JP2017170244A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent malfunction of a main control circuit, and to protect various circuits and various elements inside a game machine even if electromagnetic waves are applied to the game machine by a fraudulent act or the like.SOLUTION: A game machine includes: control means; relay means and first transmission means; and external equipment connection means and second transmission means. The relay means includes: a receiver part for receiving predetermined data via the first transmission means; a transmitter part for transmitting the received predetermined data to the external equipment connection means via the second transmission means; a data wiring part for transmitting the predetermined data to the transmitter part; a frame part for integrally implementing the receiver part, the transmitter part, and the data wiring part; and a casing part including a storage part for storing the frame part, a first mounting part capable of mounting the first transmission means and a second mounting part capable of mounting the second transmission means, and having a function of shielding electromagnetic waves.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine.

  Conventionally, a “pachislot” comprising a plurality of reels each having a plurality of symbols arranged on each surface, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided for each reel, and a control unit. A game machine called is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (start operation) after a game medium such as a medal or coin has been inserted into the game machine, and issues a signal requesting the start of rotation of all reels. Output. The stop switch detects that a stop button provided corresponding to each reel has been pressed by the player (stop operation), and outputs a signal requesting to stop the rotation of the corresponding reel. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output from the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, lottery processing (internal lottery processing) using random numbers is performed on the program, and based on the result of the lottery (internal winning combination) and the timing of the stop operation The rotation of the reel is controlled to stop. Then, when the rotation of all the reels is stopped and the symbol combination related to the winning is displayed, a privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player. As an example of a privilege given to a player, payout of game media (medals, etc.), re-game operation that performs internal lottery processing again without consuming game media, and game media payout opportunities increase. The operation of a bonus game can be mentioned.

  In addition, the gaming machine usually includes a cabinet in which, for example, a reel or the like is accommodated, and a front door (main door) provided with the above-described various switches and attached to the cabinet so as to be opened and closed. In the gaming machine having such a configuration, generally, in the cabinet, for example, determination of an internal winning combination performed using a random number on a program, rotation and stop of a plurality of reels, when a plurality of reels are stopped A main control board (main board) on which a main control circuit for controlling the main flow of the game, such as determination of the presence / absence of winning based on the symbols displayed on the display window, is mounted. Further, in such a gaming machine, conventionally, an external terminal board for transmitting various information generated by the main control circuit to an external device managed by a game shop called a “hall computer” is provided in the cabinet. Is also known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-285003 A

  As described above, conventionally, a gaming machine in which an external terminal board is provided in a cabinet has been proposed. For example, in the gaming machine described in Patent Document 1, a lead wire is provided between the main board and the external terminal board. Are electrically connected. In the gaming machine having such a configuration, for example, when an electromagnetic wave (including external noise) is applied between the main board and the external terminal board due to an illegal act called an electric goto, the main control circuit is caused to malfunction. It is possible to obtain unreasonable profits, which may cause serious damage to the game store. In addition, when electromagnetic waves (including external noise) are applied between the main board and the external terminal board, various circuits and various elements in the main board may be destroyed by the electromagnetic waves. It may also cause malfunctions.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the object of the present invention is to prevent malfunction of the main control circuit even when electromagnetic waves (including external noise) are applied to the gaming machine due to, for example, fraud. It is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine capable of preventing and protecting various circuits and various elements in the gaming machine.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a gaming machine having the following configuration.

Control means (for example, a main control circuit 41 to be described later) for controlling the operation of the game and transmitting predetermined data (for example, various commands to be described later) relating to the game;
Relay means (for example, optical repeater 160 described later) for receiving the predetermined data transmitted from the control means;
A first transmission means (for example, a first optical fiber cable 111 described later) for connecting the control means and the relay means and transmitting the predetermined data;
An external device connection means (for example, an external concentration terminal board 39 to be described later) for connecting the control means to an external device (for example, a hall computer to be described later);
A second transmission means for connecting the relay means and the external device connection means and transmitting the predetermined data (for example, a second optical fiber cable 112 described later),
The relay means is
A receiving unit (for example, a receiving IC 181 described later) that receives the predetermined data via the first transmission unit;
A transmission device unit (for example, a driver IC 182 described later) that transmits the predetermined data received by the reception device unit to the external device connection unit via the second transmission unit;
A data wiring unit (for example, a data lead 175 described later) that electrically connects the receiving device unit and the transmitting device unit directly and transmits the predetermined data from the receiving device unit to the transmitting device unit; ,
A frame unit (for example, a first lead frame 171 and a second lead frame 172 described later) in which the reception device unit, the transmission device unit, and the data wiring unit are integrally mounted;
From a storage portion (for example, a main body storage recess 162c described later) for storing the frame portion, a first mounting portion (for example, a first optical fiber insertion hole 162a described later) to which the first transmission means can be mounted, and the transmission device portion A second mounting portion (for example, a second optical fiber insertion hole 162b described later) to which the second transmission means for transmitting the predetermined data to be transmitted to the external device connection means can be mounted is provided, and an electromagnetic wave A gaming machine having a shielding function (for example, an optical repeater housing 162 described later).

  According to the present invention, for example, even if electromagnetic waves (including external noise) are applied to the gaming machine due to fraud, etc., it is possible to prevent the main control means from malfunctioning and to protect various circuits and various elements in the gaming machine. can do. The reason why this effect is obtained will be described in detail in the description of the embodiment described later.

It is a figure for demonstrating the functional flow of the game machine (pachislot) in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the game machine in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the game machine in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the whole circuit structure with which the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention is provided. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the sub control circuit in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the connection structure between the main board | substrate and external concentration terminal board in one Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of an external output communication LSI (external terminal board control LSI) in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an AES circuit in an external output communication LSI (external terminal board control LSI) in an embodiment of the present invention. In the gaming machine of one embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram showing an overview of data modulation and demodulation processing performed between the main board and the external concentration terminal board. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the transmission operation | movement of data performed between a main board | substrate and a hall computer, and communication specification in the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention. In the gaming machine of one embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram showing the configuration and contents of various data transmitted from the main board to the hall computer. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the external relay board | substrate in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the whole structure of the optical repeater in one Embodiment of this invention. In the gaming machine of one embodiment of the present invention, it is a schematic cross-sectional view of the optical repeater when an optical fiber cable is attached to the optical repeater. It is an external appearance perspective view of the optical repeater main body of the optical repeater in one Embodiment of this invention. It is an external appearance top view of the optical repeater main body of the optical repeater in one Embodiment of this invention. It is the external appearance side view seen from the 2nd optical fiber insertion recessed part side of the optical repeater main body in one Embodiment of this invention. It is the external appearance side view seen from the power supply lead wire side of the optical repeater body in one embodiment of the present invention. It is an internal block diagram of the optical repeater main body before bending an optical repeater main body in one Embodiment of this invention. It is an internal side view seen from the attachment surface side (first optical fiber insertion recess side) of the light receiving element of the optical repeater body after bending the optical repeater body in one embodiment of the present invention. It is the internal side view seen from the attachment surface side (2nd optical fiber insertion recessed part side) of the light emitting element of the optical repeater main body after bending the optical repeater main body in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the game machine (pachinko) of the modification 1. It is a block diagram which shows the whole circuit structure with which the game machine of the modification 1 is provided.

  Hereinafter, a pachislot machine will be exemplified as a gaming machine showing an embodiment of the present invention, and the configuration and operation thereof will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Function flow>
First, the functional flow of the pachislot will be described with reference to FIG. In the pachislot machine of this embodiment, medals are used as game media for playing games. In addition to the medals, coins, game balls, game point data, tokens, or the like can be applied as game media.

  When a player inserts a medal and operates the start lever, one value (hereinafter, random number value) is extracted from random numbers in a predetermined numerical range (for example, 0 to 65535).

  The internal lottery means performs lottery based on the extracted random number value and determines an internal winning combination. This internal lottery means is one of various processing means (processing functions) provided in a main control circuit described later. By determining the internal winning combination, a combination of symbols that permits display along an after-mentioned effective line (winning determination line) is determined. Note that the types of symbol combinations include those related to “winning” in which benefits such as payout of medals, replay (replay) operation, bonus operation, etc. are given to the player, and other so-called “losing” Such a thing is provided.

  Further, when the start lever is operated, a plurality of reels are rotated. Thereafter, when the player presses the stop button corresponding to the predetermined reel, the reel stop control means performs control to stop the rotation of the corresponding reel based on the internal winning combination and the timing when the stop button is pressed. Do. This reel stop control means is one of various processing means (processing functions) provided in a main control circuit described later.

  In the pachi-slot, basically, control for stopping the rotation of the corresponding reel is performed within a specified time (190 msec) from when the stop button is pressed. In the present embodiment, the number of symbols that move with the rotation of the reel within the specified time is referred to as “the number of sliding symbols”. In this embodiment, the maximum number of sliding symbols is set to 4 symbols.

  The reel stop control means, when the internal winning combination permitting the symbol combination display related to the winning is determined, normally, the symbol combination follows the effective line within a specified time of 190 msec (four symbols). Stop the reel rotation so that it is displayed as much as possible. In addition, the reel stop control means stops the rotation of the reel using a specified time so that the combination of symbols that are not permitted to be displayed by the internal winning combination is not displayed along the active line.

  When a plurality of internal winning combinations are determined and there are a plurality of symbols related to the establishment of the internal winning combination within 4 symbols, the reel stop control means corresponds to the internal winning combination with higher priority. The number of sliding symbols is determined so that the symbols are stopped and displayed on the active line, and the rotation of the reel is stopped. However, the priority order is basically the combination of symbols relating to replay, symbols relating to small roles, and symbols relating to bonuses, from the highest priority.

  Thus, when the rotation of the plurality of reels is all stopped, the winning determination means determines whether or not the combination of symbols displayed along the active line relates to winning. This winning determination means is also one of various processing means (processing functions) provided in the main control circuit described later. Then, when it is determined by the winning determination means that the displayed symbol combination is related to winning a prize, a reward such as a medal payout is given to the player. In the pachislot, a series of flows as described above is performed as one game (unit game).

  Also, in the pachislot, in the above-described series of gaming operations, video display performed by a display device such as a liquid crystal display device, light output performed by various lamps, sound output performed by a speaker, or a combination thereof is performed. Various effects are performed using it.

  Specifically, when the start lever is operated, an effect random number value (hereinafter referred to as effect random number value) is extracted in addition to the random value used for determining the internal winning combination described above. When the effect random number is extracted, the effect content determination means determines the effect to be executed this time from lots of effects related to the internal winning combination. This effect content determination means is one of various processing means (processing functions) provided in a sub-control circuit described later.

  Next, when the content of the effect is determined by the effect content determination means, the effect execution means responds in conjunction with each opportunity such as when the rotation of the reel starts, when the rotation of each reel stops, or when the presence or absence of a prize is determined. Execute. In this way, in the pachislot machine, the player has the opportunity to know or predict the determined internal winning combination (in other words, the combination of symbols to be aimed at) by executing the production contents associated with the internal winning combination. It is possible to improve the player's interest.

<Pachislot structure>
Next, the structure of the pachislot machine according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. It should be noted that the pachislot of the present embodiment is functionally mainly composed of a main control unit that controls various operations related to the progress of the game and the various operations, a sub-control unit that produces a game, and a main control. And a gaming machine housing for mounting the sub-control unit. The main control unit includes a main control circuit (main control board) to be described later and various peripheral devices (various operation buttons, reel units, etc.) connected thereto. The sub-control unit includes a sub-control circuit (sub-board) described later and various peripheral devices controlled by the sub-control circuit (sub-substrate) (including various rendering devices such as a liquid crystal display device, a speaker, and a lamp). Below, the content of each component will be described more specifically.

[Appearance structure]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external structure of the pachi-slot 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the pachi-slot 1 includes an exterior body 2. The exterior body 2 includes a cabinet 2a that houses a reel, a circuit board, and the like, and a front door 2b that is attached to the cabinet 2a so as to be opened and closed.

  Handles 7 are provided on both side surfaces of the cabinet 2a (only the handle 7 on one side surface is shown in FIG. 2). The handle 7 is formed of a concave member, and an operator's hand is put on the handle 7 when carrying the pachislot 1.

  Inside the cabinet 2a, three reels 3L, 3C, 3R (variable display means) are provided, and the three reels 3L, 3C, 3R are arranged in a row in the horizontal direction (direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the reels). Is done. Hereinafter, the reels 3L, 3C, and 3R are referred to as a left reel 3L, a middle reel 3C, and a right reel 3R, respectively. Each reel (display row) has a reel body formed in a cylindrical shape, and a translucent sheet material mounted on the peripheral surface of the reel body. On the surface of the sheet material, a plurality of (for example, 21) symbols are drawn along the circumferential direction (reel rotation direction), and the symbols adjacent to each other along the symbol arrangement direction are arranged at predetermined intervals. The

  The front door 2 b includes a door body 9, a front panel 10, and a liquid crystal display device 11. The door body 9 is attached to the cabinet 2a so as to be openable and closable using a hinge (not shown). The hinge is provided at the left side end of the door body 9 when the door body 9 is viewed from the front side (player side) of the pachi-slot 1.

  The liquid crystal display device 11 is attached to the upper part of the door body 9 and executes an effect by displaying an image. The liquid crystal display device 11 includes a display unit (display screen) 11a including a display window 4 for displaying symbols drawn on the left reel 3L, the middle reel 3C, and the right reel 3R. In the present embodiment, the entire display unit 11a including the display window 4 is used to display an image and execute an effect.

  The display window 4 is formed of a transparent member such as an acrylic plate. The display window 4 is provided at a position overlapping the arrangement area of the three reels when viewed from the front (player side), and is provided at a position closer to the player (player side) than the three reels. Therefore, the player can visually recognize the three reels provided behind the display window 4 through the display window 4.

