JP2016154970A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine capable of preventing filled-state processing from being executed, regardless of a state where a ball tray is not filled.SOLUTION: A pachinko machine includes a main control board 271a for integrally managing a game. On the basis of detection information of various sensors such as a filled-state detection sensor 77, the main control board 271a outputs a command to various types of boards such as a putout control board 311a. In that state, when a lower tray is filled with game balls and an output period of ON signal from the filled-state detection sensor 77 is continuously 2500 msec or more, the main control board 271a outputs a command about the filled state to the putout control board 311a and the like, and filled-state processing is executed. When the output period is continuously 800 msec or more, the main control board 271a outputs the command about the filled state to the putout control board 311a, and a putout period of game balls is changed to a low-speed cycle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 27

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine.

  In a pachinko gaming machine that is a type of gaming machine, the gaming balls stored in the upper plate are guided to the gaming ball launching device, and are launched into the gaming board by being launched by the player. For example, when a game ball enters a winning opening provided on the game board, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out from the payout device to the upper plate. The pachinko machine has a lower plate (ball tray) below the upper plate. If the game ball is paid out when the upper ball is full of game balls, It is to be paid out to the dish.

  The payout of the game ball to the lower plate is performed through a payout passage provided inside the game machine. In this case, a full detection sensor is provided in the middle of the payout passage, and it is determined by the control device that the lower plate is full based on the detection result of the full detection sensor. More specifically, when the lower plate is full, the game ball flowing through the payout passage cannot flow into the lower plate and stays in the payout passage. Then, based on the detection signal output from the full detection sensor, it is determined in the control device that the lower plate is full. When it is determined by the control device that the lower plate is full, full state processing is executed so that no more game balls are paid out (see, for example, Patent Document 1). As a result, failure of the dispensing device is prevented.

  However, in such a configuration, there is a possibility that the control device may determine that the lower plate is full even though the lower plate is not actually full. For example, when a large amount of game balls are paid out, such as during a big hit, the game balls continuously pass through the payout passage, and the output of the detection signal from the full detection sensor can be continued. In particular, in a configuration in which the payout period of game balls is shortened to shorten the time required for paying out game balls, the above problem is likely to occur.

  In addition, some pachinko machines have a function as a ball tray that is not distinguished between an upper plate and a lower plate, and has a single ball tray. Even in a pachinko gaming machine having such a configuration, it is necessary to provide a full detection sensor in order to detect whether or not the ball tray is full, and the above-mentioned problem similarly occurs.

  The above problems are not limited to pachinko gaming machines. For example, the same applies to a slot machine machine using a ball that can play a game similar to a slot machine using a game ball instead of a medal. Occurs.

JP 2002-224362 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine that can prevent a full state process from being executed even though a ball tray is not full.

The invention according to claim 1 is a payout device for paying out game balls;
A ball tray for storing game balls;
A payout passage for paying out the game balls from the payout device to the ball tray;
A detecting means for detecting a game ball flowing down the payout passage at a midway position of the payout passage, and outputting a detection signal to that effect while detecting the game ball;
When the period during which the detection signal is continuously output from the detection means is equal to or longer than a preset first period, it is determined that the ball tray is full, and according to the determination result In a gaming machine that executes a full state process that limits the payout of game balls,
Period elapse determining means for determining whether or not the period during which the detection signal is continuously output is equal to or longer than a second period shorter than the first period;
And a period changing means for changing the payout period of the game ball in the payout device to a period slower than the previous period when it is determined by the same period elapse determination means that the time is equal to or longer than the second period. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the full state process from being executed even though the ball tray is not full.

It is a front view which shows the pachinko machine in one embodiment. It is a perspective view which expands or shows the main structures of a pachinko machine. It is a front view which shows the front structure of the main body frame which comprises a pachinko machine. It is a front view which shows the structure of a game board. It is a front view which shows the structure of a game ball | bowl launching mechanism. (A) is a front view which shows the structure of a game ball guide unit, (b) is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the structure of a ball discharge channel and a full detection sensor. It is a rear view which shows the structure of a front door frame. It is a rear view which shows the structure of a pachinko machine. It is a disassembled perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the back surface structure of a pachinko machine for every main part. It is a schematic diagram which shows arrangement | positioning of the 1st control board unit in the back surface of a pachinko machine, a 2nd control board unit, and a back pack unit. It is a rear view which shows the structure of a main body frame and a game board. It is a perspective view which shows the back surface structure of a main body frame. It is a perspective view which shows the back surface structure of a game board. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a bearing metal fitting. It is a front view which shows the structure of a 1st control board unit. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a 1st control board unit. It is a disassembled perspective view of a 1st control board unit. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the back surface structure of a 1st control board unit. It is a front view which shows the structure of a 2nd control board unit. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a 2nd control board unit. It is a disassembled perspective view of a 2nd control board unit. It is a front view which shows the structure of a back pack unit. It is a disassembled perspective view of a back pack unit. It is a disassembled perspective view of a tank rail. It is a perspective view of a dispensing device. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the channel | path structure formed in the dispensing device 358 inside. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of a pachinko machine. It is explanatory drawing which shows the display content of a symbol display apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the various counters used for game control. It is a flowchart which shows the NMI interruption process by the main control board. It is a flowchart which shows a timer interruption process. It is a flowchart which shows a start winning process. It is a flowchart which shows a main process. It is a flowchart which shows a normal process. It is a flowchart which shows a lower plate full process. It is a time chart for demonstrating the mode of detection of the game ball in a full detection sensor. It is a time chart for demonstrating the outline | summary of a lower plate full process. It is a flowchart which shows a command setting process. It is a flowchart which shows a game ball | bowl launch control process. It is a flowchart which shows the interruption process at the time of input by a payout control board. It is a flowchart which shows a main process. It is a flowchart which shows a timer interruption process. It is a flowchart which shows a command determination process. It is a flowchart which shows a full command determination process. It is a flowchart which shows a prize ball control process. It is a flowchart which shows a ball rental control process. It is a flowchart which shows the full condition notification setting process by an audio lamp control board. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the pachinko machine in which the game area was expanded.

  First, invention groups that can be extracted from the present embodiment are shown as means n (n = 1, 2, 3,...), And will be described while showing effects and the like as necessary. In the following, for ease of understanding, the corresponding configuration in the present embodiment is appropriately shown in parentheses, but is not limited to the specific configuration shown in parentheses.

Means 1. A payout device (payout device 358) for paying out game balls;
An upper plate (upper plate 23) for storing game balls to be paid out from the payout device;
A lower plate (lower plate 16) for storing game balls surplus in the upper plate,
A payout passage (ball discharge passage 71) for paying out the surplus game balls to the lower plate;
Detection means (full detection sensor 77) provided to detect a game ball flowing down the payout passage at a midway position of the payout passage and outputting a detection signal to that effect while detecting the game ball. Prepared,
When the period during which the detection signal is continuously output from the detection means is equal to or longer than a preset first period (2500 msec), it is determined that the lower plate is full, and the determination result In a gaming machine that executes a full state process that limits the payout of game balls according to
Period elapsed determination means (step S614 in the main control board 271a) for determining whether or not the period during which the detection signal is continuously output is equal to or longer than a second period (800 msec) shorter than the first period;
A period changing means (payout control board 311a) that changes the payout period of the game ball in the payout device to a period slower than the previous period when it is determined by the same period elapse determination means that the time has become the second period or more And a game machine comprising the step S1302).

  In the gaming machine of means 1, game balls are basically paid out from the payout device to the upper plate, and when the upper plate is full, the excess game balls flow down the payout passage and are discharged to the lower plate. It is. In addition, a detecting means is provided for detecting a game ball flowing down the payout passage at an intermediate position in the payout passage. When the period during which the detection signal is continuously output from the detection means (hereinafter also referred to as the detection continuation period) is equal to or longer than the first period, it is determined that the lower plate is full, and the determination A full state process is executed according to the result.

  In such a configuration, when the detection continuation period is equal to or longer than the second period shorter than the first period, the payout period of the payout device is changed to a period later than before. As a result, the interval between the game balls flowing down from the payout device is widened, and when the detection continuation period is equal to or longer than the second period due to the game balls continuously passing through the payout passage, The output is stopped and the detection duration is interrupted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the full state process from being executed even when the lower plate is not full. In particular, in gaming machines in which the payout period of game balls in the payout device is faster than that of conventional game machines, the detection signal is likely to be continuously output because the interval between game balls flowing down the payout passage is narrowed. According to this means, it is possible to prevent the full state process from being executed in such a situation.

  The “full state process for restricting the payout of game balls” in the means 1 is a process for restricting the payout state by the payout device so that the game balls connected in the payout passage do not reach the position of the payout device. In addition to stopping the payout of the game balls by the payout device, the payout period of the payout device is extremely slow so that the game balls are not substantially paid out.

Mean 2. In the means 1, the payout period of the payout device is a normal cycle (normal cycle) set at the start of payout of game balls by the payout device, and a cycle slower than the normal cycle. Period storage means (ROM 512 of the payout control board 311a) for storing a low speed period (low speed period) in which two game balls that are continuously paid out when the balls are paid out do not exist within the detection range of the detection means at the same time. Prepared,
The period changing means changes the payout period of the game ball in the payout device from the normal period to the low speed period when it is determined by the period lapse determining means that the time has reached the second period or more. Gaming machine.

  According to the means 2, when the detection continuation period is equal to or longer than the second period, the payout period of the payout device is changed from the normal period to the low speed period. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to quickly change to a low-speed cycle such that the output of the detection signal from the detection means is stopped and the detection continuation period is interrupted. For example, in a configuration in which the payout cycle is changed linearly or in a configuration in which the payout cycle is changed in multiple stages, a predetermined time is required until the detection continuation period is interrupted. Moreover, the processing load of a period change means can be reduced by setting it as the structure which sets two periods in this way.

  Means 3. In the means 1 or 2, the detection means detects the game balls paid out until the second period elapses between the elapse of the second period and the elapse of the first period. A gaming machine, wherein the first period and the second period are set to be completed.

  According to the means 3, the detection by the detecting means of the game balls paid out until the second period elapses is completed before the first period elapses. Therefore, when the detection continuation period is equal to or longer than the second period due to the game balls continuously passing through the payout passage, the output of the detection signal is surely stopped before the first period elapses. The detection duration is surely interrupted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the full state process from being executed even when the lower plate is not full.

  Means 4. In any one of the means 1 to 3, when the output of the detection signal from the detection means is stopped after the payout period is changed by the period changing means, the payout period is returned to the original period. A gaming machine comprising return means (step S604 in the main control board 271a, step S1304 in the payout control board 311a).

  According to the means 4, even if the payout period of the payout device is changed to a slow period, the original period is restored by stopping the output of the detection signal from the detection means. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the time required for paying out the game ball from becoming extremely long in the configuration in which the full state process is prevented from being executed even though the lower plate is not full.

  Means 5. In any one of the means 1 to 4, the state in which the detection signal is not output from the detection means has continued for a third period (500 msec) or more under the situation where the full state process is being executed. In this case, the gaming machine is provided with a full state processing canceling unit (step S608 in the main control board 271a, step S1307 in the payout control board 311a) for canceling the full state process.

  According to the means 5, even when the output of the detection signal from the detection means is stopped under the situation where the full state process is being executed, the full state process is not canceled immediately but the detection signal is output. The full state process is canceled when the remaining state continues for the third period or longer. As a result, when the output of the detection signal from the detection means is stopped due to the influence of noise or the like in a situation where the lower plate is full, the already-executed full state processing is canceled. Can be prevented.

  Further, in the configuration including the means 4, when the output of the detection signal from the detection means is stopped, the payout period is returned to the original period. That is, the release of the full state process is executed after the third period has elapsed, whereas the return to the original cycle is performed immediately. By adopting such a configuration, the time required for paying out the game ball becomes extremely long while preventing the full state processing from being released even though the full state of the lower plate is continued. Can be suppressed.

  Means 6. A gaming machine according to any one of means 1 to 5, wherein a detection range of the detection means is set to be equal to or more than one game ball in a flow direction of the game ball.

  According to the means 6, it is possible to reliably detect the game ball staying in the payout passage when the lower plate is full. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience that the full state process is not executed even though the lower plate is full. However, in such a configuration, since the detection range of the detection means is equal to or more than one game ball, the output of the detection signal from the detection means is easily continued. On the other hand, by providing the configuration of the means 1, it is possible to prevent the full state process from being executed even though the lower plate is not full.

Mean 7 In any one of the means 1 to 6, the payout device includes a rotating body (rotating body 375) that is driven by a driving means (dispensing motor 377) to rotate, and the rotating body is rotated by one game. A structure having a delivery part (concave part 376a) capable of delivering a ball, wherein the game ball delivered by the delivery part is paid out from the payout device;
The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the cycle changing means changes the payout cycle by adjusting a rotation speed of the rotating body.

  According to the means 7, the payout device is provided with a rotating body, and when the rotating body is driven by the driving means and the rotating body rotates, the game ball is sent out downstream by the delivery portion of the rotating body, and the game ball is paid out. Is done. On the other hand, when the rotating body is stopped, the game ball is received by the rotating body, and the payout of the game ball is stopped.

  In this case, since the payout cycle is changed by adjusting the rotation speed of the rotating body, the change of the payout cycle can be performed easily and reliably. This is because in the configuration of the payout device as described above, the payout period depends on the rotational speed of the rotating body.

Means 8. In any one of the means 1 to means 7, a notification means (speaker 20, symbol display device 41) for notifying information relating to a game and a notification control means (sound lamp control device 272) for controlling the notification means are provided.
When the full state process is executed, the notification control unit controls the notification unit to perform a full state notification indicating that the lower plate is full.

  According to the means 8, when the lower plate becomes full, the full notification is executed by the notification means. Thereby, it is possible to prompt the player or the like to perform a full state release operation. In addition, since the configuration of the means 1 is provided, it is possible to prevent the full state process from being executed even when the lower plate is not full, and the full state notification is executed correspondingly. Is prevented. For example, if the full state notification is executed even though the lower plate is not full, the player may be confused, but this can be prevented.

  In addition, as a mode of “full state notification”, when a speaker is provided as a notification unit, a mode of outputting a full state notification sound or voice can be considered. Further, when a display device having a display screen made of liquid crystal or the like is provided as the notification means, a mode in which a full state notification display is displayed on the display screen is conceivable. Moreover, when the lamp unit is provided as the notification means, a mode in which light is turned on or blinked is conceivable. Furthermore, the aspect which combined each above aspect is also considered.

Means 9. In any one of the means 1 to 8, the main control device (main control device 271) for controlling the game and the main control device are electrically connected to each other by the information transmission member (harness HL). A payout control device (payout control device 311) for controlling the payout device based on transmitted command information;
While setting the period elapse determination means in the main control device, set the cycle change means in the payout control device,
The command information (low speed setting command) indicating that the payout cycle should be changed is transmitted via an information transmission member that transmits command information (full state setting command) indicating that the full state processing is to be executed. A gaming machine characterized by

  According to the means 9, the payout control device controls the payout device based on the command information from the main control device that controls the game, so that the game ball is paid out. In this case, since the period changing means is set in the payout control device, it is possible to reduce the processing load on the main control device that controls the game. In addition, command information indicating that the payout period should be changed is transmitted via an information transmission member that transmits command information indicating that the full state processing is to be executed. That is, command information indicating that the payout period should be changed is transmitted using an existing information transmission member. Therefore, the hardware configuration related to the main control device and the payout control device is simplified in the configuration in which the configuration of the above-described means 1 is provided and the full tray process is prevented from being executed even though the lower plate is not full. Can do.

Means 10. A game board (game board 30) having a game area in which any one of the means 1 to means 9 is provided with a plurality of nails and a ball entry portion (general winning port 31, variable winning device 32, operating port 33); A game ball launching device (game ball launching mechanism 160) that launches a game ball toward the game area, and a launch operation means (game ball launching handle 18) operated to launch a game ball by the game ball launching device. With
A gaming machine, wherein a gaming ball is paid out by the paying-out device when a gaming ball enters the pitching portion.

  According to the means 10, the effect of any one of the means 1 to 9 can be enjoyed in a so-called pachinko gaming machine.

  Means 11. In the means 10, one game ball enters the entrance portion corresponding to the sum of the time until the game ball paid out from the payout device is detected by the detection means and the second period. A gaming machine characterized in that it is longer than the time required for all of the winning balls to be paid out from the payout device.

  According to the means 11, it is possible to prevent the payout cycle from being changed to a slow cycle until one game ball enters the ball-entry portion once. For example, if the payout cycle is changed to a slow cycle until one game ball enters the entrance ball partly, the time required for paying out the game ball becomes longer than necessary. Therefore, the occurrence of such inconvenience can be prevented.

Means 12. Means 10 or 11 includes launching device control means (main control board 271a, power source and launching control device 313) for controlling the game ball launching device,
When the full state process is executed, the launch device control means controls the game ball launch device so that the game ball is not fired even if the launch operation means is operated. Machine.

  According to the means 12, when the lower plate becomes full, the operation of the firing operation means is invalidated and the game ball is not fired. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to notify a player who is not aware that the lower plate is full of being indirectly full through a state where the game ball is not fired. It becomes possible.

  In addition, when a game ball is fired in a situation where a full state process in which payout of the game ball is restricted is performed, it is possible to enter the entrance part under such a situation. In this case, if the pitch is invalidated, the profit that should have been generated for the player is lost, which is not preferable. On the other hand, the loss of the profit is prevented by adopting a configuration in which the game ball is paid out for the incoming ball after the full state processing is released, but the game ball is not affected by the timing of the incoming ball to the incoming ball part. The timing of payout will be delayed. In this case, it is difficult for an administrator of a game hall where a large number of gaming machines are installed to determine whether the payout of the game ball is caused by entering the entrance part or fraud. End up. On the other hand, the occurrence of the inconvenience can be prevented by preventing the game ball from being fired.

  In the above configuration, the configuration of the above-described means 1 prevents the full state process from being executed even though the lower plate is not full, and the game ball is fired accordingly. It is prevented that it will not be done. For example, if the game ball is not fired even though the lower plate is not full, the game will be interrupted without any ground for the player, and the willingness to continue the game will decline. There is a fear, but this can be prevented.

Means 13. In any one of the means 1 to 9, the picture is variably displayed via the take-in device for taking in the game balls stored in the upper plate and the window provided above the upper plate in the front part of the gaming machine. A pattern display device, a start operation means operated to start the variation display of the pattern, and a stop operation means operated to stop the variation display of the pattern,
When a predetermined number of game balls are taken in by the take-in device and the start operation means is operated, the change display of the picture is started, and according to the stop picture after operation of the stop operation means A gaming machine that performs payout of game balls by the payout device.

  According to the means 13, the effect of any one of the means 1 to 9 can be enjoyed in a so-called ball-use slot machine type gaming machine.

Means 14. A payout device for paying out game balls;
An upper plate for storing game balls to be paid out from the payout device;
A lower plate for storing extra game balls in the upper plate;
A payout passage for paying out the surplus game balls to the lower plate;
A detecting means for detecting a game ball flowing down the payout passage at an intermediate position of the payout passage and outputting a detection signal to that effect while detecting the game ball;
A full state determination unit that determines that the lower plate is full when a period during which the detection signal is continuously output from the detection unit is equal to or greater than a preset first period;
An informing means for informing a game situation;
A notification control means for controlling the notification means,
In the gaming machine that controls the notification unit so that the notification control unit executes the full state notification when the lower plate is determined to be full by the full state determination unit,
Period elapse determining means for determining whether or not the period during which the detection signal is continuously output is equal to or longer than a second period shorter than the first period;
A gaming machine comprising: a payout stopping means for stopping payout of a game ball by the payout device when it is determined by the same period elapse determining means that the time is equal to or longer than the second period.

  In the gaming machine of the means 14, game balls are basically paid out from the payout device to the upper plate, and when the upper plate is full, the excess game balls flow down the payout passage and are discharged to the lower plate. It is. In addition, a detecting means is provided for detecting a game ball flowing down the payout passage at an intermediate position in the payout passage. When the period during which the detection signal is continuously output from the detection unit (hereinafter also referred to as a detection continuation period) is equal to or longer than the first period, the notification unit performs a full state notification. Thereby, when the lower plate becomes full, it is possible to urge the player or the like to perform a full state release operation.

  In such a configuration, when the detection continuation period is equal to or longer than the second period shorter than the first period, the payout of the game ball by the payout device is stopped. Thereby, in the case where the game sphere stops passing through the detection range of the detection means, and the detection continuation period becomes equal to or longer than the second period due to the game ball continuously passing through the detection range of the detection means, The output of the detection signal is stopped and the detection duration is interrupted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the full state notification from being executed even though the lower plate is not full. In particular, in gaming machines in which the payout period of game balls in the payout device is faster than that of conventional game machines, the detection signal is likely to be continuously output because the interval between game balls flowing down the payout passage is narrowed. According to this means, it is possible to prevent the full state notification from being executed in such a situation.

  Means 15. In the means 14, the payout allowing the payout of the game ball by the payout device when the output of the detection signal from the detection means is stopped after the payout stop means stops the payout of the game ball by the payout device. A gaming machine characterized by comprising an accepting means.

  According to the means 15, even if the payout of the game ball by the payout device is stopped, the payout of the game ball by the payout device is permitted by stopping the output of the detection signal from the detection means. Thus, in the configuration in which the full state notification is prevented from being executed even though the lower plate is not full by stopping the payout of the game ball by the payout device, the time required for paying out the game ball is extremely It can suppress becoming long.

  By applying any one of the means 3, means 5, means 6, means 10, means 11, means 12 or means 13 to the means 14 or means 15, the effect of each means can be enjoyed. .

Means 16. A payout device (payout device 358) for paying out game balls;
A ball tray (bottom plate 16) for storing game balls;
A payout passage (ball discharge passage 71) for paying out the game balls from the payout device to the ball tray;
Detection means (full detection sensor 77) provided to detect a game ball flowing down the payout passage at a midway position of the payout passage and outputting a detection signal to that effect while detecting the game ball. Prepared,
When the period during which the detection signal is continuously output from the detection means is equal to or longer than a preset first period (2500 msec), it is determined that the ball tray is full, and the determination result In a gaming machine that executes a full state process that limits the payout of game balls according to
Period elapsed determination means (step S614 in the main control board 271a) for determining whether or not the period during which the detection signal is continuously output is equal to or longer than a second period (800 msec) shorter than the first period;
A period changing means (payout control board 311a) that changes the payout period of the game ball in the payout device to a period slower than the previous period when it is determined by the same period elapse determination means that the time has become the second period or more. And a game machine comprising the step S1302).

  In the gaming machine of the means 16, the game ball is paid out from the payout device to the ball tray through the payout passage. In addition, a detecting means is provided for detecting a game ball flowing down the payout passage at an intermediate position in the payout passage. When the period during which the detection signal is continuously output from the detection means (hereinafter also referred to as detection continuation period) is equal to or longer than the first period, it is determined that the ball tray is full, and the determination A full state process is executed according to the result.

  In such a configuration, when the detection continuation period is equal to or longer than the second period shorter than the first period, the payout period of the payout device is changed to a period later than before. As a result, the interval between the game balls flowing down from the payout device is widened, and when the detection continuation period is equal to or longer than the second period due to the game balls continuously passing through the payout passage, The output is stopped and the detection duration is interrupted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the full state process from being executed even though the ball tray is not full. In particular, in gaming machines in which the payout period of game balls in the payout device is faster than that of conventional game machines, the detection signal is likely to be continuously output because the interval between game balls flowing down the payout passage is narrowed. According to this means, it is possible to prevent the full state process from being executed in such a situation.

