of the gaming ball. As described above, since the staying area exists on the light irradiation direction side, if the game ball stays, the game ball is blocked by the game ball. That is, the light emission mode in the stage unit 300 differs depending on whether or not the game ball is present on the staying portion 311.

  As described above, by enclosing the staying part 311 with the ring unit 270 or the like, a dark place is actively created in the staying part 311 and its surroundings, and a staying area for the game ball is provided on the front side in the light irradiation direction. Thus, it is possible to increase the difference (specifically, the difference between light and dark) caused by the presence or absence of the game ball. This makes it possible to improve the degree of attention to the motion of the game ball that is staying.

  Further, the front cover 376 is opposed to the movable plate 320 positioned at the rearmost among the plurality of movable plates 320 with a gap smaller than the radius dimension of the game ball. The game ball guided to the rear of the gaming machine along the staying portion 311 is restricted from further rearward movement by contacting the front cover 376. That is, the front cover 376 is provided with a protection function for the light emitting substrate 372 and the like and a function for preventing the staying game ball from flowing out to the rear of the gaming machine.

<Drive mechanism 340>
In the present embodiment, the drive mechanism 340 that drives the movable plate 320 has a characteristic configuration. Therefore, the drive mechanism 340 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17C. FIG. 17C is a schematic view of the drive mechanism 340 as viewed from the front of the gaming machine.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the drive mechanism 340 includes a stepping motor 341 as a drive unit disposed behind the movable plate 320 group. The stepping motor 341 is electrically connected to the main controller 162 and operates based on a drive signal output from the main controller 162.

  This drive signal is always output from the main controller 162 when the pachinko machine 10 is activated. More specifically, a first drive signal and a second drive signal having different excitation patterns are set as the drive signals, and the first drive signal and the second drive signal are triggered by the passage of a predetermined period. It is configured to output alternately.

  Specifically, the excitation pattern of the first drive signal is set to rotate the stepping motor 341 in the forward direction, and the excitation pattern of the second drive signal is set to rotate the stepping motor 341 in the reverse direction. The rotation direction of the stepping motor 341 is switched by outputting each drive signal alternately.

  The connection target of the stepping motor 341 is not limited to the main control device 162, and the connection target of the stepping motor 341 can be changed to another control device such as the sound lamp control device 143.

  The power generated by the stepping motor 341 is transmitted to the eccentric cam 346 via various gears constituting power transmission means. The eccentric cam 346 has a shaft portion 347 extending in the direction in which the movable plates 320 are arranged (front-rear direction), and a cam portion 348 formed so as to protrude from the shaft portion 347 in the radial direction.

  An insertion portion 323 into which the eccentric cam 346 is inserted is formed in the main body portion 321 of each movable plate 320. The insertion portion 323 penetrates in the thickness direction of the main body portion 321, and both end portions of the eccentric cam 346 (specifically, the shaft portion 347) inserted through the insertion portion 323 protrude forward and backward from the movable plate 320 group. The front end portion and the rear end portion of the shaft portion 347 are held by the bearing portions formed on the front wall portion and the rear wall portion of the case body 330, whereby the eccentric cam 346 is moved to the case body 330. Are integrated in a rotatable state. That is, the eccentric cam 346 is allowed to rotate around the central axis (the central axis CL of the shaft portion 347) extending in the direction in which the movable plates 320 are arranged side by side (front-rear direction).

  The cam portion 348 has a substantially disk shape centered on an axis line that is radially offset with respect to the center axis line CL of the shaft portion 347 (see FIG. 17C), and is lower than the insertion portion 323. Abutting from the side. The insertion portion 323 has a size that allows the cam portion 348 to rotate, and the movable plate 320 periodically moves up and down in accordance with the rotation of the eccentric cam 346 (displacement of the cam portion 348). Specifically, when the upper wall surface of the insertion portion 323 is pushed upward by the cam portion 348, the movable plate 320 rises along the groove portion 333, and when the cam portion 348 moves downward, the movable plate 320 is moved by its own weight. It will descend. Hereinafter, a portion of the insertion portion 323 that comes into contact with the cam portion 348 from above is referred to as a contact portion 323a.

  The contact portion 323a has a planar shape extending in the width direction (lateral direction) of the movable plate 320, and is prevented from being caught by the cam portion 348 that is in contact with the contact portion 323a. That is, it is avoided that the displacement of the cam portion 348 is hindered by the contact portion 323a.

  The cam portion 348 is provided in one-to-one correspondence with each movable plate 320 (specifically, each insertion portion 323), and is equiangular around the central axis of the shaft portion 347 (in this embodiment, 60 °). ). Here, the outer shapes (cam profiles) of the cam portions 348 are all the same, and the insertion portions 323 are configured to have the same shape in all the movable plates 320. Thereby, the raising / lowering cycle of each movable plate 320 based on the rotation of the eccentric cam 346 is shifted at equal intervals.

  If the positional relationship between the upper end portion of the movable plate 320 and the insertion portion 323 (specifically, the contact portion 323a) is supplemented, the positional relationship (distance) between them is common to all the movable plates 320. Therefore, in a state where the eccentric cam 346 is inserted into the insertion portion 323, each cam portion 348 and each insertion portion 323 (specifically, the contact portion 323a) corresponding to the cam portion 348 on a one-to-one basis contact each other. As a result, a difference in height occurs in the movable plate 320, specifically, the upper end portion of the movable plate 320 constituting the staying portion 311.

  As shown in FIG. 13B, a plurality of eccentric cams 346 are arranged side by side in the width direction (left-right direction) of the staying portion 311 described above. More specifically, they are arranged at a position on the left side of the receiving port 285 and a position on the right side of the receiving port 285, respectively. Hereinafter, for convenience, the left eccentric cam 346 is referred to as “left eccentric cam 346L”, and the right eccentric cam 346 is referred to as “right eccentric cam 346R”.

  Here, with reference to FIG.15 and FIG.17 (c), it demonstrates supplementarily about the power transmission means which comprises the drive mechanism 340 with the stepping motor 341 and the eccentric cams 346R and 346L.

  As shown in FIG. 15, a drive gear 342 is fixed to the output shaft of the stepping motor 341, and the drive gear 342 engages with a driven gear 343R fixed to the shaft portion 347 of the right eccentric cam 346R. ing. On the other hand, the driven gear 343L fixed to the shaft portion 347 of the left eccentric cam 346L is engaged with a transmission gear 344 disposed between the driven gear 343L and the drive gear 342. The transmission gear 344 is attached to the main body 331 of the case body 330 in a rotatable state, and is engaged with the driven gear 343R.

  As indicated by the one-dot chain line arrow in FIG. 17C, when the drive gear 342 rotates clockwise in the front view of the gaming machine, the driven gear 343R follows the rotation of the drive gear 342 and rotates counterclockwise. To do. As a result, the right eccentric cam 346R rotates counterclockwise. Further, as the drive gear 342 rotates, the transmission gear 344 rotates counterclockwise, and the driven gear 343L rotates clockwise accordingly. Then, following the rotation of the driven gear 343L, the left eccentric cam 346L rotates clockwise.

  On the other hand, when the drive gear 342 rotates counterclockwise in the front view of the gaming machine as indicated by the two-dot chain line arrow in FIG. 17C, the driven gear 343R rotates clockwise. As a result, the right eccentric cam 346R rotates clockwise. As the drive gear 342 rotates, the transmission gear 344 rotates clockwise, and the driven gear 343L rotates counterclockwise in accordance with this rotation. Then, following the rotation of the driven gear 343L, the left eccentric cam 346L rotates counterclockwise.

  That is, the rotation direction of the left eccentric cam 346L and the rotation direction of the right eccentric cam 346R are opposite to each other regardless of the direction in which the stepping motor 341 (specifically, the drive gear 342) rotates. Is set.

  The gear ratios of the gears 342 to 344 are such that the rotational speeds of the driven gears 343L and 343R, that is, the eccentric cams 346L and 346R when the eccentric cams 346L and 346R rotate based on the rotation of the drive gear 342. Are set to have the same rotation speed.

  Here, with reference to FIG.16 and FIG.17 (c), the raising / lowering period of each movable plate 320 is supplementarily demonstrated. In the following description, the frontmost movable plate 320 is the “first movable plate 320a”, the second movable plate 320 from the front is the “second movable plate 320b”, and the third movable plate 320 from the front. Is referred to as “third movable plate 320c”, the nth movable plate 320 from the front is referred to as “nth movable plate 320 *”, and the movable plate 320 located on the rearmost side is referred to as “movable plate 320j”.

  As shown in FIG. 17C, the cam portions 348 corresponding to the movable plates 320a to 320j on a one-to-one basis are arranged at 60 ° intervals around the central axis CL of the eccentric cam 346, and are adjacent to each other. The phases of the plates 320 are shifted by 1/6 period. Further, as shown in FIG. 22, the number of movable plates 320 is “10”. For this reason, a part of each movable plate 320a-320j corresponds to the raising / lowering period.

  Specifically, the raising / lowering cycle of the first movable plate 320a and the raising / lowering cycle of the seventh movable plate 320g completely coincide (the phase difference becomes 0), and the raising / lowering cycle of the second movable plate 320b and the eighth movable plate 320h. Of the third movable plate 320c is completely coincident with that of the ninth movable plate 320i (the phase difference is zero). The raising / lowering cycle of the movable plate 320d completely coincides with the raising / lowering cycle of the tenth movable plate 320j (the phase difference is 0).

  By adopting the above configuration, in the staying portion 311, there are at least two portions that are higher than the other portions (portions that protrude upward), and portions that are lower than the other portions (concave shape). At least one portion is formed (see FIG. 16).

<Operation of Stage Device 310>
Hereinafter, the operation of the stage device 310 (each movable plate 320) and the movement of the game ball staying in the stage device 310 will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 is a timing chart showing the operation (elevating cycle) of each of the movable plates 320a to 320j, and FIGS. 19 and 20 are schematic views showing the movement of the stage device 310. FIG. In the following description, mainly FIG. 18 will be referred to and FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 will be used as appropriate.

  First, the movement of the game ball when the stepping motor 341 is operating based on the first drive signal will be exemplified.

  The game ball that has flowed out from the outlet portion 337 of the guide passage 336 (see FIG. 19A1) moves toward a specific location (specifically, the ninth movable plate 320i) in the stay portion 311. When the game ball reaches the staying portion 311 at the timing ta1 shown in FIG. 18, the staying position of the game ball is determined according to the shape of the staying portion 311 at the timing ta1. Specifically, at the timing of ta1, as shown in FIG. 18, the tenth movable plate 320j is the highest position, the ninth movable plate 320i is lower than the tenth movable plate 320j, and the eighth movable plate is further movable. The plate 320h is lower than the ninth movable plate 320i. That is, the upper end portions of the eighth movable plate 320h to the tenth movable plate 320j are stepped downward (see FIG. 19A). In this case, the game ball that has reached the staying part 311 moves from the ninth movable plate 320i to the eighth movable plate 320h.

  In addition, at the timing of ta1, the seventh movable plate 320g and the eighth movable plate 320h are in the same state, so that the game ball that has reached the eighth movable plate 320h is finally the eighth movable plate 320h and It will stop in the state which contact | abutted both of the 7th movable plates 320g (refer Fig.19 (a)).

  At the timing of ta1, the seventh movable plate 320g and the eighth movable plate 320h are the same, but this is lowered toward the position where the seventh movable plate 320g is at the lowest position, and the eighth movable plate. In the process where 320h is ascending from the lowest position, the height positions are merely aligned, and the movement of these movable plates 320g and 320h continues, whereby both movable plates 320g. , 320h will be reversed.

  Specifically, the difference in height between the seventh movable plate 320g and the eighth movable plate 320h increases until the timing of ta2 after the timing of ta1, and stays so as to straddle both the movable plates 320h and 320g. The game ball is lifted upward by the eighth movable plate 320h.

  Here, the eighth movable plate 320h is in contact with the rear hemispherical surface of the game ball from the lower side, and the game ball pressed as the eighth movable plate 320h is lifted is on the seventh movable plate 320g side. It will roll to the front of the gaming machine (see FIG. 19B).

  At this time, since the sixth movable plate 320f is lower than the seventh movable plate 320g and the fifth movable plate 320e is higher than the sixth movable plate 320f, the game ball is connected to the fifth movable plate 320e. By being in contact with the sixth movable plate 320f, further forward rolling is prevented (see FIG. 19B).

  Thereafter, when the fifth movable plate 320e is lowered and the sixth movable plate 320f is raised, the vertical relationship between the fifth movable plate 320e and the sixth movable plate 320f is reversed. That is, the sixth movable plate 320f is higher than the fifth movable plate 320e, and the game ball staying so as to straddle both the movable plates 320e and 320f is pushed by the sixth movable plate 320f to be fifth. It moves to the movable plate 320e side (front side of the gaming machine) (see FIG. 20C).

  At the timing ta3 after the vertical positions of the fifth movable plate 320e and the sixth movable plate 320f are reversed, the fifth movable plate 320e and the fourth movable plate 320d are substantially in the same order. The game ball which is pushed upward by the plate 320f and rolls forward in the gaming machine reaches a position straddling both the movable plates 320e and 320d and stays at the same position (see FIG. 20C).

  In addition, at the timing of ta3, since the third movable plate 320c is higher than the two movable plates 320e, 320d, even if the game ball rolls vigorously toward the front of the gaming machine, The game ball abuts against the third movable plate 320c, thereby preventing further movement of the game machine forward.

  Thereafter, when the fourth movable plate 320d is lowered and the fifth movable plate 320e is raised, the vertical relationship between the fourth movable plate 320d and the fifth movable plate 320e is reversed. That is, the fifth movable plate 320e is higher than the fourth movable plate 320d. Then, at the timing ta4 when the height difference between both the movable plates 320d and 320e becomes large, the game ball staying so as to straddle both the movable plates 320d and 320e is pushed by the fifth movable plate 320e. As a result, it moves to the fourth movable plate 320d side (front of the gaming machine) (see FIG. 20D).

  At the timing of ta4, since the third movable plate 320c is lower than the fourth movable plate 320d, the game ball pushed upward by the fifth movable plate 320e moves to the front of the gaming machine, It stays so as to straddle the third movable plate 320c and the fourth movable plate 320d.

  In addition, at the timing of ta4, since the second movable plate 320b is higher than the two movable plates 320c, 320d, even if the game ball rolls vigorously toward the front of the gaming machine, By abutting against the second movable plate 320b, further forward movement of the gaming machine is prevented (see FIG. 20D).

  When the game ball reaches a position straddling the first movable plate 320a and the second movable plate 320b at the timing ta5 after the timing ta4, preparations for discharging the game ball from the stage device 310 to the receiving port 285 are made. Completion (see FIG. 19A). At the timing of ta5, both the movable plates 320a and 320b are substantially the same (specifically, the first movable plate 320a is slightly higher than the second movable plate 320b) and straddles both the movable plates 320a and 320b. In this way, the staying game ball is prevented from moving forward by the first movable plate 320a.