  In the present embodiment, when the rotation of the corresponding reel provided behind the display window 4 stops, the display window 4 is continuously arranged among a plurality of symbols drawn (arranged) on each reel. It is set to a size that can display two symbols. Therefore, within the frame of the display window 4, there are provided upper, middle and lower symbol display areas (hereinafter referred to as upper, middle and lower areas, respectively) for each reel, one for each symbol display area. Is displayed. That is, the display window 4 displays symbols in a 3 × 3 array form. In this embodiment, a line (center line) connecting the middle stage area of the left reel 3L, the middle stage area of the middle reel 3C, and the middle stage area of the right reel 3R is defined as an effective line for determining whether or not a prize is won. To do.

  The front panel 10 is attached so as to cover the peripheral portion of the display screen (display unit 11a) of the liquid crystal display device 11 at the upper part of the door main body 9, and is disposed so as to overlap the front side surface of the display unit 11a. The The front panel 10 includes a decorative frame 101 in which three panel openings 101a, 101b, and 101c are formed to expose a necessary display screen area in the display unit 11a of the liquid crystal display device 11, and three panel openings of the decorative frame 101. And a transparent protective cover (not shown) that covers 101a, 101b, and 101c.

  The decorative frame 101 further includes a partition piece 102 that partitions the panel opening 101a and the panel opening 101b, and a partition piece 103 that partitions the panel opening 101b and the panel opening 101c. That is, the three panel openings 101a, 101b, and 101c are arranged so as to be lined up and down by the partition pieces 102 and 103. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper area of the display unit 11a of the liquid crystal display device 11 is exposed in the panel opening 101a of the decorative frame 101, and the lower part of the display unit 11a is exposed in the panel opening 101c. Partition pieces 102 and 103 are arranged in the panel opening 101b so that the central region of the display unit 11a and the display window 4 of the three reels are exposed in the panel opening 101b.

  Two character decoration portions 22L and 22R (hereinafter also referred to as a left character decoration portion 22L and a right character decoration portion 22R) are provided in the vicinity of both corners at the upper end of the decoration frame 101. In the present embodiment, a character called “Billy” is formed in a three-dimensional shape on the surface of each character decoration portion.

  Although not shown in FIG. 2, two touch sensors 23L and 23R (hereinafter also referred to as a left touch sensor 23L and a right touch sensor 23R) are provided on the two character decoration portions 22L and 22R, respectively (see FIG. 2). 4 and FIG. 5). The left touch sensor 23L detects that the player's hand has touched (or approached) the left character decoration portion 22L, and the detection result is sent to a sub-control circuit 42 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) described later. Send. On the other hand, the right touch sensor 23R detects that the player's hand has touched (or approached) the right character decoration portion 22R, and transmits the detection result to a sub-control circuit 42 described later.

  Further, the decorative frame 101 is provided with various lamps (lamp group 21) and a movable decorative unit 104 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The lamp group 21 includes LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) and the like, and turns on and off the light in a pattern corresponding to the effect contents.

  The movable decorative unit 104 is disposed on the back side of the decorative frame 101 (opposite to the player side), and is hidden behind the decorative frame 101 during normal times (when no specific performance is performed). The When a specific effect is performed, the movable decorative unit 104 moves to the front side of the display unit 11 a and becomes visible from the panel opening 101 a of the decorative frame 101.

  A pedestal 12 is provided in the center of the door body 9. The pedestal portion 12 is provided with various devices (medal insertion slot 13, MAX bet button 14, 1 BET button 15, start lever 16, three stop buttons 17L, 17C, 17R, etc.) to be operated by the player.

  The medal slot 13 is provided for receiving a medal dropped on the pachislot 1 from the outside by the player. The medals received from the medal slot 13 are used in one game with a preset number (for example, three) as the upper limit, and the number of medals exceeding the preset number are stored inside the pachislot 1. (So-called credit function).

  The MAX bet button 14 and the 1BET button 15 are provided for determining the number of coins used for one game from medals deposited inside the pachislot 1. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the base unit 12 is provided with a settlement button. This checkout button is provided to pull out (discharge) medals deposited inside the pachi-slot 1 to the outside.

  The start lever 16 is provided to start rotation of all reels (3L, 3C, 3R). The stop buttons 17L, 17C, and 17R are provided in association with the left reel 3L, the middle reel 3C, and the right reel 3R, respectively, and each stop button is provided to stop the rotation of the corresponding reel. Hereinafter, the stop buttons 17L, 17C, and 17R are referred to as a left stop button 17L, a middle stop button 17C, and a right stop button 17R, respectively.

  Although not shown in FIG. 2, the pedestal portion 12 is provided with a 7-segment display 6 (see FIG. 4) composed of 7-segment LEDs. The 7-segment display 6 has information such as the number of medals to be paid out to the player as a privilege (hereinafter referred to as the number of payouts), the number of medals deposited inside the pachislot 1 (hereinafter referred to as the number of credits), and the like. Is digitally displayed.

  At the lower part of the door body 9, a medal payout port 18, a medal tray 19, two speakers 20L, 20R, and the like are provided. The medal payout port 18 guides medals discharged by driving a medal payout device 33 described later to the outside. The medal tray 19 stores medals discharged from the medal payout opening 18. The two speakers 20L and 20R output sound such as sound effects and music corresponding to the contents of the performance.

[Internal structure]
Next, the internal structure of the pachislo 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the internal structure of the pachi-slot 1, and is a view showing a state when the front door 2b is opened with respect to the cabinet 2a.

  The cabinet 2a is configured by a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped member having one surface on the front side (front door 2b side) opened.

  Near the upper end in the cabinet 2a, a main board 31 on which a main control circuit 41 (see FIG. 4) described later is mounted is provided. The main control circuit 41 is a circuit that controls the main operation of the game in the pachislot machine 1 and the flow between the operations, such as determination of an internal winning combination, rotation and stop of each reel, determination of the presence / absence of a prize, and the like. The specific configuration of the main control circuit 41 will be described in detail later.

  A reel unit including a left reel 3L, a middle reel 3C, and a right reel 3R is provided near the center of the cabinet 2a. Although not shown in FIG. 3, each reel is connected to a corresponding stepping motor described later (any of stepping motors 61L, 61C, 61R in FIG. 4) via a gear having a predetermined reduction ratio. .

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, an external relay board 38 is attached to the inner wall region facing the right reel 3R of the right side plate of the cabinet 2a when viewed from the front side of the cabinet 2a. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the external relay board 38 is connected to the main board 31 via a first optical fiber cable 111 (see FIG. 6), which will be described later, and connected to the hall computer so that information communication is possible. The external concentrated terminal plate 39 (see FIG. 4) is also connected by a second optical fiber cable 112 described later. That is, the external relay board 38 serves as a relay board when the main board 31 and an external concentration terminal board 39 described later are connected via an optical fiber cable. Therefore, when predetermined information (data such as a command to be described later) is transmitted from the main board 31 to the hall computer, the predetermined information is transmitted from the main board 31 via the external relay board 38 by optical communication. It is transmitted to the external concentration terminal board 39.

  Although not shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, an example in which the external concentration terminal plate 39 is provided in the pachislot 1 will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the external concentration terminal plate 39 is not limited to this. It may be provided outside one (for example, various facilities of a game store including a hall computer). The internal configuration of the external relay board 38 and the connection configuration between the main board 31 and the external concentrated terminal board 39 will be described in detail later.

  Near the lower end in the cabinet 2a, a medal payout device 33 (hereinafter referred to as a hopper 33) having a structure capable of storing a large amount of medals and discharging them one by one is provided. Further, in the vicinity of the lower end in the cabinet 2a, a power supply device 34 that supplies necessary power to each device of the pachislot 1 is provided on one side of the hopper 33 (left side in the example shown in FIG. 3). It is done.

  A sub-board 32 on which a sub-control circuit 42 (see FIG. 4 and FIG. 5), which will be described later, is mounted is provided in the vicinity of the upper end of the front door 2b on the back side (the side opposite to the display screen). The sub-control circuit 42 is a circuit that controls the execution of effects by displaying images. The specific configuration of the sub control circuit 42 will be described in detail later.

  Further, a selector 35 is provided in the vicinity of the substantially central portion on the back surface side of the front door 2b. The selector 35 is a device for selecting whether or not the material or shape of the medal inserted from the outside through the medal insertion slot 13 (see FIG. 2) is appropriate. To guide. Although not shown in FIG. 3, a medal sensor 35 </ b> S (see FIG. 4) that detects that an appropriate medal has passed is provided on the path through which the medal passes in the selector 35.

  Although not shown in FIG. 3, a door relay board 37 (see FIG. 4), which will be described later, is attached to the right side of the selector 35 on the back side of the front door 2b. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the door relay board 37 is connected to the main board 31 through an optical fiber cable, and is also connected to the sub board 32 on which the sub control circuit 42 is mounted through the optical fiber cable. That is, the door relay board 37 serves as a relay board when the main control circuit 41 (main board 31) and the sub control circuit 42 (sub board 32) are connected via the optical fiber cable. Therefore, in this embodiment, when information related to the game (various commands, lottery results, etc.) is transmitted from the main control circuit 41 to the sub control circuit 42, the information is transmitted to the door relay board 37 by optical communication. Sent through.

<Configuration of circuits provided in pachislot>
Next, a configuration of a circuit included in the pachislo 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a block configuration diagram of the entire circuit provided in the pachislot 1. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the sub control circuit.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the pachi-slot 1 includes a main control circuit 41 (main control means), a sub control circuit 42 (sub control means), and peripheral devices (actuators) electrically connected to these circuits. .

[Main control circuit]
The main control circuit 41 is mainly composed of a microcomputer 50 mounted on a circuit board (main board 31). As other components, the main control circuit 41 includes a clock pulse generation circuit 54, a frequency divider 55, a random number generator 56, a sampling circuit 57, a display unit drive circuit 64, a hopper drive circuit 65, a payout completion signal circuit 66, A main board communication LSI (Large-Scale Integration) 67 and an external output communication LSI 68 are included.

  The microcomputer 50 is composed of an 8-bit microprocessor for gaming machines, and this 8-bit microprocessor for gaming machines has a security function that prevents falsification, reading, etc. of user programs. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the microcomputer 50 includes two internal random number generators (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the microcomputer 50 includes a main CPU (Central Processing Unit) 51, a main ROM (Read Only Memory) 52, and a main RAM (Random Access Memory) 53. In the present embodiment, the main CPU 51 is composed of an NC80EX CPU that is an extension of the Z80 CPU instruction set.

  The main ROM 52 stores a control program for various processes executed by the main CPU 51, a data table such as an internal lottery table, data for transmitting various control commands (commands) to the sub control circuit 42, and the like.

  Various data obtained when the main CPU 51 executes the control program is set in the main RAM 53. For example, information for identifying the extracted random number value, gaming state, internal winning combination, number of payouts, bonus carryover status, setting value, etc., various counters and flags are set. Some of these data are transmitted as commands to the sub-board 32 (sub-control circuit 42) and the external concentrated terminal board 39.

  The main CPU 51 is connected to a clock pulse generation circuit 54, a frequency divider 55, a random number generator 56, and a sampling circuit 57. The clock pulse generation circuit 54 and the frequency divider 55 generate (generate) a clock pulse. The main CPU 51 executes various control programs based on the generated clock pulse. The random number generator 56 generates a random number in a predetermined range (for example, 0 to 65535). Then, the sampling circuit 57 extracts one value from the generated external random number. In the present embodiment, the random number value generated by the random number generator 56 is used as a random value for internal winning combination lottery.

  Various switches and various sensors are connected to the input port of the microcomputer 50. The main CPU 51 receives input signals from various switches and controls the operation of peripheral devices such as stepping motors 61L, 61C, 61R. A payout completion signal circuit 66 is connected to the input port of the microcomputer 50. The payout completion signal circuit 66 manages the detection of medals performed by the medal detection unit 33S provided in the hopper 33, and checks whether or not the medals discharged from the hopper 33 have reached a predetermined payout number. The payout completion signal circuit 66 outputs the check result to the microcomputer 50.

  The stop switch 17S (stop operation detecting means) detects that each of the left stop button 17L, the middle stop button 17C, and the right stop button 17R is pressed (stop operation) by the player. The start switch 16S (start operation detecting means) detects that the start lever 16 has been operated by the player (start operation). The settlement switch 12S detects that the settlement button has been pressed by the player. The bet switch 14S detects that the player has pressed the bet button (the MAX bet button 14 or the 1BET button 15).

  The medal sensor 35S (insertion operation detecting means) detects that a medal inserted into the medal insertion slot 13 has passed through the selector 35.

  Peripheral devices whose operations are controlled by the microcomputer 50 include three stepping motors 61L, 61C, 61R (variation display means), a 7-segment display 6, and a hopper 33. A drive circuit for controlling the operation of each peripheral device is connected to the output port of the microcomputer 50. Specifically, the motor drive circuit 62, the display unit drive circuit 64 and the hopper drive circuit 65 are connected to the output port of the microcomputer 50.

  The motor drive circuit 62 controls the drive of the three stepping motors 61L, 61C, 61R provided corresponding to the left reel 3L, the middle reel 3C, and the right reel 3R, respectively. The reel position detection circuit 63 detects, for each reel, a reel index indicating that the reel has made one rotation by an optical sensor having a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. The reel position detection circuit 63 is connected to an input port of the microcomputer 50 and outputs a detection result to the microcomputer 50.

  Each of the three stepping motors 61L, 61C, 61R has a configuration in which the momentum is proportional to the number of output pulses, and the rotation axis can be stopped at a specified angle. The driving force of each stepping motor is transmitted to the corresponding reel via a gear having a predetermined reduction ratio. Each time one pulse is output to each stepping motor, the corresponding reel rotates at a constant angle.

  The main CPU 51 detects the reel index of each reel and then counts the number of times a pulse is output to the corresponding stepping motor, thereby determining the rotation angle of each reel (specifically, how many reels the number of symbols is). Only managed).

