JP2548868B2 - Data collection device for pachinko machines - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data totaling system and, for example, to a technique effectively used for a system for automatically collecting and totaling data of a plurality of pachinko gaming machines.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a maker of a pachinko gaming machine develops a new model, various data such as a payout rate and a slump relating to the model are collected, and the characteristics of the gaming machine are clarified based on the collected data. When you deliver to the store, you must tell the owner of the amusement store about its characteristics,
The payout rate may be unexpectedly high, or the payout rate may be low or the slump may be too long to cause the gamer to leave the game, resulting in an unexpected disadvantage at the game shop.

[0003] In addition, even in the case of developing a new model, the manufacturer also makes a prototype base and conducts an operation test to determine the final arrangement of the obstacle nails, and the like, thereby producing a new pachinko game machine having desired characteristics. Need to be transformed.

For this reason, conventionally, a plurality of pachinko game machine prototypes have been prepared, and each one has an aggregator, and the number of hits at each winning opening, the number of operations of the variable winning device, and the number of hits. Collects various data such as the number of replenishments to the supply plate (purchasing balls) and the number of prize balls (outgoing balls), and also supplies the balls to the supply plate and removes the saucer balls when the prize balls are full. The aggregator did it by hand. Moreover, such an operation test needs to be performed for a long time (for example, 10 hours or more).

Therefore, a great deal of manpower is required at the data collection stage for investigating the characteristics of the pachinko gaming machine, the type of data to be collected is limited, and a data collection error may occur. there were. Furthermore, the data obtained for each unit is aggregated using a computer,
When processing and extracting the characteristics of the gaming machine, it is necessary to input those data into the computer again. Therefore, there is a problem that the work efficiency is very poor.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to collect and aggregate data of a plurality of pachinko gaming machines automatically without requiring a lot of manpower and at the same time, and to collect various data over a wide range. You can collect and create materials that you can see at a glance and know the characteristics in detail, not only can you efficiently develop a new model, but also easy to understand the nail adjustment method etc. suitable for that game machine It is to provide a data collection device for a pachinko gaming machine that can be transmitted to the store side.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a game area surrounded by a guide rail on the front surface, and a prize ball is paid out in the game area by winning a game ball. Pachinko gaming machine equipped with a gaming board having a winning area determined as described above and an out port for collecting gaming balls that have not won as an out ball, and each pachinko gaming machine in response to detection signals from a plurality of pachinko gaming machines. In a data collection device for a pachinko gaming machine, which includes a collection control device for calculating various data in the gaming machine, a ball rental device for ejecting a game ball is provided adjacent to each of the pachinko gaming machines, and the ball rental device is provided. The game ball discharge nozzle that guides the discharged game ball to the supply plate of the pachinko gaming machine,
When a game ball is ejected from the ball rental device to the supply plate as a purchase, a purchase detection signal is sent to the collection control device to calculate the purchase number data for each pachinko gaming machine.

[0008]

According to the above means, the pachinko gaming machine outputs a buy-behind detection signal when the game balls used for the game are discharged to the supply plate as a buy ball by the ball rental device. Data can be grasped in real time. As a result, the pachinko machine maker can streamline the process of final commercialization by correcting the arrangement of obstacle nails in the game machine based on the collected data, and develop efficient new models. Like

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a pachinko gaming machine according to the present invention,
An example of the configuration of an auxiliary device provided inside or around this gaming machine to enable automatic data collection of this pachinko gaming machine is shown.

On the front surface of the game board 1, a guide rail 3 for guiding a hit ball launched by a hit ball launching device 2 driven by a lower operation dial 2a to an upper portion of the game board 1.
Is provided, and a game area is formed in a space surrounded by the guide rail 3 on the front of the game board 1 and the glass plate.
A variable display device 4 as an auxiliary game device is formed in the center of the game area, and a part of the game area is normally formed below the variable display device 4. However, due to the occurrence of a specific mode in the variable display device 4, A special variable winning device 5 for converting into a winning area is provided.

A first specific winning port 7 is provided on each side of the variable display device 4, and a second specific winning port 8 is provided between the variable display device 4 and the special variable winning device 5. It is provided. Of these, the first specific winning opening 7 is a so-called diving type winning device having a concave portion penetrating the game board 1 in this embodiment, and the concave portion is the specific winning opening 7. The opening of the through recess, that is, the specific winning opening 7 which is on the same plane as the game board surface, is formed so as to form a semi-cylindrical shape having a diameter of about twice the diameter of the ball when viewed from the front, and has a bottom portion thereof. A winning hole (not shown) for a winning ball is provided in the back of the box. The second specific winning opening 8 is formed of a winning tool called a winning chucker that opens upward in the game area.

Above the variable display device 4, a so-called "
Heaven ""Heaven's left ""Heaven's right "Three winning openings 6a, 6b,
6c is provided integrally. In this embodiment, the variable display device is provided integrally, but may be provided separately above the variable display device. In addition, tulip-type hitting ball winning devices 9 are arranged obliquely below and outside the first specific winning opening 7.

Further, in the lower part of the game board 1, the above-mentioned respective winning areas 6a to 6c, 7, 8, 9 while falling from above.
There is provided an out port 10 for collecting a hit ball that could not be won in the back of the game board. Furthermore, at appropriate positions on the surface of the game board 1, a large number of obstacle nails 11 that randomly change the direction of the hit ball that is falling from above and a rolling guide member 12 that controls the flow rate and direction of the hit ball are played. They are provided almost symmetrically with respect to the vertical centerline of the region.