  The “full state process for restricting the payout of game balls” in the means 16 is a process for restricting the payout state by the payout device so that the game balls connected in the payout passage do not reach the position of the payout device. In addition to stopping the payout of the game balls by the payout device, the payout period of the payout device is extremely slow so that the game balls are not substantially paid out.

  In addition, by applying any one of the above-described means 2 to 13 to the means 16, it is possible to enjoy the effects of each means. In this case, the lower pan is applied instead of the ball pan.

Means 17. A payout device for paying out game balls;
A ball tray for storing game balls;
A payout passage for paying out the game balls from the payout device to the ball tray;
A detecting means for detecting a game ball flowing down the payout passage at an intermediate position of the payout passage and outputting a detection signal to that effect while detecting the game ball;
A full state determination unit that determines that the ball tray is full when a period during which the detection signal is continuously output from the detection unit is equal to or greater than a preset first period;
An informing means for informing a game situation;
A notification control means for controlling the notification means,
In the gaming machine that controls the notifying unit so as to execute the full state notification when the ball tray is determined to be full by the full state determining unit,
Period elapse determining means for determining whether or not the period during which the detection signal is continuously output is equal to or longer than a second period shorter than the first period;
A gaming machine comprising: a payout stopping means for stopping payout of a game ball by the payout device when it is determined by the same period elapse determining means that the time is equal to or longer than the second period.

  In the gaming machine of the means 17, the game ball is paid out from the payout device to the ball tray through the payout passage. In addition, a detecting means is provided for detecting a game ball flowing down the payout passage at an intermediate position in the payout passage. When the period during which the detection signal is continuously output from the detection unit (hereinafter also referred to as a detection continuation period) is equal to or longer than the first period, the notification unit performs a full state notification. Thereby, when the ball tray is full, it is possible to urge the player or the like to perform a full state release operation.

  In such a configuration, when the detection continuation period is equal to or longer than the second period shorter than the first period, the payout of the game ball by the payout device is stopped. Thereby, in the case where the game sphere stops passing through the detection range of the detection means, and the detection continuation period becomes equal to or longer than the second period due to the game ball continuously passing through the detection range of the detection means, The output of the detection signal is stopped and the detection duration is interrupted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the full state notification from being executed even though the ball tray is not full. In particular, in gaming machines in which the payout period of game balls in the payout device is faster than that of conventional game machines, the detection signal is likely to be continuously output because the interval between game balls flowing down the payout passage is narrowed. According to this means, it is possible to prevent the full state notification from being executed in such a situation.

  By applying any one of the means 3, means 5, means 6, means 10, means 11, means 12, means 13, or means 15 to the means 17, it is possible to enjoy the effects of each means. it can. In this case, the lower pan is applied instead of the ball pan.

  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. 1 is a front view of the pachinko machine 10, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an exploded or exploded main configuration of the pachinko machine 10, and FIG. 3 is a front view showing a front structure of a main body frame 12 constituting the pachinko machine 10. is there. In FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the configuration in the game area of the pachinko machine 10 is left blank for convenience.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the pachinko machine 10 includes an outer frame 11 that forms an outer shell of the pachinko machine 10. The outer frame 11 is attached to a so-called island facility when installed in the game hall. The outer frame 11 is in a state in which wooden plate members are combined in a rectangular frame shape as a whole, and is configured by fixing each plate member with a detachable fastening member such as a small screw. Therefore, compared to the conventional structure in which the plate members are assembled using nails and rivets, the components can be easily reused. In addition, you may comprise the outer frame 11 with metals, such as a synthetic resin and aluminum.

  A body frame 12 is supported at one side of the outer frame 11 so as to be openable and closable. The opening / closing axis is set to extend vertically to the left as viewed from the front of the pachinko machine 10, and the main body frame 12 can be opened forward with the opening / closing axis serving as the axis. Furthermore, since the pachinko machine 10 is provided with a game ball launching handle 18 on the right side, the main body frame 12 can be opened and closed around the side opposite to the game ball launching handle 18. It can be said. The main body frame 12 is made of synthetic resin, specifically ABS resin. By using the ABS resin, the main body frame 12 having a relatively low cost and high impact resistance can be obtained. The body frame 12 may be made of a metal such as aluminum. In the present embodiment, the outer frame 11 and the main body frame 12 constitute a gaming machine main body. As an alternative to the outer frame 11, an installation frame may be provided in advance on the game hall side, and the main body frame 12 may be assembled to the installation frame when the pachinko machine 10 is installed in the game hall. In such a configuration, the main body frame 12 constitutes a gaming machine main body.

  A front plate 14 is provided at a lower position on the front side of the main body frame 12. The front plate 14 is formed in a horizontally long shape, and the width thereof is configured to substantially match the width of the main body frame 12. The front plate 14 includes a base portion 15 having a bulging portion 15a that bulges to the near side in a substantially central portion in the width direction, and a ball tray that is provided inside the bulging portion 15a of the base portion 15 and has a dish shape recessed downward. And a back wall panel 17 that forms a wall surface on the back side of the bottom plate 16 and has a ball discharge port 17a to the bottom plate 16. Since the base portion 15 is fixed to the main body frame 12 by a fastening member such as a screw, the base portion 15 constitutes an attachment portion for the main body frame 12. A game ball launching handle 18 is provided on the base portion 15 so as to protrude to the right side of the bulging portion 15a.

  The game ball launch handle 18 includes an operation handle 18a and a support base 18b. The operation handle 18a is formed of ABS resin, and the surface thereof is plated. Since the support pedestal 18b is a well-known configuration, a description thereof is omitted, but a touch sensor for detecting that the player is touching the operation handle 18a and detecting that the operation handle 18a is operated are detected. A dial variable resistor for detecting the amount of operation of the firing switch and the operation handle 18a is provided. Furthermore, a stop switch is provided that is operated to stop the launch of the game ball in a state where the operation handle 18a is operated. The signal lines of these touch sensor, firing switch, dial variable resistor, and stop switch are connected to a power source and firing control device 313 described later.

  A slide-type ball removal lever 19 is provided on the front side of the bulging portion 15 a of the base portion 15. The ball removal lever 19 may be a push type. When the ball removal lever 19 is operated, a closing plate (not shown) provided on the bottom surface of the lower plate 16 moves integrally or via a link to open the ball removal hole, and the stored balls in the lower plate 16 are moved. It is configured to be discharged downward. The ball removal lever 19 is provided with a biasing member such as a coil spring that biases the ball removal lever 19 toward the side where the ball removal hole is closed, and the biasing force of the biasing member when the operation of the ball removal lever 19 is released. Thus, the closing plate returns to the opening position of the ball hole. A speaker cover portion 17b in which a large number of small holes are gathered is formed at a position different from the ball discharge port 17a of the back wall panel 17, and the output sound of the speaker 20 installed behind the panel 17 is the speaker cover. It is emitted forward through the portion 17b. The base portion 15 is provided with an ashtray 21 on the left side of the bulging portion 15a.

  Most of the front plate 14 is formed of ABS resin in the same manner as the main body frame 12. The front plate 14 is exposed on the front side of the pachinko machine 10, but by molding it with ABS resin, it is possible to plate appropriate portions of the surface for the purpose of decoration or the like.

  A front door frame 13 as a front door is provided in a range excluding the front plate 14 on the front side of the main body frame 12 so as to cover the main body frame 12. Accordingly, the entire front side of the main body frame 12 is covered by the front plate 14 and the front door frame 13. The front door frame 13 is attached to the main body frame 12 so as to be openable and closable. Like the main body frame 12, the front door frame 13 can be opened forward with an opening / closing axis extending vertically to the left when viewed from the front of the pachinko machine 10. It is like that. The front door frame 13 is formed of ABS resin, like the front plate 14. The front door frame 13 is exposed on the front side of the pachinko machine 10, but by molding with ABS resin, it is possible to apply plating to appropriate portions of the surface for the purpose of decoration or the like.

  A lower portion of the front door frame 13 is provided with a bulging portion 22 that bulges to the near side above the lower plate 16, and an upper plate 23 that opens upward is provided inside the bulging portion 22. . The upper plate 23 is a ball receiving tray for temporarily storing game balls paid out from a payout device described later and guiding them to a game ball launching mechanism 160 described later while aligning them in a line. A ball removal lever 24 for the upper plate 23 is provided on the front surface side of the bulging portion 22, and when this ball removal lever 24 is operated, a ball removal passage (not shown) provided near the most downstream portion of the upper plate 23. Is opened, and the stored balls in the upper plate 23 are discharged to the lower plate 16. In addition, the upper plate 23 can also be comprised with a flame-retardant ABS resin similarly to the lower plate 16 grade | etc.,.

  In the pachinko machine 10, a glass door frame and a front decoration frame are individually provided, and these can be opened and closed with respect to the front frame (corresponding to the main body frame of the present embodiment), and an upper plate is provided on the front decoration frame. Unlike the conventional configuration, the glass door frame and the front decoration frame are integrated into a front door frame 13, and the upper plate 23 is provided integrally with the front door frame 13. In this case, since the glass door frame and the front decoration frame are integrated into the front door frame 13, the strength of the glass support structure can be improved in the front door frame 13. That is, in this pachinko machine 10, for the purpose of expanding the game area, a large glass 137 is mounted on the front door frame 13 along with the expansion of the game area. Therefore, although the frame portion around the glass becomes narrow and there is a concern about the problem of strength reduction, sufficient strength of the glass support structure can be ensured by providing a frame portion integrated with the upper plate below the glass. The front door frame 13 is extended downward so as not to interfere with the game ball launching handle 18 at least when opening and closing the front door frame 13.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the main body frame 12 is mainly composed of a resin base 25 whose outer shape is substantially the same as that of the outer frame 11, and a substantially circular window hole 26 is formed at the center of the resin base 25. Is formed. A game board 30 is detachably mounted on the rear side of the resin base 25. As shown in FIG. 4, the game board 30 is made of a substantially rectangular plywood, and is attached in a state where the peripheral edge thereof is in contact with the back side of the resin base 25. That is, the game board 30 is attached from the rear of the pachinko machine 10, and only the substantially central portion of the front part of the game board 30 is exposed to the front side of the main body frame 12 through the window hole 26 of the resin base 25.

  Next, the structure of the game board 30 is demonstrated based on FIG. The game board 30 is formed with a plurality of large and small openings penetrating in the front-rear direction by being subjected to router processing. Each opening is provided with a general winning port 31, a variable winning device 32, an operating port 33, a through gate 34, a variable display unit 35, and the like. Actually, the general winning port 31, the variable winning device 32, the operating port 33, the through gate 34, and the variable display unit 35 are attached to the surface of the game board by wood screws or the like. In the present embodiment, the variable display unit 35 is disposed substantially at the center of the game board 30, the operation port 33 is disposed below the variable display unit 35, and the variable winning device 32 is disposed further below. Further, through gates 34 are arranged on both the left and right sides of the variable display unit 35, and a plurality of general winning holes 31 are arranged on both sides of the lower part of the game board 30.

  The operating port 33 is additionally provided with an electric accessory that is activated (opened) under a predetermined condition. When a game ball enters the general winning port 31, the variable winning device 32, and the operating port 33, it is detected by a detection switch described later, and based on the detection result, the upper plate 23 (in some cases, the lower plate 16) is detected. A predetermined number of prize balls are paid out. For details of the payout of the prize balls, 10 prize balls are paid out when a game ball enters the general prize opening 31, and 15 prize balls are paid out when a game ball enters the variable prize winning device 32. When a game ball enters the operation port 33, five prize balls are paid out.

  In addition, an out port 36 is provided at the lowermost part of the game board 30 so that game balls that have not entered various winning ports etc. are guided through the out port 36 toward a ball discharge path (not shown). It has become. The out port 36 is formed by cutting out the substantially lower center of the game board 30 in an inverted U shape. Therefore, compared to the conventional configuration in which the out port is formed in a hole shape, the out port can be easily formed (however, in FIG. 4, the rail unit 50 is provided on the front side so that the out port 36 is closed. Is shown). The game board 30 is provided with a large number of nails for appropriately dispersing and adjusting the falling direction of the game balls, and various members (functions) such as a windmill 37 are disposed.

  Notches 38 as recesses are formed at a plurality of locations on the left and right sides of the game board 30 so as to avoid interference with the protruding regions from the left and right sides of the body frame 12 that is the assembly partner.

  The variable display unit 35 is provided with a symbol display device 41 for variably displaying the first symbol (special symbol) with a winning at the operation port 33 as a trigger. A center frame 43 is disposed in the variable display unit 35 so as to surround the symbol display device 41. The center frame 43 has an upper portion extending forward of the pachinko machine 10. As a result, the game ball is prevented from dropping in front of the display screen of the symbol display device 41, and the inconvenience that the visibility of the display screen is lowered due to the fall of the game ball does not occur. . In the upper center of the center frame 43, a first specific lamp portion 47 and a second specific lamp portion 48 are provided side by side. In addition, a holding lamp 44 corresponding to the first specific lamp section 47 and the symbol display device 41 is provided so as to sandwich the area where both the specific lamp sections 47 and 48 are disposed. The number of times that the game ball has passed through the operating port 33 is held up to a maximum of 4 times, and the holding number is displayed by turning on the holding lamp 44. Note that the hold lamp 44 may be configured to be variably displayed on a part of the symbol display device 41. As described above, since the upper part of the center frame 43 extends forward of the pachinko machine 10, the visibility of the holding lamp 44, the first specific lamp unit 47, and the second specific lamp unit 48 is hindered by the fall of the game ball. It is the composition which is not done. A holding lamp 46 corresponding to the second specific lamp portion 48 is provided below the center frame 43. The number of times that the game ball has passed through the through gate 34 is held up to a maximum of 4 times, and the holding number is displayed by turning on the holding lamp 46. Note that the hold lamp 46 may be configured to be variably displayed on a part of the symbol display device 41, similarly to the hold lamp 44.

  The symbol display device 41 is configured as a liquid crystal display device including an 8-inch size liquid crystal display, and display contents are controlled by a display control device described later. On the symbol display device 41, for example, the first symbols are displayed side by side on the left, middle, and right, and these symbols are variably displayed as they are scrolled up and down. 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. The symbol variation display will be described in detail later. In addition, the symbol display device 41 has a display screen according to another type such as a CRT, a dot matrix, a 7-segment display, or the like provided with a liquid crystal display of 10 inches or 7 inches other than 8 inches, a wide size display. It may be configured.

  The first specific lamp unit 47 is provided with a red, green, and blue three-color emission type LED lamp. Then, the emission color is switched in a predetermined order using a winning at the operation port 33 as a trigger. Specifically, red light is turned on with a winning at the operation port 33 as a trigger, and the emission color is switched to green light when a predetermined time elapses in that state. Then, when the predetermined time elapses with the green light turned on, the emission color is switched to blue light. Thereafter, the emission color is repeatedly switched in the order of red, green, and blue until the emission color switching stop time comes. Accordingly, red, green, and blue are repeatedly displayed in this order on the first specific lamp unit 47. And finally, when red or green is stopped and displayed, a big hit is generated, and when blue is stopped and displayed, no big win is generated. In addition, the type of jackpot is different between the case where the stop is finally displayed in red and the case where the stop is finally displayed in green, and the former is a jackpot that is more advantageous to the player (so-called probabilistic variation). Jackpot).

  On the other hand, the second specific lamp portion 48 is provided with a red and green two-color light emitting type LED lamp inside thereof. In the second specific lamp unit 48, the emission color is switched in a predetermined order with the passage of the through gate 34 as a trigger. Specifically, when the game ball passes through the through gate 34, lighting of red light and lighting of green light are alternately performed. Thus, red and green are alternately displayed on the second specific lamp unit 48. And when red is stopped and displayed, it is comprised so that the electrically-driven accessory which accompanies the operating port 33 will be in an open state only for the predetermined time.

  The variable winning device 32 is normally in a closed state in which a game ball cannot be won or is difficult to win, and is switched to a predetermined open state in which a game ball is easy to win in the case of a big win. More specifically, when the jackpot is generated, the variable winning device 32 is in a predetermined open state, and the game ball is easily won. As an opening mode of the variable prize winning device 32, a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) or a predetermined number (for example, ten) of winnings is defined as one round, and the following is performed on condition that a winning is made to a continuous prize opening in the variable prize winning device 32. In general, it is assumed that the condition for shifting to a round is satisfied, and the variable prize-winning device 32 is repeatedly opened up to a maximum of a plurality of rounds (for example, 15 rounds).

  The game board 30 is provided with a rail unit 50 as a rail member for guiding a game ball launched from a game ball launching mechanism 160, which will be described later, to the upper part of the game board 30 and is launched from the game ball launching mechanism 160. The game balls are guided to a predetermined game area through the rail unit 50. The rail unit 50 is formed of a ring-shaped resin molded product, and more specifically, a fluorine-containing polycarbonate resin is used to reduce frictional resistance. The rail unit 50 includes an inner rail portion 51 and an outer rail portion 52 that are provided in an inner and outer double. The inner rail portion 51 is formed in a substantially annular shape except for about 1/4 of the upper portion, and the outer rail portion 52 surrounds the upper open area of the inner rail portion 51 and is parallel to the left side portion of the inner rail 51. Are formed in a substantially semi-annular shape.

  The inner rail portion 51 is integrally formed with other resin portions, and is provided to stand substantially vertically on the surface of the game board 30. The outer rail portion 52 has a support portion 52a that is integrally formed with other resin portions in the same manner as the inner rail portion 51, and is provided upright substantially vertically on the surface of the game board 30. A sliding plate 52b is attached to the inner surface of 52a to make the flight of the game ball smoother. The sliding plate 52b is made of a long metal strip made of stainless steel, and is supported by the support portion 52a at a plurality of locations. In such a case, a guide rail is constituted by the inner rail portion 51 and the outer rail portion 52, and a ball guide passage is formed by a portion where these rail portions 51 and 52 face each other with a predetermined interval. In addition, in the site | part which the inner and outer rail parts 51 and 52 oppose, each rail part 51 and 52 is connected by the contact part 53 with the game board 30, and a ball | bowl guide channel | path is formed in the groove shape opened to the near side. Has been.

  In the rail unit 50, a return ball prevention member 54 is attached to a portion (the upper left portion in FIG. 4) from which the game ball jumps out of the ball guide passage, and a portion corresponding to the maximum flight portion of the jumped game ball (FIG. 4). In the upper right part), a return rubber 55 is attached. The return ball prevention member 54 prevents a situation in which a game ball that has once jumped from the ball guide passage to the upper portion of the game board 30 returns to the ball guide passage. In addition, the game ball launched at a predetermined momentum or more hits the return rubber 55 and is rebounded toward the center of the game area.

  An arc-shaped flange 56 projecting outward is formed on the outer periphery of the rail unit 50. The flange 56 constitutes a mounting surface for the game board 30. When the rail unit 50 is attached to the game board 30, the flange 56 is brought into contact with the game board 30, and in this state, screws or the like are inserted into a plurality of through holes formed in the flange 56. The rail unit 50 is fastened to 30. Here, the upper and lower and left and right ends of the rail unit 50 are formed in a substantially linear shape. That is, the flanges 56 are cut off at the upper and lower and left and right ends of the rail unit 50 so that the rail diameter can be expanded in a finite area in the pachinko machine 10, that is, the game area on the game board 30 can be expanded. It has become. The rail unit 50 is disposed so that the position of the gaming area on the gaming board 30 that is the maximum width reaches the left and right end positions of the gaming board 30. Among the parts corresponding to the ball guide passages of the rail unit 50, particularly with respect to the game ball receiving part, the corresponding flange 56 is provided from others in order to firmly attach the rail unit 50 and stabilize the flight of the game ball. There are also many screws (three in this embodiment, two in the other).

  A convex portion 57 is formed at the entrance of the ball guide passage between the inner rail portion 51 and the outer rail portion 52 so as to close a part of the ball guide passage. The convex portion 57 is formed so as to extend downward from the outer peripheral portion of the inner rail portion 51, and has a function of guiding a foul ball that does not reach the game area and flows backward in the ball guide passage to the foul ball passage 76 (see FIG. 3). Have The lower right corner and the lower left corner of the game board 30 are spaces (Sa, Sb in the figure) for attaching seals and plates such as certificate stamps, and in order to secure this attachment space, the flange 56 Notches 58a and 58b are formed in the upper and lower portions. By adopting a configuration in which a sticker such as a stamp is directly pasted on the game board 30, it is difficult to improperly paste the stamp or the like.

  In the game board 30, a relay terminal hole 59 penetrating in the front-rear direction is provided in the upper left portion outside the rail unit 50, and through this relay terminal hole 59, a connector for connecting a relay terminal plate installed on the back of the game board 60 is exposed to the front side of the pachinko machine 10.

  Next, the game area will be described. The board surface of the game board 30 is divided into inner and outer areas by rail units 50 (inner and outer rail portions 51 and 52), and an inner area divided into a substantially circular shape is a game area.

  In the present embodiment, the game area is an area of a ball guide passage that is an opposite part of the inner and outer rail parts 51 and 52 among the areas surrounded by the inner rail part 51 and the outer rail part 52 when viewed from the front of the pachinko machine 10. It demonstrates as an area | region remove | excluding. That is, since the game area does not include the ball guide passage portion, the left limit position toward the game area is specified by the inner rail portion 51 instead of the outer rail portion 52. Further, the right limit position toward the game area is specified by the inner rail portion 51, the lower limit position of the game area is specified by the lower end position of the game board 30 in which the out port 36 is formed, and the upper limit position of the game area. Is specified by the outer rail portion 52.

  In connection with the expansion of the game area, the through gates 34 located on both sides of the variable display unit 35 have a guide mechanism that allows the game balls that have passed through the gate 34 to be moved toward the center. As a result, even when the game area is expanded in the left-right direction, the game ball can be guided toward the central operation port 33 and the variable prize-winning device 32, and thus the game area is expanded. As a result, a decrease in interest due to the difficulty of winning a game ball is suppressed. Further, since the game area is expanded in the left-right direction, even if a relatively large variable display unit 35 is provided at the center of the game area, the through-gate 34, the windmill 37, and a plurality of nails are provided on the left and right sides of the variable display unit 35. (Guide nails such as a triangular nail for guiding the game ball to the center) and other objects can be provided with a margin, and the flow of the game ball in the game areas on the left and right sides of the variable display unit 35 It is not monotonous and you can fully enjoy the behavior of the game ball.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 3, a game ball launching mechanism 160 is attached below the window hole 26 (game board 30) of the resin base 25. As shown in FIG. 5, the game ball launching mechanism 160 includes a metal plate 161 as a base member, and an electromagnetic solenoid 162 and a launch rail 163 are attached to the metal plate 161.

  The solenoid 162 includes a main body portion 162a and an output shaft 162b as main components, and is energized based on the input of an electrical signal to the main body portion 161a, so that the output shaft 162b moves in the expansion / contraction direction. The solenoid 162 is arranged so that the output shaft 162b protrudes obliquely upward to the left when energized. The firing rail 163 guides the game ball launched by the solenoid 162, and is arranged so that its longitudinal direction extends in the expansion and contraction direction of the output shaft 162b. Note that the game balls B are supplied one by one from the ball exit on the front door frame 13 side (the ball exit leading from the most downstream portion of the upper plate 23) on the launch rail 163. The game balls B are supplied to the launch rail 163. A stopper 164 for holding it on is mounted on the metal plate 161.

