JP2023054245A - game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine capable of increasing the brightness of a prescribed area in a game area without narrowing the game area.

SOLUTION: A Pachinko machine 10 includes: a game area which is formed at the front side of a game board and where game balls shot by a shooting device are guided; a frame component part for defining an outer peripheral edge of the game area; a translucent member having translucency and including a peripheral wall part constituting a part of the frame component part; and light emission means disposed at the opposite side to the game area by sandwiching the peripheral wall part of the translucent member and capable of irradiating light toward inner peripheral side of the frame component part.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2023,JPO&INPIT

Description

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

A pachinko machine, for example, is known as one type of game machine. A pachinko machine is provided with a game board, and in front thereof, a game area is formed in which game balls shot by a shooting device are guided. Then, when the game ball enters the starting ball entry device provided in the game area, a lottery is conducted to determine whether or not to generate a jackpot state, and a variable display for teaching the lottery result is displayed on the display device. (See Patent Document 1, for example).

Further, a pachinko machine is generally provided with a guide rail for guiding a game ball launched by a shooting device to the upper part of the game area, and the game ball enters the game area from the tip of the guide rail.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-154110

By the way, there is a demand to brighten a predetermined area of the game area without narrowing the game area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems exemplified above, and its object is to provide a game machine capable of brightening a predetermined area of the game area without narrowing the game area. be.

The gaming machine of the present invention is
A game machine comprising a fixed frame and a game machine main body that can be opened and closed with respect to the fixed frame,
The game machine main body includes a game board,
a game area formed in front of the game board in which game balls shot by the shooting means are guided;
A division section that divides the outer periphery of the game area;
a light-transmitting member having a wall portion that is translucent and that constitutes a part of the partition;
a light-emitting means capable of irradiating the inner peripheral side of the partitioning portion with light through the wall portion of the translucent member;
and a center accessory provided substantially in the center of the game area,
At least part of a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the center accessory facing the light-transmitting member is made of a material having a higher reflectance than the front surface of the game board,
An installation portion capable of accommodating a part of the wall portion of the translucent member is provided on the front surface of the game board,
The light-transmitting member has a projecting portion projecting from the wall portion toward the outside of the game area, and is attached to the gaming machine main body on the side of the projecting portion.

Incidentally, the gaming machine may be a pachinko machine.

According to the present invention, the predetermined area of the game area can be brightened without narrowing the game area.

It is a front view showing a pachinko machine in one embodiment. It is a perspective view showing a pachinko machine. It is a perspective view which shows the state which opened the inner frame and the front frame set. It is a front view showing the configuration of the inner frame, the game board, and the like. It is a rear view showing the configuration of the pachinko machine. It is a perspective view showing a state in which the inner frame, the back pack unit and the like are opened. It is a rear view of the inner frame with the game board removed. It is an exploded perspective view of a lighting unit. It is a schematic cross section showing a lighting unit and the like. It is a block diagram showing the main electrical configuration of the pachinko machine.

A first embodiment of a pachinko gaming machine (hereinafter simply referred to as a "pachinko machine") will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 3, etc., the pachinko machine 10 has an outer frame 11 as a fixed frame that constitutes the outer shell of the pachinko machine 10. On one side of the outer frame 11, an inner frame as a game board attachment frame is provided. A frame 12 is supported so that it can be opened and closed. For the sake of convenience, FIG. 3 omits the game members (nails, accessories, etc.) provided on the game board 30 and the glass unit 137 attached to the front frame set 14 as the front frame.

As shown in FIG. 6 and the like, the outer frame 11 has an upper frame-constituting portion 11a and a lower frame-constituting portion 11b made of wooden plate material, and a left frame-constituting portion 11c and a right side frame-constituting portion 11d made of aluminum alloy by extrusion molding. These frame-constituting parts 11a to 11d are assembled into a rectangular frame as a whole by detachable fasteners such as screws.

An upper hinge 81 and a lower hinge 82 are attached to the upper and lower ends of the left side frame-constituting portion 11c (see FIG. 1). The upper and lower parts of the inner frame 12 are rotatably supported by the upper hinge 81 and the lower hinge 82, so that the inner frame 12 can be opened and closed. A space formed inside the outer frame 11 accommodates the inner frame 12 and the like.

An extension wall portion 83 that protrudes toward the inner side of the outer frame 11 from the vicinity of the rear end in the width direction is formed on the right side frame-constituting portion 11d. The extending wall portion 83 covers the entire upper and lower sections corresponding to the locking device 600 (see FIG. 6) provided on the back side of the right side portion of the inner frame 12 from the back side of the inner frame 12 (see FIG. 5). In addition, as shown in FIG. 3 , a pair of upper and lower receiving portions 84 and 85 to which the locking member of the locking device 600 is locked is provided on the front side of the extending wall portion 83 . A pressing portion 86 that abuts on an inner frame open detection switch 92 (to be described later) protrudes toward the inside of the outer frame 11 from the lower receiving portion 85 .

Further, a resin-made curtain plate decoration 87 is attached to the lower side frame-constituting portion 11b. A rib 88 protruding upward is integrally formed in the inner part of the upper surface of the curtain plate decoration 87 . This makes it difficult for a gap to be formed with the inner frame 12 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the opening/closing axis of the inner frame 12 is set vertically along the left side of the pachinko machine 10 when viewed from the front, and the inner frame 12 can be opened forward with this opening/closing axis as the axis. It has become. The inner frame 12 is mainly composed of a resin base 38 having a rectangular outer shape, and a substantially elliptical window hole 39 is formed in the central portion of the resin base 38 .

A front frame set 14 is attached to the front side of the inner frame 12 so that it can be opened and closed. As with the inner frame 12, the front frame set 14 can be opened forward with an opening/closing axis set along the top and bottom on the left side of the pachinko machine 10 as viewed from the front.

The front frame set 14 has a rectangular outer shape like the inner frame 12, and covers substantially the entire front side of the inner frame 12 in the closed state. A substantially elliptical window portion 101 is formed in the central portion of the front frame set 14 . Thereby, the game board 30 (game area) attached to the rear surface of the inner frame 12 can be visually recognized from the outside through the window portion 101 of the front frame set 14 and the window hole 39 of the inner frame 12 . A detailed configuration of the game board 30 will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, etc., on the front side of the front frame set 14, a lower plate 15 as a ball receiving plate is provided at the center of the lower portion thereof, and the game balls discharged from the discharge port 16 are placed on the lower plate. 15 can be stored. Further, on the front side of the lower tray 15, a ball extracting lever 25 for ejecting game balls from the inside of the lower tray 15 is provided. In addition, an effect button 125 with a built-in LED is provided on the left side of the lower plate 15. - 特許庁The production button 125 is provided for the purpose of improving the interest of the player by reflecting the player's operation of the production button 125 in various productions. Accordingly, control is performed to cause some kind of change, such as changing the display contents of the decorative pattern display device 42, which will be described later, or playing a corresponding sound.

On the right side of the lower plate 15, a game ball shooting handle (hereinafter simply referred to as a handle) 18 is provided as an operation means projecting forward. The handle 18 is provided with a touch sensor for detecting that the player touches the handle 18 and a variable resistor for detecting the amount of operation of the operation portion of the handle 18 .

An upper plate 19 is provided above the lower plate 15 . The upper tray 19 is a ball receiver that temporarily stores game balls and guides them toward a game ball launching device (hereinafter referred to simply as launching device) 60 as a launching means to be described later while aligning them in a row. When the upper tray 19 is filled with game balls, the game balls to be paid out are guided to the lower tray 15 via a lower tray communication passage 71 and a discharge port 16, which will be described later.

A ball lending button 121 and a returning button 122 are provided on the upper plate 19. - 特許庁As a result, when the ball lending button 121 is operated with bills, cards, etc. inserted into the card unit (ball lending unit) arranged on the side of the pachinko machine 10 in a game hall or the like, the ball lending button 121 is operated. A rented ball is supplied to the upper tray 19 . On the other hand, the return button 122 is operated when requesting the return of the card or the like inserted in the card unit. However, the ball lending button 121 and return button 122 are unnecessary in a pachinko machine in which game balls are directly lent to the upper tray 19 from a ball lending device or the like without going through the card unit, that is, a so-called cash machine.

Furthermore, the upper plate 19 is provided with a ball removal button 123 . By pressing the ball removal button 123, a communication hole (not shown) provided on the downstream side of the ball guide path of the upper tray 19 and communicating with the lower tray 15 is opened and stored in the upper tray 19. The game ball is guided (dropped) to the lower tray 15. - 特許庁That is, the player can move the game ball on the upper tray 19 to the lower tray 15 at any time by operating the ball removal button 123 .

Further, the front face of the front frame set 14 is provided with light emitting means such as various lamps around it. These light emitting means play a role of increasing the effect during the game by changing and controlling the light emitting mode such as lighting and blinking in accordance with the change of the game state such as at the time of a big win or a predetermined ready-to-win state. For example, the peripheral edge of the window portion 101 is provided with an annular illumination portion 102 (decorative means) including light emitting means such as an LED and a translucent cover that covers the light emitting means and the like. In other words, the annular electrical decoration part 102 protrudes (expands) forward from the main body of the substantially rectangular plate-shaped front frame set 14 in which the window part 101 is formed. In particular, in this embodiment, a higher-luminance light-emitting means is arranged in a portion located above the window portion 101, and the portion of the annular illumination portion 102 above the window portion 101 is located forward of the other portions. It has a design that protrudes into the In addition, error display lamps 104 are provided on both sides of the ring-shaped decorative portion 102 to light up in the event of a predetermined error. A large number of fine through-holes are formed in the annular illumination portion 102 above each error display lamp 104 corresponding to the speaker SP (see FIG. 3) provided on the back surface of the front frame set 14. .

A glass unit 137 is attached to the rear side of the front frame set 14 . The glass unit 137 is not a conventional front and rear pair of rectangular plate glasses that are attached separately as a front and rear pair, but is formed in a round shape as a whole and attached after being assembled.

Next, the inner frame 12 will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the game board 30 is attached to the inner frame 12 on the rear side of the window hole 39 . The game board 30 is attached with its peripheral portion in contact with the back side of the resin base 38 of the inner frame 12 . Therefore, a substantially central portion of the front surface of the game board 30 is exposed to the front surface side of the inner frame 12 through the window hole 39 of the resin base 38 .

In addition, a shooting device 60 and a shooting rail 61 for guiding game balls immediately after being shot from the shooting device 60 are attached to the front lower portion of the inner frame 12, that is, the position below the window hole 39 (game board 30). there is In this embodiment, a solenoid type launcher is adopted as the launcher 60 . Above the shooting device 60 is a ball feeding device that guides the game balls guided from the upper tray 19 one by one to the shooting position of the shooting device 60 by driving a built-in drive means (for example, a solenoid). 63 are provided.

Next, the configuration of the game board 30 will be described with reference to FIG. The game board 30 has a general winning port 31, a variable winning device 32, a starting winning unit (starting port) 33, a through gate 34, a variable display device unit 35, a first special display device 43L, a second special display device 43R, and the like. It is arranged in a through-hole formed by router processing, and attached from the front side of the game board 30 with a wood screw or the like. As is well known, when a game ball enters (wins a prize) in various winning openings such as the general winning opening 31, the variable winning device 32, and the starting winning unit 33, it is detected by various detection switches and sent to the upper tray 19 (or the lower tray 15). A predetermined number of prize balls are paid out. For example, if there are 3 balls in the startup winning unit 33, 10 balls in the general winning port 31, and 10 balls in the variable winning device 32, 15 game balls are paid out to the upper tray 19 (lower tray 15). In addition, the game board 30 is provided with an out port 36, and game balls that do not enter various prize winning ports such as the general winning port 31 are discharged out of the game area through the out port 36. . The game board 30 is also provided with a large number of nails for appropriately distributing and adjusting the falling direction of game balls, and various members (accessories) such as windmills.

The starting winning unit 33 is provided on both sides of the upper winning opening 33a (first starting winning means) and the lower winning opening 33b (second starting winning means) as the starting winning means, and the lower winning opening 33b. A pair of opening/closing members 33c for opening and closing are provided. A game ball can always enter the upper winning opening 33a, whereas the lower winning opening 33b is a game in which the opening and closing member 33c opens and closes according to the establishment of a predetermined condition, thereby flowing down the game area. It is constructed so that the state can be changed between an open state in which a ball can enter and a closed state in which a game ball cannot enter.

In addition, although the details will be described later, the starting winning unit 33 includes a first starting winning switch 224a and a second starting winning switch 224a as starting ball detection means for detecting game balls entering the upper winning opening 33a and the lower winning opening 33b, respectively. A winning switch 224b is provided, and when a game ball is detected by the starting winning switch 224a, 224b, a lottery is performed to determine whether or not to generate a jackpot state, and the special display devices 43L, 43R (and A variable display is performed by a decorative pattern display device 42, which will be described later. Then, when winning the lottery, a jackpot state is given as a special game state in which the variable winning device 32 is opened. The variable prize winning device 32 is normally in a closed state in which game balls cannot win prizes, and is in an open state in which game balls can win prizes only in a big hit state.

In this embodiment, the types of jackpot states include "variable probability jackpot", "normal jackpot", and "special variable probability". In the jackpot states of "probability variable jackpot" and "normal jackpot", the variable prize winning device 32 is opened for 30 seconds, or the variable prize winning device 32 wins 8 game balls as one round. Repeated 15 times. On the other hand, in the "special odds" jackpot state, one round consists of the variable winning device 32 being open for 0.4 seconds, and this is repeated twice. That is, in the jackpot state of "variable probability jackpot" and "normal jackpot", a large increase in the number of game balls can be expected, but in the jackpot state of "special probability change", the number of game balls that can be obtained during the jackpot state is remarkably small ( It is almost impossible to expect an increase in the number of game balls).