  After the timing ta5, when the first movable plate 320a is lowered and the second movable plate 320b is raised, the vertical relationship between the two movable plates 320a and 320b is reversed. After that, the difference in height between the movable plates 320a and 320b increases at the timing of ta6 so as not to allow the game balls to stay on the movable plates 320a and 320b, so that the second movable plate 320b moves upward. The pushed game ball moves over the first movable plate 320a and moves forward in the gaming machine. Thereby, the game ball is detached from the stage device 310 (the staying part 311) and flows into the receiving port 285, for example.

  In this way, the relative position of each movable plate 320 changes, and the high and low targets in the staying portion 311 shift to the front of the gaming machine. The ball will be sent to the front of the gaming machine. Thus, if attention is paid to the function of sending the game ball in a predetermined direction, the stage device 310 can also be referred to as the “ball feed device 310”, and further the function of guiding the game ball forward of the game machine. If attention is paid to this, the stage device 310 can also be referred to as a “guidance device 310”.

  Next, the movement of the game ball when the stepping motor 341 is operating based on the second drive signal will be exemplified.

  At the timing tb1, the first movable plate 320a and the second movable plate 320b are substantially in the vicinity of the lowest position (see FIG. 19A). When the game ball stays so as to straddle the first movable plate 320a and the second movable plate 320b, the first movable plate 320a is then raised and the second movable plate 320b is lowered. The game ball staying in a state straddling both the movable plates 320a and 320b is lifted by the first movable plate 320a.

  Since the first movable plate 320a is in contact with the front hemispherical surface of the game ball, the game ball pushed by the first movable plate 320a moves to the second movable plate 320b side (rear side of the gaming machine). As a result, the game ball stays so as to straddle the second movable plate 320b and the third movable plate 320c.

  Thereafter, when the second movable plate 320b reaches the lowest position, the second movable plate 320b starts to rise. Thereby, at the timing of tb2, the positional relationship between the second movable plate 320b and the third movable plate 320c is reversed, and the second movable plate 320b is higher than the third movable plate 320c. Therefore, the game ball that has stayed so as to straddle the second movable plate 320b and the third movable plate 320c is pushed by the second movable plate 320b. As a result, the game ball rolls backward to the gaming machine and stays straddling the third movable plate 320c and the fourth movable plate 320d (see FIG. 20D).

  Thereafter, the third movable plate 320c is raised and the fourth movable plate 320d is lowered so that the fourth movable plate 320d is lower than the third movable plate 320c and straddles both the movable plates 320c and 320d. The staying game ball rolls backward in the gaming machine.

  Then, at the timing of tb3, the fourth movable plate 320d and the fifth movable plate 320e are substantially in the same state, and the game balls that have rolled backward will stay so as to straddle both the movable plates 320d and 320e ( (See FIG. 20 (c)).

  Thereafter, when the fourth movable plate 320d rises and the fifth movable plate 320e descends, the fifth movable plate 320e becomes lower than the fourth movable plate 320d and stays so as to straddle both the movable plates 320d and 320e. The game ball rolls backward on the gaming machine.

  The game ball rolling backward in this way straddles the fifth movable plate 320e and the sixth movable plate 320f that is slightly lower than the fifth movable plate 320e at the timing of the subsequent tb4. In this way, it will stay.

  In this way, the relative position of each movable plate 320 is changed so that the object that is higher in the staying portion 311 and the object that is lower are shifted to the rear of the gaming machine. The game ball is sent forward of the game machine.

  Here, the behavior when the game ball that has flowed out from the outlet portion 337 of the guide passage 336 reaches the staying portion 311 will be described. In the present embodiment, as described above, the highest (lowest) target among all the movable plates 320a to 320j is shifted in order, and the game ball that has flowed out from the exit portion 337 is the target to be reached. The height relationship between the eighth movable plate 320h to the tenth movable plate 320j varies depending on the arrival timing.

  Specifically, when the ninth movable plate 320i is lower than the eighth movable plate 320h and the tenth movable plate 320j, the game ball that has reached the staying portion 311 is the eighth movable plate 320h and the eighth movable plate 320h. It stays so as to straddle both of the ninth movable plate 320i or straddle both of the ninth movable plate 320i and the tenth movable plate 320j.

  On the other hand, when the ninth movable plate 320i is higher than the eighth movable plate 320h and the tenth movable plate 320j, the game ball that has reached the staying portion 311 is retained on the ninth movable plate 320i. Will be difficult, and will roll forward or backward of the ninth movable plate 320i.

  Further, when the ninth movable plate 320i is higher than the eighth movable plate 320h and the tenth movable plate 320j is higher than the ninth movable plate 320i, the movable plates 320h to 320j are arranged along the respective movable plates 320h to 320j. Thus, the game ball moves forward of the gaming machine and stays so as to straddle the seventh movable plate 320g and the eighth movable plate 320h (see FIG. 19A).

  On the other hand, when the ninth movable plate 320i is lower than the eighth movable plate 320h, and the tenth movable plate 320j is lower than the ninth movable plate 320i, it follows the movable plates 320h to 320j. Thus, the game ball moves to the rear of the game machine, and the game ball stays in contact with the tenth movable plate 320j and the front cover 376 of the light emitting device 370.

  Thus, by making the position where the game ball first stays differ according to the timing at which the game ball reaches the staying portion 311, the movement of the game ball immediately after reaching the staying portion 311 is suppressed from becoming monotonous.

<Configuration to move the game ball to the left and right>
As described in detail above, it is possible to move the game ball back and forth by raising and lowering each of the movable plates 320a to 320j individually, but for the stage device 310 in the present embodiment, the game ball The movement of the game ball is diversified by moving not only in the front-rear direction but also in the left-right direction. Hereinafter, a configuration for moving the game ball to the left and right will be described with reference to FIG. 21A and 21B are schematic views showing the relationship between the movable plates 320. FIG. 21A is a view of the stage device 310 viewed from the front side, and FIG. 21B is a view of the stage device 310 viewed from above. ing.

  As already described, the upper end portion of each movable plate 320 is curved. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 21A, the upper end portion has a wave shape that repeats unevenness in the width direction (left-right direction) of the movable plate 320.

  There are roughly two types of undulation patterns formed on the upper end of the movable plate 320, and each of the two undulation patterns is employed in each movable plate 320. Specifically, the first movable plate 320a, the second movable plate 320b, the fifth movable plate 320e, the sixth movable plate 320f, the ninth movable plate 320i, and the tenth movable plate 320j (hereinafter referred to as the first type movable plate group 320A for convenience). And the undulation pattern employed in the third movable plate 320c, the fourth movable plate 320d, the seventh movable plate 320g, and the eighth movable plate 320h (hereinafter referred to as a second-type movable plate group 320B). The relief pattern is different.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 21B, at the upper end of the first type movable plate group 320A, four tops 324A are formed at equal intervals on the left and right, and the middle of each top 324A. A bottom portion 325A is formed at the position. Similarly, a top portion 324B and a bottom portion 325B are formed at the upper end portion of the second type movable plate group 320B, but the top portion 324B of the second type movable plate group 320B is the first type movable plate group in a front view of the stage device 310. The bottom portion 325B is arranged at a position aligned with the bottom portion 325A of the 320A, and the bottom portion 325B is disposed at a position aligned with the top portion 324A of the first type movable plate group 320A. That is, the undulation pattern is shifted in the width direction of the stage device 310 between the first type movable plate group 320A and the second type movable plate group 320B. In other words, periodicity is given to the undulation pattern, and the period of the undulation pattern is shifted by a half period between the first type movable plate group 320A and the second type movable plate group 320B.

  The game ball that has reached the staying portion 311 swings left and right on the movable plate 320, and the bottom portion 325 described above (specifically, the bottom portion of the movable plate 320 on the near side in the guiding direction of the two movable plates 320 in contact with each other). 325). The stability of the game ball staying at the bottom is improved by applying the same undulating pattern to the two movable plates 320 as a set of two movable plates 320 arranged in front and rear. .

  For example, when the game ball staying at the bottom 325A of the first type movable plate 320A is guided forward by the first type movable plate 320A by being pushed by the first type movable plate 320A, the game ball is moved to the first type movable plate 320A. Either the bottom 325B located on the left side of the top 324B or the bottom 325B located on the right side of the top 324B is in contact with the top 324B (specifically, the inclined surface constituting the top 324B) of the second type movable plate 320B located in the front. It will be distributed to either. Regarding the bottom portion 325A, the bottom surface of the bottom portion 325 is flat over the entire area so as to allow the movement of the game balls to the left and right, and a plurality (two in this embodiment) of game balls can stay at the same time. It has the width which becomes.

  Therefore, when the game ball is located on the right side in the bottom portion 325A, the game ball moves toward the bottom portion 325B located on the right side of the top portion 324B by contacting the top portion 324B from the right side, and the bottom portion 325A. When it is located on the left side, the game ball moves toward the bottom portion 325B located on the left side of the top portion 324B by coming into contact with the top portion 324B from the left side.

  That is, when the game ball is guided to the front of the gaming machine by the up and down movement of the movable plate 320, when moving from the first type movable plate group 320A to the second type movable plate group 320B or the second type movable plate group 320B → When moving to the second type movable plate group 320B, it is accompanied by movement in the left-right direction. In this way, the movement of the game ball is prevented from becoming monotonous by giving the game ball a change in the left-right position.

  As described above in detail, by making the movement of the game ball that is staying various and suppressing the movement of the game ball from becoming monotonous, for example, if the game ball stays in the same place, the game ball The degree of attention to the movement of can be improved. However, since the player's profit depends on whether or not the game ball finally flows into the receiving port 285, the above attention is likely to be directed to how the game ball moves relative to the receiving port 285. is assumed. In other words, even if the game ball stays (moves) at a position unrelated to the receiving port 285, there is a concern that it is difficult to suitably exhibit the effect of improving the degree of attention to such movement.

  Here, in the present embodiment, a contrivance has been made to add relevance to the entrance 285 to the motion of the moving game ball while diversifying the motion of the game ball. Hereinafter, the structure concerning the said device is demonstrated.

  First, the assembly structure of the movable plate 320 will be supplementarily described with reference to FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b).

  As already described, the movable plate 320 is fitted in the groove portion 333 formed in the case body 330, and the movement in the front-rear direction is restricted by the groove portion 333 and the movement in the vertical direction along the groove portion 333 is performed. Is assembled to the case body 330 in a permitted state.

  The distance dimension (spacing dimension) between the bottom surface of the right groove part 333 and the bottom surface of the left groove part 333 is the distance dimension (full width dimension) between the tip part of the right extension part 322 and the tip part of the left extension part 322. Is set slightly larger. Thereby, the movement (swing) of the movable plate 320 to the left and right is allowed.

  When the movable plate 320 moves to the right side, the tip of the right extension 322 hits the bottom surface of the right groove 333, thereby preventing further movement to the right. Further, when the movable plate 320 moves to the left side, the tip of the left extension 322 hits the bottom surface of the left groove 333, thereby preventing further movement to the left. That is, the groove portion 333 is provided with a function for defining the rightmost position and the leftmost position of the movable plate 320.

  The movable plate 320 is not fixed to the case body 330 but is supported by the eccentric cam 346 rotatably attached to the case body 330 so that the movable plate 320 is integrated with the case body 330. Has been. That is, the movable plate 320 is placed on the eccentric cam 346 (specifically, the cam portion 348).

  Here, the relationship between the eccentric cam 346 and the movable plate 320 will be described. The left eccentric cam 346L and the right eccentric cam 346R are slightly out of phase (5 ° in the present embodiment). For this reason, there is a difference in the timing at which the left and right ends of the movable plate 320 reach the uppermost position and the lowermost position.

  As shown in FIG. 23A, when the contact position between the movable plate 320 and the eccentric cams 346L and 346R is the same (the same height position), the movable plate 320 is in a horizontal state. On the other hand, when a height difference occurs at the contact location, the movable plate 320 is inclined toward either the left or right. In other words, the movable plate 320 rotates left and right.

  The portion of the insertion portion 323 of the movable plate 320 that is in contact with the cam portion 348 from the upper side (the contact portion 323a) has a planar shape extending in the direction in which the eccentric cam 346 is juxtaposed (specifically, the horizontal direction). The friction with respect to the portion 348 is set to be small. For this reason, the movable plate 320 inclined to either the left or right side slides to the lower side due to its own weight.

  As shown in FIG. 23B, when the contact point with the left eccentric cam 346L is higher than the contact point with the right eccentric cam 346R, that is, the same as the rotation center of the left eccentric cam 346L. The height difference HL1 between the left eccentric cam 346L and the insertion portion 323 (specifically, the contact portion 323a) is different from the rotation center of the right eccentric cam 346R and the right eccentric cam 346R and the insertion portion 323 (specifically, the contact portion 323a). ) Is larger than the height difference HR1 between the contact point and the height difference HL2 between the rotation center of the left eccentric cam 346L and the left upper end portion of the movable plate 320, and the rotation center of the right eccentric cam 346R. The height difference from the upper right end of the movable plate 320 is larger than the height difference HR2, and the movable plate 320 is inclined so as to be lowered to the right.

  As a result, the movable plate 320 slides (slides) to the right while maintaining the contact state with the eccentric cam 346, and the right extension 322 of the movable plate 320 hits the bottom surface of the right groove 333. This prevents further movement. That is, it reaches the rightmost position.

  For example, when the stepping motor 341 rotates based on the first drive signal, that is, when the left eccentric cam 346L rotates counterclockwise and the right eccentric cam 346R rotates clockwise, the left eccentric The contact location on the cam 346L is displaced to the right. At this time, since the contact portion 323a is inclined so as to be lowered to the right, the pressing force by the left eccentric cam 346L easily acts to push the contact portion 323a toward the right side. Moreover, the contact location in the right eccentric cam 346R is displaced to the left. At this time, since the contact portion 323a is inclined so as to be lowered to the right, the pressing force by the right eccentric cam 346R hardly acts to push the contact portion 323a toward the left side. Therefore, the pressing force to the right by the left eccentric cam 346L becomes larger than the pressing force to the left by the right eccentric cam 346R, and the movement of the movable plate 320 to the right is promoted.

  On the other hand, when the stepping motor 341 rotates based on the second drive signal, that is, when the left eccentric cam 346L rotates clockwise and the right eccentric cam 346R rotates counterclockwise, the left eccentric The contact portion on the cam 346L is displaced to the left. At this time, since the contact portion 323a is inclined so as to be lowered to the right, the pressing force by the left eccentric cam 346L hardly acts to push the contact portion 323a toward the right side.

  Further, when the stepping motor 341 rotates based on the second drive signal, the contact location on the right eccentric cam 346R is displaced to the right. At this time, since the contact portion 323a is inclined so as to be lowered to the right, the pressing force by the right eccentric cam 346R easily acts to push the contact portion 323a toward the right side. Therefore, the pressing force to the right by the right eccentric cam 346R becomes larger than the pressing force to the left by the left eccentric cam 346L, and the movement of the movable plate 320 to the right is promoted.