  In the above configuration, when the solenoid 162 is energized based on the operation of the game ball launch handle 18 by the player, the output shaft 162b protrudes and the game ball held by the stopper 164 is launched on the launch rail 163. It is. Then, the game ball moves on the launch rail 163 and is launched into the game area.

  There is a predetermined gap between the firing rail 163 and the ball guide passage, and a foul ball passage 76 is provided below the gap. Accordingly, if the game ball launched from the game ball launching mechanism 160 does not reach the return ball prevention member 54 and returns as a foul ball in the ball guide passage, the foul ball passes through the foul ball passage 76 to the lower plate. 16 is discharged.

  When the foul balls flow backward in the ball guide passage, most of them flow along the outer rail portion 52 and fall downward when reaching the lower end portion of the outer rail portion 52. Some rampage in the ball guide passage and jump to the inner rail 51 side. At this time, the splashed foul ball hits the convex portion 57 at the entrance of the ball guide passage and is guided to the foul ball passage 76. Thereby, all of the foul balls are reliably guided to the foul ball passage 76, and interference between the foul balls and the game balls to be fired next is suppressed.

  In addition, a pair of left and right discharge ports 66 and 67 are formed on the left side of the launch rail 163 on the front surface of the main body frame 12, and the game balls discharged from the discharge ports 66 and 67 are placed in front of the upper plate 23 or A game ball guide unit 70 for guiding one of the lower dishes 16 is attached. For convenience, in the following description, the discharge port 66 is also referred to as a first discharge port, and the discharge port 67 is also referred to as a second discharge port. These discharge ports 66 and 67 communicate with a game ball distribution unit 245 (see FIG. 11) provided on the back surface of the main body frame 12, and game balls are basically discharged from the first discharge port 66. When the passage leading to the upper plate 23 including the first outlet 66 is filled with game balls, the game balls are discharged from the second outlet 67 instead of the first outlet 66.

  The game ball guide unit 70 is configured to be visible with a transparent resin material such as polycarbonate resin, and between the main body frame 12 and the front door frame 13 with the front door frame 13 closed with respect to the main body frame 12. It is formed to fit in. The game ball guide unit 70 is integrally formed with the foul ball passage 76 described above. In the game ball guide unit 70, a ball discharge passage 71 for communicating the discharge port 67 and the lower plate 16 is formed. In the game ball guide unit 70, a communication port 72 communicating with the upper plate 23 is formed on the front side of the first discharge port 66 of the main body frame 12, and an opening / closing plate 73 is attached so as to close the communication port 72. ing. The opening / closing plate 73 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 74 and is always urged to a position where the communication port 72 is closed by a spring 75 as urging means.

  According to the above configuration of the game ball guide unit 70, the open / close plate 73 rises as shown in the figure by the urging force of the spring 75 when the front door frame 13 is opened, and the communication port 72 is closed. In this state, the game ball discharged from the first discharge port 66 is guided to the lower plate 16 through the ball discharge passage 71. Therefore, when the front door frame 13 is opened in a state where game balls are stored upstream of the communication port 72, the stored balls flow down to the lower plate 16 through the ball discharge passage 71 without spilling from the communication port 72. To do. In other words, even in the present pachinko machine 10 in which the front decorative frame is omitted and the upper plate 23 is directly provided on the front door frame 13, the game on the upstream side of the communication port 72 when the front door frame 13 is opened. The inconvenience of spilling a ball can be prevented. On the other hand, when the front door frame 13 is closed, the opening / closing plate 73 is pushed open against the biasing force of the spring 75 by a ball passage rod 138 (see FIG. 2) provided on the back surface of the front door frame 13. . In this state, the game ball discharged from the first discharge port 66 is guided to the upper plate 23 through the communication port 72. Accordingly, the game ball upstream of the communication port 72 is paid out to the upper plate 23.

  The ball discharge passage 71 of the game ball guide unit 70 is provided with a full detection sensor 77 for determining whether or not the lower plate 16 is filled with game balls. The ball discharge passage 71 and the full detection sensor 77 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6A is an enlarged front view showing the game ball guide unit 70, and FIG. 6B is a view for explaining the configuration around the fullness detection sensor 77 in the ball discharge passage 71.

  The ball discharge passage 71 is a passage for communicating the discharge port 67 and the lower plate 16 as described above. As shown in FIG. 6 (b), the passage width of the ball discharge passage 71 (the dimension in the direction perpendicular to the game ball flow down direction) is X1, and R <X1≈1. The relationship is 5R <2R. Therefore, a space is generated between the game ball flowing down the ball discharge passage 71 and the passage wall 71a of the ball discharge passage 71, and the flow of the game ball in the ball discharge passage 71 becomes smooth. Yes.

  A sensor accommodating portion 95 is provided on the downstream side of the ball discharge passage 71 and at the bottom thereof, and a fullness detection sensor 77 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 95. The full detection sensor 77 is constituted by a flat proximity sensor having a small thickness dimension, and a game ball is detected based on a change state of a magnetic field when the game ball enters the detection range. More specifically, the full detection sensor 77 includes a plate-like sensor main body 77a, and a detection surface 77b is provided on the upper surface thereof. The sensor main body 77a detects a change state of the magnetic field in a state where the game ball enters the area corresponding to the detection surface 77b and outputs an electrical signal. In the present embodiment, an OFF signal is output when there is no game ball in the area corresponding to the detection surface 77b, and an ON signal is output when there is a game ball in the area. In addition, it is good also as a structure which outputs specific signals, such as an ON signal, only when there is a game ball in the area | region corresponding to the detection surface 77b, without outputting an OFF signal. In the above configuration, the range X2 of the detection surface 77b that generally defines the detection range of the fullness detection sensor 77 has a relationship of R <X2≈1.3R <2R with respect to the diameter R of the game ball. Thereby, the detection of a game ball can be performed reliably. Reference numeral 77c denotes a connector terminal.

  When the game ball is detected over a predetermined period by the full detection sensor 77 having the above configuration, it is determined in the gaming machine 10 that the lower plate 16 is full of game balls, and processing corresponding thereto Is executed. This will be described in detail later. The passage on the upstream side of the position where the fullness detection sensor 77 is provided in the ball discharge passage 71 has a passage length in which 16 or more game balls can be arranged.

  The resin base 25 is provided with a substantially rectangular small window 78 at the lower right portion of the window hole 26. Accordingly, the stamp or the like attached to the lower right corner space (Sa in FIG. 4) of the game board 30 can be viewed through the small window 78. It is also possible to directly paste a stamp or the like on the game board 30 from the small window 78.

  A small window 79 is also provided in the resin base 25 at the upper left portion of the window hole 26. This small window 79 is provided in a position corresponding to the relay terminal hole 59 of the game board 30 described in FIG. 4 in substantially the same shape as that, and through the relay terminal hole 59 and the small window 79, the relay installed on the back of the game board. The connection connector 60 of the terminal board is exposed on the front side of the main body frame 12. In such a configuration, various lamps provided on the front door frame 13 side are electrically connected via the connection connector 60 exposed from the small window 79 of the main body frame 12 (resin base 25). A front door frame opening switch 27 for detecting the open state of the front door frame 13 is provided on the top of the resin base 25. The front door frame opening switch 27 has a pin that can be projected and retracted on the front surface of the resin base 25. When the front door frame 13 is closed with respect to the main body frame 12, the pin is pushed in and the front door frame 13 is closed. When the front door frame 13 is opened with respect to the main body frame 12, the pin returns to the protruding position and the opening of the front door frame 13 is detected. When the front door frame 13 is closed with respect to the main body frame 12, the resin base 25 comes into contact with metal fittings (reinforcing plates 131 to 134 shown in FIG. 7) on the back of the front door frame 13, and Metal pieces 28a and 28b are attached to connect the metal fittings to the main body frame 12 side for grounding. Therefore, the metal fittings on the back of the front door frame 13 are conducted to the locking device and the hinge fitting on the main body frame 12 side through the metal pieces 28a and 28b, and are grounded together with the locking device and the hinge fitting.

  A pair of upper and lower support brackets 81 and 82 are attached to the left end side (opening / closing axis line side) of the main body frame 12 as a support mechanism for supporting the front door frame 13 so that it can be opened and closed. The upper support fitting 81 is provided with a support hole 83 having a notch on the front side, and the lower support fitting 82 is provided with a protruding shaft 84 protruding upward. The specific configuration of the front door frame 13 supported by the support fittings 81 and 82 will be described later. Further, a pair of upper and lower metal fittings 155 and 156 (see FIG. 2) provided on the open end side on the back side of the front door frame 13 is inserted into the right end side (the side opposite to the opening / closing axis) of the main body frame 12. Insertion holes 87 and 88 are provided, respectively. The pachinko machine 10 is configured such that a locking device for locking the main body frame 12 and the front door frame 13 is hidden behind the main body frame 12. Therefore, the front door frame 13 is locked to the main body frame 12 so that it cannot be opened by locking the metal fittings 155 and 156 to the locking device via the insertion holes 87 and 88.

  A cylinder lock 91 as a key member for locking and unlocking the main frame 12 with respect to the outer frame 11 and locking and unlocking the front door frame 13 with respect to the main frame 12 is installed at the lower right corner of the main frame 12. Has been. The cylinder lock 91 is integrated with the locking device, and only the cylinder lock 91 of the locking device is provided in a state of protruding in front of the main body frame 12. In this case, the cylinder lock 91 is provided at a position different from the position that is the maximum width of the game area. The cylinder lock 91 has a function to cover both the locking and unlocking of the main body frame 12 and the locking and unlocking of the front door frame 13, and when the key inserted into the key hole is turned counterclockwise (counterclockwise direction) When the key is unlocked and the key is turned to the right (clockwise direction), the front door frame 13 is unlocked.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a vertically long cover member 92 is attached to the main body frame 12 so as to surround the cylinder lock 91. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the cover member 92 has locking portions (hooks) formed at the upper end portion and the lower end portion thereof. Therefore, the cover member 92 is attached to the main body frame 12 by locking the upper locking portion to the main body frame 12 side and sandwiching the lower locking portion between the main body frame 12 and the front plate 14. . The front door frame 13 is formed with a notch 145 corresponding to the shape of the cover member 92. When the front door frame 13 is closed, the cover member 92 together with the front door frame 13 constitutes the front portion of the pachinko machine. . When the front door frame 13 is closed, the flange formed on the cover member 92 is pressed by the front door frame 13 to prevent the cover member 92 from rattling.

  Next, the front door frame 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a rear view of the front door frame 13.

  The front door frame 13 is formed with a window portion 101 as a viewing window so that almost the entire game area can be viewed from the front. The window portion 101 has a substantially oval shape that is nearly circular, and more specifically, a substantially central portion on the left and right sides of the window portion 101 is gently curved as compared to the upper and lower sides. The substantially central portion may have a linear shape.

  Small windows 107 to which a transparent resin is attached are provided on the left and right sides of the lower end portion of the front door frame 13 so that a part of the surface of the main body frame 12 and the surface of the game board 30 (including a certificate paper) can be visually recognized. The transparent resin attached to the small window 107 is formed in a flat shape so that the internal certificate paper or the like can be easily machine-read in a factory or the like. However, the small window 107 can be provided with a magnifying lens portion so that the hall operator or the like can easily see the internal certificate paper or the like.

  The front door frame 13 is provided with light emitting means such as various lamps around the periphery (for example, a corner portion). These light emitting means play a role of enhancing the effect of the game during the game by changing and controlling the light emission mode such as lighting and blinking according to the change of the game state at the time of big hit or predetermined reach. For example, an annular illumination part 102 incorporating light emitting means such as LEDs is provided symmetrically along the periphery of the window part 101, and an LED or the like is provided at the center of the annular illumination part 102 and at the top of the pachinko machine 10. There is provided a central illumination unit 103 incorporating the light emitting means. In the pachinko machine 10, the central lighting unit 103 functions as a jackpot lamp and notifies that the jackpot is being hit by performing lighting or blinking in the jackpot state. Further, around the upper plate 23, there is also provided an upper plate illumination unit 104 that also incorporates light emitting means such as LEDs. In addition, on the left and right sides of the central illumination unit 103, there are respectively provided a prize ball lamp 105 that is lit during award ball payout and an error display lamp 106 that is lit when a predetermined error occurs. The annular illumination part 102 includes an inner and outer double resin cover layer and a light emitting body (LED) with a launch plate accommodated inside the resin cover layer, and intersects the inner side surface of each resin cover layer vertically and horizontally in each layer. A protrusion (or a wavy protrusion) is provided in the direction of the protrusion. The outer resin cover layer is transparent, and the inner resin cover layer is colored. Therefore, if the annular illumination part 102 is caused to emit light, it is possible to realize the illumination in a state of being dispersed in a large number or in a state accompanied with a stereoscopic effect. A resin material containing glass powder may be used for the resin cover layer. Such a configuration of the resin cover layer can also be applied to other electric decoration parts (for example, the central electric decoration part 103 and the prize ball lamp 105).

  The front door frame 13 is provided with a ball rental operation portion 120 at a position below the window portion 101. The ball lending operation unit 120 is provided with a ball lending button 121, a return button 122, and a frequency display unit 123. The ball lending operation, the card returning operation, and the card frequency can be confirmed by the ball lending operation unit 120 in a state where a bill or a card is inserted into the CR unit disposed on the side of the pachinko machine 10. That is, the ball lending button 121 is operated to obtain a lending ball based on information recorded on a card or the like (recording medium), and the lending ball is paid out as long as the remaining amount exists on the card or the like. The return button 122 is operated when requesting the return of a card or the like inserted into the CR unit. The frequency display unit 123 displays remaining amount information such as a card. In addition, in a pachinko machine (so-called cash machine) in which game balls are lent out directly from a ball lending device or the like without using a CR unit, the ball lending operation unit 120 is unnecessary. A decorative sticker or the like is attached to 120 installation portions. Thereby, in the configuration of the present pachinko machine 10 provided with the lending operation unit 120, the pachinko machine using the CR unit (so-called CR machine) and the cash machine can be shared.

  On the back side of the front door frame 13, various metal reinforcing members are provided so as to surround the window portion 101. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, reinforcing plates 131, 132, 133, and 134 are respectively attached to the back side of the front door frame 13 and on the left and right and upper and lower outer sides of the window portion 101. These reinforcing plates 131 to 134 are connected in contact with each other, but resin parts 135 for avoiding direct contact are interposed at the connecting portions of the left and upper reinforcing plates 132 and 133 in the drawing. Thereby, the closed loop of the electric path by the reinforcing plates 131 to 134 is cut, and the generation of a magnetic field causing noise is prevented.

  7 are attached to the upper and lower ends of the reinforcing plate 131 on the opening / closing axis side on the right side of FIG. 7 as an assembly mechanism for the main body frame 12. Then, the mounting brackets 151 and 152 on the front door frame 13 side are attached to the support brackets 81 and 82 (see FIG. 3) on the main body frame 12 side. That is, a shaft hole that opens to the lower surface is formed in the lower mounting bracket 152, and the protruding shaft 84 of the lower support bracket 82 is inserted into the shaft hole, while the upper mounting bracket 151 By inserting the shaft portion into the support hole 83 of the upper support fitting 81, the front door frame 13 is supported to be openable and closable with respect to the main body frame 12. Further, the reinforcing plate 131 is provided with an engaging claw 131a having a hook shape at an intermediate position thereof, and the engaging claw 131a is formed in the hole 12a ( (See FIG. 3). Thereby, even in the pachinko machine 10 in which the front door frame 13 is configured in a form including the upper plate 23 and the upper and lower shaft support intervals thereof are increased, the front door frame 13 can be prevented from being lifted at the intermediate position. Therefore, an illegal act or the like floating the front door frame 13 is suppressed.

  A pair of upper and lower hook metal fittings 155 and 156 having a hook shape are attached to the reinforcing plate 132 opposite to the opening / closing axis line on the left side of FIG. These metal fittings 155 and 156 extend rearward and are provided so as to correspond to the insertion holes 87 and 88 (see FIG. 3) provided in the main body frame 12. When the front door frame 13 is closed with respect to the main body frame 12, the metal fittings 155 and 156 are inserted into the insertion holes 87 and 88 on the main body frame 12 side and are locked by the locking device.

  A resin case 136 is attached to the lower reinforcing plate 134 at a position facing the firing rail 163. The resin case 136 accommodates a circuit board for the ball rental operation unit 120. The back surface of the resin case 136 (the surface visible in FIG. 7) is flat, and constitutes the side wall of the firing rail 163 when the front door frame 13 is closed. Therefore, the game ball is prevented from spilling forward from the launch rail 163.

  A ball passage rod 138 is installed at a part of the lower reinforcing plate 134 cut out toward the back of the pachinko machine 10, and at least above the ball passage rod 138, the pachinko machine 10 is also behind the pachinko machine 10. An eaves portion 139 extending toward the surface is provided. In this case, in a state where the front door frame 13 is closed on the main body frame 12 side, a ridge extending along the upper side of the communication port 72 on the main body frame 12 side enters between the ball passage rod 138 and the collar portion 139. Arranged. Therefore, even if a wire, a film, or the like is invaded from the ball passage rod 138 to perform an illegal act, it is very difficult to infiltrate the wire, the film, or the like to the game area. As a result, fraudulent acts performed using a wire, a film, or the like can be prevented.

  The reinforcing plates 131 to 134 described above also have a function as a metal frame for supporting the glass, and the inside of these reinforcing plates 131 to 134 is folded back to form a glass holding groove. The glass holding grooves are formed in two rows on the front and rear sides, and a pair of front and rear glasses 137 having a rectangular shape are held in each glass holding groove. Thereby, the two glass 137 is attached to the front and back at a predetermined interval.

  As described above, in the pachinko machine 10 according to the present embodiment, when the front door frame 13 is closed, a part of the spherical guide passage formed between the inner and outer rail portions 51 and 52 is caused by the front door frame 13. It is configured to be covered up. Therefore, in the ball guide passage, a portion where the opening portion on the near side cannot be covered with the glass 137 is formed. In such a case, for example, when the game ball launched from the game ball launching mechanism 160 returns without reaching the return ball prevention member 54, the game ball jumps out of the ball guide path or the outer rail portion 52 and the glass 137 There is a risk of being caught in a gap formed between them. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a rail cover 140 is attached to the front door frame 13 so as to cover the front side opening portion of the ball guide passage. The rail cover 140 is a plate having a substantially arc shape, and is formed of a transparent resin. The rail cover 140 has an arc shape corresponding to the shape of the spherical guide passage, and covers a section from the base end portion of the spherical guide passage to the vicinity of the distal end portion along the peripheral edge portion of the window portion 101. ing. In particular, the size and shape of the rail cover 140 on the inner diameter side substantially match those of the inner rail portion 51. Further, at the right end portion of the rail cover 140 (that is, the portion that becomes the right end in the state of FIG. 7 where the rail cover 140 is attached to the front door frame 13), the portion where the ball guide passage protrudes from the side edge portion of the glass 137. A covering portion 141 for covering the surface is provided. With the above-described configuration of the rail cover 140, when the front door frame 13 is closed, the back surface of the rail cover 140 covers almost the entire area of the ball guide passage, so that the game ball jumps out of the ball guide passage. In addition, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a problem such as being caught in a gap formed between the outer rail portion 52 and the glass 137.

  Further, on the lower back side of the rail cover 140, a ridge 142 that extends in an arc shape along the inner edge and protrudes rearward is formed. The protrusion 142 is disposed so as to overlap the inner rail portion 51 in a state of entering the ball guide passage when the front door frame 13 is closed. Therefore, for example, even if a wire or a film is intruded through a gap between the front door frame 13 and the main body frame 12 to carry out an illegal act, the wire or the film is intruded into a game area inside the ball guide passage. Becomes very difficult. As a result, fraudulent acts performed using a wire, a film, or the like can be prevented. The ridge 142 may be formed in a wider range, for example, along the entire inner edge of the rail cover 140. According to such a configuration, it becomes difficult for a wire, a film, or the like to enter in a wider range, It is possible to more reliably prevent fraudulent acts performed using a wire, a film, or the like.

  Next, the configuration of the back surface of the pachinko machine 10 will be described. 8 is a rear view of the pachinko machine 10, and FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the rear structure of the pachinko machine 10 for each major part.

  First, an overall outline of the rear configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described. On the back side of the pachinko machine 10, various control devices (various control boards) are arranged so as to be arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions or stacked in front and back, and a game ball supply device for supplying game balls (Discharge mechanism), a protective cover made of resin, and the like are attached. In the present embodiment, various control devices are separately mounted on two mounting bases to form two control board units, and these control board units are individually attached to the main body frame 12 or the back of the game board 30. ing. In this case, the main control device 271 (main control board, power supply monitoring board) and the sound lamp control device 272 (sound lamp control board) are mounted on one mounting base to form a unit, and the payout control device 311 (payout control). Board), a power source and launch control device 313 (power source and launch control board) are mounted on the other mounting base to form a unit. Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience, the former unit is referred to as a “first control board unit 201”, and the latter unit is referred to as a “second control board unit 202”. Further, since the dispensing mechanism and the protective cover are integrated as one unit, and the resin portion is generally referred to as a back pack, the unit is referred to as a “back pack unit 203” here. The detailed configuration of each unit 201 to 203 will be described later.

  The first control board unit 201, the second control board unit 202, and the back pack unit 203 are configured to be detachable without using any tools or the like in units of units, and are provided with a support shaft part in a part to form the main body frame 12. Or it has the composition which can be developed to the back of game board 30. This is also a device for making it possible to easily check a hidden portion when the units 201 to 203 and other components are arranged one behind the other. Actually, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 10, the first control board unit 201 having a substantially L-shape is arranged at substantially the center of the pachinko machine 10, and the second control board unit 202 is arranged therebelow. Yes. Further, the back pack unit 203 is disposed in a region partially overlapping with the first control board unit 201.

  The first control board unit 201 is provided with a support shaft part M1 at the left end portion when viewed from the back of the pachinko machine 10, and the first control board unit 201 can be rotated around an axis A by the support shaft part M1. ing. Further, the first control board unit 201 is provided with a fastening portion M2 made of Nylatch (registered trademark) on the right end portion thereof, that is, on the open end side opposite to the support shaft portion M1, and with a locking claw at the upper end portion. A portion M3 is provided, and the first control board unit 201 is held along the back surface of the main body of the pachinko machine 10 by the fastening portion M2 and the locking claw portion M3. Further, the second control board unit 202 is provided with a support shaft part M4 at the right end when viewed from the back of the pachinko machine 10, and the second control board unit 202 can be rotated around the axis B by the support shaft part M4. It has become. Further, the second control board unit 202 is provided with a fastening portion M5 made of a ny latch or the like at the left end portion thereof, that is, the open end side opposite to the support shaft portion M4, and the second control board unit 202 performs the second control. The substrate unit 202 is held in a state along the back surface of the pachinko machine 10 main body. Further, the back pack unit 203 is provided with a support shaft part M6 at the right end when viewed from the back of the pachinko machine 10, and the back pack unit 203 is rotatable about an axis C by the support shaft part M6. . Further, the back pack unit 203 is provided with a fastening portion M7 made of a ny latch or the like on the left end portion thereof, that is, on the open end side opposite to the support shaft portion M6, and at the upper end portion and the lower end portion, respectively, a rotating engagement member. Stop portions M8 and M9 are provided, and the back pack unit 203 is held along the back surface of the pachinko machine 10 main body by the fastening portions M7 and the locking portions M8 and M9.

