JP2023014343A - game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To measure the number of shot balls while suppressing the manufacturing cost of a game machine.

SOLUTION: Based on a condition that a shooting permission signal from a main control device 71 through a reception circuit 117 for a shooting permission is at HI level, a power supply and shooting control device 79 controls a shooting solenoid 54 and a ball feed device 53 and shoots game balls at a prescribed cycle to a game area. In this configuration, the main control device 71 measures, in a shot ball number measurement processing, the number of shot balls, within a period the shooting permission signal is being outputted at HI level, by adding a shot ball number counter by 1 every time a shooting cycle counter, which is a counter in synchronization with a shooting cycle of game balls, turns 1 cycle.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

COPYRIGHT: (C)2023,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a game machine such as a pachinko machine.

A pachinko machine, which is a type of gaming machine, is equipped with a firing operation device on the front part of the main body of the game machine, and when the firing operation device is operated, the shooting device operates, and game balls are shot to the upper part of the game area. (See Patent Document 1, for example). Also, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out from the payout device based on the shot game balls entering the opening provided in the game area.

JP 2006-305079 A

Here, it may be necessary to measure the number of shots fired from the launcher. For example, if the number of payouts is notified based on the number of shots, the player can grasp the number of coins actually obtained. In addition, by adding the measured number of shots to the progress of the game, it is possible to create a novel game. However, regarding the measurement of the number of shots, it is undesirable to increase the manufacturing cost of the game machine by providing a separate sensor or the like, and there is still room for improvement in this respect.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine capable of counting the number of shot balls while suppressing the production cost of game balls.

The present invention
a shooting means for shooting game balls toward the game area;
firing control means for causing the firing means to perform a firing operation at a specific firing cycle when a predetermined condition is satisfied;
In a game machine equipped with
It is characterized by comprising calculating means for calculating the number of times the firing operation is performed by using the relationship between the period in which the predetermined condition is satisfied and the specific firing period.

According to the present invention, it is possible to measure the number of shots while suppressing the manufacturing cost of game balls.

It is a front view showing a pachinko machine. 1 is a perspective view showing the main configuration of a pachinko machine in an expanded state; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the main configuration of a pachinko machine in an expanded state; FIG. (a) A front view showing the configuration of a game board, (b) a longitudinal sectional view for explaining a variable winning device. (a), (b) It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the display content in the display screen of a pattern display apparatus. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a pachinko machine; FIG. It is an explanatory view for explaining the contents of various counters used for winning or losing lottery. 4 is a flowchart showing main processing executed by an MPU; 4 is a flowchart showing timer interrupt processing executed by the MPU; It is a flow chart which shows the discharge control processing performed in MPU. It is a flowchart which shows the number-of-shots measurement process performed by MPU. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an input port provided in the MPU; FIG. (a) is a flow chart showing winning detection processing executed by the MPU; is an explanatory diagram of . It is a flow chart which shows winning a prize judging processing performed by MPU. It is a flow chart which shows net increase number of balls calculation processing performed by MPU. It is a flowchart which shows the 1st game state transition processing performed by MPU. It is a flowchart which shows the 2nd game state transition processing performed by MPU. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a total number of acquired balls setting process executed by the MPU of the display control device; FIG. In the second embodiment, (a-1) to (a-3) are timing charts showing the winning state of each prize ball entering portion, and (b-1) to (b-5) firing FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of various counters relating to the number of balls and the number of paid-out balls, and is an explanatory diagram for explaining the display contents on the display screen of the symbol display device (c-1) to (c-5). It is a flow chart which shows the number of net increase pitches calculation processing performed by MPU in a 3rd embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing a total winning ball number setting process executed by the MPU of the display control device in the third embodiment; FIG. It is a flow chart showing a payout output process executed by the MPU in the fourth embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the number of net increase pitch calculation processing performed by MPU in 5th Embodiment. FIG. 21 is a flow chart showing transition processing at the end of the opening/closing execution mode executed by the MPU in the sixth embodiment; FIG. It is a flow chart showing second game state transition processing executed by the MPU in the sixth embodiment.

<First Embodiment>
A first embodiment of a pachinko game machine (hereinafter referred to as a "pachinko machine"), which is a type of game machine, will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a pachinko machine 10, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views showing the main components of the pachinko machine 10 in an expanded state. 2, the configuration within the game area of the pachinko machine 10 is omitted for the sake of convenience.

The pachinko machine 10 has an outer frame 11 forming an outer shell of the pachinko machine 10 and a game machine main body 12 attached to the outer frame 11 so as to be rotatable forward. The outer frame 11 is formed by connecting wooden plates on four sides and has a rectangular frame shape. A pachinko machine 10 is installed in a game hall by fixing an outer frame 11 to an island facility.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the gaming machine body 12 includes an inner frame 13, a front door frame 14 arranged in front of the inner frame 13, and a back pack unit 15 arranged behind the inner frame 13. and The inner frame 13 of the game machine main body 12 is rotatably supported with respect to the outer frame 11 . More specifically, the inner frame 13 can be rotated forward with the left side as the rotation base end side and the right side as the rotation tip side in a front view.

As shown in FIG. 2, the front door frame 14 is rotatably supported by the inner frame 13, and can be rotated forward with the left side as the rotation base end and the right side as the rotation tip side in a front view. It is said that As shown in FIG. 3, the back pack unit 15 is rotatably supported by the inner frame 13, and can be rotated backward with the left side as the rotation base end and the right side as the rotation tip side in a front view. It is considered movable.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the game machine body 12 is provided with a locking device 16 at the tip of rotation thereof, and has a function of locking the game machine body 12 with respect to the outer frame 11 so that the game machine body 12 cannot be opened. and has a function of locking the front door frame 14 with respect to the inner frame 13 so that it cannot be opened. Each of these locked states is released by unlocking the cylinder lock 17 exposed on the front surface of the pachinko machine 10 using an unlock key.

Next, the configuration of the front side of the gaming machine body 12 will be described.

The inner frame 13 is mainly composed of a resin base 21 that has substantially the same outer shape as the outer frame 11 . A substantially elliptical window hole 23 is formed in the central portion of the resin base 21 . A game board 24 is detachably attached to the resin base 21 . The game board 24 is made of plywood, and a game area formed on the front surface of the game board 24 is exposed to the front side of the inner frame 13 through the window holes 23 of the resin base 21 .

Here, the configuration of the game board 24 will be described with reference to FIG. 4(a) is a front view of the game board 24, and FIG. 4(b) is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining the variable winning device 32 provided on the game board 24. FIG.

The game board 24 is router-processed to form a plurality of large and small openings penetrating in the front-rear direction. Each opening has a general winning port 31, a variable winning device 32, an upper operating port (first starting ball entry portion) 33, a lower operating port (second starting ball entry portion) 34, a through gate 35, a variable display unit 36, A main display section 43, a character item display section 44, and the like are provided. In addition, a plurality of general winning openings 31 are provided, and a plurality of through gates 35 are also provided.

Detection sensors 31 a, 31 b, 31 c, 32 e, 33 a, 34 c, 35a and 35b are provided. These detection sensors 31a to 35b are all arranged on the back side of the game board 24, and the detection results are output to the main control device which will be described later. Electromagnetic induction type proximity sensors are used as the detection sensors 31a to 35b, but any sensor can be used as long as it can individually detect winning of game balls.

When the occurrence of balls entering the general winning opening 31, the variable winning device 32, the upper operating opening 33 and the lower operating opening 34 is detected, a predetermined number of winning balls are paid out. Regarding the number of prize balls, specifically, when a ball enters the upper working port 33 and when a ball enters the lower working port 34, three prize balls are paid out, and the general prize is won. When a ball enters the mouth 31, 10 prize balls are put out, and when a ball enters the variable winning device 32, 15 prize balls are put out. However, the number of these prize balls is arbitrary. may be different. Also, the number of prize balls associated with the variable prize winning device 32 is not limited to a configuration in which the number of prize balls is greater than the number of other prize balls.

In addition, an out port 37 is provided at the bottom of the game board 24, and game balls that do not enter various winning ports are discharged from the game area through the out port 37.例文帳に追加The game board 24 is also provided with a large number of nails 38 for properly dispersing and adjusting the falling direction of game balls, and various members (accessories) such as windmills.

Here, the entry ball means that the game ball passes through a predetermined opening, and not only the mode in which the game ball is discharged from the game area after passing through the opening, but also the game ball is discharged from the game area after passing through the opening. It also includes a mode in which it is not. However, in the following description, in order to clearly distinguish the game ball entering the out port 37, the general winning port 31, the variable winning device 32, the upper operating port 33, the lower operating port 34 or the through gate 35 The entry of a game ball is also expressed as winning.

The upper operating port 33 and the lower operating port 34 are unitized as an operating port device and installed on the game board 24 . Both the upper working port 33 and the lower working port 34 are opened upward. Further, the two working ports 33 and 34 are arranged vertically so that the upper working port 33 faces upward. The lower operation port 34 is provided with an electric accessory 34a as a guide piece (support piece) composed of a pair of left and right movable pieces.

The electric accessory 34a is connected to an electric accessory driving portion 34b mounted on the back side of the game board 24, and is driven by the electric accessory driving portion 34b to be in a closed state (non-supported state or non-guided state) and It is placed in either open state (support state or guide state). When the electric accessory 34a is closed, the game ball cannot enter the lower operation port 34, and when the electric accessory 34a is opened, the lower operation port 34 can be won.

In addition, it is not limited to this, and a state in which the game ball to the lower operation opening 34 is likely to win a prize, and a state in which it is not impossible to win a prize, but a state in which the prize is less likely to occur than the state in which the prize is likely to occur. A configuration in which the accessory 34a is switched may be employed. Alternatively, the electric accessory 34a may be defective, and switching between a state in which winning is likely to occur and a state in which winning is less likely to occur may be performed by displacement of the lower operating port 34 itself.

As shown in FIG. 4(b), the variable winning device 32 includes a large winning opening 32a leading to the back side of the game board 24, and an opening/closing door 32b for opening and closing the large winning opening 32a. . The open/close door 32b is connected to a variable winning drive unit 32c integrally provided as the variable winning device 32 (the connection point is not shown), and is driven by the variable winning drive unit 32c to open and close. placed in either Specifically, it is normally in a closed state in which game balls cannot win prizes, and is switched to an open state in which game balls can win prizes when it is won in the internal lottery to shift to the open/close execution mode.

In addition, the variable winning device 32 is formed with a winning passing portion 32d at a position through which the game balls that have won the variable winning device 32 through the big winning opening 32a always pass. A large winning opening detection sensor 32e is provided so that a detection portion exists at a position. A game ball that has won the variable winning device 32 is individually detected by the big winning opening detection sensor 32e.

In the main display unit 43, the winning of the upper working opening 33 or the lower working opening 34 triggers the variable display of the pattern. The results of the internal lottery conducted based on the results are clearly displayed. In other words, in the pachinko machine 10, the winning to the upper working opening 33 and the winning to the lower working opening 34 are not distinguished in the internal lottery, and the winning is performed based on the winning to the upper working opening 33 or the lower working opening 34. The result of the internal lottery thus obtained is clearly displayed on the main display portion 43, which is a common display area. When the result of the internal lottery based on the winning of the upper operation port 33 or the lower operation port 34 is the winning result corresponding to the transition to the opening/closing execution mode, the main display unit 43 displays a predetermined stop result. After it is displayed and the variable display is stopped, the opening/closing execution mode is entered.

The main display unit 43 is composed of a segment display device in which a plurality of segment light emitting units are arranged in a predetermined manner, but is not limited to this, and may include a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL display device, It may also consist of other types of display devices such as CRT or dot matrix displays. In addition, the patterns variably displayed on the main display unit 43 include a configuration in which a plurality of types of characters are variably displayed, a configuration in which a plurality of types of symbols are variably displayed, a configuration in which a plurality of types of characters are variably displayed, or a configuration in which multiple types of characters are variably displayed. A configuration in which the colors of the seeds are switched and displayed can be considered.

In the character object display unit 44, the winning of the through gate 35 triggers the variable display of the pattern, and as a result of stopping the variable display, the result of the internal lottery performed based on the winning of the through gate 35 is displayed. indicated by the display. When the result of the internal lottery based on the prize winning to the through gate 35 is the winning result corresponding to the transition to the electric role open state, the predetermined stop result is displayed on the display part 44 for the accessory and the variable display is performed. is stopped, it shifts to the electric power open state. In the electric operation open state, the electric accessory 34a provided in the lower operation opening 34 is opened in a predetermined manner.

The variable display unit 36 is provided with a pattern display device 41 for variably displaying (or variable display or switching display) a pattern, which is one type of pattern, and a center frame 42 is arranged so as to surround the pattern display device 41. It is The pattern display device 41 is configured as a liquid crystal display device having a liquid crystal display, and display contents are controlled by a display control device which will be described later. The pattern display device 41 is not limited to a liquid crystal display device, and may be another display device having a display screen such as a plasma display device, an organic EL display device, or a CRT. It may be a vessel.

In the symbol display device 41, the variable display of symbols is started based on the winning of the upper operation port 33 or the lower operation port 34. - 特許庁That is, when the variable display is performed on the main display section 43, the variable display is performed on the pattern display device 41 accordingly.

The display contents of the pattern display device 41 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows a display screen G of the pattern display device 41. As shown in FIG.

The pattern, which is one type of pattern, consists of 9 types of main patterns to which numerals '1' to '9' are attached respectively, and sub-patterns composed of shell-shaped picture patterns. More specifically, nine types of character patterns, such as an octopus, are assigned numerals "1" to "9", respectively, to form the main pattern.

As shown in FIG. 5(a), the display screen G of the pattern display device 41 has three pattern rows Z1, Z2, and Z3 of upper, middle, and lower rows as a plurality of display areas. Each of the symbol rows Z1 to Z3 is constructed by arranging main symbols and sub-symbols in a predetermined order. Specifically, in the upper pattern row Z1, 9 types of main patterns "1" to "9" are arranged in descending numerical order, and one sub-design is arranged between each main design. . In the lower pattern row Z3, 9 types of main symbols "1" to "9" are arranged in ascending numerical order, and one sub-symbol is arranged between each main symbol.

That is, the upper symbol row Z1 and the lower symbol row Z3 are composed of 18 symbols. On the other hand, in the middle symbol row Z2, nine types of main symbols "1" to "9" are arranged in ascending order of numbers, and between the main symbol "9" and the main symbol "1" A main symbol of "4" is additionally arranged in the upper part, and one sub-symbol is arranged between each of these main symbols. In other words, only the middle pattern row Z2 is composed of 20 symbols with 10 main symbols arranged.

As shown in FIG. 5(b), on the display screen G, three symbols are statically displayed for each symbol row, and as a result, a total of nine symbols of 3×3 are statically displayed. It's like In addition, the display screen G has five effective lines, that is, a left line L1, a middle line L2, a right line L3, a downward-sloping line L4, and an upward-sloping line L5.

When an effect for a game cycle is performed on the display screen G based on the winning of the upper operation port 33 or the lower operation port 34, the symbols of the symbol rows Z1 to Z3 are periodically scrolled in a predetermined direction. , the variable display starts. Then, the variable display is switched to the standby display in the order of the upper symbol row Z1→lower symbol row Z3→middle symbol row Z2, and finally predetermined symbols are statically displayed in each of the symbol rows Z1 to Z3 for the game cycle. is finished.

In addition, when the effect for the game round ends, if it is a game round corresponding to the occurrence of a maximum advantageous jackpot result, which will be described later, a combination of symbols with the same odd numbers attached to any of the effective lines is formed. If it is a game cycle corresponding to the occurrence of a low-probability jackpot result, which will be described later, a combination of symbols with the same even number attached to any of the activated lines is formed.

It should be noted that the variable display is started on the main display unit 43 and the symbol display device 41 based on the winning of any of the operation ports 33 and 34, and the predetermined stop result is displayed until the variable display is stopped. It corresponds to one game time.

In addition, the pattern display device 41 may arbitrarily display the patterns in any manner without being limited to the above. can be changed as appropriate. Further, the patterns displayed variably on the pattern display device 41 are not limited to the above-described patterns, and for example, only numbers may be variably displayed as the patterns.

As shown in FIG. 4A , a first holding lamp section 45 corresponding to the main display section 43 and the pattern display device 41 is provided on the upper left portion of the front side of the center frame 42 . The number of winning game balls in the upper working port 33 or the lower working port 34 is reserved up to four, and the number of reserved balls is displayed by lighting the first reservation lamp part 45.例文帳に追加

A second holding lamp section 46 corresponding to the accessory display section 44 is provided in the upper right portion of the center frame 42 . The number of times the game ball passes through the through gate 35 is suspended up to four times, and the number of suspensions is displayed by lighting the second suspension lamp part 46.例文帳に追加It should be noted that the functions of the respective holding lamp units 45 and 46 may be configured to be achieved by display in a partial area of the pattern display device 41 .

An inner rail portion 48 and an outer rail portion 49 are attached to the game board 24. The inner rail portion 48 and the outer rail portion 49 constitute a guide rail, and the game ball is shot from the game ball shooting mechanism 51. A ball is guided to the upper part of the game area. The game ball shooting mechanism 51, as shown in FIG. 2, is attached below the window hole 23 in the resin base 21, and is stored in a shooting rail 52 extending toward the guide rail and an upper tray 61a, which will be described later. It has a ball feeding device 53 for supplying game balls onto the launch rail 52 and a solenoid 54 which is an electric actuator for launching the game balls supplied onto the launch rail 52 toward the guide rail. By operating a shooting handle 55 provided on the front door frame 14, a solenoid 54 is driven and controlled to shoot a game ball.

A front door frame 14 is provided so as to cover the entire front side of the inner frame 13. - 特許庁As shown in FIG. 1, the front door frame 14 is formed with a window portion 56 through which substantially the entire game area can be viewed from the front. The window portion 56 has a substantially elliptical shape, and a window panel 57 is fitted therein. The window panel 57 is made of glass in a colorless and transparent manner, but is not limited to this and may be made of a synthetic resin in a colorless and transparent manner, and the game area can be visually recognized from the front of the pachinko machine 10 through the window panel 57. If possible, they may be colored and transparent.

Light emitting means such as various lamps are provided around the window 56 . A display lamp portion 58a is provided above the window portion 56 as part of the various lamp portions. Further, a pair of left and right error lamp portions 58b are provided at corner portions on the upper side of the front door frame 14 on both left and right sides of the display lamp portion 58a. A pair of left and right speaker units 59 are provided adjacent to the error lamp unit 58b for outputting sound effects and the like according to the game state.

Below the window portion 56 of the front door frame 14, an upper bulging portion 61 and a lower bulging portion 62, which bulge forward, are vertically arranged side by side. An upper plate 61a that opens upward is provided inside the upper bulging portion 61, and a lower plate 62a that similarly opens upward is provided inside the lower bulging portion 62. As shown in FIG. The upper plate 61a has a function of temporarily storing game balls paid out from a payout device, which will be described later, and guiding them toward the game ball launching mechanism 51 side while aligning them in a line. In addition, the lower tray 62a has a function of storing the surplus game balls in the upper tray 61a.