  Here, a method for managing the rotation angle of each reel will be specifically described. The number of pulses output to each stepping motor is counted by a pulse counter (not shown) provided in the main RAM 53. Each time the output of a predetermined number of pulses (for example, 16 times) necessary for rotation of one symbol is counted by the pulse counter, the value of the symbol counter (not shown) provided in the main RAM 53 is changed to “1”. "Is added. A symbol counter is provided for each reel. The value of the symbol counter is cleared when the reel index is detected by the reel position detection circuit 63.

  In other words, in the present embodiment, by managing the value of the symbol counter, it is managed how many symbols have been rotated since the reel index was detected. Therefore, the position of each symbol on each reel is detected with reference to the position where the reel index is detected.

  The display unit drive circuit 64 controls the operation of the 7-segment display 6. The hopper drive circuit 65 controls the operation of the hopper 33.

  Furthermore, the output port of the microcomputer 50 includes a main board communication LSI 67 and an external output communication LSI 68 that control operations when various information such as commands generated by the main control circuit 41 is transmitted to the outside of the main control circuit 41. Is connected. The main board communication LSI 67 and the external output communication LSI 68 are mounted on the main board 31 as components of the main control circuit 41 together with the microcomputer 50.

  The main board communication LSI 67 is an integrated circuit for controlling operations when the main CPU 51 transmits various information such as commands to the sub control circuit 42. In the present embodiment, the transmission operation of various information from the main control circuit 41 to the sub control circuit 42 is performed by optical communication via the door relay board 37 attached to the back surface of the front door 2b as described above. Done. At this time, the communication operation of various information by optical communication between the main control circuit 41 and the sub control circuit 42 is one direction (unidirectional) from the main control circuit 41 to the sub control circuit 42. In the present embodiment, an example in which an optical communication system (wired optical communication system) using an optical fiber cable is employed between the main control circuit 41 and the sub control circuit 42 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A wireless communication system may be applied to the communication system between the main control circuit 41 and the sub control circuit 42.

  The external output communication LSI 68 is an integrated circuit for controlling operations when the main CPU 51 outputs information such as contact output information (relay output) to an external hall computer. In the present embodiment, the transmission operation of various information from the main control circuit 41 to the external concentrated terminal board 39 connected to the hall computer so as to be capable of information communication is performed via the external relay board 38 as described above. This is done by optical communication. At this time, the communication operation of various information by optical communication between the main board 31 and the external concentrated terminal board 39 is one direction (unidirectional) from the main board 31 to the external concentrated terminal board 39.

  Although not shown, the main CPU 51 incorporates a first UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) that enables transmission of information to the main board communication LSI 67. Further, although not shown in FIG. 4, the main CPU 51 incorporates a second UART (see FIG. 6) that enables transmission of information to the external output communication LSI 68. The UART is a circuit that performs a process of converting a serial signal into a parallel signal and a signal conversion process in the opposite direction by an asynchronous method. In this embodiment, an example in which an asynchronous serial communication system is adopted as a communication system has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a 2-wire (I2C) or 3-wire ( (SPI) serial communication system or parallel communication system may be employed.

  As described above, the external concentration terminal board 39 is connected to the hall computer so that information communication is possible, and is a relay board used when outputting various information such as commands transmitted from the external output communication LSI 68 to the hall computer. . Although not shown in FIG. 4, the external concentration terminal board 39 has an external terminal board control LSI 69 for enabling the output operation of various information (see FIG. 6).

[Sub control circuit]
In the pachislot machine 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, the sub control circuit 42 is connected to the main control circuit 41 (main board communication LSI 67) by the optical fiber cable (not shown) via the door relay board 37. Based on the command transmitted from 41, processing such as determination and execution of the production contents is performed. As shown in FIG. 5, the sub control circuit 42 basically includes a sub board communication LSI 80, a sub CPU 81, a sub ROM 82, a sub RAM 83, a rendering processor 84, a drawing RAM 85, and a driver 86. Further, the sub control circuit 42 includes a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 90, an audio RAM 91, a D / A (Digital to Analog) converter 92, an amplifier 93, and a movable decoration unit drive circuit 96.

  The sub board communication LSI 80 is an integrated circuit for receiving various information such as commands transmitted from the main CPU 51 via the main board communication LSI 67. The sub-board communication LSI 80 is electrically connected to the sub CPU 81 and outputs various information such as commands transmitted from the main control circuit 41 to the sub CPU 81. Although not shown, the sub CPU 81 has a built-in UART that can receive information output from the sub board communication LSI 80.

  The sub CPU 81 performs video, sound, and light output control according to the control program stored in the sub ROM 82 based on the command transmitted from the main control circuit 41. The sub ROM 82 basically has a program storage area and a data storage area.

  Various control programs executed by the sub CPU 81 are stored in the program storage area. The control program stored in the program storage area includes, for example, a main board communication task for controlling communication with the main control circuit 41, a production random number value, and determination of production contents (production data). An effect registration task for performing registration, a drawing control task for controlling display of an image by the liquid crystal display device 11 based on the determined content of the effect, a lamp control task for controlling light output by the lamp group 21, and a speaker A program such as a voice control task for controlling sound output by 20L and 20R is included.

  The data storage area includes, for example, a storage area for storing various data tables, a storage area for storing effect data constituting various effects, a storage area for storing animation data related to video creation, and BGM (Back-Ground Music) And various storage areas such as a storage area for storing sound data relating to sound effects and a storage area for storing lamp data relating to light on / off patterns.

  The sub RAM 83 has a storage area for registering the determined contents of the effect, the effect data, and the like, a storage area for storing various data such as an internal winning combination transmitted from the main control circuit 41, and the like.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the sub-control circuit 42 includes peripheral devices (effect devices) such as the liquid crystal display device 11, the speakers 20L and 20R, the lamp group 21, the touch sensors 23L and 23R, and the movable decoration unit 104. Is connected. That is, the operations of these peripheral devices are controlled by the sub control circuit 42.

  In the present embodiment, the sub CPU 81, the rendering processor 84, the drawing RAM 85 (including the frame buffer), and the driver 86 create a video according to the animation data designated by the contents of the presentation, and the created video is generated by the liquid crystal display device 11. Is displayed.

  The sub CPU 81, the DSP 90, the audio RAM 91, the D / A converter 92, and the amplifier 93 output sounds such as BGM from the speakers 20L and 20R according to the sound data designated by the contents of the production. Further, the sub CPU 81 turns on and off the lamp group 21 according to the lamp data designated by the contents of the effect.

  Further, the sub CPU 81 and the movable decoration unit drive circuit 96 drive the movable decoration unit 104 according to the movable decoration unit drive data designated by the contents of the effect. That is, the movable decorative unit 104 is driven when a special effect is performed, and is exposed to the panel opening 101 a of the front panel 10.

  The touch sensors 23L and 23R detect that the player's hand has touched (touched) the left character decoration unit 22L or the right character decoration unit 22R, and transmit the detection result to the sub-control circuit 42. .

[Connection configuration between main board and external concentrated terminal board]
Next, a connection configuration between the main board 31 and the external concentration terminal board 39 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically showing a connection form between the main board 31 and the external concentration terminal board 39. In FIG. 6, only the components related to the transmission operation of various information from the main board 31 to the external concentration terminal board 39 are shown for the sake of simplicity.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, in the main board 31, the output terminal of the second UART 70 built in the main CPU 51 is electrically connected to the input terminal of the external output communication LSI 68. The output terminal of the external output communication LSI 68 is electrically connected to the light emitting element 71 a in the optical communication connector 71 mounted on the main board 31.

  The light emitting element 71a (transmission side port of the optical communication connector 71) is a reception side port (described later) of an optical repeater 160 (see FIGS. 13 and 14) in the external relay board 38 via the first optical fiber cable 111. The first optical fiber insertion recess 171c) is connected. The light emitting element 71a is composed of an electro-optic conversion element such as a light emitting diode (LED) or a laser diode.

  Further, a transmission side port (a second optical fiber insertion recess 172c described later) of an optical repeater 160 described later in the external relay substrate 38 is a light receiving element 72a mounted on the external concentrated terminal plate 39 via the second optical fiber cable 112. Are connected to the receiving side port of the optical communication connector 72. The light receiving element 72 a is electrically connected to the input terminal of the external terminal board control LSI 69 mounted on the external concentrated terminal board 39. The light receiving element 72a is configured by a photoelectric conversion element such as a photodiode, for example.

  Each output terminal of the external terminal board control LSI 69 is connected to an external output connector 74 mounted on the external concentrated terminal board 39 via a corresponding relay 73. The external output connector 74 is connected to an external hall computer.

[Configuration of external output communication LSI and external terminal board control LSI]
Next, the internal configuration of each of the external output communication LSI 68 and the external terminal board control LSI 69 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of each LSI of the external output communication LSI 68 and the external terminal board control LSI 69. In the present embodiment, the external output communication LSI 68 has the same configuration as that of the external terminal board control LSI 69. Therefore, in FIG. 7, the internal configuration of the external output communication LSI 68 and the external terminal board are shown in order to simplify the explanation. The internal configuration of the control LSI 69 will be described collectively. In FIG. 7, the reference numerals in parentheses indicate the configuration of the external terminal board control LSI 69, and the reference numerals before the parentheses indicate the configuration of the external output communication LSI 68.

  As shown in FIG. 7, each of the external output communication LSI 68 and the external terminal board control LSI 69 includes a dedicated controller (120, 140), a setting register (121, 141), a cache memory (122, 142), an AES (Advanced Encryption Standard (123,143), 1st UART (124,144), 2nd UART (125,145), 1st SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) (126,146), 2nd SPI (not shown), 1st Manchester circuit (127, 147) to fourth Manchester circuit (130, 150), a clock reset control circuit (131, 151), and a GPIO (General Purpose Input / Output) interface (133, 153).

  These components are connected to each other via an internal bus (132, 152). The first Manchester circuit (127, 147) is connected to the first UART (124, 144), and the second Manchester circuit (128, 148) is connected to the second UART (125, 145). Each of the external output communication LSI 68 and the external terminal board control LSI 69 is configured by, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

  The dedicated controllers (120, 140) control the overall communication operation related to transmission and reception of information (commands). For example, the dedicated controllers (120, 140) function as a hardware timer and perform a timeout process during transmission / reception.

  The setting registers (121, 141) are configured by a storage circuit having a function equivalent to that of a nonvolatile memory. The setting registers (121, 141) store encryption keys used in the AES circuit (123, 143), setting data related to communication specifications, and the like. Note that data can be written to the setting registers (121, 141) through the second SPI (not shown) only once, for example, when the board is mounted.

  The cache memory (122, 142) is mainly used as a buffer. For example, data related to transmission / reception is temporarily stored in the cache memory (122, 142). As shown in FIG. 7, the clock / reset control circuit (131, 151) generates a clock signal and a reset signal based on an input signal from an oscillator (OSC: Oscillator), an input signal by an external reset, etc. Control the timing and reset operation.

  The AES circuit (123, 143) is a circuit that encrypts and decrypts data by a common key block encryption method. The configuration of the AES circuit (123, 143) will be described in detail later.

  The first UART (124, 144) is a circuit that performs a process of converting a serial signal into a parallel signal by an asynchronous process and a conversion process in the opposite direction. When the first UART (124, 144) is used, there is no need to provide a synchronous clock signal line for timing the information transmission / reception operation.

  The first UART (124, 144) has a function of detecting an error (physical layer error) at the time of transmission / reception. When an error occurs, the first UART (124, 144) outputs a signal to that effect to the dedicated controller (120, 140). The types of errors detected by the first UART (124, 144) include a parity error, an overrun error, and a framing error. A parity error occurs when there is an error in the parity bit of the received data. The overrun error occurs when the next data is received before the dedicated controller (120, 140) retrieves the data stored in the reception data buffer (cache memory (122, 142)). A framing error occurs when the logical value of the stop bit cannot be received at the timing at which the stop bit should be received.

  The second UART (125, 145) is configured by a circuit similar to the first UART (124, 144) and has the same function. Therefore, description of the second UART (125, 145) is omitted here. In the present embodiment, the second UART 70 (see FIG. 6) built in the main CPU 51 is also configured by a circuit similar to the first UART (124, 144) and has the same function.

  The first SPI (126, 146) is a synchronous serial communication interface circuit. The first SPI (126, 146) can transmit and receive data at a higher speed than the asynchronous serial communication interface. A plurality of devices can be connected to the first SPI (126, 146). In the present embodiment, the first SPI (126, 146) is preliminarily provided as an extended function of each LSI of the external output communication LSI 68 and the external terminal board control LSI 69.

  The second SPI (not shown) is provided with a dedicated terminal used when writing an encryption key, setting data, or the like to the setting register (121, 141). That is, the second SPI is used as a connection circuit dedicated to a writing device such as an encryption key and setting data. Since the other configurations and functions of the second SPI are the same as the corresponding configurations and functions of the first SPI (126, 146), descriptions of those configurations and functions are omitted here.

  The first Manchester circuit (127, 147) modulates (encodes) and demodulates (decodes) digital serial data using a binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) method (Manchester modulation method). It is a circuit to do. The first Manchester circuit (127, 147) modulates serial data composed of an arbitrary bit string not including a relatively long string composed of continuous “0” or “1”, and generates original data from the modulated serial data. The digital data consisting of the bit string of is demodulated. The first Manchester circuit (127, 147) can embed a clock rate used for modulation in the serial data. The data modulation / demodulation operation by the Manchester modulation method will be described in detail later.

  The second Manchester circuit (128, 148), the third Manchester circuit (129, 149), and the fourth Manchester circuit (130, 150) have the same functions as the first Manchester circuit (127, 147), respectively. A description of the common function is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the first Manchester circuit (127, 147) is configured as a pair with the first UART (124, 144), and can transmit and receive data via the first UART (124, 144). it can. The second Manchester circuit (128, 148) is configured as a pair with the second UART (125, 145), and can transmit and receive data via the second UART (125, 145).

