JP4105612B2 - Game machine, game machine control method and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine, a hopper device, a gaming machine control method, and a program, and more particularly to an apparatus capable of preventing fraud.

  A gaming machine such as a slot machine allows a player to enjoy a game by inserting a predetermined number of medals into the gaming machine. The medals necessary for the game can be borrowed with a medal lending machine provided in the game hall, and the game can be started by inserting it into the medal slot of a desired gaming machine. The gaming machine includes a medal selector for counting the number of inserted medals, and a hopper device for paying out medals in accordance with winnings.

  A general hopper device has a hopper tank, a plurality of medal holes into which medals dropped from the hopper tank fit, a rotating disk that guides the medals to the medal outlet, and a game by rotating the rotating disk. Hopper motor for paying out medals to a person, a counter roller for counting the number of medals paid out, and a sensor (for example, a photo interrupter: a light emitting element and a light receiving element in a case having a detection groove) Are arranged so as to face each other and detect a passing object between the detection grooves in a non-contact manner). The medal fitted in the hole provided in the rotating disk moves along with the rotation and is guided toward the medal passage at the medal payout port. At this time, the counter roller that comes into contact with the medal guided to the passage rotates, and the protrusion provided on the counter roller enters the detection groove of the sensor, blocks the light of the light source, and the light receiving element detects this. When one medal is paid out, the medal comes into contact with the counter roller and pushes it once, so that the number of paid-out medals can be counted based on the number of detections of the sensor provided on the medal.

  A small part of the players performed a dishonest act (so-called goto act). For example, there has been a person who tries to obtain a medal illegally by an action such as inserting a wire, a metal plate or the like from the medal discharge port to obstruct the movement of the counter roller. By counting the number of medals to be paid out, it tries to obtain more medals.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine, a hopper device, a gaming machine control method, and a program that are made to prevent such a fraud.

The present invention has a plurality of medal holes into which medals fit, a rotating disk that holds the medals received from the hopper tank to the medal outlet while holding the medals in the medal holes, and rotates the rotating disk. A hopper device that includes a hopper motor that drives, a medal payout sensor that detects a payout of medals from the rotating disk, and a drive circuit that drives the hopper motor in response to a medal payout command;
A main board that sends out the medal payout command to the drive circuit, counts the number of payouts based on a signal from the medal payout sensor, and stops sending the medal payout command when a predetermined number is reached; In the game machine provided,
The main board continues sending the medal payout command to the drive circuit until the number counted based on the signal from the medal payout sensor reaches the specified number.
Based on the output of the medal payout sensor, and includes a blocking means for cutting off the input to the drive circuit of the medal payout command that the main board continuously outputs to the drive circuit,
The blocking means blocks the medal payout command based on the detection start of the signal of the medal payout sensor and stops blocking the medal payout command based on the end of detection of the signal of the medal payout sensor.

  In the gaming machine, when the medal payout sensor continuously detects medals for a predetermined time or more, the driving of the hopper motor is stopped.

  Preferably, there is provided delay means for delaying the output of the medal payout sensor by a predetermined time and inputting it to the blocking means.

  The delay means delays the signal only after the medal payout sensor first detects a medal until the medal can pass through the medal payout sensor.

The present invention has a plurality of medal holes into which medals fit, a rotating disk that guides the medals received from the hopper tank to the medal outlet while holding the medals in the medal holes, and rotates the rotating disk. A hopper device including a hopper motor to be driven, a medal payout sensor for detecting a payout of medals from the rotating disk, a drive circuit for driving the hopper motor in response to a medal payout command, and the medal payout to the drive circuit The command is sent, and the number of payouts is counted based on the signal from the medal payout sensor. Based on the output of the medal payout sensor, the main board that stops sending the medal payout command when the specified number is reached. The main board continuously outputs to the drive circuit A method of controlling a gaming machine and a blocking means for blocking an input to the drive circuit Dar payout instruction,
A first step of determining the number of medals to be paid out on the main board;
A second step of generating the medal payout command on the main board and continuously outputting the generated medal payout command;
A third step of driving the hopper motor based on the medal payout command in the drive circuit;
The blocking means blocks input of the medal payout command to the drive circuit based on the detection start of the signal of the medal payout sensor, and stops blocking of the medal payout command based on completion of detection of the signal of the medal payout sensor. And a fourth step
A fifth step of counting the medals that have been paid out as having been paid out at the end of detection of the medal payout sensor on the main board;
The main board determines whether or not the number of payouts has reached the determined number. When the number of payouts has not reached the determined number, the medal payout command is continuously output, and when the number of payouts reaches the determined number, And a sixth step of stopping the output of the medal payout command.