Illuminating means 25 is provided on both sides of the center of the game board 1 so as to blink or turn on when a specific mode occurs due to the variable display operation of the variable display device 4 being stopped. In addition, at the upper part of the game board 1, the heavenly prize holes 6a to 6
c or a prize ball lamp 21 which is temporarily turned on when a hit ball is hit into a winning opening of the tulip type hitting ball winning device 9 or the like. Flashing turbo lamp 2
2. A segment type indicator 23 that displays the number of hit balls that have won when the special variable winning device 5 is opened, and a completion lamp 24 that notifies the end of the game when all the predetermined number of winning balls have been paid out. The display member 20 provided is provided.

Further, on the upper part of the holding frame 100 of the pachinko gaming machine which holds the gaming board 1 having the above structure, a launcher driving lamp 26 which is turned on when the operation dial 2a of the hitting launcher is operated is provided. There is. Also, the holding frame 10
A supply tray 102 for holding a hit ball supplied to the hit ball launching device is attached to an opening / closing panel 101 attached to a lower portion of the bottom plate 0, and a receiving tray 103 for storing prize balls overflowing from the feed tray is attached below the feed tray 102. Is provided. On a side portion (the left side in the figure) of the holding frame 100, there is provided a variable display stopping means 30 for stopping the variable display device 4 driven by winning a specific winning opening.

In the pachinko gaming machine configured as described above, when the hit ball hit in the game area by the hit ball launching device wins at the specific winning port 7 or 8, the display means of the variable display device 4 is driven and four The numbers respectively displayed on the windows 4b are changed. Then, when the player presses the variable display stop means 30 provided in the holding frame 100 or when a certain time elapses, the variable display is automatically stopped by the timer, and the specific mode is determined by the combination of the numbers displayed at that time. Is generated.

When a specific mode occurs, the special variation winning device 5 is converted into an open state, and the probability of winning a prize therein is shifted from zero to a very high special gaming state. As a result, a large number of prize balls are generated within a relatively short time, and a lot of prize balls are given to the player.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the entire back mechanism to which the variable display device 4 and the special variation winning device 5 having the above-described configurations are attached. That is, the back mechanism plate 110 is formed of, for example, a transparent plastic plate or the like, and is attached to the back of the holding frame or the game board storage member so as to be freely opened and closed. Also, there is a fixed interval on the back of the game board (at least one ball)
A collecting gutter 111 is attached at. The collecting gutter 111 is provided with an opening 110 a provided in the back mechanism plate 110.
It is designed to face. At a position corresponding to the lower part of the collecting gutter 111, a guide shelf 111a provided on the back mechanism plate 110 and a winning ball controller 112 are provided.

The guide rack 111a is for collecting prize balls that are guided to the back side of the game board 1. It has a front-rear width (interval) that allows the prize balls to flow down, and the left-right width corresponds to the game board. It is widened, and it inclines slightly toward the center. A winning ball controller 112 for receiving and collecting one of the collected winning balls is arranged in the lower opening of the guide shelf, and a winning ball flowing down from the winning ball controller 112 is provided below the opening. An inlet of an operating trough 114 that guides one end of the lower operating lever 113 is opened.

Therefore, when a hit ball hit in the game board enters any of the winning ports while flowing down in the game section, the hit ball is led out to the back side of the game board 1 and the guide rack 111
It is collected as a winning ball by a. Then, the prize ball is sent from the opening at the lower end of the guide shelf 111a to the prize ball controller 112
The winning ball controller 112 tilts due to the weight of the winning ball, causes the winning ball to flow down to the operation gutter 114 and stops.

The winning ball that has flowed down from the winning ball controller 112 penetrates the base plate of the back mechanism plate and is placed on the ball mounting portion at one end of the operating lever 113. When a winning ball is placed on the ball mounting portion, the operating lever 113 is tilted by the weight of the ball, and the upper winning ball discharging device 116 is operated via the interlocking rod 115 or the like.

On the other hand, a prize ball tank 117 for storing prize balls is provided above the back mechanism plate 110, and below the prize ball outlet 118 opened at the bottom of the prize ball tank 117, for example, The inlets of a U-shaped guide gutter 119 for guiding the balls while aligning them in two rows are opposed to each other, and the other end of the guide gutter 119 is connected to the prize ball discharging device 116.

At the bottom of the guide gutter 119 near the entrance, a tread lever 120 is pivotally mounted so that the free end is located upstream and the pivot end is located downstream, and the tread lever 120 is also located. A ball shortage detector 121 is provided opposite to. Therefore, when the ball in the prize ball tank 117 runs short, the tread plate lever 120 rises to activate a hitting device (not shown) provided in the open / close panel on the front of the game board, and the ball shortage detector 31 is activated. It turns on. Then, the completion lamp 24 on the front of the pachinko gaming machine is turned on to notify the player of the hit state and a hit signal is transmitted to the management room.

