JP4123238B2 - Game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine.

  As a kind of gaming machine, there is known a slot machine (cylinder type gaming machine) including a reel device that changes a symbol by rotating an annular reel having a plurality of symbols attached to the surface thereof. In this type of gaming machine, when a stop symbol displayed on a predetermined active line is a combination of specific symbols, a predetermined game (special game state) advantageous to a player such as a big bonus game occurs. What to do is provided.

  In recent years, a ball-cylinder revolving type game machine that can play a game similar to a slot machine using a game ball instead of a medal has been considered (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such a gaming machine, a take-in device is provided, and after a predetermined number of game balls have been taken in by the take-in device, the lever is operated so that the reel is circulated and the variation display of the symbols is performed. Also, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out in accordance with the combination of symbols when the symbol variation display ends. If such a gaming machine is used in place of a slot machine, the game ball can be handled as a common game medium with the pachinko machine in a gaming hall such as a pachinko hall and the gaming characteristics of the slot machine can be maintained. In addition, in this case, problems such as the burden on equipment due to the separate handling of medals and game balls and restrictions on the location of the game machine, which are often seen in current game halls where pachinko machines and slot machines are mixed, are solved. In addition, there is an advantage that flexibility such as installing the game machine on the island of the pachinko machine is generated.

  Here, in the take-in device described above, a predetermined number of game balls are counted and taken in at the start of the game. In addition, when the game is ended, the game balls stored in the take-in device are discharged to the player side through the discharge passage or the like. In such a case, a gate member is disposed in the discharge passage, and the gate member is electrically driven to discharge the game ball. However, in the above configuration, although the gate member is electrically driven only by a simple operation, such as pressing an operation button on the front of the gaming machine, the gaming ball is discharged, but there is a failure in the electrical drive mechanism. If it occurred, there was a risk of hindering the discharge of game balls. In addition, since the electric drive mechanism cannot be driven when the power of the gaming machine is turned off, even if a large number of gaming balls are stored in the gaming ball passage, the gaming balls can be easily taken out. It becomes impossible to do.

Therefore, in order to solve the above problem, a configuration is conceivable in which the gate member can be manually operated instead of being electrically driven. In this case, it is possible to reduce the possibility of hindering the discharge of the game balls, and further, it is possible to take out the game balls stored in the game ball passage even when the power of the game machine is turned off. . However, if the gate member is configured to be manually operable, the game ball can be discharged at any time via the discharge passage. Therefore, for example, the game ball is taken in and the game ball is discharged at the same time, which may hinder the game ball.
JP 2004-81449 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine which can take in a game ball without any trouble in a gaming machine provided with a take-in device and capable of manually operating a discharge gate member instead of electric drive. is there.

  Hereinafter, effective means for solving the above-described problems will be described while showing effects and the like as necessary. In the following, for easy understanding, the corresponding configuration in the embodiment of the invention is appropriately shown in parentheses, but is not limited to the specific configuration shown in parentheses.

Means 1. A take-in passage (upstream passage 167, take-in passage 168) for taking in game balls, a discharge passage (discharge passage 169) branched from the take-in passage, and the passage of game balls in the take-in passage are blocked or allowed. A take-in device (take-in device 35) having a take-in gate member (take-in gate member 175) and a discharge gate member (discharge gate member 190) that blocks or allows passage of game balls in the discharge passage. -37), and a gaming machine that allows a game to start when a predetermined number of game balls are taken in by the take-in device,
A discharge operation that is provided so as to be manually operated by a player and that drives the discharge gate member to allow the game ball to pass through the discharge passage by transmitting an operation accompanying the manual operation to the discharge gate member. Means (operation member 211, link mechanism 215);
When the take-in gate member allows the game ball to pass through the take-in passage, an operation blocking means (solenoid 221, input / discharge control board 136 for preventing the discharge operation member from driving the discharge gate member). A game ball input process).

  In the gaming machine of means 1, the passage of game balls in the take-in passage is allowed by the take-in gate member, and the start of the game is allowed when a predetermined number of game balls are taken in. In addition, a discharge passage is provided so as to branch from the intake passage, and the passage of the game ball in the discharge passage is permitted by the discharge gate member, thereby preventing the passage of the intake passage by the intake gate member. Played game balls are discharged.

  In this case, a discharge operation means is provided so that it can be manually operated by the player. When the discharge operation means is manually operated by a player or the like, the operation is basically transmitted to the discharge gate member, and the game ball is allowed to pass through the discharge passage. In other words, the discharge gate member can be manually operated via the discharge operation means.

  On the other hand, in the case where the game ball is allowed to pass through the take-in passage by the take-in gate member, the operation blocking means prevents the gate member from being driven by the discharge operation means. This prevents the gaming ball from being allowed to be discharged under the situation where the gaming ball is being taken in. Therefore, in the configuration in which the discharge gate member can be manually operated through the operation means as described above, it is possible to prevent the game ball from being hindered.

Mean 2. In the means 1, the discharge operation means is located between the operation member (operation member 211) directly operated by the player and the operation member and the discharge gate member, and the operation member is moved from the non-operation position. A transmission member (link mechanism 215) for transmitting the operation when operated to the operation position to the discharge gate member;
The operation blocking means is configured to prevent the operation when the operation member is manually operated by driving the transmission member from a transmittable state to a non-transmittable state so that the operation is not transmitted to the discharge gate member. To play.

  In the means 2, when the operation member is directly manually operated, the operation is transmitted to the discharge gate member via the transmission member. As a result, the discharge gate member is driven to allow the game ball to be discharged through the discharge passage. In the case of this configuration, a part that is directly operated manually by a player or the like and a part that transmits the operation to the discharging gate member are provided independently, so that the degree of freedom of configuration of the discharging operation means can be increased.

  In this case, the transmission member is driven from the transmittable state to the non-transmittable state by the operation blocking means, whereby transmission of the operation to the discharge gate member when the operating member is manually operated is blocked. That is, although the operation member can be operated even in a situation where the game ball is allowed to pass through the intake passage by the intake gate member, the transmission of the operation when the operation member is operated is prevented. This prevents the game ball from passing through the discharge passage. Therefore, the operation member does not become inoperable, and it is possible to suppress an extreme force from being applied to the operation member. For example, in a configuration in which the operation member cannot be operated when the game gate is allowed to pass through the intake passage by the intake gate member, extreme force may be applied to somehow operate the operation member. is there. If an extreme force is applied to the operation member, it may cause a failure of the operation member or the transmission member.

  In this configuration, since the operation blocking means can control the driving of the discharge gate member by driving only the transmission member of the discharge operation means, the discharge operation means in the operation blocking means is driven. The weight load applied to the portion (solenoid 221) can be reduced.

  Means 3. The gaming machine according to claim 2, wherein biasing means (spring 224) for biasing the transmission member to hold the transmission member is provided.

  According to the means 3, the transmission member is urged by the urging means so as to be held in a transmittable state. Thereby, the transmission member is in a transmittable state in a state where it is not driven by the operation blocking means. In addition, when the drive by the operation blocking unit is released after the operation blocking unit is driven and the transmission is disabled, the transmission member returns to the transmission enabled state. Therefore, the operation blocking means does not need to drive the transmission member both when blocking transmission and when allowing transmission, and only needs to drive the transmission member when blocking transmission. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the load applied to drive the transmission member of the operation blocking means.

Means 4. In the means 2 or 3, the transmission member includes a plurality of constituent members (first link member 216, second link member 217), and these constituent members are arranged from the operation member side toward the discharge gate member side. The operation when the operation member is operated from the non-operation position to the operation position is transmitted from the component member located on the operation member side to the component member located on the discharge gate member side,
The operation blocking means is configured to block driving of the discharge gate member by driving a part of the plurality of structural members from the transmittable state to the non-transmittable state. Gaming machine.

  According to the means 4, the transmission member includes a plurality of constituent members, and these constituent members are arranged from the operation member side toward the discharge gate member side. Then, the operation when the operation member is operated from the non-operation position to the operation position is transmitted from the component member located on the operation member side to the component member located on the discharge gate member side, and finally discharged. The gate member is driven.

  In this case, the operation blocking means blocks the driving of the discharge gate member by driving a part of the plurality of constituent members from the transmittable state to the non-transmittable state. By setting it as the said structure, the weight load concerning the part which drives the transmission member in an operation prevention means can be reduced.

  In the configuration provided with the means 3, the plurality of constituent members constituting the transmission member are collectively urged by the urging means.

  Means 5. In any one of the means 1 to 4, the game ball is allowed to pass through the take-in passage by the take-in gate member while the game gate is allowed to pass through the discharge passage by the discharge gate member. In the game, the operation blocking means is configured to drive the discharge operation means so that the discharge gate member is in an initial state in which the game ball is blocked from passing through the discharge passage. Machine.

  According to the means 5, when the passage of game balls in the take-in passage is allowed by the take-in gate member while the game balls are allowed to pass through the discharge passage, the discharge gate member The discharge operation means is driven so as to be in an initial state in which the game ball is blocked from passing, and the game ball is blocked from passing through the discharge passage. Therefore, it is possible to give priority to taking in game balls.

  In the configuration provided with the means 2, the game gate ball is allowed to pass through the take-in passage by the take-out gate member while the game gate ball is allowed to pass through the discharge passage by the discharge gate member. In this case, the operation blocking means drives the transmission member from the transmittable state to the non-transmittable state so that the discharge gate member is in an initial state of blocking the passage of the game ball in the discharge passage. In this configuration, since the transmission of the operation due to the manual operation of the operation member is prevented, the discharge gate member returns to the initial state, so the discharge is performed regardless of the operation state of the operation member by the player or the like. The passage of game balls in the passage can be prevented.

  Means 6. A gaming machine according to any one of means 1 to 5, further comprising urging means for urging the discharge operation means to be held at a non-operation position.

  According to the means 6, the discharge operation means is urged by the urging means so as to be held at the non-operation position. Thus, after the player or the like operates the discharge operation means, the discharge operation means returns to the non-operation position. Therefore, it is not necessary to operate the discharge operation means both when preventing and allowing the game ball to be discharged through the discharge passage, and only when allowing the game ball to be discharged through the discharge passage. Since the operation means may be operated, the operation of the discharge operation means can be simplified. In general, the game ball is rarely discharged through the discharge passage, and the time for which the game ball is prevented from being discharged through the discharge passage is overwhelmingly longer. In this case, the operation of the discharge operation means can be simplified by applying the configuration of this means.

Mean 7 In any one of the means 1 to 6, a bet operation means (Max bet switch 109) operated to start taking-in of the game ball by the take-in device is provided, and the take-up means is operated by operating the bet operation means. It is configured to allow the game ball to pass through the intake passage by the gate member for insertion,
The operation blocking means includes a bet operation determining means for determining whether or not the bet operating means has been operated (game ball input processing of the input / output control board 136), and driving of the discharge gate member by the discharge operation means. An electric actuator (solenoid 221) that operates to block, and when the bet operation determining means determines that the bet operating means has been operated, the electric actuator is driven, and the discharging gate member is driven by the discharging operation means. A game machine comprising drive control means (game ball throwing processing of the throwing / dispensing control board 136) for preventing the game.

  According to the means 7, when the betting operation means is operated, the passage of the game ball in the take-in passage is permitted by the take-in gate member, and the take-in of the game ball is started. In this case, the operation blocking means determines whether or not the betting operation means has been operated. When it is determined that the betting operation means has been operated, the electric actuator is driven to prevent the discharging gate member from being driven by the discharging operation means. Is done. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably suppress the passage of the game ball in the discharge passage in a situation where the passage of the game ball in the intake passage is permitted.