The gaming machine includes a delay unit that delays the output of the medal payout sensor by a predetermined time and inputs the delayed signal to the blocking unit.
In the fourth step, the signal of the medal payout sensor is delayed by a predetermined time by the delay means, and based on the signal of the medal payout sensor delayed by the delay means, the medal payout command is sent by the blocking means. The input to the drive circuit may be blocked and the blocking may be stopped.

In the third step, an upper limit may be provided for the driving time of the hopper motor.
In the fourth step, an upper limit may be provided for the drive stop time of the hopper motor.

The present invention has a plurality of medal holes into which medals fit, a rotating disk that guides the medals received from the hopper tank to the medal outlet while holding the medals in the medal holes, and rotates the rotating disk. A hopper device including a hopper motor to be driven, a medal payout sensor for detecting a payout of medals from the rotating disk, a drive circuit for driving the hopper motor in response to a medal payout command, and the medal payout to the drive circuit The command is sent, and the number of payouts is counted based on the signal from the medal payout sensor. Based on the output of the medal payout sensor, the main board that stops sending the medal payout command when the specified number is reached. The main board continuously outputs to the drive circuit A game machine control program and a blocking means for blocking an input to the drive circuit Dar payout instruction,
A first step of determining the number of medals to be paid out;
A second step of generating a medal payout command and continuously outputting the generated medal payout command;
A third step of driving the hopper motor based on the medal payout command;
A fourth step of blocking the medal payout command from being input to the drive circuit based on the start of detection of the signal of the medal payout sensor, and stopping the blocking of the medal payout command based on the end of detection of the signal of the medal payout sensor; ,
A fifth step of counting the medals that have been paid out as having been paid out at the end of detection of the medal payout sensor;
It is determined whether the number of payouts has reached the determined number. When the number of payouts has not reached the determined number, the medal payout command is continuously output. When the number of payouts reaches the determined number, the medal payout command is output. And a sixth step of stopping the program.

The program according to the present invention is recorded on a recording medium, for example.
Examples of the medium include EPROM devices, flash memory devices, flexible disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, magneto-optical disks, CDs (including CD-ROMs and Video-CDs), DVDs (DVD-Videos, DVD-ROMs, DVD-s). RAM), ROM cartridge, RAM memory cartridge with battery backup, flash memory cartridge, nonvolatile RAM cartridge, and the like.

  In addition, a communication medium such as a wired communication medium such as a telephone line and a wireless communication medium such as a microwave line is included. The Internet is also included in the communication medium here.

  A medium is a medium in which information (mainly digital data, a program) is recorded by some physical means, and allows a processing device such as a computer or a dedicated processor to perform a predetermined function. is there.

  A hopper device according to the present invention has a plurality of medal holes into which medals fit, a rotating disk that guides the medal received from the hopper tank to the medal discharge port while holding the medal hole in the medal hole, A hopper motor that rotationally drives the rotating disk based on a control signal from the control unit, a medal payout sensor that detects the payout of medals from the rotating disk, and the control signal is cut off when the medal payout sensor detects a medal. And a blocking means.

According to the present invention, there is provided blocking means for blocking the medal payout command, the medal payout command is cut off based on the detection start of the signal of the medal payout sensor, and the medal payout command is detected based on the end of detection of the signal of the medal payout sensor since stop blocking, or inhibiting movement of the counter roller by fraud, never medals are paid out extra even short the output of the sensor, it is difficult to fraud.

Embodiment 1 of the Invention
A hopper device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of the slot machine with the front door closed, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the slot machine with the front door opened 180 degrees.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 100 denotes a slot machine. As shown in FIG. 1, the slot machine 100 can be opened and closed by a hinge or the like on the slot machine main body 120 and one side of the front surface of the slot machine main body 120. And an attached front door 130. As shown in FIG. 1, a game display unit 131 is provided substantially in the center of the front door 130, and a medal insertion slot 132 for a player to insert medals is provided at the lower right corner of the game display unit 131. Provided on the further right side of the medal insertion slot 132 is a reject button 133 for forcibly discharging a clogged medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 132 to the outside of the slot machine 100.