Furthermore, when "variable probability big hit" or "special variable probability" occurs, a high probability state (variable probability mode) is given after the end of the big win state. On the other hand, when a "normal jackpot" occurs, a low-probability state (time reduction mode, normal mode) is provided after the jackpot state ends.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the game ball enters the upper prize winning port 33a and when the game ball wins the lower prize winning port 33b, the type of jackpot state given when winning by lottery is divided. It's supposed to be different. When winning the winning lottery triggered by the entry of the game ball into the upper winning prize opening 33a, it is distributed to one of "probable variable jackpot", "normal jackpot" and "special probability variable", and the lower winning prize opening 33b In the case of winning the winning lottery triggered by the entry of a game ball into the ball, it will be sorted into either a ``probable variable jackpot'' or a ``normal jackpot''.

The first and second special display devices 43L and 43R are composed of 7-segment display devices and installed on the right side of the variable winning device 32. FIG. Then, when the game ball enters the upper winning hole 33a of the starting winning unit 33, switching display (fluctuation display) is performed on the first special display device 43L, and the game ball enters the lower winning hole 33b. Triggered by this, the switching display (variable display) is performed on the second special display device 43R. The display contents of the special display devices 43L and 43R are directly controlled by a main control device 261 as main control means, which will be described later.

Further, after the variable display is performed on the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R, the display mode (for example, characters) when the variable display is stopped will definitely display whether or not it is a big hit. be. For example, when a game ball wins in the upper winning hole 33a, the corresponding first special display device 43L displays "-"→"7"→"3"→"2"→"-"→... Switching display (variable display) is performed at high speed (for example, every 4 msec), and after a predetermined period of time, one of the display modes is stopped (for example, stopped for several seconds). When "variable probability big win", "ordinary big win" and "special variable probability" are won, "7", "3" and "2" are respectively displayed when fluctuation is stopped, and a big win state occurs.

In addition, when either the first special display device 43L or the second special display device 43R performs the variable display or the determined display, the other is turned off ("-" is displayed). may be set), and if neither the variable display nor the fixed display is performed, "-" is displayed in both.

Further, when a game ball newly wins the starting winning unit 33 during the variable display of the first or second special display devices 43L, 43R, the variable display for that amount is the variable display being performed at that time. It is configured to be performed after the end of That is, the variable display is put on standby (suspended). The maximum number of times of the suspended variable display is determined for each model of the pachinko machine, but in this embodiment, it corresponds to the game ball that has won the upper prize winning port 33a and the game ball that has won the lower prize winning port 33b. As a result, up to 4 variable displays (a total of 8 variable displays) are reserved. In addition, the number of times of suspension is displayed by the first suspension lamp 46a and the second suspension lamp 46b. Incidentally, when a game ball newly wins the starting prize winning unit 33 during the jackpot state, the variable display for that amount is also suspended.

Basically, the variable display triggered by the winning of the upper winning opening 33a is stored in the order in which the corresponding game balls enter the upper winning opening 33a, and is completed in the order in which the balls enter the lower winning opening 33b. The variable display triggered by winning a prize is stored in the order in which the corresponding game ball entered the lower prize winning opening 33b, and is completed in the order in which the ball entered. However, when both the variable display triggered by winning the upper prize winning port 33a and the variable display triggered by the ball entering the lower winning prize port 33b are suspended (the first suspension lamp 46a and the second suspension When one or more lamps 46b are lit), the variable display triggered by the entry of the ball into the lower winning hole 33b is preferentially extinguished. In other words, the variable display triggered by the ball entering the upper winning hole 33a is not performed unless the variable display triggered by the winning to the lower winning hole 33b is completely extinguished. For example, in a state in which one first holding lamp 46a is lit, when a game ball enters the lower winning opening 33b and one second holding lamp 46b lights up, the ball entering the upper winning opening 33a The variable display as a trigger is postponed, and the variable display triggered by the ball entering the lower winning hole 33b is performed first. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the variable display triggered by the ball entering the upper winning hole 33a is also referred to as "first variable display", and the variable display triggered by the ball entering the lower winning hole 33b is called "second variable display". ” is also called.

In addition, the through gate 34 is configured so that game balls flowing down the game area can pass one by one. Although the details will be described later, the through gate 34 is provided with a through gate switch 225 capable of detecting a game ball passing through the through gate 34, and when a game ball is detected by the through gate switch 225, a start is made. An open lottery is performed to determine whether or not the prize winning unit 33 is to be opened, and a variable display is performed on the normal symbol display device 41.例文帳に追加Then, when winning the open lottery, the starting winning unit 33 (opening/closing member 33c) is opened for a specified time.

In the variable display device unit 35, a normal pattern display device 41 that variably displays triggered by passing through the through gate 34, and a decorative pattern display device that variably displays according to the variable display by the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R. 42 are provided. Further, in the variable display device unit 35, the variable display performed by the decorative pattern display device 42 corresponds to which of the upper winning opening 33a and the lower winning opening 33b. A lamp 40, a first suspension lamp 46a, a second suspension lamp 46b, and a suspension lamp 44 are provided. Incidentally, in this embodiment, the special display devices 43L and 43R, the variable specific lamp 40, and the decorative pattern display device 42 constitute variable display means.

The normal symbol display device 41 is configured to be able to light up and display "○" or "X" as a normal symbol. The switching display (variable display) is performed at high speed such as "○"→.... Then, when the variable display stops for a few seconds at the "O" symbol (winning symbol), the starting winning unit 33 is opened for a predetermined time. Display contents of the normal symbol display device 41 are directly controlled by a main control device 261 which will be described later.

In addition, when a game ball newly passes through the through gate 34 during the variable display of the normal symbol display device 41, the variable display for that amount is performed after the variable display being performed at that time is completed. It has become. That is, the variable display is put on standby (suspended). The maximum number of times of the variable display to be held is determined for each pachinko machine model, but in this embodiment, it is held up to four times, and the number of times of holding is displayed by the holding lamp 44. there is In addition, in the time shortening mode and the probability variable mode, the fluctuation time of the fluctuation display of the normal pattern display device 41 is shortened compared to the normal mode, and the number of opening times and the opening time of the starting winning unit 33 when winning are increased. .

The decorative pattern display device 42 is configured as a liquid crystal display device, and display contents are controlled by a sub-control device 262 as sub-control means and a display control device 45, which will be described later. That is, in the decorative pattern display device 42, based on the command from the main control device 261, the sub-control device 262 assists so as to correspond to the results displayed on the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R. Display contents are determined and displayed by the display control device 45, which will be described later.

The decorative pattern display device 42 is provided with, for example, three upper, middle and lower pattern display areas, and in each pattern display area, a plurality of types of decorative patterns with any number "1 to 9" are displayed. The decorative symbols are sequentially displayed (variably displayed), and thereafter, the decorative symbols are stopped and displayed in order for each symbol display area (for example, in the order of the upper symbol display area→lower symbol display area→middle symbol display area). . For example, when a big win is confirmed by the main control device 261, the first or second special display devices 43L and 43R display corresponding to the big win, and the decorative pattern display device 42 displays a decorative pattern corresponding to the big win. The combinations are stopped and displayed (for example, the decorative symbols stopped and displayed in the upper symbol display area, the middle symbol display area, and the lower symbol display area are the same), and the jackpot state is started.

Further, when the decorative symbols are stopped and displayed in a combination corresponding to the big hit, as a preliminary step, for example, the same decorative symbols are stopped and displayed in the upper symbol display area and the lower symbol display area. The ready-to-win state is the state in which the same symbol is stopped and displayed in the upper symbol display area and the lower symbol display area and the variable display is still performed in the middle symbol display area.

Even if the ready-to-win state occurs, if the jackpot state does not occur, the decorative symbols different from the decorative symbols stop-displayed in the upper and lower symbol display areas are stop-displayed in the middle-symbol display area. . In addition, in the case of "variable probability big hit" or "normal big win", the number of double eyes is stopped and displayed in the decorative pattern display device 42 as described above, but in the case of "special variable probability" , a combination of predetermined specific numbers (hereinafter referred to as chance symbols) are stopped and displayed (for example, in the upper, middle and lower symbol display areas, "3", "4", " 1” is displayed stopped).

In addition, the variable specific lamp 40 includes an LED with a blue emission color and an LED with a red emission color, and the decorative pattern display device 42 performs a variable display triggered by the entry of the ball into the upper winning hole 33a. When the ball enters the lower winning hole 33b, the light is emitted in blue, and when the variable display triggered by the entry of the ball into the lower winning opening 33b is performed, the light is emitted in red.

A center frame 47 is arranged in the variable display device unit 35 so as to surround the decorative pattern display device 42 . A ball entrance 151 is provided in the upper part of the center frame 47, and a game ball that enters the ball entrance 151 is formed inside the center frame 47, and along the side of the decorative pattern display device 42 It is guided onto a stage 153 formed below the decorative pattern display device 42 via a vertically extending warp channel 152 . A game ball guided onto the stage 153 falls from the stage 153 to a front game area, or rolls on the stage 153 and then enters a pocket 154 formed on the central back side of the stage 153. . In addition, the pocket 154 communicates with a guide passage 155 leading to a game area directly above the starting winning unit 33 (upper winning opening 33a). A ball is entered into the starting prize winning unit 33 (upper prize winning port 33a).

Further, the game board 30 is provided with a guide rail 50 which is composed of an inner rail component 51 and an outer rail component 52 and guides the game ball shot from the shooting device 60 to the upper part of the game board 30 . As a result, the game ball shot by rotating the handle 18 is guided through the shooting rail 61 and the guide rail 50 into the game area formed between the game board 30 and the glass unit 137 .

A return ball preventing member 53 is attached to the tip portion (upper left portion in FIG. 4) of the inner rail constituting portion 51 . As a result, the game ball once guided from the guide rail 50 to the game area is prevented from returning into the guide rail 50 again. Further, a return rubber 54 is attached to substantially the tip portion (upper right portion in FIG. 4) of the outer rail constituting portion 52 . A game ball shot with a force greater than or equal to a predetermined amount hits the return rubber 54 and is returned to the central portion side of the game board 30, for example.

As shown in FIG. 3 , a ball passage unit 70 is provided on the rear side of the front frame set 14 below the window portion 101 . The ball passage unit 70 includes a lower tray communication path 71 that connects the payout mechanism 352 to the outlet 16 of the lower tray 15 and an upper tray communication path 73 that connects the payout mechanism 352 to the upper tray 19 . In addition, there is a gap of a predetermined distance between the launch rail 61 provided on the inner frame 12 and the guide rail 50 (outer rail-constituting portion 52), and the ball passage unit 70 receives game balls dropped from the gap. A foul ball passage 72 leading to the lower plate 15 is formed. As a result, if a game ball shot from the shooting device 60 does not reach the return ball prevention member 53 and travels back along the guide rail 50 as a foul ball, the foul ball passes through the foul ball passage 72 and travels through the lower tray 15. discharged to

Reference numeral 67 in FIGS. 3 and 4 denotes a payout passage for guiding game balls paid out by a payout mechanism 352, which will be described later, to the front of the inner frame 12. The upper tray communication passage 73 (upper tray 19) and a passage leading to the lower tray communication passage 71 (lower tray 15). A shutter 68 is provided below the payout passage 67, and when the front frame set 14 is opened, the shutter 68 protrudes forward due to the biasing force of a spring or the like, and nearly closes the outlet of the payout passage 67. ing. Further, when the front frame set 14 is closed, the shutter 68 is pushed open by the inlet-side rear end of the lower tray communication passage 71 . The inlets (ball inlets) of the lower tray communicating path 71 and the upper tray communicating path 73 are adjacent to each other, and the inlets and the dispensing path 67 are separated by a predetermined distance when the front frame set 14 is closed, A game ball can pass through the gap between the two. Therefore, when the upper tray 19 and the upper tray communication path 73 are filled with game balls, the game balls to be paid out flow to the lower tray communication path 71 side (overflow to the entrance side of the lower tray communication path 71), and the lower tray connection It will be dispensed to the lower tray 15 through the passage 71 .

In addition, the ball passage unit 70 is provided with a full detection switch (not shown) for detecting game balls positioned in the lower tray communication passage 71 . Due to the presence of the full detection switch, it is grasped that the lower tray 15 is full of game balls (that the lower tray 15 is full of game balls and that the game balls are staying in the lower tray communication passage 71). be able to. In the present embodiment, control is performed such that launching of the launching device 60 is prohibited based on detection of game balls continuously for a predetermined period of time by the full detection switch. In addition, when the game ball is no longer retained in the lower tray communication passage 71 and the game ball is no longer detected by the full detection switch (when the game ball is no longer detected continuously for a predetermined time), the launching of the shooting device 60 is permitted.

Next, the rear configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. On the back of the pachinko machine 10, various control boards are arranged vertically and horizontally, and some of them are arranged so as to be overlapped in the front and back, and a game ball supply device (payout mechanism) for supplying game balls. and a resin protective cover, etc. are attached. Since the dispensing mechanism and the protective cover are integrated as one unit, and the resin portion is generally called the back pack, the unit is called "back pack unit 203" here.

First, the rear configuration of the game board 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, on the rear side of the variable display device unit 35 (see FIG. 4) disposed corresponding to the through hole in the center of the game board 30, a resin frame cover covering the center frame 47 from behind is provided. 213 is provided so as to protrude rearward. In addition, on the rear side of the frame cover 213, the decorative pattern display device 42, which is a liquid crystal display device facing forward from the opening of the frame cover 213, the display control device 45, and the sub-control device 262 can be attached and detached in a stacked state. attached to the

The decorative pattern display device 42 is housed in a storage box 42a having an opening for exposing the display portion (liquid crystal screen) of the decorative pattern display device 42 to the front side of the pachinko machine 10, and is attached to the rear surface of the frame cover 213. fixed on the side. The display control device 45 is housed in a substrate box 45a and fixed to the back side of the decorative pattern display device 42 (housing box 42a). The sub-controller 262 is accommodated in a substrate box 262a and fixed to the rear side of the display control device 45 (substrate box 45a). An LED control board or the like for driving the LED or the like built in the center frame 47 is arranged inside the frame cover 213 . The storage box 42a and the substrate boxes 45a and 262a are made of a transparent resin material or the like so that the inside can be visually recognized.