Next, the configuration of the rear side of the gaming machine main body 12 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, on the back side of the inner frame 13 (specifically, the game board 24), a main control device 71 for main control of the game, voice and lamp display, and control of a display control device (not shown) are provided. A sound emission control device 72 is installed.

It should be noted that the substrate box 71a of the main controller 71 may be provided with trace means for leaving traces of its opening, or may be provided with a trace structure for leaving traces of its opening. The trace means includes a configuration of a joint portion (crimping portion) that inseparably connects a plurality of case bodies constituting the substrate box 71a and requires destruction of a predetermined portion upon separation, and an adhesive layer that is an object to be adhered when peeled off. A configuration is conceivable in which a sealing seal that leaves a trace of being peeled off by remaining on the case body is attached so as to straddle the boundary between the plurality of case bodies. Further, as the trace structure, a structure in which an adhesive is applied to the boundary between a plurality of case bodies constituting the board box 71a is conceivable.

The back pack unit 15 is installed so as to cover the back side of the inner frame 13 including the main controller 71 and the sound emission control device 72 . The back pack unit 15 includes a back pack 73 made of transparent synthetic resin, to which a payout mechanism 74 and a controller assembly unit 75 are attached.

The payout mechanism part 74 includes a tank 76 to which game balls supplied from the island facilities of the game arcade are sequentially supplied, and a payout device 77 for paying out the game balls stored in the tank 76 . The game balls paid out from the payout device 77 are discharged to the upper tray 61a or the lower tray 62a through a payout passage provided on the downstream side of the payout device 77. The payout mechanism 74 is supplied with a main power supply of, for example, 24 volts AC, and is equipped with a back pack board having a power switch for turning the power ON and OFF.

The control device assembly unit 75 includes a payout control device 78 having a function of controlling a payout device 77, and a predetermined power required by various control devices, etc., is generated and output, and the game operation associated with the operation of the shooting handle 55 by the player is performed. and a power supply and launch control device 79 through which ball launch control is performed. The payout control device 78 and the power supply and firing control device 79 are arranged one on top of the other in such a manner that the payout control device 78 is behind the pachinko machine 10 .

The back pack 73 is provided with an external terminal plate 81 in addition to the payout mechanism section 74 and the control device collective unit 75 . The external terminal plate 81 is installed on the back of the pachinko machine 10 at the upper corner portion on the rotation base end side of the back pack unit 15 . The external terminal board 81 is a board for outputting a predetermined signal so that the management computer of the game hall recognizes the state of the pachinko machine 10 .

<Electrical Configuration of Pachinko Machine 10>
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10. As shown in FIG. In addition, in FIG. 6, the supply line of the operating power from the power supply and the launch control device 79 to the main control device 71 and the payout control device 78 is indicated by a double line arrow, and the other supply lines and signal lines are indicated by solid line arrows. .

The main controller 71 includes a main control board 91 that controls the main game, and a power outage monitoring board (power outage monitoring board) 96 that monitors the power supply. An MPU 92 is mounted on the main control board 91 . The MPU 92 incorporates a ROM 93 and an RWM 94 .

The ROM 93 is configured to use a memory that does not require external power supply for memory retention, such as a NOR-type flash memory or a NAND-type flash memory (that is, non-volatile storage means), as a read-only memory. The ROM 93 stores various control programs executed by the MPU 92 and fixed value data.

The RWM 94 is configured to use a memory such as an SRAM or a DRAM that requires an external power supply to hold data (that is, a volatile storage means) for both reading and writing, and is capable of random access and the same , the time required for reading is shorter than that of the ROM 93 when the data capacity is compared. The RWM 94 temporarily stores various data when executing the control program stored in the ROM 93 .

In addition to the elements described above, the MPU 92 or the main control board 91 is provided with an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, a data input/output circuit, and the like. It is not essential that the ROM 93 and the RWM 94 are integrated into one chip with respect to the MPU 92, and they may be individually integrated into chips. This also applies to controllers other than the main controller 71 .

The MPU 92 is provided with an input port and an output port. It should be noted that an input/output port may be provided, and may be configured to be switched between input and output as required. This also applies to MPUs of control devices other than the main control device 71 . Various control devices are connected to the input side and the output side of the MPU 92, and various sensors, various driving units, and various display units are connected. First, a configuration relating to connections with various sensors, various driving units, and various display units will be described.

On the input side of the MPU 92, winning detection sensors 31a, 31b, 31c provided for the general winning port 31, the variable winning device 32, the upper operating port 33, the lower operating port 34 and the through gate 35 of the game area, 32e, 33a, 34c, 35a, and 35b (hereinafter collectively referred to as winning detection sensors 31a to 35b) are electrically connected via electrical wiring. In this case, the main control board 91 and each of the winning detection sensors 31a to 35b may be connected via one electrical wiring, or a relay board may be interposed in each signal path. good too. The same applies to the configuration related to connection with other devices. The MPU 92 receives signals from each of the winning detection sensors 31a to 35b through the winning IC 95 mounted on the main control board 91, and based on the reception results, determines whether each winning section receives a prize (ball entry determination). will be

The prize-winning IC 95 is a path abnormality confirmation means or a path abnormality confirmation circuit. It is confirmed by the winning IC 95 whether normal signal transmission is performed between the winning detection sensors 31 a to 35 b and the MPU 92 .

On the output side of the MPU 92, a variable winning drive unit 32c that opens and closes the open/close door 32b of the variable winning device 32, and an electric accessory drive unit 34b that opens and closes the electric accessory 34a of the lower operation port 34 are provided with electrical wiring. are electrically connected via Further, the output side of the MPU 92 is electrically connected to the main display section 43 and the character object display section 44 via electrical wiring. Various driver circuits are provided on the main control board 91, and the MPU 92 executes drive control of the various drive units 32c and 34b and display control of the various display units 43 and 44 through the driver circuits.

In other words, in the open/close execution mode, the MPU 92 executes drive control of the variable winning driving section 32c so that the big winning opening 32a is opened and closed. Further, when the electric accessory 34a is won in the open state, the MPU 92 executes drive control of the electric accessory drive unit 34b so that the electric accessory 34a is opened and closed. Further, display control of the main display section 43 is executed in the MPU 92 at each game round. Further, when the lottery result as to whether or not to open the electric accessory 34a is to be specified, the display control of the accessory display section 44 is executed in the MPU 92. FIG.

By the way, an external terminal board 81 is connected to the output side of the MPU 92, although the explanation by illustration is omitted. The MPU 92 sets information for the RWM 94 according to the progress of the game. Then, according to the information set in the RWM 94, the external terminal board 81 is set for signal output, and the state of the pachinko machine 10 is recognized by the hall computer of the game hall.

The payout control device 78 includes a payout control board 101 that controls the payout of game balls through the payout device 77 . An MPU 102 is mounted on the payout control board 101 . The MPU 102 incorporates a ROM 103 and an RWM 104 . The ROM 103 is configured to use a memory (that is, a non-volatile storage means) such as a NOR flash memory or a NAND flash memory that does not require external power supply for memory retention, as a read-only memory. The ROM 103 stores various control programs executed by the MPU 102 and fixed value data.

The RWM 104 is configured to use a memory such as an SRAM or a DRAM that requires an external power supply to hold data (that is, a volatile storage means) for both reading and writing. , the time required for reading is shorter than that of the ROM 103 when the data capacity is compared. The RWM 104 temporarily stores various data when executing the control program stored in the ROM 103 . In addition to the elements described above, the MPU 102 or the payout control board 101 is provided with an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, a data input/output circuit, and the like.

The MPU 102 is electrically connected to the payout device 77 . The payout device 77 is switched between a state in which passage of the game balls supplied from the tank 76 to the payout device 77 is prevented so as not to flow further downstream, and a state in which the game balls are delivered to the downstream side. A payout motor 77a for driving a ball stopping member such as a rotating body is provided, and a payout detection sensor 77b for individually detecting the game balls sent out to the downstream side is provided. A payout motor 77a is electrically connected to the output side of the MPU 102 via electrical wiring, and a payout detection sensor 77b is electrically connected to the input side of the MPU 102 via electrical wiring. The MPU 102 supplies a drive signal to the payout motor 77a through a driver circuit provided on the payout control board 101 to execute the payout of game balls, and the game balls that have been paid out based on the detection result of the payout detection sensor 77b. grasp the number of

In addition, the MPU 102 is electrically connected to a ball rental connection terminal plate 105 provided in the back pack unit 15 through electrical wiring, and the ball rental connection terminal plate 105 is connected to the ball rental device Y through electrical wiring. electrically connected.

The ball lending device Y is a so-called CR unit, which is provided on the side of the outer frame 11 and has a card insertion slot on the front side thereof, although the explanation by illustration is omitted. By inserting a card into the card insertion slot and appropriately manually operating a ball rental operation device (not shown) provided in the pachinko machine 10, the number of game balls corresponding to the amount of money stored in the card is lent out. It is now possible to receive The MPU 102 transmits and receives electrical signals to and from the ball lending device Y to control ball lending.

It should be noted that what is inserted into the ball lending device Y for lending game balls is not limited to a card, and may be cash or coins in which cash information is stored. In addition to the payout device 77 and the ball lending device Y, the MPU 102 is electrically connected to a full detection sensor for detecting whether or not the ball tray such as the lower tray 62a is full of game balls. A no-ball detection sensor for detecting whether the tank 76 is in the no-ball state is electrically connected.

Next, the configuration of the power supply and launch control device 79 will be described.

The power supply and launch control device 79 includes a power supply and launch control board 111, and the power supply and launch control board 111 has the function of supplying operating power to various devices including the main control unit 71 and the payout control unit 78. A power supply circuit 112 is provided. The power supply circuit 112 is provided with a power-on power supply section 113 and a power-off power supply section 114 .

The power-on power supply unit 113 is connected to, for example, a commercial power supply (external power supply) in a game hall or the like, and each of the main control device 71, the payout control device 78, etc. , and supplies the generated operating voltage to the main control device 71, the payout control device 78, and the like. In summary, the power-on power supply unit 113 takes in 24 volt AC power supplied through a connection board provided in the back pack unit 15, and supplies a +12 V voltage for driving various sensors, motors, etc. A logic +5V voltage or the like is generated, and these +12V voltage and +5V voltage are supplied to the main control device 71, the payout control device 78, and the like. A power switch for turning on/off the power of the pachinko machine 10 is provided on the connection board.

A power failure monitoring board 96 is provided in the middle of the power supply path between the power source unit 113 for power-on and the MPU 92 of the main controller 71 . The blackout monitoring board 96 monitors the voltage of stable DC 24 volts, which is the maximum voltage supplied from the power supply section 113 for power-on. When this voltage becomes less than 22 volts, it is determined that a power failure has occurred, and the output setting of a power failure signal (power failure signal) to the MPU 92 is made to correspond to the occurrence of a power failure (power failure). Specifically, a LOW level power failure signal is transmitted when it is determined that a power failure has not occurred, and a HI level power failure signal is transmitted when it is determined that a power failure has occurred. . Note that the relationship between these LOW and HI may be reversed.

The power supply unit 114 for power failure is composed of a capacitor, and when the pachinko machine 10 is powered on (when power is being supplied from the commercial power source), the power supplied from the power supply unit 113 for power charged. In addition, when the power supply of the pachinko machine 10 is in an OFF state or when a power failure occurs in the commercial power supply (when the power supply from the commercial power supply is interrupted), the power supply unit 114 for power failure discharges the main power. Memory retention power (backup power) is supplied to the RWM 94 of the control device 71 . Therefore, even in such a situation, the information stored in the RWM 94 is retained without being erased while the memory retention power is being supplied from the power failure power supply unit 114 .

In addition to the power supply circuit 112, the power supply and launch control board 111 is provided with a launch control circuit 115 that controls the launch of game balls. The launch control circuit 115 is provided with a condition establishment transmission circuit 116 , a launch permission reception circuit 117 , and a launch IC 118 .

The condition establishment transmission circuit 116 has a function of transmitting a condition establishment signal in a predetermined signal form to the MPU 92 of the main control unit 71 when a predetermined game ball shooting condition is established. . Specifically, the firing control circuit 115 includes a touch sensor 55a for detecting that the ring-shaped handle portion of the firing handle 55 is being touched by the player, and a game sensor 55a for detecting that the handle portion is being rotated. A ball stop switch 55b that is manually operated by the player to stop the shooting of the ball is electrically connected. Also, the launch control circuit 115 is electrically connected to the payout control board 101, and inputs a signal indicating whether or not the ball rental device Y is electrically connected to the ball rental connection terminal plate 105. do.

The condition establishment transmission circuit 116 receives a signal from the touch sensor 55a indicating that the handle portion is being touched by the player, and also receives a signal from the ball stop switch 55b indicating that the player has not manually operated the handle. Further, when a signal indicating that the ball lending device Y is connected is received from the MPU 102 of the payout control device 78, a HI level condition establishment signal (corresponding to condition establishment) is sent to the MPU 92 of the main control unit 71. signal). If any of the above signals is not received, a LOW level condition satisfaction signal (a signal not corresponding to the condition satisfaction) is transmitted to the MPU 92 . However, the configuration is not limited to this, and the relationship between the LOW level and the HI level may be reversed.

The firing permission reception circuit 117 receives a HI level firing signal transmitted from the MPU 92 on the condition that a HI level condition satisfaction signal is transmitted from the condition satisfaction transmission circuit 116 to the MPU 92 of the main control unit 71 . It has a function of receiving a permission signal (a signal corresponding to firing permission) and continuously supplying a signal corresponding to the firing permission signal to the firing IC 118 when the firing permission signal is received. When the MPU 92 does not receive a HI level condition establishment signal from the condition establishment transmission circuit 116, the MPU 92 transmits a LOW level firing permission signal (a signal not corresponding to firing permission). The relationship between the LOW level signal and the HI level signal may be reversed. In addition, the MPU 92 newly starts transmission of a HI level emission permission signal each time it starts receiving a HI level condition establishment signal, and when the reception of the HI level condition establishment signal ends, HI level emission is performed. Terminate the transmission of the grant signal.

When the shooting IC 118 receives a HI-level launch permission signal or a signal corresponding thereto from the launch permission reception circuit 117, the launch solenoid 54 of the game ball launching mechanism 51 and the ball feeding device 53 are respectively It has a function to periodically output a drive signal. In this case, the emission IC 118 outputs each drive signal as a pulse signal, and the output period is 0.6 sec. In addition, the output timing of the driving signal is set earlier for the ball feeding device 53 than for the shooting solenoid 54 so that the game ball is shot after one game ball is supplied to the shooting rail 52. .

As described above, the shooting handle 55 is provided with a handle portion. In this case, the firing handle 55 is provided with a variable resistor as an operation amount detection means for detecting the amount of operation of the handle, and the firing IC 118 supplies the firing solenoid 54 with a voltage input from the variable resistor. Adjust the voltage of the drive signal to adjust the emission intensity. In addition, it is not essential that the adjustment function is provided in the firing IC 118 , and an adjustment circuit may be provided in the middle of the signal path between the firing IC 118 and the firing solenoid 54 .

Next, configurations of the sound emission control device 72 and the display control device 97 will be described.

An MPU 122 is mounted on an audio emission control board 121 provided in the audio emission control device 72 . The MPU 122 includes a ROM 123 storing various control programs and fixed value data to be executed by the MPU 122, and a memory for temporarily storing various data when executing the control programs stored in the ROM 123. A certain RWM 124, an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, a data input/output circuit, etc. are incorporated.

The MPU 122 drives and controls the lamp units 45 , 46 , 58 a and 58 b and the speaker unit 59 based on commands received from the main controller 71 . Also, these commands are transmitted to the display control device 97 as they are or after analysis. Incidentally, the sound emission control device 72 is electrically connected to the display control device 97 via a connector unit (connection unit) in which connectors are provided at both ends of a signal line.

The display control device 97 includes a display control board 131 on which an MPU 132, which is an element in which a program ROM 133 and a work RWM 134 are combined and chipped, a video display processor (VDP) 135, a character ROM 136, and a video RWM 137 are respectively mounted. It has Note that it is not essential that the program ROM 133 and the work RWM 134 are integrated into one chip for the MPU 132, and they may be individually integrated into chips.

The MPU 132 analyzes various commands received from the main control device 71 via the sound emission control device 72 or performs predetermined arithmetic processing based on the received various commands to control the VDP 135 (specifically, an internal command for the VDP 135 generation).

The program ROM 133 is a memory for storing various control programs executed by the MPU 132 and fixed value data, and also stores and holds JPEG format image data for background images.

The work RWM 134 is a memory for temporarily storing work data, flags, and the like used when the MPU 132 executes various programs.

The VDP 135 is a kind of drawing circuit that directly operates an image processing device as a liquid crystal display driver incorporated in the pattern display device 41 . Since the VDP 135 is made into an IC chip, it is also called a "drawing chip", and its substance should be called a microcomputer chip containing firmware dedicated to drawing processing. The VDP 135 adjusts the timing of each of the MPU 132 and the video RWM 137 to intervene in the reading and writing of data.

The character ROM 136 serves as an image data library for storing character data such as patterns displayed on the pattern display device 41 . The character ROM 136 holds bitmap format image data of various display patterns, a color palette table to be referred to when determining the expression color of each dot of the bitmap image, and the like. These image data, tables, etc. are stored in the character ROM 136 .

It is also possible to provide a plurality of character ROMs 136 and store image data and the like in each character ROM 136 in a shared manner. It is also possible to configure the character ROM 136 to store the JPEG format image data for the background image stored in the program ROM 133 .

The video RWM 137 is a memory for storing display data to be displayed on the pattern display device 41, and by rewriting the content of the video RWM 137, the display content of the pattern display device 41 is changed.

<Electrical configuration for performing various lotteries in the MPU 92 of the main controller 71>
Next, an electrical configuration for performing various lotteries by the MPU 92 of the main controller 71 will be described with reference to FIG.

During the game, the MPU 92 uses various counter information to set the jackpot generation lottery, set the display of the main display section 43, set the display of the pattern of the pattern display device 41, set the display of the accessory display section 44, and the like. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, when the big hit random number counter C1 used for the lottery for the occurrence of the big win, the big win type counter C2 used when judging the big win type, and the pattern display device 41 deviate and fluctuate. A reach random number counter C3 used for the reach generation lottery, a random number initial value counter CINI used for setting the initial value of the jackpot random number counter C1, and a variation type counter that determines the display duration time on the main display unit 43 and the pattern display device 41 and CS are used. Further, an electric accessory release counter C4 is used for lottery to determine whether or not the electric accessory 34a of the lower operating port 34 is to be in the electric role open state. The counters C1 to C3, CINI, CS, and C4 are provided in the lottery counter area 94a of the RWM94.

