JP3781568B2 - game machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a game machine that plays a game using a game body such as a medal.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As this type of game machine, there is a game machine in which a medal insertion device such as a hopper is installed above a vertical board surface and a medal is mechanically inserted in response to an instruction from a player or an event occurrence in a game (for example, a special game machine). (See Kaihei 7-59905 and JP-A-8-299587).
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-described conventional apparatus, a path for the player to directly insert medals along the board surface is provided separately from the medal insertion path by the insertion apparatus, or the medal insertion apparatus is also used as a medal payout apparatus for the player. In addition, the movement path of medals guided onto the board is not separated from the path related to the payout of medals to the player and the reception of medals from the player. For this reason, medals that are thrown into the board side from the throwing device and circulate in the game machine easily mix with medals thrown by the player. Therefore, both must always be medals of the same standard, and there are restrictions in designing the game machine. For example, in order to prevent illegal acts using magnets, even if non-magnetic medals are considered on the board, medals used in game centers and the like generally contain nickel components, and such medals As long as it enters the board, it is not effective to prepare a non-magnetic medal on the game machine side.
[0004]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a game machine in which the movement path of a game body such as a medal is improved and the restriction on the game body circulating in the game machine is eliminated.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention will be described below. In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are appended in parentheses, but the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment.
[0006]
The invention of claim 1 A first game body supply device (100) for storing the first game body input by the player and paying out the first game body to the player; and a board surface portion (20) having a height difference in the vertical direction. A second game body supply device (50, 60) for storing the second game body that has passed and supplying the second game body to the board portion based on an instruction from the player; The movement path of the first game body passing through the first game body supply apparatus and the movement path of the second game body passing through the second game body supply apparatus are separated from each other. The second game body supply device includes: Dropped from the board surface The second Store the game and store it Second Lower supply device for launching a game body (50) And the punched out from the lower supply device Second Guiding device for guiding a game body toward the upper side of the board surface portion (53, 54) And the fallen from the guide device Second An upper supply device for storing a game body and throwing it toward the board surface portion (60) And said Second A medal (M) is provided as a game, Each of the lower supply device and the upper supply device, A storage unit (50a, capable of storing the medals in an unaligned state) 60a ) And a rotating body (50c, 60c) that is arranged at the bottom of the storage unit and that can rotate along a plane that intersects the vertical direction and that can receive the medal, and rotates the rotating body The game machine is characterized in that it is a medal hopper (50, 60) that takes out the medals stored in the storage unit and sends out the medals from the storage unit one by one to the outside.
[0007]
According to this invention, When the player inserts the first game body and instructs the board surface portion to insert the second game body, the second game body supply device supplies the second game body to the board surface portion, and in response thereto A game associated with the movement of the second game body is played in the board portion. The second game body that has passed through the board surface is collected and stored in the second game body supply device. When the player requests to pay out a payout obtained in the game, the first game supply device pays out a predetermined number of first games to the player. Since the movement paths of the first and second game bodies are separated from each other, the game body thrown in by the player does not enter the movement path of the second game body, and the first game body and the second game body A distinction can be made between the game body and the game machine. Therefore, it is not necessary to match the second game body led to the board surface portion with the first game body, and according to the convenience of the game machine, such as a non-magnetic material or a special decoration according to the design of the game machine. The second game body can be freely selected. Further, since non-standard game bodies are not mixed into the board surface portion, there is no inconvenience such as clogging on the second game body supply device side. With respect to the movement path of the second game body, since a certain number of game bodies are always circulating, the number of game bodies can be easily managed. Also, Since the game body stored in the upper supply device is thrown into the board surface portion, it is possible to supply the game body more quickly than in the case where the game body is launched from below when it is necessary. In addition, since the game body is stored in the lower supply device, the lower supply device can function as a supply source of the game body for the upper supply device. Therefore, it is not necessary to store all the game bodies necessary for the game machine in the upper supply apparatus, and it is sufficient to supply the game bodies from the lower supply apparatus to the upper supply apparatus when a shortage occurs. For this reason, an upper supply apparatus can be comprised compactly compared with the structure which stores all the game bodies in an upper supply apparatus. The hopper (50, 60) is widely used as a medal supply device, and according to the present invention, since such a hopper is used, the game machine of the present invention can be easily realized.
[0008]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the gaming machine according to the first aspect, a lower delivery detection device that outputs a predetermined detection signal in response to the delivery of the second game body from the lower supply device (50). 112), an upper delivery detection device (113) that outputs a predetermined detection signal in response to delivery of the second game body from the upper supply device (60), the lower delivery detection device, and the upper delivery Based on the detection signal from each of the detection devices, the upper supply device stores the Second And a control device (100) for controlling the number of game bodies within a predetermined range.
[0009]
According to the present invention, the signal is sent from each of the lower supply device and the upper supply device using signals sent from the lower delivery detection device and the upper delivery detection device. Second The number of game bodies can be counted. Therefore, it is stored in the upper supply device at an appropriate reference time (for example, when the game machine starts operation). Second Grasping the number of games and sending it from each device after the standard Second If you count the number of game bodies, it is stored in the upper supply device Second The number of game bodies can always be accurately grasped. And in the upper feeder Second From the lower supply device to the upper supply device so that the number of game bodies is kept in the proper range Second By controlling the replenishment of the game body, Second Always prevent the upper supply device from malfunctioning due to excessive or excessive accumulation of games. Second The game body can be supplied to the board surface.
[0010]
Claim 3 The invention of claim 2 In the game machine described in The control device (100) is based on an operation continuation means for continuing the delivery operation of the second game body to the upper supply device, and a detection signal from the upper delivery detection device during the operation, An empty state detecting means for detecting an empty state of the upper supply device, and an operation switching means for stopping the upper supply device in response to the detection of the empty state and activating the lower supply device to continue its sending operation And an accumulated number detecting means for detecting the number of the second game bodies stored in the upper supply device on the basis of a detection signal from the lower delivery detecting device during operation, and an accumulated number detecting means And a stop instruction means for stopping the lower supply device when the number detected in a predetermined range is reached. It is characterized by being.
[0011]
According to the present invention, the upper supply device goes to the lower supply device until the empty state is reached. Second Deliver the game, then from the lower supply device to the upper supply device Second It is stored in the upper supply device by counting the number while sending out the game body Second The number of game bodies can be accurately grasped. If such an operation is performed at an appropriate time, in the upper supply device Second The number of games can be managed accurately.
[0012]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the game machine according to the second aspect, the control device stores the upper supply device. Second The number of game bodies and the predetermined range are compared to the upper supply device. Second Determining means for determining whether or not the game body needs to be replenished; and when the determining means determines that replenishment is necessary, driving of the lower supply device is started and the upper supply device stores the Second The driving of the lower supply device is continued until the number of game bodies reaches a predetermined range, and the upper supply device stores the Second And a management processing means for executing a management process for stopping the driving of the lower supply device at an appropriate frequency when the number of game bodies reaches a predetermined range.