Below the frame cover 213, a back frame set 215 is attached to the game board 30 so as to cover the general winning port 31, the variable winning device 32, the starting winning unit 33 and the like from behind. The back frame set 215 is provided with a ball recovery mechanism (not shown) for recovering game balls that have entered various winning slots. The game balls collected by this ball collecting mechanism are guided to a discharge passage portion 217 which will be described later, and discharged to the outside of the pachinko machine 10 from a discharge chute of the discharge passage portion 217 .

Also, in this embodiment, the back frame set 215 functions as a mounting base for the main controller 261 . More specifically, a substrate box 263 in which a main controller 261 is mounted is rotatably pivoted to the back frame set 215 and can be opened rearward.

The main controller 261 is housed in a substrate box 263 made of transparent resin material or the like. The board box 263 includes a box base and a box cover that covers the opening of the box base, and these box base and box cover are connected by a sealing member. The board box 263 connected by the sealing member is configured so that it cannot be opened unless a predetermined trace is left. As a result, it is possible to easily discover that the board box 263 has been illegally opened.

In addition, on the game board 30, in correspondence with various winning holes such as the general winning hole 31 as a ball entering means, a ball entering detection switch (entering ball detecting means) for detecting a game ball entering the various winning holes is provided. is provided. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4 , a winning opening switch 221 is provided at a position corresponding to the general winning opening 31 , and a count switch 223 is provided to the variable winning device 32 . In addition, the starting winning unit 33 includes a first starting winning switch 224a (first condition satisfaction detection means), a second starting winning switch 224b (second condition satisfaction detection means) corresponding to the upper winning prize opening 33a and the lower winning prize opening 33b, respectively. means) are provided. Furthermore, a through gate switch 225 is provided at a position corresponding to the through gate 34 .

Also, although not shown, the back frame set 215 is provided with a first board relay board that is electrically connected to the winning slot switch 221, the count switch 223, and the through gate switch 225 via cable connectors. . This first board surface relay board relays the winning slot switch 221 and the like and a main controller 261 as main control means, and is electrically connected to the main controller 261 via a cable connector.

On the other hand, the start winning switches 224a and 224b for detecting the ball entering the start winning unit 33 (upper winning port 33a or lower winning port 33b) are connected directly to the main controller 261 via a connector cable without going through the relay board. It is connected.

The detection results detected by the various incoming ball detection switches are taken into the main controller 261 . Then, a payout command (the number of game balls to be paid out) according to the winning situation of each time is transmitted from the main control device 261 to the payout control device 311, and based on the output signal from the payout control device 311, a predetermined number of game balls is sent. is paid out (except when detected by through gate switch 225).

In addition, although not shown, on the back side of the game board 30, a solenoid for opening the large winning opening is provided by the variable winning device 32, and the starting winning unit 33 operates a pair of opening/closing members 33c. A winning opening solenoid that opens and closes is provided. The back frame set 215 is also provided with a second board relay board (not shown) that relays these solenoids and the main controller 261 .

Next, the configuration of the back pack unit 203 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the back pack unit 203 is formed by integrating a resin-molded back pack 351 and a game ball payout mechanism 352 . The back pack unit 203 is supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the left side (the right side in FIG. 5) of the inner frame 12, and can be opened rearward about an opening/closing axis extending in the vertical direction. ing. In addition, an external terminal plate 240 is provided on the upper left portion of the back pack unit 203 (upper right portion in FIG. 5).

The external terminal board 240 is for relaying transmission of various kinds of information to a game hall computer or the like, and is provided with a plurality of external connection terminals. For example, a terminal for outputting information about the current game state (jackpot state, high probability state, etc.), output information about the opening of the front frame set 14 and the inner frame 12 detected by the opening detection switches 91 and 92 described later A terminal for outputting information on various error states such as ball entry error, lower tray full error, tank no ball error, payout error, etc. Outputs information on the number of prize balls paid out from the payout control device 311. There are terminals for

The back pack 351 is integrally formed of, for example, ABS resin, and has a protective cover portion 354 that protrudes rearward from the pachinko machine 10 and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The protective cover portion 354 has a shape in which left and right side surfaces and an upper surface are closed and only a lower surface is opened, and has a size sufficient to cover at least the frame cover 213 . However, in this embodiment, the protective cover portion 354 is configured to cover the upper portion and the right portion (the left portion in FIG. 5) of the board box 263 as well. As a result, in the closed state of the back pack unit 203, the sealing member provided on the right side of the board box 263 and the terminal section (board side connector) provided along the upper edge of the main controller 261 are covered. It will happen.

The dispensing mechanism section 352 is arranged so as to bypass the protective cover section 354 . Namely, above the protective cover portion 354, a tank 355 which opens upward is provided, and the tank 355 is sequentially replenished with game balls supplied from the island facilities of the game hall. Below the tank 355 is connected a tank rail 356 which has, for example, two rows of ball passages in the horizontal direction and is gently inclined toward the downstream side. Concatenated. A payout device 358 is provided at the most downstream portion of the case rail 357, and payout of the required number of game balls is appropriately performed by a predetermined electrical configuration such as a payout motor. The game balls paid out from the payout device 358 are supplied to the upper tray 19 and the like.

In the payout mechanism section 352, a payout relay board 381 for relaying a payout command signal from the payout control device 311 to the payout device 358 is installed, and a power switch board 382 for taking in the main power supply from the outside is installed. there is The power switch board 382 is supplied with a main power supply of, for example, 24 V AC via a voltage converter, and is turned on or off by a switching operation of the power switch 382a.

Below the back pack unit 203 (board box 263), a lower frame set 251 that is pivotally supported by the left side (the right side in FIG. 5) of the inner frame 12 and that can be opened rearward is provided. As shown in FIG. 6, the lower frame set 251 is formed with a discharge passage portion 217 into which the game balls collected by the ball collection mechanism described above flow in. A discharge chute (not shown) for discharging the pachinko machine 10 to the outside is formed. In other words, the game balls that have won the prize-winning openings such as the general prize-winning opening 31 are collected via the ball recovery mechanism of the back frame set 215 and discharged to the outside of the pachinko machine 10 through the discharge chute of the discharge passage portion 217 . Incidentally, the out port 36 is similarly connected to the discharge passage portion 217, and the game balls that do not win in any of the prize winning ports are also discharged to the outside of the pachinko machine 10 through the discharge chute. In this embodiment, the back pack unit 203 and the lower frame set 251 are configured as separate bodies and can be opened and closed independently, but the back pack unit 203 and the lower frame set 251 are integrally formed. It is also possible to

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, on the back side of the lower frame set 251, a payout control device 311, a firing control device 312, a power supply device 313, and a card unit connection board 314 are detachably attached in a state of being stacked back and forth. It is

The firing control device 312 and the power supply device 313 are housed in a board box 313 a and fixed to the back side of the lower frame set 251 . For the sake of convenience, the launch control device 312 and the power supply device 313 are described as independent control devices, but they are actually configured by one substrate (printed circuit board).

Also, the payout control device 311 is housed in the board box 311a and fixed to the back side of the board box 313a (the firing control device 312 and the power supply device 313). The board box 311a housing the payout control device 311 is provided with a sealing member in the same manner as the board box 263 housing the above-described main control device 261 so that a trace of the opening of the board box 311a remains. It's becoming

In addition, the card unit connection board 314 is housed in a board box 314a and fixed to the rear side of the board box 313a (the firing control device 312 and the power supply device 313).

The board boxes 311a, 313a, and 314a are made of a transparent resin material or the like so that the inside can be visually recognized.

Also, the payout control device 311 is provided with a state return switch 321 projecting outward from the substrate box 311a. For example, when the state recovery switch 321 is pressed when a payout error such as a ball clogging occurs in the payout motor, the payout motor is rotated forward or reverse to clear the ball jam (return to normal state).

Further, the power supply device 313 is provided with a RAM erase switch 323 projecting outward from the board box 313a. This pachinko machine 10 has a backup function, and even in the event of a power failure, it can retain the state at the time of the power failure, and can be restored to the state at the time of the power failure when recovering from the power failure (recovery of power). can. Therefore, when the power is turned off in a normal procedure (for example, when the game hall is closed), the state before the power is turned off is stored. to put in.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a locking device 600 is provided on the rear side of the right side portion of the inner frame 12 . The locking device 600 has a cylinder lock 700 (see FIG. 1, etc.) exposed on the front side of the front frame set 14. A key is inserted into the keyhole of the cylinder lock 700 and turned to one side to open the lock. The frame 12 can be unlocked, and the front frame set 14 can be unlocked by rotating it in the other direction. In this embodiment, inner frame 12 is locked to outer frame 11 and front frame set 14 is locked to inner frame 12 .

As described above, the right-side frame-constituting portion 11d of the outer frame 11 is formed with the extending wall portion 83 that covers the entire upper and lower sections corresponding to the locking device 600 from the back side of the inner frame 12 (see FIG. 5). reference). As a result, it becomes difficult to insert a wire or the like from the back side of the outer frame 11 and operate the locking device 600 with the wire or the like. As a result, the defense performance can be improved. Furthermore, the extending wall portion 83 is configured to cover the right end portion (the left end portion in FIG. 5) of the back pack unit 203 and the lower frame set 251 from the back side, and in the closed state of the inner frame 12, The rear pack unit 203 and the lower frame set 251 cannot be opened.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a front frame open detection switch 91 for detecting the opening of the front frame set 14 is provided at the lower right portion of the front side of the inner frame 12 (the right side of the launching device 60), and FIG. As shown in , an inner frame open detection switch 92 for detecting the opening of the inner frame 12 is provided on the lower right portion of the back side of the inner frame 12 (lower left in FIG. 5). The front frame open detection switch 91 and the inner frame open detection switch 92 each have a detection part that can appear and disappear with respect to the switch body, and the front frame open detection switch 91 is provided so that the detection part faces forward, The inner frame open detection switch 92 is provided so that the detection portion faces rearward. When the detector is in a state of protruding from the switch body, an ON signal is output to the main controller 261, and when the detector is pushed toward the switch body and retracted into the switch body, an OFF signal is output. It is configured to output to the main controller 261 . That is, when the front frame set 14 is closed, the detection part of the front frame open detection switch 91 is pressed by the back surface of the front frame set 14 and is turned off. It turns on. Similarly, when the inner frame 12 is closed, the inner frame open detection switch 92 is turned off by pressing the pressing portion 86 integrally formed with the receiving portion 85 of the outer frame 11. When the inner frame 12 is opened, the switch 92 is turned off. The part returns to the protruding state and is turned on.

Now, in the present embodiment, a feature is the portion that defines the outer periphery of the game area. Such characteristic portions will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9 and the like. In addition, illustration of the translucent member 412 is omitted in the rear view of the inner frame 12 in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 7, etc., the resin base 38 of the inner frame 12 includes a rectangular frame 401 forming the outer shape of the inner frame 12, a substantially annular annular frame 402 extending along the window hole 39, A front wall portion 403 connecting between the rectangular frame 401 and the annular frame 402 and facing the rear surface of the front frame set 14 is provided. The front and back width of the annular frame 402 is slightly shorter (approximately 18-20 mm) than twice the length of the diameter of the game ball (approximately 11 mm). The rear edge of the annular frame 402 substantially contacts the front surface of the game board 30, and the front edge of the annular frame 402 substantially contacts the rear surface of the glass unit 137 when the front frame set 14 is closed. Therefore, the front-to-rear width of the annular frame 402 is substantially the front-to-rear width of the game area.

The annular frame 402 is formed at a portion corresponding to a gap formed between the launch rail 61 and the guide rail 50 (outer rail constituent portion 52) for discharging a foul ball returning back on the guide rail 50. not In addition, in order to install the guide rail 50 that guides the game ball fired by the shooting device 60 to the game area, the lower left part of the annular frame 402 when viewed from the front is positioned closer to the outer periphery of the window hole 39 than the lower right part when viewed from the front. ing.

In addition, the outer rail structure portion 52 extends along the annular frame 402 in a section from the bottom center of the game board 30 to the upper right portion (return rubber 54) via the left portion. The inner rail-constituting portion 51 extends along the annular frame 402 from the lower right portion of the game board 30 to the upper left portion (return ball prevention member 53) via the left portion. In addition, while the outer rail-constituting portion 52 is substantially in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the annular frame 402 over the entire section, the portion of the inner rail-constituting portion 51 facing the outer rail-constituting portion 52 has an annular shape. It is provided at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the frame 402 on the inner peripheral side of the window hole 39 , and substantially contacts the inner peripheral surface of the annular frame 402 at a portion where the outer rail forming portion 52 does not exist. A guide rail 50 is formed at a left portion where the outer rail forming portion 52 and the inner rail forming portion 51 are arranged side by side. In addition, the annular frame 402 is exposed to the game area between the upper right portion (return rubber 54) and the lower right portion (the lower right terminal portion of the inner rail structure portion 51) of the annular frame 402. ing. In addition, the inner rail constituent portion 51 and the outer rail constituent portion 52 are made of metal such as iron.

Now, in this embodiment, a lighting unit 411 for irradiating the upper part of the game area with light is provided corresponding to the part including the upper end part of the annular frame 402 . Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the resin base 38 is formed with an exposure opening 405 for exposing the lighting unit 411 installed on the outer peripheral side of the annular frame 402 to the game area so as not to narrow the game area. It is The exposure opening 405 is formed not only in the annular frame 402 but also in the front wall portion 403 .

In addition, conventionally, the outer rail structure portion 52 extends continuously to the upper right portion of the game area where the return rubber 54 is installed. The outer rail forming part 52 is omitted in the installation section. Therefore, the outer rail structure portion 52 is formed by a first outer rail 407 extending from the vicinity of the launch rail 61 to the left side of the lighting unit 411 and a second outer rail 408 extending from the right side of the lighting unit 411 to the return rubber 54 . It is configured.