Each of the counters C1 to C3, CINI, CS, and C4 is a loop counter that adds 1 to the previous value each time it is updated and returns to 0 after reaching the maximum value. Each counter is updated at short time intervals. Information corresponding to the jackpot random number counter C1, the jackpot type counter C2, and the reach random number counter C3 is stored in the reserved storage area 94b as acquired information storage means when a prize is won in the upper operation port 33 or the lower operation port 34. be done.

The pending storage area 94b comprises a pending area RE and an execution area AE. The reservation area RE includes a first reservation area RE1, a second reservation area RE2, a third reservation area RE3 and a fourth reservation area RE4. , Each numerical value information of the jackpot random number counter C1, the jackpot type counter C2 and the reach random number counter C3 stored in the lottery counter buffer is stored as reserved information in one of the reserved areas RE1 to RE4.

In this case, in the first reservation area RE1 to the fourth reservation area RE4, when the winning to the upper operation port 33 or the lower operation port 34 occurs multiple times in succession, the first reservation area RE1 → the second reservation area Each numerical value information is stored chronologically in the order of RE2→third reservation area RE3→fourth reservation area RE4. By providing four reservation areas RE1 to RE4 in this manner, up to four winning histories of game balls to the upper operation port 33 or the lower operation port 34 are reserved and stored. In addition, the reservation area RE is provided with a reservation number storage area NA. In the reservation number storage area NA, the number of winning histories for the upper operation opening 33 or the lower operation opening 34 is reserved and stored. information is stored.

It should be noted that the number that can be retained and stored is not limited to four, and may be any number, such as two, three, or five or more, or may be singular.

The execution area AE is an area for moving each value stored in the first reservation area RE1 of the reservation area RE when starting the variable display on the main display section 43. Based on the various numerical information stored in the execution area AE, determination of success or failure is performed.

Each of the above counters will be described in detail.

The jackpot random number counter C1 is configured to be incremented by 1 in order within the range of 0 to 599, for example, and return to 0 after reaching the maximum value. In particular, when the jackpot random number counter C1 makes one round, the value of the random number initial value counter CINI at that time is read as the initial value of the jackpot random number counter C1. The random number initial value counter CINI is a loop counter similar to the jackpot random number counter C1 (value = 0 to 599). The jackpot random number counter C1 is periodically updated, and stored in the reservation storage area 94b at the timing when the game ball wins the upper operation opening 33 or the lower operation opening 34.例文帳に追加

The value of the random number for winning the jackpot is stored as a success/failure table (success/failure information group) in a success/failure table storage area as success/failure information group storage means in the ROM 93 . As the right/wrong table, a right/wrong table for the low-probability mode (low-probability right/wrong information group) and a right/wrong table for the high-probability mode (high-probability right/wrong information group) are set. That is, in the pachinko machine 10, a low probability mode (low probability state) and a high probability mode (high probability state) are set as the lottery mode of the lottery means.

Under the game state in which the success/failure table for the low-probability mode is referred to in the lottery, the number of random numbers for winning the jackpot is two. On the other hand, under the gaming state in which the success/failure table for the high-probability mode is referred to in the lottery, the number of random numbers that will win the jackpot is twenty. As long as the probability of winning is higher in the high-probability mode than in the low-probability mode, the number of random numbers for winning is arbitrary.

The jackpot type counter C2 is incremented by 1 in order within the range of 0 to 29, and returns to 0 after reaching the maximum value. The jackpot type counter C2 is periodically updated, and is stored in the reservation storage area 94b at the timing when the game ball wins the upper operation opening 33 or the lower operation opening 34.例文帳に追加

In this pachinko machine 10, a plurality of jackpot results are set. These multiple jackpot results are based on two conditions: (1) a lottery mode in the winning/failure lottery means after the end of the opening/closing execution mode; A plurality of jackpot results are set by providing a difference.

Here, as a mode of opening/closing control of the variable winning device 32 in the opening/closing execution mode, the round game is executed up to a predetermined number of times in any jackpot result.

A round game means that either a predetermined upper limit duration time (upper limit duration period) elapses or a predetermined upper limit number of game balls wins the big winning hole 32a. It is a game that continues until In addition, the number of round games in the opening/closing execution mode triggered by the result of the big win is the same as the fixed number of rounds regardless of the type of the result of the big win triggered by the shift. Specifically, the upper limit number of round games is set to 15 rounds (15R) regardless of the jackpot result. Further, as one opening mode of the variable prize winning device 32, an opening duration (open duration) from when the big prize winning opening 32a is opened to when it is closed is set to 29 seconds.

In the pachinko machine 10, when the shooting handle 55 is operated by the player, the game ball shooting mechanism 51 is driven and controlled so that one game ball is shot toward the game area every 0.6 seconds. . In the round game, the upper limit number of end conditions is set to 10 pieces. Then, in the open mode, the open continuation time is set to be longer than the product of the shooting cycle of the game ball and one round game. Therefore, when the variable winning device 32 is opened once, it can be expected that the maximum number of winnings in one round game will occur in the big winning opening 32a.

As a support mode for the electric accessory 34a of the lower operating port 34, when compared in a situation where the game ball is continuously shot in a similar manner to the game area, the electric accessory 34a of the lower operating port 34 is High-frequency support mode (high-frequency support state or high-frequency guide state) and low-frequency support mode (low-frequency support state or low-frequency guide state) so that the frequency of opening state per unit time is relatively high or low. and are set.

Specifically, in the low frequency support mode and the high frequency support mode, the probability of winning the electric role open state in the electric role product opening lottery using the electric role product opening counter C4 is the same (for example, both are 4/5). However, in the high-frequency support mode, the number of times the electric accessory 34a is in the open state when the electric role open state is won is set more than in the low-frequency support mode. A long time is set. In this case, in the high-frequency support mode, when the electric role open state is won and the open state of the electric accessory 34a occurs multiple times, the closing from the end of one open state to the start of the next open state The time is set shorter than one opening time. Furthermore, in the high-frequency support mode, the minimum time required for the next electric accessory open lottery after one electric accessory open lottery is performed is shorter than the low-frequency support mode. is set to be selected.

As described above, in the high-frequency support mode, the probability of winning the lower operation opening 34 is higher than in the low-frequency support mode. In other words, in the low-frequency support mode, the probability of winning the upper working port 33 is higher than the lower working port 34, but in the high-frequency support mode, the lower working port 34 is more likely to be won than the upper working port 33. Higher chance of winning. When a prize is awarded to the lower operation port 34, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out, so in the high-frequency support mode, the player plays the game while not reducing the number of balls in his hand too much. be able to.

In addition, the configuration for making the high frequency support mode more frequent than the low frequency support mode to be in the electric role open state per unit time is not limited to the above. It may be configured to increase the probability of winning the electric role open state. In addition, after one electric accessory opening lottery is performed, the time secured for the next electric accessory opening lottery is performed (for example, based on the winning of the through gate 35, the accessory display unit 44 In a configuration where multiple types of variable display time are prepared, high-frequency support mode is set so that a shorter reserved time is more likely to be selected than low-frequency support mode, or the average reserved time is shorter. may have been Furthermore, the number of times of opening is increased, the opening time is lengthened, and the secured time secured when the next electric accessory open lottery is performed after one electric accessory open lottery is performed (that is, , shortening the variable display time for one time on the character product display unit 44), shortening the average time of the securing time, and increasing the winning probability, any one condition or any combination of conditions is applied. This may increase the advantage of the high-frequency support mode over the low-frequency support mode.

The distribution destination of the game result for the jackpot type counter C2 is stored as a distribution table (distribution information group) in a distribution table storage area as distribution information group storage means in the ROM 93 . Then, as such distribution destinations, a normal jackpot result (low-probability special game result) and a probability-variable jackpot result (high-probability special game result) are set.

The normal jackpot result is a jackpot result in which the win/fail lottery mode becomes the low-probability mode and the support mode becomes the high-frequency support mode after the opening/closing execution mode ends. However, this high-frequency support mode transitions to the low-frequency support mode when the number of games reaches the end reference number of times (specifically, 100 times) after transition.

The probability variable jackpot result is a jackpot result in which the win/fail lottery mode becomes the high probability mode and the support mode becomes the high frequency support mode after the opening/closing execution mode ends. These high-probability mode and high-frequency support mode are continued until the lottery result in the success/failure lottery results in a big win state winning, and the game shifts to a big win state accordingly.

In relation to each game state described above, the normal game state is not the open/close execution mode, but the win/fail lottery mode is the low probability mode, and the support mode is the low frequency support mode.

In the distribution table, among the values of the jackpot type counter C2 of "0 to 29", "0 to 14" correspond to normal jackpot results, and "15 to 29" correspond to probability variable jackpot results.

In addition, as a kind of probability variable jackpot result, after the end of the opening and closing execution mode, the winning lottery mode becomes the high probability mode, and the support mode is maintained in the previous mode. result or a result of a latent probability change state) may be included. Further, as a kind of result of losing in the winning lottery, there may be included a special losing result in which transition to the opening/closing execution mode and transition to the winning lottery mode and the support mode do not occur after the opening/closing execution mode ends. In this case, the game results are diversified.

Furthermore, as a mode of opening and closing control of the variable winning device 32 in the opening and closing execution mode, a low frequency winning mode in which the winning to the big winning opening 32a in one round game cannot be expected for the upper limit number of the round game is included. , in the opening/closing execution mode based on the game result, the opening/closing control may be performed in the low-frequency winning mode. In this case as well, the game results are diversified.

The reach random number counter C3 is configured such that it is incremented by 1 in sequence within the range of 0 to 238, for example, and returns to 0 after reaching the maximum value. The reach random number counter C3 is periodically updated, and is stored in the reservation storage area 94b at the timing when the game ball enters the upper operation opening 33 or the lower operation opening 34.例文帳に追加

Here, in the pachinko machine 10, ready-to-win display is set as a kind of display effect in the symbol display device 41. - 特許庁The ready-to-win display is provided with a pattern display device 41 capable of performing variable display (or variable display) of patterns (patterns), and variable display in game rounds in which the opening and closing execution mode of the variable winning device 32 is a high frequency winning mode. In a gaming machine in which a subsequent stop display result is a special display result, the step before the stop display result is derived and displayed after the start of the variable display (or variable display) of the pattern (pattern) on the pattern display device 41, This is a display state for making the player think that it is a variable display state that tends to result in a special display result.

In the ready-to-win display, a combination of jackpot symbols corresponding to the occurrence of the opening/closing execution mode is established by stopping and displaying the symbols of some of the plurality of symbol rows displayed on the display screen of the symbol display device 41.例文帳に追加A display state is included in which a combination of possible ready-to-win patterns is displayed, and in that state, patterns are displayed in a variable manner in the remaining pattern rows. In addition, in a state in which the combinations of ready-to-win patterns are displayed as described above, the symbols in the remaining pattern rows are variably displayed, and a predetermined character or the like is displayed as a moving image in the background image to perform a ready-to-win effect. , after reducing or hiding the combination of the ready-to-win pattern, a predetermined character or the like is displayed as a moving image on substantially the entire display screen to perform the ready-to-win effect.

The ready-to-win display is executed regardless of the value of the ready-to-win random number counter C3 in game rounds in which the open/close execution mode is entered. In addition, in game rounds that do not shift to the open/close execution mode, the reach table stored in the reach table storage area of the ROM 93 is referred to, and the reach random number counter C3 obtained at a predetermined timing corresponds to the occurrence of the reach display. is executed if

The fluctuation type counter CS is configured to be incremented by 1 in order within the range of 0 to 198, for example, and return to 0 after reaching the maximum value. The variation type counter CS is used by the MPU 92 to determine the variation display time (display duration) on the main display section 43 and the symbol variation display time (display duration) on the symbol display device 41 . The variation type counter CS is updated in each of the main processing and timer interrupt processing, which will be described later. A value of CS is obtained. When determining the variable display time, the variable display time table (variable display time information group) stored in advance in the variable display time table storage area (variable display time information storage means) of the ROM 93 is referred to.

The electric accessory release counter C4 is, for example, configured to be incremented by 1 in the range of 0 to 250 and return to 0 after reaching the maximum value. The electric accessory release counter C4 is periodically updated, and stored in the electric role holding area 94c provided in the RWM 94 at the timing when the game ball wins the through gate 35. - 特許庁Then, at a predetermined timing, a lottery is performed as to whether or not to control the electric accessory 34a to the open state based on the stored value of the electric accessory release counter C4.

<Various processing executed by MPU 92>
Next, each process executed by the MPU 92 to advance the game will be described. The processing of the MPU 92 can be broadly classified into main processing that is started when the power is turned on, and timer interrupt processing that is started periodically (with a cycle of 4 msec in this embodiment).

<Main processing>
First, the main processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S101, power-on wait processing is executed. In the power-on way and process, for example, the process waits without proceeding to the next process until 1 sec has passed since the main process was activated. In the next step S102, the access of the RWM 94 is permitted, and in step S103, the internal function register of the MPU 92 is set.

After that, in step S104, it is determined whether or not the RWM erasing switch provided in the power supply and launch control device 79 is manually operated. determine whether In step S106, a checksum calculation process for calculating a checksum is executed, and in the following step S107, whether or not the checksum matches the checksum saved at the time of power shutdown, that is, the validity of the stored data is checked. judge.

In this pachinko machine 10, when the RWM data is initialized when the power is turned on, such as when the game hall starts operating, the power is turned on while pressing the RWM erasing switch. Therefore, if the RWM erasing switch has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S108. Similarly, when the information on the occurrence of power shutdown is not set, or when an abnormality in the stored data is confirmed by the checksum, the process proceeds to step S108. In step S108, the RWM 94 is cleared as initialization of the RWM 94. FIG. After that, the process proceeds to step S109.

On the other hand, if the RWM erase switch is not pressed, step S109 is executed without executing the processing of step S108 on the condition that the power failure flag is set to "1" and the checksum is normal. proceed to In step S109, power-on setting processing is executed. In the power-on setting process, a predetermined area of the RWM 94 such as initialization of the power failure flag is set to the initial value, and a command corresponding to the current game state is transmitted to the sound emission control device 72 in order to recognize the current game state. do. Also, a payout initialization command indicating that the RWM 104 should be initialized is transmitted to the MPU 102 . Furthermore, interrupt permission is set to permit the generation of timer interrupt processing.

After that, the process proceeds to the remaining processes of steps S110 to S113. In other words, although the MPU 92 is configured to periodically execute timer interrupt processing, there is a remaining time between one timer interrupt processing and the next timer interrupt processing. Although this remaining time varies according to the processing completion time of each timer interrupt process, the remaining process of steps S110 to S113 is repeatedly executed using such irregular time. In this regard, it can be said that the remaining processes of steps S110 to S113 are irregular processes that are executed irregularly.

In the remaining process, first, in step S110, interrupt prohibition is set to prohibit the occurrence of timer interrupt processing. In subsequent step S111, a random number initial value update process for updating the random number initial value counter CINI is executed, and in step S112, a fluctuation counter update process for updating the fluctuation type counter CS is executed. In these update processes, the current numerical information is read from the corresponding counter of the RWM 94, and after executing the process of adding 1 to the read numerical information, the process of overwriting the reading source counter is executed. In this case, each counter value is cleared to "0" when it reaches the maximum value. After that, in step S113, an interrupt permission setting is performed to switch from a state in which the generation of timer interrupt processing is prohibited to a state in which it is permitted. After executing the process of step S113, the process returns to step S110, and the processes of steps S110 to S113 are repeated.

Here, as described above, in the remaining processing, only the random number initial value update processing and the fluctuation counter update processing are set so as to be sandwiched between the interrupt prohibition processing and the interrupt permission processing. is always started immediately before step S110. Then, after the timer interrupt processing is finished, it is always necessary to start from step S110, and the return address after the timer interrupt processing becomes unique. Therefore, there is no need to store the current return address when timer interrupt processing is started, and the processing load is reduced when timer interrupt processing is started.

In addition, since the timer interrupt processing does not occur while the MPU 92 is performing the calculation of the predetermined data, the data stored in the register of the MPU 92 at that time is saved to the RWM 94 at the start of the timer interrupt processing. Similarly, there is no need to execute data return processing to the registers of the MPU 92 when the timer interrupt processing ends. Therefore, the processing load at the start of timer interrupt processing is reduced, and the processing load at the end of timer interrupt processing is also reduced.

In addition, since the timer interrupt processing is not started while the random number initial value counter CINI or the fluctuation type counter CS is being updated, these counters are updated by the timer interrupt processing. It is possible to prevent numerical information from being acquired and further update processing from being executed.

<Timer interrupt processing>
Next, timer interrupt processing will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

Here, a hardware configuration for periodically executing timer interrupt processing in the MPU 92 will be described. The main control board 91 is provided with a clock circuit as pulse signal output means for outputting a pulse signal at a predetermined cycle. is provided.

The frequency dividing circuit functions as frequency changing means for changing the cycle of the pulse signal from the clock circuit, and is configured to output a pulse signal for specifying the start timing of the timer interrupt process by the MPU 92 . That is, the pulse signal is supplied from the frequency dividing circuit to the MPU 92 at intervals of 4 msec, which is a specific period. The MPU 92 executes processing for confirming the occurrence of a specific signal form such as rising or falling of the pulse signal, and starts and executes timer interrupt processing under at least one condition that the occurrence of the specific signal form is confirmed. do.

In this case, if the occurrence of the above specific signal form is confirmed in a situation where activation of timer interrupt processing is prohibited, the timer Interrupt processing is activated. That is, depending on the execution status of processing in the MPU 92, the next timer interrupt processing may be started after 4.1 msec has passed since the previous timer interrupt processing was started. The timer interrupt processing is started after 3.9 msec has passed since the previous timer interrupt processing was started.

However, since the output of the pulse signal from the frequency dividing circuit is performed at a specific period such as 4 msec regardless of the contents of the processing in the MPU 92, basically the timer interrupt process is started at a specific period. Furthermore, the processing configuration of the MPU 92 is such that even if timer interrupt processing at a predetermined timing is started after a period exceeding a specific period has elapsed since the previous timer interrupt processing was started, the next timing of the predetermined timing In the timer interrupt processing in , the amount exceeding the specific period is absorbed, and in the timer interrupt processing at the next timing, it is set to be started at the timing when the input of the pulse signal is confirmed.

Now, in the timer interrupt process, first, in step S201, a power failure information storage process is executed. In the power failure information storage process, it is monitored whether or not a power failure signal corresponding to the occurrence of power failure is received from the power failure monitoring board 96, and when the occurrence of power failure is specified, the power failure process is executed.

In subsequent step S202, random number update processing for lottery is executed. In the lottery random number update process, the jackpot random number counter C1, the jackpot type counter C2, the reach random number counter C3, and the electric accessory release counter C4 are updated. Specifically, the current numerical information is sequentially read from the jackpot random number counter C1, the jackpot type counter C2, the reach random number counter C3, and the electric accessory release counter C4, and after executing the process of adding 1 to each of the read numerical information , overwrites the read source counter. In this case, each counter value is cleared to "0" when it reaches the maximum value.

After that, in step S203, the random number initial value update process is executed in the same manner as in step S111, and in step S204, the variation counter update process is executed in the same manner as in step S112.