[0013]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the game machine according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the upper supply device is provided. Medal The capacity of the storage part (60a) of the hopper (60) is provided as the lower supply device. Medal It is smaller than the capacity | capacitance of the said storage part (50a) of a hopper (50), It is characterized by the above-mentioned. Medal Since the hopper tends to be more responsive as the capacity of the storage unit is smaller, a medal can be inserted quickly in response to an instruction from the player if a smaller upper supply device is used. When the capacity is small and there are not enough medals, Medal What is necessary is just to replenish at an appropriate timing from the hopper. As upper feeder Medal Since the hopper is small, the mechanism above the board surface can be configured compactly.
[0020]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
1 to 4 show the appearance of a medal game machine to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 is a perspective view, FIG. 2 is a front view, FIG. 3 is a right side view, and FIG. As shown in these drawings, the game machine 1 includes a main body portion 2 and an operation portion 3 provided in front thereof. The operation unit 3 is provided with four stations 4... 4 as a place where the player plays the game. A circular push button switch 5 is provided at the center of the upper surface of each station 4, and a rectangular push button switch 6 is provided on the right side thereof. A medal slot 7 is provided above the push button switch 6, and rectangular push button switches H and P are provided above the slot 7. The push button switch 5 is a bet switch for instructing the player to insert medals, and the push button switch 6 is for instructing to move the medal payout number obtained by the player with the medal game machine of this embodiment into the medal hold number called credit. A collect switch and a push button switch P are payout switches for a player to give out a medal (payout), and a push button switch H is a help switch for giving an instruction for the player to display information such as a game operation method on a monitor 23 described later. Function as each. A medal payout port 8 is provided in front of each station 4.
[0021]
FIG. 5 shows the internal structure of the station 4. A main body 2 is provided on the left side of the figure. The medals inserted from the insertion slot 7 are guided to the separator 9 and separated into those that meet a predetermined standard and those that do not. Medals conforming to the standard are guided to the storage unit 10a of the hopper 10, and other medals are returned to the medal payout port 8 (not shown in FIG. 5) through the guide 11. The hopper 10 rotates a disk (not shown) with a hole arranged at the bottom of the storage unit 10a by a motor 10b, thereby taking in medals one by one into the hole of the disk and predetermined on the rotation path of the disk. This is a known configuration in which medals are launched one by one from the position.
[0022]
The medals launched from the hopper 10 are guided only to the medal payout opening 8 and are not supplied to the main body 2 side. That is, the hopper 10 only stores medals inserted from the player and pays out medals to the player. A storage container 12 for storing overflowing medals is provided below the hopper 10. One hopper 10 may be provided for each station 4 or may be shared by a plurality of stations 4. However, in the case of sharing, a means for selecting a medal payout opening is required.
[0023]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the main body 2 is provided with vertical game panel portions 20... 20 corresponding to the stations 4, and a top panel 21 is attached above the game panel portions 20. As shown in FIG. 6, the game panel unit 20 is provided with a panel device 22 that defines a drop space 25 (see FIG. 7) of medals as a game body, and a monitor 23 is attached to the back thereof. . One panel device 22 is provided for each game panel unit 20. For example, a plasma display device is used for the monitor 23. The screen 23a of the monitor 23 is substantially equal to the size of two panel devices 22 arranged on the left and right. In other words, the monitor 23 is attached across the two game panel portions 20 and 20, and a total of two monitors 23 are provided in the main body portion 2. The screen 23 a of the monitor 23 is attached in close contact with the back of the panel device 22. The panel device 22 is transparent as a whole, and the image on the monitor 23 can be clearly observed through this.
[0024]
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the panel device 22, and the right side of the figure is the side facing the monitor 23. The panel device 22 is configured by combining a front panel 30A and a back panel 30B in parallel with each other so that a medal drop space 25 having a width W is formed therebetween. The width W of the medal drop space 25 is slightly larger than the thickness t of the medal M.
[0025]
The front panel 30A includes a substrate 32, a protection plate 33, and a pattern printing film 34 interposed therebetween. Similarly, the back panel 30B also includes a substrate 35, a protective plate 36, and a pattern printing film 37 interposed therebetween. The substrate 32 and the protection plates 33 and 36 are each made of a transparent acrylic plate. Hard surfaces are applied to the surfaces 33a, 36a of the protection plates 33, 36 facing the medal drop space 25 so as to withstand contact with the medal M, respectively. In addition, you may comprise the board | substrate 32 with a glass plate.
[0026]
The substrate 35 of the back panel 30B is made of polycarbonate that is softer and more transparent than acrylic. The reason is that a plurality of (only one is shown in FIG. 7) rivets 38 for obstructing the course of the medal M in the medal drop space 25 are driven into the substrate 35. However, the material of the substrate 35 is not limited to polycarbonate, and may be, for example, impact-resistant acrylic. The rivet 38 is made of stainless steel, and the tip side thereof passes through the protection plate 36 and the medal drop space 25 and reaches the protection plate 33 on the opposite side. Alternatively, a configuration in which the tip of the rivet 38 contacts the display without penetrating the protective plate 33 may be used.
[0027]
The protective plates 33 and 36 are appropriately provided with through holes 33b and 36b. The pattern printing films 34 and 37 are provided with a light emitting portion 40A and a light receiving portion 40B that constitute the upper chucker sensor (detection device) 40 in alignment with the through holes 33b and 36b, respectively. Thereby, the through holes 33b and 36b function as recesses for receiving the sensor 40. The light emitting unit 40A emits infrared light, and the light receiving unit 40B outputs a signal corresponding to the intensity of the received infrared light. The light emitting unit 40A and the light receiving unit 40B are fixed using conductive adhesive on conductive patterns (not shown) formed on the pattern printing films 34 and 37, respectively, and the game machine 1 is controlled via these conductive patterns. Electrically connected to the device. The printing films 34 and 37 are made of a transparent material, for example, PET (polyethylene terephthalate), and a conductive pattern having high transparency is used. For example, a pattern using carbon or silver is used as the conductive pattern. However, the transparency that cannot be completely seen from the front of the game machine 1 is not necessarily required. Of course, if the problem of the resistance value of the conductive pattern is cleared, the conductive pattern may be formed of a transparent conductor. In this case, the visibility of the screen of the monitor 23 is further improved. When the conductive pattern can be visually recognized from the front of the game machine 1, on the contrary, the conductive pattern may be used to express a picture, a character, or the like. The conductive patterns may be directly printed on the substrates 32 and 35 to omit the films 34 and 37. The thickness of the protection plates 33 and 36 is determined so that the light emitting part 40A and the light receiving part 40B protrude into the medal drop space 25 and do not contact the medal M.