As shown in FIG. 8 and the like, the illumination unit 411 includes a translucent member 412 attached to the inner frame 12 (resin base 38) and an LED substrate 413 on which LEDs 414 as light emitting means are mounted. The light-transmitting member 412 is exposed from the annular frame 402 to the game area side, and extends from the peripheral wall portion 421 that defines the outer peripheral edge of the game area and the front edge portion of the peripheral wall portion 421 to the outer peripheral side of the window hole 39. a front wall portion 422, an auxiliary wall portion 423 extending rearward from a side portion of the front wall portion 422, etc., and a mounting piece 424 as a fixing portion in which a screw hole 425 penetrating in the front-rear direction is formed; It is integrally formed of transparent resin. In addition, the peripheral wall portion 421 has a curved shape corresponding to the curve of the annular frame 402 (the curve of the outer rail forming portion 52) connected to the exposure opening 405. As shown in FIG.

The mounting pieces 424 are formed so as to project laterally from the auxiliary wall portion 423 so as to correspond to both side portions of the translucent member 412 and be located behind the front wall portion 422 . 4 and 7, mounting holes 427 are formed in the front wall portion 403 of the resin base 38 on both sides of the exposure opening 405 at positions corresponding to the screw holes 425 of the mounting pieces 424. It is Further, of the exposure opening 405, the portion formed in the front wall portion 403 has a shape corresponding to the outer peripheral shape of the front wall portion 422, and the portion formed in the annular frame 402 corresponds to the outer peripheral shape of the peripheral wall portion 421. It has a shape corresponding to the shape. Then, the translucent member 412 is fitted into the exposure opening 405 from the rear surface side of the resin base 38 so that the front surface of the mounting piece 424 and the rear surface of the front wall portion 403 are brought into contact with each other, and the screw hole 425 and the mounting hole 427 are screwed together. Align and secure with screws. Thereby, the translucent member 412 is attached to the resin base 38 .

Furthermore, in the attached state of the translucent member 412, the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 421 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer rail forming portion 52 are flush with each other, and the peripheral wall portion 421 is exposed from the annular frame 402 to the game area. is configured to Therefore, the outer peripheral edge of the game area defined by the front surface of the game board 30 and the rear surface of the glass unit 137 is defined by the inner rail-constituting portion 51 at the portion where the inner rail-constituting portion 51 extends. The portion where the outer rail-constituting portion 52 extends while there is no rail-constituting portion 51 is partitioned by the outer rail-constituting portion 52, and the portion where the peripheral wall portion 421 of the translucent member 412 extends is partitioned by the peripheral wall portion 421. A section where none of the inner rail forming part 51, the outer rail forming part 52, and the translucent member 412 are installed is separated by the annular frame 402. As shown in FIG.

In the present embodiment, the inner rail-constituting portion 51, the outer rail-constituting portion 52, the peripheral wall portion 421 of the translucent member 412, and the portion of the annular frame 402 that defines the outer peripheral edge of the game area are frame structures. make up the department. In addition, since the game ball hit by the shooting device 60 may flow backward on the guide rail 50 until it passes the return ball prevention member 53, the parallel parts of the inner and outer rail constituent parts 51 and 52 are separated from the game area. Excluded. Furthermore, as will be described later in detail, on the left side of the translucent member 412 when the inner frame 12 to which the game board 30 is attached is viewed from the front, a first A mount 431 is provided to support the tip of the outer rail 407 . Therefore, the inner peripheral surface of the second outer rail 408 and the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 421 are flush with each other. It is positioned on the inner peripheral side of the component.

In addition, in the attached state of the translucent member 412 , the front wall portion 422 is configured to be exposed forward through the exposure opening 405 formed in the front wall portion 403 . When the front frame set 14 is closed, the front portion of the front wall portion 403 of the inner frame 12 other than the portion supporting the return rubber 54 is covered with the front frame set 14 . Therefore, even if the front wall portion 422 of the translucent member 412 is configured to be exposed forward through the exposure opening 405 formed in the front wall portion 403, it is not visible during the game.

In addition, in the circumferential direction of the window hole 39, the front wall portion 422 protrudes more laterally than both ends of the peripheral wall portion 421, and when the translucent member 412 is viewed from the inner peripheral side of the peripheral wall portion 421, the peripheral wall portion Both sides of 421 are stepped. On the other hand, in the circumferential direction of the window hole 39 , the formation width of the exposure opening 405 in the front wall portion 403 of the resin base 38 is larger than the formation width of the exposure opening 405 in the annular frame 402 . only wider. In the attached state of the light-transmitting member 412 , the peripheral wall of the light-transmitting member 412 is positioned against the outer peripheral surface of the portion of the annular frame 402 that protrudes inward from both sides of the exposure opening 405 in the front wall portion 403 . Stepped portions formed on both sides of the portion 421 are adapted to be caught. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the translucent member 412 from being displaced in the inner peripheral side of the annular frame 402 or in the circumferential direction of the annular frame 402 .

Further, the auxiliary wall portion 423 is formed with slits 428 for locking both side portions of the LED substrate 413 . Then, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, the LED substrate 413 is attached to the translucent member 412 so that the LEDs 414 face the inner peripheral side of the window hole 39 (annular frame 402), that is, the game area side. there is When the LED 414 of the LED board 413 is turned on, the light emitted from the LED 414 is irradiated to the game area through the peripheral wall portion 421 . As a result, the pachinko machine 10 is installed in the shadow of the configuration above the window part 101 of the front frame set 14 (especially in this example, the upper part of the annular illumination part 102 protrudes further forward). The upper part of the game board 30, which is hard to reach the light of the illumination provided on the ceiling of the game hall or the like, becomes brighter. Since the LED board 413 is located above the upper side of the game board 30 , the front and rear width of the LED board 413 is less than the distance between the rear surface of the front wall part 422 and the front surface of the game board 30 . need not be narrower. The method of locking the LED substrate 413 to the translucent member 412 is not particularly limited. You can

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, a setting recess 429 is formed in a portion corresponding to the translucent member 412 on the front surface of the game board 30 . A rear edge portion of the peripheral wall portion 421 is inserted inside the installation recess portion 429 . In particular, in the present embodiment, the edge portion of the installation recess 429 on the inner peripheral side of the window hole 39 is formed to be curved corresponding to the curvature of the inner peripheral surface of the inner peripheral wall portion 421 of the translucent member 412 . The inner peripheral surface of 421 and the inner surface of installation recess 429 are in a substantially abutting state, and there is almost no gap between them.

In addition, although a cel image is attached to the front surface of the game board 30, the front surface of the game board 30 has (generally) a lower reflectance than the surface of the game ball. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upper surface of the center frame 47 as a center accessory, which faces the translucent member 412 (except for the ball entrance 151), is plated with silver. reflectance is (generally) high.

Further, as described above, in the present embodiment, the outer rail structure portion 52 is composed of the first outer rail 407 on the left side of the lighting unit 411 and the second outer rail 408 on the right side of the lighting unit 411 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the first outer rail 407 extends upward from the guide rail 50 (the inner rail forming portion 51 ), and the tip thereof has a radius of curvature smaller than that of the annular frame 402 . Thus, it curves toward the inner peripheral side of the annular frame 402 . More specifically, in the annular frame 402, a mounting base 431 (the portion marked with dots in FIG. 4) having a substantially triangular shape when viewed from the front is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the portion adjacent to the left of the light-transmitting member 412. is installed. Further, the first outer rail 407 is extended to the top of the mounting base 431 (the part protruding toward the inner peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion), and the tip of the first outer rail 407 is extended along the lower side of the mounting base 431. are curved together. However, the curvature of the first outer rail 407 is not significantly changed before and after the mounting base 431, and the game ball is prevented from rattling or jumping at the boundary where the curvature changes. It should be noted that the annular frame 402 may be configured in such a shape instead of attaching the mounting base 431 as a separate member to the annular frame 402 .

Then, the game ball shot by the shooting device 60 and guided to the upper part of the game area through the guide rail 50 jumps out from the tip of the first outer rail 407 to the inner peripheral side of the frame-constituting part. In this embodiment, the angle of the tip portion of the first outer rail 407 is such that even when the game ball is launched with the maximum force by the launching device 60, the game ball does not come into contact with the peripheral wall portion 421 of the translucent member 412. The angle is such that it jumps over the translucent member 412 and comes into contact with the second outer rail 408 . In this embodiment, the tip portion of the first outer rail 407 that guides the game ball that has passed through the guide rail 50 to the inner peripheral side of the window hole 39 so as to deviate from the translucent member 412 (and the tip portion is supported) The mounting base 431) constitutes the guiding means.

Next, the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10. As shown in FIG. A main controller 261 (main substrate) as main control means is equipped with a CPU 501 as a one-chip microcomputer as an arithmetic device. The CPU 501 includes a ROM 502 that stores various control programs and fixed value data to be executed by the CPU 501, and a RAM 503 that temporarily stores various data when executing the control programs stored in the ROM 502. Also, various circuits such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, and a data transmission/reception circuit are incorporated. However, the CPU, ROM, and RAM may not be integrated into one chip, but may be integrated into chips for each function.

The RAM 503 includes a stack area that stores the contents of the internal registers of the CPU 501 and the return address of the control program executed by the CPU 501, and a work area (work area) that stores various flags, counters, I/O values, and the like. ) and a backup area 503a.

The RAM 503 is configured to retain (back up) data by being supplied with a backup voltage from the power supply 313 even after the pachinko machine 10 is powered off. All data stored in the

The backup area 503a is designed to restore the state of the pachinko machine 10 to the state before the power cut when the power is turned off when the power is turned off due to a power cut or the like. (similarly)) and the values of each register, I/O, etc. are stored. Writing to the backup area 503a is executed by the main processing when the power is turned off, and conversely, each value written to the backup area 503a is restored when the power is turned on (including power-on due to power failure cancellation; the same applies hereinafter). is executed in The NMI terminal (non-maskable interrupt terminal) of the CPU 501 is configured to receive a power failure signal SK1 output from a power failure monitoring circuit 542, which will be described later, when the power supply is interrupted due to a power failure or the like. Upon occurrence, power failure processing (NMI interrupt processing) is immediately executed.

If at least the data stored in the stack area and the backup area 503a are backed up, it is not necessary to back up the data stored in all areas. For example, the data stored in the stack area and the backup area 503a may be backed up, and the data stored in the work area may not be backed up.

An input/output port 505 is connected to the CPU 501 containing the ROM 502 and RAM 503 via a bus line 504 including an address bus, a data bus, and the like. Connected to the input/output port 505 are a RAM erasing switch circuit 543, payout control device 311, sub-control device 262, first and second special display devices 43L and 43R, normal symbol display device 41, etc., which will be described later. With this configuration, the special display devices 43L, 43R and the normal symbol display device 41 are directly controlled by the main control device 261. FIG. On the other hand, the decorative pattern display device 42 is controlled via the sub-control device 262 .

In addition, although illustration of various relay boards and the like is omitted for convenience, the input/output port 505 includes various detection switches such as the winning port switch 221, the count switch 223, the start winning unit switches 224a and 224b, the through gate switch 225, Various electric parts such as various substrates are connected. In other words, the main controller 261 is provided with a plurality of terminal portions (board-side connectors) for connecting connectors of various cable connectors.

The sub-control device 262 (sub-control board) as a sub-control means includes a CPU 551 which is an arithmetic device, a ROM 552 storing various control programs and fixed value data executed by the CPU 551, and a control program stored in the ROM 552. It includes a RAM 553, which is a memory for temporarily storing various data, etc., an input/output port 554, a bus line 555, and various other circuits such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, and a data transmission/reception circuit (not shown). It has The RAM 553 is a memory that temporarily stores work data and flags used when various programs are executed by the CPU 551 .

The input/output port 554 is connected to the CPU 551 , the ROM 552 and the RAM 553 via a bus line 555 and also to the display control device 45 . Further, the input/output port 554 is connected with the speaker SP, the production button 125, various illumination parts, and the lamps 102-104.

The CPU 551 of the sub control device 262 causes the display control device 45 to execute display control based on, for example, a command signal (for example, a variation pattern command) transmitted from the main control device 261, and causes the decorative pattern display device 42 to display. In addition, as described above, in the present embodiment, the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R controlled by the main control device 261 are adapted to display whether or not there is a big hit, and the sub-control device 262 In the decorative pattern display device 42 to be controlled, display matching the display of the special display devices 43L and 43R is performed.

The payout control device 311 controls the payout of prize balls and rental balls by the payout device 358 . A CPU 511, which is an arithmetic device, includes a ROM 512 storing control programs executed by the CPU 511, fixed value data, and the like, and a RAM 513 used as a work memory and the like.

Similar to the RAM 503 of the main controller 261, the RAM 513 of the payout control device 311 includes a stack area for storing the contents of the internal register of the CPU 511 and the return address of the control program executed by the CPU 511, various flags and counters, It has a work area (work area) in which values such as I/O are stored, and a backup area 513a.

The RAM 513 is configured to retain (back up) data by being supplied with a backup voltage from the power supply 313 even after the power of the pachinko machine 10 is turned off. data is backed up. If at least the data stored in the stack area and the backup area 513a are backed up, it is not necessary to back up the data stored in all areas. For example, the data stored in the stack area and the backup area 513a may be backed up, and the data stored in the work area may not be backed up.

Backup area 513a, when the power is cut off due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like, in order to restore the state of the pachinko machine 10 to the state before the power cut when the power is turned on again, the stack pointer at the time of power cut, each register, This is an area for storing values such as I/O. Writing to the backup area 513a is executed by the main process when the power is turned off, and restoration of each value written to the backup area 513a is executed by the main process when the power is turned on. As with the CPU 501 of the main controller 261, the NMI terminal of the CPU 511 is also configured to receive a power failure signal SK1 from the power failure monitoring circuit 542 when the power supply is interrupted due to a power failure or the like. When input to the CPU 511, NMI interrupt processing is immediately executed as power failure processing.

In the work area, a payout permission flag set to allow the payout of prize balls by the payout control device 311, a command reception flag set when a command transmitted from the main control device 261 is received, and a main control device 261 A command buffer is provided in which commands sent from are stored.