  Further, a start button 134 for starting a game is provided at the lower left of the game display unit 131, and three stop buttons 140 are provided corresponding to the three reels. A medal payout port 135 is provided at the center of the lower end of the front door.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the slot machine main body 120 is fixed to the inner bottom surface of the slot machine main body 120. A hopper device 2 for paying out the sheets one by one is installed. At the top of the hopper device 2, there is provided a hopper tank 1 that opens upward and stores a plurality of medals therein. Inside the slot machine main body 120, a reel unit 203 including three rotating reels is installed at a position where the game display unit 131 comes when the front door 130 is closed. A power unit 205 is provided between the upper reel unit 203 of the hopper device 2.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a medal (coin) selector 123 is attached to the back side of the front door 130 on the back side of the medal slot 132 provided on the front surface of the front door 130. The medal selector 123 rolls the medal toward the hopper device 2 while detecting the passage of the medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 132, and has a different diameter medal with an outer diameter different from the predetermined dimension, iron or iron. This is an apparatus for selecting and removing illegal medals made of an alloy and selecting and eliminating a predetermined number or more of medals that can be inserted per game.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a lead-out path 136 that covers the lower side of the medal selector 123 and communicates with the payout port 135 of the front door 130 is provided. The medals distributed by the medal selector 123 are returned to the player from the payout port 135 through the derivation path 136.

  A player who wants to enjoy a game with a slot machine can first borrow a medal as a game medium from a medal lending machine (not shown) or the like, and insert a medal directly into the medal slot 132 of the medal slot device. A square window-like display window facing the player side is formed at the center and upper part of the casing of the slot machine. In the center of the central display window, a symbol display window through which the symbols of the three rotating reels can be seen is formed. The start switch 134 is a lever located obliquely below the rotating reel, and starts driving the reel unit on condition that a game medal is inserted. The reel unit 203 is stopped from driving by a stop switch 140. The reel unit 140 is composed of three rotating reels. Each rotating reel includes a rotating drum made of a synthetic resin and a tape-like reel tape attached around the rotating drum. A plurality of (for example, 21) symbols are displayed on the outer peripheral surface of the reel tape.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the slot machine according to the embodiment of the invention.
In FIG. 3, reference numerals 200 and 201 denote a main board and a sub board, each incorporating a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The main board 200 performs management of the number of inserted medals, payout, reel rotation and stop control, winning process, and the like. The sub-board 201 performs processing such as effect display based on the winning process. An operation unit 202 includes switches such as a start switch 134, a stop switch 140, and a bet switch. A reel unit 203 includes three rotating reels. An effect display unit 204 includes a game display unit 131, internal illumination of a reel, a liquid crystal display device, a speaker, and the like. The effect display unit 204 notifies the winning combination and the pressing order obtained by the winning process. A power supply unit 205 supplies power to each unit.

  The hopper device 2 includes a medal payout sensor 43 for counting the number of payout medals, and a hopper motor 34 for rotating a rotating disk to pay out medals. The hopper motor 34 follows a medal payout command (control signal) from the main board 200 (that is, outside the hopper device 2), and is also controlled by an output of the medal payout sensor 43 (that is, inside the hopper device 2). This point will be described in detail later.

  4 is a front view (FIG. 4A), a right side view (FIG. 4B), and a top view (FIG. 4C) of the hopper device. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the hopper device on the hopper tank side, and FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the hopper device side of the hopper device. FIG. 7 is a detailed top view of the rotary disk 3 for explaining the medal payout operation. In FIG. 7, M indicates a medal discharging route.

  The illustrated hopper apparatus is roughly divided into a hopper tank 1 for storing medals M and a main body (hopper apparatus 2) for discharging medals M stored in the hopper tank 1 one by one.

  The hopper device 2 can be broadly divided into a hopper chassis 2a and a plurality of, in this case, five medal pits, that are rotatably supported by the hopper chassis 2a and in which the medals M dropped from the hopper tank 1 fit one by one from above. A rotating disk 3 having 3a and a hopper motor 34 for rotating the rotating disk 3 are provided. When the rotary disk 3 is rotated by the driving force of the hopper motor 34, the medal M that has fallen into the medal pit is discharged from the medal outlet.

  A base plate 5 is obliquely attached to the upper part of the hopper chassis 2a. A hopper motor 34 is fixed to the base plate 5. The output shaft 34a of the hopper motor 34 passes through the base plate 5 and protrudes substantially at the center of the upper surface thereof. Since the base plate 5 is inclined, the output shaft of the hopper motor intersects the vertical direction. For this reason, the rotating disk 3 is high on the medal discharge port side and low on the opposite side.

  A housing support 4 is located on the base plate 5. A protruding protrusion is formed around the housing support 4. The portion of the medal discharge port at the edge is cut out, and the medal is discharged through this portion.

  When the medal M that has fallen into the medal drop hole 3a of the rotary disk 3 is positioned at the medal discharge port as the rotary disk 3 rotates, the medal M is pushed out from the medal drop hole 3a by the guide pin 36 and passes through the medal discharge port. To be discharged. In this way, the medals M are discharged in order as the rotating disk 3 rotates.