[0028]
When the medal M crosses the front surface of the light receiving unit 40B, the infrared light from the light emitting unit 40A is blocked and the output signal from the light receiving unit 40B changes. The passage of the medal M can be detected at a desired position in the medal drop space 25 by detecting a signal corresponding to the decrease in the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 40B. Since the light receiving unit 40B is provided on the back panel 30B to detect light coming from the front of the game machine 1, the light emitted from the monitor 23 does not directly enter the light receiving unit 40B, and the monitor 23 detects the detection accuracy. There is no risk of being disturbed. Further, since the decrease in the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 40B corresponds to the passage of the medal M, even if light other than the infrared light from the light emitting unit 40A enters the light receiving unit 40B from the front of the front panel 30A, the medal M passes. Is not output. Therefore, there is no possibility that a detection error will occur due to the illumination of the place where the game machine 1 is installed, and no erroneous detection will occur even if there is an illegal act such as illuminating the sensor 40 with a flashlight.
[0029]
FIG. 8 shows the arrangement of the upper chucker sensor 40 and the like in one game panel unit 20. In the game panel unit 20, an upper chucker 41 is formed by a pair of transparent guide plates 41a and 41a extending in the vertical direction. A total of nine upper chuckers 41 are provided, one at the center of the game panel 20 and eight so as to surround it in a diamond shape. The chucker sensor 40 is disposed at the approximate center of each chucker 41. The guide plates 41a and 41a are made of transparent polycarbonate, and are fixed to the inner surface 36a (see FIG. 7) of the front panel 30B so as to block the medal drop space 25, for example. The guide plate 41a regulates the dropping path of the medal M near the upper chucker 41. By restricting the dropping path in this way, only the medal M passing through the vicinity of the center of the chucker sensor 40 is reliably detected, and the detection error is reduced. Since the guide plate 41a is made of the same material as the protective plate 36 to which it is bonded and fixed, the bonding work is easy.
[0030]
As is clear from FIG. 8, twelve transparent guide plates 43... 43 extending in the vertical direction are attached to the lower end of the game panel unit 20 at equal intervals. The guide plate 43 is fixed by, for example, the same method as the guide plate 41a, and regulates the dropping path of the medal M. These guide plates 43 form 13 lower chuckers 44... 44 at the lower end of the panel device 22. The medal M that has reached the lower part of the medal drop space 25 of the panel device 22 finally passes through one of the lower chuckers 44 and falls below the panel device 22. Below the panel device 22, a lower chucker sensor 46 that detects whether or not the medal M has passed in each of the lower chuckers 44 is provided (see FIG. 9). These chucker sensors 46 can be installed below the screen 23a of the monitor 23, and can be covered with a lower panel cover 26 (see FIGS. 1 and 6) that covers the lower end of the panel device 22. Therefore, it is not always necessary to adopt a configuration like the upper chucker sensor 40. For example, a reflective sensor may be provided behind the panel unit 20 and the passage thereof may be detected using reflected light from the medal M.
[0031]
As shown in FIGS. 6, 9, and 10, a lower hopper 50 and an upper hopper 60 are provided inside the main body 2. One hopper 50, 60 is provided in the game panel unit 20 one by one. Accordingly, four hoppers 50 and 60 are provided in one main body 2. In addition, each hopper 50,60 rotates the disk 50c, 60c with a hole arrange | positioned at the bottom part of the storage part 50a, 60a with the motor 50b, 60b, and puts a medal in the hole of these disks 50c, 60c. This is a known configuration in which medals are launched one by one from a predetermined position on the rotation path of the disks 50c and 60c while being taken in one by one.
[0032]
The medals that have passed through the game panel section 20 are guided to the storage section 50a of the lower hopper 50 through the guides 51 and 52 (see FIG. 9). The medals stored in the storage unit 50a are guided to the storage unit 60a of the upper hopper 60 through the escalator 53 and the chute 54 by driving the motor 50b. The medals stored in the storage unit 60a are driven one by one toward the chute 61 by driving the motor 60b. And the medal struck by the chute 61 falls into the medal drop space 25 provided in the panel device 22 of the game panel unit 20 (see FIG. 10).
[0033]
The medals launched from the lower hopper 50 are guided only to the upper hopper 60, and the medals launched from the upper hopper 60 are guided only to the medal drop space 25. The medals from the hoppers 50 and 60 are not supplied to the operation unit 3 (FIG. 1). That is, the lower hopper 50 only collects medals dropped from the medal drop space 25 and replenishes the upper hopper 60 with medals, and the upper hopper 60 only inserts medals into the medal drop space 25. Accordingly, a medal circulation path is formed on the main body 2 side independently of the medal payout path on the operation unit 3 side.
[0034]
The upper hopper 60 is smaller than the lower hopper 50, and the number of medals stored in the upper hopper 60 is smaller than that of the lower hopper 50. Since the upper hopper 60 only inserts medals into the medal drop space 25, it is not necessary to hold a large number of medals in preparation for paying out medals to the player, and responsiveness is improved by narrowing the number of stored medals. It is possible to launch medals quickly. Further, since medals from the insertion slot 7 do not enter the medal drop space 25, there is no possibility that a failure such as clogging due to insertion of medals with different standards will occur. Since medals circulating through the circulation path on the main body 2 side are not paid out to the player, the number of medals to be stored in the lower hopper 50 may be small. Moreover, the medal on the main body 2 side is not limited to a versatile medal that can be used in other game machines. Therefore, a medal with a special decoration that matches the game machine 1, for example, a decoration that matches the image displayed on the screen 23a of the monitor 23, may be used. Non-magnetic medals such as stainless steel can be specially used to prevent fraud using magnets.
[0035]
As is clear from FIGS. 8 and 10, a wiper device 70 is provided at the upper end of each game panel unit 20. The wiper device 70 is provided to change the position of the medal falling with respect to the medal falling space 25. The wiper device 70 swings the pair of arms 71 and 71 arranged in the medal falling space 25 and the arms 71 and 71 within a certain range. And a swing mechanism 72 to be moved.
[0036]
As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the swing mechanism 72 includes a motor 73 with an instantaneous stop function (FIG. 10), a drive plate 74 attached to the output shaft thereof, and a housing 2 a (see FIG. 10). 6)), a pair of levers 76, 76 rotatably attached to the pin 75, and the tip of the lever 76 are rotatably connected via pins 77, 77. A sliding body 78 and a link 79 connecting the sliding body 78 and the drive plate 74.
[0037]
One end of the link 79 is connected to the drive plate 74 at a position eccentric from the center of rotation. The levers 76 and 76 are connected to the upper ends of the arms 71 and 71 and the pins 75 and 75 so as to be integrally rotatable. Therefore, when the motor 73 is driven to rotate the drive plate 74, the rotational motion is converted into the reciprocating motion of the sliding body 78 in the left-right direction, and the arms 71 and 71 are reciprocally swung in a certain range accordingly. The medals launched from the upper hopper 60 are guided between the arms 71 and 71 and fall into the medal drop space 25. Therefore, the dropping direction of the medal changes according to the inclination of the arm 71.
[0038]
A pair of wiper sensors 80, 80 are provided side by side above the sliding body 78 in order to detect whether the arms 71, 71 are located at the left or right end of the swing range. Each wiper sensor 80 is of a transmissive type including a pair of light emitting portions and light receiving portions. When the wiper arm 71 is positioned at almost the end of the swing range, the dog 78a provided at the upper end of the sliding body 78 overlaps with any one of the sensors 80 to block the inspection light from entering the light receiving unit. As a result, the positions of the arms 71 and 71 are detected.