The payout permission flag is a flag for setting the payout permission of prize balls, and is turned on when a specific command permitting the payout of prize balls is transmitted from the main controller 261 and the specific command is received. or when it returns to the state before power-off. In this embodiment, the specific commands are a payout initialization command that instructs the initialization process of the RAM 513 of the payout control device 311, a prize ball command that instructs the payout of prize balls, and a There are three payout return commands sent in the case.

The command reception flag is a flag for confirming whether or not the payout control device 311 has received a command, and is turned on when any command is received. It is turned off when returning to the previous state, and is turned off when the received command is determined by the command determination process.

The command buffer consists of a ring buffer that temporarily stores commands sent from the main controller 261 .

An input/output port 515 is connected to the CPU 511 containing the ROM 512 and RAM 513 via a bus line 514 comprising an address bus and a data bus. The input/output port 515 is connected to the RAM erasing switch circuit 543, the main controller 261, the firing controller 312, the dispensing device 358, and the like.

The card unit connection board 314 includes a ball rental operation unit (ball rental button 121 and return button 122) on the front of the pachinko machine 10, and a card unit (ball rental unit) arranged on the side of the pachinko machine 10 in a game hall or the like. and are electrically connected to each other, take in the command of the player's ball lending operation, and output it to the card unit. Note that the card unit connection board 314 may be omitted in a cash machine in which game balls are directly lent to the upper tray 19 from a ball lending device or the like without going through the card unit.

The shooting control device 312 permits or prohibits shooting of game balls by the shooting device 60, and the shooting device 60 is allowed to be driven when predetermined conditions are met. Specifically, a firing permission signal is output from the payout control device 311, a sensor signal detects that the player is touching the handle 18, and a firing stop switch for stopping firing is operated. On the condition that the shooting device 60 is not set, the shooting device 60 is driven, and the game ball is shot with an intensity corresponding to the amount of operation of the handle 18.例文帳に追加

The display control device 45 follows the instruction from the sub-controller 262 and executes the variable display of the decorative design in the decorative design display device 42 . The display control device 45 includes a CPU 521, a program ROM 522, a work RAM 523, a video RAM 524, a character ROM 525, a video display processor (VDP) 526, an input port 527, an output port 529, and bus lines 530, 531. and An input/output port 554 of the sub-controller 262 is connected to the input port 527 . Also, the CPU 521 , program ROM 522 , work RAM 523 and VDP 526 are connected to the input port 527 via the bus line 530 . An output port 529 is connected to the VDP 526 via a bus line 531, and the output port 529 is connected to the decorative pattern display device 42, which is a liquid crystal display device.

The CPU 521 of the display control device 45 receives the display command transmitted from the sub-control device 262 via the input port 527, analyzes the received command or performs predetermined arithmetic processing based on the received command, and controls the VDP 526. (specifically, generation of an internal command for the VDP 526). Thereby, display control in the decorative pattern display device 42 is performed.

A program ROM 522 is a memory for storing various control programs and fixed value data executed by the CPU 521, and a work RAM 523 is a memory for temporarily storing work data and flags used when various programs are executed by the CPU 521. is.

The video RAM 524 is a memory for storing display data to be displayed on the decorative design display device 42. By rewriting the content of the video RAM 524, the display content of the decorative design display device 42 is changed. The character ROM 525 is a memory for storing character data such as designs displayed on the decorative design display device 42 .

The VDP 526 is a kind of drawing circuit that directly operates the LCD driver (liquid crystal driving circuit) incorporated in the decorative pattern display device 42 . Since the VDP 526 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 526 adjusts the timing of each of the CPU 521, the video RAM 524, etc., and intervenes in the reading and writing of data.

In addition, the power supply device 313 includes a power supply unit 541 that supplies power to each part of the pachinko machine 10, a power failure monitoring circuit 542 that monitors power interruption due to power failure, etc., and a RAM deletion switch circuit 543 that is connected to the RAM deletion switch 323. and

The power supply unit 541 supplies necessary operating power to each of the main control device 261, the payout control device 311 and the like through a power supply path (not shown). As an overview, the power supply unit 541 takes in an AC 24V power supply supplied from the outside, and generates +12V power supply for driving various switches and motors, +5V power supply for logic, backup power supply for RAM backup, etc. These +12V power supply, +5V power supply and backup power supply are supplied to the main control device 261, the payout control device 311 and the like. An operating power source (+12V power source, +5V power source, etc.) is supplied to the launch control device 312 via the payout control device 311 . Similarly, various switches, motors, and the like are supplied with operating power through the control device to which they are connected.

The power failure monitoring circuit 542 is a circuit that outputs a power failure signal SK1 to each NMI terminal of the CPU 501 of the main controller 261 and the CPU 511 of the payout controller 311 when the power is shut off due to power failure or the like. The power failure monitoring circuit 542 monitors a stable DC voltage of 24 volts, which is the maximum voltage output from the power supply unit 541, and determines that a power failure (power failure) has occurred when this voltage is less than 22 volts. A power failure signal SK1 is output to the main controller 261 and the payout controller 311. By the output of this power failure signal SK1, the main control device 261 and the payout control device 311 recognize the occurrence of power failure and execute power failure processing (NMI interrupt processing).

Even after the stable DC voltage of 24 volts becomes less than 22 volts, the power supply unit 541 normally outputs 5 volts, which is the driving voltage of the control system, for a time sufficient to execute the power failure processing. configured to maintain value. Therefore, the main controller 261 and the payout controller 311 can normally execute and complete the power failure process.

The RAM erase switch circuit 543 is a circuit that takes in the switch signal of the RAM erase switch 323 and clears the backup data of the RAM 503 of the main controller 261 and the RAM 513 of the payout controller 311 according to the state of the switch 323 . When the RAM erasing switch 323 is pressed, the RAM erasing switch circuit 543 outputs a RAM erasing signal SK2 to the main controller 261 and the payout controller 311. When the power of the pachinko machine 10 is turned on while the RAM erasing switch 323 is pressed (including power-on due to power failure cancellation), the data in the RAMs 503 and 513 of the main controller 261 and the payout controller 311 are cleared. be.

As described in detail above, in the present embodiment, part of the frame-constituting portion that defines the outer peripheral edge of the game area is constituted by the peripheral wall portion 421 of the translucent member 412 having translucency, and the peripheral wall portion 421 is The game area can be illuminated through the peripheral wall part 421 by the LEDs 414 installed on the side opposite to the game area (on the outer peripheral side of the frame-constituting part of the peripheral wall part 421). For this reason, conventionally, the frame structure portion, which was used only for the purpose of dividing (defining) the outer peripheral edge of the game area and guiding the game ball fired by the shooting device 60, is used to divide the game area. A lighting function such as brightening can be provided. Therefore, it is necessary to narrow the range in which the game balls can move in the game area, or to destroy the arrangement and design of other decorative members and game members provided on the pachinko machine 10 (the game board 30 and the front frame set 14). Instead, the game area can be brightened from the side of the frame-constituting part. In particular, in this embodiment, it is easy to be shaded by the lighting provided on the ceiling of the game hall (the configuration above the window part 101 of the front frame set 14 (especially, in this example, the annular illumination part 102 ) is likely to occur), and furthermore, if the light emitting means is installed directly in the game area, the upper part of the game area including the vicinity of the tip of the guide rail 50 may narrow the movable range of the game ball and significantly reduce the game playability. can be brightened. As a result, it becomes easier to check the behavior of the game ball in the upper part of the game area and the configuration on the game board surface (arrangement and angle of nails, etc.). It is possible to make it easier to grasp what kind of behavior is shown. Therefore, it is possible to improve the convenience in the game, such as making it easier to aim the game ball.

In addition, of the first outer rail 407 constituting the guide rail 50 , the tip of the portion extending upward from the inner rail forming portion 51 (the guide rail 50 ) has a radius of curvature smaller than that of the annular frame 402 . Then, the game ball curved on the inner peripheral side of the window hole 39 and passed through the guide rail 50 is guided to the tip of the first outer rail 407, so that the frame structure part, more specifically, It is configured to protrude toward the inner peripheral side (downward) of the window hole 39 from the peripheral wall portion 421 of the translucent member 412 . In this way, the game ball fired by the launching device 60 deviates from the trajectory of colliding with the light-transmitting member 412 (jumps over the light-transmitting member 412, etc.). A situation such as colliding with the member 412 can be avoided. Therefore, damage to the translucent member 412 can be more reliably prevented.

Furthermore, when the game ball is strongly shot by the shooting device 60, the game ball collides with the metal second outer rail 408 (or the return rubber 54), so damage to the annular frame 402 is also suppressed. be able to. In this embodiment, among the game balls that have reached the tip of the first outer rail 407 and then jumped out into the game area, the game balls that have not come into contact with the second outer rail 408 are basically made of resin. It is constructed so as to come into contact with the game nail earlier than the game members (the through gate 34, the center frame 47, etc.). For this reason, it is possible to suppress damage or the like to the resin-made game member.

In addition, if the game ball is to be shot to the inner peripheral side of the window hole 39 rather than the frame-constituting portion, the tip portion of the first outer rail 407 is not bent relatively greatly, and in this embodiment, the first outer rail 407 is simply installed (the extension range of the first outer rail 407 is set to the front of the mounting base 431, or the extension of the first outer rail 407 is mounting base 431 may be attached to the inner peripheral surface). On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the first outer rail 407 extends to the top of the mounting base 431 which is substantially triangular in plan view, and the tip of the first outer rail 407 is curved along the mounting base 431 . I am letting Therefore, it is possible to avoid the situation where a step is formed in front and behind the mounting base 431, and the game ball can be relatively smoothly thrown to the game area. Therefore, it becomes easier to aim the game ball, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of noise when the game ball is thrown. In addition, since the passage surface until the game ball flies to the game area is continuous, errors may occur at the time of manufacturing or installation, or deviation may occur due to long-term use. In addition, it is possible to improve the designability.

Also, the upper surface of the center frame 47 is plated with metal so as to have a higher reflectance than the front surface of the game board 30 . Therefore, the upper portion of the game area sandwiched between the peripheral wall portion 421 of the translucent member 412 and the center frame 47 can be made brighter. In addition, compared to the case where a light emitting means capable of irradiating the center frame 47 with light toward the outer peripheral side of the center frame 47 is provided, it is possible to avoid the center frame 47 from increasing in size, and as a result, the passage of the game ball can be prevented. It is possible to avoid a situation in which the possible area is narrowed or the designability is deteriorated.

Furthermore, the front surface of the game board 30 is configured to have a lower reflectance than the surface of the game ball. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the game board 30 becomes too bright and the game ball becomes difficult to see. Incidentally, for example, when the game board 30 is made of a transparent resin plate and light is emitted from the back side of the game area to the game area, the game area becomes brighter, but the game balls may appear darker than the board surface. Since the outer edge of the ball appears blurred, it becomes difficult to visually recognize the game ball, and the board surface becomes too bright, which may make it impossible to properly observe the target. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the game ball and the board surface can be clearly visually recognized, and the behavior of the game ball, the situation of the target point, and the like can be confirmed more reliably.

In addition, in the present embodiment, an installation recess 429 that is recessed rearward is formed in a portion of the front surface of the game board 30 where the translucent member 412 is arranged, and the rear portion of the peripheral wall portion 421 of the translucent member 412 is installed. It is adapted to be housed inside the recess 429 . As a result, due to a manufacturing error, the peripheral wall portion 421 has an insufficient front-to-rear width, resulting in a state in which it floats forward from the game board 30, and strong light leaks, degrading the design. It is possible to avoid situations such as difficulty in concentrating.

Further, by inserting the rear end portion of the peripheral wall portion 421 into the installation recess 429 , the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 421 and the inner surface of the installation recess 429 are substantially in contact with each other. As a result, the displacement of the peripheral wall portion 421 toward the inner peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion (the window hole 39) can be restricted.

For example, when trying to fix the peripheral wall portion 421 to the annular frame 402 adjacent to the light-transmitting member 412 or the outer rail-constituting portion 52 using fixing means such as screws, the light-transmitting member 412 and the annular frame 402 may The screws or the like for fixing may protrude from the annular frame 402 or the outer rail constituting portion 52 to the game area side, or may be visibly exposed to the game area side. Moreover, there is a concern that the configuration of the inner frame 12 (resin base 38) may be complicated in order to avoid such a problem. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the mounting piece protrudes outward from the peripheral edge of the front wall portion 422 extending from the front edge portion of the peripheral wall portion 421 of the translucent member 412 to the outer peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion. Since the screw 424 is screwed in contact with the rear surface of the front wall portion 403 of the resin base 38, it is possible to prevent the screw from protruding into the game area or being exposed to the game area. Therefore, it is possible to prevent problems such as a game ball coming into contact with a screw protruding from the frame-constituting part into the game area and being flipped away, or a deterioration of the design due to the visible screw.

In addition, since the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 421 is flush with the outer rail forming portion 52 adjacent to the translucent member 412, a It is possible to prevent situations such as a game ball being bounced off by colliding with a step, a collision sound being generated when a game ball collides with a step, and a step part being damaged. In addition, since the front side of the translucent member 412 is covered with the front frame set 14, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the LED substrate 413 is visually recognized from the front side through the front wall portion 422, resulting in deterioration of the design. can be done.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the contents described in the above-described embodiment, and may be implemented as follows, for example.

(a) There are no particular limitations on the installation locations, the number of installations, the shape, and the size of the lighting units 411 . That is, the light-transmitting member 412 having at least the peripheral wall portion 421 is arranged so as to define a part of the outer peripheral edge of the game area, and the light emitting means such as the LED 414 is provided on the opposite side of the game area with the peripheral wall portion 421 interposed therebetween. It is sufficient if it is arranged. For example, when the variable winning device 32 is provided on the right side of the game area, the right part of the frame structure is also illuminated so that the variable winning device 32 can be illuminated when the variable winning device 32 is opened. A unit 411 may be provided. Also, a three-color LED, a light bulb, a fluorescent lamp, or the like may be employed as the light emitting means of the lighting unit 411 .