  It is to be noted that a take-in completion determining means for determining whether or not a predetermined number of game balls have been taken in, and a discharge by the drive control means when the take-in completion judging means determines that the game ball has been taken in. It is good also as a structure further provided with the prevention cancellation | release means which cancels | releases prevention of the drive of the gate member for an object. In this case, after the game ball has been taken in, the discharge gate member can be driven again by the discharge operation means.

  Further, when the configuration of the means 5 is provided, when it is determined that the betting operation means is operated in a state where the game ball is allowed to pass through the discharge passage by the discharge gate member, the drive control means is electrically operated. The discharge operation means is driven so that the actuator is driven and the discharge gate member is in an initial state in which the game ball is prevented from passing through the discharge passage.

Means 8. In any one of the means 1 to 6, a bet operation means (Max bet switch 109) operated to start taking-in of the game ball by the take-in device is provided, and the take-up means is operated by operating the bet operation means. It is configured to allow the game ball to pass through the intake passage by the gate member for insertion,
The operation blocking means determines whether or not the bet operation determining means has been operated and whether or not the betting operation determining means (game ball input processing of the input / output control board 136) and the discharge operating means have been manually operated. A discharge operation determining means, an electric actuator (solenoid 221) that operates to prevent the discharge gate member from being driven by the discharge operation means, and it is determined that the bet operation means is operated by the bet determination means; When it is determined by the discharge operation determining means that the discharge operation means has been manually operated, the electric actuator is driven to prevent the discharge operation member from driving the discharge gate member (input / discharge control board 136). A game ball input process).

  According to the means 8, when the betting operation means is operated, the passage of the game ball in the take-in passage is permitted by the take-in gate member, and the take-in of the game ball is started. In this case, the operation blocking means determines whether or not the betting operation means has been operated, and further determines whether or not the discharging operation means has been operated. Then, when it is determined that the betting operation means and the discharge operation means are operated, the electric actuator is driven, thereby preventing the discharge gate member from being driven by the discharge operation means. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably suppress the passage of the game ball in the discharge passage in a situation where the passage of the game ball in the intake passage is permitted.

  In particular, in this means, the electric actuator is not driven only by operating the betting operation means, but is further driven by operating the discharge operation means. Therefore, the number of times of driving the electric actuator can be suppressed as much as possible. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of failure etc. of an electric actuator can be suppressed.

  It is to be noted that a take-in completion determining means for determining whether or not a predetermined number of game balls have been taken in, and a discharge by the drive control means when the take-in completion judging means determines that the game ball has been taken in. It is good also as a structure further provided with the prevention cancellation | release means which cancels | releases prevention of the drive of the gate member for an object. In this case, after the game ball has been taken in, the discharge gate member can be driven again by the discharge operation means.

  Further, when the configuration of the means 5 is provided, if it is determined that the betting operation means and the discharging operation means are operated in a state where the passing of the game ball in the discharging passage is permitted by the discharging gate member, the driving is performed. The control means drives the electric actuator so that the discharge operation means is driven so that the discharge gate member is in an initial state in which the game ball is prevented from passing through the discharge passage.

  Means 9. In the means 7 or 8, the drive control means drives the electric actuator and allows the discharge operation means to discharge the game ball before allowing the game ball to pass through the intake passage by the intake gate member. A gaming machine configured to prevent driving of a gate member.

  According to the means 9, the passage of the game ball in the discharge passage by the discharge gate member is blocked before the passage of the game ball in the intake passage by the intake gate member is permitted. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably prevent the passage of the game ball in the take-in passage under the situation where the passage of the game ball in the discharge passage is permitted.

  When the configuration of the means 5 is provided, it is determined that the betting operation means (and the discharge operation means) is operated in a state where the game ball is allowed to pass through the discharge passage by the discharge gate member. The drive control means drives the electric actuator before allowing the game ball to pass through the take-in passage by the take-in gate member, and the discharge gate member enters an initial state in which the game ball passes through the discharge passage. In this way, the discharging operation means is driven.

Means 10. In any one of the means 1 to 9, the discharge gate member is allowed to move in a predetermined direction to prevent a game ball from passing through the discharge passage, and to allow passage of the game ball through the discharge passage. It is configured to be switchable between positions,
2. A gaming machine comprising a biasing means (spring 195) for biasing the discharge gate member to hold it in the blocking position.

  In the means 10, the discharge gate member is switched between the blocking position and the allowable position by moving in a predetermined direction. In this case, the discharge gate member is urged by the urging means, so that it is disposed at the blocking position when not driven by the discharge operation means, and the discharge operation means is manually operated to resist the urging force of the urging means. Then, it is arranged at an allowable position by moving in a predetermined direction. Therefore, with this configuration, there is no need to drive the discharge gate member both when blocking and allowing the game ball to pass through the discharge passage, and only when allowing the game ball to pass through the discharge passage. Since the discharge gate member only needs to be driven, the operation of the discharge gate member can be simplified. In general, there is little opportunity for the game ball to be discharged through the discharge passage, and the time during which the game ball is prevented from passing through the discharge passage is overwhelmingly longer. In this case, by applying the configuration of this means, the driving of the discharge gate member can be simplified.

  Means 11. In any one of the means 1 to 10, the take-in gate member and the discharge gate member are arranged at a branch portion between the take-in passage and the discharge passage, and the take-in passage is formed by the take-in gate member. In the situation where the passage of the game ball is blocked, the take-in gate member serves as a passage wall of the discharge passage, and the discharge gate member prevents the game ball from passing through the discharge passage. A gaming machine characterized in that, under circumstances, the discharging gate member is configured to be a passage wall of the intake passage.

  In the means 11, in the situation where the passage of the game ball in the intake passage is blocked by the intake gate member, the intake gate member becomes the passage wall of the discharge passage, and the game of the discharge passage is performed by the discharge gate member. In the situation where the passage of the sphere is blocked, the discharge gate member becomes the passage wall of the intake passage. By setting it as the said structure, guidance of the game ball to each channel | path can be performed suitably.

  However, in the configuration in which the discharge gate member serves as the passage wall of the intake passage, when both gate members are opened, the discharge gate member does not function as the passage wall of the intake passage. There is a possibility that inconvenience may occur such that the game is not started without taking-in. On the other hand, by providing the configuration of the means 1 or the like, in a situation where the passing of the game ball in the intake passage is permitted (allowed) by the intake gate member, The passing of the game ball is blocked by the discharging gate member. Therefore, the above inconvenience does not occur.

  Means 12. In any one of the means 1 to 11, a plurality of the take-in devices are provided side by side, and the game balls supplied from the upstream are guided to the game ball inlets (game ball inlets 35a, 36a, 37a) of the take-in devices. Furthermore, the game machine is characterized in that the discharge gate member collectively blocks or permits the passage of the game balls in the discharge passages of the respective intake devices.

  According to the means 12, since a plurality of taking-in devices are provided, the game balls are simultaneously passed through the plurality of taking-in devices. Thereby, a plurality of game balls can be handled in a short time. In this case, the discharge of the game balls through the discharge passages of the respective take-in devices is collectively prevented or permitted by the discharge gate member. Thereby, since it is not necessary to provide the gate member for discharge | emission of a discharge path separately with respect to each discharge path, a taking-in apparatus can be reduced in size. Further, the configuration can be simplified, and further, the number of parts is reduced, which is preferable in terms of member management and manufacturing cost.

  In the configuration as described above, the configuration of the means 1 and the like prevents the driving of the discharge gate member when the game ball is allowed to pass through the intake passage by the intake gate member. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the passage of the game ball in all the discharge passages.

  Means 13. A game machine according to any one of means 1 to means 12, wherein the take-in gate member is electrically driven to prevent or allow passage of a game ball in the take-in passage.

  According to the means 13, the passage of the game ball in the intake passage is blocked or permitted by electrically driving the intake gate member to prevent or allow the passage of the game ball in the intake passage. Is preferably performed. Thereby, a predetermined number of game balls can be taken in reliably. On the other hand, in the case of discharging the game ball through the discharge passage, it is performed simply to discharge the game ball, which is prevented from being taken out, to the outside of the take-in device. Absent. Therefore, the game ball can be suitably discharged by adopting a configuration in which the operation when the discharge operation means is manually operated is transmitted to the discharge gate member. In this case, by providing the configuration of the means 1 or the like, it is possible to suppress troubles in taking in the game ball.

Means 14. In any one of the means 1 to 13, a plurality of endless belts (reels 71 to 73) having a plurality of patterns attached in the circumferential direction;
A display window (transparent panel 65) that allows a part of the pattern to be visually recognized for each endless belt;
Start operation means (start lever 101) operated to start rotation of each endless belt;
Stop operation means (stop buttons 102 to 104) operated to stop the rotation of each endless belt,
A predetermined number of game balls are taken in by the take-in device, and the start operation means is operated to start rotation of the endless belts, either due to the operation of the stop operation means or the Stopping the rotation of each endless belt due to the lapse of a predetermined time without operating the stop operation means, and paying out the game ball according to the stop pattern or combination of stop patterns after the stop or special game A gaming machine characterized in that a state is generated.

  According to the means 14, the effects of the means 1 and the like can be enjoyed in the endless belt-type ball game machine.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment relating to a gaming machine in which a game is started after receiving a game ball will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The gaming machine according to the present embodiment requires a game ball (for example, a game ball similar to a pachinko machine: a pachinko ball) as a predetermined number of game media (game value) in the game, and a plurality of game balls when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Game balls, and in some cases, a large amount of game balls are paid out. The game balls are not limited to pachinko balls, and may be steel balls in a broad sense.

  First, the outline of the external configuration and internal structure of the gaming machine 1 will be described. Here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire gaming machine 1, FIG. 2 is a front view of the gaming machine 1, FIG. 3 is a front view showing the front configuration of the gaming machine body, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the gaming machine 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the gaming machine 1 includes an outer frame 2 as a main body frame, and a front frame that is provided at a front portion of the outer frame 2 and is openable and closable at one side of the outer frame 2. 3 is provided. In this case, the outer frame 2 and the front frame 3 are connected to each other by hinges 31 and 32 at the upper and lower portions of the left end so as to be opened and closed. The outer frame 2 is configured by connecting wooden plate members to four sides, and has a rectangular shape as a whole. Further, the front frame 3 is made of a rectangular frame-like plate material whose outer dimensions are slightly smaller than those of the outer frame 2, and is provided so as to contact the front surface of the outer frame 2. A back set board 16 extending from the back side to the back side along the inner peripheral surface of the outer frame 2 is attached to and fixed to the front frame 3. A device for taking in or paying out (so-called back set), various control boards, and the like are mounted. In the present embodiment, the gaming machine main body is basically composed of the outer frame 2, the front frame 3, the back set board 16 provided on the front frame 3, and the like.

  A front door 4 as an openable / closable door that can be opened and closed with respect to the front frame 3 is provided on the front side of the front frame 3, and a lower dish unit 5 is provided below the front door 4. That is, the front side of the front frame 3 is covered with the front door 4 and the lower plate unit 5, and the front frame 3 and the upper plate 3 above the lower plate unit 5 are opened by opening the front door 4. Various mechanisms (such as a belt unit) mounted thereon are exposed forward. The front frame 3 and the front door 4 are connected in an openable and closable manner by upper and lower hinges 33 and 34 at the left end. Therefore, the right side of the front door 4 is rotated around the left side of the front frame 3.