In the following step S205, game stop determination processing is executed. In the game stop determination process, it is monitored whether or not the progress of the game should be stopped, and if the situation is such that the progress of the game should be stopped, execution of the process for progressing the game is stopped. Specifically, when it is determined that the game progress should be stopped by detecting fraud in the fraud detection process (step S211) described later, the variable winning device 32 and the electric accessory 34a are forcibly closed. In addition to executing the processing to forcibly stop the shooting of the game ball from the game ball shooting mechanism 51, the processing is executed. As a process for stopping the shooting of the game ball, even if the signal level of the transmission circuit 116 indicating the establishment of the condition in the shooting control circuit 115 is HI level, the signal level of the reception circuit 117 indicating permission to launch is set to LOW level, and the shooting solenoid 54, etc. Stop control.

After that, in step S206, it is determined whether or not the progress of the game is stopped, and on the condition that the progress of the game is not stopped, the processing after step S207 is executed.

In step S207, port output processing is executed. In the port output process, when the output information has been set in the previous timer interrupt process, a process for outputting corresponding to the output information to the various driving units 32c and 34b is executed. For example, when information is set to switch the big winning opening 32a to the open state, the output of the drive signal to the variable winning drive unit 32c is started, and when information to switch to the closed state is set. Stop the output of the drive signal. In addition, when the information to switch the electric accessory 34a of the lower operation port 34 to the open state is set, the output of the drive signal to the electric accessory drive unit 34b is started, and the information to switch to the closed state is set. If so, the output of the drive signal is stopped.

In step S208, read processing is executed. In the reading process, signals other than the power failure signal and the winning signal are read, and the read information is stored for use in future processing.

A step S209 reads signals received from the respective winning detection sensors 31a to 35b, and executes winning detection processing for performing processing corresponding to the read information. The contents of the winning detection process will be described in detail later. Further, in step S210, a timer update process is executed for collectively updating numerical information of a predetermined timer counter provided in the RWM 94 .

In step S211, fraud detection processing is executed to monitor whether or not a predetermined event set as a monitoring target for fraud has occurred.

In step S212, a launch control process for controlling the launch of game balls is executed. The contents of the launch control process will be described later in detail. Further, in step S213, as an input state monitoring process, based on the information read in the reading process of step S208, disconnection of each prize detection sensor 31a to 35b is confirmed, and opening of the gaming machine main body 12 and front door frame 14 is confirmed. I do.

In step S214, a special figure special electric control process for performing execution control of the game times and execution control of the opening/closing execution mode is executed. In the special figure special electric control process, when the winning to the upper operation opening 33 or the lower operation opening 34 occurs in a situation where the number of reservation information stored in the reservation storage area 94b is less than the upper limit number, at that time The numerical value information of the jackpot random number counter C1, the jackpot type counter C2, and the reach random number counter C3 is stored as reserved information in the reserved storage area 94b in chronological order. In addition, in the special figure special electric control process, when the reservation information is stored, an internal lottery is performed for the reservation information, and the internal lottery result is executed as an effect for the game round. Then, a first game state transition process is executed for transitioning the game state according to the internal lottery result. Further, a second game state transition process is executed for transitioning to the support mode or lottery mode in each game round. These first game state transition processing and second game state transition processing will be described later.

After performing the special figure special electric control processing of step S214, normal figure general electric control processing is performed in step S215. In the general map general electric control process, when the prize to the through gate 35 is generated, the processing for acquiring the reservation information on the general map side is executed, and when the reservation information on the general map side is stored Then, open determination is performed for the reservation information, and processing for performing the production for the normal map is performed with the open determination as a trigger. Also, based on the result of the open determination, the processing of opening and closing the electric accessory 34a of the lower operation opening 34 is executed.

In step S216, based on the processing results of steps S214 and S215 immediately before, output information is set for reflecting the increase/decrease number of pending information related to the main display unit 43 on the first pending lamp unit 45, and Output information is set for reflecting the increase/decrease number of pieces of hold information related to the object display unit 44 to the second hold lamp unit 46 .

In step S217, a demonstration display process is executed to set the display content of the symbol display device 41 to standby display in a situation where neither the game cycle nor the opening/closing execution mode is executed, and in step S218, a payout is performed. The contents of the commands and signals received from the MPU 102 of the control device 78 are confirmed, and payout state reception processing is executed for performing processing corresponding to the confirmation result. Also, in step S219, a payout output process for setting a prize ball command as an output target is executed.

In step S220, external information setting processing is executed so as to control the start and end of the output of the external signal according to the processing results of the various processing executed in the timer interrupt processing this time. Also, in step S221, a process for editing the test-firing test information is executed.

If an affirmative determination is made in step S206, or after the processing of steps S207 to S221 is executed, the process proceeds to step S222. At step S222, the setting of the interrupt end declaration is executed. In the MPU 92, once timer interrupt processing is started, setting of an interrupt end declaration is defined as one of the conditions for starting the next timer interrupt processing. Set the interrupt end declaration to enable the execution of interrupt processing. In step S223, interrupt permission is set. In the MPU 92, once the timer interrupt process is started, the interrupt is disabled, so in step S223, interrupt permission is set to enable execution of the next timer interrupt process. After that, the timer interrupt processing ends.

<About processing related to the display of the number of acquired balls>
In the pachinko machine 10, the display screen G of the symbol display device 41 displays the number of game balls obtained during a predetermined period (the number of obtained balls). These processes will be explained.

<Launch control processing>
First, the firing control process executed in step S212 of the timer interrupt process (FIG. 9) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S301, it is determined whether or not the condition satisfaction signal from the power supply and firing control device 79 is at HI level. Such a condition establishment signal is input to an input port (not shown) of the MPU 92 of the main control unit 71 through the condition establishment transmission circuit 116 . In step S301, by monitoring the input port, it is determined whether or not the condition establishment signal is at HI level.

If an affirmative determination is made in step S301, it is determined in subsequent step S302 whether or not the firing is permitted. The firing permitted state is a state in which a HI-level firing permission signal has already been output through the firing permission receiving circuit 117, and the firing permitted flag in the RWM 94 is set to "1". be. If it is not in the firing permitted state, the firing permitted state is set by storing "1" in the firing permitted flag of the RWM 94 in the following step S303. In the subsequent step S304, the output state of the firing permission signal is set to HI level. As a result, the power supply and the shooting control device 79 are allowed to shoot the game ball. If an affirmative determination is made in step S302 or after the process of step S304 is executed, the number of fired balls is measured in step S305, and this firing control process ends. The number-of-shots counting process will be described in detail later.

If a negative determination is made in step S301, the process proceeds to step S306. In step S306, the firing permitted state is canceled by erasing the firing permitted flag of the RWM 94. FIG. In the subsequent step S307, the output state of the firing permission signal is set to LOW level. As a result, the power supply and the shooting control device 79 are not permitted to shoot game balls.

After executing the process of step S307, in step S308, the process of updating the value of the firing cycle counter HC provided in the RWM 94 to "0" is executed. The firing cycle counter HC can be updated in increments of 1 from the initial value of "0" to the maximum value of "149" in the firing ball counting process described later. Accordingly, the value of the firing cycle counter HC is reset to the initial value. After executing the processing of step S308, the firing control processing ends.

Although not shown, when the output state of the launch permission signal becomes LOW, the power supply and launch control device 79 clears the game ball launch cycle count in the launch IC 118 and resets it to the initial value. do. That is, it can be said that the firing cycle counter HC and the firing cycle in the firing IC are synchronized.

That is, in the pachinko machine 10, on the condition that the firing condition signal from the power supply and the firing control device 79 is HI level, the RWM 94 determines that the firing permission condition is established, and the firing of the game ball is permitted. It is a configuration that is As already explained, the power supply and shooting control device 79 controls the game ball shooting mechanism 51 to shoot a game ball at a cycle of 0.6 sec on condition that the shooting permission signal from the RWM 94 is HI level.

Further, as already explained, when it is determined that the progress of the game should be stopped in the game stop determination process (step S205), even if the signal level of the transmission circuit 116 satisfying the condition is HI level, The signal level of the receiving circuit 117 for permission is set to LOW level. Along with this, in the game stop determination process, the firing permitted state is also canceled. Therefore, in the pachinko machine 10, two conditions are satisfied: that the firing conditions on the power supply and firing control device 79 side are satisfied, and that the firing permission conditions on the main control device 71 side are satisfied. A game ball is shot when the game ball is being played.

Here, the number-of-shots counting process executed in step S305 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the shot ball count processing, first, in step S401, it is determined whether or not a measurement start flag is stored in the RWM 94 . The measurement start flag is a flag that is stored in the RWM 94 at the start of the opening/closing execution mode in the first game state transition process described later, and is erased when the high frequency support mode is shifted to the low frequency support mode in the game round. , is a flag for indicating the period during which the number of acquired balls is displayed on the symbol display device 41 . If the measurement start flag is not stored, the process of measuring the number of fired balls is terminated.

If the measurement start flag is stored, the value of the firing cycle counter HC is incremented by "1" in step S402. In the following step S403, it is determined whether or not the value of the firing cycle counter HC is the maximum value of "149" as a result of the processing in step S402. Reset to the initial value of "0". If a negative determination is made in step S403, this processing for measuring the number of fired balls is terminated.

After executing the process of step S404, "1" is added to the value of the shot ball number counter HN provided in the RWM 94 in step S405. The shot ball number counter HN is a counter that indicates the number of shot balls during the period when the measurement start flag is stored, and can count from the initial value "0" to the maximum value "65535". If the value of the shot ball number counter HN is the maximum value in step S405, addition processing is not performed. After the process of step S404 is executed, the number-of-shot-balls measurement process ends.

Note that the maximum value of the number-of-shots counter HN is not limited to the above, and may be greater or less than "65535". Further, when the value of the shot ball number counter HN reaches the maximum value, it may be configured to return to the initial value.

As described above, the game ball shooting cycle of the game ball shooting mechanism 51 is 0.6 sec. On the other hand, in this firing ball number measurement process, when the firing cycle counter HC is incremented by "1" from the initial value "0" and reaches the maximum value "149", the firing cycle counter HC is reset to the initial value. set. Since the timer interrupt process (FIG. 9) is executed at a cycle of 4 msec, it takes 0.6 sec for the firing cycle counter HC to make one round, which is the same as the firing cycle of the game ball firing mechanism 51.

Furthermore, although not shown, the game ball shooting mechanism 51 is configured to shoot a game ball 0.6 sec after the shooting permitted state is canceled in the middle of the shooting cycle, after 0.6 seconds have passed since the shooting permitted state is entered again. It has become. On the other hand, the firing cycle counter HC is reset to the initial value in step S308 when the firing permitted state is cancelled. Therefore, even if the measurement start flag is stored, when the launch permitted state is canceled, similarly to the shooting cycle of the game ball launching mechanism 51, the launch is allowed again after the launch is permitted. The cycle counter HC is configured to perform addition processing from the initial value.

Also, although the details will be described later, when the period for measuring the number of fired balls ends, a process of resetting the firing cycle counter HC and the fired ball number counter HN to initial values is performed.

Therefore, when the period for measuring the number of shot balls ends and the measurement start flag is stored again, both the shooting cycle and the number of shot balls are measured from the initial values.

Although the game ball shooting cycle of the game ball shooting mechanism 51 is set to 0.6 sec, it is not limited to this, and may be longer or shorter than 0.6 sec. Moreover, it is good also as a structure by which a discharge period is changed according to a game state. Furthermore, the configuration may be such that the firing cycle is determined by lottery. In these cases, the maximum value of the firing cycle counter HC may be changed in accordance with the cycle determined by setting, change, or lottery.

<Winning detection process>
Next, the winning detection process executed in step S209 of the timer interrupt process (FIG. 9) will be described.

In the winning detection process, the process of confirming the detection results of the winning detection sensors 31a to 35b is executed. Before describing the winning detection process, an electrical configuration for inputting detection results of the winning detection sensors 31a to 35b to the input port 92a of the MPU 92 will be described with reference to FIG.

The input port 92a is configured as an 8-bit parallel interface so that it can handle 8 types of signals simultaneously. Areas for storing "0" or "1" information according to the voltage of each signal are provided in one-to-one correspondence with each terminal. That is, the area includes 0th bit D0 to 7th bit D7.

In addition, although more than eight types of signals are input to the input port 92a, in order to limit the targets to be input simultaneously to eight types, the signal group to be input to the input port 92a depends on the driver IC. Switched through switching control. In the winning detection process, a signal group to be input to the input port 92a is set to each of the winning detection sensors 31a to 35b.

In this setting, the 0th bit D0 stores information corresponding to the winning signal from the big winning opening detection sensor 32e, and the first bit D1 stores information corresponding to the winning signal from the upper opening detection sensor 33a. is stored, the second bit D2 stores information corresponding to the winning signal from the lower opening detection sensor 34c, and the third bit D3 stores information corresponding to the winning signal from the first winning opening detection sensor 31a. , the fourth bit D4 stores information corresponding to the winning signal from the second winning opening detection sensor 31b, the fifth bit D5 stores information corresponding to the winning signal from the third winning opening detection sensor 31c, and The 6th bit D6 stores information corresponding to the winning signal from the first gate detection sensor 35a, and the 7th bit D7 stores information corresponding to the winning signal from the second gate detection sensor 35b.

In this case, when the winning detection sensors 31a to 35b do not detect the passage of the game ball, they output a HI level signal indicating non-detection of the game ball as a prize winning signal to detect the passage of the game ball. When it is detected, it outputs a LOW level signal indicating that it is being detected as a prize winning signal. However, the main control board 91 is provided with an inverting circuit, and the state of the signal is inverted before each detection signal is input to the input port 92a. When the input port 92a receives a LOW level signal through the inverting circuit, it stores "0" information (data 0 or no information) for the corresponding bit, and receives a HI level signal through the inverting circuit. If it is, "1" information (data 1 or existence information) is stored for the corresponding bit.

That is, in a situation where the passing of the game ball is not detected by the winning detection sensors 31a to 35b, "0" information corresponding to the information indicating non-detection is stored in the corresponding bit, and the passing of the game ball is stored. In the detected state, information of "1" corresponding to information indicating that detection is being performed is stored for the corresponding bit.

Each of the winning detection sensors 31a to 35b outputs a LOW level signal as a winning signal while not detecting the passage of a game ball, and outputs a HI level signal as a winning signal while detecting the passage of a game ball. may be configured to output. In this case, the inverting circuit should be considered defective.

Now, in the winning detection process, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. A process of shifting to the prize determination area WA1 is executed. The first prize determination area WA1 is composed of 8 bits as shown in FIG. is the possible data capacity. In this case, the storage source bits in the 0th to 7th bits D0 to D7 and the storage destination bits in the first prize determination area WA1 are predetermined in a one-to-one correspondence, for example, the 0th bit D0. information is always stored in a predetermined bit in the first prize determination area WA1.

In the following step S502, wait processing for winning detection is executed. In the wait process, the MPU 92 waits without executing any process until a predetermined wait time elapses. In the pachinko machine 10, the wait time is set to 10 μsec, but it does not impede the execution of the periodic timer interrupt process, and furthermore, the function and effect to be described later due to the setting of the wait process can be fully exhibited. Although the specific wait time is arbitrary as long as it is possible, it is preferably in the range of 2 μsec to 500 μsec, more preferably in the range of 10 μsec to 100 μsec.

Incidentally, the MPU 92 requires at least 1.2 μsec to execute the processing of one step. Therefore, even if the processing of step S502 is not set, a forced wait time of 1.2 μsec will occur between step S501 and step S503. In this regard, in step S302, in addition to the minimum time required to execute the process, an additional wait time is set between the process of step S501 and the process of step S503.

In the subsequent step S503, the information currently stored in the 0th to 7th bits D0 to D7 is transferred to the second prize determination area WA2 in the register of the MPU 92. Incidentally, since the information in the input port 92a is updated at intervals shorter than the time from the completion of step S501 to the start of step S503, the 0th to 7th bits D0 to D7 are updated in step S503. The information migrated from may be different than in step S501.

Like the first prize determination area WA1, the second prize determination area WA2 consists of 8 bits as shown in FIG. 13(b-2). It is a data capacity that can store all the information that is stored. In this case, the storage source bits in the 0th to 7th bits D0 to D7 and the storage destination bits in the second prize determination area WA2 are predetermined in a one-to-one correspondence, and the storage source bits are determined in advance. and the storage destination bit is the same as in the case of the first prize determination area WA1.

After that, in step S504, after the winning determination process is executed, the winning detection process is terminated. Here, the winning determination process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the winning determination process, first, in step S601, 8 is set to the winning determination counter provided in the RWM 94. FIG. In the subsequent step S602, each bit information corresponding to the numerical information of the current winning judgment counter in the first winning judgment area WA1 and the second winning judgment area WA2 is grasped. Each piece of information captured in this case is information read from the same bit at input port 92a.

In subsequent step S603, each piece of information grasped in step S402 is subjected to AND processing, and the AND processing result is stored in a register. Among them, the result of the AND process is stored in the corresponding bit on the side different from the side on which the information of the result of the AND process was stored in the winning detection process in the last timer interrupt process. The first post-calculation area WA3 and the second post-calculation area WA4 are composed of 8 bits as shown in FIGS. 13(b-3) and 13(b-4). It has a data capacity capable of storing all the information of the result of AND processing between the bit and each bit of the second prize determination area WA2. In this case, the order of the bits in the first winning determination area WA1 and the second winning determination area WA2, which are the targets of the AND process, and the order of each bit in the first post-calculation area WA3 and the second post-calculation area WA4 are unique. is defined.

After that, in step S605, the information of the result of the AND process is stored in the winning determination process in the previous timer interrupt process, out of the first post-calculation area WA3 and the second post-calculation area WA4. to read the bit information corresponding to the current numerical value information of the winning judgment counter. Then, in step S606, an inversion process is executed to invert the read information between "0" and "1".

After that, in step S607, AND processing is executed between the information of the AND processing result in step S603 and the information of the reversing processing result in step S606. It is determined whether it is a corresponding "1".

If it is determined in step S608 that the result of the AND processing is "1", then in step S609 the numerical information of the current award determination counter corresponds to either the upper working opening 33 or the lower working opening 34. It is determined whether or not the information indicates a bit. If it corresponds to either the upper operation port 33 or the lower operation port 34, in step S610, "1" is stored in the operation winning flag provided in the RWM 94, and in the following step S611, the RWM 94 1 is added to the numerical information of the provided three-ball counter.

The operation winning flag is a flag for specifying in the MPU 92 that the processing corresponding to the winning of the upper operation port 33 or the lower operation port 34 and the processing other than the execution of the prize balls should be executed. . Incidentally, in the configuration in which the winning detection sensors 33a and 34c are provided for the upper operating port 33 and the lower operating port 34, respectively, the winning to the upper operating port 33 and the winning to the lower operating port 34 are timer-controlled. They may be grasped at the same time within the range of one process of interrupt processing. Therefore, in order to correspond to this, the operation winning flags are provided corresponding to the number of the operation openings 33 and 34, specifically two. The 3 prize ball counter is a counter for specifying the number of times the MPU 92 should output a 3 prize ball command instructing execution of 3 prize balls.