The prize ball discharging device 116 operates when the hit ball enters the winning opening to form a prize mode, and the number of prize balls corresponding to the prize mode on the supply tray 102 or the receiving tray 103 on the front of the pachinko gaming machine. A case that can store a certain number of balls inside is pivotally attached to the back surface of the back mechanism so as to be tiltable, one side faces the exit of the guide gutter 119, and the other side of the prize ball lead-out path 122. It faces the entrance and is connected to the interlocking rod 115 via the operating rod 123.

The prize ball discharge path 122 is provided with the prize ball discharging device 1 described above.
16 guides the ejected prize balls to the supply tray 102 or the receiving tray 103, and in the middle thereof, the tread plate 124 for returning the prize ball controller 112 by the flowing prize balls and communicating with the guide shelf 111a tilts. A bell 125 for generating a prize ball discharge sound effect is provided at a bent portion that is pivotally mounted and bent forward, and further, through a prize ball communication passage 126 that penetrates the game board 1 and opens forward. Feeding tray 1
It is connected to 02. Further, on the bottom surface on the upstream side of the bent portion of the prize ball lead-out path 122, an outlet of a branch gutter 127 that is branched and extended from the outlet is opposed to an inlet of a guide gutter 128 communicated with the tray 103. There is.

Therefore, when the reserve balls are sufficiently stored in the prize ball tank 117, the reserve balls flow down from the outlet 118 into the guide trough 119, and are aligned in the middle of the flow down to the prize ball discharging device 116. Inflow. The top of the balls that have flowed into the prize ball discharging device 116 hits a stopper 129 located at the outlet of the prize ball discharging device and stops, and a certain number (for example, 13) of balls are stored in the prize ball discharging device 116. stand by. When a winning ball is generated and the operating lever 113 is tilted by the weight of the guided winning ball, the earliest ball in the winning ball discharging device 116 comes off the stopper 129, and the ball is stopped in the gutter. The dropped ball flows down into the prize ball derivation path 122 as a prize ball.

The prize balls that flow down into the prize ball outlet path 122 are
The trophy ball controller 112 is returned by pressing the tread plate 124 by the downward force (inertial force) during the rafting. Outflow to 102. When the supply tray 102 is filled with the balls, the prize balls flowing down from the prize ball discharge device 116 flow into the distribution trough 127, and the guide trough 1
It is discharged to the tray 103 via 28.

A control board 130 on which a control device is mounted is detachably attached to the rear side of the prize ball lead-out path 122. A relay board 140 for connecting the control board 130 to various winning detectors and the like is detachably attached to the collecting gutter 111. Further, a speaker 106 is detachably attached below the guide gutter 128.

In the system of this embodiment, the ball rental device 40 is arranged along one side (hinge side) of the game machine to be collected data (see FIG. 1). This ball rental device 40
Includes a sprocket having a game ball engaging concave portion on the outer periphery and a rotation driving device for the sprocket, and its discharge port 41 is opened at a position slightly higher than the supply tray 102, and the discharge port 41 is flexible. The discharge nozzle 42 is attached,
The tip thereof faces the upstream side of the supply plate 102.
As a result, the game balls (purchases) discharged from the ball-lending device 40 automatically flow down onto the supply plate 102.

The game balls discharged from the ball lending device 40 onto the supply plate 102 are supplied in a drooping manner from a supply gutter 141 which also serves as a spare ball supply device 60 arranged above the pachinko game machine. It has become. A detector for detecting the number of lending balls is provided in the ball lending device 40.

The ball rental device 40 having the above-described structure uses a ball rental machine called a hamburger which is usually arranged between a gaming machine and a gaming machine in a pachinko game store, and a shutter is provided at its outlet. Instead, it can be easily constructed by attaching the nozzle 42.

The tray portion 103 of the tray 103 at the bottom of the game machine
A solenoid 51 constituting the ball-dropping device 50 is fixed on a, and one end of a wire 54 wound around guide rollers 52 and 53 attached to the holding frame 100 is connected to a tip of an operating rod of the solenoid 51. Has been stopped. The other end of the wire 54 is locked to an operation knob 103b of a slide-type opening / closing plate (not shown) provided below the pan. The opening / closing plate is normally closed by a return spring built in the tray, and when the solenoid 51 is excited, the knob 103b is pulled to the left to open the opening / closing plate, and the tray 10 is opened.
The prize balls in 3 are ball drop processing devices 55 arranged below.
It flows into the house.

As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 3, the ball drop processing device 55 has two inclined guiding surfaces 5 that are inclined in opposite directions.
5a and 55b, and the ball drop detector 32 is provided at the lower end of the flow.
a to 32c are provided. The balls dropped from the tray 103 are aligned in three rows while flowing along the inclined guide surfaces 55a and 55b, and are arranged in three detectors 32a to 32a.
In 2c, one address is detected for each column.
As a result, even if a large amount of prize balls are extracted at one time, the prize balls can be processed in a short time to know the exact number.

Further, a foul ball detector 33 is provided in the middle of the foul ball flow path 105 which is provided so as to return the struck ball which is missed by the struck ball launching device from the guide rail 3 to the supply tray 102.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, a replenishing device for replenishing the spare balls into the prize ball tank 117 is provided above the prize ball tank 117 for storing the spare balls of the prize balls provided on the upper rear surface of the gaming machine. 60 is provided. This replenishing device 60
It has the same configuration as the replenishing device disposed above the island equipment to which a plurality of gaming machines are attached in a pachinko game store. When the prize ball tank 117 becomes empty, it is disposed opposite to the prize ball outlet 118. The installed tread 120 rises. This is detected by the ball shortage detector 31, a detection signal is sent to the collection controller, and the supply device 60 is operated by a command from the collection controller, and a predetermined number (for example, 400) of spare balls are awarded. Supply to tank 117. In the replenishment device 60,
There is a built-in detector for counting the supply balls.