[0039]
FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a control system provided in one game machine. In the game machine 1 of the present embodiment, one CPU 100 is provided for the two game panel sections 20 and 20. In other words, one CPU 100 is provided for one monitor 23. Accordingly, the game machine 1 as a whole is provided with two sets of the configuration shown in FIG.
[0040]
The CPU 100 includes a microprocessor unit and peripheral circuits necessary for its operation, and performs calculations necessary for a game and operation control of each unit. The CPU 100 is connected with the bet switch 5, the payout switch P, the chucker sensors 40 and 46, and the wiper sensor 80 described above as input elements via the bus 101. In FIG. 12, only one chucker sensor 40, 46 is shown for each game panel section 20, but as described above, nine upper chuck sensors 40 and thirteen lower chuckers for one game panel section 20 are shown. A sensor 46 is provided, and all of the output signals are guided to the CPU 100. The CPU 100 manages signals from each sensor, for example, by assigning different port numbers to each other, and can determine which sensor the signal is from.
[0041]
In addition to the sensors described above, the CPU 100 is connected to the insertion detection sensor 110, the payout sensor 111, the lower hopper sensor 112, and the upper hopper sensor 113, which are illustrated only in FIG. The insertion detection sensor 110 outputs a signal indicating insertion of a medal every time a medal is introduced from the medal insertion port 7 through the separator 9 to the payout hopper 10. The payout sensor 111 outputs a signal indicating the medal payout every time one medal is paid out from the hopper 10. Further, the lower hopper sensor 112 and the upper hopper sensor 113 output a signal indicating a medal payout every time a medal is paid out from the lower hopper 50 and the upper hopper 60, respectively.
[0042]
Next, a monitor 23, a speaker 120, and an illumination device 121 are connected to the CPU 100 through the display control circuit 122, the sound control circuit 123, and the lighting control circuit 124, respectively (except for the monitor 23). (Shown only in FIG. 12). The display control circuit 122 displays an image in response to a request from the CPU 100 on the screen 23 a of the monitor 23. The sound control circuit 123 causes the speaker 120 to output musical sounds, voices, sound effects, etc. in response to a request from the CPU 100. In response to a command from the CPU 100, the lighting control circuit 124 switches blinking of an electrical decoration device 121 (for example, a strobe light) provided in each part of the game machine 1. Further, the CPU 100 is connected with the motors 10 b, 50 b, 60 b of the hoppers 10, 50, 60 described above and the wiper motor 73 through the drive circuit 130 as control targets.
[0043]
Further, a RAM 140, a ROM 141, and an external storage device (for example, a hard disk storage device, a CD-ROM, and a reading device thereof) 142 as storage means are connected to the CPU 100 via the bus 101. The ROM 141 stores programs and data necessary for controlling basic operations of the game machine 1, and the RAM 141 stores data that changes sequentially during the game, for example, the winning status of medals for chuckers. The external storage device stores data that cannot be stored in the ROM 141 (for example, moving image data to be displayed on the monitor 23). If the storage capacity of the ROM 141 is sufficient, the external storage device 142 may be omitted. A communication control device 150 is also connected to the CPU 100 via the bus 101. The communication control device 150 is provided to appropriately exchange information with the CPU 100 of another set of control systems provided in the game machine 1.
[0044]
Next, the operation control of the CPU 100 regarding the medal flow in the game machine 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0045]
FIG. 13 shows the procedure of the upper hopper initialization process executed by the CPU 100 when a predetermined initialization operation (for example, power-on or reset switch operation) is performed on the game machine 1. This process is performed in order for the CPU 100 to grasp the number of medals stored in the upper hopper 60 and is equally executed for the hoppers 50 and 60 of each game panel unit 20.
[0046]
First, in step S10, the driving of the upper hopper 60 is started, and then it waits for a predetermined time (step S11). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the upper hopper sensor 113 has detected a medal (step S12). If it is detected, the process returns to step S11. If no medal is detected after waiting for a predetermined time, it is determined that there are no medals in the upper hopper 60, and the process proceeds to step S13 to stop driving the upper hopper 60. The predetermined time in step S11 is set to a time during which it can be determined with certainty that there are no medals in the upper hopper 60. Normally, medals are intermittently discharged at a predetermined cycle by driving the hopper 60, so that the medals from the hopper 60 are idle (the medal is not regularly stored in the disk 60c of the hopper 60). For example, it is set to a plurality of cycles or more.
[0047]
Subsequently, a predetermined initial value (for example, 0) is stored as the number of medals of the upper hopper 60 in a predetermined area of the RAM 140 (step S14), the driving of the lower hopper 50 is started and the medals are launched to the upper hopper 60 (step S15). ).
[0048]
Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the lower hopper sensor 112 has detected a medal (step S16). If it is detected, 1 is added to the medal number of the upper hopper 60 stored in the RAM 140 (step S17). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the number of medals in the upper hopper 60 has reached a predetermined value (step S18), and if it does not reach the predetermined value, the process returns to step S16. If it has reached the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S19, the driving of the lower hopper 50 is stopped, and the upper hopper initialization process is finished.
[0049]
Here, the predetermined value in step S18 is determined in relation to the occurrence rate of the so-called idling phenomenon of the upper hopper 60. That is, as described above, the upper hopper 60 is configured to rotate a disk with a hole and launch a medal taken into the hole. In such a hopper, even if the number of medals stored in the storage unit 60a is too large or conversely too small, medals are not smoothly taken into the disk, and the disk is rotating despite the rotation. An empty shot phenomenon occurs in which no medal is launched. In this game machine 1, when the player presses the bet switch 5, a medal is dropped from the upper hopper 60 into the medal drop space 25 in response to this, and therefore an unnatural impression is given to the player when an empty shot occurs. Therefore, the upper hopper 60 is examined in advance for the range of the number of medals where the occurrence rate of blank shots is the lowest, and the game is started from the state where the number of medals of the upper hopper 60 is within the appropriate range. For example, the predetermined value is set to the upper limit value of the appropriate range or the vicinity thereof.
[0050]
When a medal cannot be detected in step S16, the process proceeds to step S20, and it is determined whether or not a state where a medal cannot be detected continues for a predetermined time. When it is determined that the time is not up, the process returns to step 15 to instruct the lower hopper 50 to start driving again. On the other hand, when the time is up, the process proceeds to step S21, a predetermined error process is performed, and the initialization process is completed. This is because one of the hoppers 50 and 60 may have a failure or the number of medals in the hoppers 50 and 60 may be insufficient.
[0051]
After setting the number of medals in the upper hopper 60 within the appropriate range as described above, the CPU 100 executes the upper hopper management process shown in FIG. 14 at an appropriate cycle. In this process, first, the number of medals of the upper hopper 60 stored in the RAM 140 is acquired (step S30). This number is a value that changes by being subtracted from the stored value of the RAM 140 every time a medal is inserted into the medal drop space 25 by the processing of FIG.