  As shown in FIG. 23C, when the contact point with the left eccentric cam 346L is lower than the contact point with the right eccentric cam 346R, that is, the same as the rotation center of the left eccentric cam 346L. The height difference HL1 between the left eccentric cam 346L and the insertion portion 323 (specifically, the contact portion 323a) is different from the rotation center of the right eccentric cam 346R and the right eccentric cam 346R and the insertion portion 323 (specifically, the contact portion 323a). ) Is smaller than the height difference HR1 with respect to the contact portion, the height difference HL2 between the rotation center of the left eccentric cam 346L and the left upper end of the movable plate 320 is the rotation center of the right eccentric cam 346R. The movable plate 320 is tilted so that the height difference is smaller than the height difference HR2 with respect to the upper right end of the movable plate 320 and the movable plate 320 rises to the right.

  As a result, the movable plate 320 moves to the left while maintaining the contact state with the eccentric cam 346, and the left extension portion 322 of the movable plate 320 abuts against the bottom surface of the left groove 333, thereby moving further. Is disturbed. That is, it reaches the leftmost position.

  For example, when the stepping motor 341 rotates based on the first drive signal, that is, when the left eccentric cam 346L rotates counterclockwise and the right eccentric cam 346R rotates clockwise, the left eccentric The contact location on the cam 346L is displaced to the right. At this time, since the contact portion 323a is inclined so as to rise to the right, the pressing force by the left eccentric cam 346L hardly acts to push the contact portion 323a toward the left side. Moreover, the contact location in the right eccentric cam 346R is displaced to the left. At this time, since the contact portion 323a is inclined so as to rise to the right, the pressing force by the right eccentric cam 346R hardly acts to push the contact portion 323a toward the right side. Therefore, the pressing force to the left side by the right eccentric cam 346R becomes larger than the pressing force to the right side by the left eccentric cam 346L, and the movement of the movable plate 320 to the left side is promoted.

  On the other hand, when the stepping motor 341 rotates based on the second drive signal, that is, when the left eccentric cam 346L rotates clockwise and the right eccentric cam 346R rotates counterclockwise, the left eccentric The contact portion on the cam 346L is displaced to the left. At this time, since the contact portion 323a is inclined so as to rise to the right, the pressing force by the left eccentric cam 346L easily acts to push the contact portion 323a toward the left side.

  In addition, when the stepping motor 341 rotates based on the second drive signal, the contact location on the right eccentric cam 346R is displaced to the right. At this time, since the contact portion 323a is inclined so as to be lowered to the right, the pressing force by the right eccentric cam 346R hardly acts to push the contact portion 323a toward the left side. Therefore, the pressing force to the left by the left eccentric cam 346L becomes larger than the pressing force to the right by the right eccentric cam 346R, and the movement of the movable plate 320 to the left is promoted.

  The friction coefficient of the right eccentric cam 346R and the friction coefficient of the left eccentric cam 346L are the same, and the friction coefficient of the right contact part 323a and the friction coefficient of the left contact part 323a are the same. For this reason, a difference between the frictional resistance generated between the right eccentric cam 346R and the contact portion 323a and the frictional resistance generated between the left eccentric cam 346L and the contact portion 323a is avoided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 23A, the contact location of the movable plate 320 and the left eccentric cam 346L and the contact location of the movable plate 320 and the right eccentric cam 346R are the same (same height position). If there is a difference in height between the left and right sides of the movable plate 320, no difference occurs. Further, since the rotation direction of the left eccentric cam 346L and the rotation direction of the right eccentric cam 346R are opposite to each other, the frictional resistance generated between the left eccentric cam 346L and the movable plate 320, the right eccentric cam 346R, and the movable The frictional resistance generated between the plates 320 acts so as to cancel each other. The friction coefficients of the eccentric cams 346L and 346R are set so that the frictional resistance generated between the left eccentric cam 346L and the movable plate 320 is equal to the frictional resistance generated between the right eccentric cam 346R and the movable plate 320. As a result of the balance between these two frictional resistances, the movement of the movable plate 320 to the left and right is temporarily suppressed.

  Incidentally, in the situation where the eccentric cam 346 is rotating, the frictional resistance is smaller than when the eccentric cam 346 is stopped (static friction coefficient> dynamic friction coefficient). While avoiding this, it is possible to suitably realize the swinging of the movable plate 320 to the left and right.

<Change in positional relationship between movable plates 320>
Next, with reference to FIG. 24 and FIG. 25, a supplementary description will be given of the change in the positional relationship between the movable plates 320 accompanying the movement of the eccentric cam 346. FIG. 24A is a timing chart showing the positional relationship between the movable plates 320 when the first drive signal is being output, and FIG. 24B is a situation when the second drive signal is being output. FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the movable plates 320. FIG.

  As described above, the moving plate 320 is moved up and down by 1/6 cycle between adjacent movable plates 320, and the first type movable plate group 320A and the second type movable plate group having different undulation patterns. About the change of the positional relationship of 320B, it is set so that it may become the same aspect about any combination. Therefore, in the following description, among the movable plate groups 320A and 320B, the second movable plate 320b constituting the first type movable plate group 320A and the third movable plate 320c constituting the second type movable plate group 320B. The movement of the game ball based on the positional relationship and the change in the positional relationship between the movable plates 320b and 320d will be exemplified.

  When the first drive signal is output, as shown in FIG. 24A, at the timing of td1 after the third movable plate 320c reaches the upper limit position, 2 The vertical relationship of the movable plate 320b is reversed. That is, the third movable plate 320c that has been positioned higher than the second movable plate 320b until then is lower than the second movable plate 320b. For this reason, after the timing of td1, the second movable plate 320b prevents any further movement of the game ball that has reached the position straddling the second movable plate 320b and the third movable plate 320c forward. It becomes.

  After the second movable plate 320b reaches the upper limit position at the timing td2 when the second movable plate 320b is maintained at a higher position than the third movable plate 320c, the second movable plate 320b changes from rising to lowering. Turn. The second movable plate 320b rotates clockwise in conjunction with the lowering, and switches to the right-down and right-side state immediately after the timing of td3. This not only encourages rolling to the right side due to the weight of the game ball waiting on the bottom portion 325, but also pushes it from the left side by the top portion 324A of the second movable plate 320b, so that the bottom portion of the third movable plate 320c. It will be guided to the right region in 325B.

  Both the movable plates 320b and 320c continue to descend after both the movable plates 320b and 320c are lowered to the right at the timing td3, and the third movable plate 320c first reaches the lower limit position at the timing td4. To do. The third movable plate 320c starts to rise after reaching the lower limit position and rotates counterclockwise in accordance with the rise. At the timing td5 immediately after the timing td4, the third movable plate 320c is lowered to the right and to the right. Switch from the state to the right-up and left-side state. Thereby, the movement of the game ball that has stayed in the right region of the bottom portion 325B to the center region side in the bottom portion 325B is prompted.

  At the timing of td6 after td5, the rising third movable plate 320c and the descending second movable plate 320b become the same, and this is used as an opportunity to move the second movable plate 320b and the third movable plate 320c up and down. The relationship is reversed again. As a result, the guidance of the game balls staying so as to straddle the second movable plate 320b and the third movable plate 320c is started in front of the gaming machine. That is, the game ball is guided to the second movable plate 320b side by pushing up the rear hemisphere by the third movable plate 320c.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 25 (a), the third movable plate 320c is located on the right and left, and the second movable plate 320b is located on the right and left. For this reason, the center position CLT of the top portion 324A of the second movable plate 320b exists at a position slightly shifted to the right side from the center position CLB (intermediate position in the width direction) of the bottom portion 325B of the third movable plate 320c. It becomes.

  Under such circumstances, the game ball B tends to stay in the central region of the bottom portion 325A as described above. That is, the game ball B is likely to stay so that the center point CTP of the game ball B is located on the left side of the top portion 324A (specifically, the center position CLT). For this reason, when the game ball B is displaced forward with the guidance to the second movable plate 320b side, the game ball B is out of the left inclined surface and the right inclined surface in the top portion 324A of the second movable plate 320b. The possibility of hitting the former is higher than the possibility of hitting the latter. Therefore, with the guidance to the second movable plate 320b side, it is easily distributed to the bottom portion 325B located on the right side of the bottom portion 325A. That is, the distribution probability to the left is higher than the distribution probability to the right.

  When the game balls are distributed to the left and right in this way, the moving speeds of the game balls after moving to the second movable plate 320b differ according to the distribution destination. Specifically, the game balls B1 distributed to the left side move toward the left side by hitting the left inclined surface of the top portion 324A. At this time, the second movable plate 320b is lowered to the right side, so that the game The moving speed of the sphere is reduced by climbing the same inclination. As a result, the possibility that the game ball B1 moves over the top 324A beyond the top 324A → bottom 325A is almost zero.

  On the other hand, the game ball B2 distributed to the right side moves toward the right side by hitting the right inclined surface of the top portion 324A. At this time, the second movable plate 320b is lowered to the right side, so that the game The moving speed of the sphere will increase as the slope goes down. For this reason, the game ball passing through the top portion 324A → the bottom portion 325A is given a possibility of getting over the top portion 324A ahead due to the momentum.

  Returning to FIG. 24 again, the second movable plate 320b reaches the lower limit position at the timing td7 after the timing td6. The second movable plate 320b starts to rise after reaching the lower limit position and rotates counterclockwise in accordance with the rise. At the subsequent timing td8, the second movable plate 320b rises to the right from the previous right-down state and right-side state. Switch to the left side. Thereby, the movement of the game ball that has stayed in the right region of the bottom portion 325B so far to the left region of the bottom portion 325B is urged.

  As shown in FIG. 25 (b), in a situation where both the movable plates 320b and 320c are raised to the right and to the left, the game ball staying over the movable plates 320b and 320c is the bottom 325B. By repeating the above swinging, it becomes easy to stay in the left region of the bottom portion 325B. In other words, the game ball is delayed in the forward movement, so that the position when moving forward becomes the left region of the bottom portion 325B.

  When the game ball B is displaced forward as it is guided to the second movable plate 320b, the game ball B may hit the left inclined surface at the top 324A of the second movable plate 320b and the right inclined surface. The possibility becomes almost equal at the timing of td8, and then the former possibility gradually increases. That is, with the guidance to the second movable plate 320b side, it becomes easier to distribute to the bottom portion 325B located on the right side of the bottom portion 325A.

  However, since the guidance of the game ball normally ends immediately after the timing of td8, the substantial distribution mode under the situation where both the movable plates 320b and 320c are raised to the right and to the left is shown in FIG. Compared with the left / right distribution probability of the game balls shown in a), the bias is small, and the left / right distribution probability is almost equal.

  Under such circumstances, even when the game balls are distributed to the left and right, the movement speeds of the game balls after moving to the second movable plate 320b differ depending on the distribution destination. Specifically, the game balls B1 distributed to the left side move toward the left side by hitting the left inclined surface of the top portion 324A. At this time, the second movable plate 320b is raised to the right side. The moving speed of the sphere will increase as the slope goes down. Thereby, the possibility of moving over the top portion 324A ahead is given to the game ball via the top portion 324A → the bottom portion 325A by the leftward distribution.

  On the other hand, the game ball B2 distributed to the right side moves toward the right side by hitting the right inclined surface of the top portion 324A. At this time, the second movable plate 320b is raised to the right side. The moving speed of the sphere decreases as the slope increases. For this reason, with respect to the game ball passing through the top portion 324A → the bottom portion 325A, there is almost no possibility of getting over the top portion 324A ahead due to the momentum.

  Under each situation shown in FIG. 25 (a) and FIG. 25 (b), the distribution probability of the game ball to the left and right is different from the moving speed of the game ball after the distribution, In other words, the movement mode of the game ball is different depending on the timing at which the game ball is guided forward, and the movement mode of the game ball is diversified. As a result, the movement of the game ball is prevented from becoming monotonous, thereby contributing to an improvement in the degree of attention to the movement of the game ball.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 24A again, after the timing of td9 when the third movable plate 320c, which has started to rise, reaches the upper limit position, first, there is a difference in height between the second movable plate 320b and the third movable plate 320c. Decrease. Thereby, the guidance function of the game ball to the 2nd movable plate 320b side by the 3rd movable plate 320c falls. After the timing at which the third movable plate 320c starts to descend, the third movable plate 320c is lowered to the right and to the right, so that if there is a game ball on the bottom 325B, the second movable plate 320b. The top portion 324A of the player is positioned on the left side of the central region of the bottom portion 325B, and the game ball is easily distributed to the bottom portion 325A located on the right side of the bottom portion 325B.

  However, the first movable plate 320a positioned in front of the second movable plate 320b is switched to be lower than the second movable plate 320b at a timing before the timing of td9. For this reason, most of the game balls staying so as to straddle the second movable plate 320b and the third movable plate 320c at the timing of td6 are the first movable plate 320a and the second movable plate before the timing of td9. Since it moves to a position straddling the plate 320b, there are few opportunities to be guided after the timing of td9.

  As described above, under the situation where the first drive signal is output, when the game ball moves from the second type movable plate 320B to the first type movable plate 320A, the game ball is guided to the left side. It has become easier. For this reason, with the movement from the rear region to the front region of the staying portion 311, the game ball gradually moves to the left side.

  In the present embodiment, the game ball that has flowed out from the outlet portion 337 of the guide passage 336 flows into the staying portion 311 along the inclined surface of the restricting portion 335, and then the restricting portion 335 on the opposite side due to the momentum of falling. Move to. As a result, the game ball that has reached the staying part 311 starts to stay at the bottom part 325A or the bottom part 325B that is closest to the right restricting part 335. For this reason, the game ball that moves to the left and right by the above-described distribution is easy to move across the rear of the receiving port 285.

  As described above, a predetermined width is set in the bottom portion 325, and swinging of the game ball in the lateral direction at the bottom portion 325 is allowed. In other words, the game ball that has reached the bottom 325 does not always stay in a stopped state, but swings left and right on the bottom 325 due to the momentum when reaching the bottom 325 and the change in the posture of the movable plate 320. It does not move, but it is easy to stay. For this reason, even in the above-described distribution of game balls, the result of distribution to the left side is not always obtained, and depending on the staying position of the game balls, the result of distribution to the right side may be obtained. However, as for the left / right distribution ratio, the left distribution ratio is set higher than the right distribution ratio, so the left / right distribution is repeated with the guidance to the front of the gaming machine. This will inevitably lead to the left front.

  Next, referring to FIG. 24B, FIG. 25C, and FIG. 25D, the positional relationship between the movable plates 320 accompanying the movement of the eccentric cam 346 under the condition where the second drive signal is output. Briefly explain the changes.

  When the second drive signal is output, as shown in FIG. 24B, the second movable plate 320b is moved at the timing of te2 after the timing of te1 when the second movable plate 320b reaches the upper limit position. The vertical relationship between the plate 320b and the third movable plate 320c is reversed. That is, the third movable plate 320c that has been positioned lower than the second movable plate 320b until then is higher than the second movable plate 320b. For this reason, after the timing of te2, for the game ball that has reached the position straddling the second movable plate 320b and the third movable plate 320c, the third movable plate 320c prevents further movement to the rear of the gaming machine. It becomes.