  The support shaft portions M1, M4, and M6 that rotatably support the units 201 to 203 have a hinge structure that can be easily detached while the units 201 to 203 are opened from the back surface of the pachinko machine 10. Briefly, the first control board unit 201 is developed by releasing the fastening of the fastening part M2 and the locking claw part M3 and rotating the unit 201 around the axis A, Lift in condition. Thereby, if there is no back pack unit 203, the first control board unit 201 can be removed. Further, with respect to the second control board unit 202, the fastening of the fastening portion M5 is released, the unit 202 is rotated about the axis B, is unfolded, and is lifted in that state. Thereby, the 2nd control board unit 202 can be removed. Further, with respect to the back pack unit 203, the fastening portion M7 and the locking portions M8 and M9 are unlocked, and the unit 203 is unfolded by rotating around the axis C and lifted in that state. Thereby, the back pack unit 203 can be removed.

  Here, the development directions of the units 201 to 203 are not the same, and the first control board unit 201 opens to the left as viewed from the back of the pachinko machine 10, whereas the second control board unit 202 and the back pack unit. 203 is configured to open to the right. In this case, since the first control board unit 201 is partially overlapped with the back pack unit 203, it is impossible to remove the first control board unit 201 without opening the back pack unit 203. Furthermore, since the first control board unit 201 and the back pack unit 203 are each configured to expand in the opposite direction, the back pack unit 203 must be opened largely beyond a predetermined angle or removed. For example, the first control board unit 201 cannot be removed. Accordingly, when attention is paid to removing the first control board unit 201, the removal is difficult compared to the other units 202 and 203. Furthermore, since the back pack unit 203 cannot be opened unless the main body frame 12 is opened with respect to the outer frame 11 by key operation of the locking device, the first control board unit 201 is further removed. Has become difficult. A more specific configuration will be described later.

  Next, the back surface structure of the main body frame 12 and the game board 30 is demonstrated. 11 is a rear view showing a configuration in a state in which the game board 30 is assembled to the main body frame 12 and the units 201 to 203 are removed, and FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the main body frame 12 as viewed from the rear. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the game board 30 as viewed from the rear.

  The game board 30 is installed in a square frame-shaped installation area surrounded by the resin base 25 from the back side, and a plurality (four in this embodiment) of locking fixtures 211 and 212 provided on the main body frame 12. It is fixed so as not to fall backward. The locking fixtures 211 and 212 can be manually rotated, and can be switched between a fixed position (lock position) and a fixed release position (unlock position). FIG. 11 shows the locked state. The left and right three locking fixtures 211 are L-shaped fittings formed by bending metal pieces, and are configured not to protrude outward from the main body frame 12 when the game board 30 is fixed. Note that the locking fixture 212 at one lower portion is an I-shaped fastener made of synthetic resin.

  The variable display unit 35 disposed in the center of the game board 30 is provided with a synthetic resin frame cover 213 that covers the center frame 43 (see FIG. 4) from the rear side. A symbol display device 41 and a display control device 214 as display control means are detachably attached to the rear end in a state where they are overlapped in the front-rear direction. In the frame cover 213, an LED control board for driving LEDs and the like built in the center frame 43 are disposed.

  A collective board unit 215 is provided on the back surface of the game board 30 so as to surround the variable display unit 35. The collective board unit 215 has a base formed of a synthetic resin such as an ABS resin as a thin plate-like frame body, and is attached so that the base surface is in contact with the back surface of the game board 30. The collective board unit 215 is provided with a game ball collecting mechanism for collecting game balls won in various winning ports, a winning detection mechanism for detecting winning of game balls in various winning ports, and the like. .

  The game ball collecting mechanism will be described. Below the collective plate unit 215, a collecting passage corresponding to the game board opening of the general winning port 31, the variable winning device 32, and the operating port 33 and collecting at one place on the downstream side. 216 is formed. Further, a discharge passage board 217 made of synthetic resin such as polycarbonate resin is attached to the main body frame 12 below the game board 30, and the discharge ball is placed on the discharge passage board 217, for example, in a game hall outside the pachinko machine 10. A discharge passage 218 is formed to guide the island facility or the like. Therefore, as exemplified by the phantom line in FIG. 11, all the game balls won in the general winning opening 31 and the like are gathered through the collecting passage 216 of the collecting plate unit 215, and further, the discharging passage 218 of the discharging passage board 217 is formed. Through the pachinko machine 10. Similarly, the out port 36 leads to the discharge passage 218, and the game ball that has not won any prize opening is also discharged to the outside of the pachinko machine 10 through the discharge passage 218. In the above configuration, with the lower end surface of the game board 30 as a boundary, the collective plate unit 215 (collection passage 216) is provided above, and the discharge passage board 217 (discharge passage 218) is provided below. There is no overlap in the front-rear direction with respect to the game board 30. Therefore, when removing the game board 30 from the main body frame 12, there is no inconvenience that the discharge passage board 17 prevents the game board from being removed.

  The discharge passage board 217 is disposed on the back side of the upper plate 23 in front of the pachinko machine 10, and a wire, a film, or the like is inserted from a ball discharge port (ball passage rod 138 in FIG. 2) leading to the upper plate 23. An illegal act of causing the wire, film, or the like to enter the game area side through the gap between the main body frame 12 and the discharge passage board 217 can be considered. Therefore, in the present pachinko machine 10, as shown in FIG. 12, the discharge passage board 217 is placed in front of the pachinko machine 10 so as to overlap the main body frame 12 at a height position corresponding to the upper position of the ball passage rod 138. An extending plate 219 was provided. Therefore, even if it tries to infiltrate a wire, a film, etc. from the clearance gap between the main body frame 12 and the discharge passage board 217, it will be obstructed by the plate 219, and it will be very difficult to infiltrate a wire, a film, etc. to a game area. Become. As a result, an illegal act such as forcibly opening the variable winning device 32 using a wire, a film, or the like can be prevented.

  Explaining the winning detection mechanism, the collective board unit 215 is provided with a winning port switch 221 at a position corresponding to the general winning port 31 on the front side of the game board 30, and a specific area switch 222 and a position corresponding to the variable winning device 32. A count switch 223 is provided. The specific area switch 222 is a switch that determines that the game ball that has won the variable winning device 32 during the jackpot has entered the specific area. The specific area is an area for determining whether or not a round can be updated, and is also referred to as a V zone. The count switch 223 is a switch that counts the number of game balls won in the variable winning device 32. In addition, an operation port switch 224 for detecting a winning of a game ball to the operation port 33 is provided at a position corresponding to the operation port 33, and a passage of the game ball of the through gate 34 is detected at a position corresponding to the through gate 34. A gate switch 225 is provided. The winning opening switch 221 and the gate switch 225 are connected to the board relay board 226 through electric wiring, and the specific area switch 222 and the count switch 223 are connected to the big winning opening relay board 227. The board surface relay board 226 and the special winning opening relay board 227 are connected to the main controller 271 (main control board). The operation port switch 224 is directly connected to the main controller 271 (main control board) without going through the relay board. Although not shown in the drawings, the variable winning device 32 is driven with a large winning opening solenoid for opening the opening / closing door of the large winning opening and a distribution plate for distributing the winning balls to a specific area or other areas. A winning ball sorting plate solenoid is provided, and the operating port 33 is provided with an operating port solenoid for opening an electric accessory attached thereto.

  The detection results detected by the winning detection mechanism are taken into the main control device 271 (main control board), and the main control device 271 (main control board) issues a payout command (game ball) according to the winning situation at each time. Is sent to the payout control device 311 (payout control board). A predetermined number of game balls are paid out by the output of the payout control device 311 (payout control board). Here, in the conventional so-called evidence ball system, the game balls won in various winning openings are once collected in a winning ball processing device, and the winning ball processing device confirms the presence of the winning balls one by one and then pays out. However, in the pachinko machine 10 according to the present embodiment, a lot of game balls are paid out because the winning of the game balls is electrically detected for each prize opening and the payout is immediately performed. In this case, the payout can be performed promptly, and a winning ball processing apparatus is not required.

  The collective plate unit 215 is provided with a relay terminal plate 276 at the center upper portion thereof, and further has a panel external terminal plate 230 provided at the upper right portion thereof. The relay terminal board 276 relays signal lines from the main control device 271 (main control board) and the power source and launch control device 313 (power source and launch control board) to the display control device 214 (display control board). The panel external terminal plate 230 has an output terminal for outputting a signal every time the variation of the first symbol is stopped (determined), and an output terminal for outputting a signal during the big hit or during the reduction of the variation time of the first symbol. And an output terminal for outputting a signal during the jackpot. And, through these output terminals, a signal related to the game (the state on the game board 30 side) is output to the management control device on the game hall side. The board external terminal board 230 is attached to the collective board unit 215 in an easily removable state.

  The assembly plate unit 215 is provided with an attachment mechanism for attaching the first control board unit 201. Specifically, as this attachment mechanism, a bearing bracket 231 extending in the vertical direction is provided at the lower left corner when viewed from the back surface of the game board 30, and a pair of upper and lower bearing holes 231a on the same axis is provided in the bearing bracket 231. Is formed. In the game board 30, a pair of upper and lower fastening holes (specifically, a mounting hole for a ny latch) 232 is provided on the right side of the bearing fitting 231, and a locking claw piece 233 is provided above the bearing fitting 231. It has been.

  An attachment mechanism for attaching the second control board unit 202 and the back pack unit 203 is provided on the back surface of the main body frame 12. Specifically, a long bearing fitting 235 is attached to the right end of the main body frame 12. The bearing fitting 235 also functions as a reinforcing member. As shown in FIG. 14, the bearing fitting 235 has a long plate-like fitting main body 236 extending downward from the game board 30, and the second lower portion is set up at two lower portions so as to stand up backward from the fitting main body 236. Bearing portions 237 for the control board unit 202 are formed, and bearing portions 238 for the back pack unit 203 are formed in two upper portions. Coaxial bearing holes are formed in the bearing portions 237 and 238, respectively. Note that the bearing portion 237 for the second control board unit 202 and the bearing portion 238 for the back pack unit 203 may be configured by individual bearing fittings. In addition, as a mounting mechanism for the second control board unit 202, the main body frame 12 has a pair of upper and lower fastening holes (specifically, mounting holes for a ny latch) 239 at the left end below the game board 30 installation area. Is provided. In addition, as a mounting mechanism for the back pack unit 203, the main body frame 12 is provided with a pair of upper and lower fastening holes (specifically, mounting holes for a ny latch) 240 at the left end of the game board 30 installation area. . Rotating fixtures 241, 242 for sandwiching and supporting the back pack unit 203 with the game board 30 at positions on the upper left, upper right and lower right of the game board 30 in the main body frame 12. 243 is provided. Since the back pack unit 203 stores a large amount of game balls in its upper part, the fixtures 241 and 242 for supporting the upper part of the back pack unit 203 have a particularly strong strength. Desirably, a rotating fixture is used in the present embodiment.

  As described above, a long bearing fitting 235 is provided on one of the left and right sides (the right side in FIG. 11) of the main body frame 12, while the left and right other sides (the left side in FIG. 11) of the main body frame 12 are locked. A device is provided. The locking device includes a base frame 247 that extends in the vertical direction and is fixed to the main body frame 12, and a long interlocking rod 248 that is assembled to the base frame 247 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The cylinder lock 91 is integrated in the lower part of the cylinder. The interlocking rod 248 moves in either the up or down direction by operating the cylinder lock 91. The interlocking bar 248 is provided with a pair of upper and lower bar brackets 249 having a hook shape. When the main body frame 12 is closed with respect to the outer frame 11, the bar bracket 249 is attached to the support bracket (on the outer frame 11 side). (Not shown) and locked by a locking device. In this case, when the interlocking rod 248 moves upward by the operation of the cylinder lock 91, the locking of the main body frame 12 with respect to the outer frame 11 is released. On the contrary, when the interlocking rod 248 moves downward by the operation of the cylinder lock 91, the locking of the front door frame 13 with respect to the main body frame 12 is released.

  In the above-described configuration in which the bearing bracket 235 and the locking device (base frame 247, interlocking rod 248, etc.) are distributed to the left and right sides of the main body frame 12, these bearing bracket 235 and locking device (base frame 247, interlocking rod 248, etc.) are arranged. The game board 30 is attached to the main body frame 12 so as to have a width that leaves an area for placing a).

  In the lower right portion of the game board 30 on the back surface of the main body frame 12, a game ball distribution unit 245 for distributing game balls paid out by a payout mechanism, which will be described later, to any of the upper plate 23, the lower plate 16 or the discharge passage 218 is provided. It has been. The game ball distribution unit 245 has a left opening 245a that communicates with the upper plate 23 through the first discharge port 66, and a central opening 245b that communicates with the lower plate 16 through the second discharge port 67, and the right opening. Each passage is formed so that the portion 245c communicates with the discharge passage 218. In this case, when paying out a prize ball or a rental ball, the game ball is first guided to the left side opening 245a, and when the upper plate 23 is full, the game ball overflowing from the left side opening 245a enters the center opening 245b. enter. The game ball distribution unit 245 is firmly attached to the main body frame 12 with screws or the like. Therefore, the floating at the installation site of the game ball distributing unit 245 is prevented, and an illegal act caused by entering a wire, a film, or the like from the gap can be prevented. Note that a synthetic resin speaker box 246 is attached to the lower end portion of the main body frame 12 to surround the back of the speaker 20 installed on the back side of the back wall panel 17, and the speaker box 246 transmits the speaker sound to the rear. The sound quality in the low frequency range is improved by functioning so as not to miss.

  Next, the configuration of the first control board unit 201 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 is a front view of the first control board unit 201, FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the unit 201, FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the unit 201, and FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of the unit 201 viewed from the back. .

  The first control board unit 201 has a mounting base 251 having a substantially L shape, and the main control device 271 and the sound lamp control device 272 are mounted on the mounting base 251. The main control device 271 includes a main control board that controls the main game and a power supply monitoring board that monitors power (for example, monitors changes in voltage). These boards are made of a transparent resin material or the like. It is configured to be accommodated in a substrate box 273 as an encapsulation means. The main control board and the power supply monitoring board are provided with a plurality of connectors, and these connectors are exposed to the outside through openings 273a to 273h formed in the board box 273. And by connecting a harness or a signal line to each connector, electrical connection with other boards (payout control board, board surface relay board 226 etc.) is made. In addition, the main control board is electrically connected to the power supply monitoring board via the connector, but since both the boards are accommodated in one board box 273, the connector for connecting both boards is It is not exposed to the outside. Note that openings are similarly formed in the board boxes of the control devices described below, and the connectors of the boards housed in the board boxes are exposed to the outside through these openings.

  The substrate box 273 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box base and a box cover that covers an opening of the box base. The box base and the box cover are connected to each other so as not to be opened by a sealing unit 274 as sealing means, whereby the substrate box 273 is sealed. As long as the sealing unit 274 is configured to connect the box base and the box cover so that they cannot be opened, any configuration can be applied, but here, as shown in FIG. The box base and the box cover are connected so as not to be opened by inserting a locking claw into the long hole of the sealing member. Sealing processing by the sealing unit 274 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 the locking claw into the long hole of at least one sealing member among the five sealing members constituting the sealing unit 274. When the board box 273 is opened such as when a failure occurs in the housed main control board or power supply monitoring board or when the main control board or power supply monitoring board is inspected, the sealing member into which the locking claw is inserted and the like The connection with the sealing member is cut. Thereafter, when the sealing process is performed again, the locking claws are inserted into the long holes of the other sealing members. If the history of opening the substrate box 273 is left in the substrate box 273, it can be easily found that the unauthorized opening has been performed by looking at the substrate box 273.

  The sound lamp control device 272 includes a sound lamp control board that controls sound and lamp display and control of the display control device 214 in accordance with support from the main control device 271, and the sound lamp control board is made of a transparent resin material or the like. The board box 275 is configured.

  The mounting base 251 is made of a synthetic resin such as a polycarbonate resin, and is colored opaque, for example, green or blue. However, the mounting base 251 may be colorless and transparent or translucent. Two flat substrate mounting surfaces 252 and 253 are formed on the surface of the mounting base 251. These substrate mounting surfaces 252 and 253 extend in a direction orthogonal to the length and breadth, and are formed with a step in the front-rear direction. Standing portions 254 erected from the substrate mounting surface 252 are integrally formed on the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the substrate mounting surface 252, respectively. The main controller 271 is disposed on the horizontally long substrate mounting surface 252 and the sound lamp controller 272 is disposed on the vertically long substrate mounting surface 253. At this time, the upper and lower sides of main controller 271 are supported by upright portions 254. The sound lamp control device 272 is fixed to the substrate mounting surface 253 with screws or the like at a plurality of locations.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the substrate mounting surface 252 is formed with horizontally elongated through holes 256 at two positions on the left and right. On the other hand, the substrate box 273 of the main control device 271 is provided with rotationally-operated fixtures 277 at two positions on the left and right sides of the back surface thereof. When the main controller 271 is mounted on the board mounting surface 252, the main controller 271 is placed so that the fixing tool 277 is inserted into the through hole 256 of the board mounting surface 252, and the fixing tool 277 is placed in this state. The main control device 271 is locked by the turning operation. Therefore, the main control device 271 cannot be removed unless the lock 277 is unlocked from the back side of the first control board unit 201, so that a deterrent effect such as board removal is obtained.

  In addition, in the mount 251, a shielding part 257 for shielding an opening leading to the back space of the substrate mounting surface 252 is provided below the substrate mounting surface 252 for the main control board. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a hand or the like from being inserted into the back surface of the mounting base 251 from below the board mounting surface 252 so that the locked state of the fixture 277 cannot be illegally released. Further, when the first control board unit 201 is mounted on the back surface of the pachinko machine 10, the upper portion of the unit 201 is covered with the back pack unit 203, so that it is also prevented that a hand or the like is inserted into the back surface of the mounting base 251. The locked state of the fixture 277 cannot be illegally released.

  As described above, the first control board unit 201 cannot be removed unless the back pack unit 203 is opened at a predetermined angle or larger, or the unit 203 is not removed. The back pack unit 203 cannot be opened unless the main body frame 12 is opened with respect to the outer frame 11 by key operation. That is, if the main body frame 12 cannot be opened, the first control board unit 201 cannot be rotated or removed as a result, and the main controller 271 cannot be removed. Therefore, unauthorized replacement or theft of the main controller 271 can be effectively prevented.

  The main control device 271 is arranged on the near side when viewed from the back of the pachinko machine 10, and the sound lamp control device 272 is arranged on the back side. In this case, since the substrate mounting surfaces 252 and 253 are formed with steps in the front-rear direction, the control devices 271 and 272 are mounted in a state where the main controller 271 and the sound lamp controller 272 are mounted on the substrate mounting surfaces 252 and 253. Are arranged with part of them stacked one after the other. That is, as can be seen in FIG. 16 and the like, main controller 271 is arranged in a state where a part thereof (about 1/3 in the present embodiment) is floated. Therefore, it is possible to extend the sound lamp control device 272 to a region overlapping with the main control device 271, and, from another viewpoint, it is possible to extend the main control device 271 to a region overlapping with the sound lamp control device 272. Even within the limited size of the pachinko machine 10, it is possible to satisfactorily cope with the increase in size of the control boards 271 and 272, and the control devices 271 and 272 can be installed efficiently. Further, in a state where the first control board unit 201 is mounted on the game board 30, a space is secured behind the board mounting surface 252, and the variable winning device 32 and its electric wiring can be installed without difficulty. Note that lattice-like ribs 258 are provided on the back surface of the substrate mounting surface 252 to enhance the support strength of the main controller 271.

  A pair of upper and lower retaining pins 261 are provided on the left end surface of the mounting base 251. By attaching the retaining pins 261 to the bearing bracket 231, the first control board unit 201 can rotate with respect to the game board 30. Cantilevered so that it can move. A pair of upper and lower nai latches 262 are provided at the right end portion of the mounting base 251 as fasteners to be fitted into the fastening holes 232. A long hole 263 in which the locking claw piece 233 is locked is provided at the upper end portion of the mounting base 251. Therefore, the first control board unit 201 is fixed to the game board 30 by fitting the nail latch 262 into the tightened hole 232 and locking the locking claw piece 233 in the long hole 263. It should be noted that the bearing fitting 231 and the latch pin 261 are in the support shaft portion M1, the fastening hole 232 and the ny latch 262 are in the fastening portion M2, and the locking claw piece 233 and the long hole 263 are in the locking claw portion M3. Each corresponds.

  Next, the configuration of the second control board unit 202 will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 is a front view of the second control board unit 202, FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the unit 202, and FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view of the unit 202.

  The second control board unit 202 has a horizontally long mounting base 301 on which a payout control device 311, a power source and firing control device 313, and a CR unit connection board 314 are mounted. In the payout control device 311, a payout control board for controlling payout of prize balls and rental balls is accommodated in the board box 315. Further, the payout control device 311 is provided with a state return switch 321. For example, when the state return switch 321 is pressed when a payout error occurs, such as a ball clogging of the payout motor described later, the payout motor is rotated forward and reverse so that the ball clogging is eliminated (return to the normal state). It has become.

  The power source and launch control device 313 includes a power source and launch control board housed in a board box 316, and a predetermined power source required for various control devices and the like is generated and output by the board. Further, a game ball by a player Control of the launch of the game ball accompanying the operation of the firing handle 18 is performed. The power supply and launch control device 313 is provided with a RAM erase switch 323. This pachinko machine 10 has a function to store and store various data. Even if a power failure occurs, the pachinko machine 10 retains the state at the time of the power failure, and returns to the state at the time of the power failure when returning from the power failure (power recovery). You can return. 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 turn-off is stored and held. However, if the power is turned on while pressing the RAM erase switch 323, the RAM data is initialized. It is like that.

  The CR unit connection board 314 is electrically connected to the ball rental operation unit 120 on the front surface of the pachinko machine and a CR unit (not shown), and mainly receives a command for a ball rental operation by a player and outputs it to the payout control device 311. It is. Note that the CR unit connection board 314 is not required in a cash machine in which game balls are lent directly from the ball lending device or the like to the upper plate without using a CR unit.

  The mounting base 301 is made of, for example, a colorless and transparent resin molded product, and a flat board mounting surface 302 is provided on the surface thereof. On the board mounting surface 302, the power supply and launch control device 313 and the CR unit connection board 314 are mounted side by side and fixed with screws or the like. A substantially flat pedestal plate 303 is mounted on the substrate box 316 of the power supply and launch control device 313, and a payout control device 311 is mounted on the pedestal plate 303 and fixed with screws or the like. Since a pedestal plate 303 is interposed between the payout control device 311 and the power supply and launch control device 313, for example, in order to install a metal plate for noise removal, a metal plate or the like may be attached to the pedestal plate 303. Measures can be easily realized.

  The mounting base 301 is provided with a pair of upper and lower retaining pins 305 at the right end when viewed from the rear of the pachinko machine 10, and the second control board unit is inserted into the bearing portion 237 from above. 202 is cantilevered so as to be rotatable with respect to the body frame 12. A pair of upper and lower nail latches 306 are provided as fasteners at the left end of the mounting base 301, and the second control board unit 202 is fixed to the main body frame 12 by fitting the nail latch 306 into the tightened hole 239. The bearing portion 237 and the latch pin 305 correspond to the support shaft portion M4, and the fastened hole 239 and the ny latch 306 correspond to the fastening portion M5, respectively.

  Next, the configuration of the back pack unit 203 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 22 is a front view of the back pack unit 203, and FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view of the back pack unit 203. FIG. 24 is an exploded perspective view of the tank rail.