[0052]
In the subsequent step S31, the acquired medal number is compared with the appropriate range of the medal number of the upper hopper 60 to determine whether or not replenishment is necessary. If it is determined that replenishment is unnecessary, the upper hopper management process ends. If it is determined that replenishment is necessary, the process proceeds to step S32 to start driving the lower hopper 50. In the subsequent step S33, it is determined whether or not the lower hopper sensor 112 has detected a medal. If it is detected, 1 is added to the number of medals in the upper hopper 60 stored in the RAM 140 (step S34). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the number of medals in the upper hopper 60 has reached a predetermined value (step S35), and if not, the process returns to step S33. If it has reached the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S36, the driving of the lower hopper 50 is stopped, and the upper hopper management process is ended. The predetermined value in step S35 may be the same as that in step S18 in FIG.
[0053]
When a medal cannot be detected in step S33, the process proceeds to step S37, and it is determined whether or not a state where a medal cannot be detected continues for a predetermined time. When it is determined that the time is not up, the process returns to step 32 to instruct to start driving the lower hopper 50 again. On the other hand, when the time is up, the process proceeds to step S38, a predetermined error process is performed, and the upper hopper management process is terminated.
[0054]
By executing the process of FIG. 14 at an appropriate frequency, the upper hopper 60 always stores medals in an appropriate range. Therefore, the best state can always be maintained with respect to the insertion of medals.
[0055]
FIG. 15 shows processing executed by the CPU 100 to manage the insertion of medals into the medal drop space 25 and the payout of medals to the player during the game. This process is equally performed for the two stations 4, 4 and their corresponding hoppers 50, 60. Further, the medal management process of FIG. 15 is repeatedly executed while the game machine 1 is in operation, except when the execution is prohibited in relation to other processes.
[0056]
When the medal management process is started, the CPU 100 first determines in step S40 whether or not the insertion detection sensor 110 has detected insertion of a medal, that is, whether or not the player has inserted a medal according to the standard from the medal insertion slot 7. When it is determined that there is an insertion, 1 is added to the number of credits stored in the RAM 140 (step S41), and then the process proceeds to step S42. If it is determined that there is no input, the process proceeds to step S42. The credit number is the number of medals recognized by the game machine 1 as a player's share.
[0057]
In step S42, it is determined whether or not the bet switch 5 has been turned on by the player. If it is turned on, it is determined whether or not the number of credits is 0 (step S43). If it is not 0, a medal insertion process is executed in step S44, and then the process proceeds to step S45. If it is not ON in step S42 or if it is determined in step S43 that the number of credits is 0, step S44 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S45. The subroutine processing in step S44 will be described later.
[0058]
In step S45, it is determined whether or not the payout switch P is turned on by the player. If it is turned on, it is determined whether or not the number of credits is 0 (step S46). If it is not 0, a payout process is executed in step S47, and then the process returns to step S40. If it is not ON in step S45, or if it is determined in step S46 that the number of credits is 0, step S47 is skipped and the process returns to step S40.
[0059]
FIGS. 16 and 17 are flowcharts showing the procedure of the medal insertion process executed as the subroutine process of step S44 of FIG. 15 described above. This process is a process for inserting medals from the upper hopper 60 into the medal drop space 25 in accordance with the player's operation on the bet switch 5.
[0060]
When the medal insertion process of FIG. 16 is started, the CPU 100 first starts measuring time to detect the duration of time when the bet switch 5 is pressed (step S50), and then starts to drive the upper hopper 60 (step S51). . Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the upper hopper sensor 113 has detected a medal (step S52). When the medal is detected, the process proceeds to step S53 to temporarily stop the driving of the upper hopper 60. Subsequently, 1 is subtracted from the medal number of the upper hopper 60 stored in the RAM 140 (step S54), and 1 is subtracted from the credit number (step S55), and it is determined whether or not the credit number after the subtraction is zero (step S56). ).
[0061]
If the number of credits is not 0, it is determined in step S57 whether or not the bet switch 5 is on. If not, the medal insertion process is terminated. On the other hand, if the bet switch 5 is kept pressed, the process proceeds to step S58, and it is determined whether or not the elapsed time from the start of time measurement in step S50 has reached a predetermined time (for example, 1 to 2 seconds). If not reached, the process returns to step S57, and if reached, the process proceeds to step S59 in FIG.
[0062]
In step S59, driving of the upper hopper 60 is started, and then it is determined whether or not the upper hopper sensor 113 has detected a medal (step S60). When detected, the process proceeds to step S61, where 1 is subtracted from the medal number of the upper hopper 60 stored in the RAM 140, and then 1 is subtracted from the credit number (step S62), and it is determined whether or not the credit number after subtraction is zero. (Step S63). When the number of credits is not 0, the process proceeds to step S64, and it is determined whether or not the bet switch 5 is once turned off after an affirmative determination is made in step S58. If not turned off, the process returns to step S60, and if turned off, the process proceeds to step S65. In step S65, it is determined whether or not the bet switch 5 is turned on again. If not, the process returns to step S60. On the other hand, if it is turned on, the process proceeds to step S66 to stop the driving of the upper hopper 60, and thereafter the medal insertion process is finished. If it is determined in step S63 that the number of credits is 0, the process proceeds to step S66.
[0063]
If no medal is detected in step S52 of FIG. 16 or step S60 of FIG. 17, the process proceeds to step S70 or S75, respectively, and it is determined whether or not a state where a medal cannot be detected continues for a predetermined time. When it is determined that the time is not up, the process returns to step S51 or S59 to instruct to start driving the upper hopper 60 again. On the other hand, when the time is up, the process proceeds to step S71 or 76, a predetermined error process is performed, and the initialization process is completed.
[0064]
According to the processing described above, when the player presses the bet switch 5, first, one medal is inserted from the upper hopper 60 into the medal drop space 25. Thereafter, if the bet switch 5 is kept pressed for a predetermined time or more, medals are inserted from the upper hopper 60 into the medal dropping space 25 until the credit number becomes 0 or the player turns off the bet switch 5 and turns it on again. to continue. Note that step S65 may be omitted. In this case, when the player continues to press the bet switch 5 for a predetermined time, medals are continuously discharged, and when the operation of the bet switch 5 is stopped, the insertion of medals is stopped.
[0065]
FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the payout process executed as the subroutine process of step S47 of FIG. This process is executed in response to the operation of the payout switch P by the player in order to pay out to the player the number of medals credited at that time. The number of credits varies depending on the insertion of medals by the player, consumption in the game, and dividends.