If a negative determination is made in step S609, it is determined in step S612 whether or not the numerical information of the current prize winning determination counter is information indicating a bit corresponding to the variable winning device 32. If the variable winning device 32 is compatible, in step S613, "1" is stored in the big winning flag provided in the RWM 94, and in subsequent step S614, the 15 prize ball counter provided in the RWM 94 is set. 1 is added to the numerical information of .

The big winning flag is a flag for specifying in the MPU 92 that the processing corresponding to the winning of the variable winning device 32 and the processing other than the execution of the winning ball should be executed. The 15 prize ball counter is a counter for specifying the number of times the MPU 92 should output a 15 prize ball command instructing execution of 15 prize balls.

If a negative determination is made in step S612, it is determined in step S615 whether or not the current numerical value information of the award determination counter is information indicating the bit corresponding to the through gate 35. If it corresponds to the through gate 35, "1" is stored in the through flag provided in the RWM 94 in step S616. If a negative determination is made in step S615, it means that the current winning corresponds to the general winning opening 31. Therefore, in step S617, numerical information of the 10 winning ball counter provided in the RWM 94 is displayed. is incremented by 1.

The through flag is a flag for specifying in the MPU 92 that the process corresponding to the winning of the through gate 35 should be executed. The 10 prize ball counter is a counter for specifying the number of times the MPU 92 should output the 10 prize ball command instructing the execution of 10 prize balls.

If a negative determination is made in step S608, or if any one of steps S611, S614, S616, and S617 is executed, the process proceeds to step S618. At step S618, the winning determination counter is decremented by 1, and then at step S619, it is determined whether or not the winning determination counter is "0".

If it is not "0", the processing of steps S602 to S617 is executed for the bit corresponding to the numerical information of the winning judgment counter updated in step S618. When the processing of steps S602 to S617 has been executed for the amount of the numerical information set in step S601, an affirmative determination is made in step S619. After executing the number-of-balls calculation process, the winning determination process is terminated.

Here, the net increase in number of balls calculation processing in step S620 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the net increased number of balls calculation processing, first, in step S701, it is determined whether or not the measurement start flag provided in the RWM 94 is "1". If the measurement start flag is not stored, the net increase in pitches calculation process is terminated.

If the measurement start flag is "1", it is determined in step S702 whether or not any prize ball counter is "1" or more as a result of the processing in step S611, step S614 or step S617. . When any of the prize ball counters is "0", game balls enter the prize ball entry portions such as the upper working port 33, the lower working port 34, the large winning port 32a, and the general winning port 31. Since the number of net increase in pitches has not been calculated, the present net increase in number of pitches calculation processing is terminated.

If an affirmative determination is made in step S702, it is determined in subsequent step S703 whether or not the 15 ball counter is "1" or more. If an affirmative determination is made in step S703, that is, if a prize has been awarded to the big winning opening 32a, it is determined in step S704 whether or not the value of the shot ball number counter HN is "15" or less. If it is "15" or less, the value of the shot ball number counter HN is subtracted from "15" in step S705, the numerical information is input to the increase command, and is set as an output target to the sound emission control device 72. . The increase command is composed of a plurality of bits, and can contain information indicating that it is an increase command and the above-input numerical information. The sound emission control device 72 transmits the received increase command to the display control device 97 as it is. The display control device 97 executes addition processing of the total number of acquired balls based on the reception of the increase command. This processing will be described later.

If a negative determination is made in step S704, that is, if the value of the shot ball number counter HN is greater than "15", then in step S706 "15" is subtracted from the shot ball number counter HN value, and the numerical information is Input the decrease command and set it as an output target to the sound emission control device 72 . The decrease command is composed of a plurality of bits, and can include information indicating that it is a decrease command and the numerical information entered above. The sound emission control device 72 transmits the received decrease command to the display control device 97 as it is. The display control device 97 executes subtraction processing of the total number of acquired balls based on the reception of the decrease command. This processing will be described later.

If a negative determination is made in step S703, it is determined in step S707 whether or not the 10 ball counter is "1" or more. If an affirmative determination is made in step S707, that is, if a prize has been awarded to the general winning opening 31, it is determined in step S708 whether or not the value of the shot ball number counter HN is "10" or less. If it is equal to or less than "10", the value of the shot ball number counter HN is subtracted from "10" in step S709, the numerical information is input to the increase command, and is set as an output target to the sound emission control device 72. . If a negative determination is made in step S708, that is, if the value of the shot ball number counter HN is greater than "10", then in step S710 "10" is subtracted from the shot ball number counter HN value, and the numerical information is Input the decrease command and set it as an output target to the sound emission control device 72 .

If a negative determination is made in step S707, that is, if a prize has been awarded to either of the operation openings 33, 34, it is checked in step S711 whether or not the value of the shot ball number counter HN is "3" or less. judge. If it is "3" or less, the value of the shot ball number counter HN is subtracted from "3" in step S712, the numerical information is input to the increase command, and is set as an output target to the sound emission control device 72. . If the determination in step S711 is negative, that is, if the value of the shot ball number counter HN is greater than 3, then in step S713 "3" is subtracted from the shot ball number counter HN value, and the numerical information is sent as a decrease command. , and set as an output target to the sound emission control device 72 .

After executing any one of steps S705, S706, S709, S710, S712 and S713, the process proceeds to S714. In step S714, the value of the shot ball number counter HN is cleared to "0". After executing the process of step S714, the net increase in pitch number calculation process is terminated.

By the way, although not shown in the figure, when a numerical value of "1" or more is input to each prize ball counter, the payout output process (step S219) is executed each time the timer interrupt process (FIG. 9) is executed. Then, a prize ball command for the number of prize balls corresponding to each prize ball counter is transmitted to the payout control device 78 . When the corresponding prize ball command is transmitted, each prize ball counter is decremented by "1". Furthermore, in the payout output processing, one prize ball command is transmitted in one processing cycle, and even if any prize ball counter is "1" or more after subtraction, it is carried over to the next processing cycle.

The order of priority for outputting the corresponding prize ball command in the payout output process, that is, the priority order for subtracting each prize ball counter, is the order of 15 prize ball counters, 10 prize ball counters, and 3 prize ball counters. The order of priority is the same as in the net increase in pitches calculation process. In addition, in this net increase ball number calculation process, each winning ball counter is only referred to and is not subtracted. Further, in the timer interrupt process, the winning detection process is preferentially executed over the payout output process. As a result, the numerical value information of each prize ball counter referred to in this net increase ball number calculation process and the numerical value information of each prize ball counter referred to in the payout output process thereafter become the same numerical value information.

Upon receiving the prize ball command, the payout control device 78 controls the payout device 77 so as to pay out the number of game balls included in the prize ball command. On the other hand, the game ball shooting mechanism 51 shoots the game ball when the shooting permission condition is satisfied. Therefore, the number of game balls actually acquired by the player is the number of game balls discharged from the game ball shooting mechanism 51 ( number of shot balls) is subtracted.

On the other hand, in this net increase ball number calculation process, when a game ball enters one of the prize ball entering parts, the number of prize balls corresponding to the entering prize ball part is The number of shot balls is subtracted, and the information is transmitted to the display control device 97 through the sound emission control device 72 as an increase command or a decrease command. Therefore, the numerical information included in each command received by the display control device 97 can be said to be equivalent to the number of balls obtained by subtracting the number of fired balls from the actual number of paid out balls, that is, the number of game balls actually obtained by the player. .

<First game state transition processing>
Next, the first game state transition processing executed in the special figure special electric control processing of step S214 in the timer interrupt processing (FIG. 9) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

Here, the start and end of the variable display of one game round is controlled by the control processing for the game round which is executed in the special figure special electric control processing. That is, using the jackpot random number counter C1, the jackpot type counter C2, and the reach random number counter C3 stored in the reservation storage area 94b based on the winning of the upper operation port 33 or the lower operation port 34, the game result of each game round The variable display time and the like are determined, and based on these, the variable display for each game round is executed. Then, in the case of the game result corresponding to the winning of the jackpot, a transition process to an opening/closing execution mode for controlling opening/closing of the variable prize winning device 32 is performed.

Now, in the first game state transition process, first, in step S801, it is determined whether or not the open/close execution mode is in progress. If it is not in the opening/closing execution mode, the process proceeds to step S802, and it is determined whether or not it is the timing at which the variation display of the pattern in the main display section 43 of the first game cycle has ended. If it is not the timing at which the variable display ends, the game state transition processing is ended as it is.

If it is the timing when the variable display ends, it is determined in step S803 whether or not the game result of the game round ended this time corresponds to the transition to the opening/closing execution mode. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the current game result is one of the jackpot results. If it does not correspond to the transition to the opening/closing execution mode, the game state transition processing is terminated as it is.

If it corresponds to the transition to the opening/closing execution mode, "1" is stored in the measurement start flag provided in the RWM 94 in step S804. As a result, the measurement of the number of shot balls in the above-described shot number measurement process (Fig. 11) and the calculation and output setting of the number of payout balls and the number of shot balls in the net increase number calculation process (Fig. 15) are started. . In the subsequent step S805, the measurement start command is set as an output target for the sound emission control device 72. FIG. The sound emission control device 72 transmits the received measurement start command to the display control device 97 as it is. When the display control device 97 receives the measurement start command, the pattern display device 41 starts processing for displaying the number of acquired balls. This processing will be described later.

In the subsequent step S806, the round counter RC provided in the RWM 94 is set to "15". The round counter RC is a counter for the MPU 92 to specify the number of round games executed within the range of one open/close execution mode.

In the subsequent step S807, the timer counter TC provided in the RWM 94 is set to "1000" as a waiting time (waiting period) for opening. The numerical information set in the timer counter TC is updated so that it is decremented by 1 each time the timer interrupt processing (FIG. 9) is executed. Therefore, the waiting time for opening is 4 seconds. However, the standby time is arbitrary.

After executing the processing of step S807, the opening command is set as an output target for the sound emission control device 72 in step S808. Upon receiving the opening command, the sound emission control device 72 determines the effect contents for the opening/closing execution mode corresponding to the command, and starts drive control of the display lamp portion 58a and the speaker portion 59 according to the determination result. do. Also, the opening command is transmitted to the display control device 97 . The display control device 97 causes the pattern display device 41 to start the image display effect for the opening/closing execution mode corresponding to the received opening command. After executing the process of step S808, this game state transition process is terminated.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S801 that the opening/closing execution mode is in progress, the process proceeds to step S809. In step S809, a big winning opening opening/closing process is executed. In the big winning hole opening/closing process, when the big winning hole 32a is closed, the variable winning driving unit 32c is brought into a driving state on condition that the round counter RC is equal to or greater than "1". 32a is opened. In addition, when the large winning opening 32a is open, the variable winning driving unit is operated under the condition that the opening limit time has passed since the opening of the large winning opening 32a or the maximum number of openings has been won. 32c is stopped to close the big winning opening 32a.

After executing the process of step S809, it is determined whether or not the round counter RC is "0" in step S810, and it is determined whether or not the timer counter TC is "0" in step S811. . If a negative determination is made in either step S810 or step S811, this game state transition process is terminated as it is, and if affirmative determination is made in both step S810 and step S811, open/close execution is performed in step S812. Execute transition processing at the end of the mode.

In the transition processing at the end of the opening/closing execution mode, processing is executed so that the game state after the opening/closing execution mode corresponds to the game result that triggered the transition to the opening/closing execution mode executed this time. . That is, when the game result that triggered the opening/closing execution mode this time is the probability variable jackpot result, the lottery mode is set to the high probability mode and the high frequency support mode with no limit on the number of times. In addition, when the result of the game that triggered the opening/closing execution mode this time is the result of a normal jackpot, the lottery mode is set to a low probability mode and a high frequency support mode with a limited number of times. Further, when setting the high-frequency support mode with the frequency limit, "1" is stored in the number-limiting flag of the RWM 94, and "100", which is the reference frequency for ending the high-frequency support mode, is set to the high frequency provided in the RWM 94. Set the frequency game number counter. The count limit flag is a flag for the MPU 92 to specify that the current high-frequency support mode is a high-frequency support mode with a count limit. The high-frequency game number counter is a counter that is decremented by "1" each time the variation display for one game is completed.

After executing the process of step S812, the ending command is set as an output target for the sound emission control device 72 in step S813, and the first game state transition process is terminated. Based on the received ending command, the sound emission control device 72 determines the content of the effect corresponding to the end of the opening/closing execution mode, and controls the display lamp portion 58a and the speaker portion 59 so that the determined content of the effect is executed. Drive control. Also, the ending command is transmitted to the display control device 97 . The display control device 97 causes the pattern display device 41 to start an image display effect for ending the opening/closing execution mode corresponding to the received ending command.

<Second game state transition processing>
Next, the second game state transition processing executed in the special figure special electric control processing of step S214 in the timer interrupt processing (FIG. 9) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the second game state transition process, first, in step S901, it is determined whether or not the high frequency support flag is stored. If the high-frequency support flag is stored, it is determined whether or not the number-of-times limit flag is stored in subsequent step S902. When the number-of-times limit flag is stored, it is determined whether or not the high-frequency game number counter is "0" in subsequent step S903. If a negative determination is made in any one of steps S901 to S903, this second game state transition processing is terminated as it is.

If the determination in step S903 is affirmative, that is, if the high-frequency support mode with the number of times limited and the high-frequency game number counter is "0", the process proceeds to step S904. In step S904, the high frequency support flag is cleared. This sets the support mode to the low-frequency support mode. In subsequent step S905, the measurement start flag is cleared. As a result, the measurement of the number of shot balls and the calculation and output of the number of delivered balls are completed. Therefore, in the game round in the restricted high-frequency support mode, when the variable display ends and the value of the high-frequency game counter becomes "0", the number of shot balls is counted and the number of balls paid out is calculated and output. period ends.

In the subsequent step S906, the values of the firing cycle counter HC and the shot ball number counter HN are reset to the initial values of "0". As a result, when measuring the number of shot balls next time, it is possible to measure from the initial value.

Thereafter, in step S907, the low-frequency command is set as an output target for the sound emission control device 72, and in step S908, the measurement end command is set as an output target for the sound emission control device 72. FIG. Based on the received low-frequency command, the sound emission control device 72 determines the content of the effect on the display screen of the pattern display device 41, and executes the effect corresponding to the low-frequency support mode. Also, the received measurement end command is transmitted to the display control device 97 as it is. Upon receiving the measurement end command, the display control device 97 ends the display of the number of acquired balls on the pattern display device 41 and displays the final total number of acquired balls. This processing will be described later.

That is, in the present embodiment, the period from the start of the opening and closing execution mode based on one of the jackpot results to the transition to the low-frequency support mode in the limited high-frequency support mode game round is the launch It is a period during which the number of balls is measured, the number of delivered balls is calculated, and output processing is performed. In addition, during the opening and closing execution mode, regardless of the level of the support mode up to that point, it is set to forcibly shift to the low frequency support mode, but in the transition to this low frequency support mode, the end of the measurement period is Not set. Therefore, even in the open/close execution mode based on the winning of the jackpot in the high-frequency support mode, the above-mentioned measurement of the number of shot balls and the calculation and output processing of the number of payout balls are performed.

<Regarding the processing in the display control device 97 for displaying the number of delivered balls and the number of fired balls>
Next, the flow chart of FIG. 18 shows the total winning ball number setting process for displaying the number of winning balls on the symbol display device 41 based on the increase command and the decrease command output from the MPU 92 of the main controller 71. will be described with reference to

Here, each command received from the main control device 71 via the sound emission control device 72 is stored in the command storage area of the work RWM 134 in the display control device 97 by command storage processing started when the command is received. be. The command storage area of the work RWM 134 is configured as a ring buffer that can store a plurality of commands individually and read out from the previously stored command. Processing corresponding to each of these commands can be executed satisfactorily. In addition, the display control device 97 periodically (for example, every 2 msec) confirms which command the received command is. It is possible to control the design display device 41 to display an effect corresponding to the opening/closing execution mode. The total acquired ball number setting process is performed each time this command confirmation process is executed.

Now, in the total acquired ball number setting process, first, in step S1001, it is determined whether or not the measurement start flag provided in the work RWM 134 is set to "1". The measurement start flag is a flag for specifying in the MPU 132 that it is a period during which the total number of acquired balls is displayed. If the measurement start flag is not "1", it is determined in step S1002 whether or not the current read object is the measurement start command. If a negative determination is made in steps S1001 and S1002, it is not the period for displaying the total number of acquired balls, so the processing for setting the total number of acquired balls is terminated.

If the measurement start command has been received in step S1002, "1" is stored in the measurement start flag in subsequent step S1003. In the subsequent step S1004, address information corresponding to the current total number of acquired balls is stored in the display pattern address storage area of the work RWM 134 so that the total number of acquired balls presentation is performed as the display contents of the pattern display device 41. FIG. The current total number of acquired balls is confirmed by referring to the total number of acquired balls counter provided in the work RWM 134 . The total number of acquired balls counter can be updated in units of "1" within the range of, for example, "0" to "99999". Based on the numerical information contained in the increase command and the decrease command, the counter is updated in the total acquired ball number addition process and the total acquired ball number subtraction process, which will be described later.

In step S1004, the address information corresponding to the total number of acquired pitches counter is stored in the display pattern address storage area of the work RWM 134, so that the MPU 132 outputs an internal command to the VDP 135 in an internal command output process (not shown). The pattern display device 41 is driven so as to perform the display corresponding to the counter of the total number of acquired balls set this time. In this case, the internal command output process is repeatedly activated at a predetermined cycle (for example, 2 msec). It is generated according to the update of the total acquired ball number counter, and the generated internal command is output to the VDP 135 . The VDP 135 reads image data from the character ROM 136 according to the internal command, and writes the read image data to the video RWM 137 . As a result, the symbol display device 41 performs a total number of acquired balls performance corresponding to the counter of the total number of acquired balls.

Here, the effect of the total number of acquired balls is displayed in front of the effect corresponding to the game state on the display screen G of the pattern display device 41. - 特許庁Specifically, in the opening and closing execution mode, the effects for the opening and closing execution mode are displayed by the characters' patterns and animations, and in each game round, the effects by the variable display of the patterns are displayed. is displayed in front of the production of . Therefore, even if it overlaps with the effect or background corresponding to the game state, it is possible for the player to identify the current total number of acquired balls.

After executing the processing of step S1004, the total number of acquired balls setting processing ends.

If an affirmative determination is made in step S1001, the process proceeds to step S1005. In step S1005, it is determined whether or not the object to be read this time is an increase command or a decrease command. If an affirmative determination is made in step S1005, it is determined in step S1006 whether or not it is an increase command. If it is an increase command, in the following step S1007, the numerical information of the current total number of acquired balls counter is read, and the numerical information included in the increase command is added to the read total number of acquired balls counter. Execute the process. After that, the process proceeds to step S1009. However, if the value of the total acquired ball number counter is the maximum value of "99999", the process proceeds to step S1009 without adding.