  The front surface of the front door 4 and the lower tray unit 5 is formed in a continuous three-dimensional shape so as to form an integrated appearance as a whole gaming machine, and is formed in a ring shape over the entire outer periphery of the gaming machine 1 and the front surface of the gaming machine. Have annular portions 6, 7 projecting from each other. The annular portions 6 and 7 have a substantially symmetrical shape when viewed from the front of the gaming machine. A large number of light emitters 8 and 9 made of light emitting diodes or the like are embedded in these annular portions 6 and 7 (see the partially broken portion in the lower right of FIG. 2), and the light emitters 8 and 9 emit light during the game. Thus, for example, the annular portions 6 and 7 illuminate all at once or around the outer periphery of the gaming machine. Of the annular part 6, the top part 6a located at the uppermost part protrudes further forward than the other parts. The top part 6a is provided with a pair of left and right lamp display parts 10 and a pair of left and right speakers. 11 is provided. Further, in the annular portion 6, a constricted portion 6 b that is constricted on the inside is provided near the center in the height direction, and the lamp display portions 12 and 13 are also provided on the constricted portion 6 b.

  The annular portions 6 and 7 (light emitters 8 and 9) and the lamp display portions 10, 12, 13 and the like are for performing an auxiliary effect during the game while intending to diversify the display contents and make the display effect heavy. It is provided and performs various display effects as the game progresses. For example, when it becomes possible to acquire a big bonus game, the annular portions 6 and 7 (light emitters 8 and 9) are caused to emit light all at once or all around the lamp display portions 10, 12, and 13 The player is notified by turning on or blinking.

  The gaming machine 1 according to the present embodiment is configured such that a game is performed on the condition that acceptance of an actual game ball is a necessary condition, and a predetermined number of game balls are paid out when the predetermined condition is satisfied. A configuration for using a game ball as a game medium will be described below. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper plate forming body 17 is detachably attached to the back set board 16 attached and fixed to the front frame 3 below the front side. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the upper plate forming body 17.

  An upper plate 18 as a storage portion is formed in the upper plate forming body 17, and the upper plate 18 is positioned on the upstream side of the main upper plate 18 a that leads to a loading port to an intake unit 30 described later. And an auxiliary upper dish portion 18b. Basically, the main upper tray portion 18a stores game balls paid out from a payout mechanism to be described later, while the auxiliary upper tray portion 18b is a game ball supplied from a nozzle of a ball rental machine (not shown). The game balls in the main upper plate 18a flow into the insertion port through the ball guide unit 19. The ball guide unit 19 is configured so that game balls can be arranged in a line and supplied to the slot, and a stainless cover (protective cover) 20 is attached to the ball guide unit 19. The main upper plate portion 18a and the sub upper plate portion 18b are provided so as to be folded back and forth, the sub upper plate portion 18b is inclined slightly downward toward the left side of FIG. It is inclined somewhat downward toward the right side of FIG. Therefore, the game balls in the main upper tray portion 18a and the sub upper tray portion 18b flow in the downstream order in order, and flow into the inlet as described above.

  Mounting fixing portions 21 are provided at both left and right ends of the upper plate forming body 17, and the upper plate forming body 17 is mounted on the back setting plate 16 by fastening the mounting fixing portion 21 to the back setting plate 16 side. It has come to be. By releasing the fastening of the mounting fixing portion 21, the upper plate forming body 17 is detached from the back set board 16. The attachment fixing part 21 may be any fastening method as long as it can be attached to and detached from the back set board 16, and a fastener (for example, Nylatch (registered trademark)) is pushed into a fastening hole provided on the back set board 16 side. A push-type fastening method, a method of screwing a male screw into a screw hole provided on the back set board 16 side, or the like can be applied.

  When the front door 4 is closed while the upper plate forming body 17 is mounted on the back set board 16, the upper plate forming body 17 is fixed between the back set board 16 and the front door 4. The upper plate forming body 17 is provided with a flange 22 extending in the longitudinal direction, and the flange 22 is sandwiched between the back surface of the front door 4. That is, since a holding recess is formed at a corresponding position on the back surface of the front door 4 so as to sandwich the flange 22, the upper plate forming body 17 is prevented from falling off when the front door 4 is closed. The weight of a large amount of game balls stored in the upper plate 18 can also be supported. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a portion of the front door 4 corresponding to the upper plate forming body 17 (operation unit 100) is bulged to the front side, and the upper surface of the bulged portion is open. is doing. For this reason, when the front door 4 is in the closed state, the upper plate 18 of the upper plate forming body 17 is opened above the bulging portion (operation unit 100). With the above configuration, the upper plate forming body 17 can be easily removed from the gaming machine main body or the front door 4, and the upper plate 18 (in particular, the ball guide portion 19) is cleaned after the upper plate forming body 17 is removed. Work becomes easier. In addition, inspection, repair, and the like of the operation unit 100 described later can be easily performed from the back side of the front door 4. In other words, maintenance is improved. The bulging portion of the front door 4 is an operation unit 100, and a back wall 64 is provided in the front door 4 immediately above the operation unit 100. The configurations of the operation unit 100 and the back wall 64 will be described later.

  The take-in unit 30 (see FIG. 3) is provided on the back set board 16, and a predetermined number of game balls are taken in via the take-in unit 30 based on an operation by the player. A predetermined number of game balls are taken in, so that a game (game) start condition is established, and preparation for game start is made. At this time, the accepted game ball is discharged to the outside of the gaming machine 1 through a discharge path (not shown).

  Here, the configuration of the capture unit 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7 in which the entire take-in unit 30 is shown, the take-in unit 30 is provided with three take-in devices 35, 36, and 37 so as to overlap each other. (In the following description, the capturing device 35 located on the near side in FIG. 7 is referred to as “first capturing device”, and the capturing device 36 located in the center is referred to as “second capturing device.” ”, The capturing device 37 located on the far side is referred to as“ third capturing device 37 ”). This take-in unit 30 is arranged with the first take-in device 35 as the front side of the gaming machine and the third take-in device 37 as the rear side. Further, game ball inlets 35a, 36a, and 37a are formed on the upper surfaces of the respective take-in devices 35 to 37, and these game ball inlets 35a to 37a are arranged in the front-rear direction.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the game balls stored in the upper plate 18 flow into the respective take-in devices 35 to 37 through the ball distribution passage 38. The ball distribution passage 38 communicates with the inlet of the upper plate 18 and extends upward of the take-in unit 30. Further, the ball distribution passage 38 is inclined so that the game ball flows down toward the take-in unit 30 side, and the downstream side is branched by the partition plates 38a and 38b. Specifically, the downstream side of the ball distribution passage 38 is first branched in two directions by the first partition plate 38a, and further branched in two directions by the second partition plate 38b on the downstream side of the branched one passage. . In this case, the upstream ends of the partition plates 38a and 38b are inclined toward one or both of the passages so that the game balls are smoothly distributed to the branched passages. A drop hole 38c is formed at the downstream end of the passage branched by the partition plates 38a and 38b so as to correspond to the game ball inlets 35a to 37a. With the configuration as described above, the game balls stored in the upper plate 18 flow down the ball distribution passage 38 and are guided to one of the drop holes 38c by the partition plates 38a and 38b. Will flow into each of the take-in devices 35-37. In addition, it is good also as a structure which distributes a game ball on the upper plate 18 instead of distributing the game ball to each taking-in apparatus 35-37 by the ball distribution channel | path 38 as mentioned above. In this case, the partition plate and the drop hole are provided on the upper plate 18.

  Next, the structure of the capture devices 35-37 is demonstrated using FIGS. 9-11. However, since each of the capture devices 35 to 37 has a substantially similar configuration, the description will be basically made with the third capture device 37 as an example. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the take-in device 37, FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing the take-in device 37, and FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of the take-in unit 30. It is. In the following description, for convenience of description, the respective directions of up, down, left, and right are described in the state shown in FIG.

  The third take-in device 37 includes a pair of front and back housing members 161 and 162, both of which are made of a resin molded product (hereinafter, the housing member 161 is a "first housing" and the housing member 162 is a "second housing". Called). The first housing 161 has a substantially square shape, while the second housing 162 has a shape in which the lower right side is cut away as compared with the first housing 161. The housings 161 and 162 are coupled with each other by screws or the like, thereby forming a substantially square box-shaped housing having an opening on the right side of the front surface. Further, notches 161a and 162a for forming the above-described game ball entrance 37a are formed on the upper surfaces of the first housing 161 and the second housing 162.

  Further, the third take-in device 37 is formed with a game ball passage 165 for allowing game balls to pass through in a row. Specifically, the first housing 161 is provided with a substantially equal width passage wall 161b extending from the wall portion W1 of the first housing 161 toward the inside of the housing, and the second housing 162 is similarly provided with a passage wall (not shown). ) Are provided, and a game ball passage 165 is defined by being surrounded by four side passage walls including them. Most of the passage walls of the intake device 37 are formed on the first housing 161 side, and a passage wall having a low height is formed on the second housing 162 side. The structure formed in the side may be sufficient. In other words, the configuration may be such that the game ball passing through the game ball passage 167 does not contact the boundary between the first housing 161 and the second housing 162 in the game ball passage 167. This is because dust is likely to accumulate in such a boundary, and if the passing game ball is in contact with this boundary, the passage of the game ball may be hindered by the dust. is there. The first housing 161 and the second housing 162 are formed of a transparent resin material. Thereby, the game balls stored in the passage can be visually recognized in addition to the game ball passage 165 inside the apparatus, the gate drive mechanism described later, and the like without disconnecting the two housings 161 and 162.

  The game ball passage 165 is bifurcated near the center of the housings 161 and 162, and an upstream passage 167 extending from the game ball inlet 37a to the passage branch position, and an intake passage 168 extending vertically from the passage branch position. And a discharge passage 169 extending obliquely downward to the left from the passage branch position. Note that the extending direction of the intake passage 168 and the discharge passage 169 is different from the above configuration as long as at least the discharge passage 169 extends to the outside rather than the inside of the corner portion of the upstream passage 167 and the intake passage 168. It may be a thing. A predetermined number of game balls as game start conditions are taken in through the take-in passage 168. Further, when the game balls are settled at the end of the game, the game balls stored in the upper plate 18 and the third take-in device 37 are discharged to the lower plate 41 through the discharge passage 169.

  The upstream passage 167 is provided in a substantially horizontal direction, but is slightly inclined downward in detail. As a result, the game balls that have entered the third take-in device 37 from the game ball inlet 37a flow down to the downstream side while being aligned in the horizontal direction in the upstream passage 167. The upstream passage 167 is provided with a rectifying unit 170 for keeping the flow of game balls constant. The configuration of the rectifying unit 170 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional plan view of the central portion of the rectifying unit 170 cut along a horizontal line. The upper side of the figure shows the wall surface (wall portion W1) of the first housing 161, and the lower side shows the wall surface (wall portion) of the second housing 162. W2). As shown in FIG. 12, in the rectifying unit 170, an arc-shaped recess 171 is formed in the first housing 161, and a triangular mountain-shaped protrusion 172 is formed facing the recess 171 in the second housing 162. Has been. In such a case, when the game ball B flowing downstream in the upstream passage 167 reaches the rectifying unit 170, the game ball B collides with the protrusion 172, changes the flow direction as shown by the arrow, and further faces the protrusion 172. It collides with the inner wall of the concave portion 171 to be In this way, the game ball B flows downstream so as to detour to the recess 171 while changing the flow direction.

  At this time, each time the game ball passes through the rectifying unit 170, the momentum of the flow is extinguished and the subsequent flow speed is reduced, so that a detection error at the time of game ball detection described later after the passage is reduced. In addition, when a large number of game balls are connected in a daisy chain and taken into the third take-in device 37, when passing through the rectifying unit 170, an interval between adjacent game balls can be created due to a speed difference. The problem of erroneous detection as one game ball is also eliminated. That is, the presence of the rectifying unit 170 ensures the detection of the game ball after the passage. Moreover, since the rectification | straightening part 170 is detoured in the front-back direction (thickness direction of the 3rd taking-in apparatus 37), it says that sufficient rectifying effect can be provided to a game ball, making the 3rd taking-in apparatus 37 compact. A synergistic effect is obtained. In addition, as a structure of the said rectification | straightening part 170, it does not provide the recessed part 171 and the processus | protrusion 172 in the housings 161 and 162, but it is also possible to use a structure in which the game ball passage 165 is cranked in the thickness direction of the third take-in device 37. Good. Even in this case, when the game ball collides with the inner wall of the crank-shaped part, the momentum of the flow of the game ball is extinguished, and the same effect as the rectifying unit 170 can be obtained.