In addition, the prize ball derivation gutter 122 and the diversion gutter 127
As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 4, a branch 72 of the shutter 72 has one end rotatably supported by a shaft 71.
The prize ball path switching device 70 includes a solenoid 73 for opening and closing the shutter 72 and an operating member 74 for transmitting the driving force of the solenoid 73 to the shutter 72 to rotate the shutter 72. The switching device 70 is used to connect the prize ball communication passage 126 to the supply tray 102.
The flow is controlled so as to block either the flow path toward the flow path as shown by the solid line in the figure, or to block the entrance of the branch flow gutter 127 as shown by the broken line in the figure. As a result, a part of the prize balls paid out like a normal pachinko gaming machine flows out to the receiving tray 103 via the diversion gutter 127, and the remaining prize balls flow out to the supply plate 102 via the prize ball communication passage 126. In order to prevent such a situation, all the prize balls discharged at one time are discharged to only one of the supply tray 102 and the receiving tray 103. This makes it possible to always accurately determine the number of balls on each dish.

Further, in the lower rear portion of the gaming machine, the out balls collected from the out opening 10 and the detection of the winning balls after winning the prizes from the respective winning openings and operating the winning ball controller 112 are detected. Collected ball processing device 8 with a built-in vessel 34
0 is provided. The collected ball processing device 80 can have a configuration similar to that of the extracted ball processing device 55.

A safe ball detector 35 is provided below the lower end of the operating trough 114 to detect a winning ball, which is caused by operating the winning ball controller 112.

Then, an interface box 90 having a control status informing function for each gaming machine, corresponding to the pachinko gaming machine configured as described above and its auxiliary equipment, is provided as shown in FIG. The interface boxes 90 respectively provided above are connected to a collection controller 200 (described later) for controlling a plurality of gaming machines, and perform an interface of signals between the corresponding pachinko gaming machines and the collection controller 200. .

Next, FIG. 5 shows an outline of the data totaling system according to the present invention.

A pachinko gaming machine P _{1 having} the above-mentioned configuration
P ₂ , Pn are the interface boxes 90, respectively.
Is placed under the control of the collection controller 200 via the, and the collection controller 200 is connected to the totalizer 300 using a personal computer or the like, and receives the start signal from the totalizer 300 and is under its own control. Data generated by the operation of a plurality of pachinko gaming machines is collected for each machine, and is periodically (for example, every one minute) passed to the counting machine. The collection controller 200, the collector 300, the input operation device 310, the external storage device 320, the CRT display device 330, and the printer 340 manage the management device 40.
0 is configured.

The totaling machine 300 is an input operation device such as a keyboard for inputting the number of coins bought once, the number of prize balls by one payout operation, and other initial values to be preset prior to the operation of the system. 310, a program for operating the system and an external storage device 320 such as a floppy disk device for storing and storing data sent from the collection control device 200, and displaying the result of totaling and processing the obtained data A CRT display device 330, a printer 340 for printing out the same, and the like are connected. The management device 40 includes the collection controller 200, the totalizer 300, the input operation device 310, the external storage device 320, the CRT display device 330, and the printer 340.
0 is configured.

Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, the collection controller 200 is configured so that up to 16 pachinko game machines can be installed under the control of one collection controller 200. .

FIG. 6 shows the structure of an interface box 90 for interfacing between the corresponding pachinko gaming machine Pi and the collection controller 200.

In this embodiment, the interface box 90 comprises an interface circuit section 91 and a drive circuit section 92. The interface circuit section 91 level-converts a total of nine types of detection signals such as the detectors 31 to 35 provided in the pachinko gaming machine and a signal notifying the occurrence of a specific mode in the control device (130) to perform the collection control device 200. And converting the drive signals of the ball rental device 40, the ball drop device 50, the preliminary ball replenishing device 60, and the prize ball path switching device 70, which are output from the collection control device 200 to the respective pachinko gaming machines, into respective levels. Hand it over to a game machine. On the other hand, the drive circuit unit 92, based on the signal supplied from the collection controller 200, an abnormality display lamp L ₁ provided in the main body case of the interface box 90 for notifying the abnormality of the supply of the reserve ball, and the current indicator lamp L _1. A game display lamp L ₂ for displaying a game state of the game machine (which can be obtained from the difference between the cumulative number of purchased balls and the prize balls, and when there are more prize balls, it indicates “win”) Stop display lamp L ₃ for notifying that the set number of stops has been reached
And the number of times display CNT indicating the number of times of purchase by the ball rental device 40 with a few digits and the above-mentioned supply abnormality display lamp L ₁
Or driving a buzzer B provided to inform the Datome display lamp sound which at the same time lighting of L _3.

Further, the interface box 90 is provided with switches SW ₁ and SW ₂ , and when the switch SW ₁ is turned on, all the collected data regarding the corresponding gaming machines in the collection controller 200 are cleared. In addition to turning on the switch SW ₂ , counting of various detection signals sent from the corresponding pachinko gaming machine can be started.