  Thereafter, after the third movable plate 320c reaches the upper limit position at the timing of te3, both the second movable plate 320b and the third movable plate 320c continue to descend, and at the later timing of te4, the second movable plate 320b. Reaches the lowest position first. Then, the second movable plate 320b that has started to rise and the third movable plate 320c that continues to descend are at the same time (same height position) at the timing of te5. Thereafter, the vertical relationship between the second movable plate 320b and the third movable plate 320c is reversed again. Thereby, it becomes the induction | guidance | derivation period when the game ball which is staying so that it may straddle the 2nd movable plate 320b and the 3rd movable plate 320c may be guide | induced to the back of a game machine. That is, the game ball is guided to the third movable plate 320c side by pushing up the front hemisphere by the second movable plate 320b.

  At the timing of te5, as shown in FIG. 25 (c), the second movable plate 320b is lowered to the right and to the right, and the third movable plate 320c is raised to the right and to the left. For this reason, the top portion 324B (specifically, the center position CLT) of the third movable plate 320c is located on the left side of the center position CLB of the bottom portion 325A of the second movable plate 320b.

  Under such circumstances, the game ball B tends to stay in the central region of the bottom portion 325A as described above. That is, the game ball B is likely to stay so that the center point CTP of the game ball B is located on the right side of the top portion 324A (specifically, the center position CLT). For this reason, when the game ball B is displaced rearward along with the guidance to the third movable plate 320c side, the game ball B moves to the left inclined surface and the right inclined surface at the top 324B of the third movable plate 320c. The possibility of hitting the latter is higher than the possibility of hitting the former. Therefore, with guidance to the third movable plate 320c side, it is easily distributed to the bottom portion 325B located on the right side of the bottom portion 325A.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 24B again, at the timing of te6 immediately before the third movable plate 320c reaches the lowest position at the timing after the timing of te5, the third movable plate 320c rotates clockwise. At the timing of td7 that starts and continues, it switches from the state of rising right and leaning left until then to the state of falling right and leaning to the right. Thereby, the movement of the game ball that has stayed in the central region of the bottom portion 325B so far to the right region of the bottom portion 325B is urged.

  As shown in FIG. 25 (d), in a situation where both the movable plates 320b and 320c are lowered to the right and to the right, the game ball staying so as to straddle the movable plates 320b and 320c is the bottom portion 325A. By repeating the above swinging, it tends to stay in the left region of the bottom portion 325A. In other words, the game ball is delayed in the forward movement, so that the position when moving forward becomes the left region of the bottom portion 325B.

  When the game ball B is displaced forward with the guidance to the third movable plate 320c side, the game ball B may hit the left inclined surface at the top portion 324B of the third movable plate 320c and the right inclined surface. The possibility becomes almost equal at the timing of td8, and then the possibility of the latter gradually increases. That is, with the guidance to the third movable plate 320c side, it becomes easier to sort to the bottom portion 325A located on the right side of the bottom portion 325B.

  However, since the guidance of the game ball normally ends immediately after the timing of te7, the substantial distribution mode in the situation where both the movable plates 320b and 320c are lowered to the right and to the right is shown in FIG. Compared with the left / right distribution probability of the game ball shown in c), the bias is small, and the right / left distribution probability is substantially equal.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 24B again, at the timing of te8 just before the third movable plate 320c, which has started to rise, reaches the upper limit position, the second movable plate 320b rotates counterclockwise, and the subsequent timing of te9. Then, when the second movable plate 320b is raised to the right and to the left, if there is a game ball on the bottom portion 325A, the top portion 324B of the third movable plate 320c is on the right side of the central region of the bottom portion 325A. Thus, the game ball is easily distributed to the bottom portion 325B located on the right side of the bottom portion 325A.

  However, the fourth movable plate 320d positioned behind the third movable plate 320c is switched to be lower than the third movable plate 320c at a timing before the timing of te9. For this reason, most of the game balls staying so as to straddle the second movable plate 320b and the third movable plate 320c at the timing of te5 are the third movable plate 320c and the fourth movable plate before the timing of te9. Since it moves to a position straddling the plate 320d, there are few opportunities to be guided after the timing of td9.

  As described above, in the situation where the second drive signal is output, when the game ball moves from the first type movable plate 320A to the second type movable plate 320B, the game ball is guided to the right side. It is easy to be done. For this reason, as the staying portion 311 moves from the front area to the rear area, the game ball gradually moves to the right side.

  In this way, by realizing the guidance of the game ball that obliquely crosses the staying part 311, the moving part of the game ball is set longer, and the staying part 311 (stage device 310) is increased in size. It is possible to suppress. In addition, the game ball that has flowed out from the staying portion 311 through the receiving port 285 is easily guided to the lower operation entering ball portion 84, but the game ball that crosses the rear of the receiving port 285 in the forward path and the return path. By realizing the movement, compared to the case where the game ball moves at a position unrelated to the entrance 285, it is possible to favorably contribute to an improvement in the degree of attention to the movement of the game ball.

<Electric configuration of pachinko machine 10>
Next, the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described based on the block diagram of FIG.

  An MPU 602 is mounted on a main control board 601 provided in the main controller 162. The MPU 602 is a ROM 603 storing various control programs executed by the MPU 602 and fixed value data, and a memory for temporarily storing various data when executing the control program stored in the ROM 603. The RAM 604 is an element including an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, a data input / output circuit, various counter circuits as a random number generator, and the like. Note that a part of the functions of the MPU 602, for example, the function of the ROM 603 and the function of the RAM 604 may be included as another element.

  The MPU 602 is provided with an input port and an output port. The input side of the MPU 602 is connected to a power failure monitoring board 605 provided in the main controller 162, a payout controller 242 and various detection sensors (for example, detection sensors 95a to 95c and position detection sensor 345). In this case, the power failure monitoring board 605 is connected to the power source / emission control device 243, and power is supplied to the MPU 602 via the power failure monitoring board 605. In addition, as part of the sensor group, a prize such as a general prize opening 81, a lower variable ball entry portion 82, a right variable ball entry portion 83, a lower operation ball entry portion 84, a right operation ball entry portion 85, a through gate 86, and the like. A plurality of detection sensors provided in the corresponding pitching part (payout-corresponding pitching part) are connected, and the MPU 602 of the main control device 162 performs winning determination (speech determination) to each pitching part. In addition, the MPU 602 executes a lottery or a special winning lottery based on winning for the lower operating ball entering portion 84 and the right operating ball entering portion 85, and a support occurrence lottery based on winning for the through gate 86. Execute.

  On the output side of the MPU 602, a power failure monitoring board 605, a payout control device 242 and an audio lamp control device 143 (specifically an audio lamp control board) are connected. For example, a payout ball command is output to the payout control device 242 based on a winning determination result to the winning corresponding winning portion. In this case, the command information storage area 625 of the ROM 603 is referred to when a prize ball command is output. When the winning to the general winning opening 81 is specified, a winning ball command corresponding to the payout of 10 game balls is output, and when the winning to the variable pitching portions 82 and 83 is specified, 15 is received. A prize ball command corresponding to the payout of the game ball is output, and when a win to the lower operation ball entering portion 84 is specified, a prize ball command corresponding to the payout of three game balls is output and the right action is performed. When the winning to the pitching part 85 is specified, a winning ball command corresponding to the payout of four game balls is output.

  Various commands such as a change command, a type command, a change end command, an opening command, and an ending command are output to the sound lamp control device 143. In this case, the command information storage area 625 of the ROM 603 is referred to when these various commands are output. Details of these various commands will be described later. Each command is configured as information of a predetermined number of bytes, and various information is included as information of the predetermined number of bytes.

  Further, on the output side of the MPU 602, the variable entry driving unit 82 c of the lower variable entry unit 82, the variable entry drive unit 83 c of the right side variable entry unit 83, and the electric accessory 91 in the right operation entrance unit 85. Are connected to the main display unit 87. The main control board 601 is provided with various driver circuits, and the MPU 602 executes drive control of various drive units through the driver circuits.

  That is, in the opening / closing execution mode, the MPU 602 performs drive control of the variable ball driving unit 82c so that the open / close door 82b of the lower variable ball entering unit 82 is opened and closed. In addition, when the open state of the electric accessory 91 in the right-hand actuating ball portion 85 is won, the MPU 602 performs drive control of the drive unit for the electric accessory 91 so that the electric accessory 91 is in the receiving state. Executed. In each game round, the MPU 602 executes light emission control of the main display portion D.

  The power failure monitoring board 605 relays between the main control board 601 and the power / fire control device 243, and monitors the DC stable voltage of 24 volts, which is the maximum voltage output from the power / fire control device 243. The payout control device 242 controls payout of prize balls and rental balls by the payout device 224 based on the prize ball command input from the main control device 162.

  The power / launch control device 243 is connected to, for example, a commercial power source (external power source) in a game hall or the like. Based on external power supplied from the commercial power supply, necessary operating power is generated for each of the main control board 601, the payout control device 242, and the like, and the generated operating power is supplied through a predetermined power path. To do. The power supply / launch control device 243 is responsible for launch control of the game ball launch mechanism 110, and the game ball launch mechanism 110 (specifically, the solenoid 111) is driven when predetermined launch conditions are met.

  Further, a stepping motor 341 of the stage unit 300 (stage device 310) is connected to the output side of the MPU 602, and is driven with respect to the stepping motor 341 in a situation where electric power is supplied to the pachinko machine 10. The signal is always output.

<About various counters>
Next, the operation of the pachinko machine 10 configured as described above will be described.

  The MPU 602 uses various counter information during the game to generate a jackpot or special winning lottery, display setting of the main display portion D (that is, setting of the light emission mode in the various light emitting portions DL, DR, DS, DH), the symbol display device 260 27. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 27, a random number counter C1 used for lottery for generating big wins or special wins, and the presence / absence of a high-frequency support mode to be described later are set. A hit type counter C2 used for determination, a random number initial value counter CINI used for setting an initial value of the hit random number counter C1, a display part DL for the lower action entry part of the main display part D, and a right action entry part The display unit DR and the variation type counter CS that determines the variation display time in the symbol display device 260 are used. Furthermore, the counter C3 for an electric accessory used for the lottery for determining whether or not the electric accessory of the right-hand actuating ball entering portion 85 is in an electric utility open state is used.

  Each of the counters C1 to C3, CINI, and CS is a loop counter that adds 1 to the previous value each time it is updated, and returns to 0 after reaching the maximum value. Each counter is updated at short time intervals, and the updated value is appropriately stored in a lottery counter buffer 631 set in a predetermined area of the RAM 604. The RAM 604 is provided with a reserved ball storage area 632 including a first result display area reservation area Ra, a second result display area reservation area Rb, an execution area AE, and a total reservation number storage area. In the reserved ball storage area 632, the values of the winning random number counter C1 and the winning type counter C2 are time-sequentially matched to the winning history of the game balls to the lower operating ball entering portion 84 or the right operating ball entering portion 85. It is designed to be stored.

  Specifically, each counter is configured so that the hit random number counter C1 is incremented by 1 in the range of, for example, 0 to 599, and returns to 0 after reaching the maximum value. In particular, when the winning random number counter C1 makes one round, the value of the initial random number counter CINI at that time is read as the initial value of the winning random number counter C1. The random number initial value counter CINI is a loop counter similar to the winning random number counter C1 (value = 0 to 599). The hit random number counter C1 is periodically updated and stored in the reserved ball storage area 632 of the RAM 604 at the timing when the game ball wins the lower operation ball entering portion 84 or the right operation ball entering portion 85. More specifically, the game ball is stored in the first result display holding area Ra of the RAM 604 at the timing when the game ball is won in the lower operation ball entering portion 84, and the game sphere is won in the right operation ball entry portion 85 at the timing when the game ball is won. It is stored in the second result display area reservation area Rb.

  The value of the random number for winning is stored as a success / failure table (availability information group) in a success / failure table storage area 621 as a success / failure information group storage means in the ROM 603. Here, the contents of the success / failure table will be described. As the success / failure table, two types are set in association with each of the operation entrance parts 84 and 85 individually. That is to say, the winning table for the lower actuating ball portion (the lower actuating ball hitting information group) that is referred to when a winning is made to the lower actuating ball portion 84, and the right actuating ball entering portion 85 are referred to. A right operation entrance portion determination table (right operation entrance portion determination information group) that is referred to when a winning occurs is set.

  In the gaming state in which the winning / failing table for the lower action entry club is referred to at the time of the lottery, the random value (that is, the winning information) for winning the big hit is “7” and “307”. . That is, among the values of the hit random number counter C1 of “0 to 599”, “7” and “307” correspond to the jackpot result, and the others correspond to the outlier result.

  On the other hand, in the gaming situation in which the right-handed entry part success / failure table is referred to at the time of the lottery, similarly to the lower-action entry part success / failure table, the value of a random number for winning the big hit (that is, The winning information is “7” and “307”. Further, among the values of the random number counter C1 of “0 to 599”, “51 to 60”, “151 to 160”,..., “551 to 560” correspond to the special winning results, and other than that Corresponds to outliers.

  Here, the difference between the jackpot result and the special hit result will be described. When a big win result is obtained by a lottery based on winning in each of the activated ball entering portions 84 and 85, the lower variable ball entering portion 82 is shifted to the opening / closing execution mode. On the other hand, when a special winning result is obtained by the same lottery, the lower variable pitching portion 82 is not immediately shifted to the opening / closing execution mode, but the right to perform another lottery is granted again. By winning the lottery, similarly to the case of the jackpot result, the lower variable entrance portion 82 is shifted to the opening / closing execution mode.

  Specifically, when a special hit result is obtained, first, the right variable pitching portion 83 is shifted to an open state. At that time, the winning ball is determined by the game ball that has won the right large winning opening 83a flowing into a specific branch passage among the plurality of branch passages, and the lower variable ball entering portion 82 is shifted to the opening / closing execution mode. In other words, when a special win is won, a result similar to the jackpot is given to the player when the player enters a specific branch passage. Note that the branch passage may be referred to as an “advantageous entry ball portion” when attention is paid to the fact that the hit is determined by entering the specific branch passage (second downstream passage).

  Next, the win type counter C2 will be described. The hit type counter C2 is incremented by 1 within the range of 0 to 29, and returns to 0 after reaching the maximum value. The hit type counter C <b> 2 is periodically updated and stored in the reserved ball storage area 632 of the RAM 604 at the timing when the game ball wins the lower operation ball entry portion 84 or the right operation ball entry portion 85. More specifically, the game ball is stored in the first result display holding area Ra of the RAM 604 at the timing when the game ball is won in the lower operation ball entering portion 84, and the game sphere is won in the right operation ball entry portion 85 at the timing when the game ball is won. It is stored in the second result display area reservation area Rb.

  The game result distribution destination for the win type counter C2 is stored as a distribution table (distribution information group) in a distribution table storage area 622 as a distribution information group storage unit in the ROM 603. Here, the contents of the distribution table will be described. Two types of sorting tables are set in association with each of the actuated ball entering portions 84 and 85 individually. In other words, the lower operating ball entering portion allocation table (the lower operating ball receiving portion allocation information group) and the right operating ball entering portion 85 that are referred to when a winning in the lower operating ball entering portion 84 occurs. The distribution table for the right action ball entry section (the distribution information group for the right action ball entry section) which is referred to when the winning is generated is individually set. With reference to these distribution tables, the support mode is distributed in the electric accessory 91 of the right-hand acted ball entering portion 85 after the opening / closing execution mode ends.