  Further, the upstream passage 167 is provided with a straight protrusion 173 from the most upstream side, and the protrusion 173 is provided to the most downstream side of the intake passage 168 (however, in the rectifying unit 170). The installation of the protrusion 173 is optional). The protrusion 173 is formed on at least one of the four passage walls defining the upstream passage 167 and the intake passage 168, and in the present embodiment, the passage that holds the game ball from the side in the first housing 161. A ridge 173 is formed at substantially the center of the wall. The height of the protrusion 173 is about 0.5 mm, and thereby the passage widths of the upstream passage 167 and the intake passage 168 are narrowed. That is, the upstream passage 167 and the intake passage 168 basically have a passage width of about 12 mm, but by providing the protrusions 173, the substantial passage width is narrowed to about 11.5 mm. Thereby, the play in the upstream passage 167 and the intake passage 168 can be reduced, and the game ball flows down in a stable state. In particular, in the take-in passage 168, as described later, game ball detection is performed, so that detection errors can be reduced.

  An intake gate member 175 is provided in the intake passage 168 immediately downstream of the branch position. The take-in gate member 175 has a long shape extending in the vertical direction, and is taken in through a base 175a supported by a support shaft 176 disposed outside the passage and a notch 179 provided in the passage wall. And a claw portion 175 b that appears and disappears in the insertion passage 168. The take-in gate member 175 is disposed in a region inside the corner portion between the upstream passage 167 and the take-in passage 168, and the claw portion 175 b protrudes and retracts in the take-in passage 168, thereby The passage of the game ball is prevented or allowed.

  Here, a drive mechanism of the take-in gate member 175 will be described with reference to FIG. A solenoid 181 is used as a drive source for the take-in gate member 175. The solenoid 181 includes a main body 181a and an output shaft 181b as main components, and is energized based on the input of an electrical signal to the main body 181a, so that the output shaft 181b moves in the expansion / contraction direction. The solenoid 181 is arranged on the right side of the take-in gate member 175 so that the output shaft 181b protrudes downward. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, it is fixed to the housing 161 by a solenoid cover 182. Further, since the position where the solenoid 181 is disposed is the lower right portion of the third take-in device 37, it corresponds to the position where the second housing 162 is notched, and the solenoid 181 is covered by the second housing 162. No (see FIG. 7). With this configuration, the third capture device 37 is thinned. Since the main body 181a of the solenoid 181 has a predetermined size, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the housings 161 and 162 in the configuration in which the second housing 162 is not cut as described above. is there. Further, since the solenoid 181 generates heat according to its driving, the heat dissipation can be improved by adopting a configuration in which the solenoid 181 is not covered by the second housing 162.

  A guide 183 is attached to the tip of the output shaft 181b of the solenoid 181. A part of the rotating piece 184 is engaged with the guide 183, and the other part of the rotating piece 184 is drivingly connected to the rear end of the take-in gate member 175. Reference numeral 185 is a coil spring that constantly urges the output shaft 180 in the extending direction, and reference numeral 186 is a support shaft that is provided at substantially the center of the rotating piece 184 and supports the rotating piece 184 in a rotatable manner. .

  According to this configuration, when the solenoid 181 is not energized, the output shaft 181b is extended by the urging force of the coil spring 185 as shown in the drawing, and the claw portion 175b of the take-in gate member 175 is taken in. It protrudes into the passage 168 and the intake passage 168 is closed. At this time, the rear end portion of the take-in gate member 175 is in contact with the stopper 187, and the take-in gate member 175 is restricted from rotating further in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing. That is, in an actual use state, a game ball is put on the claw portion 175b of the take-in gate member 175 and the passage of the game ball is prevented in that state, but the take-in gate member 175 is shown in the figure by the weight of the game ball. Receives force in the counterclockwise direction. At this time, the movement of the take-in gate member 175 is stopped by the stopper 187.

  When the output shaft 181b moves in the contracting direction against the biasing force of the coil spring 185 as the solenoid 181 is energized, the take-in gate member 175 rotates through the guide 183 and the rotating piece 184 (FIG. 9 is turned clockwise). At this time, the claw portion 175 b of the take-in gate member 175 is retracted out of the take-in passage 168. When the energization of the solenoid 181 is stopped, the output shaft 181 b is moved in the extending direction by the urging force of the coil spring 185, and the claw portion 175 b of the take-in gate member 175 is projected into the take-in passage 168.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a pair of upper and lower count sensors 201 and 202 are installed in the intake passage 168 immediately downstream of the intake gate member 175. The count sensors 201 and 202 detect a game ball passing through the take-in passage 168 when the take-in passage 168 is opened by the take-in gate member 175. The sensors 201 and 202 start the game. Incorporation of a predetermined number of game balls, which is a condition, can be confirmed.

  Here, the configuration of the count sensors 201 and 202 will be described with reference to FIG. Each sensor 201, 202 is configured by a known optical sensor including a light emitting element and a light receiving element. Specifically, the optical sensor includes a sensor main body 205 extending from the wall W1 side of the first housing 161 toward the wall W2 of the second housing 162 (in the front-rear direction), and both ends of the sensor main body 205. Are provided as a sensor unit 200 integrally formed with arm portions 203 and 204 extending along the housings 161 and 162 toward the intake passage 168 side. The light receiving elements constituting the count sensors 201 and 202 are arranged vertically on one arm portion 203 on the tip side, and the other arm portion 204 is similarly positioned at a position opposite to the light receiving elements. Light emitting elements constituting 201 and 202 are provided. Further, the distance between the arm portions 203 and 204 is slightly longer than the width of the intake passage 168. The sensor main body 205 is inserted into a through window 188 provided between the intake gate member 175 and the solenoid 181, which is an area inside the corner portion of the upstream passage 167 and the intake passage 168. Further, the sensor unit 200 is disposed in a state where both the arm portions 203 and 204 straddle the take-in gate member 175 and sandwich the take-in passage 168. Thereby, the sensor unit 200 is configured to be integrated with the take-in gate member 175 and other drive mechanisms.

  In this case, the sensor body 205 has the same thickness in the thickness direction (front-rear direction) of the housings 161, 162 as the thickness of the housings 161, 162. The configuration is such that the outer surfaces of 161 and 162 hardly protrude outward. Further, as indicated by broken lines in FIG. 9, the ends of the arm portions 203 and 204 are located in the vicinity of the center of the intake passage 168 so as not to contact the ball guide portion 191 c of the discharge gate member 190. Along with this, since the count sensors 201 and 202 are located on the side of the intake gate member 175 with respect to the center line (the protrusion 173) of the intake passage 168, the game balls that continuously flow down are collected. It can be detected reliably. That is, the game ball has a spherical shape, and the passing time when passing the front of each sensor (that is, the gaming ball detection time by the sensor) is shorter at the position outside the center than the position near the center. This is because by shifting the positions of the count sensors 201 and 202 from the center line of the intake passage 168, it is possible to secure a long time from detection of one game ball to detection of the next game ball. .

  Further, the outer surfaces of the first housing 161 and the second housing 162 have a depth similar to the thickness (length in the front-rear direction) of the arm portions 203 and 204, respectively, and the vertical direction of the arm portions 203 and 204. A fitting groove 189 having a width approximately equal to the length of the fitting groove 189 is formed, and the arm portions 203 and 204 are accommodated in the fitting groove 189. The sensor main body 205 houses a sensor substrate (not shown) having functional circuits for causing the light emitting element and the light receiving element to function. By accommodating the sensor substrate in the sensor main body 205 extending in the thickness direction of the housings 161 and 162 in this manner, the dimension in the thickness direction of the sensor unit 200 can be made substantially the same as the thickness of the housings 161 and 162. . The sensor board is provided with a connector portion 205a to which a signal line connected to the main board 131 is connected. The connector part 205a faces the solenoid 181. As the solenoid 181 and the sensor main body part 205 are close to each other, the connector part 205a is also close to the solenoid 181. In addition, wiring can be facilitated by adopting a configuration in which the signal lines from the sensor units 200 of the respective capture devices 35 to 37 are collectively connected to the main board 131 via the relay board.

  As described above, since the light emitting element and the light receiving element are integrally provided as the sensor unit 200, the alignment accuracy between the light emitting element and the light receiving element can be increased, and the detection accuracy can be improved. Furthermore, noise reduction can be realized. Since the sensor substrate is accommodated in the sensor unit 200, the signal lines connected to the light emitting elements and the light receiving elements of the count sensors 201 and 202 can be combined into one in the sensor unit 200. Simplification of wiring can be realized. In addition, the sensor unit 200, the capture gate member 175, and the drive mechanism thereof are arranged inside the corner portions of the upstream passage 167 and the capture passage 168, so that the third capture device 37 is provided. Space saving can be achieved, and as a result, downsizing of the third capture device 37 is realized. In particular, as in the present embodiment, in the case of the configuration including the three capture devices 35 to 37 as the capture unit 30, the game is further increased without increasing the thickness of the capture unit 30 in the depth direction. It is necessary to dispose the sensor unit 200 so as not to interfere with the ball passage 165. In this case, the present embodiment can be said to be an optimal configuration. In addition, the signal line of the sensor unit 200 and the signal line of the solenoid 181 as the drive source of the take-in gate member 175 can be wired without straddling the game ball passage 165. Can be pulled out from the location. Furthermore, since the arm portions 203 and 204 are configured to straddle the gate member 175 for taking in, various members are gathered inside the corner portions of the upstream passage 167 and the taking-in passage 168 as described above. In the arranged configuration, the take-in gate member 167 can be brought closer to the take-in passage 168 side. As a result, the base 175a and the claw 175b of the take-in gate member 167 can be shortened as much as possible, so that the bending acting on the take-in gate member 167 when a load of a game ball is applied to the claw 175b The stress (moment) can be reduced, and the strength of the capture gate member 167 can be increased. Furthermore, when the take-in gate member 167 approaches the take-in passage 168 side, the operating range of the take-in gate member 167 is narrowed, and the burden on the drive mechanism (solenoid 181 and the like) can be reduced.

  Next, an outline of game ball detection by the count sensors 201 and 202 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13A shows the passing positions of the game balls with respect to the sensors 201 and 202, and shows the game balls in each passing process of B1, B2, and B3 in the figure. FIG. 13B shows the output waveform (rectangular waveform after waveform shaping) of each sensor 201, 202 as the game ball passes, and shows the logic that is turned ON when the game ball passes for convenience.

  After the game ball passes through the take-in gate member 175, when it reaches the B1 position in FIG. 13A, the output of the upper sensor 201 is turned ON (timing of t1), and when it reaches the B2 position, The output of the side sensor 202 is turned on (timing t2). Thereafter, the output of the upper sensor 201 is turned off (timing at t3), and when the position B3 is further reached, the output of the lower sensor 202 is turned off (timing at t4). In this case, it is determined that the game ball has been properly taken in only when each sensor is turned on in the order of the upper sensor 201 → the lower sensor 202 under a predetermined time condition. That is, when a predetermined time elapses from when the upper sensor 201 is turned on to when the lower sensor 202 is turned on, each sensor is in the order of the lower sensor 202 → the upper sensor 201 contrary to the normal time. When is turned on, an error occurs, and a notification to that effect is made and the game is prohibited. Therefore, for example, by attaching a string or the like to the game ball and moving it up and down, it is possible to prevent an illegal act such as having a plurality of game balls taken in.