[0066]
When the payout process of FIG. 18 is started, the CPU 100 first acquires the current credit number recorded in the RAM 140 as a payout remaining number (step S80), and then starts driving the payout hopper 10 (step S81). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the payout sensor 111 has detected a medal (step S82). If detected, the process proceeds to step S83, where 1 is subtracted from the current payout remaining number. And it is discriminate | determined whether the payout remaining number after subtraction is 0 (step S84). If the remaining payout number is not 0, the process returns to step S82. When the remaining payout amount becomes 0, the process proceeds to step S85, the drive of the payout hopper 10 is stopped, and the payout process is finished. If no medal is detected in step S82, it is determined whether or not a medal cannot be detected continues for a predetermined time (step S86). When it is determined that the time is not up, the process returns to step 81 to instruct to start driving the payout hopper 10 again. If the payout of medals is not detected even after waiting for a predetermined time due to a lack of medals or a failure of the payout hopper 10, the time is up. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S87, where a predetermined error process is performed and the initialization process is completed.
[0067]
Next, the content of the game executed on the game machine 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 19, in this embodiment, the slot bingo game is used as a basic game, and a transition is made to a fireworks event, a bonus stage, or a fever game depending on the winning status of medals for the upper chucker 41 and the lower chucker 44. The game proceeds with the flow. The fireworks event is an event in which a predetermined number of medals are continuously dropped from the upper hopper 60.
[0068]
FIG. 20 shows a configuration of a basic game screen 200 displayed on the monitor 23 when the slot bingo game is being played. In the game machine 1 of this embodiment, the panel device 22 that defines the medal drop space 25 is transparent, and the background of the medal drop space 25 is configured by a game screen 200 displayed on the monitor 23. One screen 200 is displayed for each game panel unit 20. That is, two sets of the screen 200 of FIG. 20 are displayed side by side on the screen 23 a of one monitor 23.
[0069]
The screen 200 includes a game information display unit 201, a symbol display unit 202, a life gauge display unit 203, and a lower chucker information display unit 204. The game information display unit 201 displays information such as time, the number of credits, and the number of medal payouts. On the symbol display unit 202, marks 202a and 202b, symbols 202c and 202d, and the like are displayed in alignment with each of the nine upper chucker sensors 40. After the game is started, a circular mark 202a for displaying the position of the chucker 41 to the player is displayed for the chucker 41 that has not yet passed the medal. When a “winning” in which a medal passes through the chucker 41 occurs, symbols 202c and 202d indicating winning are displayed instead of the mark 202a or superimposed at the winning position. Symbols 202c and 202d are merely examples.
[0070]
As shown in FIG. 21, when a line is formed by arranging three symbols, it becomes “bingo” and a predetermined number of medals are paid out to the player. If all the symbols on the line are the same, the process proceeds to the bonus stage. In rare cases, a special symbol may be displayed, and when a line including the special symbol is formed, the game moves to a fever game. If two symbols are arranged and “bingo” is generated when the remaining one chucker 41 is won, the target mark 202b shown in FIG. 20 is placed at a position corresponding to the remaining one chucker 41. Is displayed.
[0071]
In the lower chucker information display unit 204, information associated with each function of the lower chucker 44 is displayed. As shown in FIG. 22, among the 13 lower chuckers 44, three chuckers are defined as trigger chuckers 44a that shift to a fireworks event in response to the passage of medals. When a medal passes through one of the trigger chuckers 44a, the event shifts to a fireworks event, and the number of medals displayed on the counter 204a on the trigger chucker 44a are continuously sent out from the upper hopper 60.
[0072]
The number of medals displayed on the trigger chucker 44a increases by a predetermined amount (for example, one) each time the medals pass through the storage ball chuckers 44b and 44b arranged on both sides of each trigger chucker 44a. Further, when a medal passes the storage ball chucker 44b, the length of the level gauge 204b displayed so as to straddle the trigger chucker 44a and the pair of storage ball chuckers 44b and 44b sandwiching the trigger chucker 44a is increased by a predetermined unit amount. Only increase. When the length of the level gauge 204b reaches a predetermined value, the process shifts to a fireworks event equivalent to when a medal passes through the trigger chucker 44a at a position corresponding to the level gauge 204b.
[0073]
The further outside of the storage ball chucker 44b is defined as an out chucker 44c. When the medal passes through the out chucker 44c, the number of outs increases by one. When the number of outs is 3, the symbol displayed on the symbol display unit 202 at that time is erased, and the game is restarted. The life gauge display unit 203 displays information indicating the accumulated number of out times. The value of the counter 204a and the gauge amount of the level gauge 204b are not affected by the out.
[0074]
In the present embodiment, the entire panel device 22 is transparent, and when viewed from the player, the screen 200 displayed on the monitor 23 is preferentially visually recognized, and the positions of the chuckers 41 and 44 may be difficult to understand. Therefore, by always displaying marks, symbols, and the like at positions corresponding to the chuckers 41 and 44, the player can easily see the positions of the chuckers 41 and 44, and thus the medal insertion operation aiming at the chuckers 41 and 44. It is easy to do.
[0075]
23 to 26 are flowcharts showing processing executed by the CPU 100 in order to realize the above-described game. When a signal indicating medal passage is output from one of the chucker sensors 40, 46 during execution of the game, the CPU 100 interrupts and executes the medal passage storage process of FIG. In this process, the position of the chucker sensor 40 (or 46) that has output a signal indicating the medal passage is specified (step S100), and the order of detection of the information corresponding to the position can be determined in the passage history buffer area in the RAM 140. The state is stored (step S101). Then, the process returns to the process before the interruption.
[0076]
Further, the CPU 100 repeatedly executes the game processing shown in FIGS. 24 and 25 during the execution of the game. This process is a process for managing the winning determination in the slot bingo game, the transition to the fireworks event, etc. corresponding to the information stored in the passage history buffer area of the RAM 140, and in parallel with the processes of FIG. 14 and FIG. Done.
[0077]
In the game process of FIG. 24, the CPU 100 first determines whether or not an unprocessed passing history (information corresponding to the position) is stored in the passing history buffer area of the RAM 140 (step S110). When it is not stored, it waits until the passing history is recorded. On the other hand, when the passing history is stored, the processing related to the passing history with the oldest detection order is started, and it is determined whether or not the passing history corresponds to “winning” (step S111). Here, “winning” means that a medal passes through the upper chucker 41.
[0078]
When it is determined that it does not correspond to “winning”, the process proceeds to step S112, and it is determined whether or not the passing history corresponds to “out”, that is, whether or not it corresponds to passing of the out chucker 44c. If it is “out”, 1 is added to the number of outs stored in the RAM 140 (step S113), and it is determined whether or not the number of outs after addition is 3 (step S114). When it is not 3 out, the process proceeds to step S118, the number of outs displayed on the life gauge display unit 203 of the screen 200 is increased by 1, and then the process returns to step S110. On the other hand, when 3 is out, the winning state stored in the RAM 140, that is, the medal winning history related to the upper chucker 41 is cleared (step S115), and only the mark 202a is displayed on the symbol display unit 202 of the screen 200. The status is updated (step S116), and the processed passing history is deleted from the passing history buffer area of the RAM 140 (step S117), and then the process returns to step S110.
[0079]
If “winning” is determined in step S111, the process proceeds to step S120, and a symbol to be displayed at the winning position, that is, the position of the chucker 41 specified by the passing history information is determined. Then, the winning record of the RAM 140 is updated so that the winning history is stored (step S121), and the determined symbol is displayed on the screen 200 (step S122). This display may be accompanied by an animation in which some symbols are displayed alternately.