  Both the hopper tank 1 and the hopper chassis 2a are made of resin.

  In the hopper device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the counter roller 7 (provided on the counter arm 8) for counting the paid-out medals rotates around the separator 6. The medal inserted into the hole provided in the rotating disk 3 moves as the rotating disk 3 rotates, and is pushed out by the guide pin 36 at the medal payout port and guided toward the medal path. At this time, the medal contacts the roller 7 provided on the counter arm 8 and rotates it. As a result, the protrusion provided on the counter arm 8 causes the game medal payout sensor 43 (for example, a photo interrupter: a light emitting element and a light receiving element to be opposed to each other in a case having a detection groove, and a passing object between the detection grooves is not contacted Between the detection grooves), the light from the light source is blocked, and the light receiving element detects this. In this way, when one medal is paid out, the medal touches the roller 7 and presses it once, so that the number of paid-out medals can be counted based on the number of detections of the sensor 43.

  The two guide pins 36 are provided near the medal payout opening of the housing support 4. The two guide pins 36 are attached to the guide pin presser 10 via guide pin springs 37, respectively. The guide pin 36 is pressed upward by a guide pin spring 37 and protrudes from the surface of the housing support 4 by about 1 mm. Due to the elasticity of the guide pin spring 37, when the guide pin 36 is pushed from above, the guide pin 36 retracts into the housing support 4, and the head of the guide pin 36 coincides with the surface of the housing support 4.

  The medal payout operation will be described with reference to FIG. When the medal M that has fallen into the medal drop hole 3a of the rotating disk 3 is positioned at the medal discharge port as the rotating disk 3 rotates, the medal M hits the guide pin 36, and the medal M is pushed outward as the rotating disk 3 rotates. . The counter roller 7 provided on the counter arm 8 is expanded in the direction of the arrow by the medals M pushed out at that time, and passes between the game medal guide 12, the separator 6 and the counter roller 7. It is discharged to the outside through the parts 22 and 23. When the medal M is discharged and the contact is released, the counter roller 7 returns to the original position by the elasticity of the counter pulling spring 9. The game medal guide 12 regulates the movement of the medals and moves the medals smoothly along the medal path. When guiding medals to the medal passage portions 22 and 23, the two guide pins 36 play different roles. When the rotary disk 3 rotates in the clockwise direction, the guide pin 36a first contacts the medal and pushes the medal outward. The guide pin 36 b further moves the medal moving toward the outer edge in the direction of the medal passage portions 22 and 23 while restricting the medal from moving in the rotation direction of the rotary disk 3.

  FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of a control system of the hopper device 2. 8A and 8B are slightly different in configuration but have the same function. The output of the medal payout sensor 43 is sent to the main board 200, where the number of medals paid out is counted. A hopper motor drive signal (control signal) is sent from the main board 200, and the drive circuit 2c receives the drive signal to drive the hopper motor 34. When the game is won, the main board 200 sends a hopper motor drive signal to the hopper device 2 and counts the number of payouts based on the signal from the medal payout sensor 43. Stop driving. In the embodiment of the present invention, control for turning off the driving of the hopper motor 34 is performed based on the output of the medal payout sensor 43 inside the hopper device 2. In FIG. 8A, the output of the medal payout sensor 43 is input to the standby terminal of the drive circuit 2c after passing through the delay circuit 2b. The standby terminal is a terminal for forcibly stopping the driving of the hopper motor 34 even when a driving signal is received. It can be said that the drive circuit 2c has a built-in means for blocking a drive signal from the main board 200. Therefore, when the output of the medal payout sensor 43 is generated and a certain delay time elapses, the driving of the hopper motor 34 is stopped. The same applies to FIG. 8B, but a switch (blocking means) 2 d is provided instead of the standby terminal, and the input of the drive circuit 2 c is blocked by the output of the medal payout sensor 43.

  The delay circuit 2b delays the signal only after the medal payout sensor 43 first detects a medal until the medal becomes in a state where it can pass through the medal payout sensor 43 due to inertia. When the medal payout sensor 43 first detects a medal and simultaneously stops driving the hopper motor 34, the medal cannot push out the counter roller 7 and is not discharged. When the drive stop timing is slightly delayed by the delay circuit 2b, the medal advances to the outer edge of the rotating disk 3 during this time by the driving force of the hopper motor 34, and more than half of it passes through the counter roller 7. Even if the driving of the hopper motor 34 is stopped at this point, the medal is discharged to the payout opening 135 as it is due to the inertia of the medal and the elasticity of the counter pulling spring 9. The delay time of the delay circuit 2b is selected from the above viewpoint. The value varies depending on the structure of the hopper device. When the force of the counter tension spring 9 of the counter roller 7 is weak and can be easily discharged by inertia, the delay time may be zero or a short time. When the rotation of the rotating disk 3 is slow, it is necessary to provide a sufficiently long delay time.