  The discharge passage 169 is provided with a discharge gate member 190 immediately downstream of the passage branch position. The discharge gate member 190 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 14 is a front view showing the discharge gate member 190. FIG. 15 is a plan view showing the discharge gate member 190. In FIG. 15, the upper side of the drawing is the discharge passage 169 side, and the lower side of the drawing is the upstream passage 167 side.

  The discharge gate member 190 is made of synthetic resin and has three passage shielding portions 191a and a connecting portion 191b for connecting them at the lower end of each passage shielding portion 191a as shown in FIG. ing. In addition, three ball guide portions 191c are formed in the connecting portion 191b so as to be alternately arranged with the passage shielding portions 191a. Further, a proximal end portion 192 to which a force is applied to hold the discharge gate member 190 at a predetermined position in the thickness direction of the housings 161 and 162 is formed at the front side end portion of the connecting portion 191b. . There is a game ball passage area between the base end 192 and the adjacent passage shield 191a and between the two adjacent passage shields 191a, and the length between them is at least that of the game ball. The length is possible.

  Through holes 193a and 193b corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the discharge gate member 190 are formed in the inlets of the discharge passages 169 in the housings 161 and 162 of the respective intake devices 35 to 37. The through holes 193a, A discharge gate member 169 is inserted through the entire intake devices 35 to 37 through 193b. However, the base end portion 192 is not located in the housings 161 and 162 but is accommodated in a cover 194 fixed to the outer surface of the second housing 162 of the first take-in device 35. A through hole 194a is formed in the cover 194, and a protrusion 192a formed integrally with the base end 192 projects forward from the through hole 194a (see FIG. 7).

  As shown in FIG. 11, a spring 195 is interposed between the base end 192 and the second housing 162, and the base end 192 is always urged forward by the spring 195. . In this case, the cover 194 serves as a stopper that restricts the forward movement of the base end 192. Further, the total length of the passage shielding portion 191a and the distance between the adjacent passage shielding portions 191a is the same as the thickness of the housings 161 and 162 of the take-in device, and therefore the housing 161 of each take-in device 35 to 37. 162, the passage shielding portion 191a and the ball guiding portion 191c are positioned one by one.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 14A, in a state where the base end 192 is in contact with the cover 194 by the biasing force of the spring 195 (a state where the discharge gate member 190 is disposed at the blocking position), A passage shielding portion 191a protrudes from the discharge passage 169 of the intake devices 35 to 37 so as to block more than half of the discharge passage 169. Thereby, the passage of the game ball flowing from the upstream passage 167 (discharge of the game ball through the discharge passage 169) is prevented. However, the passage shielding portion 191a is configured not to block the entire discharge passage 169. Thus, the amount of sliding movement of the discharge gate member 190 when opening and closing the discharge passage 169 is set to be as short as possible.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14B, the projection 192a of the base end 192 is pushed to the back side, and the discharge gate member 190 slides to the back side against the biasing force of the spring 195. In the state (the state in which the discharge gate member 190 is disposed at the allowable position), the ball guide portion 191c is positioned in the discharge passage 169 of each of the capture devices 35 to 37. Thereby, the passage of the game ball flowing down from the upstream passage 167 (discharge of the game ball through the discharge passage 169) is allowed.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 16, the ball guide portion 191c extends from the connecting portion 191b toward the upstream passage 167 and is provided so as to match the angle at which the discharge passage 169 is formed. Thereby, the inflow of game balls into the discharge passage 169 is smoothly performed. However, the length in the direction extending to the upstream passage 167 side of the ball guide portion 191c does not reach the vicinity of the center of the intake passage 168 in order to prevent the ball guide portion 191c from contacting the take-in gate member 175. It is about.

  Moreover, as shown to Fig.15 (a), the front-end | tip part (left side edge part of FIG. 15) of the side which protrudes in the discharge channel | path 169 in the channel | path shielding part 191a has a tapered shape. In the tapered portion, the surface on the upstream passage 167 side is a vertical surface with respect to the passage direction, and the surface on the discharge passage 169 side is an inclined surface with respect to the passage direction. Therefore, the state where the passage of game balls in the discharge passage 169 is allowed as shown in FIG. 15B, and the state where the passage of game balls in the discharge passage 169 is blocked as shown in FIG. 15C. When shifting to, the game ball B1 located on the ball guide portion 191c is pushed toward the discharge passage 169 side by the passage shielding portion 191a. In the configuration in which the upstream passage 167 and the discharge passage 169 are formed so as to extend in the gravity drop direction, the game ball B1 is pushed out toward the discharge passage 169 as described above, thereby smoothly shifting the state. Can be done. Further, for example, in a configuration in which the tip of the passage shielding portion 191a is not tapered as described above, the game ball B1 may be sandwiched between the passage wall and the passage shielding portion 191a. On the other hand, if it is the said structure, there is no possibility that such a problem may arise.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 16, the claw portion 175 b of the intake gate member 175 protrudes into the intake passage 168, and the passage shielding portion 191 a of the discharge gate member 190 is located at the inlet of the discharge passage 169. In this case, a large number of game balls B are stored in the upstream passage 167 while the leading game ball B is supported by the claw portion 175b and the passage shielding portion 191a. In this state, when the claw portion 175b is drawn out of the intake passage 168, the game ball B flows toward the intake passage 168, and conversely, the ball guide portion 191c is positioned at the entrance of the discharge passage 169. Then, the game ball B flows to the discharge passage 169 side. When the game ball B flows to the intake passage 168 side, the passage shielding portion 191a forms a part of the passage wall, and the game ball B collides with the passage shielding portion 191a and changes its direction to the downstream side (vertical direction). Flowing. Further, when the game ball B flows to the discharge passage 169 side, the claw portion 175b and the ball guide portion 191c constitute part of the passage wall, and pass through the claw portion 175b and the ball guide portion 191c to the downstream side. Flowing.

  Next, the drive mechanism of the discharge gate member 190 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 17 is a plan view for explaining a drive mechanism of the discharge gate member 190. FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the internal structure near the line CC in FIG.

  The front door 4 is provided with a plate-like operation member 211. A protrusion 211a is provided on the front surface side of the operation member 211, and an extruded portion 211b having an inclined surface inclined to one side is provided on the back surface. The front door 4 is formed with a horizontally long slide hole 4a, and the protrusion 211a protrudes forward from the slide hole 4a. The operation member 211 is configured to move in the left-right direction when the projection 211a is slid along the longitudinal direction of the slide hole 4a with a finger or the like. A stopper 212 is provided on the side of the pushing portion 211b of the operation member 211, and the operation member 211 is in a direction in which the side portion of the pushing portion 211b (that is, the right end portion in the state of FIG. That is, it is biased by a biasing means (not shown) on the right side of FIG.

  Thus, the operation member 211 is held at a position where the pushing portion 211b contacts the stopper 212 when not operated by a finger or the like (state shown in FIG. 17), and resists the urging force when operated by the finger or the like. To the left in FIG.

  Further, a link mechanism 215 for transmitting the movement of the operation member 211 to the discharge gate member 190 is provided on the mounting portion 214 on the back side of the operation member 211. The link mechanism 215 extends in the front-rear direction, and includes a first link member 216 located on the operation member 211 side and a second link member 217 located on the discharge gate member 217 side as main components. The first link member 216 and the second link member 217 are connected by a pivot pin 219 so as to be rotatable. Specifically, both link members 216 and 217 are combined with unevenness, and a spindle pin 219 is provided through both of them.

  A roller portion 216a is provided at the end of the first link member 216 on the operation member 211 side. The roller portion 216a has a columnar shape extending in the thickness direction of the first link member 216, and is rotatably attached with its center as a rotation axis. As shown in FIG. 18, a groove 214a that extends linearly is formed in the mounting portion 214, and a biasing receiver 216b that protrudes toward the groove 214a is formed in the first link member 216. . The bias receiver 216b is biased toward the operation member 211 by a spring 224 provided in the groove 214a. Accordingly, the first link member 216 is urged toward the operation member 211, and the roller portion 216a is in contact with the inclined surface of the pushing portion 211b.

  Further, the end of the second link member 217 on the discharge gate member 190 side faces the protrusion 192 a of the discharge gate member 190. A slide pin 217a is inserted into the end portion of the second link member 217 so as to protrude from the second link member 217 to the left and right (as viewed in the state of FIG. 17). The slide pin 217a is also inserted through a guide 222 provided so as to straddle the protrusion 192a and the second link member 217. Specifically, the guide 222 has a substantially U-shape opened downward, and slits 222a extending in the front-rear direction are formed on both sides thereof. Both ends of the slide pin 217a are inserted into the slit 222a. The end of the second link member 217 on the discharge gate member 190 side has a curved surface in the vertical cross section, and the radius of curvature is smaller than the length from the center of the support pin 219 to the protrusion 192a. It has a configuration. However, the radius of curvature may be the same as the length from the center of the support pin 219 to the protrusion 192a.

  A solenoid 221 is provided above the guide 222. The solenoid 221 includes a main body 221a and an output shaft 221b. When the main body 221a is energized, the output shaft 221b moves in the contracting direction. The solenoid 221 is disposed above the guide 222 so that the output shaft 221b protrudes downward. The tip end of the output shaft 221b is fixed to the guide 222. However, in FIG. 17, the solenoid 221 is omitted.

  Therefore, when the solenoid 221 is not energized, as shown in FIG. 18, the output shaft 221b is held in an extended state, and the guide 222 is positioned on the mounting portion 214 together with the second link member 217. . On the other hand, when the solenoid 221 is energized, the output shaft 221b moves in the contraction direction, and the guide 222 is lifted upward from the mounting portion 214 together with the second link member 217.

  Next, a driving mode of the discharge gate member 190 via the operation member 211 and the link mechanism 215 will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20. 19A and 20A show a state where the operation member 211 is not operated, and FIGS. 19B and 20B show a state where the operation member 211 is operated. FIG. 20C shows a state where the solenoid 221 is energized in a state where the operation member 211 is not operated. FIG. 20D shows a state in which the solenoid 221 is energized under the condition that the operation member 211 is operated. 19 and 20, the configuration of the link mechanism 215 is simply shown for convenience of explanation.

  In the case of starting to take in game balls by the take-in devices 35 to 37 and playing a game, the player basically does not operate the operation member 211. Thereby, as shown to Fig.19 (a) and FIG.20 (a), the 1st link member 216 is contact | abutted to the low-order part of the extrusion part 211b. In this case, both link members 216 and 217 are at the initial position, and the discharge gate member 190 is disposed at the blocking position. Thus, the game ball is prevented from being discharged through the discharge passage 169.

  Further, when the game ball remaining in the take-in devices 35 to 37 is to be discharged, such as at the end of the game, the player operates the operation member 211. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 19B and 20B, as the contact portion between the first link member 216 and the pushing portion 211b shifts from the lower portion to the higher portion of the pushing portion 211b. Both link members 216 and 217 are pushed out to the discharge gate member 190 side. Then, the second link member 217 pushes the protrusion 192a of the discharge gate member 190, whereby the discharge gate member 190 is driven, and the game ball is allowed to be discharged through the discharge passage 169.

  However, when a player or the like operates the max bet switch 109 to take in a game ball, even if the operation member 211 is operated, the above does not occur. Specifically, in a state where the game ball is allowed to pass through the intake passage 168, the second link member 217 moves upward by energizing the solenoid 221 as shown in FIG. . As a result, even if the operation member 211 is operated, the second link member 217 does not come into contact with the protruding portion 192a as shown in FIG. Not transmitted. Therefore, in a state where the passage of the game ball in the intake passage 168 is permitted, the passage of the game ball in the discharge passage 169 is not permitted even if the operation member 211 is operated.