  The back pack unit 203 is configured by integrating a back pack 351 and a game ball payout mechanism 352. The back pack 351 is integrally formed of, for example, a synthetic resin such as ABS resin, and includes a substantially flat base portion 353 and a protective cover portion 354 that protrudes rearward of the pachinko machine 10 and has a horizontally long substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The protective cover 354 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 35. However, in this embodiment, the above-described sound lamp control device 272 is also enclosed. A large number of ventilation holes 354 a are provided on the back surface of the protective cover portion 354. The vent holes 354a are each formed in a long hole shape, and the respective vent holes 354a are provided adjacent to each other at relatively close positions. Therefore, the back surface of the back pack 351 can be easily opened by cutting the resin portion between the adjacent vent holes 354a. That is, a predetermined test or the like can be easily performed by cutting the resin portion between the vent holes 354a and exposing the display control device 214 and the like inside the resin portion.

  On the base portion 353 of the back pack 351, a payout mechanism portion 352 is disposed so as to bypass the protective cover portion 354. That is, a tank 355 that opens upward is provided at the top of the back pack 351, and game balls supplied from the island facilities of the game hall are sequentially replenished to the tank 355. Below the tank 355, for example, tank rails 356 having two rows (two rows) of spherical passages and gently inclined toward the downstream side are connected. The tank rails 356 extend in the vertical direction on the downstream side. A case rail 357 is connected. A payout device 358 is provided at the most downstream portion of the case rail 357, and the payout device 358 is controlled by the payout control device 311 so that a required number of game balls are paid out appropriately. The game balls paid out by the payout device 358 are supplied to the upper plate 23 and the like through the payout passage 359 and the like. Although not shown, a tank ball absence sensor that detects the presence or absence of a game ball supplied from the tank 355 or the tank rail 356 is provided upstream of the case rail 357.

  A vibrator 360 for applying vibration to the tank rail 356 is attached to the tank rail 356. Vibrator 360 is unitized by a vibrator motor and a synthetic resin case that accommodates the vibrator motor, and is attached to tank rail 356 by two legs 360a. Therefore, if a clogged ball occurs near the tank rail 356, the clogged ball is eliminated by driving the vibrator 360.

  The structure of the tank rail 356 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 24, the tank rail 356 has a rail body 361 having a long bowl shape opened upward. A spherical ball receiving portion 362 is formed in the upstream portion of the rail main body 361 so that the game ball dropped from the tank 355 by the ball receiving portion 362 is smoothly taken into the rail main body 361. The rail body 361 is provided with a partition wall 363 extending in the longitudinal direction, so that the game balls are divided into two hands by the partition wall 363. The two ball passages partitioned by the partition wall 363 are slightly wider than the diameter of the game ball. On the bottom surface of each ball passage partitioned by the partition wall 363, one or two ridges 364 are provided, and an opening 365 for dropping dust is provided on the side of the ridge 364. Yes. The rail body 361 is provided with a rectifying plate 367 so as to cover the ceiling portion of the downstream half. The rectifying plate 367 has a bowed shape so as to limit the height of the ball passage in the tank rail 356 toward the downstream side, and a convex portion 368 extending in the longitudinal direction is formed on the lower surface thereof. Thereby, each game ball flowing in the tank rail 356 finally flows out downstream without being stacked up and down. Therefore, even if a large amount of game balls flow into the tank rail 356, the game balls are prevented from being bitten and the ball clogging in the tank rail 356 is difficult to occur. The rail main body 361 is formed of a black conductive polycarbonate resin to prevent electrification, while the rectifying plate 367 is formed of a transparent polycarbonate resin so that a ball clogging can be visually confirmed. The rectifying plate 367 is detachably provided, and by removing the rectifying plate 367, maintenance in the tank rail 356 can be easily performed. A manual stopper 369 for preventing the game ball from flowing down is attached to the current plate 367.

  The configuration of the payout device 358 will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 and 26. FIG. FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the dispensing device 358, and FIG. 26 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a passage structure formed inside the dispensing device 358. In FIG. 26, a game ball flowing down inside the payout device 358 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

  In the housing 371 of the payout device 358, two game ball inlets 372 for taking in the game balls supplied from the case rail 357 are formed side by side at the upper end thereof, and further, balls are entered from these inlets 372 inside. A pair of game ball passages 373 for allowing game balls to pass therethrough are provided side by side.

  Each game ball passage 373 communicates with a pair of game ball outlets 374 formed at the lower end of the housing 372, and one game ball entered from each game ball inlet 372 flows down toward each game ball outlet 374 one by one. To do. An accommodation portion 373a having a passage width widened to the left and right is provided in an intermediate portion of each game ball passage 373, and a rotating body 375 is accommodated in the accommodation portion 373a. Specifically, the rotating body 375 includes a pair of ball guide plates 376 corresponding to each game ball passage 373, and rotates so that each guide plate 376 is received in the storage portion 373a of each game ball passage 373. A body 375 is disposed. The center of the rotating body 375 is fixed to the output shaft 377 a of the payout motor 377.

  The payout motor 377 is composed of a stepping motor, and the output shaft 377a is rotationally driven in a predetermined direction (clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 26). Thereby, the rotating body 375 rotates in the predetermined direction, and accordingly, each guide plate 376 rotates in each game ball passage 373. The output shaft 377a is set to advance one step by giving a driving signal of one pulse and to make one rotation by giving a driving signal of 360 pulses. The payout motor 377 is accommodated in the housing 372.

  On the periphery of each guide plate 376, recesses 376a are formed at two positions at intervals of 180 °. The concave portion 376a has a curved surface, and the curvature thereof is approximately the same as the curvature of the game ball. Further, the distance between the portion between the recesses 376a on the periphery of the guide plate 376 and the passage wall of the housing portion 373a is shorter than the diameter dimension of the game ball, whereas the passage between the recess 376a and the housing portion 373a. The distance to the wall is longer than the diameter dimension of the game ball. Thus, when the game ball flowing down the game ball passage 373 reaches the recess 376a of the guide plate 376, the game ball is led to the downstream side with the rotation of the guide plate 376 (rotating body 375).

  Each game ball passage 373 is provided with a substantially flat count sensor 378 at a position downstream of the housing portion 373a. The count sensor 378 is configured by a known magnetic detection type proximity sensor, and converts a magnetic field change caused by a game ball passing through the through hole 378a into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal. With this count sensor 378, the number of game balls paid out via the payout device 358 can be confirmed. Although not shown, the payout device 358 is provided with a payout rotation sensor for detecting whether the payout motor 377 is rotating.

  Next, a game ball payout operation by the payout device 358 will be described with reference to FIG. In the initial state of the payout device 358, the payout motor 377 is not driven. Therefore, among the game balls connected in the game ball passage 373, the leading game ball is received by the guide plate 376. On the other hand, in the payout state, the payout motor 377 is driven and the guide plate 376 rotates in the clockwise direction. Thereby, the game ball placed on the recess 376a of the guide plate 376 is led to the downstream side with the rotation of the guide plate 376, and the game ball is paid out by passing through the downstream side of the game ball passage 373 by its own weight. . At this time, the game ball passing through the downstream side is detected by the count sensor 378.

  Returning to the description of FIGS. 22 and 23, the payout mechanism unit 352 is provided with a backpack control board 381 that relays a payout command signal from the payout control device 311 to the payout device 358. The back pack control board 381 plays a role of taking in the main power from the outside. That is, the main power source of AC 24 volts, for example, is supplied to the backpack control board 381, and the power is turned on or off by the switching operation of the power switch 381a.

  The discharge mechanism 352 from the tank 355 to the discharge passage 359 is formed of a conductive synthetic resin material such as a conductive polycarbonate resin, and is grounded at a part thereof. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the noise by charging of a game ball is suppressed.

  The back pack 351 is provided with a frame external terminal plate 390 on the upper right portion thereof. The frame external terminal plate 390 has an output terminal for outputting a signal when the game balls are insufficient in the tank 355 and the tank rail 356, an output terminal for outputting a signal when the game state is a big hit state, An output terminal for outputting a signal each time a predetermined number of prize balls are paid out, an output terminal for outputting a signal each time a predetermined number of game balls are lent, an output terminal for outputting a signal when the main body frame 12 is opened, and An output terminal for outputting a signal when the front door frame 13 is opened is provided. And the signal regarding the state of a frame side is output with respect to the management control apparatus of the game hall side through these output terminals.

  The back pack 351 is provided with a substantially rectangular window 391 adjacent to the frame external terminal plate 390. Therefore, in a state where the back pack unit 103 is attached to the main body frame 12, the board external terminal plate 230 on the back side of the game board 30 is exposed through the window portion 391, and the board external terminal plate 230 remains attached with the back pack unit 103 attached. Can be operated. As described above, since the board external terminal plate 230 is attached to the collective board unit 215 in an easily removable state, the board external terminal board 230 is connected to the board via the window portion 391 while being connected. The external terminal plate 230 can be taken out. A main body frame opening switch 392 for detecting the open state of the main body frame 12 is provided at the upper right portion of the back pack 351. When the main body frame 12 is closed with respect to the outer frame 11, the metal of the switch 392 is provided. The contact is closed and the closing of the main body frame 12 is detected. When the main body frame 12 is opened relative to the outer frame 11, the metal contact is opened and the opening of the main body frame 12 is detected.

  The back pack 351 is provided with a pair of upper and lower latch pins 385 at the right end when viewed from the back of the pachinko machine 10. By inserting the latch pins 385 into the bearing portion 238 from above, the back pack unit 203 is mounted. The body frame 12 is cantilevered so as to be rotatable. The back pack 351 is provided with a pair of upper and lower ny latches 386 as fasteners at the left end portion, and is provided with a locking hole 387 at the upper end portion thereof. The back pack unit 203 is fixed to the main body frame 12 by rotating the fixing tool 242 after inserting the fixing tool 242 into 387. Further, the back pack unit 203 is also fixed to the main body frame 12 by the fixtures 241 and 243. The bearing portion 238 and the latch pin 385 correspond to the support shaft portion M6, the fastened hole 240 and the ny latch 386 correspond to the fastening portion M7, and the fixture 242 and the locking hole 387 correspond to the locking portion M8, respectively. To do. Further, the fixture 243 corresponds to the locking portion M9.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described based on the block diagram of FIG. In FIG. 27, a power supply line is indicated by a double line arrow, and a signal line is indicated by a solid line arrow.

  A main control board 271a provided in the main control device 271 is equipped with a CPU 501 as a one-chip microcomputer that is an arithmetic device. The CPU 501 stores various data such as a ROM 502 that stores various control programs executed by the CPU 501 and fixed value data, and a low-speed flag and a lower plate full flag that will be described later when the control program stored in the ROM 502 is executed. The RAM 503, which is a memory for temporary storage, and various circuits such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, and a data transmission / reception circuit are incorporated, and various counters such as an ON monitoring counter WC1 and an OFF monitoring counter WC2 described later are provided. Built in.

  Even after the power of the pachinko machine 10 is shut off, the RAM 503 is supplied with the data storage holding power (data storage holding voltage) from the power supply and the launch control board 313a provided in the launch control device 313 and holds the data. It is the composition which becomes. Specifically, the power and firing control board 313a is provided with a data storage holding capacitor, and the data storage holding power is supplied from the capacitor.

  An input / output port is connected to the CPU 501 of the main control board 271a via a bus line including an address bus and a data bus. Connected to the input side of the main control board 271a are a power supply monitoring board 271b provided in the main control apparatus 271, a payout control board 311a provided in the payout control apparatus 311 and other switch groups (not shown). In this case, a power supply and launch control board 313a is connected to the power supply monitoring board 271b, and power is supplied to the main control board 271a via the power supply monitoring board 271b.

  On the other hand, a power monitoring board 271b and a payout control board 311a are connected to the output side of the main control board 271a. Various commands such as a low speed setting command, a low speed release command, a full state setting command, a full state release command, and a prize ball command, which will be described later, are output to the payout control board 311a. In such a case, the various commands are output by one-way communication via the harness HL (that is, information indicating that the command has been input is not output from the payout control board 311a to the main control board 271a). A relay terminal plate 276 is connected to the output side of the main control board 271a. Various commands such as a full state setting command and a full state release command, which will be described later, are output from the main control board 271a to the sound lamp control board 272a provided in the sound lamp control device 272 via the relay terminal board 276. Furthermore, an LED lamp switch disposed in the first specific lamp unit 47 and an LED lamp switch disposed in the second specific lamp unit 48 are also connected. Thereby, the 1st specific lamp part 47 and the 2nd specific lamp part 48 will be directly controlled by the main control board 271a.

  The power monitoring board 271b relays between the main control board 271a and the power and launch control board 313a, and monitors a DC stable 24 volt power that is the maximum power output from the power and launch control board 313a.

  The payout control board 311a controls payout of prize balls and rental balls by the payout motor 377. The CPU 511 that is an arithmetic unit includes a ROM 512 that stores a control program executed by the CPU 511, fixed value data, and the like, and a RAM 513 that is used as a work memory or the like. The ROM 512 stores the driving speed of the payout motor 377.

  Similarly to the RAM 503 of the main control board 271a, the RAM 513 of the payout control board 311a can hold data by supplying data storage holding power from the power supply and launch control board 313a even after the pachinko machine 10 is powered off. It has become. In addition, in the work area where various counters and the like in the RAM 513 are stored, a command buffer 513a for storing commands output from the main control board 271a is provided together with various flag storage areas such as a command input flag storage area. Yes.

  The command buffer 513a is a ring buffer that temporarily stores commands output from the main control board 271a. The ring buffer has a predetermined storage area, and commands are stored with regularity from the beginning to the end of the storage area. When commands are stored in all storage areas, the ring buffer is at the start of the storage area. The return command is configured to be updated. Therefore, when the command is stored and when the command is read, the storage pointer and the read pointer in the command buffer 513a are updated, and the command is stored and read based on each pointer.

  An input / output port is connected to the CPU 511 of the payout control board 311a via a bus line including an address bus and a data bus. A main control board 271a (via the above-described harness HL), a power source and launch control board 313a, and a backpack connection board 381 are connected to the input side of the payout control board 311a. Further, the main control board 271a and the back pack connection board 381 are connected to the output side of the payout control board 311a. In such a case, a payout mechanism 352 including a payout device 358 and the like is connected via the back pack connection board 381.

  The power supply and launch control board 313a includes a power supply unit and a launch control unit. The power supply unit supplies necessary operation power to each of the main control board 271a, the payout control board 311a, and the like through a path indicated by a double line arrow. As its outline, the power supply unit takes in the AC 24 volt power supplied via the backpack connection board 381, and + 12V power for driving various switches and motors, + 5V power for logic, RAM data storage A holding power source or the like is generated, and these + 12V power source, + 5V power source and data storage holding power source are supplied to the main control board 271a, the payout control board 311a and the like. Note that generating the data storage holding power supply means charging the data storage holding capacitor.

  The launch control unit is responsible for launch control of the launch solenoid 162 according to the operation of the game ball launch handle 18 by the player, and the launch solenoid 162 is driven when a predetermined launch condition is satisfied. Specifically, a launch switch 331, a touch sensor 332, and a stop switch 333 provided on the game ball launch handle 18 are connected to the launch controller, and the launch switch 331 and the touch sensor 332 are turned on and the stop switch Only when 333 is turned off, the emission permission signal is output to the main control board 271a (via the power supply monitoring board 271b). The main control board 271a outputs a firing control signal of a predetermined cycle to the firing control unit (via the power monitoring board 271b) based on the input of the firing permission signal. Thereby, the firing control unit drives the firing solenoid 162 according to the input period of the firing control signal. In this case, the game ball launching handle 18 is provided with a dial variable resistor for determining the amount of handle operation, and the firing control unit launches by the firing solenoid 162 based on a change in resistance value in the dial variable resistor. Determine the speed.

  In addition, a full detection sensor 77 provided in the ball discharge passage 71 to the lower plate 16 is connected to the launch control unit. A signal from the full detection sensor 77 is output from the launch control unit to the main control board 271a, and the main control board 271a determines whether the lower plate 16 is full based on the input signal.

  Note that the power supply unit is provided with a RAM erase switch circuit for taking in the switch signal of the RAM erase switch 323 and clearing the data stored in the RAM 503 of the main control board 271a in accordance with the state of the switch 323. The RAM erase signal is output. That is, when the RAM erase switch 323 is pressed, the RAM erase switch circuit outputs a RAM erase signal to the main control board 271a. As a result, when the power of the pachinko machine 10 is turned on while the RAM erase switch 323 is pressed, the data in the RAM 503 is cleared on the main control board 271a. At this time, a payout initialization command is output from the main control board 271a to the payout control board 311a, and the data in the RAM 513 is also cleared in the payout control board 311a.

  The sound lamp control board 272a controls the sound output from the speaker 20, the various lighting units 102, 103, 104 and the various lamps 105, 106, and further controls the display control device 214. The display control device 214 controls the variable display of the first symbol (special symbol) on the symbol display device 41 based on the control of the sound lamp control board 272a. The sound lamp control board 272a includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and an input / output port is connected to the CPU via a bus line including an address bus and a data bus. The main control board 271a is connected to the input side of the sound lamp control board 272a by relaying to the relay terminal board 276. Based on various commands output from the main control board 271a, the speaker 20, the display control device 214, etc. To control.

  Here, as described above, the power supply monitoring board 271b monitors the power supply of DC stable 24 volts, which is the maximum power supply output from the power supply and launch control board 313a. In such a case, if the power supply becomes less than 22 volts, it is determined that a power failure (power cutoff) has occurred, and a power failure signal is output to the NMI terminal (non-maskable interrupt terminal) provided in the CPU 501 of the main control board 271a. As a result, the main control board 271a recognizes the occurrence of the power failure and immediately executes the NMI interrupt processing, and further executes the power failure processing based on this. The NMI terminal refers to an interrupt terminal that cannot be set for interrupt prohibition.

  Moreover, the main control board 271a outputs a power failure command to the payout control board 311a via the harness HL in the process at the time of a power failure. The payout control board 311a executes a power failure process described later based on the power failure command. In other words, in the present embodiment, the payout control board 311a does not execute the power outage process by inputting the power outage signal from the power monitoring board 271b, but inputs the power outage command from the main control board 271a. Execute.

  Note that the power supply and launch control board 313a has an output of 5 volts, which is a drive power supply for the control system, for a time sufficient for execution of the power failure process even after the DC stable 24 volt power supply becomes less than 22 volts. Is maintained at a normal value. Specifically, the power supply and launch control board 313a is provided with a power failure processing capacitor different from the above-described data storage holding capacitor, and the 5-volt power supply is maintained by the discharge from the capacitor. ing. Therefore, the main control board 271a and the payout control board 311a can normally execute and complete the power failure process.

  Next, the display content of the symbol display device 41 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the symbol display device 41, three symbol columns of left, middle, and right are set. Each symbol row is composed of, for example, a main symbol with numbers “0” to “9” and a sub-symbol made of, for example, a diamond-shaped picture. Each main symbol and sub-design constitute a first symbol. In each symbol row, main symbols are arranged in ascending or descending order of numbers, and sub symbols are arranged between the main symbols. That is, each symbol row is provided with a total of 20 first symbols of 10 main symbols and 10 sub symbols. In this case, the main symbols with odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) correspond to “high probability symbols”, and when the high probability symbols are aligned, the big game state that is a special gaming state is entered. After that, the state shifts to a state with a high probability. The main symbols with even numbers (2, 4, 6, 8) correspond to “low-probability symbols”. When the low-probability symbols are aligned, the game shifts to a jackpot state. Does not transition to the time state. The high probability means a state where the combination of the first symbol is a big hit by a predetermined combination of probability fluctuation symbols and the subsequent big hit probability is increased as added value, that is, a so-called probable change. (When probability) means the time when it is not such a probable state. Moreover, in the 1st specific lamp part 47, red is displayed at the time of the big hit which becomes a probability change state, and green is displayed at the big hit which becomes a normal state.

  On the symbol display device 41, 20 first symbols are variably displayed so as to scroll from top to bottom with periodicity for each symbol row. In particular, the numbers of the main symbols appear in descending order in the left symbol row, and the numbers of the main symbols appear in ascending order in the middle symbol row and the right symbol row. The symbol display device 41 is configured to display the upper, middle, and lower three first symbols for each symbol row. Accordingly, the symbol display device 41 displays a total of nine first symbols of 3 rows × 3 columns. The symbol display device 41 has five effective lines, that is, an upper line L1, a middle line L2, a lower line L3, a right rising line L4, and a left rising line L5. Then, the variable display stops in the order of left symbol sequence → right symbol sequence → middle symbol sequence, and at the time of the stop, it is a combination of jackpot symbols on any active line (in this embodiment, the same main symbol combination) If you arrange it, a big hit video will be displayed as a big hit.

  Next, the operation of the pachinko machine 10 configured as described above will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the CPU 501 in the main control device 271 uses various counter information in the game to make a big hit lottery, set the emission color of the first specific lamp unit 47, set the symbol display of the symbol display device 41, etc. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 29, the jackpot random number counter C1 used for the jackpot lottery, the jackpot type counter C2 used for determining the jackpot type, and the symbol display device 41 Reach random number counter C3 used for reach lottery when out-of-range changes, random number initial value counter CINI used for initial value setting of jackpot random number counter C1, and first variation type counter used for variation pattern selection of symbol display device 41 CS1 and a second variation type counter CS2 that determines a period for switching the color displayed on the first specific lamp unit 47 , It is set to be used left column, the middle column and the right column the off each off symbol counters in the left-and right to use the setting symbol CL of, CM, and CR.

  Among these, the counters C1 to C3, CINI, CS1, and CS2 are loop counters that each add 1 to the previous value and return to 0 after reaching the maximum value. Further, the out symbol counters CL, CM, CR are configured such that register values are added using an R register (refresh register) in the CPU 501, and as a result, numerical values change randomly. Each counter is updated at short time intervals, and the updated value is appropriately stored in a counter buffer set in a predetermined area of the RAM 503. The RAM 503 is provided with a holding ball storage area composed of one execution area and four holding areas (holding first to fourth areas). In each of these areas, a game ball to the operation port 33 is provided. The values of the jackpot random number counter C1, the jackpot type counter C2 and the reach random number counter C3 are stored in time series according to the winning history.

  For details of each counter, the jackpot random number counter C1 is configured such that, for example, 1 is sequentially added within a range of 0 to 676, and after reaching the maximum value (that is, 676), it returns to 0. In particular, when the jackpot random number counter C1 makes one round, the value of the random number initial value counter CINI at that time is read as the initial value of the jackpot random number counter C1. The random number initial value counter CINI is a loop counter similar to the jackpot random number counter C1 (value = 0 to 676), and is updated once for each timer interruption and is repeatedly updated within the remaining time of normal processing. The jackpot random number counter C1 is updated periodically (once every timer interruption in the present embodiment) and stored in the reserved ball storage area of the RAM 503 at the timing when the game ball wins the operating port 33. The number of random number values that are jackpots is set at low probability and high probability, and the number of random numbers that are jackpots at low probability is 2, and the value is “337,673”. There are 10 random numbers that are big hits at high probability, and the values are “67, 131, 199, 269, 337, 401, 463, 523, 601, 661”.