  The operation of the hopper device according to the embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. FIG. 9 shows a case where two medals are paid out. FIG. 9A is a timing chart in a normal state, FIG. 9B is a timing chart when an illegal act is performed, and FIG. 9C is a timing chart of a conventional apparatus.

  9A, when a medal payout command is received from the main board 200, a hopper motor drive signal is generated by the drive circuit 2c (t1). In response to this, the hopper motor 34 rotates the rotary disk 3. As a result, medals are pushed out, and the counter roller 7 is rotated outward as indicated by an arrow in FIG. Then, the tip of the counter arm 8 enters between the detection grooves of the medal payout sensor 43, blocks the light of the light source of the sensor 43, and the light receiving element detects this (t2). The output of the light receiving element is sent to the main substrate 200, and the drive circuit 2c is controlled via the delay circuit 2b. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9A, the output of the hopper motor drive signal is turned off after the delay time td by the delay circuit 2b has elapsed from when the medal payout sensor 43 detects (t3). That is, the signal of the medal payout sensor 43 is fed back to the drive circuit 2c, and the drive circuit 2c is controlled by the signal.

  Even if the rotation of the hopper motor 34 is stopped, the medals are paid out from the payout opening 135 without stopping. The counter roller 7 is provided with a counter pulling spring 9, and the counter roller 7 pushed outward by the medal is returned to its original position by its elasticity. Therefore, medals are paid out without problems due to their inertia. One medal is paid out at a timing t4 after a predetermined time from t3. Then, the counter roller 7 returns to the original position, and the output of the medal payout sensor 43 returns to the undetected state (t5). The main board 200 detects this and determines that the first medal has been paid out. Since the example of FIG. 9 is a case where two medals are paid out, the medal payout command is still effective so as to pay out another medal. Therefore, the hopper motor drive signal is turned on again after the elapse of the delay time td from t5 (t6). Note that the hopper motor drive signal is turned on again after a lapse of a predetermined time from when the output of the hopper motor drive signal is turned off (t3) regardless of the timing (t5) when the output of the medal payout sensor 43 returns to the undetected state. (See Embodiment 3 of the invention later).

  Then, the medal is sent again, the counter roller 7 rotates, the output of the medal payout sensor 43 is turned on (t7), and the hopper motor drive signal is turned off after the delay time td has elapsed from t7 (t8). Medals are paid out (t9), and the output of the medal payout sensor 43 is turned off (t10). The main board 200 detects the output of the medal payout sensor 43 at this time, determines that the second medal has been paid out, and turns off the medal payout command (t11).

  FIG. 9B is the same as FIG. 9A until the first medal is paid out. However, an illegal act is performed when the second medal is paid out. For example, it is assumed that a wire, a metal plate, or the like is inserted from the medal discharge port to obstruct the movement of the counter roller 7 so that the output of the medal payout sensor 43 is not turned off. Originally, it turns off at t10, but the output of the medal payout sensor 43 was on until t12. However, during this time, the hopper motor 34 is not driven and the rotary disk 3 does not rotate. This is because the drive circuit 2c is turned off by the on output of the medal payout sensor 43 via the delay circuit 2b. Therefore, no matter how long the cheating is done, the third medal will not be paid out. When the illegal action is given up and the output of the medal payout sensor 43 is turned off (t12), the main board 200 detects this and determines that the second medal is paid out, and turns off the medal payout command (t13). ). It should be noted that if the output of the medal payout sensor 43 is not turned off for a predetermined time or more, a medal clogging error occurs, so that an illegal act seems to be performed within a certain time.

  In a conventional hopper device that does not have a function of controlling the drive circuit 2c by the output of the medal payout sensor 43, an extra medal is paid out when an illegal act is performed. This will be described with reference to FIG. In the conventional hopper device, the hopper motor drive signal is on while receiving a medal payout command (t1-t13). After the second medal is paid out (t9), if the output of the medal payout sensor 43 is not turned off between t10 and t12 due to fraud, the rotating disk 3 continues to rotate during this time. An extra medal is paid out (t14). This is because in the conventional apparatus, the signal of the medal payout sensor 43 is not fed back, and the hopper motor drive signal remains in an on state, that is, a state of dripping.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, the hopper motor drive circuit is controlled by the output of the medal payout sensor, so that even if the movement of the counter roller is obstructed, no extra medals are paid out, It becomes difficult. Even if the sensor output is short-circuited and the detection state is forcibly continued, no extra medals are paid out. According to the embodiment of the present invention, when an illegal operation is performed on the medal payout sensor, the driving signal for the hopper motor can be cut off to prevent an illegal medal payout.