If it is a decrease command in step S1006, the process advances to step S1008 to read out the current numerical value information of the total acquired ball number counter and to subtract the numerical information included in the decrease command from the read out total acquired ball number counter. Execute the ball number subtraction process. After that, the process proceeds to step S1009. However, if the value of the total acquired ball number counter is the initial value of "0", the process proceeds directly to step S1009 without subtraction.

The configuration and update mode of the total acquired number of balls counter are not limited to the above. For example, the number of digits and the update unit are arbitrary. A configuration may be adopted in which a negative number of balls is displayed by subtracting from the initial value.

In step S1009, the address information corresponding to the total acquired pitches counter is stored in the display pattern address storage area based on the processing result of step S1007 or step S1008. As a result, the display of the total number of acquired balls on the pattern display device 41 is updated. After executing the process of step S1009, the total number of acquired balls setting process is terminated.

If a negative determination is made in step S1005, the process proceeds to step S1010. In step S1010, it is determined whether or not the object to be read this time is the measurement end command. If it is not a measurement end command, this processing for setting the total number of acquired balls is ended. If it is a measurement end command, the measurement start flag is cleared in step S1011. This ends the period during which the total number of acquired balls should be displayed. In the subsequent step S1012, the address information corresponding to the total number of acquired pitches ending effect is stored in the storage area of the display pattern address of the work RWM 134 as an effect for ending the display of the total number of acquired pitches. As a result, the display of the total number of acquired balls ends on the pattern display device 41, and the display of the total number of acquired balls in the total number of acquired balls effect is changed so that the player can recognize the total number of acquired balls finally acquired. The final total number of acquired balls is displayed on the entire display screen G. After executing the process of step S1012, the total number of acquired balls setting process is terminated.

As already explained, in the pachinko machine 10, the measurement start command is transmitted from the MPU 92 of the main controller 71 when the transition to the opening/closing execution mode occurs in the first game state transition processing, and the measurement end command is , is sent from the MPU 92 when the high-frequency support mode ends in the second game state transition process. Therefore, the period during which the total number of acquired balls is displayed in this total number of acquired balls setting process is from the start of the opening/closing execution mode executed based on the result of any one of the jackpots to the end of the variable display of game times. is the period until the high-frequency support mode ends.

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

The number of shot balls is calculated from the relationship between the period during which the shooting conditions of the game ball shooting mechanism 51 are satisfied and the shooting period of the game balls. This makes it possible to measure the number of shot balls with a simple process without requiring new devices or members such as sensors for detecting the number of shot balls.

The measured number of shot balls is transmitted to the display control device 97 when a game ball enters one of the prize ball entry portions. Since game balls are continuously shot, the number of commands to be sent increases if a command indicating the game ball shot is always sent to the display control device 97 . On the other hand, it is possible to suppress an increase in the number of commands transmitted from the main control device 71 to the display control device 97 by triggering the entry of a ball into the winning ball entry portion as in this configuration. . As a result, power consumption required for command output can be suppressed, and consumption of members such as lines can be suppressed.

When sending a command triggered by the entry of a game ball into one of the prize ball entry parts, the result of arithmetic processing of the corresponding number of prize balls and the number of shot balls is sent. Therefore, it is possible to halve the number of commands to be transmitted compared to a configuration in which a command indicating the number of winning balls and a command indicating the number of shot balls are respectively transmitted.

Especially in this embodiment, when the number of corresponding prize balls is equal to or more than the number of shot balls, an increase command is transmitted by subtracting the number of shot balls from the number of prize balls, and the number of shot balls is greater than the number of prize balls. In this case, a decrease command obtained by subtracting the number of prize balls from the number of shot balls is transmitted, and the numerical information based on each command is calculated again by the display control device 97 to calculate the total number of winning balls. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which one control device performs calculation processing up to the total number of acquired balls, the processing load on each control device can be reduced because the calculation processing is shared by two control devices. becomes.

<Second Embodiment>
This embodiment differs from the above-described first embodiment in the configuration of the processing for setting the total number of acquired balls. Different configurations are described below.

Although not shown, in the total acquired ball number setting process in the present embodiment, the subtraction process from the total acquired ball number counter (step S1008) is not executed when the decrease command is received. Instead, a process of adding numerical information included in the received decrease command to a subtraction counter provided separately from the total number of acquired balls counter in the work RWM 134 of the display control device 97 is executed.

In addition processing (step S1007) when an increase command is received, the value of the subtraction counter is compared with the numerical information of the increase command. , the value of the subtraction counter is subtracted from the numerical information of the increase command, and the result is added to the total acquired ball number counter. Furthermore, in this case, the subtraction counter is cleared to "0". On the other hand, when the value of the subtraction counter is larger than the numerical information of the increase command, the numerical information of the increase command is subtracted from the value of the subtraction counter, and the result is inputted to the subtraction counter for updating.

That is, in the addition process (step S1007) in the present embodiment, the value obtained by subtracting the subtraction counter is added to the total number of acquired balls counter, or the increase command is subtracted from the subtraction counter.

Also, when setting the final display performance of the total number of acquired balls in step S1012, the numerical information of the subtraction counter is subtracted from the total acquired ball number counter, and the total acquired balls corresponding to the total acquired ball number counter after subtraction is displayed. Perform number display.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, although the value of the total number of acquired balls counter may decrease in the final display effect of the total number of acquired balls, in the intermediate display effect of the total number of acquired balls, the total number of acquired balls may decrease. never decrease.

Here, the effect of the total winning number of balls of the symbol display device 41 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIGS. 19(a-1) to 19(a-3) are timing charts showing the occurrence of winnings to the respective prize ball entrance portions. FIG. 19(a-2) shows the occurrence of winning to the general winning opening 31, and FIG. 19(a-3) shows the occurrence of winning to the operation openings 33 and 34. ing. Also, FIGS. 19(b-1) to 19(b-5) show the ball entering each winning ball portion at each timing of FIGS. 19(a-1) to 19(a-3). Numerical information included in each command that calculates and transmits the number of balls to be paid out based on the number of balls to be paid out, the number of balls to be paid out, and the counter HN of the number of balls to be fired, and each counter that is calculated based on each command received by the display control device 97 will be explained. It is an explanatory diagram for. Further, FIGS. 19(c-1) to 19(c-5) show the total winning balls on the display screen G of the symbol display device 41 at each timing of FIGS. 19(a-1) to 19(a-3). It is explanatory drawing which shows a number production|presentation.

Measurement of the number of shot balls and calculation and output of the number of payout balls are started, and when a game ball wins at the big winning hole 32a at the timing of t1, 15 balls are displayed as shown in FIG. 19(b-1). of prize balls will be paid out. In this case, for example, if the value of the number of fired balls counter HN is "10", the number of fired balls "15" is larger than the value of the number of fired balls counter HN "10". The value "5" obtained by subtracting the value of the counter is input to the increase command and transmitted. Upon receiving the increase command, the display control device 97 adds “5” to the total acquired ball number counter, and updates and sets the total acquired ball number effect in the pattern display device 41 . Then, as shown in FIG. 19(c-1), on the display screen G, the total number of acquired balls is displayed as "00005".

Subsequently, when game balls enter the general winning hole 31 at timing t2, 10 prize balls are paid out as shown in FIG. 19(b-2). In this case, for example, when the value of the number of fired balls counter HN is "3", the number of fired balls "10" is larger than the value of the number of fired balls counter HN "3". The value "7" obtained by subtracting the value of the counter is input to the increment command and transmitted. Upon receiving the increase command, the display control device 97 adds "7" to the total acquired ball number counter, sets the value of the total acquired ball number counter to "12", and updates the total acquired ball number effect in the pattern display device 41. do. Then, as shown in FIG. 19(c-2), the display screen G displays the total number of acquired balls as "00012".

Subsequently, when a game ball wins in one of the operation ports 33, 34 at the timing of t3, three prize balls are paid out as shown in FIG. 19(b-3). In this case, for example, if the value of the fired ball counter HN is "13", the number of delivered balls "3" is smaller than the value of the fired ball counter HN "13", so the value of the fired ball counter HN is The value "10" obtained by subtracting the number of payout balls from is input to the decrease command and transmitted. The display control device 97 that has received the decrease command adds "10" to the subtraction counter instead of the total acquired ball number counter. In this case, since the value of the total number of acquired balls counter remains "12", the total number of acquired balls does not change from "00012" on the display screen G as shown in FIG. 19(c-3).

Subsequently, when game balls enter the big winning hole 32a at timing t4, 15 prize balls are paid out as shown in FIG. 19(b-4). In this case, for example, if the value of the number of fired balls counter HN is "3", the number of fired balls "15" is greater than the value of the number of fired balls counter HN "3". The value "12" obtained by subtracting the value of the counter is input to the increase command and transmitted. The display control device 97 that has received the increase command compares the subtraction counter value "10" with the numerical information "12" of the increase command. , and the resulting value of "2" is added to the total number of acquired balls counter. As a result, the total acquired ball number counter becomes "14", and the total acquired ball number is displayed as "00014" on the display screen G as shown in FIG. 19(c-4). Also, in this case, the subtraction counter is cleared to "0".

After that, at the timing of t5, the period for measuring the number of shot balls and calculating and outputting the number of delivered balls ends, and the measurement end command is output, and as shown in FIG. If the value of the acquired balls counter is "2042" and the value of the subtraction counter is "2", the value of the subtraction counter is subtracted from the value of the total acquired balls counter, and the value of the total acquired balls counter is changed to " 2040", the final total number of acquired balls is displayed as shown in FIG. 19(c-2).

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

When the display control device 97 receives the decrease command, it does not perform subtraction processing from the total number of acquired balls counter, but adds the numerical information included in the decrease command to a subtraction counter provided separately. The value of the subtraction counter is subtracted from the value of the total number of acquired balls counter when executing the display performance of the number of acquired balls, and the total number of acquired balls is displayed. As a result, even if the total number of acquired balls increases in the performance of the total number of acquired balls, it does not decrease in the middle. In a pachinko machine, the ball output rate is set by adjusting the nail 38 of the game board 24, etc., and the frequency of ball entry into the winning ball entry portion is determined by the relationship with the adjusted nail 38 and the like. Therefore, regardless of the player's shooting operation, it is possible that the balls do not enter the prize ball entry portion frequently. In this case, if the number of shot balls in the display is subtracted, the player will feel a sense of loss because it will be clearly expressed that no balls have been entered, and even if other effects are used to attract interest. In both cases, the infrequent occurrence of ball entry leads not only to a reduced number of prize balls to be obtained, but also to a reduced chance of internal lottery, so that the degree of attention to the game is extremely reduced. On the other hand, while measuring the number of shot balls and displaying the total number of acquired balls as in this configuration, since the effect of decreasing the total number of acquired balls is not performed, there is no sense of loss as described above. , does not reduce the attention.

<Third Embodiment>
This embodiment differs from the above-described first and second embodiments in the configuration of the net increase in pitch calculation processing and the configuration of the total winning pitch setting processing in the display control device 97 . Different configurations are described below.

First, in the present embodiment, the processing related to the start and end of the measurement period in the first game state transition processing (FIG. 16) and the second game state transition processing (FIG. 17) is not executed. Specifically, in the first game state transition process, the processes of steps S804 and S805 are not executed, and in the second game state transition process, the processes of steps S905 and S908 are not executed.

Further, the process of resetting the firing cycle counter HC and the shot ball number counter HN to "0" in the second game state transition process (step S906) is the transition process when the opening/closing execution mode ends in the first game state transition process ( It is executed in step S812).

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the number of shot balls is counted and the number of delivered balls is calculated and output during the open/close execution mode.

The net increase in number of balls calculation processing in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

As described above, the calculation and output of the number of fired balls and the number of delivered balls are performed during the open/close execution mode. Determine whether or not it is in run mode. If it is not in the opening/closing execution mode, the net increase in pitch number calculation process is terminated. If it is in the open/close execution mode, the processing relating to the calculation and output of the number of shot balls and the number of payout balls in steps S1102 to S1116 is executed.

In the processing related to the calculation and output of the number of fired balls and the number of paid out balls, the results of the comparison processing (steps S1104, S1109, and S1113) between the number of fired balls counter HN and the number of prized balls corresponding to the prized ball counter are calculated. Processing is different from that of the first embodiment.

That is, in the present embodiment, when it is determined in step S1104 that the value of the shot ball number counter HN is equal to or less than "15", the value of the shot ball number counter HN is subtracted from "15" in step S1105. Numerical information is input to the increase command and set as an output object, and then in step S1106, the value of the shot ball number counter HN is cleared to "0", and this net increase ball number calculation process is terminated. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S1104, in step S1107, a process is executed to update the number of fired balls counter HN to a value obtained by subtracting "15" from the number of fired balls counter HN, and then the net increased number of balls is executed. Terminate the arithmetic processing.

Also, if it is determined in step S1109 that the value of the shot ball number counter HN is less than or equal to "10", then in step S1110 numerical information obtained by subtracting the value of the shot ball number counter HN from "10" is input to the increase command. After that, in step S1111, the value of the shot ball number counter HN is cleared to "0", and this net increase ball number calculation processing ends. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S1109, in step S1112 processing is executed to update the number of fired balls counter HN to a value obtained by subtracting "10" from the number of fired balls counter HN. Terminate the arithmetic processing.

If it is determined in step S1113 that the value of the shot ball number counter HN is less than or equal to "3", then in step S1114 numerical information obtained by subtracting the value of the shot ball number counter HN from "3" is input to the increase command. After that, in step S1115, the value of the shot ball number counter HN is cleared to "0", and this net increase ball number calculation processing ends. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S1113, in step S1116, a process of updating the number of fired balls counter HN to a value obtained by subtracting "3" from the number of fired balls counter HN is executed, and then the net increased number of balls is executed. Terminate the arithmetic processing.

Other processes (steps S1102, S1103 and S1108) are the same as the processes of steps S702, S703 and S707 in the first embodiment.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the value of the shot ball counter HN is equal to or less than the corresponding prize ball number in each comparison process between the value of the shot ball counter HN and the number of prize balls corresponding to the prize ball counter, 2, an increase command is set as an output target, and when the value of the shot ball number counter HN is larger than the corresponding prize ball number, the shot ball number counter HN is updated by subtracting that amount. That is, the decrease command in the first and second embodiments is not transmitted.

Next, the processing for setting the total number of winning balls of the display control device 97 in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the total winning ball number setting process of the present embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, it is determined in step S1201 whether or not the measurement start flag is stored. If the measurement start flag is not stored, unlike the first and second embodiments, it is determined in step S1202 whether or not the object to be read this time is the opening command.

If an affirmative determination is made in step S1202, similarly to the first and second embodiments, "1" is stored in the measurement start flag in step S1203, and the total number of acquired balls effect is set in step S1204. do. If a negative determination is made in step S1202, or if the process of step S1204 has been executed, the total acquired ball number setting process ends.

If an affirmative determination is made in step S1201, unlike the first and second embodiments, it is determined whether or not the object to be read this time is an increase command. If it is an increase command, in step S1206 a process of adding numerical information included in the increase command to the total number of acquired balls counter is executed. A number effect is set, and then the total acquired ball number setting process is terminated.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S1205, unlike the first and second embodiments, it is determined in step S1208 whether or not the object to be read this time is an ending command.

If a negative determination is made in step S1208, this processing for setting the total number of acquired balls is terminated. If the determination in step S1208 is affirmative, the measurement start flag is cleared in step S1209, as in the first and second embodiments. In the subsequent step S1210, the display of the total number of acquired balls is ended, and the effect of the total number of acquired balls finally acquired is set.

Here, although not shown, in the ending command setting process (step S813) of the first game state transition process (FIG. 16) in the present embodiment, the numerical information of the shot ball number counter HN is input to the ending command. Set as output target. That is, the ending command confirmed in step S1208 includes the information of the number of shot balls that was not set as an output object as an increase command in the pure increase number calculation processing (FIG. 20). In step S1210, after subtracting the numerical value information of the number of fired balls included in the ending command from the total number of fired balls counter, setting is made to display the total number of captured balls finally obtained. After executing the process of step S1210, the total number of acquired balls setting process is terminated.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the display control device 97 starts displaying the total number of acquired balls using the opening command as an index instead of the measurement start command, and uses the ending command as an index instead of the measurement end command. is configured to end the display of .

In addition, since the subtraction command is not received, the total winning ball number counter is updated only by addition and not by subtraction until the ending command is received.

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

When the number of shot balls is larger than the number of prize balls in the net increased number of balls calculation processing (FIG. 20), the number of shot balls is updated by subtracting the number of prize balls from the number of shot balls. Further, the display control device 97 is configured to perform the total number of acquired pitches performance using the opening command and the ending command as indexes without transmitting the measurement start command and the measurement end command. This eliminates the need to output the decrease command, the measurement start command, and the measurement end command, making it possible to reduce the types of commands to be set. Furthermore, since the display control device 97 does not receive the decrease command, there is no need to perform the process of determining whether it is an increase command or a decrease command and the subtraction process based on the decrease command, thereby reducing the processing load on the display control device 97. is possible.

Since the decrease command is not transmitted, in the total number of acquired balls presentation, only the updating of increasing the total number of acquired balls is performed. Further, since the number of shot balls is updated as described above, an increase command is not transmitted until the value of the number of shot balls counter HN becomes larger than the number of prize balls. Therefore, as described in the second embodiment, the output frequency of the increase command is reduced while preventing the adverse effects caused by the decrease in the display of the total number of acquired balls. The player feels a sense of accomplishment as the number of balls displayed increases.

<Fourth Embodiment>
This embodiment differs from the first to third embodiments in the configuration regarding the output setting of the number of shot balls and the number of delivered balls. Different configurations are described below. Incidentally, in this embodiment, as in the third embodiment, the total number of acquired balls is displayed during the open/close execution mode. Therefore, the measurement start command and the measurement end command are not transmitted, and the display control device 97 executes the total acquired ball number setting processing using the opening command and the ending command as indices.

First, the configuration related to the output setting of the number of shot balls will be described.

In this embodiment, the number of shot balls is not output using the increase command or decrease command in each of the above embodiments. That is, in the present embodiment, the net increase in number of balls calculation processing is not executed. On the other hand, as in the first to third embodiments, the number of shot balls is measured on the condition that the measurement start flag is stored in the number of shot balls measurement process. Then, when the measured number of shot balls is set as an output target for the ending command in step S813 of the first game state transition process (FIG. 16), the numerical information of the number of shot balls counter HN is input to the ending command. is transmitted to the display control device 97 through the sound emission control device 72. FIG.

Next, a configuration related to the output setting of the number of balls to be paid out will be described.

In this embodiment, the output of the number of balls to be paid out to the display control device 97 is performed in the payout output process of step S219 in the timer interrupt process (FIG. 9).

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing payout output processing in this embodiment.