  The third Manchester circuit (129, 149) is configured to be able to transmit and receive data via the first SPI (126, 146). The fourth Manchester circuit (130, 150) is a circuit provided independently without being combined with other circuits, and has a configuration capable of transmitting and receiving data independently.

  The GPIO interface (133, 153) outputs a composite signal corresponding to the received command generated after the received data is decoded by the AES circuit (123, 143) via each relay 73 (see FIG. 6). 74 is an interface circuit when supplying to 74.

[Configuration of AES circuit]
Next, the configuration of the AES circuit (123, 143) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the AES circuit (123, 143). As described above, in this embodiment, the external output communication LSI 68 has the same configuration as the external terminal board control LSI 69, and therefore, in FIG. The configuration of the AES circuit 123 and the configuration of the AES circuit 143 in the external terminal board control LSI 69 will be described together. The reference numerals in parentheses in FIG. 8 indicate the configuration of the AES circuit 143 in the external terminal board control LSI 69, and the reference numerals before the parentheses indicate the configuration of the AES circuit 123 in the external output communication LSI 68. It is a sign.

  The AES circuit (123, 143) includes a functional block based on an AES encryption algorithm and a functional block based on an AES decryption algorithm that is an inverse function of the AES encryption algorithm, as a hardware configuration. The AES encryption algorithm encrypts plaintext data using a common key, and the AES decryption algorithm returns the encrypted data using the same common key to the original plaintext data.

  The AES encryption algorithm is a typical encryption algorithm of a common key encryption method. In the AES encryption algorithm, the key length can be selected from 128 bits, 192 bits, and 256 bits, and the cipher is a block cipher with an SPN (Substitution Permutation Network) structure with a block length of, for example, 128 bits. A general block cipher is composed of repetitive ciphers that repeat the same round function in order to increase the implementation cost, and the SPN structure is a typical constitution method of repetitive ciphers. The block cipher is a kind of common key cipher and is a general term for ciphers processed for each fixed-length data unit. Note that encryption processed in bit units or byte units is referred to as stream encryption.

  The AES circuit (123, 143) is composed of functional blocks that repeatedly execute a matrix operation of a predetermined number of rounds in units of steps. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the AES circuit (123, 143) includes, as steps, a byte sub step (123a, 143a), a row shift step (123b, 143b), and a column mixing step (123c, 143c). And a round key addition step (123d, 143d: final step), and each step is repeatedly executed in this order. The number of times that these steps are repeatedly executed (the number of rounds) varies depending on the key length, but the round number is 11 when the key length is 128 bits, and the round number when the key length is 192 bits. The number is 13, and the round number is 15 when the key length is 256 bits. However, in any case, the column mixing step (123c, 143c) is not executed in the final round.

  In the byte sub-step (123a, 143a) executed first, the fixed-length input data is divided into 16 byte data composed of 4 rows and 4 columns, for example, and each byte data is replaced by the S box. Note that the S box is a hardware implementation of the basic function of the common key block cryptosystem, and provides a mechanism for breaking the correlation (linearity) between plaintext and ciphertext. The S box is excellent in resistance to differential cryptanalysis, and is excellent in preventing approximation by linear cryptanalysis.

  Next, in the row shift step (123b, 143b) to be executed, the byte data of each row of the byte data consisting of rows and columns is shifted in the row direction based on a predetermined algorithm. Such a row shift step (123b, 143b) provides a mechanism that prevents different byte data in each row from interacting with corresponding byte data in other rows.

  Next, in the column mixing step (123c, 143c) to be executed, the byte data of each column after the row shift step (123b, 143b) is multiplied by a matrix based on the Galois field operation. Such a column mixing step (123c, 143c) provides a mechanism for allowing byte data in each column to affect other byte data.

  Then, in the round key addition step (123d, 143d) executed last, the encryption key (public key) stored in the setting register (121, 141) is converted based on a predetermined algorithm, and the converted data Is passed to the next round as a round key. In the round key adding step (123d, 143d), the exclusive OR of the round key that is different for each round and each byte data that has passed through the column mixing step (123c, 143c) or the row shift step (123b, 143b) An operation is performed. It should be noted that the encryption key (public key) that is the original key with respect to the round key and the setting data relating to the AES circuit (123, 143), etc., for example, only once at the time of board mounting, via the second SPI (not shown) Are written in the setting registers (121, 141).

  When the AES circuit (123, 143) having the above configuration is used, the above-described byte sub-step (123a, 143a), row shift step (123b, 143b), column mixing step (123c, 143c), and round key addition step (123d) , 143d) are repeatedly executed in this order for a predetermined number of rounds, whereby encrypted data is output. Then, the encrypted data is converted (decrypted) into the original plaintext data by the AES decryption algorithm opposite to the AES encryption algorithm described above by the AES circuit (123, 143). In this case, the data transmitted from the external output communication LSI 68 to the external terminal board control LSI 69 is AES-encrypted data, so that it is difficult to decipher. Therefore, in the communication section between the external output communication LSI 68 and the external terminal board control LSI 69, it is possible to prevent communication gotten by AES encryption.

[Modulation / demodulation operation of external output communication LSI and external terminal board control LSI]
Next, the outline of the transmission data modulation operation in the external output communication LSI 68 and the reception data modulation operation in the external terminal board control LSI 69 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a flow of data modulation / demodulation operation between the external output communication LSI 68 and the external terminal board control LSI 69.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the Manchester circuit modulates (encodes) and demodulates (decodes) digital serial data by the Manchester method (BPSK method).

  In the Manchester modulation method, a binary state consisting of digital input values “1” and “0” is basically defined as a transition, and a rising edge of a signal (see signal 211 in FIG. 9) input as serial data. Further, by assigning logic levels “0” and “1” as digital output values to the falling edge, or vice versa, modulated serial data (see signal 212 in FIG. 9) is generated. . At the time of demodulation, demodulation is performed in the reverse procedure of modulation, and the rising edge and falling edge of the signal to be output, or vice versa, with respect to logic levels “0” and “1” as digital input values. The demodulated serial data (see the signal 213 in FIG. 9) is generated by assigning the signal waveform.

  In the present embodiment, data modulation processing is performed in the second Manchester circuit 128 of the external output communication LSI 68, and the modulated transmission data is received and demodulated by the second Manchester circuit 148 of the external terminal board control LSI 69. . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the second Manchester circuit 128 of the external output communication LSI 68 mainly functions as a Manchester modulation circuit, and the second Manchester circuit 148 of the external terminal board control LSI 69 is mainly a Manchester demodulation circuit. Function as.

  The second Manchester circuit 128 serving as a modulation circuit takes an exclusive OR of the synchronization clock signal 210 and the input serial data 211 before modulation. As a result, the modulated serial data 212 is generated and output by the second Manchester circuit 128 (Manchester modulation circuit). The modulated serial data 212 is transmitted via an optical fiber cable.

  On the other hand, the second Manchester circuit 148 serving as a demodulation circuit takes an exclusive OR of the synchronization clock signal 210 and the modulated serial data 212 received via the optical fiber cable. As a result, serial data 213 (demodulated serial data) having a waveform similar to that of the serial data 211 before modulation is generated and output by the second Manchester circuit 148 (Manchester demodulation circuit). By using the second Manchester circuit (128, 148) capable of such a configuration and operation, digital data can be transmitted and received at a relatively low cost.

  In the present embodiment, an optical communication system (wired optical communication system) using an optical fiber cable is employed between the external output communication LSI 68 and the external terminal board control LSI 69 (between the main board 31 and the external concentrated terminal board 39). Although the example to do was demonstrated, this invention is not limited to this. Since the Manchester circuit in each LSI is generally suitable for wireless transmission, a wireless communication system may be applied to the communication system between the external output communication LSI 68 and the external terminal board control LSI 69.

[Data communication between main board and external concentrated terminal board]
Next, an outline of data communication between the main board 31 and the external concentration terminal board 39 (between the main CPU 51 and the hall computer 200) will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data communication flow and communication specifications between the main CPU 51 and the hall computer 200.

  In the main board 31, first, the main CPU 51 supplies data including commands (plain text data) to the external output communication LSI 68. Next, the external output communication LSI 68 performs a physical layer error detection process on the supplied data. Next, the AES circuit 123 performs encryption processing on the data that has undergone physical layer error detection processing and the like to generate encrypted data.

  Next, the AES circuit 123 outputs the encrypted data (encrypted data) to the second Manchester circuit 128 via the second UART 125. Next, the second Manchester circuit 128 modulates the encrypted data. The modulated encrypted data is composed of serial data including a command. Then, the external output communication LSI 68 outputs the modulated encrypted data (transmission data) to the light emitting element 71 a in the optical communication connector 71 mounted on the main board 31.

  Next, the light emitting element 71a blinks based on the modulated encryption data (serial data), and converts the modulated encryption data into an optical signal. The light emitting element 71a then transmits the converted optical signal to the first optical fiber cable 111 (first optical transmission means) that connects between the main board 31 and the external relay board 38 attached to the transmission side port of the optical communication connector 71. ) On one end face (end face on the main substrate side).

  Next, the optical signal supplied to the first optical fiber cable 111 is output to the optical repeater 160 in the external repeater board 38 to which the other end surface (optical repeater side end surface) of the first optical fiber cable 111 is attached. Next, the optical repeater 160 connects the input optical signal to the second optical fiber cable 112 (second optical transmission means) that connects the external repeater board 38 and the external concentrated terminal plate 39 connected to the optical repeater 160. The signal is output to the second optical fiber cable 112 through one end face (end face on the optical repeater side). The relay operation of the optical repeater 160 at this time will be described in detail later.

  Next, the optical signal corresponding to the modulated encrypted data relayed by the optical repeater 160 is sent to the other end face of the second optical fiber cable 112 attached to the reception side port of the optical communication connector 72 of the external concentration terminal board 39 ( The light is output to the light receiving element 72a in the optical communication connector 72 via the external concentrated terminal plate side end face).

  Next, the light receiving element 72a converts the received optical signal into an electric signal (modulated encrypted data), and outputs the converted electric signal to the second Manchester circuit 148 of the external terminal board control LSI 69. Next, the second Manchester circuit 148 demodulates the input electrical signal (modulated encrypted data), and outputs the demodulated data (encrypted data) to the AES circuit 143 via the second UART 145. Next, the AES circuit 143 decrypts the demodulated data (encrypted data) and generates a composite signal corresponding to the received command based on the decrypted data (plaintext data). Then, the external terminal board control LSI 69 supplies the generated composite signal from each output port of the GPIO interface 153 to the external output connector 74 via each relay 73. Note that the “composite” of the composite signal here is simply used to mean a plurality or a collection of signal lines having different uses. That is, the “composite signal” in this specification is not a composite video signal used in the field of video technology but a simple composite signal.

  Further, the hall computer 200 is connected to the external output connector 74, and data is transmitted to the hall computer 200 by a composite signal output from the external terminal board control LSI 69. In the hall computer 200, various analysis processes are performed based on the data transmitted from the external concentration terminal board 39. In this embodiment, data is exchanged between the main CPU 51 and the hall computer 200 in this way.

  In this embodiment, in the data communication operation between the main CPU 51 and the hall computer 200 described above, the command transmitted from the main CPU 51 to the external output communication LSI 68 is 2-byte plaintext data as shown in FIG. The communication speed (baud rate) at that time is 19200 bps. This communication specification is determined according to the communication specification between the main CPU 51 and the external output communication LSI 68, specifically, the processing specification of the main CPU 51. Therefore, if the communication specification changes, the communication between the main CPU 51 and the hall computer 200 is performed. The data length and communication speed of plaintext data in the network also change.

  In the present embodiment, the external output data transmitted from the external output communication LSI 68 to the external terminal board control LSI 69 is 1-byte data that is encrypted and Manchester-modulated, and the communication speed at that time is 115200 bps. To do. This communication specification is determined according to the communication specifications between the external output communication LSI 68 and the external terminal board control LSI 69, specifically, the external output communication LSI 68 and the external terminal board control LSI 69, and the processing specifications of the hall computer 200. Therefore, if the communication specification changes, the data length and communication speed of the external output data between the external output communication LSI 68 and the external terminal board control LSI 69 also change.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the parallel signal output from the external terminal board control LSI 69 to the hall computer 200 is composed of a plurality of signals. The external output data transmitted from the external output communication LSI 68 to the external terminal board control LSI 69 may be data that has been subjected to only the encryption process without being subjected to the Manchester modulation process. In this case, data transfer from the main board 31 to the external concentration terminal board 39 can be executed efficiently.

[Transmission data from main board to external relay board]
Next, the configuration and types of commands transmitted from the main CPU 51 (main board 31) to the external output communication LSI 68 (external relay board 38) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a table summarizing the correspondence between the type of command transmitted from the main CPU 51 to the external output communication LSI 68 and the configuration of the command for each type.

  In this embodiment, each command is composed of a set of 1-byte command information (CMD) indicating a command type and 1-byte setting data (DATA) indicating a parameter transmitted along with the command information.

  Command information (CMD) is expressed in hexadecimal. Specifically, a medal-in command indicating medal insertion is represented by “90H”, and a medal-out command indicating medal payout is represented by “A0H”. An external output command indicating that various information relating to the game or the like is simply output to the outside is represented by “B0H”, and an external output chain command indicating that the various types of information are output to the outside after the completion of outputting the medal out command. Is represented by “B1H”. An external output ON command indicating that various information related to games and the like are continuously output for a predetermined time is represented by “B2H”, and the various information is output after completion of the output of the medal out command for a predetermined time. An external output ON chain command indicating continuous output is represented by “B3H”. Also, an external output OFF command indicating that various information related to the game or the like is continuously in the external output OFF state for a predetermined time is represented by “B4H”, and the various information is displayed after the end of the medal out command output. The external output OFF chain command indicating that the external output is off for a predetermined time is represented by “B5H”. Furthermore, a security command indicating that security-related information is output externally is represented by “C0H”.