  The output of the medal payout sensor 43 is a signal that is turned on only for a moment when the medal passes, but there is a problem such as a clogged medal on the program of the main board, so that the time width is given to some extent. That is, only when the medal payout sensor 43 is turned on for a predetermined time or longer, the “medal clogging error” is set. When a “medal jam error” occurs, the medal payout operation stops. However, medals may be used until a medal clogging error is detected by causing the medal to be jammed by a device inserted for an illegal purpose during the game or by shorting the output of the medal payout sensor. (See FIG. 9 (c). Here, the time from t7 to t12 is shorter than the time for judging a medal clogging error. No, fraudsters will avoid medal jamming errors). As countermeasures, it may be possible to add some sensors to detect the insertion of wires and metal plates, but the number of signal lines between the main board and the hopper device for the added sensors has increased. There has been a problem that the control program becomes complicated as the cost increases and the cost for installing the sensor increases. However, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, fraudulent acts can be effectively prevented without increasing the number of signal lines and the cost for installing the sensor or increasing the processing of the control program. .

  3 and 8, the delay circuit 2b and the blocking means 2d are provided in the hopper device 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, these circuits may be provided between the hopper device 2 and the main board 200 as shown in FIG. 10, or may be provided inside the main board 200 as shown in FIG.

Embodiment 2 of the Invention
In the first embodiment of the present invention, the function of controlling the drive circuit with the output of the medal payout sensor is provided by hardware. Instead of this, the function may be realized by software. As shown in FIG. 3, a microcomputer may be provided inside the hopper device, or a microcomputer may be provided between the hopper device 2 and the main board 200 as shown in FIG.

  Processing according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Note that the timing chart of this process is the same as that shown in FIGS.

S1: The number of medals to be paid out is determined to correspond to the winning combination.

S2: Output a medal payout command and turn on the motor drive signal.

S3: The medal payout sensor is monitored. If no medal has been paid out, it remains off. If this is turned on, one medal is pushed out toward the medal passage.

S4: If the output of the sensor is on (detection), the process proceeds to S5. If it is off, S3: monitoring is continued.

S5: The motor drive signal is turned off. The output of the medal payout sensor is fed back to the control of the motor drive signal. With this process, even if the sensor output is shorted and the detection state is forcibly continued, no extra medals are paid out. In order to have a predetermined time delay after the output of the sensor is turned on, a wait process (delay process) may be performed here (see the description of the delay circuit 2b described above).

S6: The medal payout sensor is monitored again. If this is turned off, one medal has been paid out.

S7: A “medal clogging error” is detected only when the sensor does not change from on to off within a predetermined time, that is, when the medal payout sensor 43 is continuously turned on for a predetermined time or longer. S13: Error processing is performed. This is because medals are jammed or cheating is considered to remain on for a long time.

S8: If the sensor output remains on (detected), the process proceeds to S6 and monitoring is continued. If it is off, the process proceeds to S9.

S9: Count sensor output pulses. This count is the number of medals paid out. When detecting a change from OFF to ON of the sensor and a subsequent change from ON to OFF, it is determined that one medal has been paid out.

S10: It is determined whether the number of payouts has reached the number determined in S1. Further, when the medals are to be paid out, S12: The hopper motor drive signal is returned to ON, and the process returns to S3 to repeat the above processing. When the determined number is reached, the hopper motor drive signal is kept off, and the S11: medal payout command is reset.

  The second embodiment of the present invention has the same effect as the first embodiment of the present invention. That is, even if the movement of the counter roller is obstructed, extra medals are not paid out, and illegal acts become difficult.

  In addition, the processing of S7 and S13 can detect that the ON state of the output of the medal payout sensor has been improperly lengthened with a wire, a metal plate, or the like, thereby stopping the driving of the hopper motor and notifying an error.

Embodiment 3 of the Invention
In the second embodiment of the invention, the motor drive signal is turned off when the sensor output is turned on, and the motor drive signal is turned on when the sensor output is turned off. In Embodiment 3 of the invention, the motor drive signal is turned off when the output of the sensor is turned on. However, the return to the on state is performed after a lapse of a certain time regardless of the output of the sensor, and the on period is within a certain time (passable) Within a period of time until the state is reached: the time is limited to within a time required to generate a driving force for paying out one medal after the output of the medal payout sensor is turned on.