The interface box 90 allows
The electrical connection between the gaming machine side and the collection controller described later can be centralized, and the interface box 9
By the notifying means L _{1 to} L ₃ and the setting switches SW ₁ and SW ₂ provided at 0, free data collection and management for each gaming machine can be easily performed.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a block configuration of the collection controller 200. A portion surrounded by a broken line C in the drawing is a collection controller, and the collection controller 200 has timings in the controller and auxiliary devices (40, 5) around the pachinko gaming machine.
0, 60) to control the operation and collect data
PU board 210 and the interface box 9
An input board 220 which receives an input signal supplied from each gaming machine and an auxiliary device via 0 and passes it to the CPU board 210 in response to a request from the CPU, and an auxiliary device (40, 50, 60) around the gaming machine. And interface
The power supply unit 240 includes an output board 230 that outputs various drive signals to the box 90 at appropriate timing. These CPU board 210, input board 220 and output board 230
Are connected to each other via a bus 205, and the power supply unit 2
The power supply voltage generated at 40 is also supplied to each board via the power supply line in the bus 205.

Of the above boards, the input board 22
An 8-bit x 8 signal can be input to 0, and the input signal supplied from the interface box 90 is
First, they are respectively input to the photocouplers 222 and are held in the latch circuits 224 via the photocouplers 222.
By passing through the photocoupler 222, electrical noise (noise) on the cable connecting the interface box 90 and the collection controller 200 can be removed to prevent erroneous data collection.

The input signals held in the latch circuit 224 are supplied to the buffer 226, respectively, and the decoder 228 decodes the address signal output from the CPU board 210 onto the bus 205 at an appropriate timing. Only one corresponding buffer 226 is driven by the selection signal thus formed, and a desired input signal is output onto the bus 205 and taken into the CPU board 210. In this embodiment, the input board 220 capable of receiving 8 bits × 8 inputs as described above.
3 are used, which allows a maximum of 16 pachinko game machines to be placed under their own control.

The output board 230 has an 8-bit × 4 latch circuit 232 for receiving a drive signal output from the CPU board 210 onto the bus 205.
Similarly, the corresponding one latch circuit 232 is operated by the selection signal formed by decoding the address signal output from the CPU board 210 onto the bus 205 by the decoder 234, and is output onto the bus 205 at that time. Capture and hold signals. Latch circuit 23
2 is supplied to a driver 238 via a photocoupler 236, and is output to the outside by the driver 238.

The signal output from the output board 230 is supplied to the interface box 90, and inside the auxiliary devices (40, 50, 60) such as the internal lamps L _{1 to} L ₃ , the number display CNT or the ball rental device. The drive source of. In this embodiment, four output boards 230 as described above are used.
It is possible to control up to 16 pachinko game machines and their auxiliary devices (including an interface box) that require eight types of drive control signals per machine.

The CPU board 210 includes a microprocessor (CPU) 211 such as Z80 and a read-only ROM (read / write) in which a system control program is stored.
(Only memory) 212 and RAM (random access memory) 2 for storing collected various data
13, etc., which are connected to each other via a bus 215 on the board. This bus 215 is connected to the bus 205 for connecting boards via a buffer 214. In this embodiment, the RAM 213 has a counter function, and the ball removal detectors 32a to 32c and the foul ball detector 3 provided in the pachinko game machine are provided.
3. Detection signals from the safe ball detector 35, the recovered ball detector 34, and the like are counted for each detector, and the results are held. Further, in the RAM 213, initial setting values such as the number of prize balls and the number of purchased balls set at one time by the totalizer 300 when starting the data collection are stored.

A serial interface circuit 216 is connected to the bus 215 on the CPU board 210 to interface data communication with the aggregator 300 outside the collection controller, and periodically (for example, every one minute). Then, the data collected so far is converted into a serial signal and sent to the aggregator 300. An operation start / end signal and an initial setting value supplied from the compiling device 300 also enter the CPU board 210 via the serial interface circuit 216.

Further, an interrupt generation circuit 217 is provided on the CPU board 210. The interrupt generation circuit 217 is based on a signal (clock) sent from a timer circuit 218 provided on the board. CPU 211
On the other hand, for example, an interrupt is made once every 100 ms,
The program according to the flow as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is executed. As a result, the CPU 211 scans various detectors by sequentially accessing the buffers 216 on the input board 220 and sequentially reads various signals held in the latch circuit 214 to form corresponding control signals, Data obtained from various detectors is stored in the RAM 213.

The timer circuit 218 also forms a reference clock for determining a baud rate (transfer speed) when serial communication is performed between the serial interface circuit 216 and the external compiling device 300, and the serial interface circuit 216 To be supplied.

An example of a control procedure for data collection of a pachinko gaming machine by the CPU 211 in the collection controller 200 is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, whereby all data collection is automatically performed. However, in the present system, the following preparation work is required before data collection by the collection controller 200 is started. This work is the minimum required for automatic data collection.

That is, first, all balls in the gaming machine such as the supply tray 102, the receiving tray 103, the prize ball tank 117, the collected ball processing device 80, etc. of the pachinko gaming machine from which data is to be collected are removed. Then, the power of the collection controller 200 is turned on, and the measurement start switch SW of the interface box 90 provided corresponding to the game machine to be operated subsequently.
Turn on ₂ . Thereby, the collection controller 200 can know the gaming machine from which data should be collected. That is, even if 16 gaming machines are installed under the control of the collection controller 200, data can be collected only for desired gaming machines, and other gaming machines can be collected as described above. The boring operation can be omitted.