[0080]
After the symbol display, it is determined whether or not a line is established in the symbol display unit 202 based on the memorized winning state updated in step S121 (step S123). If the line is not established, the process proceeds to step S117.
[0081]
On the other hand, when the line is established, the process proceeds to step S124 in FIG. 25, and it is determined whether or not the condition for shifting to the bonus stage is satisfied. If not, the condition for shifting to the fever game is satisfied in step S125. Determine whether or not. When the condition for proceeding to the fever game is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S126 to perform a predetermined hold process. The hold process is a process of sequentially taking in the passing history from a winning determination time point until a predetermined time (for example, about 3 seconds) and sequentially updating the winning state during that time. The holding process is provided for the following reason.
[0082]
In the case of this game machine 1, a medal that has won the upper chucker 41 may win another upper chucker 41, and a line may be established at the first winning, and another line may be established at the winning immediately after that. There is sex. In such a case, it is desirable to give a higher payout as a so-called double WIN where a plurality of lines are established simultaneously than when a single line is established. However, if a payout is immediately determined at the time when one line is established and the line is extinguished, the double WIN having a time difference as described above cannot be detected. Therefore, by waiting for the determination of the dividend for a certain period, the above-described double WIN can be detected and a dividend corresponding to the double WIN can be output. In addition, during the holding period, it is desirable to prevent the disappearance of the line due to 3 out in view of the purpose. Even during the holding period, if the condition is satisfied, it may be possible to shift to a fireworks event, a bonus stage, or a fever game.
[0083]
When the hold process is completed, the process proceeds to step S127, and a payout is determined based on the winning state at that time. Then, the number of payouts is added to the number of credits of the player (step S128), the processed medal passing history is cleared (step S129), and all the upper chuckers 41 on the already established line are recognized as not winning. Thus, the winning state stored in the RAM 140 is updated (step S130), and the display on the symbol display unit 202 is updated based on the updated state to delete the symbols on the line (step S131). Thereafter, the process returns to step S110 in FIG.
[0084]
If it is determined in step S112 in FIG. 24 that the current pass history is not out, it is determined whether or not the currently processed pass history corresponds to the pass history of the stored ball chucker 44b (step S150). When it is determined that the storage ball chucker 44b has passed, the RAM 140 stores the display number of the counter 204a and the gauge amount of the level gauge 204b corresponding to the passed storage ball chucker 44b so that the values are incremented by one. Then, the display of the counter 204a and the gauge 204b is updated (step S152). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the amount of the gauge 204b has reached a predetermined value necessary for the occurrence of the fireworks event (step S153). If the amount is less than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S117.
[0085]
If it is determined in step S150 that it is not a storage chucker, that is, if it is determined that the trigger chucker 44a has won, or if it is determined in step S153 that the amount of the gauge 204b has reached a predetermined value, the process proceeds to a fireworks event. (Step S160) When it is finished, the process returns to Step S110.
[0086]
If it is determined in step S124 in FIG. 25 that the bonus stage condition is satisfied, or if it is determined in step S125 that the fever game condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S140 or step S141, and the bonus game or fever game is played. Start. Then, whether or not these games are finished is monitored in step S142. When the game is finished, the medal passing history stored in the RAM 140 is cleared in step S143, and the process proceeds to step S130.
[0087]
As a bonus game, for example, a target video is displayed at a position of either the upper chucker 41 or the lower chucker 44 for a predetermined time, and a player passes a medal to the chuckers 41 and 44 on which the video is displayed within the predetermined time. If the player cannot pass the game, the game is repeated a predetermined number of times, and a game for paying out medals according to the number of successes is executed. In addition, the fever game is not limited to the game panel unit 20 that satisfies the conditions for proceeding to the fever game, but the other three game panel units 20 also shift to the fever game at the same time by interrupt processing, A game that achieves the command is executed. For example, when a single character is represented on the entire screen of the pair of monitors 23 and 23 and the player of each station 4 passes the chuckers 41 and 44 designated on the respective panel units 20, the character is brought down. A game that results in a successful game is executed. During the execution of the fever game, data is transmitted between the two CPUs 100 via the communication control device 150.
[0088]
FIG. 26 shows a processing procedure for the fireworks event. When shifting to the fireworks event, the CPU 100 first starts an effect indicating that the firework event has started using the monitor 23, the speaker 120, the illumination device 121, etc. (step S161), and then the unprocessed data stored in the RAM 140 is stored. The medal passing history is cleared (step S162). Next, the winning state and the number of medals used in the fireworks event (corresponding to the value of the counter 204a) stored in the RAM 140 are acquired (step S163), and the dropping position of the medal from the wiper 70 is determined based on the acquired winning state. (Step S164). Specifically, it is determined whether the winning upper chucker 41 is present on the right side or the left side of the game panel unit 20, and the wiper arm 71 of the wiper arm 71 is arranged so that the medals fall off more or less. Determine the stop position. With this position control, the probability that a line is established can be increased or decreased to some extent.
[0089]
Then, it is determined whether or not the wiper arm 71 has moved to the determined position based on signals from the wiper sensors 80 and 80 (step S165). If it is determined that the drop position has been reached, the wiper motor 73 is driven. Is stopped to stop the wiper arm 71 (step S166).
[0090]
Thereafter, driving of the upper hopper 60 is started (step S167), and then it is determined whether or not the upper hopper sensor 113 has detected a medal (step S168). If it is detected, the process proceeds to step S169, where 1 is subtracted from the medal number of the upper hopper 60 stored in the RAM 140, and then the medal passing history recorded in the RAM 140 after the start of the fireworks event is referred to determine whether or not there is a new winning. It discriminate | determines (step S170). If there is a win, the record of the winning state is updated in step S171 so that it is stored, and the process proceeds to step S172. If there is no new winning, the process skips step S171 and proceeds to step S172.
[0091]
In step S172, it is determined whether or not the number of medals inserted from the upper hopper 60 after the start of the fireworks event has reached the number of medals used in the firework event acquired in step S163. This determination can be made based on the amount of decrease in the number of medals of the upper hopper 60 after the start of the fireworks event. If the number of inserted medals has not reached the number used in the fireworks event, the process returns to step S168, and if it has reached, the process proceeds to step S173. In step S173, the driving of the upper hopper 60 is stopped. Subsequently, the driving of the wiper 70 is started (step S174), the production of the fireworks event is stopped (step S175), and the payout in the firework event is determined based on the winning state stored in the RAM 140 (step S176). The number of medals is added to the credit number of the player (step S177).
[0092]
Thereafter, the winning state stored in the RAM 140 is updated so that the upper chucker 41 on the line established by the fireworks event is recognized as not winning (step S178), and the display of the symbol display unit 202 is updated based on the winning state. The symbols on the line are erased (step S179). Thus, the firework event is completed and the process returns to the process of FIG. If no medal is detected in step S168, the process proceeds to step S180 to determine whether or not a state in which no medal can be detected continues for a predetermined time. When it is determined that the time is not up, the process returns to step S167 to instruct to start driving the upper hopper 60 again. On the other hand, when the time is up, the process proceeds to step S181, where predetermined error processing is performed and the fireworks event is finished.