For example, a plurality of LEDs 414 are provided on the LED board 413 of the lighting unit 411 along the circumferential direction of the frame-constituting part, and the LEDs 414 are configured to be individually controllable to light up, interlocking with the shooting of game balls by the shooting device 60. Then, it may be configured so as to be sequentially lighting controllable so as to accompany the movement of the game ball along the frame-constituting portion. Furthermore, according to the game state, the accompaniment distance is changed (shorter when the game ball is desired to flow down to the left of the center frame 47 in the game area, and to the right of the center frame 47). (Long when you want the ball to flow down).

It should be noted that the illumination unit 411 can be omitted in the above embodiment. Further, for example, instead of or in addition to the illumination unit 411, a resin member constituting the frame-constituting portion (for example, a predetermined information display means (such as a sticker on which characters are written) instead of the LED substrate 413 is installed so that it can be visually recognized, etc.) may be provided. In this case also, the guide means is adjusted (the angle of the tip of the first outer rail 407 is adjusted) so that the game ball that jumps out of the guide rail 50 with force does not collide directly with the resin member. It is desirable to

(b) In the above embodiment, the installation recess 409 is formed on the front side of the game board 30, and the rear end portion of the peripheral wall portion 421 enters the installation recess 429, and the inner peripheral side surface of the peripheral wall portion 421 and the installation recess are formed. 429, but in addition to or instead of this configuration, the outer peripheral side surface of the peripheral wall portion 421 and the inner surface of the installation recess 429 may be configured to substantially contact each other. good. In this case, the setting concave portion 429 can prevent the peripheral wall portion 421 from shifting its position toward the outer peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion, rattling, or deforming or damaging the peripheral wall portion 421 . It is also possible to omit the installation recess 409 . The main body of the game board 30 may be made of wood (for example, plywood), or may be made of resin.

(c) In the above embodiment, the LED substrate 413 is mounted on the translucent member 412, but the configuration is not particularly limited. For example, the LED board 413 may be attached to a member different from the translucent member 412 (for example, attached directly to the resin base 38 or attached to the game board 30). In this case, it is possible to configure such that the impact when the game ball comes into contact with the translucent member 412 is not transmitted to the LED substrate 413 . Therefore, failure of the LED substrate 413, electrical disconnection, etc. due to impact can be suppressed. It is also possible to attach the translucent member 412 to the game board 30 .

Moreover, the method of attaching the light transmitting member 412 to the inner frame 12 and the method of attaching the LED substrate 413 to the light transmitting member 412 are not particularly limited. It can be attached by appropriately using a structure or the like. Further, the shape of the translucent member 412 is not particularly limited, either, and for example, it may be composed only of the peripheral wall portion 421 . In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the front wall portion 422 of the translucent member 412 is also made of transparent resin, but at least the peripheral wall portion 421 may have translucency.

Further, a light-emitting means capable of emitting light of a plurality of colors such as three-color LEDs may be provided for the LED substrate 413, and the light-emitting color may be changed according to the performance or the like. Also, the light emission mode may be changed in accordance with the performance or the like. For example, lighting, blinking (there may be multiple blinking patterns) or the like can be switched as appropriate, luminance can be changed, or the light emitting means itself or its peripheral portion can be displaced. may In this case, the player can also enjoy the change in appearance of the game ball.

(d) In the above embodiment, the inner peripheral wall portion 421 of the translucent member 412 may be provided with (a plurality of) polarizing plates so that the amount of light from the LEDs 414 directed directly to the front of the pachinko machine 10 is reduced. . In this case, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the LED substrate 413 is visible through the translucent member 412 and the designability is deteriorated. Furthermore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the side opposite to the game area with the translucent member 412 interposed therebetween also needs to be decorated in order to prevent deterioration of the design. Also, the outer edge of the game area can be clearly defined.

(e) In the above-described embodiment, the mounting base 431 and the guide means for causing the game ball shot from the shooting device 60 to protrude toward the inner peripheral side from the frame-constituting portion so as not to directly enter the light-transmitting member 412. Although it is configured by the first outer rail 407, it is not particularly limited to such a configuration. For example, the first outer rail 407 may be discontinued before the mount 431 and the game ball may be directly guided to the mount 431 . Also, the mounting base 431 may be integrally formed with the annular frame 402 instead of being a separate body.

However, it is desirable that the guide means is made of a material that has a certain degree of rigidity and high slidability so that it will not deform or displace even if it receives stress from a game ball to be shot. In other words, it is desirable that it is made of hard resin or metal rather than rubber, and that it does not deform elastically.

It is also possible to omit the mount 431 . In this case, it is desirable that a fixing portion for fixing the first outer rail 407 is provided at or near the tip of the first outer rail 407 so that the first outer rail 407 does not move as much as possible. By providing the mount 431 that supports the tip of the first outer rail 407 as described above, the effect of keeping the tip of the first outer rail 407 from moving as much as possible can be achieved more reliably. Also, the distance between the first outer rail 407 and the lighting unit 411 (peripheral wall portion 421 of the translucent member 412) is not particularly limited. It is only required that the game ball jumping out into the lighting unit 411 does not directly enter the lighting unit 411 . When the mounting base 431 is omitted, it is configured so that the game ball does not enter the gap between the first outer rail 407 and the lighting unit 411 (so that there is no gap into which the game ball can enter). It is assumed that

(f) In the above embodiment, the inner peripheral surface of the first outer rail 407 as the guide means, that is, the game ball guide surface that guides the game ball, extends along the guide direction of the game ball. A guide groove may be formed. In other words, by preventing the game balls guided by the guide grooves from coming to the back side of the game board 30, the situation in which the game balls vigorously rub against the front surface of the game board 30 and the cel image is discolored is suppressed. be able to. In addition, by preventing the game ball guided by the guide groove from leaning toward the glass unit 137 in front, it is possible to suppress the situation in which the game ball collides with the glass unit 137 with force and generates an abnormal noise. can. In particular, by constructing the game ball guided by the guide groove so as to fly in the middle position in the front-rear direction of the game area regardless of whether it is forward or backward, both of the above-described effects can be achieved.

(g) Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the mounting base 431 and the first outer rail 407 constituting the guide means are configured to be displaceable in the outer peripheral direction of the frame-constituting portion (the window hole 39). good too. For example, a driving means (solenoid, motor, etc.) is provided to displace the mounting base 431 between a first position and a second position protruding toward the inner peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion from the first position. The drive means may be configured to be drive controllable so that the mounting base 431 is set to the second position during normal times and the mounting base 431 is set to the first position during a big win state. In this way, by configuring the guide means to be displaceable, it is possible to change the launching direction of the game ball, thereby improving the game playability. In addition, for example, the projecting length of the guide means is reduced in the probability variable mode (the angle of the game ball guide surface with respect to the frame-constituting portion becomes loose), etc., so that the game ball can be launched to the right side of the game area. You can also

The guide means may be configured to be periodically displaceable, or may be configured to be displaceable based on the establishment of a predetermined condition. Further, even if the guide means (the mounting base 431 and the tip of the first outer rail 407) is not vertically displaced with respect to the annular frame 402 but rotated, the first position relative to the annular frame 402 can be changed. By changing the inclination of the tip of the outer rail 407, the direction in which the game ball flies out can be changed. Furthermore, the guide means is composed only of the mount 431, a slit is formed in the annular frame 402, the mount 431 is slidably attached to the slit, and connected to the motor via a pulley, a conveyor, or the like. Similarly, by moving the mounting base 431 along the circumferential direction of the annular frame 402, the direction in which the game ball jumps out can be changed.

Also, for example, in a portion where a game ball jumping out from the tip of the first outer rail 407 can directly reach (for example, near the front of the second outer rail 408), a state where a game ball can enter and a ball cannot enter A game ball can be entered into the ball entering means by shooting a game ball with a predetermined force when the ball entering means is in an open state. may be configured. Furthermore, the ball entering means may be configured to be displaceable (sliding, rotating). By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to impart new playability.

In the above-described embodiment, the translucent member 412 is made of transparent resin, but may be made of resin and metal (for example, the central line of the peripheral wall portion 421 may be made of metal) in order to improve strength. It is also possible to bury a plate-shaped body made of steel).

(i) In addition, in the above embodiment, the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 421 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer rail forming portion 52 are flush with each other, but they do not necessarily have to be flush with each other. However, if a step is formed at the boundary between the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 421 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer rail-constituting portion 52, the game ball flowing down from above may hit the step and be bounced off greatly. The window hole 39 is positioned on the upstream side (the upstream side of the passage path in the game area that the game ball shot by the shooting device 60 can follow) at the boundary between the two. It is desirable to position it on the inner peripheral side of the

(j) In the above embodiment, in the outer peripheral direction of the window portion 101 (the window hole 39 of the inner frame 12) of the front frame set 14, the peripheral edge portion of the window portion 101 and the inner peripheral surface of the frame-constituting portion are aligned. (the peripheral portion of the window portion 101 is positioned on the extension line of the inner peripheral surface of the frame-constituting portion in the front-rear direction), but the configuration is not particularly limited to this. However, if the peripheral portion of the window portion 101 is located on the inner peripheral side of the inner peripheral surface of the frame-constituting portion, the visibility of the game ball moving in the game area is reduced (and the game area looks small, which is also good for design). If the peripheral edge of the window portion 101 is located on the outer peripheral side of the inner peripheral surface of the frame-constituting portion, the portion on the outer peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion can be seen from the front, resulting in a deterioration in design. There is a risk. Therefore, it is desirable to align the position of the peripheral portion of the window portion 101 with the position of the inner peripheral surface of the frame-constituting portion as in the above-described embodiment.

(k) You may implement as a pachinko machine of a different type from the said embodiment. In addition to pachinko machines, we have also implemented various types of game machines such as arranged ball machines, similar machines such as majang ball, slot machines as reel-type machines, and machines that fuse slot machines and pachinko machines. may

[Appendix]
Technical ideas that can be grasped from the above embodiment will be described below.

Means A-1. a game area formed in front of the game board in which game balls shot by the shooting means are guided;
A frame configuration portion that defines the outer peripheral edge of the game area,
a translucent member having translucency and having a peripheral wall portion forming part of the frame-constituting portion;
A gaming machine comprising: a light-emitting means installed on the side opposite to the game area across the peripheral wall portion of the translucent member and capable of irradiating light to the inner peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion. .

According to the means A-1, part of the frame-constituting portion that defines the outer peripheral edge of the game area is constituted by the peripheral wall portion of the light-transmitting member having translucency, and is opposite to the game area with the peripheral wall portion interposed therebetween. The light-emitting means installed on the side (the outer peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion of the peripheral wall portion) can illuminate and brighten the game area through the peripheral wall portion. For this reason, the frame structure, which has conventionally been used only for the purpose of dividing (defining) the outer peripheral edge of the game area and guiding the game balls shot by the shooting means, brightens the game area. It is possible to provide a lighting function such as Therefore, the game area can be set without narrowing the range in which the game ball can move in the game area or destroying the arrangement and design of other decorative members and game members provided on the game machine (game board and front frame). can be brightened from the frame-constituting part side. Furthermore, even in a place where it is difficult to directly install the light emitting means in the game area, it is possible to brighten it by irradiating light from the frame-constituting part. As a result, it is possible to easily confirm the behavior of the game ball, the configuration on the game board surface (arrangement and angle of nails, etc.) and the like.

The translucent member may have a structure other than the peripheral wall portion, or may be composed of only the peripheral wall portion.

Means A-2. a guide rail for guiding the game ball shot by the shooting means to the upper part of the game area;
The game machine according to means A-1, wherein the translucent member is provided corresponding to a portion of the frame-constituting portion that defines the upper side of the game area.

For example, when a pachinko machine is installed in a game hall, there is a concern that the upper part of the game area may be shaded by lighting provided on the ceiling of the game hall. In addition, in the pachinko machine, the flow path of the game ball launched into the game area is confirmed, and when it is difficult to follow the desired path, the operation means is operated to release the game ball by the shooting device. It is necessary to change the hitting strength and appropriately change the flow path of the game ball to ensure the playability. For this reason, only nails are basically provided near the tips of the guide rails in the game area so as not to narrow the range in which the game ball can move.

On the other hand, according to the means A-2, as described above, it is a part that is easily shaded by the lighting provided on the ceiling of the game hall, etc., and furthermore, it is difficult to install the light emitting means directly in the game area. It is possible to irradiate the upper part of the game area with light from the outer peripheral side of the frame-constituting part through the frame-constituting part. This makes it easier to check the behavior of the game ball in the upper part of the game area and the configuration on the game board surface. For this reason, it is possible to easily grasp where the game ball hits and what kind of behavior is shown if the game ball is hit with what strength. Therefore, it is possible to improve the convenience in the game, such as making it easier to aim the game ball.

It should be noted that "a plurality of the light-emitting means are provided along the circumferential direction of the frame-constituting portion, and are configured so as to be individually controllable in lighting, interlocking with the shooting of the game ball by the shooting means, and forming a frame of the game ball. It may be configured to be capable of sequential lighting control so as to accompany the movement along the part. Further, the accompaniment distance may be changed according to the game state.

Means A-3. A guide for guiding a game ball moving while being guided by the frame-constituting portion to the inner peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion corresponding to a portion of the frame-constituting portion from the tip portion of the guide rail to the light-transmitting member. The game machine according to means A-2, characterized by comprising means.

According to the means A-3, it is possible to limit the angle of the game ball launched into the game area so that the game ball launched into the game area does not collide with the translucent member vigorously. As a result, damage or the like to the translucent member can be suppressed. The guide rail is composed of a pair of inner and outer rails facing each other in the outer peripheral direction of the frame-constituting portion, and the game ball guide surface of the guide means is continuous with the inner surface of the outer rail on the base end side. Alternatively, it may be located on the outer peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion than the outer rail, and the tip portion side may be located on the inner peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion. In this case, when the game ball rides on the guide surface of the guide means, it is possible to prevent the game ball from being flipped by the step.