  As a support mode in the electric working component 91 of the right working entrance 85, when compared with a situation in which the game ball is continuously fired in the same manner with respect to the game area PE, The low frequency support mode (low frequency support state or low frequency guide state) and the high frequency support mode (high frequency support state or High frequency guide state) is set.

  Specifically, in the low-frequency support mode and the high-frequency support mode, the probability of winning the electrification accepting state in the electrification lottery using the electrification agent counter C3 is the same (for example, both are 4/5). However, in the high frequency support mode, the number of times that the electric accessory 91 is in the reception state when it is elected as the power combination acceptance state is set more than in the low frequency support mode, and one more time is accepted. The time is set longer. In this case, in the high frequency support mode, when the electrification acceptance state is won and the electrification state of the electric accessory 91 occurs a plurality of times, a waiting period from the end of one acceptance state until the next acceptance state is started. The time is set to be shorter than a single acceptance time. Furthermore, in the high-frequency support mode, the minimum secured time is set shorter than the low-frequency support mode, after the first lot for the electric component is performed. Has been.

  As described above, in the high-frequency support mode, the probability that a winning to the right-hand acted ball entering portion 85 occurs is higher than in the low-frequency support mode. In other words, in the low frequency support mode, there is a higher probability of winning the lower operation ball entry portion 84 than in the right operation ball entry portion 85, but in the high frequency support mode, the lower operation ball entry portion 84. As a result, the probability that a winning to the right-hand acted ball entering portion 85 will occur becomes higher. When a winning to the right-hand actuated pitching portion 85 occurs, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out. Therefore, in the high frequency support mode, the player plays the game while not reducing the number of possessed balls so much. It can be performed.

  Note that the configuration for increasing the frequency at which the high frequency support mode is in the state of accepting the power role per unit time as compared to the low frequency support mode is not limited to the above-described configuration, for example, lottery for the electric power item It is good also as a structure which raises the probability that it will be elected in the electric character acceptance state in. Furthermore, increase the number of times of switching to the acceptance state, lengthen the acceptance time, and ensure that the minimum is secured when the next lottery for the electric component is performed after the first lottery for the electric component is performed It is possible to reduce the time by applying any one condition or any combination of conditions among shortening the time (that is, shortening the one-time variable display time in the through gate display section DS) and increasing the winning probability. The advantage of the high frequency support mode over the frequency support mode may be increased.

  However, the high-frequency support mode shifts to the low-frequency support mode when the number of games reaches the end reference number (specifically, 100 times) after the shift.

  In the pachinko machine 10, the distribution mode to the low-frequency support mode and the high-frequency support mode in the case of a big hit result or a special win result is a win based on winning in the lower operation ball entering portion 84. And the case where the winning combination is based on winning in the right-hand actuated entry portion 85.

  Specifically, under the gaming state in which the lowering / injection pitching unit success / failure table is referred to in the above-described allocation, the random number value (that is, the winning information) for winning the high-frequency support mode is “0 to 0”. 14 ”. On the other hand, in the gaming situation in which the allocation table for the right action entry part is referred to in the above allocation, the random number value (that is, the winning information) for winning the high frequency support mode is “0 to 24”. Of 25. In other words, if a big win is won by winning the lower operating ball 84, it is assigned to the high frequency support mode with a probability of 1/2, and a big win or special win is won by winning the right operating ball 85. In this case, the high frequency support mode is assigned with a probability of 5/6.

  In addition, when it becomes a losing result in the success / failure lottery, the mode does not shift to the opening / closing execution mode, and the support mode is not changed.

  The variation type counter CS is, for example, incremented by 1 within a range of 0 to 198, and returns to 0 after reaching the maximum value. The variation type counter CS displays, in the MPU 602, the variation display time in the lower operation ball display unit DL and the right operation ball display unit DR in the main display unit 87 and the symbol variation display time in the symbol display device 260. Used in determining. The variation type counter CS is updated once every time a normal process to be described later is executed once, and is repeatedly updated even within the remaining time in the normal process. The buffer value of the variation type counter CS is determined when the variation pattern is determined at the start of variation display in the lower actuation ball display unit DL and the right actuation ball display unit DR and when the symbol variation is started by the symbol display device 260. Is acquired.

  The electric accessory counter C3 is, for example, configured to increment one by one within a range of 0 to 249 and return to 0 after reaching the maximum value. The electric accessory counter C3 is periodically updated, and stored in the electric combination holding area 633 of the RAM 604 at the timing when a game ball wins the through gate 86. Then, at a predetermined timing, a lottery is performed as to whether or not to control the electric accessory of the right-hand actuated ball entering portion 85 to the acceptance state based on the stored value of the electric agent counter C3. For example, if C3 = 0 to 199, the electric accessory is controlled to the acceptance state, and if C3 = 200 to 249, the electric accessory is not controlled to the acceptance state.

  As already described, in the MPU 602, at least the buffer value of the variation type counter CS is used to determine the variation display time in the lower actuation ball display unit DL and the right actuation ball display unit DR. For the determination, the variable display time table storage area 623 of the ROM 603 is used. Further, the MPU 602 uses the value of the hit random number counter C1 and the value of the hit type counter C2 stored in the execution area AE, in the lower action ball entry display unit DL and the right action entry ball display unit DR. The stop result is determined, and the stop result table storage area 624 of the ROM 603 is used for the determination.

  With reference to the block diagram of FIG. 26 again, the electrical configuration of the sound lamp control device 143 and the display control device 170 will be described.

  An MPU is mounted on the sound lamp control board provided in the sound lamp control device 143. The MPU includes a ROM that stores various control programs executed by the MPU and fixed value data, and a memory that temporarily stores various data when the control program stored in the ROM is executed. A certain RAM, an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, a data input / output circuit, and the like are incorporated. It should be noted that it is not essential that the ROM and RAM are integrated into one chip with respect to the MPU. The same applies to MPUs of other control devices.

  The MPU of the sound lamp control device 143 is provided with an input port and an output port. A main control unit 162 is connected to the input side of the MPU and receives various commands from the main control unit 162. On the output side of the MPU, various lamp units 26 to 28 and a speaker unit 29 provided on the front door frame 14 are connected and a display control device 170 is connected.

  The display control device 170 executes display control of the symbol display device 260 based on the command input from the sound lamp control device 143. In this case, the voice lamp control device 143 determines the symbol variation display time on the symbol display device 260 and the type of symbol combination to be finally stopped and displayed based on various commands input from the main control device 162. The presence or absence of reach and the contents of reach production are determined.

  The display controller 170 includes a display control board on which an MPU in which a program ROM and a work RAM are combined into a chip, a video display processor (VDP), a character ROM, and a video RAM are mounted.

  The MPU of the display control device 170 receives various commands from the audio lamp control device 143. Then, these received commands are analyzed or predetermined arithmetic processing is performed based on the received commands to control the VDP (specifically, generation of an internal command for the VDP).

  The program ROM is a memory for storing various control programs executed by the MPU of the display control device 170 and fixed value data, and JPEG format image data for the background image is also stored and held. The work RAM is a memory for temporarily storing work data, flags, and the like used when various programs are executed by the MPU of the display control device 170.

  The VDP is a kind of drawing circuit that directly operates an image processing device as a liquid crystal display driver installed in the symbol display device 260. Since the VDP is formed as an IC chip, it is also called a “drawing chip”, and the substance of the VDP should be said to be a microcomputer chip incorporating firmware dedicated to drawing processing. The VDP adjusts the timing of each of the MPU, the video RAM, etc. to intervene in reading and writing data, and reads the image data stored in the video RAM from the character ROM at a predetermined timing and displays it on the symbol display device 260.

  The character ROM plays a role as an image data library for storing character data such as symbols displayed on the symbol display device 260. This character ROM holds bitmap format image data of various display patterns, a color palette table to be referred to when determining the expression color at each dot of the bitmap image, and the like.

  It is also possible to provide a plurality of character ROMs and store the image data and the like in a shared manner with each character ROM. Further, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which JPEG image data for background images stored in the program ROM is stored in the character ROM.

  The video RAM is a memory for storing display data to be displayed on the symbol display device 260, and the display contents of the symbol display device 260 are changed based on rewriting the contents of the video RAM.

<Various processes executed by the MPU 602 of the main control board 601>
Next, control processing executed by the MPU 602 of the main control board 601 will be described. The processing of the MPU 602 is roughly classified into normal processing that is started when the power is turned on and timer interrupt processing that is started by periodically interrupting the normal processing. The MPU 602 is activated by inputting a power interruption signal to the NMI terminal (non-maskable terminal) in addition to the timer interrupt process and the normal process, and a power interruption flag storage area (power interruption information storage in the various flag storage areas of the RAM 604). NMI interrupt processing for storing a power interruption flag (power interruption information) in the means) is executed, but a detailed description of the processing is omitted.
<Timer interrupt processing>
The timer interrupt process executed by the MPU 602 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This process is started periodically by the MPU 602 (for example, at a cycle of 2 msec).

  In step S101, various detection sensor reading processes are executed. That is, the status of various detection sensors connected to the main control device 162 is read, and the status of the detection sensors is determined and the detection information (winning detection information) is stored.

  Thereafter, in step S102, the random number initial value counter CINI is updated. Specifically, the random number initial value counter CINI is incremented by 1 and cleared to 0 when the counter value reaches the maximum value. Then, the update value of the random number initial value counter CINI is stored in the corresponding buffer area of the RAM 604.

  In the subsequent step S103, the winning random number counter C1, the hit type counter C2, and the electric utility counter C3 are updated. Specifically, the hit random number counter C1, the hit type counter C2, and the electric accessory counter C3 are each incremented by 1, and are cleared to 0 when the counter values reach the maximum value. Then, the updated values of the counters C1 to C3 are stored in the corresponding buffer area of the RAM 604.

  After performing the process of step S103, a through winning process for winning through the through gate 86 is performed in step S104.

  In the through winning process, it is determined whether or not the game ball has won the through gate 86. When it is determined that the game ball has won the through gate 86, it is determined whether or not the accessory reservation storage number SN is less than the upper limit value (4 in the present embodiment).

  When it is not determined that the game ball has won the through gate 86, or when the value of the accessory reservation storage number SN is determined to be greater than or equal to the upper limit value in step S202, the value of the counter C3 for electric accessory is stored. Then, the winning process is finished.

  On the other hand, when the game ball wins the through gate 86 and the stored item number SN <4, the stored item number SN is incremented by one. Then, the updated value of the counter C3 for the electric power article is stored in the first area of the free storage area of the electric power reservation area 633 of the RAM 604.

  It should be noted that in the through winning process, a process for turning on the hold number display section DH is executed. The light emitters corresponding to the number-of-holds display section DH are sequentially turned on in accordance with the number of stored items stored.

  After that, in step S105, a winning process for the operating opening accompanying the winning to the operating balls 84 and 85 is executed. In the winning process for the operating pitching portion, it is first determined whether or not the value of the first timer counter stored in the various counter areas 634 of the RAM 604 is greater than “0”. The first timer counter is a counter that is referred to when determining whether or not the winning to the right-hand acted ball entering portion 85 is valid. When the value of the first timer counter is “0”, it is determined whether or not the switching flag is stored in the various flag storage areas 635 of the RAM 604. If the switching flag is stored, the first timer counter setting process is executed. Here, the switching flag is a flag that is stored when a driving signal to the driving unit of the electric accessory 91 is output in the electric power support process described later.

  The set value of the first timer counter differs depending on whether or not the switching is compatible with the above-described high-frequency support mode. Specifically, the period during which the drive signal is output as described above is set to be longer in the high frequency support mode than in the low frequency support mode. The value set in the first timer counter is set larger than the value set in the first timer counter in the low frequency support mode. Specifically, “1000” is set when the switching flag corresponding to the high frequency support mode is stored, and “300” is set when the switching flag corresponding to the low frequency support mode is stored. .

  On the other hand, when the first timer counter is not “0”, “1” is subtracted from the value of the first timer counter. After executing the subtraction process in this way, after executing the setting process of the first timer counter, or when the switching flag is stored in the various flag storage areas 635, the game ball is placed in the lower operation entrance part 84. Whether or not a ball is entered (start winning prize) is determined based on the detection state of the detection sensor corresponding to the lower actuation ball entry portion 84. When it is determined that the game ball has won the lower operation ball entry portion 84, a prize ball command for causing the payout control device 242 to pay out three game balls is set. Thereafter, an external signal setting process is performed so as to output a signal to the management control device on the game hall side that the game ball has won the lower operation ball entry portion 84. Then, an information acquisition process for storing each value of the winning random number counter C1 and the winning type counter C2 is performed, and the main winning process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the game ball has not won the lower operation entrance portion 84, the right operation entrance portion determines whether or not the game ball has entered the right operation entrance portion 85 (starting winning). It is determined by the detection state of the detection sensor corresponding to 85. When it is determined that no game ball has entered any of the lower operation entrance portion 84 and the right operation entrance portion 85, the main winning process is terminated.

  If it is determined that the game ball has won the right-hand acted ball entering portion 85, it is determined whether or not the value of the first timer counter is greater than “0”. If it is determined that the value of the first timer counter is greater than “0”, a prize ball command for causing the payout control device 242 to pay out four game balls is set. Thereafter, an external signal setting process is performed to output a signal to the management control device on the game hall side that the game ball has won the right-hand actuated pitching unit 85, and after the information acquisition process is performed, the main winning process is terminated. To do.

  The prize ball command set in the above process is transmitted to the payout control device 242 in an external output process (step S301) of a normal process described later.

  On the other hand, if the value of the first timer counter is “0” when it is determined that the winning is made, the right-hand actuated entering portion 85 is in a non-accepting state and the entry should not occur substantially. It means that a ball has entered at the timing of In other words, it is assumed that there is a low possibility that the winnings are regular. Therefore, when such an event occurs, the abnormality control command for executing the notification indicating the occurrence of the abnormality is set in the sound lamp control device 143, and the management control on the game hall side through the external terminal board 681 is performed. A notification flag for outputting information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the apparatus is stored. When the abnormality notification command is stored, the abnormality leaving command is transmitted to the sound lamp control device 143 in an external output process (step S301) of a normal process described later. When the notification flag is stored, a signal indicating that an abnormality has occurred is output to the hall computer in the external output process.

  After the winning process for the operation port is executed in step S105, the process proceeds to step S106 and the stage driving process is executed. Hereinafter, the stage driving process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

<Process for stage drive>
In the present embodiment, when the pachinko machine 10 is activated, a drive signal is output from the main controller 162 to the stepping motor 341 of the stage unit 300 (stage device 310), and based on this drive signal. Then, the stage device 310 operates.

  In the stage driving process, it is first determined in step S201 whether or not it is time to switch the drive signal (excitation pattern) output to the stepping motor 341.