Next, the power of the compiling device 300 is turned on, and a floppy disk storing a program for setting initial values and compiling data is set in the external storage device 320.
Then, the program is read and executed, and the operation procedure is first shown on the screen of the display 330. In accordance with this, the number of prize balls, the number of purchased balls, and the like are determined using the keyboard 310 for each gaming machine for which data is to be collected. Set the initial value of. If the operator does not make any setting, the number of prize balls is set to 13 and the number of coins purchased is set to 75 (corresponding to the average number of coins purchased by a player at one time). then,
CPU 211 in the collection controller 200 when a start command is given
Starts the control according to the program in the ROM 212.

8 and 9 show a control procedure of the CPU 211 when the present invention is applied to a data totaling system in a pachinko machine maker.

In the control shown in FIG. 8, the CPU 211 outputs an appropriate address and sequentially drives the buffers 216 on the input board 210 to fetch signals from the respective detectors. It is determined whether or not the prize ball tank 117 is empty based on the signal from the corresponding ball shortage detector 31 (step S1).

When the prize ball tank 117 is empty, the process jumps to step S11, in which a drive signal of the replenishing device 60 is output to supply the prize ball tank 117. This replenishment is performed 400 times at a time, and the replenishment device 60
This is confirmed by a signal from a detector in the interface box 90 when replenishment, which normally takes 30 seconds due to a ball clogging or the like, does not reach 400 replenishment balls even after 90 seconds have passed. The upper abnormality display lamp L1 is turned on and the alarm buzzer B is sounded.

When the supply to the prize ball tank 117 is completed,
In step S2, it is determined whether the number of game balls on the supply plate 102 is 260 or more. Supply plate 102
The number of balls above is the number of balls initially discharged by the ball rental device 40 onto the supply plate 102 (the number of balls bought) and the cumulative number of prize balls paid out for the winning balls (safe balls) generated during the game. And, it can be known from the number of hit balls shot in the game board, and the number of balls bought is from the drive signal from the CPU 211 to the ball rental device 40, and the cumulative number of prize balls is the detection signal from the safe ball detector 35 in advance. From the set number of prize balls for one winning ball (for example, 13 balls), the number of hit balls can be easily calculated from the detection signals of the collected ball detector 34 and the foul ball detector 33.

As described above, the number of balls on the supply plate 102 is 26.
The reason for determining whether or not the number is 0 or more is that if the number of balls on the supply plate 102 increases, the balls overflow from the supply plate and spill out, making it impossible to collect accurate data.

In step S2, the number of balls on the supply plate 102 is 2
If it is determined that the number of balls has not reached 60, the shutter 72 in the middle of the prize ball lead-out path 122 on the back surface of the game board (see FIG. 4)
Is switched as shown by the broken line so that all the paid out prize balls flow out onto the supply plate 102 (step S).
3).

When it is determined in step S2 that the number of balls on the supply plate 102 has reached 260 or more, the shutter 72 in the middle of the prize ball lead-out path 122 on the back of the game board is switched as shown by a solid line and paid out. All the awarded prize balls are caused to flow out onto the receiving tray 103 (step S12).

The shutter 72 is switched by driving the solenoid 73 about 0.8 seconds after the safe ball detector 35 detects the safe ball. This is because when the prize ball paid out by the prize ball discharge device 116 passes through the branch point of the prize ball outlet path 122, when the shutter 72 is rotated, the shutter bites the ball and completely passes through the path. This is to prevent the な く な る from closing. On average, it takes about 0.6 seconds from when the winning ball (safe ball) that operates the winning ball controller 112 is detected by the safe ball detector 35 until all the prize balls (13 balls) have passed through the branch point. It costs. Therefore, by switching the shutter 72 0.8 seconds after the safe ball is detected as described above, it is possible to prevent the ball clogging at this portion.

The number of balls in the receiving tray 103 can be calculated as the sum of the safe ball detection signal and the foul ball detection signal after the shutter 72 is switched.

After switching the shutter, the process proceeds to step S4, where it is determined whether or not the number of balls in the receiving tray 103 is 250 or more.

In step S4, the number of balls on the pan 103 is 25.
If it is determined that the number has not reached zero, the shutter for removing balls provided at the bottom of the tray 103 is closed (step S5). However, in step S4, the saucer 10
When it is determined that the number of balls on the third tray 3 has reached 250 or more, the ball punching device 50 is operated to open the shutter provided at the bottom of the tray 103, and the balls in the tray 103 are pulled out (step S3). S13).

Thus, in step S13, the pan 103 is received.
By pulling out the balls inside, it is possible to prevent overflow in the pan. In addition, when the ball is removed by the ball removing device 50, the balls 32 are detected by the internal detectors 32a to 32c, counted, and stored in the RAM 213.

After step S5 or S13, the process proceeds to step S6, where it is determined whether or not the number of balls on the supply tray 102 is more than 20, and if it is more than 20, the process jumps to step S1. Repeat the operation. Then
If it is determined that the number of balls on the supply tray 102 has become 20 or less, the process proceeds to step S7, and it is determined whether or not the number of balls on the tray 103 is 25 or more. This is to determine whether or not there are enough balls to be moved from the receiving tray 103 when the number of balls on the supply tray 102 is reduced.