  Note that, for example, information relating to gaming status and winnings is generally assigned to the commands “B0H” to “B5H” relating to external output, but the present invention is not limited to this, and is required for each model of the pachislot machine 1, for example. Various types of information can be determined as appropriate. The security command “C0H” includes, for example, information indicating door opening detection and setting change start, main RAM 53 thumb abnormality, inserted medal passage time, inserted medal passage check, inserted medal reverse, auxiliary storage full, hopper Security information such as empty, hopper jam, illegal hit (illegal prize in which the winning combination is different from the winning combination) and the like are assigned.

  In the setting data of the medal-in command “90H”, a numerical value indicating the number of medals inserted is set. In the setting data of the medal out command “A0H”, a numerical value indicating the medal payout number is set. External signals 1 to 4 are set as information indicating the type in the lower 4 bits of the setting data of the commands “B0H” to “B5H” related to the external output. The upper 4 bits of the setting data of the external output command “B0H” and the external output chain command “B1H” are unused. The upper 4 bits of the external output ON command “B2H”, the external output ON chain command “B3H”, the external output OFF command “B4H”, and the external output OFF chain command “B5H” are numerical values indicating time settings (time setting values). 0 to 7 are set. In the upper 4 bits of the setting data of the security command “C0H”, 0 to 7 can be arbitrarily set as a numerical value (time setting value) indicating time setting, and the least significant bit (Bit 0) of the lower 4 bits is set. Is set with presence / absence information (1/0) of security information.

  In the present embodiment, the actual time per time set value “1” is set in advance to about 500 ms, for example. In this embodiment, on information (1) is always set in the most significant bit (Bit7) of command information (CMD), but the most significant bit (Bit7) of setting data (DATA) is always set. OFF information (0) is set, and the external output communication LSI 68 is configured to execute reception processing in units of 1 byte. Accordingly, the external output communication LSI 68 can efficiently perform data communication processing while distributing the command received from the main CPU 51 to the command information (CMD) and the setting data (DATA).

  The external output communication LSI 68 that has received the command generates external output data (transmission data) from the received command, and transmits the external output data to the external terminal board control LSI 69 at a predetermined timing. The working area and a plurality of software timer areas are secured in the cache memory 122. The working area includes an output status area for setting the output status of the external output data to be output at the present time, an output editing area for editing the output status of the external output data, and an external related to the chain command. Chain area for storing output data, external output ON area for storing external output data related to external output ON chain command, external output for storing data for external output related to external output OFF chain command OFF area, external output ON measurement return area to return the output state of external output data after the set time of external output ON command (including chain), external output after set time of external output OFF command (including chain) External output OFF for returning the data output state. , There is a security measure after the return area for returning the output state of the data for external output after the set time of the security command.

[Schematic configuration of external repeater board and optical repeater]
Next, a schematic configuration of the external relay board 38 and the optical repeater 160 mounted thereon will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the external relay board 38 and the optical repeater 160.

  The external relay board 38 is a relay board for connecting the main board 31 and the external concentration terminal board 39 via an optical fiber cable. The external relay board 38 has an optical repeater 160 (for relaying the optical fiber cable). An optical repeater) is mounted. The optical repeater 160 receives the optical signal transmitted from the first optical fiber cable 111 connected to the main board 31, and receives the received optical signal to the second optical fiber cable 112 connected to the external concentration terminal plate 39. Send to.

  In the present embodiment, a commercially available general optical fiber cable can be used as the first optical fiber cable 111 and the second optical fiber cable 112. For example, a plastic optical fiber (POF) or the like can be used. . Further, as shown in FIG. 14 described later, each optical fiber cable includes a core wire and a covering portion that covers the periphery of the core wire, and the core wire includes a core and a clad provided outside the core. The

  As shown in FIG. 12, the optical repeater 160 includes a light receiving element 164 (photoelectric converter), a light emitting element 165 (electro-optic converter), and a relay circuit 166 to enable the optical signal relay operation. . The optical repeater 160 is powered by the electric power supplied from the external repeater board 38 via a power supply pin section (described later) provided in the optical repeater 160 when the optical repeater 160 is mounted on the external repeater board 38. Operate.

  The light receiving element 164 receives an optical signal transmitted from the main board 31 via the first optical fiber cable 111 and converts the received optical signal into an electrical signal. Then, the light receiving element 164 outputs the converted electric signal to the relay circuit 166. In the present embodiment, the light receiving element 164 is configured by a photodiode.

  The light emitting element 165 restores the optical signal by emitting light based on the electrical signal output from the relay circuit 166 and outputs the restored optical signal to the second optical fiber cable 112 connected to the external concentration terminal plate 39. . In the present embodiment, the light emitting element 165 is composed of a light emitting diode (LED). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be composed of, for example, a laser diode or other electro-optic conversion element.

  The relay circuit 166 can be configured by any circuit as long as the electrical signal converted by the light receiving element 164 can be transmitted to the light emitting element 165 in one direction. For example, in this embodiment, as will be described later, the relay circuit 166 mainly includes a receiving IC (Integrated Circuit) 181 of the light receiving element 164, a driver IC 182 of the light emitting element 165, and data for electrically connecting both ICs. It is composed of a lead wire 175. For example, the relay circuit 166 may further have a function of amplifying the electric signal in order to more accurately execute the restoration of the optical signal by the light emitting element 165.

  Here, an outline of the optical signal relay operation in the optical repeater 160 will be described. First, when the light receiving element 164 receives an optical pulse signal composed of binary values of “0 (quenching)” and “1 (light emission)” as an optical signal via the first optical fiber cable 111, the light receiving element 164 This optical signal is converted into an electric signal by photoelectric conversion, and the converted electric signal is output to the relay circuit 166. Next, the relay circuit 166 generates an electric pulse signal composed of binary values of “0 (low level)” and “1 (high level)” based on the converted electric signal, and the electric pulse signal is Output to the light emitting element 165. The light emitting element 165 emits and extinguishes (flashes) based on the electric pulse signal output from the relay circuit 166. As a result, the light emitting element 165 generates an optical pulse having the same waveform as the optical pulse signal received by the light receiving element 164, and the optical pulse signal (optical signal) is output to the second optical fiber cable 112.

[Configuration of optical repeater]
Next, a configuration example of the optical repeater 160 used in the pachislot machine 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the optical fiber cable insertion direction in the optical repeater 160 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view when the optical repeater 160 is mounted with the optical fiber cable. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the optical repeater 160 includes an optical repeater main body 161, an optical repeater casing 162 (housing section), and a sealing member 163. The optical repeater main body 161 is a member including the light receiving element 164, the light emitting element 165, and the relay circuit 166 described with reference to FIG. The configuration of the optical repeater body 161 will be described in detail later.

  The optical repeater housing 162 encloses and holds the optical repeater main body 161 inside, and has a substantially cylindrical shape for holding the first optical fiber cable 111 and the second optical fiber cable 112 attached to the optical repeater main body 161. It is a housing member.

  The optical repeater casing 162 can be formed of a general hard plastic material, but in this embodiment, in order to prevent interference of electromagnetic waves (including external noise) with the optical repeater body 161. The optical repeater casing 162 is made of a conductive plastic material or a non-conductive plastic member embedded with a metal shielding part for shielding electromagnetic waves. That is, in this embodiment, the optical repeater housing 162 has an electromagnetic wave shielding function.

  When the optical repeater casing 162 is formed of a conductive plastic material, for example, polyacetylene, polypyrrole, polythiophene, polyaniline, or the like can be used as the conductive plastic material. Polypyrrole, polythiophene and polyaniline can be produced by an electrochemical polymerization (electrolytic polymerization) method, and polyacetylene can be produced by a chemical polymerization (catalytic polymerization) method. Further, as the conductive plastic material, a composite conductive plastic material having an electric / electronic function by adding a conductor mainly composed of an inorganic substance to a general-purpose plastic material may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 13, a first optical fiber insertion hole 162a (first mounting portion) for holding the first optical fiber cable 111 and a second optical fiber cable 112 are held inside the optical repeater casing 162. The second optical fiber insertion hole 162b (second mounting portion) and the main body storage recess 162c (storage portion) for storing the optical repeater main body 161 therein are formed.

  The first optical fiber insertion hole 162a extends from one end (left side in FIG. 13) of the substantially cylindrical optical repeater housing 162 to one side wall of the main body housing recess 162c. Is a circular through hole. In the first optical fiber insertion hole 162a, the light emitting side tip portion of the first optical fiber cable 111 connecting the main substrate 31 and the external relay substrate 38 is inserted. Therefore, the size of the opening diameter of the first optical fiber insertion hole 162 a is slightly larger than the outer diameter size of the first optical fiber cable 111.

  The second optical fiber insertion hole 162b is an opening shape formed to extend from the other end (right side in FIG. 13) of the substantially cylindrical optical repeater housing 162 to the other side wall of the main body housing recess 162c. Is a circular through hole. The light receiving side tip portion of the second optical fiber cable 112 connecting the external relay substrate 38 and the external concentration terminal plate 39 is inserted into the second optical fiber insertion hole 162b. Therefore, the size of the opening diameter of the second optical fiber insertion hole 162b is slightly larger than the outer diameter size of the second optical fiber cable 112.

  When the outer diameter of the second optical fiber cable 112 is the same as the outer diameter of the first optical fiber cable 111, the size of the opening diameter of the second optical fiber insertion hole 162b is the opening of the first optical fiber insertion hole 162a. The same size as the aperture is set. On the other hand, when the outer diameter of the second optical fiber cable 112 is different from the outer diameter of the first optical fiber cable 111, the size of the opening diameter of the second optical fiber insertion hole 162b is the opening of the first optical fiber insertion hole 162a. It is set to a size different from the aperture. That is, the opening diameter size of each optical fiber insertion hole can be set appropriately and appropriately according to the outer diameter size of the inserted optical fiber cable.

  When the optical repeater 160 is mounted on the external repeater board 38, the main body housing recess 162c is a face opposite to the face from the face (lower face in FIG. 13) of the optical repeater casing 162 that faces the external repeater board 38. This is a recess formed extending to the vicinity (upper surface in FIG. 13). In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the outer wall shape of the main body housing recess 162c is formed on the first lead frame 171 and the second lead frame 172, which will be described later, of the optical repeater main body 161, and on the upper part of these lead frames. It has substantially the same shape as the external shape of the portion including the exposed bent portions of various lead wires (for example, a power line bent portion 173b described later). Therefore, when the optical repeater body 161 is housed in the body housing recess 162c, among the constituent parts of the optical repeater body 161, pin portions (for example, described later) of various lead wires protruding from the lower portions of the lead frames. The power supply pin portions 173a, 173c, etc.) are not enclosed in the optical repeater casing 162 and are exposed to the outside.

  In the present embodiment, the size (opening size, depth size, etc.) of the main body storage recess 162c is set to be slightly larger than the size of the external shape of the optical repeater main body 161. As a result, when the optical repeater main body 161 is stored in the main body storage recess 162c, a gap is generated between the optical repeater main body 161 and the wall surface of the main body storage recess 162c, as shown in FIG. The bent portions of the various lead wires exposed at the top of each lead frame can be prevented from contacting the bottom surface (upper surface in FIG. 13) of the main body housing recess 162c. In this case, even if the optical repeater casing 162 is formed of a conductive plastic material, a short circuit between the lead wires can be prevented.

  The sealing member 163 is a member for sealing the opening of the main body storage recess 162c after the optical repeater main body 161 is inserted into the main body storage recess 162c. The optical repeater main body 161 is enclosed in the optical repeater casing 162 by sealing the opening of the main body housing recess 162c with the sealing member 163.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, when the optical repeater body 161 is enclosed in the optical repeater casing 162, the central axis of the first optical fiber insertion hole 162a and the second optical fiber insertion hole 162b. The center of the bottom surface (opening surface) of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c of the first lead frame 171 described later, the center of the bottom surface (opening surface) of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c of the second lead frame 172 described later, The center of the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 164 enclosed in the optical repeater body 161 and the center of the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 165 enclosed in the optical repeater body 161 are arranged substantially coaxially. The first optical fiber insertion hole 162a, the second optical fiber insertion hole 162b, and the main body housing recess 162c are formed in the optical repeater casing 162.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, the light emitting side tip of the first optical fiber cable 111 connecting the main board 31 and the external relay board 38 is connected to the first optical fiber insertion hole 162a of the optical repeater 160 and the first optical fiber described later. When inserted into the insertion recess 171 c, a state is generated in which the center of the light emitting side end face of the first optical fiber cable 111 is opposed to the center of the light receiving face of the light receiving element 164. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the light receiving side tip portion of the second optical fiber cable 112 connecting the external relay board 38 and the external concentration terminal plate 39 is connected to the second optical fiber insertion hole 162b of the optical repeater 160 and the second optical fiber described later. When inserted into the optical fiber insertion recess 172c, a state is generated in which the center of the light receiving side end surface of the second optical fiber cable 112 faces the center of the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 165. With such a configuration, an optical signal can be relayed efficiently and reliably.

  Although not shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the optical repeater casing 162 includes a fixing mechanism for fixing the inserted optical fiber cable. As the fixing mechanism, for example, an optical fiber cable fixing mechanism employed in a conventional optical communication connector that is commercially available or the like can be used.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, a cable in which the core wire 111 a is covered with the covering portion 111 b at the distal end portion of the first optical fiber cable 111 is inserted into the optical repeater 160. Similarly, a cable in which the core wire 112 a is covered with the covering portion 112 b at the tip portion of the second optical fiber cable 112 is inserted into the optical repeater 160. In this case, it is not necessary to expose the core wire at the tip of each optical fiber cable, and it is not necessary to separately provide a positioning mechanism (fixing mechanism) for the core wire in the optical repeater 160, so that the configuration becomes simpler.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to this, You may insert the cable of the state which removed the coating | coated part (state which the core wire exposed) in the front-end | tip part of each optical fiber cable in the optical repeater 160. FIG. In this case, the optical repeater 160 is preferably further provided with a mechanism (fixing mechanism) for positioning the exposed core wire at the tip portion of each inserted optical fiber cable.