  The jackpot type counter C2 is incremented by 1 in order within a range of 0 to 49, and reaches a maximum value (ie, 49) and then returns to 0. In the present embodiment, the jackpot type counter C2 determines whether the probability change state or the normal state is set after the jackpot is finished. For example, the jackpot that C2 = 0 to 24 becomes the probability change state. In this case, C2 = 25 to 49 corresponds to a jackpot that is in a normal state. The jackpot type counter C2 also determines the symbol combination when the symbol display device 41 stops changing and the position at which the symbol combination is stopped. That is, in the present embodiment, there are 5 effective lines in the symbol display device 41, and ten specific symbols (main symbols) are set. Therefore, all patterns are set by 50 counter values. Will be. Then, when C2 = 0 to 24, that is, when the jackpot is in a probable variation state, the combination of the odd-numbered symbols and the position at which the symbol combination is stopped are determined. On the other hand, when C2 = 25 to 49, that is, when the jackpot is a normal state, the combination of the even-numbered symbols and the position at which the symbol combination is stopped are determined. The jackpot type counter C2 is updated periodically (once every timer interruption in the present embodiment), and stored in the reserved ball storage area of the RAM 503 at the timing when the game ball wins the operation port 33.

  For example, the reach random number counter C3 is incremented one by one within a range of 0 to 238, for example, and reaches a maximum value (that is, 238) and then returns to 0. In the present embodiment, the reach random number counter C3 causes the final stop symbol after the occurrence of reach to stop by shifting the last stop symbol by one before and after the reach symbol, and the final stop symbol after the occurrence of reach is also reached. “Reach other than front / rear off” that stops other than before and “completely out” that does not generate reach, for example, C3 = 0, 1 corresponds to front / rear reach, and C3 = 2-21 It corresponds to reach other than front / rear detachment, and C3 = 22 to 238 corresponds to complete detachment. Reach lottery may be set individually according to the state of the lottery probability of the symbol display device 41, the number of suspended balls at the start of change, and the like. The reach random number counter C3 is updated periodically (once every timer interruption in this embodiment), and stored in the reserved ball storage area of the RAM 503 at the timing when the game ball wins the operation port 33.

  The first variation type counter CS1 is, for example, incremented by 1 within a range of 0 to 198, and reaches a maximum value (that is, 198) and then returns to 0. The second variation type counter CS2 includes, for example, Within the range of 0 to 240, 1 is added in order, and after reaching the maximum value (that is, 240), it returns to 0. The first variation type counter CS1 determines the display mode of the symbol display device 41, such as so-called normal reach, super reach, premium reach, etc., the first symbol reach type and other rough symbol variation modes, and the second variation type counter CS2 The switching display time is determined as a period for switching the color displayed on the first specific lamp unit 47. The switching display time corresponds to the symbol variation time of the symbol display device 41. Therefore, by the second variation type counter CS2, the elapsed time (in other words, the number of variation symbols) until the final stop symbol (in the present embodiment) stops after reaching occurs in the symbol display device 41, etc. A detailed design variation mode is also determined. That is, regarding the symbol display device 41, a variety of variation patterns can be easily realized by combining both the variation type counters CS1 and CS2. Both variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are updated once every time a normal process to be described later is executed once, and are repeatedly updated even within the remaining time in the normal process. Then, the buffer values of both variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are acquired when switching the color displayed on the first specific lamp unit 47 and when determining the variation pattern at the time of starting the variation of the first symbol by the symbol display device 41.

  The left, middle and right off symbol counters CL, CM, CR determine the stop symbol of the left row 1 symbol, the middle row 1 symbol, and the right row 1 symbol when the big hit lottery is missed. In each column, any one of the 20 first symbols is displayed in combination with the main symbol and the sub symbol, so 20 counter values (0 to 19) are prepared for each. The left, upper, middle and lower symbols are determined by the out symbol counter CL, the upper, middle and lower symbols are determined by the out symbol counter CM, and the right symbol column is determined by the out symbol counter CR. The top, middle and bottom symbols are determined.

  In the present embodiment, the values of the counters CL, CM, and CR are randomly updated by using the value of the R register built in the CPU 501. That is, when each outlier symbol counter CL, CM, CR is updated, the value of the lower 3 bits of the R register is added to the previous value, and when the addition result exceeds the maximum value, 20 is subtracted to determine the current value. The Each outlier symbol counter CL, CM, CR is updated within the normal processing so that the update times do not overlap, and the combination of these outlier symbol counters CL, CM, CR is the reach of the RAM 503 front / rear out symbol buffer, reach other than front / rear out It is stored in either the symbol buffer or the completely off symbol buffer. Then, when determining the variation pattern at the start of variation of the first symbol, the buffer value of any one of the front and rear outreach symbol buffer, the reach symbol buffer other than front and rear outlier and the completely out symbol symbol buffer is acquired according to the value of the reach random number counter C3. The

  In addition, the magnitude | size and range of each counter are only examples, and can be changed arbitrarily. However, if importance is attached to irregularity, it is desirable that the jackpot random number counter C1, the reach random number counter C3, and the variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are all different prime numbers and are not synchronized in any case. Although not shown, the second specific lamp random number counter C4 is used for the lottery of the second specific lamp unit 48. The second symbol random number counter C4 is configured as a loop counter that is incremented one by one within a range of 0 to 250, for example, and returns to 0 after reaching the maximum value (that is, 250). The second specific lamp counter C4 is updated periodically (once every timer interruption in the present embodiment), and is acquired when it is detected that the game ball has passed through either the left or right through gate 34. The number of random number values to be won is 149, and the range is “5 to 153”.

  Next, each control process executed by the CPU 501 of the main control board 271a will be described with reference to flowcharts and time charts of FIGS. The processing of the CPU 501 is broadly divided into main processing that is started when the power is turned on, timer interrupt processing that is started periodically (in this embodiment, at a cycle of 2 msec), and power failure to the NMI terminal (non-maskable terminal). There is an NMI interrupt process activated by signal input. For convenience of explanation, the NMI interrupt process and the timer interrupt process will be described first, and then the main process will be described.

  FIG. 30 shows an NMI interrupt process, which is executed when the power of the pachinko machine 10 is shut off due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like. That is, when the power of the pachinko machine 10 is cut off due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like, the power failure signal SG1 is output from the power monitoring board 271b to the NMI terminal of the CPU 501, and the CPU 501 interrupts the control being executed and starts the NMI interrupt processing. To do. In the NMI interrupt processing, the power failure flag is set in the power failure flag storage area provided in the RAM 503 in step S101, and this processing is terminated. Thereafter, when it is confirmed that the power failure flag is set in the normal processing described later, the power failure processing is executed. This process will be described later in detail.

  Next, timer interrupt processing executed by the CPU 501 of the main control board 271a, for example, every 2 msec will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step S201, signal reading processing from various winning switches and payout control board 311a is executed. That is, the state of various switches connected to the main control board 271a, signals from the payout control board 311a, the power source and the launch control board 313a, etc. are read, and the detection information is stored by determining the state of the switches and signals. (However, the state of the RAM erase switch 323 and the power failure signal are excluded). In this case, the detection signal from the full detection sensor 77 output via the power source and the launch control board 313a is read in this processing, and the detection information is stored. The detection information is saved by setting a flag in a flag storage area corresponding to each detection information set in the RAM 503.

  Thereafter, in step S202, 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 (676 in this embodiment). Then, the update value of the random number initial value counter CINI is stored in the corresponding buffer area of the RAM 503. In subsequent step S203, the big hit random number counter C1, the big hit type counter C2, and the reach random number counter C3 are updated. Specifically, the jackpot random number counter C1, the jackpot type counter C2 and the reach random number counter C3 are each incremented by 1 and their counter values reach the maximum values (in the present embodiment, 676, 49 and 238, respectively). Each time it is cleared to 0. Then, the updated values of the counters C1 to C3 are stored in the corresponding buffer area of the RAM 503.

  Thereafter, the start winning process is executed in step S204, and then the present process is terminated. Here, the start winning process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in step S301, it is determined based on the detection information of the operation port switch 224 whether or not the game ball has won a prize (start prize). If it is determined that the game ball has won the operating port 33, in the subsequent step S302, the number N of the operation holding balls of the first specific lamp unit 47 and the symbol display device 41 is less than the upper limit value (4 in the present embodiment). It is determined whether or not there is. The process proceeds to step S303 on the condition that there is a winning at the operation port 33 and the number N of activated balls is <4, and the number N of activated balls is incremented by one. In the subsequent step S304, the values of the jackpot random number counter C1, the jackpot type counter C2 and the reach random number counter C3 updated in step S203 are stored in the first area of the free storage area of the reserved ball storage area of the RAM 503. Then, after the start winning process, the CPU 501 once ends the timer interrupt process.

  When the game ball wins the operating opening 33 (starting winning), the display of the first symbol on the symbol display device 41 is started accordingly, but after the winning winning, the first symbol is changed and the symbol is changed. There is a restriction that a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) must elapse before stopping. Therefore, in the start winning process, when the start winning is confirmed, a timer for measuring the elapsed time after the start winning is set after each counter value storing process (step S304). Specifically, since the start winning process is executed at a cycle of 2 msec, for example, in order to measure an elapsed time of 5 seconds, a numerical value “2500” is set in the timer, and the timer value is incremented by 1 for each start winning process. Subtract. This timer value is stored and managed in the reserved ball storage area of the RAM 503 together with the values of the respective counters C1 to C3. Then, when setting the variation pattern of the first symbol, which will be described later, the timer value is referred to, and the variation pattern is set according to the remaining time (so that the symbol variation is stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed). .

  Next, the main process that is started upon reset at power-on will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step S401, an initial setting process associated with power-on is executed. Specifically, a wait process is executed, for example, for about 1 second in order to wait for the slave control board (such as the payout control board 311a) to become operable. In the subsequent step S402, access to the RAM 503 is permitted.

  Thereafter, in step S403, it is determined whether or not the RAM erase switch 323 provided in the power supply and launch control device 313 is turned on. In subsequent step S404, whether or not the power failure flag is set in the power failure flag storage area of the RAM 503 is determined. Determine. In step S405, a RAM determination value is calculated. In subsequent step S406, it is determined whether or not the RAM determination value matches the RAM determination value stored when the power is turned off, that is, the validity of the stored data. The RAM determination value is a checksum value at a work area address of the RAM 503, for example. It is possible to determine the validity of the stored data based on whether or not the keywords written in a predetermined area of the RAM 503 are correctly stored.

  As described above, in the pachinko machine 10, when RAM data is initialized when the power is turned on, for example, at the start of business in a hall, the power is turned on while pressing the RAM erase switch 323. Therefore, if the RAM erase switch 323 is pressed, the process proceeds to steps S409 to S411. Similarly, when the information on occurrence of power shut-off is not set, or when an abnormality of data stored and held is confirmed by the RAM determination value (checksum value or the like), the process proceeds to steps S409 to S411.

  In step S409, in order to initialize the payout control board 311a (and the display control board 214a and the like) as the slave control board, a payout initialization command (and a display initialization command and the like) is output. In subsequent step S410, the used area of the RAM 503 is cleared to 0, and in step S411, initialization processing of the RAM 503 is executed. Thereafter, interrupt permission is set in step S412, and the process proceeds to normal processing described later.

  On the other hand, if the RAM erase switch 323 is not pressed, the power failure flag is stored in step S407 on the condition that the power failure flag is set and that the RAM judgment value (checksum value, etc.) is normal. Clear the power failure flag stored in the area. After that, in step S408, a power recovery command for returning the slave control board (such as the payout control board 311a and the display control board 214a) to the gaming state before the power-off is output. Thereafter, interrupt permission is set in step S412, and the process proceeds to normal processing described later. Thereby, it returns to the state before power-off.

  Next, normal processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this normal process, the main process of the game is executed. As its outline, the processing of steps S501 to S510 is executed as a periodic processing with a period of 4 msec, and the counter update processing of steps S512 and S513 is executed with the remaining time.

  In the normal process, in step S501, output data such as a command updated in the previous process is output to each control board on the slave side. Specifically, the command set in the command setting process described later is output to the display control board 214a and the payout control board 311a. In addition, a stop symbol command, a variation mode command, and the like are output to the display control board 214a when the symbol display device 41 displays the variation of the first symbol. In addition, after the start of the first symbol variation, one each time in the normal processing in the order of variation mode command → left symbol sequence stop symbol command → middle symbol sequence stop symbol command → right symbol sequence stop symbol command One command every 4 msec). In such a case, if an unnecessary command is stored in the RAM 503, the capacity will be exceeded, so that each command is erased from the RAM 503 at the output timing. Note that a command buffer configured by a ring buffer is set in the RAM 503 of the main control board 271a, and the storage pointer and the output pointer of the buffer with command are appropriately updated, so that the command is set and the command is output. Good.

  Next, in step S502, both the variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are updated. Specifically, both variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are incremented by 1, and are cleared to 0 when their counter values reach the maximum values (198 and 240 in this embodiment). Then, the update values of both variation type counters CS 1 and CS 2 are stored in the corresponding buffer area of the RAM 503. In the subsequent step S503, updating of each outlier symbol counter CL, CM, CR of the left symbol row, the middle symbol row, and the right symbol row is executed.

  In the update process of the out symbol counters CL, CM, CR, it is determined whether or not it is the update time of any of the left, middle, and right symbol sequences, and the out symbol counter CL, CM, CR of the symbol sequence that has reached the update time is determined. Update. Each out symbol counter CL, CM, CR is updated one by one in one normal process without duplication, and every time the normal processing is executed three times, one set of out symbol counters CL, CM, CR is obtained. It has been updated. And, when the combination of the updated out symbol counters CL, CM, CR is a combination of outreach symbols that are front / rear out of reach, a combination of reach symbols other than front / rear out of reach, a combination of completely out symbols that do not become reach In some cases, the combination is stored in a corresponding buffer. If the combination of the updated off symbol counters CL, CM, and CR is a combination of jackpot symbols, the update process is terminated as it is.

  After the update process of the off symbol counters CL, CM, and CR, a first specific lamp unit control process for switching the color displayed on the first specific lamp unit 47 is executed in step S504. In the first specific lamp unit control process, jackpot determination, on / off control of a light source switch of an LED lamp disposed in the first specific lamp unit 47, and the like are performed. In the first specific lamp unit control process, the symbol display device 41 also sets the variable display of the first symbol.

  Specifically, it is determined whether or not the jackpot is based on the value of the jackpot random number counter C1, and further determines the type of jackpot based on the value of the jackpot type counter C2 (determines whether or not it is a so-called probabilistic jackpot). . At this time, the type of jackpot symbol in the first symbol and the stop line for the combination of jackpot symbols are also determined and set as a stop symbol command. If it is determined that no jackpot will occur, the combination of outlier symbols in the first symbol is determined based on the value of the reach random number counter C3. In such a case, the combination of symbols updated in the outlier symbol counter updating process and stored in the buffer is set as a stop symbol command. Further, based on the value of the second variation type counter CS2, the color switching display time displayed on the first specific lamp unit 47 and the variation display time of the first symbol are determined. Further, the reach type in the first symbol and its rough symbol variation mode are determined based on the value of the first variation type counter CS1, and set as a variation mode command. Each time the on / off control of the first specific lamp section 47 is started in the first specific lamp section control process, the number N of operation reservation balls is decremented. When the number of operation reservation balls N is 0, the on / off control is performed. Does not start.

  After the first specific lamp unit control process, a special winning opening opening / closing process is executed in step S505. In the big prize opening / closing process, the big prize opening of the variable prize winning device 35 is opened or closed in the case of the big hit state. That is, it is determined whether the big winning opening is opened for each round of the big hit state, and whether the maximum opening time of the big winning opening has passed or whether a predetermined number of game balls have been won in the big winning opening. When either of these conditions is satisfied, the special winning opening is closed. At this time, the continuous winning opening is permitted on condition that the game ball has passed the specific area, and this is repeatedly executed for a predetermined number of rounds.

  Thereafter, in step S506, a second specific lamp unit control process for switching the color displayed on the second specific lamp unit 48 is executed. Briefly, on the condition that the game ball has passed through the through gate 34, the value of the second specific lamp counter C4 is acquired and the color switching process displayed on the second specific lamp unit 48 is performed each time. To be implemented. Then, when the lottery of the color displayed by the value of the second specific lamp random number counter C4 is performed and red is selected, the electric accessory attached to the operation port 33 is released for a predetermined time. Although the description is omitted, the second specific ramp counter C4 is also updated by the timer interrupt process shown in FIG. 31, like the big hit random number counter C1, the big hit type counter C2, and the reach random number counter C3.

  After step S506, a lower pan full process is executed in step S507, a command setting process is executed in step S508, and a game ball launch control process is executed in step S509. These processes will be described later. After the game ball launch control process, it is determined in step S510 whether or not a power failure flag is set in a power failure flag storage area provided in the RAM 503. If the power failure flag is not set, the last process of the plurality of processes that are repeatedly executed is completed, so whether or not the next normal process execution timing has been reached in step S511, that is, the previous normal process. It is determined whether or not a predetermined time (4 msec in this embodiment) has elapsed since the start of the process. Then, the random number initial value counter CINI and both variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are repeatedly updated within the remaining time until the execution timing of the next normal processing (steps S511 and S512). That is, in step S512, 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 (676 in this embodiment). Then, the update value of the random number initial value counter CINI is stored in the corresponding buffer area of the RAM 503. In step S513, updating of both variation type counters CS1 and CS2 is executed. Specifically, both variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are incremented by 1, and are cleared to 0 when their counter values reach the maximum values (198 and 240 in this embodiment). Then, the update values of both variation type counters CS 1 and CS 2 are stored in the corresponding buffer area of the RAM 503.

  Here, since the execution time of each process of steps S501 to S509 changes according to the state of the game, the remaining time until the execution timing of the next normal process is not constant and varies. Therefore, by repeatedly updating the random number initial value counter CINI using the remaining time, the random number initial value counter CINI (that is, the initial value of the big hit random number counter C1) can be updated at random. Similarly, Both variation type counters CS1 and CS2 can be updated at random.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S510 that the power failure flag is set, the power supply is shut off due to the power failure, so the power failure processing after step S514 is executed. That is, in step S514, the generation of each interrupt process is prohibited, and then a power failure command indicating that the power supply is shut off in step S515 is sent to other control boards (such as the payout control board 311a and the display control board 214a). Output. Then, the RAM determination value is calculated and stored in step S516, and after the access to the RAM 503 is prohibited in step S517, the infinite loop is continued until the power supply is completely shut down and the process cannot be executed. Even after the power supply is completely shut down, the data storage holding power of the RAM is supplied from the power supply and the launch control board 313a. Therefore, the information stored in the RAM 503 before the power shuts down as it is. It is held within a period (for example, 1 day or 2 days).

  Next, the lower dish full process in step S507 will be described with reference to FIG. In the lower plate full process, it is determined whether or not the lower plate 16 is full based on the detection result of the full detection sensor 77 provided in the ball discharge passage 71 to the lower plate 16, and various processes are executed. Then, when the game ball is not detected by the full detection sensor 77, the process after step S602 is executed, and when the game ball is detected, the process after step S609 is executed. In the following description, for the sake of convenience, the processing after step S609 will be described and then the processing after step S602 will be described.

  In the lower plate full process, first, in step S601, it is determined whether an ON signal is input from the full detection sensor 77 or not. When the ON signal is input from the full detection sensor 77, the OFF monitoring counter WC2 is set to 0 in step S609. The OFF monitoring counter WC2 is a counter for measuring a period during which an OFF signal is continuously input from the full detection sensor 77. Thereafter, the ON monitoring counter WC1 is incremented by 1 in step S610. The ON monitoring counter WC1 is a counter for measuring a period during which the ON signal is continuously input from the full detection sensor 77.

  After step S610, it is determined in step S611 whether the ON monitoring counter WC1 is “625” as the count value corresponding to the first period. Here, the lower plate full process is executed as a part of the normal process, and the normal process restarts the process from step S501 at a cycle of 4 msec as described above. Therefore, when the ON signal is input from the full detection sensor 77, the ON monitoring counter WC1 is incremented by 1 at a cycle of about 4 msec. Therefore, in step S611, the ON signal is continued for about 2500 msec (first period). It is determined whether or not it is input.

  When the ON monitoring counter WC1 is “625”, it is determined that the lower plate 16 is full, and the process proceeds to step S612. That is, when the lower plate 16 is full, the game balls are lined up in the ball discharge passage 71, so that the game balls are continuously detected by the full detection sensor 77 as shown in FIG. The signal output continues. And about 2500 msec continues in this state, and it is determined that the lower plate 16 is full. As described above, the period for which the lower plate 16 is determined to be full is set to 2500 msec. If the period is extremely long, the game balls are connected to the position of the payout device 358 and the payout motor 377 is broken. This is because if the period is extremely short, it may be determined that the lower plate 16 is full even though it is not full.

  In step S612, it is determined whether or not the lower plate full flag is set in the lower plate full flag storage area of the RAM 503. If the lower plate full flag is not set, the lower plate full flag is set in step S613, and after the full state setting command is set, this processing is terminated. By setting the lower plate full flag, it is stored that the lower plate 16 is full on the main control board 271a. The set full state setting command is output to the payout control board 311a and the sound lamp control board 272a in the external output process in step S501 of the normal process described above. Accordingly, the payout control board 311a stops driving the payout motor 377, and the voice lamp control board 272a executes the full state notification process. If the lower plate full flag is set in step S612, the present process is terminated as it is.

  On the other hand, if the ON monitoring counter WC1 is not “625” in step S611, it is determined in step S614 whether or not the counter WC1 is “200” as the count value corresponding to the second period. As described above, since the ON monitoring counter WC1 is incremented by 1 at a cycle of about 4 msec, it is determined whether or not the ON signal is continuously input for about 800 msec (second period) in step S614.

  If the ON monitoring counter WC1 is not “200”, the process is terminated as it is. When the counter WC1 is “200”, it is determined that there is a possibility that the lower plate 16 is full, and the process ends after proceeding to step S615. In step S615, a low speed flag is set in the low speed flag storage area of the RAM 503, and a low speed setting command is set. The set low speed setting command is output to the payout control board 311a in the external output process in step S501 of the normal process described above. As a result, the payout control board 311a sets the drive speed of the payout motor 377 to pay out the game balls at a low speed cycle (1200 msec (1.2 sec) intervals) from the normal cycle (pauses game balls at 60 msec intervals). ). In the main control board 271a, by setting the low speed flag, it is stored that the driving speed of the payout motor 377 is a low speed cycle.

  The reason why the driving speed of the dispensing motor 377 is switched to the low speed cycle in this way is as follows. That is, the full detection sensor 77 is configured to continuously output an ON signal while detecting a game ball, and therefore, as shown in FIG. 36B, when the interval between game balls that are continuously paid out becomes narrower. In addition, the end of the detection period of one game ball is later than the start of the detection period of the next game ball. If it does so, the detection mode of an ON signal will be in the state shown to Fig.36 (a), and the ON signal will be continuously output from the full detection sensor 77 although the lower plate 16 is not in a full state. And if this state continues, it will determine with the lower plate 16 being a full state, and the lower plate full setting process mentioned above will be performed. In particular, in the gaming machine 10, the payout speed at the normal time is increased as compared with a conventional gaming machine (hereinafter, conventional machine). Specifically, while the game balls are paid out at intervals of 86 msec in the conventional machine, the game balls are paid out at intervals of 60 msec as described above. Therefore, the interval between the game balls passing through the ball discharge passage 71 continuously becomes narrow, and the above problem is likely to occur.

  On the other hand, as described above, by switching the driving speed of the payout motor 377 to the low speed cycle, the interval between the game balls that pass continuously through the ball discharge passage 71 as shown in FIG. Become. More specifically, this interval exceeds the detection range of the full detection sensor 77. Further, in the pachinko machine 10, the time required for the game ball paid out from the payout device 358 to enter the detection range of the full detection sensor 77 is about 600 msec, and this time is the second time after the second period has elapsed. It is shorter than 1700 msec, which is the time until one period elapses. Therefore, it can be prevented that the output of the continued ON signal is interrupted and it is determined that the lower plate 16 is full even though it is not full.