  If a negative determination is made in step S201, the stage driving process is terminated as it is. On the other hand, if an affirmative determination is made in step S201, the process proceeds to step S202 to execute a drive signal switching process.

  Specifically, if the first drive signal is output, has a first specific period (7468 msec in this embodiment) set in advance from the output start timing of the first drive signal passed? It is determined whether or not the drive signal is switched to the second drive signal at the timing when the first specific period has elapsed. As a result, the excitation pattern of the stepping motor 341 is reversed, and rotation in the direction (second direction) opposite to the direction that has been rotated (first direction) is started.

  On the other hand, if the second drive signal is output, whether or not a second specific period (2128 msec in the present embodiment) set in advance has elapsed from the output start timing of the second drive signal. The drive signal is switched to the first drive signal at the timing when the second specific period has elapsed. Thereby, the excitation pattern of the stepping motor 341 is reversed, and rotation in the direction (first direction) opposite to the direction (second direction) that has been rotated is started.

  Thus, by switching the excitation pattern and changing the operation pattern of the stage device 310, it is possible to guide the game ball staying in the staying portion 311 to the front of the gaming machine or to the rear of the gaming machine. In particular, in the present embodiment, the locations where the outflow of game balls from the staying portion 311 are allowed are limited. Specifically, although the game ball that has reached the rear of the receiving port 285 is allowed to flow out, the game ball that has reached a location outside the receiving port 285 hits the stopper portion 288 to move further forward. Will be hindered. Therefore, by moving the game ball away from the stopper portion 288 by switching the excitation pattern, the game ball is prevented from staying without reaching the receiving port 285.

  Here, the first specific period is set to be longer than the period required to shift the highest target in the movable plate 320 of the stage device 310 from the tenth movable plate 320j to the first movable plate 320a. In addition, the second specific period is set shorter than the first specific period, specifically, shorter than the period required to shift the highest target from the first movable plate 320a to the tenth movable plate 320j. Yes. By adopting such a setting, the guidance function to the front of the gaming machine is more dominant than the guidance function to the rear of the gaming machine. Thereby, the period for which the game ball on the stay part 311 stays on the near side is longer than the period for staying on the back side in the stay part 311, thereby improving the visibility of the game ball.

  According to the embodiment described in detail above, the following excellent effects are obtained.

  A stage unit 300 (stage device 310) is employed, and the game ball flowing down the game area PE is changed in motion. Thereby, it is suppressed that the movement of the game ball becomes monotonous, and the degree of attention to the movement of the game ball is improved.

  The stage device 310 has a plurality of movable plates 320 arranged side by side in the front-rear direction, and a retention portion 311 in which a game ball can be retained is formed by the upper end portions of the movable plates 320. In the staying part 311, the movable plate 320 is moved up and down to generate a relatively high / low part in the staying part 311. Compared with the configuration in which the game ball is swung on the curved surface etc. and finally guided to the front of the game machine by guiding the game ball at least to the front of the game machine by the height difference formed in this way. Thus, the movement of the game ball and the movement of the staying part 311 (movable plate 320) can be related. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the guidance of the game ball from becoming monotonous and to appropriately improve the degree of attention to the movement of the game ball.

  The movable plate 320 is disposed so as to oppose another adjacent movable plate 320 with a gap smaller than the diameter dimension of the game ball, and the rear movable plate of the two adjacent movable plates 320. By moving both the movable plates 320 so that 320 is higher than the movable plate 320 on the front side, the game ball staying in the stay portion 311 is guided to the front of the game machine. Thus, by providing a gap between the movable plates 320, it becomes possible to make the game ball contact the two movable plates 320, and the follow-up of the movement of the game ball with respect to the movement of the movable plate 320 is preferable. Can be improved.

  In the staying portion 311, a game ball staying in the staying portion 311 is guided to the front of the gaming machine by shifting a target higher than the other of the plurality of movable plates 320 to the front of the gaming machine. The In this way, a portion that is higher in the staying portion 311 (specifically, a portion that protrudes upward in the staying portion 311) is displaced to the front of the gaming machine, and the staying game ball is moved from the rear side by the same portion. Can be pressed. Thereby, the relevance between the movement of the game ball and the movement of the staying part 311 can be preferably improved. For example, in a configuration where guidance is performed by tilting the staying part forward of the gaming machine, etc., the tilting of the staying part may cause the game ball to be guided to the front of the gaming machine at once, and the staying period may be extremely short There is. In this regard, as shown in the present embodiment, if the game ball is pushed from the rear side, excessive movement of the game ball as described above can be suppressed.

  In addition, by setting it as the structure which pushes a game ball from the back side, the opportunity from which the visibility from the front of a game machine is obstructed by the said high level part can be reduced. Thereby, the visibility of the game ball being guided can be preferably improved.

  The game ball that has reached the staying portion 311 via the guide passage 336 is guided to the ninth movable plate 320i. In the present embodiment, regardless of the arrival timing of the game ball, there is always a portion higher than the ninth movable plate 320i (specifically, the highest portion) on the front side of the ninth movable plate 320i. Will exist. Thereby, it is possible to preferably avoid the inconvenience that the game ball hitting the ninth movable plate 320i moves forward with the momentum and flows out of the staying portion 311. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult to cause inconveniences such as a decrease in the relationship between the movement of the game ball and the movement of the staying part 311 or the staying period of the game ball in the staying part 311 becomes excessively short.

  In the above-described embodiment, the height of the upper end of two adjacent objects that are located in front of the object that is higher in the movable plate 320 and that are lower than the object that is higher. The position temporarily becomes the same height position. For this reason, the game ball pushed to the front of the gaming machine is settled so as to straddle the two movable plates 320 which are in a lower position, thereby preventing the game ball from moving alone in front of the gaming machine away from the higher position. be able to. Thereby, it is possible to strengthen the relationship between the movement of the staying part 311 and the movement of the game ball.

  Further, since the height position of the two movable plates 320 (specifically, the upper end portion) is the same at the lower portion, the amount of movement of the game ball in the vertical direction when the game ball is moved forward of the game machine Can be suitably suppressed. Thereby, the responsiveness of the movement of the game ball to the movement of the movable plate 320 can be preferably improved. Therefore, the smooth movement of the game ball forward of the gaming machine is attempted.

  By reversing the movement of the movable plate 320, the guidance destination of the game ball in the stay portion 311 can be switched from the front of the gaming machine to the rear of the gaming machine. Thereby, it is suppressed that the motion of the game ball on the stay part 311 becomes monotonous. In particular, the period for guiding the game ball to the front of the gaming machine is set shorter than the period for guiding the game ball to the rear of the gaming machine, and the guiding function of the game ball is secured. Moreover, it becomes easy to retain a game ball in the front part of the retention part 311, and it can suppress that the visibility of the game ball in retention falls.

  In addition, the guidance period of the game ball to the front of the gaming machine is set longer than the period required for shifting the highest target from the rear end to the front end of the staying portion 311. Thereby, it is possible to suitably exhibit the guidance function and the visibility function.

  About the movable plate 320 in this Embodiment, since the upper end part has become the curved surface shape which becomes convex upwards and curves forward and backward, it is restrained from staying on one movable plate 320. Can do. As a result, the game ball is likely to stay so as to straddle the two movable plates 320, and the inconvenience that the guiding function by the movable plate 320 is not exhibited well can be made difficult to occur.

  Further, when the game ball is guided forward or backward, the height difference between the front and rear movable plates 320 is increased, so that the locations where the game balls are in contact with the movable plates 320 are displaced. When the height difference is larger than a preset amount, the game ball is pushed toward the lower movable plate 320 by the higher movable plate 320, and the game ball is lowered. It moves to the side which leaves | separates from the movable plate 320 which becomes high level along the upper end part (specifically, curved surface). By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to suitably achieve both the guidance function to the front of the gaming machine and the guidance function to the rear of the gaming machine.

  The portion (upper end) constituting the staying portion 311 in the movable plate 320 has a wave shape in which the top portion 324 and the bottom portion 325 are formed side by side in the horizontal direction. It is off. The game balls are distributed to the left and right by the top portion 324 when moving from one movable plate 320 to another movable plate 320. As a result, the game balls that are staying are urged to move to the left and right, realizing a variety of movements of the game balls.

  Each movable plate 320 is allowed to be displaced to the left and right, and is configured to be urged to move to the left and right as the eccentric cam 346 rotates. When the movable plates 320 are displaced to the left and right, the positional relationship (lateral positional relationship) between the movable plates 320 facing each other changes, and the top 324 and the bottom 325 of the front movable plate 320 and the rear movable plate are changed. The positional relationship between the top portion 324 and the bottom portion 325 in 320 changes. Thereby, the distribution aspect of the game ball mentioned above will change. In this way, by changing the distribution mode of the game balls, it is possible to suppress the movement of the staying game balls from being uniform and contribute to an improvement in the degree of attention to the movement of the game balls. .

  The distribution mode of the game balls changes according to the rotation of the eccentric cam 346. That is, a configuration is adopted in which the movable plate 320 is displaced in the lateral direction (left-right direction) while the movable plate 320 is moved up and down. Thereby, it is possible to change the distribution mode in a series of up and down movements of the movable plate 320. Therefore, it is not necessary to stop the guidance function when changing the distribution mode, for example, and the game ball can be guided smoothly.

  As described above, the movable plate 320 is supported from the lower side by the cam portion 348 of the eccentric cam 346, and is moved up and down as the contact portion between the cam portion 348 and the insertion portion 323 is displaced up and down. Yes. Here, a phase difference is set between the rotation cycle of the left eccentric cam 346L and the rotation cycle of the right eccentric cam 346R, and the height generated at the contact point between the eccentric cams 346L and 346R and the insertion portion 323 is set. Due to the difference, the movable plate 320 tilts left and right. In this way, the movable plate 320 tilted to the left and right is slid to the lower side due to its own weight, thereby realizing a lateral displacement.

  For example, it is possible to separately provide a drive or the like for displacing the movable plate 320 to the left and right. However, when such a configuration is adopted, the stage device 310 is increased in size and the game area PE is increased. It is not preferable because it may become a factor that makes it difficult to coexist with surrounding game parts. In this respect, in the present embodiment, as described above, the configuration for moving the movable plate 320 up and down is used to realize the displacement of the movable plate 320 in the lateral direction, thereby suppressing the complexity of the configuration. Further, by suppressing the expansion of the occupied area, it is possible to avoid pressure in the installation area of other game parts.

  In the configuration in which the movable plate 320 is displaced to the left and right by using the difference in height between the contact points with the left and right eccentric cams 346L and 346R, the movable plate 320 is increased by increasing the height difference and increasing the inclination of the movable plate 320. Movement due to its own weight of 320 can be facilitated. However, when the height difference is increased in this way, it is assumed that the bias of the staying position of the game balls increases. This is not preferable because it may be a factor that hinders effective use of the area in which the stay of the game ball is allowed by the stay part 311. On the other hand, if the height difference (inclination angle) of the contact portion is reduced, it is difficult to move the movable plate 320 by its own weight, and there is a concern that the function for realizing the diversification of the distribution modes described above will not be exhibited. The

  In this regard, according to the present embodiment, when the height difference occurs and the movable plate 320 is inclined, the movable plate 320 is directed toward the downstream side in the inclination direction by either one of the eccentric cams 346L and 346R. Will be pushed. Thereby, the movement of the movable plate 320 can be urged. That is, it is possible to suitably secure the displacement of the movable plate 320 in the lateral direction while avoiding an excessive increase in the height difference and avoiding an increase in the bias of the staying position of the game balls.

  In addition, it is not limited to the description content of embodiment mentioned above, For example, you may implement as follows. Incidentally, the configuration of another embodiment described below may be applied individually to the configuration in the above embodiment, or may be applied in combination with each other.

  (1) In the above embodiment, the movable plate 320 as the “movable member” is tilted to the left and right to displace the movable plate 320 to the left and right using the weight of the movable plate 320. When moving 320, it is not always necessary to rely on the weight of the movable plate 320.

  (1-1) For example, during a period required for the eccentric cam 346 to make one rotation, friction resistance generated between the left eccentric cam 346L and the insertion portion 323 (specifically, the contact portion 323a) as a “receiving portion”; Of the frictional resistance generated between the right eccentric cam 346R and the insertion portion 323 (specifically, the contact portion 323a), a period in which the former is larger than the latter and a period in which the latter is larger than the former are set, and these frictions are set. The movable plate 320 may be displaced left and right by the difference in resistance. By adopting such a configuration, depending on which of the eccentric cams 346 the game ball stays in, the above frictional resistance is Will change. That is, the displacement mode of the movable plate 320 can be changed according to the staying position of the game ball.

  (1-2) Further, the cam side gear portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cam portion 348 of the eccentric cam 346, and the movable plate side gear portion is formed on the contact portion 323a of the movable plate 320. By engaging, the movable plate 320 can be displaced left and right following the rotation of the eccentric cam 346. However, when such a modification is adopted, the relationship between the amount of elevation of the movable plate 320 and the amount of displacement to the left and right becomes stronger, and the degree of freedom in design tends to be reduced or the movable plate 320 can be moved. It is assumed that the configuration becomes complicated. Therefore, it is preferable to adopt the configuration shown in the above embodiment and the modification example of (1-1).

  (2) In the above embodiment, the left eccentric cam 346L and the right eccentric cam 346R are used in combination, but the number of eccentric cams is arbitrary. One of the left and right eccentric cams 346L and 346R can be replaced with a simple support portion. Even in this case, by rotating the eccentric cam, a configuration in which the height difference between the contact location of the eccentric cam and the contact portion 323a and the contact location of the support portion and the contact portion 323a is changed (preferably If the contact position of the eccentric cam and the contact portion 323a is switched to a higher position and a lower position than the contact position of the support portion and the contact portion 323a), the movable plate 320 is slid left and right. The function to move can be secured.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the rotation cycle of the left eccentric cam 346L and the rotation cycle of the right eccentric cam 346R are set to be the same. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A difference may be set in the period. However, when such a change is made, it is possible to realize further diversification of the right and left distribution mode of the game balls, but on the other hand, it causes a difference in height in the staying portion 311 as the “staying portion”. Thus, the inherent function of the staying portion 311 for guiding the game ball to the front of the gaming machine is likely to deteriorate. Therefore, as shown in the above embodiment, the rotation period is the same, and the structure of shifting the phases of both the periods is used to secure the guidance function to the front of the gaming machine and to the left and right distribution mode. It is desirable to diversify.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the rotation direction of the left eccentric cam 346L and the rotation direction of the right eccentric cam 346R are set to be opposite to each other. However, the rotation directions of the cams 346L and 346R may be aligned. Is possible. However, when such a change is made, the frictional resistance generated between the eccentric cam 346 and the contact portion 323a is likely to act so as to prevent the movable plate 320 from swinging. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the eccentric cam 346 generates a pressing force that pushes the movable plate to the downstream side in the tilt direction thereof, thereby supporting the movement of the movable plate 320 by its own weight. It becomes difficult to exhibit such a function. Therefore, it is preferable to set the rotation directions of the eccentric cams 346L and 346R to be opposite to each other, as shown in the above-described embodiment, to suppress the occurrence of these various inconveniences.