[0093]
In the process of FIG. 26, the wiper arm 71 is stopped during the fireworks event, but steps S166 and S174 are omitted, and the medal insertion from the upper hopper 60 is performed at the timing when the wiper arm 71 moves to the medal dropping position. The wiper arm 71 may be constantly swung during the fireworks event as in other cases.
[0094]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be made. For example, you may use things other than a medal for the 2nd game body. The first game body and the second game body may be the same or different from each other.
[0095]
In the above embodiment, the combination of the CPU 100 and specific software realizes the continuation request determination unit, the continuous input control unit, the operation continuation unit, the empty state detection unit, the operation switching unit, the accumulated number detection unit, and the stop instruction unit. However, some of these may be replaced by a logic circuit such as an LSI.
[0096]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the game machine of the present invention, the movement path of the first game body that the player throws in and the movement path of the second game body that passes through the board portion of the game machine are separated from each other. Therefore, it is not necessary to match the second game body with the first game body, and the second game body can be freely adjusted according to the convenience of the game machine, such as a non-magnetic material or a specially decorated game machine design. Two games can be selected. Since non-standard game bodies are not mixed into the board surface portion, there is no inconvenience such as clogging on the second game body supply device side. With respect to the movement path of the second game body, since a certain number of game bodies are always circulating, the number of game bodies can be easily managed. In particular, when the second game body supply device is configured by combining supply devices such as hoppers arranged respectively at the lower and upper portions of the board surface portion, the second game body can be quickly charged into the board surface portion. In addition, it is possible to prevent malfunction of the upper supply device due to excessive or excessive accumulation of the game bodies, and to always supply the game bodies to the board surface portion in an optimum state.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a medal game machine to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the game machine of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a right side view of the game machine of FIG. 1;
4 is a plan view of the game machine of FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an internal structure of an operation unit provided in the game machine of FIG. 1;
6 is a diagram showing an internal structure of a main body of the game machine of FIG.
7 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the panel device provided on the front surface of the main body in FIG. 6;
8 is a view showing the arrangement of chuckers and the like in one game panel section of the game machine of FIG.
9 is an enlarged view of a part IX in FIG.
10 is an enlarged view of a portion X in FIG.
11 is a view showing a main part of a wiper device provided at the upper part of the game panel portion of FIG. 8;
12 is a block diagram of a control system of the game machine of FIG.
13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for initializing an upper hopper executed by the CPU of FIG.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the upper hopper management process executed after the initialization process of FIG. 13;
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a medal management process performed during the game.
16 is a flowchart showing a medal insertion process procedure executed as a subroutine process of FIG. 15;
FIG. 17 is a flowchart following FIG. 16;
FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the procedure of payout processing executed as the subroutine processing of FIG. 15;
FIG. 19 is a view showing a basic flow of a game executed by the game machine of FIG. 1;
FIG. 20 is a view showing an example of a screen displayed on the screen during the slot bingo game of FIG. 19;
FIG. 21 is a view showing an example of a case where a payout is obtained in the slot bingo game of FIG. 19;
22 is a view showing the display at the lower end of the screen in FIG. 20 in association with the lower chucker.
FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a medal passage storage process performed by the CPU of FIG. 12 every time a medal passes a chucker.
FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a procedure of game processing executed by the CPU of FIG. 12 during the game.
FIG. 25 is a flowchart following FIG. 24;
FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing a procedure of firework event processing that is executed when a transition to a firework event occurs in the processing of FIG. 24;
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Game console
2 Body
3 Operation part
4 stations
5 Bet switch (input device)
6 Payout switch
7 medal slot
10 Payout hopper (first game body supply device)
20 Game panel (board part)
50 Lower hopper (second game body supply device, lower supply device)
60 Upper hopper (second game body supply device, upper supply device)
100 CPU (control device)
112 Lower hopper sensor (lower delivery detection device)
113 Upper hopper sensor (Upper feed detection device)
M medal (second game)

Claims (5)

A first game body supply device that stores the first game body thrown in by the player and pays out the first game body to the player, and a second game that passes through a board surface portion having a vertical difference A second game body supply device for storing the body and supplying the second game body to the board surface portion based on an instruction from the player;
The movement path of the first game body passing through the first game body supply apparatus and the movement path of the second game body passing through the second game body supply apparatus are separated from each other;
The second game body supply device stores the second game body that has dropped from the board surface portion and punches the stored second game body, and the second game body supply device is launched from the lower supply device. a guiding device and the second gaming member is guided toward the upper side of the board portion, and along with that can be charged upper supply device towards the board unit storing the second game element that has fallen from the guide device Have
Medals are provided as the second game body,
Each of the lower supply device and the upper supply device is capable of storing the medals in a non-aligned state, and is rotatable along a plane that is disposed at the bottom of the storage unit and intersects the vertical direction. A medal hopper having a rotating body capable of taking in the medals, and feeding the medals one by one from the storage unit while taking in the medals stored in the storage unit by rotating the rotating body. A game machine characterized by A lower delivery detection device that outputs a predetermined detection signal in response to delivery of the second game body from the lower supply device;
An upper delivery detection device that outputs a predetermined detection signal in response to delivery of the second game body from the upper supply device;
A control device for controlling the number of the second game bodies stored in the upper supply device within a predetermined range based on detection signals from the lower delivery detection device and the upper delivery detection device;
The game machine according to claim 1, further comprising: The control device includes:
Operation continuation means for continuing the delivery operation of the second game body to the upper supply device;
An empty state detecting means for detecting an empty state of the upper supply device based on a detection signal from the upper delivery detection device during operation;
An operation switching means for stopping the upper supply device in response to the detection of the empty state and starting the lower supply device to continue its sending operation;
An accumulated number detecting means for detecting the number of the second game bodies stored in the upper supply device based on a detection signal from the lower delivery detection device during operation;
Stop instruction means for stopping the lower supply device when the number detected by the accumulated number detection means reaches a predetermined range;
The game machine according to claim 2, further comprising: The control device includes:
A determining means for comparing the number of the second game bodies stored in the upper supply device and the predetermined range to determine whether or not the upper supply device needs to be replenished with the second game body;
When the determination means determines that replenishment is necessary, the lower supply device starts to be driven, and the lower supply device is driven until the number of the second game bodies stored in the upper supply device reaches a predetermined range. Management processing means for executing the management processing to stop driving the lower supply device at an appropriate frequency when the number of the second game bodies stored in the upper supply device reaches a predetermined range.
The game machine according to claim 2, further comprising:   The capacity | capacitance of the said storage part of the medal hopper provided as the said upper supply apparatus is smaller than the capacity | capacitance of the said storage part of the medal hopper provided as the said lower supply apparatus, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. game machine.

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