First, in step S1301, it is determined whether or not the front door frame 14 is being opened. When an affirmative determination is made in step S1301 or step S1302, it is not the timing to execute the payout of prize balls, so this payout output process is terminated as it is. Incidentally, the abnormal payout state in step S1302 is when the ball receiving tray such as the lower tray 62a is full of game balls, or when the tank 76 is in the state of no balls.

If negative determinations are made in steps S1301 and S1302, it is determined in step S1303 whether or not the value of any prize ball counter is "1" or more. If any prize ball counter is "0", the payout output process is terminated as it is. If any prize ball counter is "1" or more, the process proceeds to step S1304.

In step S1304, the output setting of the prize ball command to the payout control device 78 is performed. In the output setting of the prize ball command for the payout control device 78, when the 15 prize ball counter is "1" or more, the 15 prize ball command instructing the payout of 15 game balls is read from the ROM 93 and output. Target. When the 15 prize ball counter is "0" and the 10 prize ball counter is "1" or more, the 10 prize ball command instructing the payout of 10 game balls is read out from the ROM 93 and is output. set to When both the 15 prize ball counter and the 10 prize ball counter are "0" and the 3 prize ball counter is "1" or more, 3 prize balls instructing the payout of 3 game balls. A command is read from the ROM 93 and set as an output target.

In the following step S1305, one of the prize ball commands read out from the ROM 93 in step S1304 is set as an output target for the sound emission control device 72 as it is. That is, when the 15 prize ball command is read from the ROM 93 in step S1304, the 15 prize ball command is output to the sound emission control device 72 in step S1305, and the 10 prize ball command is output in step S1304. If it is read from the ROM 93, then in step S1305 the command for 10 prize balls is output to the sound emission control device 72. If the command for 3 prize balls is read out from the ROM 93 in step S1304, then in step S1305. The command for three prize balls is to be output to the sound emission control device 72 .

After executing the process of step S1305, this payout output process is terminated.

The sound emission control device 72 that has received each prize ball command transmits the prize ball command to the display control device 97 as it is. The display control device 97 performs addition processing of the total won ball number counter on the basis of receiving the winning ball command. That is, in step S1205 of the total acquired ball number setting process (FIG. 21) in the present embodiment, it is confirmed whether or not any prize ball command is received, and if any prize ball command is received, If so, the number of prize balls corresponding to each prize ball command is added to the total winning ball counter in step S1206. That is, when a command of 15 winning balls is received, the total winning ball counter is incremented by "15", and when a 10 winning ball command is received, the total winning ball counter is set to A process of adding 10" is executed, and when a 3-ball command is received, a process of adding "3" to the total acquired ball number counter is executed. After that, in step S1206, the address information corresponding to the counter of the total number of acquired balls subjected to the addition processing in step S1205 is stored in the display pattern address storage area, and the display of the total number of acquired balls on the pattern display device 41 is updated. do.

In addition, as described above, the ending command includes the numerical information of the number of fired balls counter HN. Similarly, after subtracting the numerical information on the number of shot balls included in the ending command from the total number of shot balls counter, the total number of shot balls finally obtained is displayed.

Therefore, in this embodiment, based on receiving each winning ball command, the display of the total winning ball number on the pattern display device 41 is increased by the winning ball, and based on receiving the ending command, the total winning ball number is increased. It is configured to reduce the display of the number of balls by the number of shot balls.

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

The number of shot balls is input to the ending command and transmitted, and the number of payout balls is transmitted by the award command. As a result, there is no need to store new commands when measuring the number of shot balls and calculating the number of balls delivered, and the capacity of the ROM 93 can be reduced.

In addition, the number of balls displayed in the middle of the total number of acquired balls is configured to increase by the number of prize balls without considering the number of fired balls, and when the ending command is finally received, the total number of fired balls is collectively displayed. It is configured to be subtracted from the total acquired ball number counter. As a result, the display of the number of balls in the performance of the total number of acquired balls does not decrease in the middle, so that the player does not feel lost, and the display of the number of balls increases by the number of prize balls without subtracting the number of shot balls. As a result, the speed at which the display of the number of balls increases is faster than in each of the above-described embodiments, and it is possible to give the player a sense of exhilaration from winning prize balls.

In this configuration, the value of the total number of acquired balls counter is the total number of balls paid out. It is also possible to separately display the total number and the total number of shot balls. In this case, the player can get a sense of satisfaction by displaying a larger number of payout balls while recognizing the total number of acquired balls.

<Fifth Embodiment>
This embodiment differs from the first to fourth embodiments in the configuration of the net increase in pitches calculation process. Different configurations are described below. In addition, in the present embodiment, as in the fourth embodiment, when the prize ball command is transmitted to the payout control device 78, the same prize ball command is transmitted to the sound emission control device 72. .

The net increase in number of balls calculation processing in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S1401, it is determined whether or not the measurement start flag is stored, and if the measurement start flag is not stored, the net increase in number of pitches calculation process is terminated. If an affirmative determination is made in step S1401, it is determined in step S1402 whether or not the shot ball number counter HN is "10" or more. If it is equal to or greater than "10", the value of the shot ball number counter HN is directly input to the decrease command in step S1403, and is set as an output target to the sound emission control device 72. The sound emission control device 72 that has received the decrease command transmits the command to the display control device 97 as it is.

If a negative determination is made in step S1402, the net increase in pitch number calculation process is terminated. After executing the process of step S1403, the shot ball number counter HN is cleared to "0" in step S1404, and this net increase ball number calculation process ends.

As in the second embodiment, the display control device 97 that has received the decrease command adds the numerical information included in the decrease command to the subtraction counter, and when setting the final display effect of the total number of acquired balls, The value of the subtraction counter is subtracted from the total acquired ball number counter to set the display.

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

The configuration is such that the decrease command is transmitted when the number of shot balls reaches a predetermined number (10 in this embodiment). This eliminates the need for the process of confirming the result of the winning determination, and it is possible to reduce the processing load.

Note that the value of the number-of-shots counter HN that triggers the transmission of the decrease command is arbitrary, and may be greater or less than "10". However, from the viewpoint of reducing the number of times the decrease command is transmitted, it is desirable to be at least "2" or more.

In this configuration, the value of the total acquired ball number counter is the total number of paid out balls, and the value of the subtraction counter is the total number of fired balls. is.

<Sixth Embodiment>
In this embodiment, a novel game different from the conventional game is realized by using the measurement result of the number of shot balls. The configuration will be described below.

Here, first, in the present embodiment, the number of shot balls is measured by the number of shot balls counter HN instead of adding to the number of shot balls counter HN as in the first to fifth embodiments. It is configured to perform subtraction processing from . That is, in step S405 of the number-of-shots measuring process (FIG. 11) in the present embodiment, a process of subtracting "1" from the number-of-shots counter HN is executed. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the number of payout balls is not measured. That is, the increase command and decrease command in the first to fifth embodiments are not transmitted, and only the measurement result of the number of shot balls is used, thereby realizing a novel game different from the conventional game.

Further, in the present embodiment, the setting of the measurement start flag and the measurement start command is not performed in steps S804 and S805 in the first game state transition process (FIG. 16), and the transition at the end of the opening/closing execution mode in step S812 is performed. processing.

FIG. 24 is a flow chart showing transition processing at the end of the opening/closing execution mode in this embodiment.

First, in step S1501, it is determined whether or not the game result that triggered the opening/closing execution mode of this time was the result of the probability variable jackpot. In the case of a probability variable jackpot result, "1" is stored in the high probability mode flag of the RWM 94 in step S1502, and "1" is stored in the high frequency support mode flag of the RWM 94 in the subsequent step S1503. As a result, the high-probability mode and the high-frequency support mode are set. In subsequent step S1504, the high-frequency command is set as an object to be output to the sound emission control device 72. FIG. The sound emission control device 72 controls each device to perform an effect corresponding to the high-frequency support mode by receiving the high-frequency command. After executing the process of step S1504, the transition process at the end of the open/close execution mode ends.

If a negative determination is made in step S1501, that is, if the game result that triggered the opening/closing execution mode this time is a normal jackpot result, the process proceeds to step S1505. In step S1505, the high probability mode flag is cleared. This sets the low probability mode. In the subsequent step S1506, "1" is stored in the high-frequency support flag, and in the subsequent step S1507, "1000" is added to the number-of-shots counter HN. That is, in the present embodiment, the shot ball number counter HN is decremented by "1" in the shot ball number measurement process, and is incremented by "1000" in the transition process at the end of the opening/closing execution mode.

After executing the process of step S1507, "1" is stored in the shot ball number limit flag provided in the RWM 94 in subsequent step S1508. The shot ball number limit flag is a flag for specifying in the MPU 92 that the current high frequency support mode is a high frequency support mode with a shot ball number limit. The high-frequency support mode with a limited number of shot balls is a high-frequency support mode that continues until the value of the shot ball counter HN becomes "0".

Note that the value of the number-of-shots counter HN set in step S1507 is arbitrary and may be updated to "1000" instead of adding "1000".

After executing the process of step S1508, "1" is stored in the measurement start flag in step S1509. As a result, the RWM 94 starts counting the number of shot balls.

Next, the second game state transition processing in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the second game state transition processing in this embodiment, first, in step S1601, it is determined whether or not the mode is the high frequency support mode. If it is the high-frequency support mode, it is determined in step S1602 whether the shot ball number counter HN is "0". If the shot ball number counter HN is "0", it is determined in the following step S1603 whether or not the shot ball number limit flag is stored. If a negative determination is made in any of steps S1601 to S1603, this second game state transition processing is terminated as it is.

On the other hand, if the high-frequency support with the number of shot balls is limited and the number of shot balls counter HN is "0", the shot ball number limit flag is erased in step S1604, and the high-frequency support is performed in step S1605. Clear the support flag. This sets the low-frequency support mode. In subsequent step S1606, the measurement start flag is cleared. This completes the measurement of the number of shot balls. In the subsequent step S1607, the value of the firing cycle counter HC is reset to "0", and in the subsequent step S1608, the low-frequency command is set as an output target, and the second game state transition processing ends.

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

In the shot ball number measurement process, on the condition that the shooting permission condition is satisfied and the shot cycle counter HC is "0", the process of subtracting "1" from the shot ball number counter HN is executed. A predetermined high-frequency support mode is configured to shift to a low-frequency support mode when the value of the number-of-shots counter HN becomes "0". As a result, it is possible to create a new game in which the high-frequency support mode is terminated according to the number of shot balls instead of the number of times the game is played. Especially in this embodiment as well, since the number of shot balls is measured based on the relationship between the shooting cycle and the shooting permission conditions, it is necessary to add a sensor or the like in order to realize a new game as described above. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the game machine.

In this embodiment, the increase command and the decrease command are not transmitted to the sound emission control device 72, and the number of shot balls is not displayed on the pattern display device 41, but the number of shot balls is displayed. good too.

Further, the number of prize balls may be added to the shot ball number counter HN based on the number of balls entering the prize ball entrance portion. Since the increase/decrease in the number of held balls is small during the high-frequency support mode, it is assumed that the increase/decrease in the value of the shot ball number counter HN during the high-frequency support mode is also small in this configuration. Therefore, while the continuity of the high-frequency support mode is determined by limiting the number of balls to be shot instead of the number of games played, it is possible to realize the high-frequency support mode with substantially no limit. From this point of view, in the high-frequency support mode based on the result of the probability variable jackpot, the value of the number of shot balls counter HN is increased by the number of prize balls based on the ball entering the prize ball entrance section, and the high-frequency support mode based on the normal jackpot result In the support mode, the value of the shot ball number counter HN may not be increased even if a ball enters the prize ball entry portion.

Furthermore, instead of or in addition to the configuration in which the number of shot balls is limited in the high-frequency support mode in each of the above configurations, the number of shot balls may be restricted to the continuation condition of the high-probability mode.

<Other embodiments>
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the contents described in each of the above-described embodiments, and may be carried out, for example, as follows. Incidentally, each of the following configurations may be individually applied to each of the above-described embodiments, or may be applied to each of the above-described embodiments by combining a part or all of them. Also, each of the following configurations may be applied to embodiments other than the embodiments exemplified as application targets.

(1) The firing conditions on the power supply and firing control device 79 side are not limited to the above conditions. That is, the configuration may be such that any one of the signals from the touch sensor 55a, the ball stop switch 55b, and the ball lending device Y is not included, or another condition is added. In addition, it may be configured such that the firing condition is satisfied by conditions different from these. It is sufficient that the firing condition is established by adding a command to the

(2) The launch permission conditions on the main controller 71 side are not limited to the above conditions. In other words, the configuration may include other conditions than the game stop due to the fraud detection process, and the configuration may be such that the shooting permission condition is established under a condition different from the game stop due to the fraud detection process. Further, when the firing conditions of the power source and the firing control device 79 are satisfied, the firing may be permitted unconditionally.

(3) A configuration in which the main control unit 71 externally outputs the same information as the commands related to the number of shot balls and the number of payout balls sent to the display control device 97 through the sound emission control device 72 to the Hall Island equipment. good too. In this case, the main controller 71 is provided with an external output terminal, and the type of each command (increase command, decrease command, prize ball command, and ending command) indicating the relationship between the number of shot balls and the number of payout balls is indicated from the output terminal. It is preferable to have a configuration in which a start signal is transmitted and the number of balls is transmitted by a pulse signal. Specifically, in the first, second, and fifth embodiments, each start signal is transmitted so that the increase command (or prize ball command) and the decrease command can be identified, and the second 3, in the fourth embodiment, each start signal is transmitted so that the increase command (or the prize ball command) and the ending can be identified, and then the numerical information contained in each command is transmitted to the corresponding pulse signal should be output as In these cases, instead of transmitting a start signal that enables identification, a plurality of external output terminals may be provided, and corresponding numerical information may be output as a pulse signal from each terminal.

(4) Although the symbol display device 41 is configured to display the number of winning balls, the present invention is not limited to this. At least the main control device 71 may be configured to externally output, for example, a configuration in which the number of acquired balls is displayed in the Hall Island facility, or a configuration in which a separate display device is provided and the number of acquired balls is displayed on the display device may be used. good.

(5) In the above-described first to third embodiments, the configuration is such that the arithmetic processing is executed by referring to the prize ball counter. good. In this configuration, it is preferable to add a process of subtracting "1" from the referred operation counter when referring to the corresponding operation counter and setting an increase command or a decrease command.

In this case, in each comparison process between the value of the shot ball counter HN and the number of prize balls corresponding to the prize ball counter, the value of the shot ball counter HN and the number of prize balls corresponding to the prize ball counter are the same. In some cases, it is possible to have a configuration in which the increase command is not sent. That is, in the process of comparing the value of the shot ball number counter HN and the number of prize balls corresponding to the 15 prize ball counter, if the value of the shot ball number counter HN is 15, the 15 calculation counter is set to "1". In addition to subtracting, the value of the fired ball counter HN is cleared to "0", and the value of the fired ball counter HN is compared with the number of prize balls corresponding to the 10 prize ball counter. If , the 10 calculation counter is decremented by "1" and the shot ball number counter HN is cleared to "0", and the value of the shot ball number counter HN and the number of prize balls corresponding to the 3 prize ball counter are calculated. In the comparison process, when the value of the shot ball number counter HN is 3, the counter for three calculation is subtracted by "1" and the shot ball number counter HN is cleared to "0". is not transmitted. This makes it possible to reduce the frequency of outputting the increase command.

Also, in this case, in the comparison process between the number of shot balls counter HN and the number of prize balls of the calculation counter, if the number of prize balls to be referred to is "2" or more, the number of prize balls of the corresponding calculation counter is A configuration may also be adopted in which, after performing arithmetic processing for multiplying the counter value, comparing the shot ball number counter HN with the calculated value, and then clearing the arithmetic counter to "0". As a result, when a plurality of balls enter the same winning ball portion while the timer interrupt processing is executed once, the increase command or subtraction command to be transmitted can be aggregated into one. It becomes possible.

(6) In the first to third embodiments, the trigger for outputting the number of shot balls, etc. is triggered by the entry of a game ball into one of the prize ball entry parts, and in the fourth embodiment, In the fifth embodiment, the trigger is the end of the open/close execution mode, and the number of shots exceeds a predetermined number (10). From the viewpoint of reduction, the frequency of output such as the number of shot balls should be at least lower than the frequency of shooting game balls. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a loop counter that circulates at a cycle longer than the shooting cycle of game balls is provided, and the number of shot balls or the like is output when the loop counter reaches a predetermined value.

(7) The trigger for outputting the number of shot balls, etc., may be configured to be triggered by the entry of a part of the prize ball entry part, and It may be configured to be triggered by a ball entering one of the prize ball entering portions. Moreover, it is good also as a structure triggered by winning a prize to the opening part (through gate 35 in each said embodiment) which is not accompanied by a prize ball. Further, the gaming machine may be provided with an operation unit that can be operated by the player, and the operation may be triggered by the operation of the operation unit by the player.

(8) The period for measuring the number of shot balls and calculating and outputting the number of delivered balls is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and is arbitrary. For example, the measurement, calculation, and output may be performed from when the power of the game machine is turned on until the power is turned off, or the start and end of the measurement, calculation, and output may be determined by the player's operation. Furthermore, a counter for counting the measurement period may be provided, and the counter may measure, calculate, and output until the counter reaches a predetermined value.

Further, a configuration may be adopted in which a predetermined game result is included in addition to the game result in each of the above embodiments, and the predetermined game result may be configured to start measurement, calculation, and output, and in the case of the predetermined game result, may be configured to continue measurement, calculation, and output, or may be configured to end measurement, calculation, and output in the case of the predetermined game result. For example, as a mode of opening and closing control of the variable winning device 32 in the opening and closing execution mode, a low frequency winning mode in which the winning to the big winning mouth 32a in one round game cannot be expected for the upper limit number of the round game is included. As a result of the game in which the opening/closing execution mode is performed in the low-frequency winning mode, after the opening/closing execution mode ends, the winning/failure lottery mode becomes the high-probability mode and the support mode is maintained at the previous mode. (Unexplicit high probability corresponding game result or result of latent probability variable state) and explicit probability variable jackpot result (explicit high probability corresponding game result or sudden A result of changing probability state) and a special loss result (small hit result) in which the success or failure lottery mode and support mode are maintained in the previous mode, and in the case of these game results, the number of shot balls is measured and paid out. It may be configured to start, continue, or end the calculation and output of the number of balls. In particular, even in the case of the above-mentioned explicit probability variable jackpot result, the configuration for starting the measurement of the number of shot balls and the calculation and output of the number of payout balls, the above non-explicit probability variable jackpot result, the above explicit probability variable jackpot result, or the above-mentioned special loss result. In this case, if the number of shot balls is measured and the number of payout balls is calculated and output continuously, the number of shot balls is measured and the number of payout balls is calculated substantially in accordance with the period of consecutive jackpots in the pachinko machine 10. and output, which is preferable.

In these cases, the measurement start flag is stored and the measurement start command is set at the start of measurement, and the measurement start flag is cleared and the measurement end command is set at the end of measurement.