[Configuration of optical repeater body]
Next, the configuration of the optical repeater body 161 of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  15 is an external perspective view of the optical repeater body 161, and FIG. 16 is an external top view of the optical repeater body 161. 17 is an external side view of the optical repeater body 161 viewed from the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c side, and FIG. 18 is an external side view of the optical repeater body 161 viewed from the power supply lead 173 side. FIG. 19 is a schematic configuration diagram of the optical repeater body 161 before the optical repeater body 161 is bent. 20 is a side view of the optical repeater body 161 viewed from the attachment surface side (first optical fiber insertion recess 171c side) of the light receiving element 164 after the optical repeater body 161 is bent. FIG. FIG. 5B is a side view of the optical repeater body 161 viewed from the attachment surface side (second optical fiber insertion recess 172c side) of the light emitting element 165 after the optical repeater body 161 is bent. In addition, in order to show the characteristics of the optical repeater body 161 more clearly, there is a portion that is not matched in the size, scale ratio, and the like of the components of the optical repeater body 161 between these drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 to 21, the optical repeater body 161 includes a light receiving element 164, a light emitting element 165, a first lead frame 171 (first frame part), and a second lead frame 172 (second frame part). , A power lead wire 173 (power wiring portion), a ground lead wire 174 (ground wiring portion), and a data lead wire 175 (data wiring portion). And in the optical repeater main body 161, these structural members are integrally formed. Hereinafter, the configuration of each component will be described. The ground lead wire may be referred to as, for example, a 0V line or GND (ground).

(1) Configuration of Lead Frame Part The first lead frame 171 has a first frame upper part 171a and a first frame bottom part 171b. The first frame upper portion 171a and the first frame bottom portion 171b are each formed of a non-conductive (insulating) plastic material and are manufactured by a general molding method.

  The first frame upper portion 171a is a substantially square frustum-shaped block member. A first optical fiber insertion recess 171c (first mounting opening) having a circular opening shape is formed on the surface of the first frame upper portion 171a opposite to the joint surface side with the first frame bottom portion 171b. In addition, since the front-end | tip part of the 1st optical fiber cable 111 is attached to the 1st optical fiber insertion recessed part 171c as mentioned above, the 1st optical fiber insertion recessed part 171c acts as an optical port (reception side port). A first sealing recess 171d for housing the light receiving element 164 mounted on the ground lead 174 is formed on the surface of the first frame upper portion 171a on the side of the joint surface with the first frame bottom 171b. (See FIG. 18).

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the tip end portion of the first optical fiber cable 111 in a state where the core wire 111a is covered with the covering portion 111b is used as the first optical fiber insertion hole 162a of the optical repeater 160 and the first optical fiber. Since the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c is inserted into the insertion recess 171c, the size of the opening diameter of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter size of the first optical fiber cable 111. Thus, when the first optical fiber cable 111 is attached to the optical repeater 160, the position (attachment position) of the tip portion of the first optical fiber cable 111 is fixed in the optical repeater 160. That is, in the present embodiment, the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c also functions as a positioning means for the tip portion of the attached first optical fiber cable 111.

  The opening size of the first sealing recess 171d can be arbitrarily set as long as it can accommodate the light receiving element 164 inside. When the light receiving element 164 is sealed by the first sealing recess 171d, the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 164 may be in contact with the bottom surface of the first sealing recess 171d, or the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 164 and the first sealing portion may be in contact with each other. A gap may be generated between the bottom surface of the stop recess 171d.

  In the present embodiment, the first frame upper portion 171 a is formed of a plastic material that is transparent to light having an operating wavelength of the light receiving element 164. Thereby, the light emitted from the first optical fiber cable 111 can reach the light receiving element 164 via the bottom surface of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c. The present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of the first frame upper portion 171a is such that the light receiving element 164 is exposed on the bottom surface of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c described later (the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c). The first frame upper portion 171a may be formed of a plastic material that is opaque to light having the operating wavelength of the light receiving element 164. Good.

  The first frame bottom 171b is composed of a plate-like member, and the shape of the joint surface between the plate-like member and the first frame upper portion 171a is rectangular. In addition, a part of various lead wires (power supply lead wire 173, ground lead wire 174, and data lead wire 175) is mounted on the surface of the first frame bottom portion 171b on the joint surface side with the first frame upper portion 171a (see FIG. (See FIG. 19). The first frame bottom 171b may be formed of a plastic material that is transparent to light having an operating wavelength of the light receiving element 164, or may be formed of an opaque plastic material.

  The second lead frame 172 includes a second frame upper part 172a and a second frame bottom part 172b. The second frame upper part 172a and the second frame bottom part 172b have the same configuration as the first frame upper part 171a and the first frame bottom part 171b of the first lead frame 171, respectively.

  A second optical fiber insertion recess 172c (second mounting opening) having a circular opening shape is formed on the surface of the second frame upper portion 172a opposite to the joint surface side with the second frame bottom portion 172b. As described above, since the distal end portion of the second optical fiber cable 112 is attached to the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c, the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c functions as an optical port (transmission side port). A second sealing recess 172d for accommodating a light emitting element 165 mounted on a ground lead 174 (described later) is formed on the surface of the second frame upper part 172a on the side of the joint surface with the second frame bottom 172b. (See FIG. 18).

  In the present embodiment, the second frame upper portion 172a is formed of a plastic material that is transparent to light having an operating wavelength of the light emitting element 165. Thereby, the light emitted from the light emitting element 165 can reach the light receiving side end surface of the second optical fiber cable 112 via the bottom surface of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c. When the operating wavelength of the light emitting element 165 is the same as that of the light receiving element 164, the second frame upper part 172a is formed of the same plastic material as that of the first frame upper part 171a. The upper part of each frame is appropriately formed of a different material according to the operating wavelength.

  The present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of the second frame upper portion 172a is such that the light emitting element 165 is exposed on the bottom surface of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c (the bottom surface of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c). 2), the second frame upper portion 172a may be formed of a plastic material that is opaque to the light having the operating wavelength of the light emitting element 165.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the tip portion of the second optical fiber cable 112 in a state where the core wire 112a is covered with the covering portion 112b is used as the second optical fiber insertion hole 162b of the optical repeater 160 and the second optical fiber. Since the insertion recess 172c is inserted, the opening diameter of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the second optical fiber cable 112. Thereby, when the second optical fiber cable 112 is attached to the optical repeater 160, the position (attachment position) of the tip portion of the second optical fiber cable 112 is fixed in the optical repeater 160. That is, in the present embodiment, the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c also functions as a positioning means for the distal end portion of the attached second optical fiber cable 112.

  When the outer diameter of the second optical fiber cable 112 is the same as the outer diameter of the first optical fiber cable 111, the size of the opening diameter of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c is the opening of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c. The same size as the aperture is set. On the other hand, when the outer diameter size of the second optical fiber cable 112 is different from the outer diameter of the first optical fiber cable 111, the size of the opening diameter of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c is the opening of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c. It is set to a size different from the aperture. That is, the opening diameter size of each optical fiber insertion recess can be set appropriately and appropriately according to the outer diameter size of the inserted optical fiber cable.

  The opening size of the second sealing recess 172d can be arbitrarily set as long as it can accommodate the light emitting element 165 therein. When the light emitting element 165 is sealed by the second sealing recess 172d, the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 165 may be in contact with the bottom surface of the second sealing recess 172d, or the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 165 and the second sealing. A gap may be generated between the bottom surface of the stopper recess 172d.

  A part of various lead wires (power supply lead wire 173, ground lead wire 174, and data lead wire 175) is mounted on the surface of the second frame bottom portion 172b on the side of the joint surface with the second frame upper portion 172a (FIG. 19). reference). Note that the second frame bottom 172b may be formed of a plastic material that is transparent to light having an operating wavelength of the light emitting element 165, or may be formed of an opaque plastic material.

  In the optical repeater body 161, as shown in FIG. 18, the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 164 and the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 165 are substantially parallel to each other, and the surface direction of the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 164 (perpendicular to the surface). Direction) and the surface direction of the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 165 are opposite to each other, and the center of the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 164 and the center of the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 165 are arranged substantially coaxially. A first lead frame 171 and a second lead frame 172 are disposed (an optical repeater body 161 is manufactured). In other words, in the optical repeater body 161 of the present embodiment, the opening surface of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c of the first frame upper portion 171a and the opening surface of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c of the second frame upper portion 172a are substantially parallel to each other. The surface direction of the opening surface of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c (the direction from the bottom surface of the recess toward the opening) and the surface direction of the opening surface of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c are opposite to each other, and the first optical fiber The first lead frame 171 and the second lead frame 172 are arranged so that the center of the opening surface (bottom surface) of the insertion recess 171c and the center of the opening surface (bottom surface) of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c are arranged substantially coaxially. Be placed.

  Such a configuration of the optical repeater main body 161 is formed by bending a bent portion (wiring region portion) provided at the center of various lead wires in the manufacturing process of the optical repeater main body 161 as described later. Realized. That is, the arrangement form of the first lead frame 171 (light receiving element 164) and the second lead frame 172 (light emitting element 165) described above is realized by a bent structure of a wiring region portion provided at the center of various lead wires. In the present embodiment, the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 164 (the opening surface of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c) is completely parallel to the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 165 (the opening surface of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c). It may be a state slightly deviated from the completely parallel state.

(2) Configuration of Various Lead Wires and Various Optical Communication Devices Next, referring to FIG. 19, various lead wires (power supply lead wire 173, ground lead wire 174 and data lead wire 175) mounted on the lead frame and various types The optical communication device and the connection form of both will be described. In addition, in FIG. 19, in order to clarify the connection mode of various lead wires and various optical communication devices, before the various optical communication devices are sealed by the first frame upper portion 171a and the second frame upper portion 172a, and The state before performing a bending process with respect to various lead wires is shown.

  In practice, various electrical components and / or optoelectronic components other than the light receiving element 164 and the light emitting element 165 are mounted in the lead frame of the optical repeater 160 of the present embodiment. In order to simplify the description, only components necessary for the relay operation of the optical repeater 160 are shown as components mounted in the lead frame. The present invention is not limited to this, and the components mounted in the lead frame of the optical repeater 160 may be only components necessary for the relay operation of the optical repeater 160.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, the power supply lead 173, the ground lead 174, and the data lead 175 are mounted on the first frame bottom 171b and the second frame bottom 172b that are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. The At this time, the various lead wires are mounted on the joint surface side of the first frame bottom 171b with the first frame upper portion 171a and the joint surface side of the second frame bottom 172b with the second frame upper portion 172a. At this time, the power supply lead wire 173, the ground lead wire 174, and the data lead wire 175 are substantially separated from each other in this order in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the first frame bottom portion 171b and the second frame bottom portion 172b. Arranged in parallel. That is, each lead wire is provided in common for the first lead frame 171 and the second lead frame 172 (for the light receiving element 164 and the light emitting element 165).

  Further, an electrode lead-out wiring 176 is provided in a region on the second frame bottom 172 b and between the power supply lead wire 173 and the ground lead wire 174. The electrode lead wiring 176 is electrically connected to the cathode of the LED that constitutes the light emitting element 165.

  The power lead 173 is a power supply wiring for various electrical components and / or various optoelectronic components (including the light receiving element 164 and the light emitting element 165) mounted in the first lead frame 171 and the second lead frame 172. As shown in FIG. 19, the power supply lead 173 is configured by a substantially linear wiring member extending in the arrangement direction of the first frame bottom 171b and the second frame bottom 172b. Further, the power supply lead 173 is provided in an area between the two power supply pin portions 173a and 173c provided near both ends thereof, and between the first frame bottom portion 171b and the second frame bottom portion 172b (near the center of the power supply lead wire 173). And a power supply line bent portion 173b provided. In the present embodiment, the power supply lead wire 173 is configured such that the width of the power supply line bent portion 173b is wider than the width of each power supply pin portion (173a, 173c).

  The two power supply pin portions 173a and 173c are wiring portions that are exposed to the outside without being enclosed in the first lead frame 171 and the second lead frame 172 even after the optical repeater 160 is completed. The two power supply pin portions 173a and 173c are inserted into through holes provided in the external relay board 38 when the optical repeater 160 is mounted on the external relay board 38, and are electrically connected to the power supply terminals of the external relay board 38. Connected. The power supply line bent portion 173b is a wiring portion that is bent by bending various lead wires performed after enclosing various optical communication devices in the lead frame.

  The ground lead wire 174 is a wiring for grounding various electrical components and / or various optoelectronic components (including the light receiving element 164 and the light emitting element 165) mounted in the first lead frame 171 and the second lead frame 172. As shown in FIG. 19, the ground lead wire 174 is formed of a wiring member extending in the arrangement direction of the first frame bottom portion 171b and the second frame bottom portion 172b. In addition, the ground lead wire 174 is provided in an area between two connection pin portions 174a and 174c provided near both ends thereof, and between the first frame bottom portion 171b and the second frame bottom portion 172b (near the center of the ground lead wire 174). And a ground line bent portion 174b provided. In the present embodiment, the ground lead wire 174 is configured such that the width of the ground wire bent portion 174b is wider than the width of each ground pin portion (174a, 174c).

  In addition, mounting regions for the light receiving element 164 and the light emitting element 165 are also provided in regions of the ground lead wire 174 on the first lead frame 171 and the second lead frame 172, respectively. The wiring portion of the ground lead wire 174 including 174b has a wiring pattern extending substantially linearly. Further, as shown in FIG. 19, the wiring portion between each end portion of the wiring portion including the mounting area of the optical element and the ground wire bent portion 174b and the corresponding ground pin portion corresponds to the data lead wire 175. The wiring pattern is bent in a substantially L shape so as to bypass the end portion.