Processing according to the third embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 13, the display of the error processing for clogged medals (S7 and S13 in FIG. 12) is omitted.
S21: The number of medals to be paid out is determined so as to correspond to the winning combination.

S22: A medal payout command is output (t1 in FIG. 14).
S23: Turn on the motor drive signal (t1).

S24: The medal payout sensor is monitored.
S25: Determine the output of the sensor. If no medal has been paid out, it remains off. If this is turned on, one medal is pushed out toward the medal passage. If the sensor output is on (detected), the process proceeds to S27, and if it is off, monitoring is continued (S24, S25). If the predetermined time has elapsed even if the motor is off (YES in S26), the process proceeds to S27 and the motor drive signal is turned off. This is because an upper limit is set for the on-time of the motor drive signal so that medals are not paid out even if an illegal act is received. An error may be notified when the OFF state exceeds a predetermined time (YES in S26).

S27: The motor drive signal is turned off. With this process, even if the sensor output is shorted and the detection state is forcibly continued, no extra medals are paid out. In order to have a predetermined time delay after the output of the sensor is turned on, a wait process (delay process) may be performed here.
S28: It is determined whether the motor drive signal OFF state has exceeded a predetermined time. If exceeded, the process proceeds to S29.
S29: Count the number of payouts. It is counted based on the output of the medal payout sensor.

S30: It is determined whether the number of payouts has reached the number determined in S21. When the medal is to be paid out, the process returns to S23, the hopper motor drive signal is turned on, and the above process is repeated. When the determined number is reached, the hopper motor drive signal is kept off and S31: the medal payout command is reset.

  The third embodiment of the present invention has the same effects as the first and second embodiments of the present invention. Since an upper limit is set for the on / off state of the motor drive signal, the hopper motor drive signal does not remain on even when a clogged medal or an illegal act is performed, and the payout of extra medals can be prevented.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say. In the above description, a hopper device used in a medal game machine such as a slot machine is taken as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to a hopper device for a medal lending machine.

It is a front view of the slot machine which shows the state which closed the front door. It is a front view of the slot machine showing a state where the front door is opened 180 degrees. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the slot machine according to Embodiment 1 of the invention. They are a front view (Drawing 1 (a)), a right view (Drawing 1 (b)), and a top view (Drawing 1 (c)) of a hopper device. It is a disassembled perspective view by the side of the hopper tank of a hopper apparatus. It is a disassembled perspective view by the side of the hopper chassis of a hopper apparatus. FIG. 6 is a detailed top view of the rotating disk for explaining a medal payout operation of the hopper device. It is a block diagram of the control system of the hopper apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of invention. It is an operation | movement timing chart of the hopper apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of invention. 4 is another configuration example of the slot machine according to the first embodiment of the invention. 4 is another configuration example of the slot machine according to the first embodiment of the invention. It is a drive processing flowchart of the hopper apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of invention. It is a drive processing flowchart of the hopper apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of invention. It is an operation | movement timing chart of the hopper apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hopper tank 2 Hopper apparatus 2a Hopper chassis 2b Delay circuit 2c Hopper motor drive circuit 2d Hopper motor control signal cutoff means (switch)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Rotating disk 3a Medal drop hole 4 Housing support 5 Base plate 6 Separator 7 Counter roller 8 Counter arm 9 Counter arm tension spring 10 Guide pin press 12 Game medal guide 23 Discharge chute 24 Discharge sub chute 34 Hopper motor 34a Output shaft 36 of hopper motor 36 Guide pin 37 Spring for guide pin 43 Medal payout sensor 100 Slot machine 120 Slot machine main body 121 Hopper device 122 Hopper tank 123 Medal selector 130 Front door 131 Game display part 132 Medal insertion port 133 Reject button 134 Start button 135 Payout port 136 Derivation path 200 Main board 201 Sub-board 202 Operation unit 203 Reel unit 204 Effect display unit 205 Power supply unit

Claims (10)