  It should be noted that by speeding up the game ball payout period at the normal time, the time required for paying out the game balls is shortened, and the game balls can be quickly paid out to the player when a winning occurs. In addition, when a big hit state occurs, it is possible to complete payout of a game ball for a winning that has occurred in the big hit state while the gaming state is a big hit state. And, by adopting such a configuration, all signals indicating that the winning ball has been paid out are output to the management control device on the game hall side while the signal indicating that the gaming state is a big hit state is being output. Is possible. If a large number of the latter signal output occurs after the former signal output is stopped, the game hall manager may not be able to determine whether it is due to a big hit or fraud In this gaming machine 10, the occurrence of the inconvenience can be prevented.

  Returning to the description of the lower plate full process in FIG. 35, if the ON signal is not input from the full detection sensor 77 in step S601, the ON monitoring counter WC1 is set to 0 in step S602. Thereafter, in step S603, it is determined whether or not the low speed flag is set. If the low speed flag is not set, the process proceeds to step S605.

  On the other hand, if the low speed flag is set, the low speed flag is cleared in step S604, and after the low speed release command is set, the process proceeds to step S605. The set low speed release command is output to the payout control board 311a in the external output process in step S501 of the normal process described above. Thereby, in the payout control board 311a, the setting of the drive speed of the payout motor 377 is changed from the low speed cycle to the normal cycle. In other words, when the ON signal output is interrupted by changing the driving speed of the dispensing motor 377 to the low speed cycle under the situation where the ON signal is continuously output from the full detection sensor 77, the driving speed is immediately increased. Return to normal cycle. Thus, in the configuration in which the driving speed of the payout motor 377 is changed to a low speed cycle as necessary, the time required for paying out the game ball is prevented from becoming extremely long. Therefore, the effect of accelerating the payout period of the game ball as compared with the conventional machine is surely exhibited.

  In step S605, the OFF monitoring counter WC2 is incremented by one. Thereafter, in step S606, it is determined whether or not the OFF monitoring counter WC2 is “125”. Here, similarly to the above-described ON monitoring counter WC1, when the OFF signal is input from the full detection sensor 77, the OFF monitoring counter WC2 is incremented by 1 with a period of about 4 msec. Therefore, in step S606, it is determined whether the OFF signal is continuously input for about 500 msec.

  If the OFF monitoring counter WC2 is not “125”, this process is terminated as it is. On the other hand, if the counter WC2 is “125”, it is determined in step S607 whether the lower pan full flag is set. If the lower plate full flag is not set, this processing is terminated as it is. If the lower plate full flag is set, in step S608, the lower plate full flag is cleared, and after the full state release command is set, this processing is terminated. The set full state release command is output to the payout control board 311a and the sound lamp control board 272a in the external output process in step S501 of the normal process described above. As a result, the payout control board 311a resumes driving of the payout motor 377, and the voice lamp control board 272a ends the full state notification process.

  Here, the reason why the process of step S608 is executed after about 500 msec after the output of the ON signal from the full detection sensor 77 is stopped in step S606 is actually due to the influence of noise and the like. This is to prevent it from being determined that the full state has been released even though the game ball is waiting in the detection range of the full detection sensor 77.

  Next, an outline of the lower plate full process described above will be described using the time chart of FIG. FIG. 37A shows an outline of the lower plate full process when the lower plate 16 is actually full, and FIG. 37B shows the case where the gaming state is a big hit state and the lower plate 16 is full. The outline of the lower plate full processing when there is not. FIG. 37 (b) shows that the repeated detection continuation period is equal to or longer than the second period. This is to facilitate understanding of the outline of the lower plate full process, and is always detected in the big hit state. It does not indicate that the duration is equal to or longer than the second period.

  When the lower plate 16 becomes full, the output of the ON signal from the full detection sensor 77 is started at the timing t1, as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the value of the ON monitoring counter WC1 becomes “200” at the timing of t2, that is, the period during which the ON signal is continuously output becomes 800 msec, so that the low speed setting command is issued to the payout control board 311a. Is output. As a result, the driving speed of the payout motor 377 is set to the low speed cycle.

  Thereafter, the value of the ON monitoring counter WC1 becomes “625” at the timing of t3, that is, the period during which the ON signal is continuously output becomes 2500 msec, so that the full state setting command is issued to the dispensing control board 311a. Is output. As a result, the driving of the dispensing motor 377 is stopped.

  Here, as described above, when the driving speed of the payout motor 377 is set to the normal cycle, the game balls are paid out at intervals of 60 msec. Therefore, about 13 game balls are paid out until the period in which the ON signal is continuously output reaches 800 msec after the output of the ON signal is started. Further, when the driving speed of the payout motor 377 is set to a low speed cycle, the game balls are paid out at intervals of 1200 msec. Therefore, about one game ball is paid out until the period during which the ON signal is continuously output is changed from 800 msec to 2500 msec. That is, about 14 gaming balls are paid out after the output of the ON signal is started and before the lower plate 16 is full and the driving of the payout motor 377 is stopped. In this case, as described above, the passages on both sides above the position where the fullness detection sensor 77 is provided in the ball discharge passage 71 have a passage length in which 16 or more game balls can be arranged. Therefore, the end of the game ball train connected in the ball discharge passage 71 does not reach the position of the payout device 358 until the drive of the payout motor 377 is stopped.

  At the timing of t3, the full state setting command is also output to the sound lamp control board 272a. Thereby, the full state notification process is executed, and the ball removal lever 19 is operated when the player notices that the lower plate 16 is full. Then, there is no gaming ball waiting in the detection range of the full detection sensor 77 at the timing of t4, and an OFF signal is output from the sensor 77. After that, at the timing of t5, the value of the OFF monitoring counter WC2 becomes “125”, that is, the period during which the OFF signal is continuously output is 500 msec, whereby the payout control board 311a and the sound lamp control board 272a. A full state release command is output for As a result, the driving of the dispensing motor 377 is resumed, and the full state notification process is stopped.

  Even when the lower plate 16 is not full, the game ball is paid out, and as shown in FIG. 37B, the output of the ON signal from the full detection sensor 77 is started at the timing t6. The Thereafter, the value of the ON monitoring counter WC1 becomes “200” at the timing of t7, that is, the period during which the ON signal is continuously output becomes 800 msec, so that the low speed setting command is issued to the payout control board 311a. Is output. As a result, the driving speed of the payout motor 377 is set to the low speed cycle.

  Here, it takes about 600 msec for the game ball paid out from the payout device 358 to enter the detection range of the full detection sensor 77. As described above, when the driving speed of the payout motor 377 is set to the normal cycle, the game balls are paid out at intervals of 60 msec. Therefore, at least 23 game balls are paid out until the period during which the ON signal is continuously output reaches 800 msec. As a result, even if a game ball enters the general winning port 31, the variable winning device 32, or the operating port 33 once, and the game ball is paid out accordingly, a low speed setting command is output. There is nothing. Ten game balls are paid out when a game ball enters the general winning opening 31, and 15 game balls are paid out when a game ball enters the variable winning device 32. This is because when a game ball enters 33, five game balls are paid out.

  After that, the detection range of the full detection sensor 77 is within a range where the value of the ON monitoring counter WC1 is not “625”, that is, at a timing t8 where the period during which the ON signal is continuously output is not within 2500 msec. Game balls will not pass through. Therefore, a low speed release command is output to the payout control board 311a. Thereby, the drive speed of the payout motor 377 is set to the normal cycle. Thereafter, at the timing of t9, the game ball starts to pass through the detection range of the full detection sensor 77 again, and the output of the ON signal from the full detection sensor 77 is started. And the process similar to the process of the timing in t7 and t8 is performed at the timing of t10 and t11, respectively. As described above, when the lower plate 16 is not full, the full state setting command is not output to the payout control board 311a and the sound lamp control board 272a, and the drive stop of the payout motor 377 and the full state notification process are performed. Processing such as is not executed.

  Next, the command setting process in step S508 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the command setting process, first, in step S701, it is determined whether or not a payout abnormality flag is set in the payout abnormality flag storage area of the RAM 503. The payout abnormality flag is a flag that is set by inputting an abnormality signal from the payout control board 311a. The abnormality signal is output when an abnormality occurs with respect to the payout mechanism unit 352. If the payout abnormality flag is not set, the process proceeds directly to step S703. On the other hand, if the payout abnormality flag is set, an error command is set in step S702. The error command is output to the sound lamp control board 272a in the external output process described above, and the sound lamp control board 272a causes the error display lamp 106 to blink in a predetermined manner. When the error command is set, the payout abnormality flag is deleted.

  Thereafter, in step S703, it is determined whether or not a winning flag is set in the winning flag storage area of the RAM 503. The winning flag is a flag that is set when a game ball wins any of the general winning opening 31, the variable winning apparatus 32, or the operation opening 33. However, the winning flag is set corresponding to each of the general winning port 31, the variable winning device 32, and the operating port 33. This is because the number of prize balls varies depending on the place where the prize is won. If the winning flag is not set, the process is terminated as it is. On the other hand, when the winning flag is set, a winning ball command corresponding to the type of winning flag is set. The prize ball command is output toward the payout control board 311a by the above-described external output processing. The payout control board 311a controls the payout of game balls based on the prize ball command. Such control will be described later in detail. When the prize ball command is set, the winning flag is cleared.

  Next, the game ball launch control process in step S509 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the game ball launch control process, first, the launch counter HC is incremented by 1 in step S801, and in the subsequent step S802, it is determined whether or not the value of the launch counter HC after the addition is 150 or more. In such a case, in the normal process, the game ball launch control process is executed every 4 msec, and a time of 0.6 sec is required while the launch counter HC reaches 0 to 150.

  If the value of the launch counter HC is less than 150 in step S802, this process is terminated as it is. On the other hand, when the value of the firing counter HC is 150 or more, the firing counter HC is cleared to 0 in step S803, and the process proceeds to step S804. In step S804, it is determined whether or not a lower plate full flag is set in the lower plate full flag storage area of the RAM 503. If the lower plate full flag is not set, it is determined in step S805 whether or not the firing permission flag is set in the firing permission flag storage area of the RAM 503. The launch permission flag is a flag that is set when a launch permission signal is output from the power supply and launch control board 313a. If the launch permission flag is set, a launch control signal is output to the power source and launch control board 313a in step S806, and if the launch permission flag is not set, the launch control signal is not output. This process ends. In such a case, the firing control signal may be output on condition that the CR unit is connected without failure. The power supply and launch control board 313a inputs one launch control signal, thereby exciting the launch solenoid 162 once to launch one game ball.

  That is, in the pachinko machine 10, the game ball is fired on condition that the player is operating the game ball launch handle 18. Further, as described above, since the time of 0.6 sec is required while the firing counter HC reaches 0 to 150, basically, the firing control signal is output 100 times per minute, and 100 pieces per minute. Game balls are fired.

  As described above, the main control board 271a controls the permission for launching the game ball in order to place the main part of the game in the pachinko machine 10 that is the launch of the game ball under the control of the main control board 271a. It is. Further, when the processing of the main control board 271a is interrupted, such as at the time of a power failure or failure, the game ball is not fired at least after the interruption, and the processing of the main control board 271a is resumed. The game ball is allowed to fire after the restart. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the game ball from being fired in a state where the normal process or the like is not executed on the main control board 271a. For example, if a game ball is fired in a state where normal processing is not executed on the main control board 271a, the game may be invalidated when the game ball enters the general winning opening 31 or the like. According to this configuration, the occurrence of the inconvenience can be prevented.

  On the other hand, if the lower plate full flag is set in step S804, the process ends without proceeding to steps S805 and S806. That is, when the lower plate full flag is set, even if the launch counter HC is 150 and the launch permission flag is set, the game ball is not fired. By adopting such a configuration, when the lower plate 16 is full, the game ball is also stopped as the game ball is stopped being paid out as described above. For example, if game balls continue to be discharged while game ball payout is stopped, the payout of prize balls for winnings that occurred during that time will be executed collectively after the full state is released. It is unclear whether is due to winning or fraud. In particular, when the gaming state is a big win state, winnings are continuously generated, so that the above-described inconvenience is likely to occur. On the other hand, according to this configuration, since the launch of the game ball is stopped, the occurrence of the inconvenience can be prevented.

  Next, each control process executed by the CPU 511 of the payout control board 311a will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. The processing of the CPU 511 is roughly divided into main processing that is started when the power is turned on, timer interrupt processing that is started periodically (in this embodiment, at a cycle of 2 msec), and commands that are output from the main control board 271a. For convenience of explanation, the input interrupt process will be described first, and then the main process and timer interrupt process will be described.

  In the interrupt process at the time of input, as shown in FIG. 40, first, the command output from the main control board 271a is stored in the command buffer 513a of the RAM 513 in step S901, and then the command input flag storage area of the RAM 513 in step S902. Set the command input flag to, and end this process. As described above, when a command is stored in the command buffer 513a, the storage pointer is referred to and stored in a predetermined storage area, and the next input command is stored to be stored in the next storage area. The pointer is updated.

  Next, the main process of the payout control board 311a will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This main process is started upon reset at power-on.

  First, in step S1001, an initial setting process associated with power-on is executed. Specifically, the interrupt mode is set. In step S1002, RAM access is permitted, and in step S1003, an external interrupt vector is set.

  Thereafter, in step S1004, it is determined whether or not a power failure flag is set in the power failure flag storage area of the RAM 513. In step S1005, a RAM determination value is calculated. In subsequent step S1006, it is determined whether or not the RAM determination value matches the RAM determination value stored when the power is turned off, that is, the validity of the stored data is determined. The RAM determination value is, for example, a checksum value at a work area address in the RAM 513. It is also possible to determine the validity of the stored data based on whether or not the keywords written in a predetermined area of the RAM 513 are correctly stored.

  When the power failure flag is not set, or when abnormality of data stored and held is confirmed by the RAM determination value (checksum value or the like), the process proceeds to initialization processing of the RAM 513 (steps S1011 to S1013). That is, in step S1011, the entire area of the RAM 513 is cleared to 0, and in the subsequent step S1012, initialization processing of the RAM 513 is executed. In step S1013, the CPU peripheral device is initialized.

  On the other hand, when the power failure flag is set and the RAM determination value (checksum value or the like) is normal, processing at power recovery (processing at recovery after power interruption due to power failure) is executed. That is, in step S1007, the power failure flag is cleared, and in step S1008, the payout permission flag for permitting the payout of prize balls is cleared. In step S1009, CPU peripheral devices are initialized. The RAM determination value is, for example, a checksum value at the work area address of the RAM 513.

  After the process of step S1009 or step S1013, an interrupt is permitted in step S1010. In step S1014, it is determined whether the power failure flag is set in the power failure flag storage area of the RAM 513, and the power failure flag is set. If not, wait until the power failure flag is set.

  On the other hand, if the power failure flag is set, it means that a power failure has occurred. Therefore, the process of step S1015 is executed as a power failure process. In the power failure process, first, in step S1015, the generation of each interrupt process is prohibited. Thereafter, the RAM determination value is calculated and stored in step S1016, and access to the RAM 513 is prohibited in step S1017, and the infinite loop is continued until the power supply is completely shut down and the process cannot be executed. Even after the power is completely shut off, the data stored in the RAM 513 is supplied from the power and launch control board 313a, so that the information stored in the RAM 513 before the power is shut off is within a predetermined period (for example, 1 or 2 days).

  Next, timer interrupt processing executed by the CPU 511 of the payout control board 311a, for example, every 2 msec will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step S1101, command determination processing for determining a command input from the main control board 271a is executed. In this command determination process, as shown in FIG. 43, it is determined in step S1201 whether or not a command input flag is set in the command input flag storage area of the RAM 513. If the command input flag is not set, a new command has not been output from the main control board 271a, so this process is terminated. On the other hand, if the command input flag is set, command read processing is executed in step S1202. In the command read process, the input command is read from the command buffer 513a of the RAM 513, and the command input flag is cleared.

  Thereafter, the type of the read command is determined in each process of step S1203, step S1205, step S1210, step S1213, and step S1215, and the process corresponding to each command is executed. That is, in step S1203, it is determined whether or not the command is a power failure command. If the command is the command, the power failure flag is set in the power failure flag storage area of the RAM 513 in step S1204, and this processing is terminated. When this power failure flag is set, the power failure process described above is executed.

  In step S1205, it is determined whether the command is a payout initialization command. If the command is the command, initialization of the RAM 513 is instructed from the main control board 271a when the power is turned on. After executing the process of step S1209, the present process is terminated. In step S1206, it is determined whether or not a payout permission flag is set in the payout permission flag storage area of the RAM 513. If the flag is not set, the work area of the RAM 513 is cleared to 0 in step S1207. In step S1208, the initial value of the RAM 513 is set. Thereafter, in step S1209, a payout permission flag is set, thereby permitting the payout of prize balls.

  If the payout permission flag is set in step S1206, the process ends without performing the processes in steps S1207 and S1208. With this configuration, even if the input of the payout initialization command is recognized due to noise or the like even though the RAM erase switch 323 is not pressed, the remaining prize ball is paid out to the player. Can be prevented without being erased.

  In step S1210, it is determined whether or not the command is a power recovery command. If the command is the command, the payout control board 311a returns to the state before the power cut-off due to a power failure. In step S1211, it is determined whether or not the lower plate full flag is set in the lower plate full flag storage area of the RAM 513. As will be described later, the lower plate full flag is a flag that is set by inputting a full state setting command from the main control board 271a, and is cleared by inputting a full state release command. That is, while it is determined that the lower plate 16 is full on the main control board 271a, the lower plate full flag is set on the payout control board 311a. If the lower plate full flag is not set, the process ends after setting the payout permission flag in step S1209. Thereby, when a prize ball remains before the power is cut off, the prize ball can be paid out immediately. On the other hand, when the lower plate full flag is set, this processing is terminated without setting the payout permission flag. As a result, when the lower plate 16 is full before the power is cut off and the state is maintained even after power is restored, the payout of the game ball is not permitted.

  In step S1213, it is determined whether or not the command is a prize ball command. If it is the command, the number of prize balls corresponding to the prize ball command is added to the total number of prize balls in step S1214, and then in step S1211. It is determined whether or not the lower plate full flag is set. If the lower plate full flag is not set, the process ends after setting the payout permission flag in step S1209. On the other hand, when the lower plate full flag is set, this processing is terminated without setting the payout permission flag. As a result, even if a prize ball command is input after the full state setting command is input from the main control board 271a and before the full state release command is input, the number of prize balls corresponding to the prize ball command is not changed. It is only added to the total number of winning balls, and the payout permission flag is not set.

  In step S1215, a full command determination process for determining whether the command is a full command is executed. In the full command determination process, as shown in FIG. 44, determination is performed in each process of step S1301, step S1303, step S1305, and step S1307, and a process corresponding to each command is executed. That is, in step S1301, it is determined whether or not the command is a low speed setting command. If the command is the command, in step S1302, the setting of the driving speed of the dispensing motor 377 is changed from the normal cycle to the low speed cycle. End the process.

  Here, two game ball passages 373 are formed in the payout device 358 as described above, and a game ball is paid out in each game ball passage 373. Each game ball passage 373 is provided with a guide plate 376, and these guide plates 376 are formed in a rotating body 375 that is rotationally driven by a payout motor 377. Furthermore, each guide plate 376 has two recesses 376a that allow the game ball to be guided downstream. Therefore, four game balls are paid out from the payout device 358 by one rotation of the output shaft 377a of the payout motor 377. In such a configuration, the normal period of the payout motor 377 is a speed at which game balls are paid out at intervals of 60 msec, and the low speed period is a speed at which the game balls are paid out at intervals of 1200 msec. The payout motor 377 is a stepping motor that rotates once by giving a driving signal of 360 pulses. Therefore, when the drive speed of the payout motor 377 is set to the normal cycle, a drive signal is output at 1.5 step / msec, and when the drive speed is set to the low speed cycle, it is 0.075 step / msec. A drive signal is output.

  In step S1303, it is determined whether the command is a low speed release command. If the command is the command, the setting of the driving speed of the payout motor 377 is changed from the low speed cycle to the normal cycle in step S1304, and this processing is terminated.

  In step S1305, it is determined whether or not the command is a full state setting command. If it is the command, the payout permission flag is cleared in step S1306, the driving of the payout motor 377 is stopped, and the lower plate full flag is set. Then, this process ends. As a result, the payout of the game ball is stopped while the main control board 271a determines that the lower plate 16 is full.

  In step S1306, it is determined whether or not the command is a full state release command. If it is the command, a payout permission flag is set in step S1308, the lower plate full flag is cleared, and the process is terminated. Thereby, when a prize ball remains, payout of a game ball is resumed. At the time of this restart, since the setting of the driving speed of the payout motor 377 has already been changed to the normal cycle, the game ball is paid out in the normal cycle.

  In the command determination process of FIG. 43, if the command read from the command buffer 513a is not any one of a power failure command, a payout initialization command, a power recovery command, a prize ball command, or a full command, the command indicates noise, etc. This process is terminated without recognizing the command generated by the above and performing only the update of the read pointer of the command buffer 513a.

  Returning to the description of the timer interrupt process (FIG. 42), after executing the command determination process, it is determined in step S1102 whether or not the payout permission flag is set. If the payout permission flag is not set, the process is terminated. On the other hand, if the payout permission flag is set, the state return switch 321 is checked in step S1103, and the state return operation is executed when it is determined that the state return operation starts.

  In step S1104, setting of a tank ball absence state or a tank ball absence release state is executed according to a change in the state of the tank ball. In other words, the tank ball no switch state is determined based on the detection signal of the tank ball no switch, and when there is no tank ball, the setting of the tank ball no state is executed. Perform configuration. In such a case, an abnormal signal is output to the main control board 271a when setting the tank ball absence state.

  Thereafter, in step S1105, the presence / absence of a state to be notified is determined. If there is a state to be notified, the 7-segment LED provided in the payout control device 311 is notified.

  In steps S1106 to S1108, prize ball payout processing is executed. In this case, if the prize ball is not in a payout disabled state and the total number of prize balls stored in the command determination process in step S1101 is not 0 (both steps S1106 and S1107 are NO), the process proceeds to step S1108 and is shown in FIG. The prize ball control process described later is started. If the prize ball is not paid out or the total number of prize balls is 0 (YES in any of steps S1106 and S1107), the process proceeds to the lending and payout process in steps S1109 to S1111.

  In the lending process, if the lending is not disabled and a lending request is received from the CR unit (NO in step S1109, YES in S1110), the process proceeds to step S1111 and is shown in FIG. The ball rental control process described later is started. Further, if a rental ball cannot be dispensed or a rental ball dispensing request has not been received (YES in step S1109 or NO in step S1110), subsequent ball removal processing is executed.

  In step S1112, the payout motor 377 is driven to execute the ball removal process on the condition that the state return switch 321 is checked to check that the ball removal is not disabled and the ball removal operation is not started. In the subsequent step S1113, the control of the vibrator 360 (vibration motor control) is executed on condition that the ball is clogged. Thereafter, this process is terminated.

  Here, in the winning ball control process shown in FIG. 45, in step S1401, the payout motor 377 is driven to execute payout of the winning ball. However, when the payout motor 377 is already driven, the drive state is continued as it is. In the subsequent step S1402, it is determined from the detection result of the dispensing rotation sensor whether the rotation of the dispensing motor 377 is normal. If the rotation of the payout motor 377 is not normal, the process advances to step S1403 to drive the payout motor 377 to execute a retry process and execute a stop process of the payout motor 377, and then return to the timer interrupt process in FIG. Here, an abnormal signal is output to the main control board 271a when the rotation of the payout motor 377 is not normal although the retry process is executed a predetermined number of times (for example, 3 times).