Means A-4. The gaming machine according to means A-3, wherein the game ball guided by the guiding means draws a trajectory that deviates from the light-transmitting member.

According to the means A-4, the game ball shot from the shooting means is guided by the guiding means so as to deviate from the trajectory of colliding with the light-transmitting member (jump over the light-transmitting member, etc.). For this reason, it is possible to avoid a situation in which a game ball rushing out from the launch rail directly collides with the translucent member. Therefore, the function and effect of the above means A-3, such as prevention of damage to the translucent member, can be further exhibited. The frame-constituting portion includes a resin-constituting portion made of resin and a metal-constituting portion made of metal. , and the peripheral wall portion may constitute the resin component portion.

Means A-5. The guide rail is composed of a pair of inner and outer rails facing each other in the outer peripheral direction of the frame-constituting portion,
The frame-constituting portion is composed of the inner rail at a portion where the guide rail exists, and at a portion where the guide rail does not exist, one end side is continuous with the upper end portion of the outer rail, and the other end side is the above-mentioned A configuration that is continuous with the lower end of the inner rail,
The game machine according to means A-3 or A-4, wherein the game ball guide surface of the guide means is integrally formed with the outer rail.

According to the means A-5, the game ball guide surface of the guide means can be reliably and smoothly connected to the inner surface of the outer rail. Therefore, it is possible to avoid situations such as the game ball being repelled when it rides on the guide surface of the guide means. occurrence can be suppressed. In addition, due to the fact that the passage surface until the game ball flies to the game area is continuous, errors occur during manufacturing and installation, and misalignment occurs due to long-term use. It is possible to avoid a situation in which a step is formed between the guide surface and the guide surface of the guide means, and to improve the design.

Means A-6. A game machine according to any one of means A-3 to A-5, wherein a guide groove extending along the guide direction of the game ball is formed on the game ball guide surface of the guide means.

According to the means A-6, the game ball guided by the game ball guide surface of the guide means and popped out into the game area is arranged on the game board or the front surface of the game board so as to face the transparent member defining the front of the game area. can be suppressed from directly colliding with Therefore, when a game ball rubs strongly against the same spot on the front surface of the game board repeatedly, the front surface of the game board is discolored (when a cel image is pasted, the color fades, etc.), or the transparent member is damaged. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of abnormal noise due to the collision of game balls.

Means A-7. A gaming machine according to any one of means A-3 to A-6, wherein the guide means is configured to be displaceable by driving means.

According to the means A-7, it is possible to change the launching direction of the game ball and improve the game playability. For example, the guide means normally allows the game ball to be launched only to the left side of the game area, but when the state becomes advantageous for the player, the projection length of the guide means is reduced (the angle of the game ball guide surface with respect to the frame structure part) loose), etc., so that the game ball can be launched to the right side of the game area. The guide means may be configured to be periodically displaceable, or may be configured to be displaceable based on the establishment of a predetermined condition. Further, when the guide means is displaced in the outer peripheral direction of the frame-constituting portion, the guiding means may be displaced in the outer peripheral direction of the frame-constituting portion while maintaining the posture of the guide means, or the guide means may be rotated and displaced. You may let Furthermore, instead of changing the inclination of the guide surface of the guide means with respect to the frame-constituting part, the direction in which the game ball flies out can also be changed by moving the guide means along the circumferential direction of the frame-constituting part. can.

Means A-8. A center accessory is provided substantially in the center of the game area, and at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the center accessory facing the translucent member is made of a material having a higher reflectance than the front surface of the game board. The gaming machine according to any one of means A-1 to A-7, characterized by comprising:

According to the means A-8, the area sandwiched between the translucent member and the center accessory can be made brighter. Although it is conceivable to provide a light-emitting means capable of irradiating light toward the outer periphery of the center role for the center role, this would lead to an increase in the size of the center role, which would result in an area through which the game ball could pass. In addition, there is a concern that the designability may be deteriorated.

Means A-9. The game machine according to any one of means A-1 to A-8, wherein the front surface of the game board is configured to have a lower reflectance than the surface of the game ball.

According to the means A-9, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the game board becomes too bright and the game ball becomes difficult to see. It is also conceivable to configure the game board with a transparent resin plate and irradiate the game area with light from the back side. Or, the outer edge of the game ball appears blurred. In other words, it becomes difficult to visually recognize the game ball, and there is a possibility that the board surface becomes too bright and it becomes impossible to properly observe the target. On the other hand, in this means, the game ball and the board surface can be clearly visually recognized, and the behavior of the game ball, the situation of the target point, and the like can be confirmed more reliably.

Means A-10. The method according to any one of means A-1 to A-9, characterized in that an installation recess that is recessed rearward is formed in a portion of the front surface of the game board where the translucent member is arranged. game machine.

According to the means A-10, the rear portion of the peripheral wall portion of the translucent member can be accommodated inside the installation recess. As a result, if the front and rear width of the peripheral wall is slightly longer in consideration of manufacturing errors and the rear end is accommodated in the installation recess, the front and rear width of the peripheral wall may not be sufficient due to manufacturing errors, and the player may not be able to reach the game board. It is possible to avoid situations such as a floating state in the front, strong light leaking, deterioration of design, and difficulty in concentrating on the game due to the player's concern.

Further, by allowing the rear end of the peripheral wall to enter the installation recess, it is possible to prevent the rear end of the peripheral wall from being displaced in the outer peripheral direction of the frame-constituting portion. That is, if the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion and the inner side surface of the installation recess are configured to substantially abut against each other, the displacement of the peripheral wall portion toward the inner peripheral side can be restricted, and the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion and the inner surface of the installation recess can be restricted. If it is configured so that the side surfaces are substantially in contact with each other, it is possible to restrict the displacement of the peripheral wall portion toward the outer peripheral side. A hole penetrating back and forth may be formed in the game board instead of the installation recess. In this case as well, the rear end of the peripheral wall can be positioned inside the hole to prevent the rear end of the peripheral wall from floating from the game board. positional deviation can be prevented.

Means A-11. a substantially rectangular fixed frame;
A game board mounting frame supported to be openable and closable with respect to the fixed frame, to which a game board is mounted (from the rear side);
a front frame supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the fixed frame or the game board mounting frame in front of the game board mounting frame;
The translucent member includes: the peripheral wall portion; a front wall portion extending from a front edge portion of the peripheral wall portion toward the outer peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion; a fixed part;
According to any one of means A-1 to A-10, the translucent member is attached to the game board mounting frame by fixing the fixing portion to the game board mounting frame. game machine.

For example, when the peripheral wall portion is to be securely fixed to the frame-constituting portion adjacent to the light-transmitting member by using a fixing means such as a screw, the fixing means for fixing the light-transmitting member and the frame-constituting portion may be the frame. There is a risk that it will protrude from the component to the game area side, or will be visibly exposed to the game area side. Also, in order to avoid such a problem, there is a concern that the configuration of the game board mounting frame will become complicated. On the other hand, according to the means A-11, the fixing portion protruding outward from the peripheral edge of the front wall portion extending from the front edge portion of the peripheral wall portion to the outer peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion of the translucent member Since it is fixed to the board mounting frame, it is possible to avoid situations in which the fixing means or the like protrudes into the game area or is exposed on the game area side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent problems such as the game ball coming into contact with the fixing means or the like projecting from the frame-constituting portion to the game area and being flipped away, or the fixing means being visible, which leads to deterioration of the design. .

In addition, the surface on the inner peripheral side of the peripheral wall must be flush with the inner peripheral surface of the frame-constituting portion adjacent to the light-transmitting member, or the game area where the game ball shot by the shooting device can follow. In the inner passage route, the transparent member or the frame-constituting portion adjacent to the transparent member, which is located upstream of the passage route, may be positioned on the inner peripheral side of the game area (frame-constituting portion). . In this case, the game ball collides with the step formed at the boundary between the peripheral wall portion and the frame-constituting portion and is bounced, or when the game ball collides with the step, a collision sound is generated, or the step is damaged. It is possible to prevent situations such as In addition, "the light emitting means may be arranged in a region where the front side of the game board or the game board mounting frame is covered by the front frame".

B. A pachinko machine, for example, is known as one type of game machine. A pachinko machine is provided with a game board, and in front thereof, a game area is formed in which game balls shot by a shooting device are guided. Then, when the game ball enters the starting ball entry device provided in the game area, a lottery is conducted to determine whether or not to generate a jackpot state, and a variable display for teaching the lottery result is displayed on the display device. (See, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-154110).

Further, a pachinko machine is generally provided with a guide rail for guiding a game ball launched by a shooting device to the upper part of the game area, and the game ball enters the game area from the tip of the guide rail.

By the way, in pachinko machines, when a game ball enters the game area from the guide rail with a certain momentum, it moves along the inner peripheral surface of the upper part of the frame-constituting part that defines the upper edge of the game area. In addition, in the upper part of the game area, only durable materials and structures that are not damaged even if a game ball rushing out from the guide rail with great force collides directly are installed. Therefore, the number of variations in the upper part of the game area does not increase at all.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the problems exemplified above, and its object is to provide a game machine capable of improving the game playability in the upper part of the game area.

Means B-1. a game area formed in front of the game board in which game balls shot by the shooting means are guided;
A frame-constituting portion that partitions the outer peripheral edge of the game area in a substantially annular shape;
a guide rail for guiding the game ball shot by the shooting means to the upper part of the game area;
A game ball that moves while being guided by the frame-constituting portion is placed on the inner peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion corresponding to a portion of the frame-constituting portion from the tip of the guide rail to the upper end of the frame-constituting portion. A gaming machine characterized by comprising guide means for guiding.

According to the means B-1, the game ball shot by the shooting means and guided to the upper part of the game area through the guide rail can be thrown to the inner peripheral side of the frame-constituting part by the guide means. As a result, it is possible to allow the game ball to pass through a path that was impossible in the past, and it is possible to suppress ruts and create new game amusement.

In addition, the angle of the game ball launched into the game area can be restricted so that the game ball launched into the game area does not collide with a predetermined member with vigor. As a result, damage or the like to the predetermined member can be suppressed. The guide rail is composed of a pair of inner and outer rails facing each other in the outer peripheral direction of the frame-constituting portion, and the game ball guide surface of the guide means is continuous with the inner surface of the outer rail on the base end side. Alternatively, it may be located on the outer peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion than the outer rail, and the tip portion side may be located on the inner peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion. In this case, when the game ball rides on the guide surface of the guide means, it is possible to prevent the game ball from being flipped by the step.

Means B-2. The guide rail is composed of a pair of inner and outer rails facing each other in the outer peripheral direction of the frame-constituting portion,
The frame-constituting portion is composed of the inner rail at a portion where the guide rail exists, and at a portion where the guide rail does not exist, one end side is continuous with the upper end portion of the outer rail, and the other end side is the above-mentioned A configuration that is continuous with the lower end of the inner rail,
The game machine according to means B-1, wherein the game ball guide surface of the guide means is integrally formed with the outer rail.

According to the means B-2, the game ball guide surface of the guide means can be reliably and smoothly connected to the inner surface of the outer rail. Therefore, it is possible to avoid situations such as the game ball being repelled when it rides on the guide surface of the guide means. occurrence can be suppressed. In addition, due to the fact that the passage surface until the game ball flies to the game area is continuous, errors occur during manufacturing and installation, and misalignment occurs due to long-term use. It is possible to avoid a situation in which a step is formed between the guide surface and the guide surface of the guide means, and to improve the design.

Means B-3. A gaming machine according to means B-1 or B-2, wherein a guide groove extending along the direction in which the game ball is guided is formed on the game ball guide surface of the guide means.

According to the means B-3, the game ball guided by the game ball guide surface of the guide means and popped out into the game area is arranged on the game board or the front surface of the game board so as to face the transparent member defining the front of the game area. can be suppressed from directly colliding with Therefore, when a game ball rubs strongly against the same spot on the front surface of the game board repeatedly, the front surface of the game board is discolored (when a cel image is pasted, the color fades, etc.), or the transparent member is damaged. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of abnormal noise due to the collision of game balls.

Means B-4. The gaming machine according to any one of means B-1 to B-3, wherein the guide means is configured to be displaceable by driving means.

According to the means B-4, it is possible to change the launching direction of the game ball and improve the game playability. For example, the guide means normally allows the game ball to be launched only to the left side of the game area, but when the state becomes advantageous for the player, the projection length of the guide means is reduced (the angle of the game ball guide surface with respect to the frame structure part) loose), etc., so that the game ball can be launched to the right side of the game area. The guide means may be configured to be periodically displaceable, or may be configured to be displaceable based on the establishment of a predetermined condition. Further, when the guide means is displaced in the outer peripheral direction of the frame-constituting portion, the guiding means may be displaced in the outer peripheral direction of the frame-constituting portion while maintaining the posture of the guide means, or the guide means may be rotated and displaced. You may let Furthermore, instead of changing the inclination of the guide surface of the guide means with respect to the frame-constituting part, the direction in which the game ball flies out can also be changed by moving the guide means along the circumferential direction of the frame-constituting part. can.

Means B-5. The frame-constituting portion includes a resin-constituting portion made of resin and a metal-constituting portion made of metal,
The game according to any one of means B-1 to B-4, wherein the game ball guided by the guiding means is configured so as to be able to directly reach only the metal component of the frame component. machine.

According to the means B-5, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the game ball shot by the shooting means directly collides with the relatively weak resin constituent portion of the frame constituent portion. Therefore, it is possible to improve the durability of the resin component. It should be noted that "directly reachable" means that after the game ball enters the game area from the guide rail, it touches the target portion of the frame-constituting part without contacting game members such as nails provided in the game area. intended. In addition, after the game ball enters the game area from the guide rail, the game ball faces the front surface of the game board defining the game area and the front surface of the game board until it contacts the target portion of the frame structure part. Even if it abuts on the rear surface of the transparent member, if it does not touch the game member, it is included in "directly reaching". In addition, among the game balls protruding from the tip of the guide means, those that do not come into contact with the metal constituent portion of the frame constituent portion are pushed to metal such as game nails before those made of resin among the game members. It is good also as contacting the thing comprised by. In this case, damage to the resin-made game member can be suppressed.