  Further, when the max bet switch 109 is operated in a state where the operation member 211 is operated, the solenoid 221 is energized in the state shown in FIGS. 19B and 20B, and the second link member is energized. 217 moves upward. As a result, the second link member 217 does not come into contact with the discharge gate member 190, and the discharge gate member 190 returns to the blocking position by the biasing force of the spring 195 as shown in FIG. The passage of the game ball in the passage 169 is blocked. Accordingly, when the max bet switch 109 is operated in a situation where the passage of the game ball in the discharge passage 169 is permitted, the passage of the game ball in the intake passage 168 is preferentially performed. Thereafter, when the player stops the operation of the operation member 211, the operation member 211 is returned to the initial position by the urging force of the urging means (not shown), and the first force is applied by the urging force of the spring 224 (see FIG. 18). The link member 216 returns to the initial position, and the state shown in FIG.

  As described above, the end of the second link member 217 on the discharge gate member 190 side has a curved surface in the vertical cross section, and the radius of curvature is the length from the center of the support pin 219 to the protrusion 192a. Due to the shorter configuration, the second link member 217 is not caught by the protrusion 192a when the state of FIG. 20B is shifted to the state of FIG. Can be done smoothly.

  Next, an actual operation for taking in game balls by the third take-in device 37 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 21A shows the initial state, FIG. 21B shows the taking-in state of the game ball B, and FIG. 21C shows the discharging state of the game ball B. In the actual game, the game balls B enter the upstream passage 167 one after another, but only five game balls B are shown in FIGS.

  In the initial state shown in FIG. 21A, since the solenoid 181 is in a non-energized state, the claw portion 175b of the intake gate member 175 protrudes into the intake passage 168, and the discharge gate member 190 is in the initial state. Therefore, the passage shield 191 a is located at the entrance of the discharge passage 169. Therefore, passage of the game ball B through the take-in gate member 175 and the discharge gate member 190 is not allowed. That is, among the plurality of game balls B in the upstream passage 167, the top game ball is supported by the claw portion 175b and the passage shielding portion 191a.

  Further, in the state where the game ball B is taken in as shown in FIG. As a result, the game ball B flows through the take-in passage 168 and the game ball is taken in. The game ball B flowing down in the upstream passage 167 collides with the passage shielding portion 191a, and at that time, the momentum of the flow is absorbed by the passage shielding portion 191a and stopped for a moment. It flows to 168. At this time, the front and rear game balls flow down in the take-in passage 168 and the passage of the game ball B is reliably detected by the count sensors 201 and 202.

  Furthermore, in the discharge state of the game ball B shown in FIG. 21 (c), when the operation member 211 is operated, the projection 192a is pushed to the back side, and the discharge gate member 190 moves to the back side. A ball guide 191 c is located at the entrance of the discharge passage 169. As a result, the game ball B flows downstream in the discharge passage 169 and the game ball is discharged. At this time, the game ball B passes while rolling on the claw portion 175b and the ball guide portion 191c.

  In the take-in unit 30 configured as described above, the game balls are taken in by the respective take-in devices 35 to 37. Specifically, for example, when 15 game balls are taken in, in all the take-in devices 35 to 37, the take-in gate members 175 are simultaneously moved to the open position, and the game balls are taken in. It starts all at once. In this case, when any of the three capture devices 35 to 37 is not filled with a game ball or when the solenoid 181 is out of order, only the capture device that is not malfunctioning is used. A game ball is taken in. For example, when the first take-in device 35 or the third take-in device 37 is not filled with a game ball or when the solenoid 181 or the like of these take-in devices 35, 37 is out of order, the second take-in device 36 Fifteen game balls are taken in.

  On the other hand, when the game balls stored in the upper plate 18 and the take-in devices 35 to 37 are discharged to the lower plate 41, the operation member 211 is manually operated, whereby the discharge gate member 190 is moved to the back. The inlets of the discharge passages 169 of all the intake devices 35 to 37 are opened. As a result, the game balls are discharged through all the capturing devices 35 to 37.

  In the above configuration, the number of the capture devices 35 to 37 constituting the capture unit 30 is three, but each capture device 35 to 37 has a substantially similar configuration, and further includes a discharge gate. Since one member of the member 190 is configured to prevent and allow the passing of the game ball to the discharge passage 169 in each of the take-in devices 35 to 37, the take-in device having the same configuration is used as the first take-in device. The number of intake devices 35 to 37 is increased by increasing the number of passage shielding portions 191a and ball guide portions 191c of the discharge gate member 190. It can be easily increased to 5, or 6 or more.

  On the back side of the back set board 16, a payout mechanism for paying out game balls when a predetermined condition is established during the game is provided. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, a tank 25 is provided at the uppermost part on the back side of the back set board 16, and game balls supplied from the island facilities of the game hall are sequentially replenished to the tank 25. A tank rail 26 is connected to the lower side of the tank 25, and a case rail 27 is connected to the downstream side of the tank rail 26. The payout device 28 is provided on the downstream side of the case rail 27, and a required number of game balls are paid out by a predetermined electrical configuration such as a payout motor. The game balls paid out from the payout device 28 are supplied to the upper plate 18 through the game ball passage unit 29.

  The payout mechanisms such as the tank rail 26, the case rail 27, and the payout device 28 are arranged so as to bypass a reel unit 70 (actually a protective cover 135 surrounding the reel unit 70) described later. Further, in FIG. 5 (rear view of the gaming machine 1), the front frame 3 is pivotally supported by the upper and lower portions at the right end so as to be openable and closable, and the above-described payout mechanism is disposed on the shaft side. In this case, a large number of game balls are stored in the payout mechanism, and the weight of the game ball naturally increases. However, since the payout mechanism is provided on the shaft side, the front frame 3 can be opened and closed without hindrance. Moreover, since the weight burden concerning a shaft member (hinges 31 and 32) is reduced at this time, the effect which protects a coaxial member (hinges 31 and 32) is also acquired collectively. Since the take-in devices 35 to 37 are also provided on the shaft side as with the payout mechanism, all the mechanisms relating to the handling of the game balls are integrated on the shaft side, making it easier to deal with problems related to the flow of game balls. Furthermore, the act of opening the front door 4 and illegally paying out or taking in the game ball can be suppressed.

  When the take-in devices 35 to 37 are activated, a predetermined number of game balls in the upper plate 18 are received accordingly. Further, when a predetermined condition is established during the game, the payout device 28 is operated, whereby the game balls stored in the tank 25 are basically returned to the upper plate 18 via the game ball passage unit 29 and the like. To be paid out.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, a lower plate 41 is formed in the lower plate unit 5 provided below the front surface of the front door 4, and a lower plate discharge port 42 is formed on the back side of the lower plate unit 5. ing. When the game balls are fully stored in the upper plate 18 or the like and are further paid out from the payout device 28, the game balls are paid out to the lower plate 41 through the lower plate discharge port 42. It is. An ashtray 44 is formed adjacent to the lower plate 41.

  The lower surface of the operation unit 100 including the bulging portion on the front surface of the front door 4 is cut out in a trapezoidal shape (convex shape) (in fact, a lower part of a stop button operation surface 113 described later is cut out). The space below the operation unit 100 (the space formed by the cutout) is also a space into which a hand is inserted in order to scrape out the game balls stored in the lower plate 41.

  A ball punching hole 45 is formed in the lower tray unit 5, and a ball punching mechanism (not shown) is interlocked by pressing the ball punching button 46, and the game balls stored in the lower tray 41 are discharged downward from the ball punching hole 45. It has come to be.

  An upper panel 59 is disposed below the top portion 6 a of the annular portion 6. The upper panel 59 is made of a transparent synthetic resin, and a translucent film on which a model name, a character related to a game, etc. are drawn on the rear surface thereof can identify the character from the front of the gaming machine. It is pasted. An upper light 59a for illuminating the upper panel 59 from the inside is disposed inside the upper panel 59, and a character or the like drawn on the film is illuminated by the light of the upper light 59a. The player can easily see the character and the like. The transparent upper panel 59 may have a configuration in which the model name, characters related to games, and the like are directly printed. Further, since the upper panel 59 is disposed to be inclined, the front surface of the upper panel 59 is configured to face slightly downward. The height of the eyes of the player who plays a game on the gaming machine 1 is located near the lower edge of the upper panel 59. Therefore, when the front surface of the upper panel 59 faces downward, the front of the upper panel 59 is visually recognized. Improve.

  A case body 60 having a three-dimensional shape is arranged below the upper panel 59 so as to protrude from the upper panel 59 to the front of the gaming machine 1. The case body 60 is made of a synthetic resin colored in black, has an upper end along the lower end of the upper panel 59, and left and right ends are the left and right constricted portions of the annular portion 6. It has a shape along the inner side of 6b, and has a shape such that the lower end is along the upper end of the upper plate 18. The case body 60 is disposed in a region surrounded by the upper panel 59, the constricted portion 6b, and the upper plate 18. The case body 60 includes an upper inclined portion 61, a frame portion 62, a lower inclined portion 63, and a back wall 64 in order from the top, and the frame portion 62 projects most forward. The frame 62 has an opening in the center, and the opening is provided with a transparent panel 65 that is formed of a transparent synthetic resin and allows a part of the symbol attached to the reel to be visually recognized. ing. As described above, since the frame portion 62 projects most forward in the case body 60, the transparent panel 65 is positioned in front of the gaming machine with respect to the upper panel 59. As shown in FIG. 4, the case body 60 is positioned immediately in front of the reel unit 70, and forms an accommodation area for the reel unit 70 together with the outer frame 2, the front frame 3, and the protective cover 135. Since the transparent panel 65 protrudes ahead of the gaming machine from the upper panel 59, the reel unit 70 having a relatively large size can be arranged. However, in order to prevent the transparent panel 65 from overhanging the front of the gaming machine, the reel unit 70 is positioned so that the rear end of the reel unit 70 is positioned near the rear end of the protective cover 135. Further, a control board or the like is not provided on the back side of the protective cover 135. The configuration of the reel unit 70 will be described in detail later.

  The upper inclined portion 61 has an upper end in contact with the lower end of the upper panel 59 and connects the upper panel 59 to the frame portion 62 and the transparent panel 65 disposed in the frame portion 62. ing. Further, the upper inclined portion 61 is located above the front side of the reel unit 70. And it is the structure by which the light from the ceiling illumination in the game hall, the upper light 59a, etc. is interrupted | blocked by the upper inclination part 61 by forming with the synthetic resin colored black. This prevents the light from being irradiated onto the reel unit 70 and the visibility of the symbol at the irradiated position from being lowered. In the case where such a means for blocking the transmission of light is not provided, the light is irradiated onto the reel unit 70, and the symbol visibility at the position irradiated with the reflected light is remarkably high. It will be reduced. The game of the gaming machine 1 is performed at a predetermined timing in order to stop a combination of predetermined symbols on a preset effective line by visually recognizing a symbol that passes through an area visible to the player through the transparent panel 65. This is done by stopping the variation of symbols. Therefore, a decrease in the visibility of the symbol may be a factor that causes a decrease in the entertainment interest of the game. On the other hand, with the configuration of the present embodiment, there is no possibility that such inconvenience occurs. Further, since the upper inclined portion 61 is formed of a synthetic resin colored in black, the internal structure of the gaming machine 1 cannot be visually recognized from the outside. Further, the front surface of the upper inclined portion 61 is inclined downward from the back side toward the near side. As a result, even if the upper panel 59 is located behind the transparent panel 65, the content displayed on the upper panel 59 is visually recognized by the player without being obstructed by the transparent panel 65. Can be made. If the front surface of the upper inclined portion 61 is not inclined as described above and is, for example, substantially horizontal, the lower edge of the upper panel 59 and the upper edge of the transparent panel 65 are at the same height. This is because, in a situation where the player's eyes are near the upper edge of the transparent panel 65, part of the content displayed on the upper panel 59 may not be visible.