  If the rotation of the payout motor 377 is normal, the process proceeds to step S1404, and it is determined from the detection result of the payout count switch whether or not the game ball is normally counted. If the game ball count is not normal, the process advances to step S1405 to drive the payout motor 377 to execute the retry process and execute the stop process of the payout motor 377, and then return to the timer interrupt process of FIG. Here, an abnormal signal is output to the main control board 271a when the count of the game balls is not normal although the retry process is executed a predetermined number of times (for example, 3 times).

  If the game ball count is normal, the process advances to step S1406 to determine whether or not the game ball count by the payout count switch has reached the total number of winning balls and the payout has been completed. If the payout has been completed, a stop process for the payout motor 377 is executed in step S1407, and then the process returns to the timer interrupt process in FIG.

  In the ball lending control process shown in FIG. 46, in step S1501, the payout motor 377 is driven to execute lending of a lending ball. However, when the payout motor 377 is already driven, the drive state is continued as it is. In the subsequent step S1502, whether the rotation of the payout motor 377 is normal is determined based on the detection result of the payout rotation sensor. If the rotation of the payout motor 377 is not normal, the process advances to step S1503 to drive the payout motor 377 to execute a retry process and execute a stop process of the payout motor 377, and then return to the timer interrupt process of FIG. Here, an abnormal signal is output to the main control board 271a when the rotation of the payout motor 377 is not normal although the retry process is executed a predetermined number of times (for example, 3 times).

  If the rotation of the payout motor 377 is normal, the process proceeds to step S1504, and it is determined from the detection result of the payout count switch whether or not the game ball is normally counted. If the game ball count is not normal, the process advances to step S1505 to drive the payout motor 377 to execute a retry process and execute a stop process of the payout motor 377, and then return to the timer interrupt process of FIG. Here, an abnormal signal is output to the main control board 271a when the count of the game balls is not normal although the retry process is executed a predetermined number of times (for example, 3 times).

  If the game ball count is normal, the process proceeds to step S1506, where it is determined whether or not the game ball count by the payout count switch has reached a predetermined number of rented balls (25) and the payout is completed. If the payout has been completed, a stop process for the payout motor 377 is executed in step S1507, and then the process returns to the timer interrupt process in FIG.

  Next, the full state notification setting process executed by the CPU of the sound lamp control board 272a will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This full state notification setting process is executed as part of a normal process repeated at a predetermined cycle in the CPU of the sound lamp control board 272a.

  First, in step S1601, it is determined whether a full state setting command has been input from the main control board 271a. If the command has been input, the full state notification setting process is terminated after the process of step S1602 is executed to start the full state notification process. That is, the output setting of the speaker 20 is changed for full notification. As a result, a notification sound such as “please remove the ball from the lower dish” is output from the speaker 20. This audio output is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle (for example, 2 sec cycle). Further, a full display setting command is output to the display control device 214. Thereby, the display control device 214 controls the display of the symbol display device 41 so that a notification character such as “please remove the ball of the lower dish” is displayed on the display screen of the symbol display device 41.

  On the other hand, if a full state setting command has not been input in step S1601, it is determined in step S1603 whether a full state release command has been input from the main control board 271a. If the command is not input, the process is terminated as it is. If the command has been input, the full state notification setting process is terminated after executing the process of step S1604 to end the full state notification process. That is, the output setting of the speaker 20 is changed to normal. Thereby, the output of the notification sound is stopped, and the sound corresponding to the gaming situation is output from the speaker 20. Further, a full display release command is output to the display control device 214. Thereby, the display control device 214 ends the display of the notification characters on the display screen of the symbol display device 41, and controls the display of the symbol display device 41 so that the display according to the game situation is displayed on the display screen.

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

  The ball discharge passage 71 that guides the game balls that have been paid out from the payout device 358 and surplus in the upper plate 23 to the lower plate 16 is full to detect whether or not the lower plate 16 is full. A detection sensor 77 is provided. When the period during which the ON signal is continuously output from the full detection sensor 77 (hereinafter also referred to as detection continuation period) is the first period (2500 msec), the driving of the dispensing motor 377 of the dispensing device 358 is stopped. Is done. As a result, the payout of further game balls is stopped, and the trouble of the payout motor 377 and the breakage of the rotating body 375 are prevented.

  The full state setting command is also output to the sound lamp control board 272a, and full state notification is executed via the speaker 20 and the symbol display device 41. Thereby, it is possible to prompt a player or the like to operate the ball removal lever 19.

  Further, in the main control board 271a, the launch of the game ball from the game ball launch mechanism 160 is stopped. Thereby, it becomes possible to notify the player who is not aware that the lower plate 16 is full of being indirectly full through a state in which the game ball is not fired. . In addition, when a game ball is fired in a situation where payout of the game ball is stopped, a prize can be given to the general winning opening 31 or the like under such a situation. In this case, if the winning is invalidated, it is not preferable for the player to lose the profit that should have been generated. Therefore, after the full state is released, the game ball is paid out for the winning. Done. However, in this configuration, the game ball payout timing is delayed with respect to the winning timing, so if a large number of winnings occur during the full state and a lot of game balls are paid out after the full state is released, It becomes difficult for the manager of the hall or the like to determine whether the payout of the game ball is due to winning or fraud. On the other hand, the occurrence of the inconvenience can be prevented by preventing the game ball from being fired.

  In the above configuration, when the detection continuation period is the second period (800 msec) shorter than the first period, the payout period of the payout device 358 is changed from the normal period to the low speed period. As a result, the interval between game balls flowing down from the payout device 358 is widened, and the detection continuation period becomes the second period due to the game balls continuously passing through the detection range of the full detection sensor 77. In this case, the detection duration is interrupted. Therefore, although the lower plate 16 is not full, the payout motor 377 is stopped, the full state notification in the speaker 20 and the symbol display device 41 is stopped, and the release of the game ball from the game ball launching mechanism 160 (hereinafter, these are stopped). (Also referred to as full state processing) can be prevented from being executed.

  Further, with this configuration, even when the game ball payout speed is increased, it is possible to prevent the full state process from being executed even though the game ball is not full. Then, by increasing the payout speed of the game ball, the time required for paying out the game ball is shortened, and there is an advantage that a player can quickly obtain a winning ball or a rental ball. In addition, the game hall management control device inputs a signal indicating that the winning ball generated in the jackpot state is paid out while the signal indicating that the gaming state is a jackpot state is input from the main control device 271. It becomes possible. Therefore, there is an advantage for the game hall manager that it is possible to effectively determine whether or not the generation of the prize ball is due to an illegal act.

  The payout device 358 includes a rotating body 375 and a payout motor 377. By changing the driving speed of the payout motor 377, the payout cycle of the payout device 358 can be easily and reliably changed.

  A normal cycle and a constant speed cycle are stored in the ROM 512 of the payout control device 311 as the payout cycle of the payout device 358, and the cycle is changed between these two cycles according to the detection result from the full detection sensor 77. It was. When the payout device 358 pays out the game balls at a low speed cycle, the two game balls that are continuously paid out do not exist within the detection range of the full detection sensor 77 at the same time. By adopting such a configuration, when the detection continuation period is the second period, the output of the ON signal from the full detection sensor 77 is stopped and the detection continuation period is interrupted (that is, at a low speed period). It can be changed quickly. For example, in a configuration in which the payout cycle is changed linearly or in a configuration in which the payout cycle is changed in multiple stages, a predetermined time is required until the detection continuation period is interrupted.

  The first period and the second period are set so that the game balls paid out before the second period elapses pass through the detection range of the full detection sensor 77 until the first period elapses. Thereby, when the detection continuation period becomes equal to or longer than the second period due to the game ball passing through the ball discharge passage 71 at a short interval, the detection signal is surely output before the first period elapses. The detection duration is surely interrupted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the full state process from being executed even when the lower plate 16 is not full.

  A time obtained by adding the period until the game ball paid out from the payout device 358 falls within the detection range of the full detection sensor 77 and the second time period is set to 1 in the general payout port 31, the variable payout device 32, or the operation port 33. This time is longer than the time it takes for all of the prize balls to be paid out from the payout device 358 when the game balls of the game are entered once. That is, the period until the game ball paid out from the payout device 358 falls within the detection range of the full detection sensor 77 is about 600 msec, and the second period is 800 msec. Therefore, at least 15 or more game balls are paid out after the payout of the game balls is started in the normal cycle until the payout speed of the payout device 358 is changed to the low speed cycle. On the other hand, when a game ball enters the general winning opening 31, 10 game balls are paid out, and when a game ball enters the variable winning device 32, 15 game balls are paid out. When a game ball enters the operation port 33, five game balls are paid out. With the above configuration, the payout cycle of the payout device 358 is changed to the low speed cycle until one game ball enters the general winning port 31, the variable winning device 32, or the operation port 33 on a single shot. Can be prevented. For example, if the payout cycle of the payout device 358 is changed to a low speed cycle until one game ball enters the general winning port 31, the variable winning device 32 or the operation port 33 once, it is necessary to pay out the game ball. Although the time is longer than necessary, this configuration can prevent such inconvenience.

  The payout cycle is returned to the normal cycle when the detection continuation period is interrupted in a situation where the payout device 358 is paying out the game ball at a low speed cycle. As a result, the time required for paying out the game ball becomes extremely long in a configuration that prevents the full plate process from being executed even though the lower plate 16 is not full by changing to the low speed cycle. This can be suppressed.

  Even if an OFF signal is input from the full detection sensor 77 in a situation where the full state processing is being executed, the full state processing is not canceled immediately, but the OFF signal is continuously output from the full detection sensor 77. The full state processing is canceled when the period to be reached is the third period (500 msec). Thereby, even if it is determined that an OFF signal is output from the full detection sensor 77 or an OFF signal is output due to the influence of noise or the like, it is possible to prevent the full state processing from being canceled.

  The detection range of the full detection sensor 77 is set to one game ball or more. Thereby, when the lower plate 23 becomes full, the game ball staying in the ball discharge passage 71 can be reliably detected by the full detection sensor 77. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience that the full state process is not executed even though the lower plate 16 is full. However, in such a configuration, the detection range of the full detection sensor 77 is equal to or more than one game ball, and therefore, the ON signal is easily output continuously from the full detection sensor 77. On the other hand, as described above, by changing the payout cycle of the payout device 358 to the low speed cycle, it is possible to prevent the full state process from being executed even though the lower plate 16 is not full. it can.

  The main control board 271a outputs a low speed setting command, a low speed release command, a full state setting command, and a full state release command to the payout control board 311a via a harness HL that outputs a prize ball command. Thereby, compared with the structure which provides a harness for every command, the hardware structure regarding command output can be simplified.

  In addition, it is not limited to the description content of embodiment mentioned above, For example, you may implement as follows.

  (1) In the above embodiment, when the ON signal detection continuation period in the full detection sensor 77 is the second period (800 msec), the payout period of the payout device 358 is changed to the low speed period. May be changed. For example, when the detection continuation period becomes the second period (800 msec), the payout of the game ball by the payout device 358 may be stopped.

  That is, in step S614 of the lower pan full process (FIG. 35) on the main control board 271a, a payout stop flag is set, and a payout stop setting command is set on the payout control board 311a. In the payout control board 311a, the payout device 358 stops paying out the game balls by inputting the payout stop setting command. If the output of the ON signal is stopped, it is determined in step S603 whether or not a payout stop flag is set. In step S604, the payout stop flag is cleared and the payout control board 311a is cleared. Set the withdrawal stop release command. Then, the payout control board 311a inputs the payout release command to release the stop of the game ball payout in the payout device 358.

  In this configuration, the payout of game balls in the payout device 358 is stopped when the detection continuation period becomes the second period (800 msec). Therefore, it is not necessary to output a full state setting command to the dispensing control board 311a when the detection continuation period becomes the first period (2500 msec), and when the lower plate 16 is released from the full state, it is full. It is not necessary to output the release command to the payout control board 311a.

  Also in the above configuration, when the detection continuation period is the second period (800 msec), the detection continuation period is interrupted because the game ball does not pass through the detection range of the full detection sensor 77. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the full state notification and the stop of the game ball from being executed even though the lower plate 16 is not full. Further, since the stop of the game ball payout in the payout device 358 is released when the detection continuation period is interrupted, it is possible to suppress the time required for paying out the game ball from becoming extremely long.

  (2) In the above embodiment, two patterns of the normal period and the low speed period are set as the payout period of the payout device 358, but this may be changed. For example, the payout cycle may be set to three patterns, four patterns, five patterns, or six patterns or more, and when the detection continuation period becomes the second period, the payout cycle may be changed to a low speed in multiple stages. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which does not change a payout period in steps, but changes a payout period linearly.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the fullness detection sensor 77 is constituted by the proximity sensor, but this may be changed. For example, the full detection sensor 77 may be configured by an optical sensor or a push sensor that outputs a detection signal to that effect while a game ball is being detected. Even if the sensor type is changed, there is a possibility that the output of the ON signal from the full detection sensor 77 may be continued even though the lower plate 16 is not full. On the other hand, it is possible to execute the full state process even though the lower plate 16 is not full by adopting a configuration in which the payout cycle of the payout device 358 is switched to the low speed cycle as in the above embodiment. Can be prevented.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the normal period of the payout device 358 is 60 msec / piece, but this may be changed. For example, the normal period may be further increased. Thereby, the payout period of the game ball in the normal time is further accelerated, and the time required for paying out the game ball can be further shortened. Also, the timing at which a winning occurs is close to the timing at which the payout of the winning ball is completed. For example, when a jackpot gaming state occurs, the winning for the winning that occurred in the jackpot state while the gaming state is in the jackpot state. The payout of prize balls can be completed. And, by adopting such a configuration, all signals indicating that the winning ball has been paid out are output to the management control device on the game hall side while the signal indicating that the gaming state is a big hit state is being output. Is possible. In the configuration in which the normal cycle of the payout speed 358 is accelerated, the payout is made so that the game balls connected in the ball discharge passage 71 do not reach the position of the payout device 358 when the lower plate 16 becomes full. The period until the period is changed to the low speed period needs to be shorter than that in the above embodiment.

  (5) In the above embodiment, the low speed cycle of the payout device 358 is 1200 msec / piece, but this may be changed. For example, the low speed cycle may be made faster than the above embodiment. Thus, in the configuration in which the full state process is prevented from being executed even when the lower plate 16 is not full, the time required for paying out the game ball in the situation where the lower plate 16 is not full is set as described above. It can be made shorter than the form. However, when the payout device 358 pays out game balls at a low speed cycle, it is necessary to set the low speed cycle so that two game balls to be paid out continuously do not exist within the detection range of the full detection sensor 77 at the same time. This is because the ON signal detection continuation period needs to be interrupted when the game ball is paid out at a low speed in a situation where the lower plate 16 is not full. In the configuration in which the low-speed cycle of the payout speed 358 is increased, the payout is performed so that the game balls connected in the ball discharge passage 71 do not reach the position of the payout device 358 when the lower plate 16 is full. The period until the motor 377 is stopped needs to be shorter than that in the above embodiment.

  (6) If it is determined that the lower plate 16 is full, the game ball launching mechanism 160 stops the game ball from being dispensed without stopping the game ball launching mechanism 160 and the speaker 20 or the like. It is good also as a structure which performs only a full condition notification. In addition, when it is determined that the lower plate 16 is full, it may be configured to stop the payout of the game ball and stop the launch of the game ball without notifying the full state. Further, when it is determined that the lower plate 16 is full, it may be configured to only stop the game ball payout.

  (7) As full state notification, in addition to or instead of notification in the speaker 20 or the symbol display device 41, a configuration in which light is lit or blinked by the various illumination units 102, 103, 104 or the various lamps 105, 106 It is good. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which provides the display part etc. only for full state alerting | reporting.

  (8) In the above embodiment, the driving of the payout motor 377 is stopped because the ON signal detection continuation period in the full detection sensor 77 is the first period, but this may be changed. For example, the driving speed of the payout motor 377 is set to an extremely low speed (for example, 5 min / piece), so that the game ball is not substantially paid out when the lower plate 16 becomes full. It is good also as a structure.

  (9) In the above embodiment, the payout device 358 is provided with the rotating body 375 as a means for preventing or permitting the payout of the game ball, but this may be changed. For example, a gate member that appears and disappears in the game ball passage 373 may be provided as the means. In such a configuration, the payout period of the payout device 358 is changed by adjusting the appearance period of the gate member.

  (10) In the above embodiment, the signal of the full detection sensor 77 is input to the power supply and launch control board 313a, and the signal is input from the board 313a to the main control board 271a. May be. For example, the signal of the full detection sensor 77 may be directly input to the main control board 271a. That is, if the main control board 271a determines the full state based on the signal of the full detection sensor 77, the input path of the signal is arbitrary.

  (11) In the above embodiment, each function of the power supply unit and the launch control unit is provided on the same substrate as the power source and launch control board 313a. However, these functions are separated and provided as separate boards. May be. In addition, a substrate box may be provided for each, and a separate substrate device may be provided.

  (12) A configuration in which commands can be bidirectionally communicated between the main control device 271 and the payout control device 311 may be employed.

  (13) The output mode of the detection signal (ON signal) of the full detection sensor 77 may be different from that of the above embodiment. For example, an output mode in which the output of the detection signal is slightly interrupted even during the period in which the game ball is continuously detected may be employed. However, the main controller 271 has a configuration in which even if the detection signal output from the full detection sensor 77 is interrupted slightly, it is not determined that the detection signal output is interrupted. In such a configuration, “outputting a detection signal to that effect while detecting a game ball” in the above means 1 is an output that continuously outputs a detection signal while detecting a game ball. Not only a mode but also an output mode in which a detection signal is intermittently output while being interrupted slightly is included.

  (14) The configuration relating to the full processing in the above embodiment may be applied to a pachinko machine in which the function as a ball tray is not distinguished between the upper plate 23 and the lower plate 16. That is, even if only one ball tray is provided on the front surface portion of the pachinko machine, it is necessary to detect whether or not the ball tray is full, so that a full detection sensor is provided. Then, there is a possibility that the main control device determines that the ball tray is full even though the ball tray is not actually full. On the other hand, the occurrence of the inconvenience can be prevented by applying the configuration relating to the full processing in the embodiment.

  Further, even in a pachinko machine that includes the upper plate 23 and the lower plate 16 but does not have a function of storing game balls, the configuration relating to the full processing in the above embodiment is applied, so that the full state is achieved. Although it is not, it can be prevented that the main controller determines that the lower plate 16 is full. Note that the upper plate 23 does not have a function of storing game balls, for example, the upper plate 23 is formed smaller than the above embodiment, and has only a function of receiving a game ball from a ball lending device. Refers to the configuration.

  (15) You may apply the structure in the said embodiment to the pachinko machine in which the game area was expanded. However, in the pachinko machine in which the game area is expanded, the position of the lower plate is positioned below the pachinko machine 10 in the above embodiment, and accordingly, the position of the exit portion of the ball discharge passage is also positioned below. It will be. Here, with reference to FIG. 48, a pachinko machine with an expanded game area will be described in comparison with the pachinko machine 10 in the above embodiment. FIG. 48A shows the pachinko machine 10 in the above embodiment, and FIG. 48B shows the pachinko machine 550 in which the game area is expanded.

  As shown in FIG. 48 (a), in the pachinko machine 10, the distance from the lower end of the outer frame 11 to the lower end of the game board 30 is L11, whereas as shown in FIG. In the pachinko machine 550, the distance from the lower end of the outer frame 551 to the lower end of the game board 552 is L21 (L11> L21). Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 48A, the distance from the lower end of the outer frame 11 to the exit portion of the ball discharge passage 71 in the pachinko machine 10 is L12, whereas FIG. As shown in (b), the distance from the lower end of the outer frame 551 in the pachinko machine 550 to the exit portion of the ball discharge passage 554 is L22 (L12> L22). Therefore, in the pachinko machine 550, the position of the exit portion of the ball discharge passage 553 is downward.

  In this case, when the position of the exit portion of the ball discharge passage 554 is lowered, the time until the game ball paid out from the payout device reaches the lower plate becomes longer. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the payout speed of the payout device in order to shorten the time required for paying out the game balls. However, when the payout speed is increased, the full signal is easily output continuously by the full detection sensor. On the other hand, by adopting a configuration in which the payout speed is changed to a low speed cycle as in the above embodiment, the full state process is prevented from being executed even though the lower plate is not full. can do.

  (16) You may apply the structure in the said embodiment to game machines other than a pachinko machine. For example, the present invention may be applied to a ball-use slot machine type gaming machine in which a pachinko machine and a slot machine are fused. Such a gaming machine includes a reel device having a plurality of reels, and a plurality of types of symbols are attached in the circumferential direction of each reel. A part of the symbols attached to each reel can be visually recognized through a display window provided on the front surface of the gaming machine. Moreover, the upper plate for storing a game ball is provided similarly to the said embodiment, The game ball stored in this upper plate is taken in by the taking-in apparatus. The taking-in of the game ball in the take-in device is started when the take-in start switch is operated by the player. Then, after a predetermined number of game balls are taken in by the take-in device, all the reels start to rotate by operating the start lever, and a stop switch provided for each reel is pressed or started to rotate. When a predetermined time elapses, the rotation of the reel is stopped. When the rotation of the reel is stopped, the game ball is paid out when the predetermined symbol or the combination of the predetermined symbols is stopped by the symbol applied to the reel on the preset effective line.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Pachinko machine as game machine, 11 ... Outer frame, 12 ... Main body frame, 13 ... Front door frame, 16 ... Lower plate, 18 ... Game ball launch handle as launch operation means, 20 ... Speaker constituting the notification means , 23 ... Upper plate, 30 ... Game board, 31 ... General winning slot as a winning part, 32 ... Variable winning device as a winning part, 33 ... Working opening as a winning part, 35 ... Variable display unit, 41 ... Symbol display device constituting notification means, 71 ... Ball discharge passage as payout passage, 77 ... Full detection sensor as detection means, 160 ... Game ball launching mechanism, 214 ... Display control device, 214a ... Display control board, 271 ... Main control device, 271a ... Main control board, 272 ... Audio lamp control device as notification control means, 272a ... Audio lamp control board, 311 ... Discharge control device, 311a ... Discharge control board, 313a ... electricity And launch control board, 358 ... payout device, 373 ... game ball passage, 375 ... rotating body, 376 ... guide plate, 376a ... concave portion as delivery part, 377 ... payout motor as drive means, 512 ... as period storage means ROM, HL ... Harness as an information transmission member.

Claims (1)

A payout device for paying out game balls;
A ball tray for storing game balls;
A payout passage for paying out the game balls from the payout device to the ball tray;
A detecting means for detecting a game ball flowing down the payout passage at a midway position of the payout passage, and outputting a detection signal to that effect while detecting the game ball;
When the period during which the detection signal is continuously output from the detection means is equal to or longer than a preset first period, it is determined that the ball tray is full, and according to the determination result In a gaming machine that executes a full state process that limits the payout of game balls,
Period elapse determining means for determining whether or not the period during which the detection signal is continuously output is equal to or longer than a second period shorter than the first period;
And a period changing means for changing the payout period of the game ball in the payout device to a period slower than the previous period when it is determined by the same period elapse determination means that the time is equal to or longer than the second period. A gaming machine characterized by

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