  (5) In the above embodiment, the game ball that has flowed out of the exit portion 337 of the guide passage 336 reaches one of the left and right sides of the staying portion 311 and then, among the left and right sides in the forward guidance process. Although the distribution mode of the game balls is set so that it can easily reach the other, the arrival location of the game balls flowing out from the exit portion 337 and the subsequent guidance location are arbitrary. However, if the game ball stays at a position unrelated to the entrance 285, it is assumed that it is difficult to improve the degree of attention to the movement of the game ball because it does not involve profit generation. The Therefore, it is preferable to improve the degree of attention to the movement of the game ball by preferably adopting the guidance mode shown in the above embodiment and facilitating movement so that the game ball crosses behind the receiving port 285. .

  (6) In the above-described embodiment, the amount of displacement of the movable plate 320 to the left and right is defined so that the state where the top portion 324 and the bottom portion 325 aligned in the front-and-rear direction are maintained. The amount of displacement in the direction may be set arbitrarily. However, as shown in the above embodiment, in the case where periodicity is imparted to the arrangement of the top portion 324 and the bottom portion 325, a new effect can be expected even if the displacement amount of the movable plate 320 is increased. Hateful. Furthermore, since the operation area of the movable plate 320 is expanded, coexistence with other game parts in the game area PE becomes difficult. Therefore, it is preferable to set the displacement amount corresponding to at least one period of the undulating pattern as the upper limit.

  (7) In the above-described embodiment, the first type movable plate 320A and the second type movable plate 320B are arranged in pairs, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first type movable plate 320A and the second type movable plate 320B may be alternately arranged.

  (8) In the above embodiment, the movable plate 320 is adopted as the “movable member”, but the “movable member” is not limited to a plate-shaped member. For example, the movable member may have a bar shape extending in the lateral direction.

  The staying portion 311 is configured by the upper end portion of the movable plate 320. However, the staying portion 311 may be changed, and the “staying portion” may be configured by a sheet material or the like attached to the movable plate 320 and deformable.

  (9) In the above embodiment, the movable plates 320 are opposed to each other with a gap between them, and the game balls are accumulated so as to straddle the two movable plates 320 arranged in the front and rear, but the gap is essential. It is not a configuration of. That is, the gap may be omitted and the front and rear movable plates 320 may be in contact with each other.

  However, in order to improve the followability of the movement of the game ball to the movement of the movable plate 320, it is preferable to set a gap between the movable plates 320 as shown in the above embodiment.

  (10) In the above-described embodiment, in the staying portion 311, there is always a portion that is higher than the same location before the location where the game ball that has flowed out from the exit portion 337 of the guide passage 336 arrives. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, depending on the timing at which the game ball reaches the staying part 311, the front side of the reaching location may be configured to be lower than the reaching location. However, when such a configuration is adopted, there is an increased possibility that the game ball that has reached the staying part 311 moves forward with the momentum and the staying period in the staying part 311 becomes extremely short. . This can be a factor that makes it difficult to improve attention to the movement of the game ball. Therefore, it is preferable to adopt a configuration in which a portion higher than the reaching location is formed in front of the reaching location so as to restrict the forward movement of the game ball.

  (11) In the above embodiment, all the movable plates 320 are operated by the power from the stepping motor 341. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A motor corresponding to each movable plate 320 on a one-to-one basis may be adopted, and the operation of each movable plate 320 may be individually controlled. However, when such a configuration is adopted, the occupied area of the stage device 310 is expanded, and the stage device 310 can coexist with other gaming machines such as the symbol display device 260 within the limited area. It becomes difficult. Therefore, it is preferable that all the movable plates 320 be operated by the power from one stepping motor 341 as described in the above embodiment.

  (12) In the above embodiment, the period for guiding the game ball forward is set to be longer than the period for guiding the game ball backward. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and both periods have the same length. The period for guiding the game ball forward may be set shorter than the period for guiding the game ball backward. By making such a change, the staying period of the game ball in the staying part 311 can be lengthened. However, it is assumed that the degree of attention to the movement of the game ball is likely to decrease due to a decrease in the guiding function toward the entrance 285 (in front of the gaming machine) that the staying part 311 originally has. Therefore, it is desirable that the period for guiding the gaming machine forward is longer than the period for guiding the gaming machine backward.

  (13) In the above embodiment, the rotary eccentric cam 346 (specifically, the cam portion 348) is adopted as the “operation portion”, but a piston that reciprocates in the vertical direction is adopted instead. Also good. However, in order to operate the plurality of movable plates 320 with the piston, it is assumed that not only the configuration for individually operating the plurality of movable plates 320 is complicated, but also the occupied area of the same configuration is unnecessarily expanded. The Therefore, it is preferable that the movable plate 320 be moved up and down using a cam as shown in the above embodiment.

  (14) In the above-described embodiment, the left / right distribution is performed according to the contact position of the game ball with respect to the top 324. However, a magnet may be used for the distribution of the game ball. Specifically, a magnet is embedded in the movable plate 320 so as to sandwich the bottom portion 325 from the left and right in front of the bottom portion 325, and either one of the left and right magnets is changed by a change in the relative position between the movable plates 320. The configuration is closer to the bottom 325 than the other. As a result, when the game ball staying at the bottom 325 moves forward, the game ball is easily attracted to a nearby magnet, and the game ball swings to the left and right according to the left-right positional relationship of the movable plate. Minutes are realized.

  (15) Other types of pachinko machines different from the above embodiment, such as a pachinko machine in which the electric game object is released a predetermined number of times when a game ball enters the specific area of the special device, or a game ball in the specific area of the special device The present invention can also be applied to a pachinko machine that generates a right if a player enters, a pachinko machine equipped with other objects, an arrangement ball machine, a sparrow ball, and other gaming machines.

<Invention Group Extracted from the Embodiments>
Hereinafter, the features of the invention group extracted from the above-described embodiment will be described while showing effects and the like as necessary. In the following, for easy understanding, the corresponding configuration in the above embodiment is appropriately shown in parentheses, but is not limited to the specific configuration shown in parentheses.

Features 1. A game board (game board 80) in which a game area (game area PE) is formed;
A plurality of movable members (movable plates 320a to 320j) which are provided in the game area and arranged side by side in front and back and formed so as to be movable up and down;
Elevating means (driving mechanism 340) for elevating and lowering each of the movable members,
It is constituted by upper end portions in these movable members, and is provided with a retention portion (retention portion 311) formed so that a game ball can stay in a state of being mounted on the plurality of movable members,
A gaming machine that guides a game ball staying in the staying portion at least in front of the gaming machine by raising and lowering the movable member by the lifting means,
The movable member is allowed to be laterally displaced,
Variable means for changing the relative position in the lateral direction of the two movable members facing each other by displacing the movable member in the lateral direction (phase difference between the eccentric cams 346R and 346L in the drive mechanism 340) is provided.
In the staying portion, when guiding the game ball forward, an action portion (a top portion 324 and a bottom portion) that displaces the game ball laterally according to the relative position in the lateral direction of the two movable members opposed to the front and rear. 325) is formed.

  According to the feature 1, the movement of the game ball and the movement of the staying portion can be related by moving the movable member up and down and guiding the game ball. As a result, the guidance of the game ball becomes monotonous compared to a configuration in which the game ball moves independently (for example, a configuration in which the game ball is simply swung on the curved surface and finally guided forward of the game machine). And the degree of attention to the movement of the game ball can be preferably improved.

  The staying part is composed of a plurality of movable members. When these movable members are displaced to the left and right, the positional relationship of the movable members facing each other (relative position in the lateral direction) changes, and based on the change in the relative position. Thus, the guidance mode of the game ball (for example, the destination of the game ball) changes. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the movement of the game ball that is staying from being uniform (giving unexpectedness to the movement of the game ball), and to contribute to an improvement in the degree of attention to the movement of the game ball.

  Feature 2. 2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the variable means displaces the movable member in a lateral direction while the movable member is being raised or lowered by the elevating means.

  According to the feature 2, by adopting a configuration in which the movable member is displaced in the lateral direction (left-right direction) while moving up and down, the guiding mode can be changed in a series of movements of the movable member. Therefore, it is not necessary to stop the guidance function when changing the guidance mode, for example, and the game ball can be guided smoothly. Thereby, the effect shown in the characteristic 1 can be exhibited suitably.

Feature 3. The elevating means supports the movable member by abutting from below on a receiving portion (abutting portion 323a of the insertion portion 323) formed on the movable member, and at least abuts against the movable member. An operating portion (cam portion 348) for moving the movable member up and down by displacing the portion up and down is provided,
The gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the movable member is displaced laterally based on an operation of the operation unit.

  According to the feature 3, the function of guiding the game ball to the front of the gaming machine can be exhibited by moving the movable member up and down based on the operation of the operation unit. Further, the movable member is supported by the operation unit, and is displaced left and right based on the operation of the movable member. Thereby, it can suppress that the structure for displacing a movable member up and down and right and left becomes complicated.

Feature 4. It is arranged side by side with the operation portion, and has a support portion that supports the movable member together with the operation portion by contacting the receiving portion of the movable member from below.
The receiving portion extends in a direction in which the operation portion and the support portion are arranged,
The movable member is formed such that the receiving portion can slide in the juxtaposed direction of the operation portion and the support portion with respect to the operation portion and the support portion,
The elevating means is configured to cause a difference in height between a contact portion between the operation portion and the movable member and a contact portion between the support portion and the movable member by operating the operation portion. The gaming machine according to feature 3, wherein

  According to the feature 4, when the height difference occurs in the contact portion, the movable member is displaced (sliding) by its own weight from the high side to the low side. Thereby, the displacement of the movable member shown in the feature 1 or the like in the lateral direction can be suitably realized.

  In particular, as shown in feature 1, in a configuration in which a game ball is guided by raising and lowering each movable member, a game to the front of the gaming machine is shifted by shifting the timing at which a height difference between the movable members is generated. The function of guiding the sphere can be demonstrated. By utilizing such a configuration that changes the vertical relationship between the movable members, the positional relationship between the movable members in the left-right direction can be suitably changed.

  Feature 5. 5. The gaming machine according to claim 4, wherein the operating portion is a cam portion (cam portion 348) that is rotatable about a central axis extending in a direction in which the movable members are arranged side by side.

  According to the feature 5, the movable member moves sideways while moving up and down, that is, while the cam portion is rotating. Thereby, the drag (specifically, frictional resistance) that hinders the movement of the movable member can be suppressed, which can contribute to the smooth movement of the movable member.

  The technical idea shown in the feature 3 can be realized, for example, by adopting a configuration in which teeth are formed on the movable member and the cam and the teeth are engaged with each other. However, when such a configuration is employed, the degree of freedom in design is reduced because there is a restriction between the movement in the vertical direction and the movement in the horizontal direction. Specifically, the relevance between the amount of elevation of the movable member and the amount of lateral displacement of the movable member becomes stronger. For this reason, for example, if it is attempted to reduce the amount of movement in the lateral direction, the amount of ascending / descending is reduced, and the inconvenience that the forward guiding function is reduced is likely to occur. In this respect, if a configuration in which the movable member is moved by its own weight using the height difference of the contact portion, such inconvenience can be suitably avoided.

Feature 6 The cam portion is a first cam portion;
The support portion is a second cam portion that can rotate in a direction opposite to the first cam portion around a central axis extending in a direction in which the movable members are arranged in parallel.
When the movable member is moved up and down, the first cam portion and the second cam portion are in contact with the first cam portion and the receiving portion, and are in contact with the second cam portion and the receiving portion. The gaming machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the two cam portions are arranged in a parallel direction and are displaced in directions opposite to each other.

  In the configuration in which the movable member is slid using the height difference of the contact portion as shown in the feature 5, if the height difference (tilt angle) of the movable member becomes excessively large, the deviation of the staying position of the game ball is large. It is assumed that This is not preferable because it may be a factor that hinders effective use of the area where the game ball is allowed to stay by the staying portion. On the other hand, if the height difference (inclination angle) of the contact portion is reduced, it is difficult to move the movable member by its own weight, and there is a concern that the function shown in the feature 4 is deteriorated.

  In this respect, according to this feature, when the above-described height difference occurs and the movable member is inclined, the movable member is pushed toward the downstream side in the inclination direction by either one of the cam portions. Thereby, the movement of the movable member can be promoted while suppressing the occurrence of the above inconvenience, and the effect shown in the feature 4 can be preferably exhibited.

Feature 7. The cam portion is a first cam portion;
The support portion is a second cam portion that can rotate in a direction opposite to the first cam portion around a central axis extending in a direction in which the movable members are arranged in parallel.
The first cam portion and the second cam portion are formed so as to have the same outer shape, and are configured such that a phase difference is generated in the rotation period of each of the cam portions. The gaming machine described in 1.

  As shown in the feature 7, if the phase difference is set in the rotation period of each cam portion, the technical idea shown in the feature 5 can be suitably realized while suppressing the complexity of the configuration.

Feature 8 The movable member is supported by abutting from below on a receiving portion (abutting portion 323a of the insertion portion 323) formed on the movable member, and the central axis extending in the parallel arrangement direction of the movable members is used as a center. A rotatable first cam portion and a second cam portion;
The first cam part and the second cam part are arranged side by side and are configured such that the rotation directions of the respective cam parts are opposite to each other.
The movable member is displaced in the vertical direction according to the rotation of the two cam portions, and the receiving portion is slidable in the juxtaposition direction of the two cam portions with respect to the first cam portion and the second cam portion. It is formed so that
The movable member, the first cam portion, and the second cam portion are configured such that the friction resistance generated by the rotation of the first cam portion and the friction generated by the rotation of the second cam portion during a period in which both the cam portions make one rotation. 3. The gaming machine according to Feature 1 or 2, wherein a period in which a difference occurs between the resistances is set.

  According to the feature 8, the movable member can be moved in the lateral direction due to the difference in frictional resistance. According to this configuration, for example, the movement mode of the movable member can be changed according to the position of the game ball that is staying. For example, there may be a difference in frictional resistance between the case where the game ball stays near the first cam portion and the case where the game ball stays near the second cam portion. it can. Thereby, it can contribute to diversification of a guidance mode.

Feature 9 The movable member includes a first movable member and a second movable member arranged in parallel in front of the first movable member,
The action part is
A bottom portion (bottom portion 325) formed at an upper end portion of the first movable member and being lower than other portions in the upper end portion;
At the upper end of the second movable member, a game ball that is disposed at a position in front of the bottom and higher than the other parts at the upper end, and stays at the bottom A top part (top part 324) in contact,
Furthermore, the action portion distributes the game ball staying in the bottom portion to the left side or the right side of the top portion when guiding the game ball staying in the bottom portion according to the positional relationship between the bottom portion and the top portion in the lateral direction. The gaming machine according to any one of features 1 to 8, wherein:

  According to the feature 9, according to the positional relationship between the bottom portion and the top portion, the left / right distribution mode when the game ball moves to the second movable member side (the front of the gaming machine) changes. Specifically, the game balls staying in the bottom part are distributed to the right side by contacting the top part of the second movable member from the right side, and distributed to the left side by contacting from the left side. Here, by changing the left and right positions of the bottom portion of the first movable member and the top portion of the second movable member by displacing the movable member to the left and right by the variable means, it is possible to change the contact position with respect to the top portion of the game ball. it can. Thereby, the distribution aspect of a game ball can be changed with the timing etc. which a game ball moves between movable members.