  The transparent panel 65 disposed in the frame portion 62 has a planar shape. This prevents light such as ceiling lighting in the game hall from being reflected by the transparent panel 65. If the transparent panel 65 is on a curved surface, the reflection of the light of the illumination is remarkably generated, and there is a possibility that the visibility of the symbol is remarkably lowered. However, in this embodiment, such inconvenience is caused. There is no risk of occurrence. Further, the front surface of the transparent panel 65 faces upward. Thereby, the improvement of the visibility of a symbol is achieved. On the other hand, since the frame portion 62 is formed of the synthetic resin colored black as described above, the structure around the reel unit 70 cannot be visually recognized from the outside.

  The front surface of the downward inclined portion 63 is inclined downward from the lower end of the frame portion 62 toward the back side. The back end portion corresponds to the upper end of the back wall 64. Thereby, the back wall 64 can be disposed on the back side to some extent as compared to the transparent panel 65. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower part on the near side of the reel unit 70 is located on the back side of the downward inclined part 63 and the back wall 64, and the part has a curved surface. Then, by tilting the downward inclined portion 63 so as to conform to the curved surface, the rear wall 64 can be disposed as far as possible in the range where the rear wall 64 is not in contact with the reel unit 70. Moreover, even if it is the structure where the back wall 64 is located in the back | inner side rather than the transparent panel 65 because the front surface of the downward inclination part 63 inclines as mentioned above, it is provided in the back wall 64. The contents displayed on the acquired number display section 122 and the like can be visually recognized by the player without being obstructed by the transparent panel 65. If the front surface of the downward inclined portion 63 is substantially horizontal, the lower edge of the transparent panel 65 and the upper edge of the back wall 64 have the same height, and the player's eye level is high. This is because the content displayed on the acquisition number display unit 122 or the like may not be visible under the circumstances near the upper edge of the transparent panel 65. Further, since the downward inclined portion 63 is formed of a synthetic resin colored in black, the internal structure of the gaming machine 1 cannot be visually recognized from the outside.

  The back wall 64 extends substantially vertically downward from the lower end of the downward inclined portion 63 over a predetermined range, and its center is opened. In the opening, an acquisition number display unit 122 and an information display unit 123 are provided. Further, below the back wall 64, the upper plate 18 having the operation unit 100 disposed on the front surface is located. The back wall 64 is located on the back side of the transparent panel 65 and is further located near the center of the upper plate 18 in the depth direction. With this configuration, a space for the player to replenish game balls to the upper plate 18 is secured while suppressing the operation unit 100 from protruding forward of the gaming machine as much as possible. If the rear wall 64 is not positioned behind the transparent panel 65 and is, for example, configured to protrude forward of the gaming machine to the same extent as the transparent panel 65, the player moves to the upper plate 18. In order to secure a space for refilling game balls, it is necessary to bulge the upper plate 18 forward of the game machine. In this case, since the operation unit 100 is located in front of the upper plate 18, the operation unit 100 is projected to the front of the gaming machine as a result. The game of the gaming machine 1 is performed by a player sitting in a fixed chair disposed in front of the gaming machine 1 operating the operation unit 100 for each game. If the game machine is projected forward, the distance between the player's trunk and the operation unit 100 becomes short, and the operation of the operation unit 100 for each game time becomes tight. This may be a heavy burden for a player who continues to play games. Further, if the distance between the gaming machine 1 and the chair is increased in order to eliminate the inconvenience, the distance from the transparent panel 65 to the player's eyes becomes longer, which may cause a decrease in the visibility of the symbol. . Furthermore, in this case, the distance between the chairs is shortened, and the passage space for employees and customers in the game hall is narrowed. Further, when the operation unit 100 protrudes in front of the gaming machine, the movement range of the front end of the operation unit 100 when the front door 4 is rotated in a game hall or the like is widened, and the front end of the operation unit 100 is the player. There is a risk of hitting. On the other hand, in this embodiment, there is no possibility that such inconvenience occurs. The back wall 64 is formed of a synthetic resin colored in black. Thereby, the internal structure cannot be visually recognized from the outside of the gaming machine 1.

  For the sake of convenience of explanation, although description by illustration is omitted, a front light member having a panel shape is similarly attached to the back surface of the case body 60 so as to overlap. The front light member constitutes a light emitting means, a light source (light), and a transparent light guide that introduces light from the light source along the panel surface and reflects it in a direction substantially perpendicular to the panel surface and emits it to the outside of the panel. And a panel. That is, according to the front light member, surface light emission is performed substantially vertically toward the rear thereof, and a belt surface (design) of the belt unit 70 described later is illuminated brightly. In this case, surface light emission is performed with respect to the visible range of the symbol by the transparent panel 65.

  Next, the configuration of the reel unit 70 as a display device will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 22, and 23. FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing the reel unit 70 taken out from the gaming machine main body. In FIG. 22, the front surface of the reel unit 70, that is, the symbol display surface is shown on the left front side. FIG. 23 is an assembled perspective view of the left reel.

  The reel unit 70 constitutes variable display means, and is installed on the back set board 16 from the front on the back side of the front door 4. That is, the belt unit 70 includes a metal base 80 (base member). The base 80 includes a rear portion 80a on the rear side of the reel unit 70, an upper surface portion 80b on the upper side, and a lower surface portion 80c on the lower side. Two support fixing portions 81 as fixed portions are provided at the front end portion of the upper surface portion 80b by bending a part of the end portion. Each support fixing portion 81 is formed with one insertion hole 81a. On the other hand, a support fixing portion 82 as a fixed portion is provided at the front end portion of the lower surface portion 80c by bending the entire end portion. The support fixing portion 82 has one insertion hole 82a at each end. The reel unit 70 is fixedly attached to the back set board 16 by screwing screws inserted through the insertion holes 81a and 82a into the back set board 16.

  The base 80 accommodates a left reel 71, a middle reel 72, and a right reel 73 that are formed in a cylindrical shape (annular shape). Each reel 71, 72, 73 is rotatably supported such that its central axis is the rotation axis of the reel. The rotation axes of the reels 71, 72, 73 are arranged on the same axis extending in the substantially horizontal direction, and a part of the surface of each reel 71, 72, 73 is in a state that can be visually recognized through the transparent panel 65. ing. Further, when the reels 71, 72, and 73 are rotated forward, the surfaces of the reels 71, 72, and 73 are projected through the transparent panel 65 as if they are moving from top to bottom.

  Each of these reels 71, 72, 73 is connected to stepping motors 74, 75, 76, and each reel 71, 72, 73 is individually driven by each stepping motor 74, 75, 76, that is, independent of each other. Thus, it can be rotationally driven. Since these reels 71, 72 and 73 have the same configuration, the left reel 71 will be described as an example here with reference to FIG.

  The left reel 71 includes a cylindrical skeleton member 50 forming a cylindrical cage, and a belt-like belt wound endlessly on the outer peripheral surface thereof. And it is affixed on the cylindrical skeleton member 50 through a pair of seal part formed along the both sides of the long side of the belt so that the wound state may be maintained. A large number of symbols as identification information are printed at equal intervals on the outer peripheral surface of the belt. A boss 51 is formed at the center of the cylindrical skeleton member 50 and is attached to the drive shaft of the left reel stepping motor 74 via a disc-shaped boss reinforcing plate 52. Accordingly, when the drive shaft of the left reel stepping motor 74 is rotated, the cylindrical skeleton member 50 is rotated around the drive shaft so that the left reel 71 circulates along the annular reel surface. It has become.

  The left reel stepping motor 74 is fixed to the side surface of the motor plate 53 arranged in an upright state in the reel unit 70 (FIG. 22) with screws 54. The motor plate 53 is provided with a reel index sensor (rotational position detection sensor) 55 in which a light emitting element 55a and a light receiving element 55b are held at a predetermined interval. On the other hand, a base end portion 56 b of a sensor cut bun 56 extending in the radial direction is fixed to the boss reinforcing plate 52 integrated with the left reel 71 with a screw 57. The front end portion 56a of the sensor cut bun 56 is bent at a substantially right angle and is positioned so as to pass between both elements 55a and 55b of the reel index sensor 55. Each time the left reel 71 makes one revolution, the reel index sensor 55 detects the passage of the front end portion 56a of the sensor cut bun 56, and a detection signal is output to the main board 131 described later each time the detection is made. Therefore, the main board 131 can confirm and correct the angular position of the left reel 71 every rotation based on this detection signal.

  For example, the stepping motor 74 is set to rotate once by applying a drive signal of 504 pulses (also referred to as an excitation signal or an excitation pulse, hereinafter the same), and the rotation position of the stepping motor 74 by the excitation pulse, that is, left The rotational position of the reel 71 is controlled.

  On each belt of each of the reels 71, 72, 73, a plurality of, specifically, 21 symbols are drawn in the long side direction (circumferential direction). Therefore, 24 pulses (= 504 pulses / 21 symbols) are required to switch from one symbol to the next symbol at a predetermined position. Based on the number of pulses from the time when the detection signal of the reel index sensor 55 is output, it is possible to recognize which symbol is visible from the transparent panel 65 or to visually recognize an arbitrary symbol from the transparent panel 65. It is possible to perform control to achieve a proper state.

  Of the symbols attached to each of the reels 71, 72, 73, the number of symbols that can be visually recognized through the transparent panel 65 is limited to a predetermined number mainly determined by the vertical length of the transparent panel 65. Yes. In this embodiment, three reels are provided. For this reason, when all the reels 71, 72, 73 are stopped, 3 × 3 = 9 symbols are visible to the player.

  Further, for convenience of explanation, although illustration explanation is omitted, the reel unit 70 is provided with a backlight (rear light emitting means) for illuminating a symbol visible through the transparent panel 65 from behind. . This backlight is composed of a fluorescent lamp or the like, and is arranged so as to illuminate a symbol visible from the rear through the transparent panel 65 on the inner peripheral side of each reel.

  Here, the symbols attached to the reels 71, 72, 73 will be described. FIG. 24 shows a symbol arrangement drawn on the belt wound around each of the left reel 71, the middle reel 72, and the right reel 73. As shown in the figure, each of the reels 71, 72, 73 is provided with 21 symbols in a row. Numbers 1 to 21 are assigned to the reels 71, 72, and 73, but are given for convenience of explanation, and are not actually assigned to the reels 71, 72, and 73. . However, in the following description, the number is used for explanation.

  As the symbols, there are a “7” symbol (for example, the left belt 20th) and a “youth” symbol (for example, the left belt 19th) as the first special symbol for shifting to the big bonus game. In addition, there is a “BAR” symbol (for example, the 14th left belt) as the second special symbol for shifting to the regular bonus game. Further, there is a “replay” symbol (for example, the eleventh left belt) as a third special symbol for shifting to the replay game. In addition, a “watermelon” symbol (for example, the left belt ninth), a “bell” symbol (for example, the left belt eighth), and a “cherry” symbol (for example, left) as the small character symbols from which the small character is paid out. Belt 4th). And as shown in FIG. 24, in the belt wound around each reel 71,72,73, the number and arrangement | positioning order of various symbols are completely different.

  In the present embodiment, when the “7” symbol and the “youth” symbol are aligned with the left, middle, and right on the effective line described later, 75 game balls are paid out and the big bonus game is played. A rush is made. When the “BAR” symbols are aligned with the left, middle, and right on the active line, 75 game balls are paid out and a regular bonus game is entered. Further, when the “replay” symbols are aligned with the left, middle, and right on the active line, the game balls are not paid out and the player enters the replay game.