(9) From the viewpoint of reducing the number of commands required to output the number of shot balls, the method for measuring the number of shot balls is not limited to the above configuration, and a configuration in which a separate sensor is provided to measure the number of shot balls may be used. In this case, the value of the shot ball number counter HN may be added or subtracted depending on the detection state of the sensor.

(10) The measurement of the number of shot balls performed by the main controller 71 in each of the above embodiments may be performed by another controller. For example, when the firing permission condition is satisfied and when the firing permission condition is not satisfied, the information is transmitted to the display control device 97 as a command. The number of shot balls may be calculated from the condition establishment period. In this case, it is possible to reduce the number of commands transmitted from the main controller 71 .

(11) In the above-described first to third embodiments, as the display of the final total number of acquired balls, the total number of delivered balls and the total number of fired balls may be displayed separately. In this case, for example, the numerical information of the number of fired balls counter HN before arithmetic processing is separately input to each command related to the number of fired balls or the number of paid out balls transmitted from the main controller 71, and the display control device 97 By reading the numerical information of the number counter HN and adding the read numerical information to the total number of fired balls counter provided separately from the total acquired number of balls counter, the display control device 97 can specify the total number of fired balls. It becomes possible. By adding the value of the total number of fired balls counter to the total number of acquired balls counter, it is possible to specify the total number of delivered balls, and the total number of fired balls and the total number of delivered balls can be displayed separately. can.

From the viewpoint of displaying the number of balls paid out and the number of balls fired so that the player can distinguish between them, the display of the total number of balls paid out and the total number of fired balls is not limited to the display of the final total number of acquired balls. It may be configured to be displayed in place of or in addition to the number-of-balls effect.

(12) The firing cycle counter HC is reset to the initial value when the firing permitted state is canceled and when the measurement of the number of fired balls is finished. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which addition is continued from the continuation at the time of the next measurement.

(13) In the third embodiment, the numerical value information of the number-of-shots counter HN is input to the ending command. Even in this case, the ending command is transmitted at the end of the opening/closing execution mode. Since an increase command is sent upon winning a prize, there is little possibility of a difference between the actual total winning number and the displayed number. In addition, in the open/close execution mode, since the prize is frequently won in the big prize opening 32a, the value of the shot ball number counter HN rarely exceeds "15". is considered to be a small difference.

(14) The number of payout balls may be output after the payout control device 78 has paid out the prize balls. Specifically, based on the payout end information transmitted to the main control device 71 after the payout control device 78 executes the payout of prize balls, the main control device 71 displays the number of balls actually paid out to the display control device 97. Alternatively, the number of balls paid out and the number of shot balls may be processed before transmission.

(15) Although the main controller 71 is configured to output the number of balls to be paid out to the display controller 97, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the payout control device 78 and the display control device 97 may be electrically connected so that the payout control device 78 outputs the number of payout balls to the display control device 97 .

(16) Based on each command received by the display control device 97, the configuration is such that the total number of acquired balls is set. In this case, information corresponding to the total number of acquired balls counter set by the sound emission control device 72 is transmitted to the display control device 97, and the display control device 97 fires the symbol display device 41 based on the received information. It is preferable to have a configuration in which the number of balls or the like is displayed.

(17) A sensor may be provided to detect the return ball from the launch rail 52, and may be added or subtracted from the value of the launch ball number counter HN depending on the detection state of the sensor. In this case, the error between the actual number of acquired balls and the displayed number of acquired balls is further reduced. However, even if the sensor is not provided, if the actual number of acquired balls becomes larger than the displayed number of acquired balls due to the returned balls, the result will be favorable for the player. I can say.

(18) Other types of pachinko machines different from the above embodiments, for example, a pachinko machine in which a general electric accessory opens a predetermined number of times when a game ball enters a specific area of the special device, or a specific area of the special device The present invention can also be applied to a pachinko machine that generates a right when a game ball enters the machine to give a jackpot, a pachinko machine equipped with other accessories, an arrangement ball machine, a mahball, and the like.

<Invention groups extracted from the above embodiments>
Hereinafter, the features of the group of inventions extracted from each of the above-described embodiments will be described, showing effects and the like as necessary. In the following, for ease of understanding, configurations corresponding to the above-described embodiments are appropriately shown in parentheses, etc., but are not limited to the specific configurations shown in parentheses.

<Characteristic group A>
Feature A1. A launching means (game ball launching mechanism 51) for launching a game ball toward the game area;
a firing control means (power supply and firing control device 79) that causes the firing means to perform a firing operation in a specific firing cycle when a predetermined condition is satisfied;
In a game machine equipped with
Calculation means for calculating the number of times the firing operation is performed by using the relationship between the predetermined period and the specific firing period during the period in which the predetermined condition is satisfied (the number of shot balls in the MPU 92 of the main control unit 71) A gaming machine characterized by comprising a function of executing measurement processing.

According to feature A1, it is possible to indirectly grasp the number of shots or the approximate number of shots by the calculation means without directly detecting the shot game balls. It becomes possible to grasp whether the game ball has been shot.

Feature A2. A control means (main controller 71) having the calculation means,
The control means includes an output means (a function of executing the process of step S220 in the MPU 92 of the main control unit 71) for outputting special information (an increase command, a decrease command, or an ending command) reflecting the calculation results of the calculation means. ,
The gaming machine according to feature A1, wherein the cycle in which the output means outputs the special information is a cycle longer than the specific firing cycle.

According to the feature A2, the output period of the output means is longer than the firing period of the shooting operation, and the frequency of outputting the special information can be reduced compared to the configuration in which the information is output each time the game ball is shot. . As a result, power consumption required for output can be suppressed, and deterioration of members and devices due to output can be suppressed.

Feature A3. Provided in the game area where the game ball flows down, and has an opening (for example, a big winning opening 32a) that allows the game ball to enter,
The gaming machine according to feature A2, wherein the output means outputs the special information under at least one condition that a game ball has entered the opening.

According to the feature A3, the special information reflecting the calculation result of the calculation means is output under at least one condition that the game ball enters the opening. Therefore, since the discontinuous condition of the ball entering the opening is added, it is possible to reduce the output frequency of the special information.

Feature A4. an opening provided in a game area where the game ball flows down and into which the game ball can enter;
a payout means (payout device 77) for paying out the game ball based on the game ball entering the opening;
a control means having the calculation means;
with
The control means comprises an output means for outputting special information reflecting the calculation results of the calculation means,
The output means reflects information on the number of game balls to be paid out or paid out based on the game balls entering the opening in the special information, or outputs information different from the special information. By reflecting it in the (prize ball command), the relationship between the number calculated by the calculating means and the number of payouts can be recognized by means external to the control means (for example, the display control device 97). The gaming machine according to feature A1, characterized by:

According to feature A4, in the case where an external device or a player recognizes the acquired number (the difference between the number of shots and the number of payouts), the calculated number calculated by the calculation means and the payout means can be obtained without providing a separate sensor or the like. It is possible to recognize the number of payouts by.

Feature A5. The calculation means recalculates the number of times the shooting action is performed when the calculation result is reflected in the special information,
The output means limits output so as not to perform an external output for allowing the external means to recognize the relationship between the calculated number and the payout number when the payout number is less than or equal to the calculated number. The gaming machine according to feature A4, characterized by comprising means (a function of executing the processing of steps S1103 to S1116 in the MPU 92 of the main control device 71).

According to feature A5, the output of the output means is restricted when the number of payouts is equal to or less than the calculated number. Therefore, it is possible to limit the output frequency of the output means.

Feature A6. The control means includes a calculation means (function for executing the processing of steps S703 to S713 in the MPU 92 of the main control device 71) for calculating the difference between the calculated number and the payout number,
The output means outputs, as the special information, information reflecting the calculation result of the calculation means in order to allow the external means to recognize the relationship between the calculated number and the payout number. The gaming machine according to feature A4 or A5.

According to feature A6, the output means outputs the special information reflecting the calculation result of calculating the difference between the number of payouts and the calculated number. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the number of payouts and the number of calculations are output as they are, the number of payouts and the number of calculations are aggregated as calculation results and reflected in the special information, so it is possible to reduce the types of special information to be output. becomes. This makes it possible to reduce the capacity of the control means.

Feature A7. The external means is a display control means (display control device 97) for controlling the display means (symbol display device 41) so that the player can see the relationship between the calculated number and the payout number. The gaming machine according to any one of features A4 to A6, characterized in that:

According to feature A7, the relationship between the calculated number and the number of payouts is displayed on the display means. As a result, the player can recognize the number of coins actually obtained through the display on the display means.

Feature A8. The display control means causes the display means to display, as the recognizable display, specific information (total winning ball number effect) corresponding to the number obtained by subtracting the calculated number from the payout number,
Characteristic A7 characterized in that the display of the specific information is not updated to the display of the specific information corresponding to the number smaller than the number corresponding to the currently displayed specific information at least for a predetermined period of time at the update timing of the display of the specific information. The gaming machine described in .

According to feature A8, at least for a predetermined period, the display control means displays the number corresponding to the currently displayed specific information at the update timing of the display of the specific information corresponding to the result of subtracting the calculated number from the number of payouts. Do not update to a number less than In particular, in a pachinko machine, prize balls are obtained by entering a game ball into a predetermined opening. The frequency of balls entering the opening is adjusted by the hall manager by adjusting the nails, etc. However, regardless of the player's shooting operation, it may happen that the ball does not enter the opening frequently. . In this case, if the display of the specific information is reduced, it will be clearly expressed that no ball has been entered, which may give the player a sense of loss. On the other hand, since this configuration does not update to a number smaller than the number corresponding to the currently displayed specific information, it does not give the above-mentioned sense of loss.

Feature A9. The gaming machine according to any one of features A4 to A8, wherein the output means collectively outputs the information of the calculated number calculated at the time when the predetermined period ends.

According to the feature A9, when an external device or a player recognizes the number of payouts and the calculated number during a predetermined period, it is possible to recognize more accurate numbers. For example, in a configuration that calculates and outputs the difference between the calculated number and the payout number as in feature A6, even if the calculation result is not output, the information on the calculated number at that time is output. The number of payouts and the number of calculations during the predetermined period will be more accurate values. Further, for example, if the trigger for outputting the special information reflecting the calculated number is only the end of the predetermined period, it becomes possible not only to accurately recognize the calculated number during the predetermined period, but also to reduce the output frequency. It becomes possible.

Feature A10. The control means can recognize predetermined information (eg, prize ball command or ending command) to means (eg, payout control device 78 or sound emission control device 72) different from the control means through information output from the output means. and
The different means executes a process corresponding to the predetermined information (a process of paying out prize balls or a process of terminating the effect for the opening/closing execution mode),
The gaming machine according to any one of features A2 to A9, wherein the output means reflects the calculation result of the calculation means on the special information including the predetermined information.

According to the characteristic A10, the output means reflects the calculation result of the calculation means in the special information included in the predetermined information that causes the means different from the control means to execute the processing, and outputs the special information. Therefore, there is no need to set dedicated special information when outputting the calculated number or the number of payouts, and it is possible to reduce the capacity of the control means.

Feature A11. Transition means for shifting the game state to a special state based on the establishment of a predetermined condition (function for executing the processing of steps S801 to S808 in the MPU 92 of the main control device 71);
Ending means for ending the special state based on the establishment of a specific condition (function for executing the processing of steps S810 to S813 in the MPU 92 of the main control device 71);
with
The predetermined information includes at least end information (ending command) output from the control means based on the end of the special state,
The gaming machine according to feature A10, wherein the output means reflects the calculation result of the calculation means in the end information.

According to the feature A11, the calculation result of the calculation means is reflected in the end information output from the control means based on the end of the special state. Therefore, it is not necessary to newly set information to be stored in the control means as special information. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the capacity of the control means.

Feature A12. Advantageous state transition means for shifting the game state to an advantageous state that is advantageous to the player based on the establishment of a predetermined condition. function to execute time transition processing) and
Advantageous state termination means for terminating the advantageous state under at least one condition that the shooting means has fired a predetermined number of game balls 2 function of executing game state transition processing).

According to feature A12, it is possible to provide a novel game in which the advantageous state ends when the shooting means shoots a predetermined number of game balls. Furthermore, as in A1, since the number of shots or the approximate number of shots can be grasped without the need for a new sensor or the like, it is possible to provide a gaming machine with innovative games at a low cost.

It is effective to apply the feature group A to the following problems.

A pachinko machine, which is a type of gaming machine, is equipped with a firing operation device on the front part of the main body of the game machine, and when the firing operation device is operated, the shooting device operates, and game balls are shot to the upper part of the game area. be done. Also, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out from the payout device based on the shot game balls entering the opening provided in the game area. Here, it may be necessary to measure the number of shots fired from the launcher. For example, if the number of payouts is notified based on the number of shots, the player can grasp the number of coins actually obtained. Also, by adding the number of shots to the progress of the game, it is possible to make the game novel. However, regarding the measurement of the number of shots, it is undesirable to increase the manufacturing cost of the game machine by providing a separate sensor or the like, and there is still room for improvement in this respect.

<Characteristic group B>
Feature B1. A launching means (game ball launching mechanism 51) for launching a game ball toward the game area;
An opening (for example, a large winning opening 32a) provided in the game area and into which a game ball can enter;
a payout means (payout device 77) for paying out the game ball based on the game ball entering the opening;
The difference between the corresponding number of shots, which is either the number of game balls shot by the shooting means or the number of shooting operations performed by the shooting means, and the number of game balls paid out or paid out by the paying-out means Computing means for computing (function for executing net increase pitch computation processing in MPU 92 of main control device 71), and output means (main a control means (main control device 71) having a function of executing the processing of step S220 in the MPU 92 of the control device 71;
A gaming machine characterized by comprising:

According to feature B1, the output means outputs the special information reflecting the calculation result of calculating the difference between the number of payouts and the corresponding number of launches. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the payout number and the corresponding launch number are output as they are, the payout number and the corresponding launch number are aggregated as calculation results and reflected in the special information, so that the types of special information to be output can be reduced. becomes possible. This makes it possible to reduce the capacity of the control means.

Feature B2. The game according to feature B1, wherein the computing means computes the difference between the corresponding number of shots and the number of payouts under at least one condition that a game ball has entered the opening. machine.

According to feature B2, the computing means performs computation under at least one condition that a game ball enters the opening, and the result is reflected in the special information and output. Therefore, it is possible to clarify the calculation trigger of the calculation means. In addition, although the calculating means needs to grasp the corresponding number of shots and the number of payouts, it is not necessary to accumulate and grasp the number of payouts because the calculation is triggered by the entry of the ball into the opening. Therefore, facilitation of calculation can be achieved.

Feature B3. The shot correspondence number is initialized when the calculation result of the calculation means is reflected in the special information (for example, in steps S1106, S1111 and S1115, the shot ball number counter HN is reset to "0"). to do),
When the number of payouts is equal to or less than the corresponding number of launches, the output means is output limiting means (the MPU 92 of the main control unit 71 executes the processing of steps S1103 to S1116) so as not to output the special information. The gaming machine according to feature B1 or feature B2, characterized by comprising a function of

According to the feature B3, the output of the output means is restricted when the number of coins to be paid out is equal to or less than the number corresponding to the launch. Therefore, it is possible to limit the output frequency of the output means.

Feature B4. Based on the special information output by the output means, the display means (symbol display device 41) is controlled so as to perform a display that allows the player to recognize the relationship between the corresponding number of shots and the number of payouts. The gaming machine according to any one of features B1 to B3, further comprising display control means (display control device 97).

According to feature B4, the display means displays the relationship between the corresponding number of launches and the number of payouts. As a result, the player can recognize the number of coins actually obtained through the display on the display means.

Feature B5. The display control means causes the display means to display, as the recognizable display, specific information (total number of acquired balls presentation) corresponding to the number obtained by subtracting the corresponding number of shots from the number of payouts. ,
Characteristic B4 characterized in that the display of the specific information is not updated to display the specific information corresponding to a smaller number than the number corresponding to the currently displayed specific information at the update timing of the display of the specific information at least for a predetermined period. The gaming machine described in .

According to feature B5, at least for a predetermined period of time, the display control means corresponds to the currently displayed specific information at the update timing of the display of the specific information corresponding to the result of subtracting the number of corresponding launches from the number of payouts. Do not update to a number less than the number. In particular, in a pachinko machine, prize balls are obtained by entering a game ball into a predetermined opening. The frequency of balls entering the opening is adjusted by the hall manager by adjusting the nails, etc. However, regardless of the player's shooting operation, it may happen that the ball does not enter the opening frequently. . In this case, if the display of the specific information is reduced, it will be clearly expressed that no ball has been entered, which may give the player a sense of loss. On the other hand, since this configuration does not update to a number smaller than the number corresponding to the currently displayed specific information, it does not give the above-mentioned sense of loss.

Feature B6. The firing correspondence number is initialized when the calculation result of the calculation means is reflected in the special information,
The display control means causes the display means to display, as the recognizable display, specific information (total number of acquired balls presentation) corresponding to the number obtained by subtracting the corresponding number of shots from the number of payouts. ,
When the number of payouts is equal to or less than the corresponding number of launches, the output means is output limiting means (the MPU 92 of the main control unit 71 executes the processing of steps S1103 to S1116) so as not to output the special information. The gaming machine according to feature B4 or feature B5, characterized by comprising a function to

According to feature B6, when the number of payouts is equal to or less than the number corresponding to launch, the output of the output means is restricted and is not reflected in the specific information. Therefore, the effect of feature B5 can be achieved while reducing the processing load on the display control means.

Feature B7. The gaming machine according to any one of features B1 to B6, wherein the output means collectively outputs the information on the corresponding number of shots measured at the end of a predetermined period.

According to feature B7, the number of corresponding launches is output when the predetermined period ends. That is, even if the calculation result of the number of payouts and the corresponding number of launches is not output at the end of the predetermined period, the number of corresponding launches at that time is output, so that the number of payouts and the corresponding number of launches during the predetermined period are more accurate. Accurate output is possible.

It is effective to apply the characteristic group B to the following problems.

A pachinko machine, which is a type of gaming machine, is equipped with a firing operation device on the front part of the main body of the game machine, and when the firing operation device is operated, the shooting device operates, and game balls are shot to the upper part of the game area. be done. Also, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out from the payout device based on the shot game balls entering the opening provided in the game area. Here, it may be necessary to output the number of shots fired from the shooting device and the number of shots delivered from the dispensing device. For example, if the number of payouts is reported based on the number of shots, it is possible for the player to grasp the number actually obtained. It is necessary to output the calculation result from the control device. However, increasing the output pattern of information from the control device requires increasing the storage capacity of the control device accordingly.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Pachinko machine, 51... Game ball launching mechanism, 71... Main control device, 72... Sound emission control device, 78... Payout control device, 79... Power source and launch control device, 97... Display control device.

Claims (1)

a shooting means for shooting game balls toward the game area;
firing control means for causing the firing means to perform a firing operation at a specific firing cycle when a predetermined condition is satisfied;
In a game machine equipped with
A gaming machine comprising a calculating means for calculating the number of times the shooting action is performed by using the relationship between the specified firing period and the specified firing period during the period in which the predetermined condition is satisfied. .

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