Means B-6. a translucent member having translucency and having a peripheral wall portion forming part of the frame-constituting portion;
a light-emitting means installed on the opposite side of the game area across the peripheral wall portion of the translucent member and capable of irradiating light to the inner peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion;
The light-transmitting member is provided corresponding to a portion of the frame-constituting portion that defines the upper side of the game area,
Any one of means B-1 to B-5, wherein the guide means is provided corresponding to a portion of the frame-constituting portion from the tip of the guide rail to the translucent member. The game machine described.

According to the means B-6, a part of the frame-constituting portion that divides the outer peripheral edge of the game area is constituted by the peripheral wall portion of the light-transmitting member having translucency, and is opposite to the game area with the peripheral wall portion interposed therebetween. The light-emitting means installed on the side (the outer peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion of the peripheral wall portion) can illuminate and brighten the game area through the peripheral wall portion. For this reason, the frame structure, which has conventionally been used only for the purpose of dividing (defining) the outer peripheral edge of the game area and guiding the game balls shot by the shooting means, brightens the game area. It is possible to provide a lighting function such as Therefore, the game area can be set without narrowing the range in which the game ball can move in the game area or destroying the arrangement and design of other decorative members and game members provided on the game machine (game board and front frame). can be brightened from the frame-constituting part side. In particular, it is possible to brighten the upper part of the game area including the vicinity of the tip of the guide rail, which is easily shaded by the lighting provided on the ceiling of the game hall, etc., and where it is difficult to install the direct light emitting means. As a result, it becomes easier to check the behavior of the game ball in the upper part of the game area and the configuration on the game board surface (arrangement and angle of nails, etc.). It is possible to make it easier to grasp what kind of behavior is shown. Therefore, it is possible to improve the convenience in the game, such as making it easier to aim the game ball.

In addition, the guiding means can limit the angle of the game ball launched into the game area so that the game ball launched into the game area does not directly collide with the translucent member with force. As a result, it is possible to suppress damage or the like to the translucent member configured to have translucency. In addition, corresponding to the above means B-5, the translucent member may be made of resin, and the peripheral wall portion may constitute the resin constituent portion.

Means B-7. The gaming machine according to means B-6, wherein the game ball guided by the guiding means draws a trajectory that deviates from the light-transmitting member.

According to the means B-7, the game ball shot from the shooting means is guided by the guiding means so as to deviate from the trajectory of colliding with the light-transmitting member (jump over the light-transmitting member, etc.). Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which a game ball rushing out from the guide rail to the game area directly collides with the translucent member. Therefore, the function and effect of the means B-6, such as prevention of damage to the translucent member, can be further exhibited.

Means B-8. A center accessory is provided substantially in the center of the game area, and at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the center accessory facing the translucent member is made of a material having a higher reflectance than the front surface of the game board. The gaming machine according to means B-6 or B-7, characterized by comprising:

According to the means B-8, the area sandwiched between the translucent member and the center accessory can be made brighter. Although it is conceivable to provide a light-emitting means capable of irradiating light toward the outer periphery of the center role for the center role, this would lead to an increase in the size of the center role, which would result in an area through which the game ball could pass. In addition, there is a concern that the designability may be deteriorated.

Means B-9. The game machine according to any one of means B-6 to B-8, wherein the front surface of the game board is configured to have a lower reflectance than the surface of the game ball.

According to the means B-9, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the game board becomes too bright and the game ball becomes difficult to see. It is also conceivable to configure the game board with a transparent resin plate and irradiate the game area with light from the back side. Or, the outer edge of the game ball appears blurred. In other words, it becomes difficult to visually recognize the game ball, and there is a possibility that the board surface becomes too bright and it becomes impossible to properly observe the target. On the other hand, in this means, the game ball and the board surface can be clearly visually recognized, and the behavior of the game ball, the situation of the target point, and the like can be confirmed more reliably.

Means B-10. The method according to any one of means B-6 to B-9, characterized in that an installation recess that is recessed rearward is formed in a portion of the front surface of the game board where the translucent member is arranged. game machine.

According to the means B-10, the rear portion of the translucent member can be accommodated inside the installation recess. As a result, if the front and rear width of the peripheral wall is slightly longer in consideration of manufacturing errors and the rear end is accommodated in the installation recess, the front and rear width of the peripheral wall may not be sufficient due to manufacturing errors, and the player may not be able to reach the game board. It is possible to avoid situations such as a floating state in the front, strong light leaking, deterioration of design, and difficulty in concentrating on the game due to the player's concern.

Further, by allowing the rear end of the peripheral wall to enter the installation recess, it is possible to prevent the rear end of the peripheral wall from being displaced in the outer peripheral direction of the frame-constituting portion. That is, if the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion and the inner side surface of the installation recess are configured to substantially abut against each other, the displacement of the peripheral wall portion toward the inner peripheral side can be restricted, and the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion and the inner surface of the installation recess can be restricted. If it is configured so that the side surfaces are substantially in contact with each other, it is possible to restrict the displacement of the peripheral wall portion toward the outer peripheral side. A hole penetrating back and forth may be formed in the game board instead of the installation recess. In this case as well, the rear end of the peripheral wall can be positioned inside the hole to prevent the rear end of the peripheral wall from floating from the game board. positional deviation can be prevented.

Means B-11. a substantially rectangular fixed frame;
A game board mounting frame supported to be openable and closable with respect to the fixed frame, to which a game board is mounted (from the rear side);
a front frame supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the fixed frame or the game board mounting frame in front of the game board mounting frame;
The translucent member includes: the peripheral wall portion; a front wall portion extending from a front edge portion of the peripheral wall portion toward the outer peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion; a fixed part;
According to any one of means B-6 to B-10, the translucent member is attached to the game board mounting frame by fixing the fixing portion to the game board mounting frame. game machine.

For example, when the peripheral wall portion is to be securely fixed to the frame-constituting portion adjacent to the light-transmitting member by using a fixing means such as a screw, the fixing means for fixing the light-transmitting member and the frame-constituting portion may be the frame. There is a risk that it will protrude from the component to the game area side, or will be visibly exposed to the game area side. Also, in order to avoid such a problem, there is a concern that the configuration of the game board mounting frame will become complicated. On the other hand, according to the means B-11, the fixed portion protruding outward from the peripheral edge of the front wall portion extending from the front edge portion of the peripheral wall portion to the outer peripheral side of the frame-constituting portion of the translucent member Since it is fixed to the board mounting frame, it is possible to avoid situations in which the fixing means or the like protrudes into the game area or is exposed on the game area side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent problems such as the game ball coming into contact with the fixing means or the like projecting from the frame-constituting portion to the game area and being flipped away, or the fixing means being visible, which leads to deterioration of the design. .

In addition, the surface on the inner peripheral side of the peripheral wall must be flush with the inner peripheral surface of the frame-constituting portion adjacent to the light-transmitting member, or the game area where the game ball shot by the shooting device can follow. In the inner passage route, the transparent member or the frame-constituting portion adjacent to the transparent member, which is located upstream of the passage route, may be positioned on the inner peripheral side of the game area (frame-constituting portion). . In this case, the game ball collides with the step formed at the boundary between the peripheral wall portion and the frame-constituting portion and is bounced, or when the game ball collides with the step, a collision sound is generated, or the step is damaged. It is possible to prevent situations such as In addition, "the light emitting means may be arranged in a region where the front side of the game board or the game board mounting frame is covered by the front frame".

Means C-1. A gaming machine comprising any one of the means B-1 to B-11 in any one of the means A-1 to A-11.

The basic configuration of various gaming machines to which the above means are applied is shown below.

A. The game machine in each of the above means is a pinball game machine. As a more detailed example of the aspect, "an operating means (game ball shooting handle) operated by a player, a shooting means (shooting motor, etc.) for flipping and shooting a game ball based on the operation of the operating means, and the shooting means. A pinball game machine provided with a game area in which a game ball is guided and each ball entry means (general winning opening, variable winning device, operation opening, etc.) arranged in the game area.

B. The game machine in each of the above means is a pinball game machine having a game area extending in a substantially vertical direction. As a more detailed example of the aspect, "an operating means (game ball shooting handle) operated by a player, a shooting means (shooting motor, etc.) for flipping and shooting a game ball based on the operation of the operating means, and the shooting means. A predetermined game area (for example, the game area is composed of a game board surface, etc.) that guides the game balls and extends along a substantially vertical direction, and each ball entry means (general winning opening, variable winning device, operation port, etc.), and configured to enable visual recognition of the behavior of the game ball flowing down the game area.

C. The game machine or each pinball game machine in each of the above means is a pachinko machine or a game machine conforming to a pachinko machine.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Pachinko machine 11... Outer frame 12... Inner frame 14... Front frame set 30... Game board 38... Resin base 39... Window hole 47... Center frame 50... Guide rail 51... Inner rail Component 52 Outer rail component 54 Return rubber 60 Launcher 101 Window 137 Glass unit 407 First outer rail 408 Second outer rail 411 Lighting unit 412 Translucent member 413 LED substrate 414 LED 421 Peripheral wall portion 422 Front wall portion 429 Installation concave portion 431 Mounting base.

By the way , in a pachinko machine, there are cases where the game area becomes partially dark and the visibility of the area is lowered. On the other hand, although it is sufficient to provide a light emitting means for illuminating such a portion, it may be difficult to provide such a light emitting means due to certain circumstances. For example, if a game ball moving in the game area hits a predetermined member and the impact is transmitted to the light emitting means, there is a concern that the light emitting means may be adversely affected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the problems exemplified above. To provide a game machine capable of stabilizing the state .

The gaming machine of the present invention is
a game area formed in front of the game board in which game balls shot by the shooting means are guided;
a translucent member that partitions a portion of the game area and has translucency ;
a light emitting means capable of irradiating the play area with light through the translucent member ;
and an accessory provided in the game area ,
The accessory includes a passage through which game balls can pass, and a wall portion that constitutes at least a part of the passage,
The wall portion is provided so as not to be displaceable relative to the game board,
At least a portion of the outer surface of the wall portion facing the light- transmitting member is configured to reflect and diffuse the light emitted from the light emitting means more easily than the front surface of the game board,
The light from the light emitting means is configured to be able to irradiate a portion facing the translucent member through the game area,
The light-emitting means is provided on a member different from the light-transmitting member, and is configured to be capable of changing the light-emitting mode according to the performance.

According to the present invention, it is possible to secure the visibility of the movement path of the game ball in the game area by using the light emitting means, and to stabilize the mounting state of the light emitting means.

Further, a light-emitting means capable of emitting light of a plurality of colors such as three-color LEDs may be provided for the LED substrate 413, and the light-emitting color may be changed according to the performance or the like. Further, the light emitting mode of the light emitting means may be changed according to the performance or the like. For example, the lighting and blinking of the light emitting means (there may be a plurality of blinking patterns) can be switched as appropriate, the luminance can be changed, or the light emitting means itself or its peripheral portion can be displaced. may be configured to In this case, the player can also enjoy the change in appearance of the game ball.

[Appendix]
Technical ideas that can be grasped from the above embodiment will be described below.
A pachinko machine, for example, is known as one type of game machine. A pachinko machine is provided with a game board, and in front thereof, a game area is formed in which game balls shot by a shooting device are guided. Then, when the game ball enters the starting ball entry device provided in the game area, a lottery is conducted to determine whether or not to generate a jackpot state, and a variable display for teaching the lottery result is displayed on the display device. It is supposed to be done.
By the way, in a pachinko machine, there are cases where the game area becomes partially dark and the visibility of the area is lowered. On the other hand, although it is sufficient to provide a light emitting means for illuminating such a portion, it may be difficult to provide such a light emitting means due to certain circumstances. For example, if a game ball moving in the game area hits a predetermined member and the impact is transmitted to the light emitting means, there is a concern that the light emitting means may be adversely affected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the problems exemplified above. To provide a game machine capable of stabilizing the state.
The gaming machine of the present invention is
a game area formed in front of the game board in which game balls shot by the shooting means are guided;
A translucent member (translucent member 412) that partitions a part of the game area and has translucency;
Light-emitting means (LED substrate 413, especially LED 414) capable of irradiating light to the game area through the translucent member;
and an accessory (center frame 47) provided in the game area,
The accessory includes a passage (warp passage 152) through which a game ball can pass, and a wall portion that constitutes at least a part of the passage (a wall portion that forms and defines the warp passage 152),
The wall portion is provided so as not to be displaceable relative to the game board,
At least a portion of the outer surface of the wall portion facing the light-transmitting member is configured to reflect and diffuse the light emitted from the light emitting means more easily than the front surface of the game board,
The light from the light emitting means is configured to be able to irradiate a portion facing the translucent member through the game area,
The light-emitting means is provided on a member different from the light-transmitting member, and is configured to be capable of changing the light-emitting mode according to the performance.
According to the present invention, it is possible to secure the visibility of the movement path of the game ball in the game area by using the light emitting means, and to stabilize the mounting state of the light emitting means.

Claims (1)

A game machine comprising a fixed frame and a game machine main body that can be opened and closed with respect to the fixed frame,
The game machine main body includes a game board,
a game area formed in front of the game board in which game balls shot by the shooting means are guided;
A division section that divides the outer periphery of the game area;
a light-transmitting member having a wall portion that is translucent and that constitutes a part of the partition;
a light-emitting means capable of irradiating the inner peripheral side of the partitioning portion with light through the wall portion of the translucent member;
and a center accessory provided substantially in the center of the game area,
At least part of a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the center accessory facing the light-transmitting member is made of a material having a higher reflectance than the front surface of the game board,
An installation portion capable of accommodating a part of the wall portion of the translucent member is provided on the front surface of the game board,
A game machine, wherein the light-transmitting member has a projecting portion projecting from the wall portion toward the outside of the game area, and is attached to the game machine main body on the side of the projecting portion. .

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