Feature 10 The movable member includes a first movable member and a second movable member facing the first movable member from the front,
The action portion is individually formed on the upper end portion of the first movable member and the upper end portion of the second movable member, and has a wave shape continuous in the left-right direction.
The action part of the first movable member and the action part of the second movable member are formed such that the undulation pattern is shifted laterally,
Furthermore, the action part distributes the game ball to the right side or the left side of the top part when the game ball staying at the bottom part of the action part of the first movable member hits the top part of the action part of the second movable member. Is,
There is a restricting means for restricting the displacement of the movable member in the lateral direction so that the relative displacement amount of the first movable member and the second movable member is within a range in which the deviation of the both undulation patterns can be maintained. The gaming machine according to any one of features 1 to 9, characterized in that.

  As shown in the feature 10, in the configuration in which each action portion has a wave shape that is continuous in the left-right direction, the undulation pattern of each movable member is shifted in the lateral direction so that the game ball moves in the lateral direction when moving between the movable members. Can be moved.

  In addition, by adopting a configuration in which the movable member is displaced left and right within a range in which the deviation of the undulation pattern is maintained, the region for allowing the displacement of the movable member while ensuring the distribution function (the movable member (retaining portion)) (Occupied area) can be prevented from spreading unnecessarily. Thereby, it can coexist suitably with the other game components arrange | positioned in the game area | region, enjoying the attention degree improvement effect.

  Feature 11. The variable means tilts at least the second movable member and displaces the second movable member in the lateral direction by the weight of the second movable member when the acting game ball is distributed by the action portion. 11. The gaming machine according to claim 9 or 10, wherein a relative position of the first movable member and the second movable member is changed by causing the first movable member and the second movable member to change.

  According to the feature 11, when the game ball is guided to the second movable member, the moving speed of the game ball changes according to the distribution destination. In other words, when it is distributed to the higher side, the momentum is weakened, and when it is distributed to the lower side, the momentum is increased. Thereby, a difference can be made in the movement mode of the game ball after distribution, and it can suppress that the motion of the game ball which is staying becomes monotonous.

  In the case of adopting a configuration in which both the first movable member and the second movable member are tilted by the variable means and the displacement in the lateral direction is individually promoted, the inclination of the first movable member and the second movable member are adopted. It is good to use together the structure which displaces both the 1st movable member and the 2nd movable member so that the inclination of may become reverse. As a result, even if the game balls distributed from the first movable member to the second movable member are moved to the second movable member in an accelerated state by the inclination of the first movable member, the inclination of the second movable member is the same as the game. It acts to decelerate the ball, and it is possible to prevent the moving speed of the staying game ball from becoming excessive.

Feature 12. A game board (game board 80) in which a game area (game area PE) is formed;
A plurality of movable members (movable plates 320a to 320j) which are provided in the game area and are arranged side by side;
A staying part (staying part 311) formed by the upper end parts of these movable members and formed so as to be able to stay in a state where a game ball is placed,
Guiding means (driving mechanism 340 and main controller 162) for guiding the game ball staying in the staying portion at least in front of the gaming machine by raising and lowering the movable member to cause a difference in height in the staying portion; A gaming machine characterized by comprising:

  According to the feature 12, the movable member is moved up and down, and a relatively high / low portion is generated at the upper end portion (that is, the staying portion) of the movable member. Compared with the configuration in which the game ball is swung on the curved surface etc. and finally guided to the front of the game machine by guiding the game ball at least to the front of the game machine by the height difference formed in this way. Thus, the movement of the game ball and the movement of the staying portion can be related. Thereby, it can suppress that guidance of a game ball becomes monotonous and can improve the degree of attention to the motion of a game ball suitably.

Feature 13. Each of the movable members is disposed so as to face the adjacent movable member with a gap smaller than the diameter dimension of the game ball,
The guiding means is staying in the staying portion by moving at least one of the two movable members such that the rear movable member of the two adjacent movable members is higher than the front movable member. The gaming machine according to claim 12, wherein the gaming ball is guided forward of the gaming machine.

  By providing a gap between the movable members, the game ball can be brought into contact with the two movable members. Thereby, the followability of the movement of the game ball with respect to the movement of the movable member can be preferably improved.

  However, in such a configuration, the game ball moves up and down on the staying portion. This is not preferable because it may be a factor that hinders the smooth movement of the game ball. Here, according to this feature, if the game ball is moved by causing a difference in height between two adjacent movable members, the gap can be prevented from becoming unnecessarily large, and the game ball can be smoothly guided. Can contribute to the realization of

  Feature 14. The guiding means shifts a game ball staying in the staying portion to the front of the gaming machine by shifting an object higher than the other of the plurality of movable members to the front of the gaming machine. (14) The gaming machine according to the feature 12 or 13, characterized by having an eccentric cam 346, a stepping motor 341, and a function of causing the eccentric cam 346 to rotate normally in the MPU 602 of the main controller 162.

  According to the feature 14, a portion that is higher in the stay portion (for example, a portion that protrudes upward in the stay portion) is displaced to the front of the gaming machine, and the staying game ball is moved from the rear side by the same portion. Can be pressed. Thereby, the technical idea shown in the feature 12 can be suitably realized.

  Further, by adopting a configuration in which the game ball is pushed from the rear side, it is possible to prevent the visibility from the front of the game machine from being hindered by the high-order part. Thereby, the visibility of the game ball being guided can be preferably improved.

Feature 15. A ball passage (guide passage 336) for guiding the game ball flowing down the game area to a specific position in the stay portion (the ninth movable plate 320i constituting the stay portion 311);
The shift means is configured to shift the high-level target forward of the gaming machine so that at least one high-level portion is formed at a position in front of the specific position in the staying portion. 15. The gaming machine according to feature 14, wherein

  As shown in the feature 14, in the configuration in which the high-level target is shifted to the front of the gaming machine, it is not preferable that the guidance function is not exhibited well at the timing when the game ball reaches the staying portion. For example, there is a possibility that a game ball that has hit a high-level portion (the convex portion) moves forward of the gaming machine regardless of the change in the staying portion.

  In this regard, according to this feature, the game ball hitting the staying portion (specifically, the movable plate existing at the specific position) is formed by forming a higher position at a position ahead of the gaming machine than the specific position. It is possible to suppress the outflow from the staying portion with the momentum. Thereby, it is possible to make it difficult to cause inconveniences such as a decrease in the relevance between the movement of the game ball and the movement of the staying part, or the staying period of the game ball in the staying part becomes excessively short.

Feature 16. Of the movable members, one movable member is disposed so as to face a gap smaller than the diameter dimension of the game ball against another adjacent movable member,
The guiding means is located on the guidance destination side of the game ball with respect to the high-level target by the shift means, and is a target lower than the high-level target and above the two adjacent targets. The gaming machine according to the feature 14 or the feature 15, which has means for aligning the height positions of the end portions.

  According to the feature 16, the game ball pushed to the front of the gaming machine is settled so as to straddle the movable member which is at a lower position, thereby suppressing the movement from the portion at the higher position alone to the front of the gaming machine. be able to. Thereby, the relationship between the movement of the staying part and the movement of the game ball can be strengthened.

  Also, since the height position of the two movable members (specifically, the upper end portion) is the same at the lower position, the amount of movement of the game ball in the vertical direction when moving the game ball forward is changed. It can suppress suitably that it becomes large. Thereby, the responsiveness of the movement of the game ball to the movement of the movable member can be preferably improved. Therefore, smooth movement of the game ball forward of the gaming machine can be expected.

Feature 17. The shift means is a first shift means;
The guiding means includes
Second shift means (eccentric cam) for guiding a game ball staying in the staying portion to the rear of the gaming machine by shifting a target higher than the other of the plurality of movable members to the rear of the gaming machine. 346, stepping motor 341, function of reversing the eccentric cam 346 in the MPU 602 of the main controller 162),
Switching means for switching between a state in which the first shift means guides the gaming machine forward and a state in which the second shift means guides the gaming machine rearward (switch the drive signal in the MPU 602 of the main controller 162) The gaming machine according to any one of features 14 to 16, wherein the gaming machine has a function).

  According to the feature 17, it is possible to suppress the movement of the game ball from becoming monotonous by swinging the game ball staying in the stay portion back and forth. Thereby, it can contribute to the improvement of the attention degree with respect to the motion of a game ball.

  In addition to this feature, the following effects are expected by adopting “a configuration in which the portion (upper end portion) constituting the staying portion of the movable member forms a curved surface that protrudes upward from the gaming machine”. it can. That is, it is possible to prevent the game ball from coming into contact with two adjacent movable members and staying on one movable member. Thereby, the guidance function to the front and back accompanying the movement of a movable member can be exhibited suitably.

Feature 18. Each movable member is a plate-like member facing each other,
In each of these movable members, the portion that constitutes the staying portion has wavy undulations extending in the lateral direction,
The undulation is formed such that the level of the undulation is shifted laterally in each movable member,
18. The feature according to claim 17, further comprising a regulating portion (stopper portion 288) provided in parallel with an outlet portion of the staying portion in front of the staying portion and restricting outflow of game balls from the staying portion. Gaming machine.

  According to the feature 18, the game ball guided to the front of the gaming machine reaches the exit portion and is separated from the staying portion. On the other hand, for the game ball guided to a position deviating from the exit portion (specifically, the restricting portion), outflow from the staying portion is restricted by the restricting portion. Here, when the game ball whose outflow is restricted is guided to the rear of the game machine, the position of the game ball in the lateral direction changes due to the undulation, and the exit part is finally obtained by repeating the movement on the stay. The outflow from the will be encouraged. As described above, the game ball is retained while moving back and forth, and left and right, so that the degree of attention to the motion of the game ball can be preferably improved as compared with a configuration in which the retention period is simply set longer.

Feature 19. The guiding means includes
A drive unit (stepping motor 341) for generating a drive force;
A cam portion (eccentric cam 346) provided rotatably and transmitting a driving force from the drive portion to each movable member;
When the first shift means guides the gaming machine forward, the switching means rotates the cam portion in a predetermined direction, and when the second shift means guides the gaming machine backward. Has a means for rotating the cam portion in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction (function to execute a drive signal switching process in the MPU 602 of the main control device 162). 18. A gaming machine according to 18.

  According to the feature 19, the higher portion can be shifted back and forth by switching the rotation direction of the cam portion. Thereby, the technical idea shown in the feature 17 or the like can be suitably realized.

  For example, the drive unit is configured by a motor that rotates by a drive signal, and the drive signal to the drive unit is composed of a drive signal for rotation in a predetermined direction and a drive signal for rotation in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction. If it is set as the structure switched, the complexity of the structure resulting from it can be suppressed, aiming at diversification of the motion of a game ball.

Feature 20. The cam portion includes a left cam member and a right cam member disposed with an outlet portion of the stay portion interposed therebetween,
The left cam member and the right cam member are configured such that a high and low phase difference is generated between a portion on the left side of the outlet portion and a portion on the right side of the outlet portion in the staying portion. 20. The gaming machine according to feature 19, which is characterized.

  According to the feature 20, in the staying portion, the lifting timing is shifted between the left side and the right side. As a result, the game ball that is staying can be moved to the left and right as it is guided forward and backward, and the moving distance of the game ball that moves back and forth on the stay portion can be increased. That is, it is possible to lengthen the moving distance of the game ball while suppressing an increase in the size of the staying portion, and to realize diversification of the movement mode of the game ball. In addition, since the phase shift is reversed between the forward movement and the backward movement, the above-described elevation timing deviation is also reversed. Thereby, while adopting a configuration that causes a phase difference, it is possible to suitably suppress the disadvantage that the game ball stay position tends to be biased to one of the left and right in the stay portion.

  In addition, even when the moving distance of the game ball is increased as described above, it is difficult to grasp the positional relationship between the game ball and the exit part by moving the game ball across the exit part. Suppressing and lengthening the moving distance of the game ball can make it difficult to cause inconvenience that the degree of attention to the game ball existing at a position away from the exit portion is reduced.

  Feature 21. The switching means is set so that the period for guiding the game ball forward by the first shift means is longer than the period for guiding the game ball backward by the second shift means. The gaming machine according to any one of features 17 to 20, which is a feature.

  According to the feature 21, the staying game ball repeatedly swings back and forth, and finally reaches the front end portion of the stay portion. Thereby, the guidance function shown in the feature 12 can be suitably secured.

  Feature 22. The switching means guides the gaming machine forward by the first shift means until at least one high-order portion formed at the rear end of the staying portion reaches the front end of the staying portion. Continuously, after the high-order part reaches the front end of the staying part, guidance to the rear of the gaming machine by the second shift means is performed. The gaming machine described.

  According to the feature 22, it is possible to suppress the retention period of the game ball from being shortened while ensuring the function of moving the game ball forward of the game machine.

Feature 23. In each of the movable members, the portion constituting the staying portion has a wavy undulation that extends in the horizontal direction and continues in the horizontal direction,
The gaming machine according to any one of features 12 to 22, wherein the undulation is formed such that a level position of the undulation is shifted in the lateral direction in each movable member.

  According to the feature 23, the game ball that moves as the movable member moves up and down moves laterally by undulations by moving from one movable member to another movable member. In this way, the movement of the game ball can be diversified by being guided while moving sideways.

  For example, the height position of each movable member may be set to be reversed in the front-rear direction. Thereby, the movement of the game ball in the lateral direction can be various.

  The basic configuration of the gaming machine to which the above features can be applied is shown below.

  Pachinko machine: operation means (game ball launching handle 41) operated by a player, game ball launching means (game ball launching mechanism 110) for launching a game ball based on the operation of the operation means, and the fired A ball passage (guide rail 100) for guiding a game ball to a predetermined game area and game parts (nails 90, etc.) arranged in the game area, and a predetermined passage portion (general prize) among these game parts A gaming machine that gives a privilege to a player when a game ball passes through the mouth 81 or the like.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Pachinko machine as a gaming machine, 80 ... Game board, 300 ... Stage unit, 310 ... Stage device, 311 ... Retaining part, 320 ... Movable plate as a movable member, 323 ... Insertion part, 323a ... Contact portion, 324... Top portion constituting the action portion, 325... Bottom portion constituting the action portion, 340... Drive mechanism as lifting means, 346... Eccentric cam, 348.

Claims (1)

A game board in which a game area is formed;
A plurality of movable members provided in the gaming area and arranged side by side;
Containing by the upper end of these movable members, and a staying portion formed so as to be able to stay in a state where a game ball is placed,
A game comprising: a guide means for guiding the game ball staying in the staying portion at least in front of the gaming machine by raising and lowering the movable member to cause a difference in height in the staying portion. Machine.

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