  The two connection pin portions 174a and 174c are wiring portions that are exposed to the outside without being enclosed in the first lead frame 171 and the second lead frame 172 even after the optical repeater 160 is completed. The two connection pin portions 174a and 174c are inserted into through holes provided in the external relay board 38 when the optical repeater 160 is mounted on the external relay board 38, and are electrically connected to the ground terminal of the external relay board 38. Connected. The ground wire bent portion 174b is a wiring portion that is bent by bending various lead wires performed after enclosing various optical communication devices in the lead frame.

  The data lead 175 is a wiring for transmitting an electric signal generated by photoelectric conversion by the light receiving element 164 to the light emitting element 165. As shown in FIG. 19, the data lead wire 175 is composed of a linear wiring member extending in the arrangement direction of the first frame bottom portion 171b and the second frame bottom portion 172b. The data lead 175 is provided in a region between two mounting end portions 175a and 175c provided near both ends thereof, and between the first frame bottom portion 171b and the second frame bottom portion 172b (near the center of the power supply lead wire 173). And a bent portion 175b (wiring region portion). In the present embodiment, the data lead wire 175 is configured such that the width size of the bent portion 175b is the same as the width size of each mounting end portion (175a, 175c).

  The mounting end 175a and the mounting end 175c are wiring portions mounted on the first frame bottom 171b and the second frame bottom 172b, respectively. The bent portion 175b is a wiring portion that is bent by bending various lead wires performed after enclosing various optical communication devices in the lead frame.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in order to enable the above-described optical signal relay operation of the optical repeater 160, the light receiving device unit including the light receiving element 164 (photoelectric converter) and the receiving IC 181 is provided as shown in FIG. A light emitting device portion that is mounted in one lead frame 171 and includes a light emitting element 165 (electro-optic converter) and a driver IC 182 is mounted in the second lead frame 172. The receiving IC 181 is based on the electrical signal output from the light receiving element 164, and the electrical pulse signal (“low”) corresponding to the light pulse signal (the combined signal of “extinction” and “light emission”) incident on the light receiving element 164. (Level (0) ”and“ high level (1) ”). The driver IC 182 controls the blinking (light emission / extinction) operation of the light emitting element 165 based on the electric pulse signal generated by the reception IC 181.

  The light receiving element 164 is mounted on the receiving IC 181, and the receiving IC 181 is mounted in a predetermined mounting area in the wiring area of the ground lead wire 174 on the first frame bottom 171 b. The power supply terminal, the ground terminal, and the signal output terminal of the reception IC 181 are electrically connected to the wiring regions of the power supply lead 173, the ground lead 174, and the data lead 175 on the first frame bottom 171b through the bond wires 185, respectively. Connected.

  The light emitting element 165 is mounted on the electrode lead wiring 176. At this time, the light emitting element 165 (LED) is mounted such that the cathode of the light emitting element 165 (LED) is electrically connected to the electrode lead-out wiring 176. For example, the surface where the cathode (cathode terminal) of the light emitting element 165 is exposed is bonded to the electrode lead-out wiring 176 via a conductive adhesive (for example, silver paste). On the other hand, the anode (anode terminal) of the light emitting element 165 is electrically connected to the wiring region of the power supply lead 173 on the second frame bottom 172b through the bond wire 185.

  The driver IC 182 is mounted in a predetermined mounting area in the wiring area of the ground lead wire 174 on the second frame bottom 172b. The power supply terminal, the ground terminal, and the signal input terminal of the driver IC 182 are electrically connected to the wiring regions of the power supply lead wire 173, the ground lead wire 174, and the data lead wire 175 on the second frame bottom 172b through the bond wire 185, respectively. Connected.

  When various lead wires and various optical communication devices are electrically connected in the above-described manner, the optical signal relay operation by the optical repeater 160 described above can be realized. Specifically, when an optical signal (optical pulse signal) transmitted from the main board 31 via the first optical fiber cable 111 is received by the light receiving element 164, the light receiving element 164 first photoelectrically converts the optical signal. To generate an electrical signal and output the electrical signal to the receiving IC 181. Next, the receiving IC 181 generates an electric pulse signal corresponding to the received optical signal based on the electric signal output from the light receiving element 164, and outputs the electric pulse signal to the driver IC 182 via the data lead wire 175. To do. Next, the driver IC 182 controls blinking (light emission / extinction) of the light emitting element 165 based on the input electric pulse signal, and the optical signal corresponding to the input electric pulse signal, that is, the first optical fiber cable from the main board 31. An optical signal having a waveform similar to that of the optical signal transmitted through 111 is output to the second optical fiber cable 112 connected to the external concentrated terminal plate 39.

  Here, a method for manufacturing the optical repeater 160 will be briefly described. First, a first frame bottom 171b and a second frame bottom 172b prepared in advance by a molding method are prepared. Next, the power supply lead wire 173, the ground lead wire 174, the data lead wire 175, and the electrode lead-out wiring 176 are arranged and mounted at predetermined positions on the first frame bottom portion 171b and the second frame bottom portion 172b that are arranged at a predetermined interval. To do. Next, the receiving IC 181 and the driver IC 182 on which the light receiving element 164 is mounted are mounted in corresponding mounting areas in the ground lead wire 174 by a die attach method, and the light emitting element 165 is mounted in a predetermined mounting area in the electrode lead-out wiring 176. Implement. Note that when the receiving IC 181 and the driver IC 182 are mounted on the ground lead 174, the receiving IC 181 and the driver IC 182 may be bonded to the ground lead 174 using a non-conductive adhesive, or a conductive adhesive may be used. The receiving IC 181 and the driver IC 182 may be bonded to the ground lead 174 by using them. In the latter case, depending on the type of conductive adhesive, the cooling effect of the receiving IC 181 and the driver IC 182 may be obtained.

  Next, the receiving IC 181, the driver IC 182, the light emitting element 165, and various lead wires are electrically connected by bond wires 185 by a wire bonding method.

  Next, the mounting surfaces of the various lead wires of the first frame bottom 171b are sealed and molded using the first frame upper portion 171a produced in advance by a molding technique. At this time, the surface on which the first sealing recess 171d of the first frame upper portion 171a is formed (the surface opposite to the surface on which the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c is formed) and the mounting surface of various lead wires on the first frame bottom 171b. Sealing is performed so that and face each other. Moreover, the mounting surface of the various lead wires of the second frame bottom portion 172b is sealingly molded using the second frame upper portion 172a produced in advance by a molding technique. At this time, the surface on which the second sealing recess 172d of the second frame upper portion 172a is formed (the surface opposite to the surface on which the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c is formed) and the mounting surface of various lead wires on the second frame bottom 172b. Sealing is performed so that and face each other. By these sealing molding processes, the light receiving element 164 is sealed in the first lead frame 171, and the light emitting element 165 is sealed in the second lead frame 172.

  Next, bent portions of various lead wires are bent. At this time, the surface direction of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c and the surface of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c are substantially opposite to each other (the non-joint surface of the first frame bottom 171b and the second frame bottom). The bent portions of the various lead wires are bent so that the non-joint surfaces of 172b face each other. By this bending process, the optical repeater body 161 is completed.

  FIG. 20 shows a side view of the optical repeater body 161 viewed from the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c side (the mounting surface side of the light receiving element 164) after various lead wire bending steps. FIG. 21 is a side view of the optical repeater main body 161 viewed from the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c side (the mounting surface side of the light emitting element 165) after the bending process. 20 and 21, the first frame upper portion 171a and the second frame upper portion 172a are not shown in order to clarify the arrangement of various optical communication devices. As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, after the bending step, the surface direction of the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 164 enclosed in the first lead frame 171 and the light emitting element 165 enclosed in the second lead frame 172. Are substantially opposite to each other.

  Next, the completed optical repeater main body 161 is fitted into the main body storage recess 162c of the optical repeater casing 162 prepared in advance. At this time, the optical repeater main body 161 is fitted into the main body housing recess 162c from the bent portions of the various lead wires of the optical repeater main body 161. Then, the opening of the main body housing recess 162 c is sealed with the sealing member 163. In this embodiment, the optical repeater 160 is manufactured as described above.

[Effects]
Various effects obtained in the pachi-slot 1 having the above configuration will be described.

  As described above, in the pachislot machine 1 of this embodiment, the main board 31 and the external concentrated terminal board 39 are connected by the optical fiber cable via the optical repeater 160 (external relay board 38) having the above-described configuration. In this case, even if a strong electromagnetic wave (including not only an electromagnetic wave applied by an illegal act such as an electric goat but also an external noise) is applied to the pachislot 1, the electromagnetic wave is not transmitted to the main substrate 31.

  Therefore, even if a fraudulent act such as electric goto is performed on the pachislot machine 1, malfunction of the main board 31 can be prevented, and damage to the game store can be prevented. Further, even if an illegal act such as electric goto is performed, the electromagnetic wave is not transmitted to the main board 31, so that various circuits and various elements in the main board 31 can be protected, and a failure of the pachislot 1 can be prevented. .

  In the optical repeater 160 of the present embodiment, the optical repeater casing 162 that encloses the optical repeater main body 161 including the light receiving element 164, the light emitting element 165, and various ICs has an electromagnetic wave shielding function. Therefore, the light receiving element 164, the light emitting element 165, and various ICs can be protected even when electromagnetic waves (including not only electromagnetic waves applied by fraudulent acts such as electric goto, but also external noise) are applied to the pachislot 1. And the failure of the pachislot machine 1 can be further prevented.

  Further, the optical repeater 160 of the present embodiment has a structure in which an optical repeater body 161 including a light receiving element 164, a light emitting element 165, and various ICs is enclosed in an optical repeater casing 162. Further, the light receiving element 164, the light emitting element 165, and various ICs are mounted on wiring (ground lead 174 and electrode lead-out wiring 176) attached in the lead frame. That is, the optical repeater 160 of this embodiment has a configuration in which the light receiving element 164, the light emitting element 165, and various ICs are integrally provided on the wiring. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to purchase the light receiving element 164 and the light emitting element 165 separately, and the cost can be reduced.

  Moreover, in the optical repeater 160 of this embodiment, since the optical fiber cable inserted by the optical fiber insertion recessed part provided in each lead frame can be positioned, it is not necessary to separately provide positioning means, and the configuration is simpler. Can be. Therefore, the optical repeater 160 of the present embodiment is an optical component that is excellent in mass productivity and can further reduce the cost.

  Further, in the optical repeater 160 of the present embodiment, the opening surface of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c (the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 164) of the first lead frame 171 and the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c of the second lead frame 172. The first lead frame 171 and the second lead frame 172 are arranged so that the opening surface (the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 165) is substantially parallel to each other. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the opening direction of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c of the first lead frame 171 (the surface direction of the opening surface) and the opening direction of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c of the second lead frame 172 are opposite to each other. The first lead frame 171 and the second lead frame 172 are arranged so as to face each other (so that the surface direction of the light receiving surface and the surface direction of the light emitting surface are opposite to each other).

  When the arrangement configuration of the first lead frame 171 and the second lead frame 172 is such a configuration, for example, the optical repeater 160 is fixed to a side wall plate or a case in the cabinet 2a, and the optical repeater 160 Optical fiber cables can be inserted into the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c and the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c from both sides. In this case, the configuration of the optical repeater 160 of the present embodiment is such that the opening direction of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c of the first lead frame 171 and the opening direction of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c of the second lead frame 172 are mutually Compared to an optical repeater facing in the same direction, a more compact configuration can be achieved.

  In the optical repeater 160 of the present embodiment, a common power supply lead 173 is used for the light receiving element 164 and the light emitting element 165. In this case, both elements can be operated by supplying power to one of the light receiving element 164 and the light emitting element 165. In this case, the configuration of the optical repeater 160 is facilitated and the number of parts can be reduced, so that further cost reduction can be achieved.

  In the optical repeater 160 of the present embodiment, the first lead frame is formed by bending the bent portions of various lead wires provided in common to the first lead frame 171 and the second lead frame 172. The opening surface of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c (light receiving surface of the light receiving element 164) and the opening surface of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c (light emitting surface of the light emitting element 165) of the second lead frame 172 are substantially parallel to each other. To be. When the optical repeater 160 is manufactured using this method, the optical repeater 160 can be manufactured more easily.

  Further, by relaying an optical signal using the optical repeater 160 of the present embodiment, the transmission direction of the optical signal between the main board 31 and the external concentrated terminal board 39 can be restricted to one direction. In this case, an illegal optical signal is not transmitted in the opposite direction between the main board 31 and the external concentrated terminal board 39, and the adverse optical signal does not adversely affect the internal circuit and the like of the main board 31. Can do.

<Various modifications>
The configuration and operation of the gaming machine according to one embodiment of the present invention have been described above including the effects thereof. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are included without departing from the gist of the present invention described in the claims. Hereinafter, various modifications that the present invention can take will be described.

[Modification 1]
In the above embodiment, a pachislot machine has been described as an example of a gaming machine, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to a gaming machine or a slot machine called “pachinko”. Here, one structural example (modification 1) at the time of applying this invention to a pachinko is demonstrated. FIG. 22 shows an external perspective view of the pachinko according to the first modification, and FIG. 23 shows a circuit configuration of the pachinko shown in FIG.

  The case of the pachinko 300 is provided with a glass door 301, a wooden frame 302, a base door 303, a dish unit 304, a launching device 305 for launching a game ball, and the like, as in a conventional pachinko. Although not shown in FIG. 22, a game board, a payout unit, a substrate unit, a liquid crystal display device, a speaker, a lamp, and the like are provided in the housing of the pachinko 300. The game board is provided on the back side of the glass door 301, and has a game area in which game balls launched by the launching device 305 can flow and roll.

  Next, the circuit configuration of the pachinko 300 in this example will be described with reference to FIG. The pachinko machine 300 includes a main control circuit 311 that controls a game and a sub-control circuit 312 that controls an effect according to the progress of the game.