A rotating disk that has a plurality of medal holes into which medals fit, holds the medal received from the hopper tank to the medal discharge port while holding the medal hole, and pays it out; a hopper motor that rotationally drives the rotating disk; A hopper device including a medal payout sensor that detects the payout of medals from the rotating disk, and a drive circuit that receives the medal payout command and drives the hopper motor;
A main board that sends out the medal payout command to the drive circuit, counts the number of payouts based on a signal from the medal payout sensor, and stops sending the medal payout command when a predetermined number is reached; In the game machine provided,
The main board continues sending the medal payout command to the drive circuit until the number counted based on the signal from the medal payout sensor reaches the specified number.
Based on said output of medal payout sensor, and a blocking means for the main board to block the input to the drive circuit of the medal payout instruction is continuously output to the drive circuit,
The blocking means blocks the medal payout command based on the detection start of the signal of the medal payout sensor, and stops blocking the medal payout command based on the end of detection of the signal of the medal payout sensor. Gaming machine.   2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, further comprising a delay unit that delays an output of the medal payout sensor by a predetermined time and inputs the delayed signal to the blocking unit.   The delay means delays a signal only after the medal payout sensor detects a medal for the first time until the medal can pass through the medal payout sensor. 2. The gaming machine according to 2. The shut-off means is a switch provided between the main board and the drive circuit, and shuts off the input to the drive circuit by the output of the medal payout sensor delayed by the delay means. The gaming machine according to claim 2 or claim 3, characterized by the above. 5. The gaming machine according to claim 1 , wherein when the medal payout sensor continuously detects a medal for a predetermined time or more, the driving of the hopper motor is stopped. A rotating disk that has a plurality of medal holes into which medals fit, guides the medal received from the hopper tank to the medal discharge port while holding the medal hole, and pays it out, and a hopper motor that drives the rotating disk to rotate A hopper device including a medal payout sensor for detecting a medal payout from the rotating disk, a drive circuit for receiving the medal payout command and driving the hopper motor, and sending the medal payout command to the drive circuit. together with the counts payout number based on a signal from the medal payout sensor, the main board to stop the transmission of the medal payout instruction reaches the number of prescribed based on the output of the medal payout sensor, the main board is the out of the medal pay is continuously output to the drive circuit A method of controlling a gaming machine and a blocking means for blocking an input to the drive circuit of the instruction,
A first step of determining the number of medals to be paid out on the main board;
A second step of generating the medal payout command on the main board and continuously outputting the generated medal payout command;
A third step of driving the hopper motor based on the medal payout command in the drive circuit;
The blocking means blocks input of the medal payout command to the drive circuit based on the detection start of the signal of the medal payout sensor, and stops blocking of the medal payout command based on completion of detection of the signal of the medal payout sensor. And a fourth step
A fifth step of counting the medals that have been paid out as having been paid out at the end of detection of the medal payout sensor on the main board;
The main board determines whether or not the number of payouts has reached the determined number. When the number of payouts has not reached the determined number, the medal payout command is continuously output, and when the number of payouts reaches the determined number, And a sixth step of stopping the output of the medal payout command. The gaming machine includes a delay unit that delays the output of the medal payout sensor by a predetermined time and inputs the delay to the blocking unit.
In the fourth step, the signal of the medal payout sensor by said delay means is delayed by a predetermined time, by the blocking means on the basis of the signal of the medal payout sensor delayed by the delay means of the medal payout instruction 7. The game machine control method according to claim 6, wherein the input to the drive circuit is blocked and the blocking is stopped.   8. The gaming machine control method according to claim 6, wherein an upper limit is set for the driving time of the hopper motor in the third step.   9. The game machine control method according to claim 6, wherein an upper limit is set for a cutoff time of input of the medal payout command to the drive circuit in the fourth step. A rotating disk that has a plurality of medal holes into which medals fit, guides the medal received from the hopper tank to the medal discharge port while holding the medal hole, and pays it out, and a hopper motor that drives the rotating disk to rotate A hopper device including a medal payout sensor for detecting a medal payout from the rotating disk, a drive circuit for receiving the medal payout command and driving the hopper motor, and sending the medal payout command to the drive circuit. together with the counts payout number based on a signal from the medal payout sensor, the main board to stop the transmission of the medal payout instruction reaches the number of prescribed based on the output of the medal payout sensor, the main board is the out of the medal pay is continuously output to the drive circuit A game machine control program and a blocking means for blocking an input to the drive circuit of the instruction,
A first step of determining the number of medals to be paid out;
A second step of generating a medal payout command and continuously outputting the generated medal payout command;
A third step of driving the hopper motor based on the medal payout command;
A fourth step of blocking the medal payout command from being input to the drive circuit based on the start of detection of the signal of the medal payout sensor, and stopping the blocking of the medal payout command based on the end of detection of the signal of the medal payout sensor; ,
A fifth step of counting the medals that have been paid out as having been paid out at the end of detection of the medal payout sensor ;
It is determined whether the number of payouts has reached the determined number. When the number of payouts has not reached the determined number, the medal payout command is continuously output. When the number of payouts reaches the determined number, the medal payout command is output. A program for causing the computer to execute a sixth step of stopping the operation.

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