When it is determined in step S7 that the number of balls in the tray 103 is 25 or more, the process proceeds to step S14, the ball drop device 50 is operated to remove all the balls in the tray 103, and then the process proceeds to step S15. Then, the ball rental device 40 is operated here to replenish 25 balls at a time onto the supply tray 102. As a result, it is possible to prevent the supply tray 102 from becoming empty and the hitting ball launching device from spinning idle.

The operation of steps S7 → S14 → S15 replaces the operation of the player transferring the ball to the supply tray 102 if there is no ball on the tray 103 when the ball on the supply tray 102 runs out during the game. In the present embodiment, there is no apparatus for performing such a work, so that this operation is performed in a pseudo manner by the ball removing device 50 and the ball-lending device 40.
Therefore, in this case, in step S15, the ball rental device 40
Does not increase the number of coins purchased in the RAM 213 even when the supply tray is replenished by operating the.
The number of coins removed from is reduced by 25.

After step S15, the process returns to step S1 to repeat the above operation.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S7 that the number of balls in the tray 103 is not more than 25, the process proceeds to step S8, where the remaining number of balls already removed from the tray 103 and the current number of balls in the tray 103 are determined. It is determined whether or not the sum is 25 or more. The fact that this sum is 25 or more means that there are 25 or more remaining prize balls (including foul balls) already paid out in the actual game, so the player returns it to the supply plate, This means that it is not necessary to buy a ball from the ball rental device again. Therefore, if it is determined in step S8 that there are 25 or more balls, the process proceeds to step S15, where 25 balls are supplied from the ball-lending apparatus 40 to the supply tray 102, and 25 is subtracted from the remaining number of balls to be removed instead. Hereinafter, this is referred to as a reducing sphere.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S8 that the sum of the remaining number of balls to be removed and the number of balls in the receiving tray 103 is not more than 25, the process proceeds to step S9, in which the ball-lending apparatus 40 is operated and supplied. A ball-lending device driving signal for replenishing balls on the plate 102 is output. Then, in response to this, as shown in FIG. 6, the pachinko gaming machine Pi sends the interface circuit 91
Is output to the collection controller 200 via the control unit 200, and the number of purchased balls is calculated based on the detected signal, and the accumulated number of purchased balls is increased by that number. At this time, the number of coins to be bought once is determined based on the first set value, and when the setting is not made, the purchase of 75 coins is automatically performed. After step S9, the process returns to step S1 to repeat the above operation.

While the CPU 211 performs control in accordance with the above procedure, it receives detection signals from various detectors and special game mode generation signals, performs calculations, collects various data, and collects the data every minute. Hand over to 300. The data collected by the collection controller 200 and passed to the totalizer 300 is
For example, the number of purchased balls, the number of foul balls, the number of safe balls, the number of out balls, the number of collected balls, the number of refill balls, the number of balls in the prize ball tank (remaining amount),
The number of balls in the supply dish, the number of balls in the saucer, the number of return balls, the number of balls, the number of balls (the number of balls in the supply tray + the number of balls in the saucer + the number of balls), the number of hits, etc.

The above-mentioned number of payouts is a predetermined number (for example, 300
0), even if there is a replenishment request signal from the ball shortage detector 31, the prize ball tank 117 is not replenished, the display lamp L ₃ of the interface box 90 is turned on, and the buzzer B is turned on. It sounds to let you know that it is "stopped". When it is stopped, the collection controller 2
00 stops the data collection, and then the operator operates the clear switch SW ₁ on the interface box 90 to clear the collected data, removes all the balls in the gaming machine, and then restarts the measurement SW ₂ Data collection is restarted by turning on. In the above case, the collection controller 200 can know the number of times of stopping by counting the number of times the clear switch SW ₁ is operated, and can pass this to the totalizer.

The counting machine 300 processes the various data as described above received from the collection control device 200, and further processes the data itself, such as the number of splits (outgoing balls ÷ purchasing balls × 10) and the degree of slump (the number of safe balls per minute). By calculating the data, for example, a line graph as shown in FIG. 10 or a bar graph as shown in FIG.
The image is displayed on the CRT display device 330 and printed by the printer 340.

As described above, according to the data collection system of this embodiment, not only the supply of balls to the prize ball tank 117 but also the supply of Operations such as replenishment and withdrawal of the prize balls in the receiving tray 103, which have conventionally required manual operations, and data collection such as the number of winning balls are all performed automatically. In addition, when applied to a pachinko machine manufacturer's data aggregation system, it is not necessary for each gaming machine to have an operator to collect data, supply and remove balls, etc. Can be performed continuously without the need for As a result, highly reliable data can be obtained. Further, in the above embodiment, since the gaming machine itself is hardly provided with any special device for the test except for the switching shutter 72, it is possible to collect extremely accurate data with a slight increase in cost.