  Further, the pachinko machine 300 is connected to the main control circuit 311 and has a special symbol display device 313 for variable display of a special symbol in a special symbol game, and a normal symbol display for variable display of a normal symbol as an identification symbol in a normal symbol game. Device 314, special symbol hold display device 315 for displaying the number of reserved special symbols in the special symbol game, normal symbol hold display device 316 for displaying the number of held normal symbols in the normal symbol game, winning prize A count sensor 317 for counting the game balls won in the game, a general prize ball sensor 318 for detecting the game balls won in the general prize opening, and a passing ball sensor for detecting the game balls passing through the ball passage detector 319, a start winning ball sensor 320 for detecting a game ball won at the start opening, and a normal electric accessory for driving Electric won game solenoid 321, a special winning hole solenoid 322 for driving the special winning opening, and includes a backup clear switch 323.

  Further, the pachinko machine 300 is connected to the payout / launch control circuit 324 connected to the main control circuit 311, the payout device 325 connected to the payout / fire control circuit 324, the launch device 326, the card unit 327, and the card unit 327. The lending operation unit 328 is provided.

  The pachinko machine 300 further includes an external relay board 330 connected to the main control circuit 311 and an external concentrated terminal board 331 connected to the external relay board 330. The external concentration terminal board 331 is a relay board that is connected to a hall computer such as an amusement store so that information communication is possible, and is used when various information such as commands received from the main control circuit 311 is output to the hall computer. In this example, an example in which an external concentration terminal board 331 is provided on the pachinko 300 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the external concentration terminal board 331 is provided outside the pachinko 300 (for example, a game store including a hall computer). Various facilities) may be provided.

  The pachinko machine 300 includes a liquid crystal display device 341, a speaker 342, and a lamp 343 connected to the sub control circuit 312.

  The main control circuit 311 includes a main CPU 351, a main ROM 352, a main RAM 353, a reset clock pulse generation circuit 354, an initial reset circuit 355, a main board communication LSI 356, and an external output communication LSI 357.

  The main CPU 351 is connected to the main ROM 352, the main RAM 353, and the like, and has a function of executing various processes according to a program stored in the main ROM 352.

  The main ROM 352 stores various programs for controlling the operation of the pachinko machine 300 by the main CPU 351, various programs for causing the main CPU 351 to execute main processing, and various tables necessary for various processing. The main RAM 353 is a temporary storage area of the main CPU 351 and has a function of storing various flags and variable values necessary for various processes.

  The reset clock pulse generation circuit 354 generates a reset clock pulse. The initial reset circuit 355 generates a reset signal when the power is turned on.

  The main board communication LSI 356 is an integrated circuit for controlling the operation when the main CPU 351 transmits various information such as commands to the sub control circuit 312, similarly to the main board communication LSI 67 included in the pachislot 1 of the above embodiment. It is. In this example, the communication operation of various information between the main control circuit 311 and the sub control circuit 312 is unidirectional (unidirectional) from the main control circuit 311 to the sub control circuit 312.

  The external output communication LSI 357 is an integrated circuit for controlling the operation when the main CPU 351 transmits information such as commands to an external hall computer, like the external output communication LSI 68 provided in the pachislot 1 of the above embodiment. is there. In this example, the external output communication LSI 357 is connected to the external relay board 330 via the optical fiber cable, and the external relay board 330 is connected to the hall computer via the optical fiber cable, as in the above embodiment. It is connected to the connected external concentration terminal board 331. That is, also in this example, the transmission operation of various information from the main control circuit 311 to the external concentration terminal board 331 via the external relay board 330 is performed by optical communication.

  Although not shown in FIG. 23, the main CPU 351 of this example has a built-in UART that can transmit information to the external output communication LSI 357. Also in this example, as in the above embodiment, the communication operation of various information between the main control circuit 311 and the external concentrated terminal board 331 is performed in one direction (unidirectional) from the main control circuit 311 to the external concentrated terminal board 331. ).

  The configuration of the external relay board 330 in this example is the same as that of the external relay board 38 provided in the pachi-slot 1 of the above embodiment. That is, also in this example, the optical repeater 160 of the above-described embodiment having the configuration described with reference to FIGS. The main control circuit 311 and the external concentrated terminal plate 331 are connected by an optical fiber cable via the optical repeater 160.

  The sub control circuit 312 includes a sub CPU 361, a program ROM 362, a work RAM 363, a display control circuit 364, an audio control circuit 365, a lamp control circuit 366, and a sub board communication LSI 367.

  The sub CPU 361 is connected to the program ROM 362, the work RAM 363, the display control circuit 364, the sound control circuit 365, and the lamp control circuit 366, and has a function of executing various processes in accordance with the programs stored in the program ROM 362. The program ROM 362 stores various programs and various tables for controlling the presentation operation of the pachinko machine 300 by the sub CPU 361. The work RAM 363 is a temporary storage area of the sub CPU 361 and has a function of storing various flags and variable values necessary for various processes.

  The display control circuit 364 is connected to the liquid crystal display device 341 and controls the rendering operation by the liquid crystal display device 341 based on a control signal output from the sub CPU 361. The audio control circuit 365 is connected to the speaker 342, and controls the rendering operation by the speaker 342 based on a control signal output from the sub CPU 361. The lamp control circuit 366 is connected to the lamp 343, and controls the effect operation by the lamp 343 based on the control signal output from the sub CPU 361.

  Similar to the sub-board communication LSI 80 included in the pachislot machine 1 of the above embodiment, the sub-board communication LSI 367 is capable of receiving various information such as commands transmitted from the main control circuit 311 via the main board communication LSI 356. It is an integrated circuit. The sub board communication LSI 367 is electrically connected to the sub CPU 361 and outputs various information such as commands transmitted from the main control circuit 311 to the sub CPU 361. Although not shown, the sub CPU 361 in this example incorporates a UART that can receive information output from the sub board communication LSI 367.

  Also in the pachinko machine 300 according to the modified example described above, the transmission operation of various information from the main control circuit 311 to the external concentration terminal board 331 is performed by optical communication via the external relay board 330, similarly to the pachislot machine 1 of the above embodiment. Is called. Also in this example, an optical repeater similar to the optical repeater 160 of the above embodiment is provided on the external repeater board 330, and the main control circuit 311 and the external concentrated terminal plate 331 are connected via the optical repeater. Connect with an optical fiber cable. Therefore, also in the pachinko 300 of this example, the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.

[Modification 2]
In the embodiment and the first modification, the light emitted from the front end surface on the light emitting side of the first optical fiber cable 111 inserted into the optical repeater 160 is directly received by the light receiving element 164 and emitted from the light emitting element 165. Although the example of a structure which outputs the light directly to the front end surface at the light-receiving side of the second optical fiber cable 112 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, an optical system including, for example, a reflector, a lens, and the like is provided between the light emitting side tip surface of the first optical fiber cable 111 and the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 164, and from the light emitting side tip surface of the first optical fiber cable 111. The emitted light may be guided to the light receiving element 164 through the optical system. Further, for example, an optical system including, for example, a reflector, a lens, and the like is provided between the light receiving side tip surface of the second optical fiber cable 112 and the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 165, and the light emitted from the light emitting element 165 is transmitted to the light emitting element 165. You may make it the structure guided to the front end surface at the side of light reception of the 2nd optical fiber cable 112 via an optical system. Furthermore, an optical system may be provided both between the first optical fiber cable 111 and the light receiving element 164 and between the second optical fiber cable 112 and the light emitting element 165.

  When the configuration of this example is applied, the opening direction of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c of the first lead frame 171 (the surface direction of the opening surface: the direction from the bottom surface of the recess toward the opening) and the second lead frame 172 The opening direction of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c does not have to be opposite to each other. According to the configuration of this example, the degree of freedom of design of the optical repeater 160 is increased, and it is possible to easily cope with a change in model.

[Modification 3]
In the embodiment and the various modifications, the optical repeater 160 is provided with various common lead wires (power supply lead wire 173, ground lead wire 174, and data lead wire 175) for the light receiving element 164 and the light emitting element 165. By bending the bent portions of various lead wires, the opening direction of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c of the first lead frame 171 (the surface direction of the opening surface: the direction from the bottom surface of the recess toward the opening), Although the opening direction of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c of the second lead frame 172 is configured to be substantially opposite to each other, the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, for the light receiving element (reception side circuit) and the light emitting element (transmission side circuit), various lead wires are provided separately, and each lead wire of the light receiving element (reception side circuit) and the light emitting element (transmission side circuit) ) Corresponding lead wires may be connected by separately prepared connection wiring.

  In this case, for example, both lead frames are arranged such that the opening direction of the first optical fiber insertion recess 171c of the first lead frame 171 and the opening direction of the second optical fiber insertion recess 172c of the second lead frame 172 are opposite to each other. In the arranged state, the lead wires between the two lead frames may be connected by connection wiring. At this time, the lead wires between the two lead frames may be connected by, for example, pin-like connection wiring, or connected by using a vertical hole (through hole) wiring method used in a multilayer printed circuit board mounting technique or the like. Also good. Note that, from the viewpoints of manufacturability, mass productivity, and reduction in the number of parts of the optical repeater 160, it is advantageous to adopt the configuration and manufacturing method of the optical repeater 160 described in the above embodiment.

  Further, for example, a power supply lead is provided separately for each of the light receiving element (reception side circuit) and the light emitting element (transmission side circuit), and the separately provided power supply lead is not connected between the elements. Each element may be operated separately (without being shared). In view of the simplicity of the configuration of the optical repeater 160 and the reduction in the number of components, the configuration in which the power supply lead wire described in the above embodiment is shared between elements is more advantageous.

[Other variations]
In the above embodiment and various modifications, the opening shape of the optical repeater 160 (optical fiber insertion hole and optical fiber insertion recess) into which the optical fiber cable is inserted is circular, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the optical repeater 160, any shape can be adopted as long as the opening shape can fix and hold the optical fiber cable. For example, the opening shape of the optical fiber insertion hole and / or the optical fiber insertion recess of the optical repeater 160 into which the optical fiber cable is inserted may be a polygonal shape, a star shape, or the like.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment and various modifications, the opening shape of the optical repeater 160 (optical fiber insertion hole and optical fiber insertion recessed part) in which an optical fiber cable is inserted is made into the receiving side of an optical signal, and the transmission side of an optical signal. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The opening shape of the opening of the optical repeater 160 into which the optical fiber cable is inserted may be different between the optical signal receiving side and the optical signal transmitting side. In this case, it is possible to reduce an error in inserting the optical fiber cable into the optical repeater 160.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment and the various modifications described above, the example in which the communication LSI is used as the communication unit provided on each substrate has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the communication means may be composed of, for example, a plurality of ICs according to the scale of the integrated circuit. Further, for example, the communication means may be constituted by, for example, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) according to the total number of integrated circuits used during mass production of gaming machines.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Pachi slot, 2 ... Exterior body, 2a ... Cabinet, 2b ... Front door, 3L ... Left reel, 3C ... Middle reel, 3R ... Right reel, 31 ... Main board, 32 ... Sub board, 37 ... Door relay board, 38 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... External relay board, 39 ... External concentration terminal board, 41 ... Main control circuit, 42 ... Sub control circuit, 50 ... Microcomputer, 51 ... Main CPU, 52 ... Main ROM, 53 ... Main RAM, 67 ... Main board communication LSI 68 ... External output communication LSI, 69 ... External terminal board control LSI, 71, 72 ... Optical communication connector, 73 ... Relay, 74 ... External output connector, 80 ... Sub-board communication LSI, 81 ... Sub CPU, 111 ... No. 1 optical fiber cable, 111a, 112a ... core wire, 111b, 112b ... covering part, 112 ... second optical fiber cable, 160 ... optical repeater, 161 ... light Relay body, 162 ... optical repeater housing, 162a ... first optical fiber insertion hole, 162b ... second optical fiber insertion hole, 162c ... body housing recess, 163 ... sealing member, 164 ... light receiving element, 165 ... light emitting element, 171 ... first lead frame, 171c ... first optical fiber insertion recess, 171d ... first sealing recess, 172 ... second lead frame, 172c ... second optical fiber insertion recess, 172d ... second sealing recess, 173 ... power supply lead 173b ... Power supply line bent portion, 174 ... Ground lead wire, 174b ... Ground wire bent portion, 175 ... Data lead wire, 175b ... Bend portion, 176 ... Electrode lead wiring, 181 ... Receiver IC, 182 ... Driver IC, 185 ... Bond wire, 200 ... Hall computer, 300 ... Pachinko, 311 ... Main control circuit, 312 ... Sub control circuit, 330 External relay board, 331 ... external common terminal plate, 351 ... main CPU, 356 ... main substrate communication LSI, 357 ... communication LSI for external output

Claims (1)

Control means for controlling the operation of the game and transmitting predetermined data relating to the game;
Relay means for receiving the predetermined data transmitted from the control means;
A first transmission means for connecting the control means and the relay means to transmit the predetermined data;
An external device connection means for connecting the control means to an external device;
A second transmission means for connecting the relay means and the external device connection means and transmitting the predetermined data;
The relay means is
A receiving device for receiving the predetermined data via the first transmission means;
A transmission device unit that transmits the predetermined data received by the reception device unit to the external device connection unit via the second transmission unit;
A data wiring unit that electrically connects the receiving device unit and the transmitting device unit directly, and transmits the predetermined data from the receiving device unit to the transmitting device unit;
A frame unit in which the receiver unit, the transmitter unit, and the data wiring unit are integrally mounted;
The second transmission for transmitting the predetermined data transmitted from the storage unit for storing the frame unit, the first mounting unit to which the first transmission unit can be mounted, and the transmission device unit to the external device connection unit. A gaming machine comprising: a second mounting portion to which the means can be mounted, and a housing portion having an electromagnetic wave shielding function.

Images