According to this embodiment, since the special mode generation signal is transmitted from the pachinko gaming machine to the management device,
The game data can be collected while distinguishing between the special game state and the normal game state. Therefore, the progress of the game during the special game can be grasped, and for example, it is possible to know whether or not the gaming machine is likely to cause a phenomenon called so-called puncture in which the right expires before the special game is completely completed. Moreover, according to this embodiment, the types of data that can be collected are increased as compared with the conventional method that relies on manual labor, various types of data are collected, and based on the collected data, graphs and other easy-to-understand materials are widely distributed. Not only can it be created, but it can be displayed while the system is running as well as after the system is running.
Therefore, it becomes possible to grasp the gaming state of each gaming machine in real time. In addition, pachinko machine manufacturers can streamline the process up to the final commercialization by modifying the arrangement of obstacle nails in the gaming machine based on the collected data, and can develop efficient new models.

Further, since various kinds of data can be collected as described above, it is possible to easily know the change in characteristics due to adjustment by performing different nail adjustments for each table. As a result, those data can be printed out in the form of graphs and tables, which can be used as reference materials when determining the final gauge (nail arrangement), so that better game machines can be developed. In addition, the characteristics of each gaming machine and the nail adjusting method can be explained in an easy-to-understand and highly reliable manner while showing the above materials to the gaming shop side. As a result, the characteristics of each model can be fully understood, adjustments suitable for various conditions can be promptly performed, and the gaming shop can perform management utilizing the characteristics of each gaming machine.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are conceivable. For example, in the above embodiment, the hit ball hitting each winning opening provided in the game area is collectively detected by the detector 35 as a safe ball. However, a detector is provided for each winning opening, and each winning opening is provided. Ease of hitting a hit ball may be collected as data.
It is also possible to provide a detector at an appropriate position in the game area other than the winning opening to detect a sphere passing through a specific flow path and check the flow-down situation.

In any of the above cases, if a non-contact type sensor for sensing metal is used as a detector and it is attached to the glass plate on the front of the game board using a suction cup or the like, the detector is relatively simple. Can be mounted and the mounting position can be changed. It is also possible to provide a sensor for detecting the position where the hit ball fired by the hit ball firing device 2 first jumps, and to collect data based on the difference in the hit position. Further, in the operation test, conditions other than the game machine, such as temperature and humidity during the test and the polishing condition of the ball can be input to the totaling machine and printed together with the collected data.

[0086]

As described above, according to the present invention, the game area surrounded by the guide rails is provided on the front surface, and the prizes determined to pay out the prize balls by winning the game balls in the game area. Pachinko gaming machine equipped with a gaming board having an area and an out port for collecting unplayed gaming balls as out balls, and various data in each pachinko gaming machine in response to detection signals from a plurality of pachinko gaming machines In a data collection device of a pachinko gaming machine having a collection control device for calculating, a ball rental device for ejecting game balls is provided adjacent to each pachinko gaming machine, and the game dispensed to the ball rental device is provided. A game ball discharge nozzle that guides the ball to the supply plate of the pachinko gaming machine is provided, and when the game ball is discharged from the ball lending device to the supply plate as a purchase ball, the purchase ball detection signal is collected. Since the number of coins purchased for each pachinko gaming machine is calculated by sending it to the device, when the gaming balls used for the game by the ball rental device are ejected to the supply plate as the coins, the coins are detected from the pachinko gaming machine. Since the signal is output, it is possible to grasp in real time data and the like corresponding to sales of each gaming machine. This allows
Based on the collected data, the pachinko machine manufacturer can correct the arrangement of the obstacle nails in the game machine to rationalize the process until the final commercialization and to develop an efficient new model. Further, there is an effect that the nail adjusting method suitable for the gaming machine can be easily communicated to the gaming shop side.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a configuration example of a pachinko gaming machine for which data is collected by a data totaling system according to the present invention and auxiliary devices provided around the pachinko gaming machine;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of a pachinko gaming machine and an auxiliary device,

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration example of a ball ejection processing device.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by a chain line A in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a data aggregation system according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an interface box,

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a collection controller.

FIG. 8 is a first half of a flowchart showing an example of a control procedure of a CPU in the collection controller,

FIG. 9 is a latter half of a flowchart showing an example of a control procedure of the CPU in the collection controller;

FIG. 10 is a graph showing a representation example of data obtained by the data totaling system according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a graph showing a representation example of data obtained by the data collection system according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 game board 2 hitting ball launching device 3 guide rail 4 variable display device 5 special variation winning device 7,8 specific winning port 10 out port 31-35 detector 40 ball rental device 50 ball removing device 60 replenishing device 72 switching shutter 90 interface / Box 102 Supply tray 103 Sauce 117 Prize ball tank 122 Prize ball outlet 200 Collection controller 210 CPU board 220 Input board 230 Output board 300 Aggregator

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A game area surrounded by a guide rail is provided on the front surface. In the game area, a prize area determined to pay out a prize ball by winning a game ball and a game ball not winning a prize are provided. A pachinko gaming machine provided with a gaming board having an outro for collecting as an out ball, and a collection control device for receiving various detection signals from a plurality of pachinko gaming machines and computing various data in each pachinko gaming machine. In a data collection device of a pachinko gaming machine, a ball rental device for ejecting game balls is provided adjacent to each of the pachinko gaming machines, and the game balls ejected to the ball rental device are supplied to a supply plate of the pachinko gaming machine. A game ball discharge nozzle for guiding is provided, and when a game ball is discharged from the ball rental device to the supply plate as a purchase ball, a purchase ball detection signal is sent to the collection control device to perform the pachinko game. Data collection device of the pachinko game machine which is characterized in that so as to calculate the purchase piece count data of each.