  Furthermore, regarding the small role design, when the “Watermelon” design is aligned with the left, middle, and right on the active line, 75 game balls are paid out, and the “Bell” design is on the left, middle, and right on the active line. In the event that they are aligned, 40 gaming balls are paid out. Further, when the “cherry” symbol of the left reel 71 is stopped on the active line, 10 game balls are paid out. That is, the “cherry” symbols of the middle reel 72 and the right reel 73 are irrelevant to the payout of the game ball, and are meaningless symbols. In addition, for the “cherry” symbols, the game balls are paid out regardless of the combination with other symbols, and therefore the positions where the plurality of effective lines of the left reel 71 overlap (specifically, the upper or lower level). When the “cherry” symbol is stopped at the same time, game balls are paid out by multiplying the number of overlapping active lines. As a result, in this embodiment, 20 game balls are paid out. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a main board (control device) 131 for performing various controls relating to the game is installed on the back set board 16 on the back of the gaming machine 1. The main board 131 includes a CPU that controls the main control, a ROM that stores a game program, a RAM that stores necessary data according to the progress of the game, an IO port that communicates with various devices, an input / output driver that functions as a buffer, The control circuit board includes a random number circuit used in various lotteries, a reset circuit that outputs a reset signal, and the like.

  Similarly, a sub control board 132 for controlling the various lamps 8 to 10, 12, 13 and the speaker 11 is installed in the back set board 16 so as to be housed in the protective cover 135. Similarly, the sub-control board 132 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and adopts a one-way communication configuration that receives a control signal from the main board 131 but does not send a signal to the main board 131 side. An input / output control board 136 is installed on the back set board 16 so as to be aligned with the main board 131. The input / output control board 136 also includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and adopts a bidirectional communication configuration with the main board 131 via an input / output buffer. The main board 131, the sub control board 132, and the input / output control board 136 are all housed in a transparent or non-transparent control board box, and are fixed to the back set board 16 in a state where the control board box is sealed. ing. The reel unit 70 is housed and integrated in a colorless and transparent protective cover 135 as a case member.

  A power supply device 133 is installed on the back set panel 16 so as to be in contact with the side surface of the protective cover 135 (reel unit 70). The power supply device 133 accommodates the power supply substrate for supplying necessary power to the control device such as the main board 131, the sub control board 132, the input / output control board 136, and the other payout apparatus 28, and the power supply board. A colorless and transparent substrate box and a metal plate for noise countermeasures for eliminating noise generated inside and outside the power supply substrate are provided, and these are integrally assembled. The back set board 16 is provided with a vertically long concave portion 134 immediately next to the reel unit 70, and the side portion of the power supply device 133 is accommodated in the concave portion 134. Thereby, the power supply device 133 is attached in a state in which the power supply device 133 is arranged vertically in a direction extending in the depth direction of the gaming machine 1.

  The arrangement of the main board 131, the sub control board 132, the power supply board 133, the input / output control board 136, and the like is not limited to the arrangement described above.

  The power supply device 133 is provided with a power switch, a reset switch, a setting key insertion hole, and the like. The power switch is a start switch for supplying power to each unit including the main board 131. The reset switch is a switch for resetting various states of the gaming machine 1. This game machine 1 has a backup function for various data, and even if a power failure occurs, it retains the state at the time of the power failure and returns to the state at the time of the power failure at the time of recovery from the power failure (power recovery). It can be done. Therefore, for example, when the power supply is turned off in the normal procedure, such as when the game hall is closed, the state before the turn-off is stored, but if the power switch is turned on while pressing the reset switch, the backup data is reset. It has become. If the reset switch is pressed while the power switch is on, the error state is reset. The setting key insertion hole is used by a hall manager or the like to adjust the ball appearance. That is, the setting state (winning probability setting process) of the gaming machine 1 can be changed from, for example, “Setting 1” to “Setting 6” by operating the hole manager or the like by inserting the setting key into the setting key insertion hole. It has become.

  As shown in FIG. 25, on the transparent panel 65 of the gaming machine 1, five active lines are set in total, three so as to be parallel to the horizontal direction and two so as to be crossed obliquely. ing. That is, as the effective lines, upper, middle, and lower horizontal lines (upper line, center line, and lower line) and a pair of diagonal lines (upward and rightward lines) are set. Of course, the maximum number of effective lines may be 6 or more, or less than 5, and the maximum number of effective lines may be changed according to a predetermined condition. In order to make it easier for the player to understand the effective line, a line display unit that explicitly displays the line activated according to the number of bets may be provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, on the left side of the operation unit 100 provided in the bulging portion of the front door 4, the reels 71 to 73 are started simultaneously (not necessarily simultaneously). A start lever 101 is provided which is operated by the user. The start lever 101 constitutes start operation means that is operated to start variable display. An operation piece 211 a of the operation member 211 is disposed below the start lever 101.

  A stop button operation surface 113 is provided on the right side of the start lever 101, and stop buttons 102, 103, and 104 are provided on the stop button operation surface 113 for individually stopping the rotating reels 71 to 73. ing. The stop buttons 102 to 104 are provided for the reels 71 to 73 to be stopped, respectively. The stop buttons 102 to 104 constitute stop means for stopping the variable display and stop operation means operated to stop the variable display. In the present embodiment, the reels 71 to 73 are configured to stop when a predetermined time elapses without the stop buttons 102 to 104 being pressed.

  A flat operation assisting surface 105 is formed on the upper surface of the operation unit 100 (the bulging portion of the front door 4). The operation assisting surface 105 is provided in an arch shape so as to surround the upper tray 18 behind it, and an opening 106 having substantially the same shape as the upper tray 18 is formed between the operation assisting surface 105 and the front surface of the gaming machine. When the front door 4 is closed, the upper plate 18 opens upward through the opening 106. Further, the operation assisting surface 105 is provided with a slight inclination so as to descend toward the front (front side). However, the inclination may not be present, and conversely, the inclination may be lowered downward.

  Here, the portion directly above the stop buttons 102 to 104 (stop button operation surface 113) on the operation assisting surface 105 has a substantially uniform width in the front-rear direction, and the rear edge of the operation assisting surface 105 (L portion in FIG. 1). ) Is configured in a straight line. In this case, assuming that the player presses each of the stop buttons 102 to 104 with the thumb, another finger such as an index finger or a middle finger may be put on the rear edge (L portion) of the operation assisting surface 105. By moving the hand to the left and right in this state, the stop buttons 102 to 104 can be continuously pressed along the operation assisting surface 105. In other words, the above pressing operation can be performed by placing a finger on the upper plate portion. In short, since the operation assisting surface 105 is flat and the rear edge thereof is a straight line, the operation assisting surface 105 is used to perform the continuous pressing operation of the stop buttons 102 to 104 quickly and smoothly. Can do.

  Further, the upper plate 18 (in this embodiment, in particular, the sub-upper plate portion 18b shown in FIG. 5 and the like) may be provided with a step or an inclination so that the operation assisting surface 105 side is somewhat raised. Good. That is, a height difference is provided so that the front of the upper plate 18 is high and the rear is low. According to this, even if game balls are stored in the upper plate 18, many of them are stored in a lower part of the upper plate 18 (that is, a part away from the operation assisting surface 105). Therefore, in the case where the upper plate 18 is used as a finger rest, the inconvenience that the finger and the game ball interfere can be avoided.

  Above the start lever 101 (that is, on the left hand side for the player), the operation assisting surface 105 of the operation unit 100 is provided with a button-like bet switch that constitutes an input operation means for receiving a game ball. . In the present embodiment, a max bet switch 109 is provided as a bet switch.

  The max bet switch 109 is provided with a light-emitting body (light-emitting member) for notifying that an operation is being effectively accepted. The light emitter is built in the button pressing portion of the max bed switch 109, and the button pressing portion emits light when the light emitter emits light. The illuminator is turned on (or flashes) when the operation of the max bet switch 109 is effectively accepted, and after the operation of the max bet switch 109 is effectively accepted or when the operation is not accepted. Turns off. Alternatively, the light emitter emits red light when the operation of the max bet switch 109 is effectively accepted, and after the operation of the max bet switch 109 is effectively accepted or when the operation is not accepted. It may emit blue light.

  Each time the max bet switch 109 is pressed, “15” game balls on the upper plate 18 are received by the take-in devices 35 to 37. As a result, all the five valid lines are validated. This state is the maximum bet state. In other words, when the maximum bet switch 109 is pressed once, no more game balls are accepted. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the maximum bet state is reached and the maximum bet switch 109 is further pressed, the operation is invalidated. However, in a jack-in game in a big bonus game that is in a special gaming state, five (one bet) game balls can be accepted by one press operation of the max bet switch 109. . In this case, only the center line of the five effective lines is activated.

  Further, the display unit 63 of the front door 4 includes an acquisition number display unit 122 for displaying the number of acquired game balls, and an information display unit 123 for displaying information during the big bonus game (for example, the number of games). Each is provided. In this embodiment, each of the display units 122 and 123 is constituted by a three-digit seven-segment display. However, the number of digits is not particularly limited, and can be replaced by a liquid crystal display or the like. It is.

  Note that various notification units (not shown) such as a big notification unit, a replay notification unit, and a small role notification unit may be appropriately provided on the upper portion of the gaming machine 1 (front door 4). These various notification units may be provided in places other than the upper part of the gaming machine 1, or different types of notification may be performed by a common notification unit. Moreover, you may utilize the annular parts 6 and 7 as this alerting | reporting part. For example, when the “7” symbols are aligned on the active line when the reels 71 to 73 are stopped, the big notification unit displays and notifies that the big bonus game has been acquired by lighting, flashing, or the like. When the “replay” symbols are aligned on the active line when the rotation of the reels 71 to 73 is stopped, the replay notification unit notifies the player that the replay game has been acquired by lighting, flashing, or the like. When the rotation of each reel 71 to 73 is stopped, the small role notification unit displays that a predetermined number of game balls have been acquired by lighting, flashing or the like when the “watermelon” symbols as the small role symbols are aligned on the active line. Inform. In addition, although each of these alerting | reporting parts decided to alert | report by display, you may alert | report by the audio | voice with the speaker 11 with which it replaces with this or in addition to this, the gaming machine 1 (upper part of the front door 4).

  FIG. 26 is a block diagram illustrating the electrical configuration of the main board 131 and the like. As shown in the figure, the power from the power supply device 133 (power supply board) is supplied to the main board 131. In addition, power is directly or indirectly supplied to the sub-control board 132, the input / output control board 136, and the like. Various signals based on the operation of the reset switch 138 provided in the power supply device 133 are transmitted to the main board 131 and the input / output control board 136, thereby executing the above-described ball removal processing and the like.

  On the input side of the main board 131, a max bet detection sensor 109a that detects a pressing operation of the max bet switch 109, a start detection sensor 101a that detects an operation of the start lever 101, and an operation of each of the stop buttons 102 to 104 are individually detected. Various sensors such as a stop detection sensor 102a, 103a, 104a, and a reel index sensor 55 for individually detecting the rotation positions (origin positions) of the reels 71 to 73 are connected.

  On the output side of the main board 131, stepping motors 74 to 76 mounted on the reel unit 70 and an acquisition number display unit 122 and an information display unit 123 provided in the display unit 63 are connected.

  Further, the main board 131 and the input / output control board 136 are connected so as to be capable of two-way communication. Accordingly, the input / output control board 136 can receive a command from the main board 131 and the main board 131 can receive a signal from the input / output control board 136. In addition, the loading / dispensing control board 136 is connected to take-in devices 35 to 37 and a dispensing device 28. The solenoids 181 and 221 provided in the take-in devices 35 to 37 receive a signal from the input / output control board 136 to energize the main body portions 181a and 221a and drive the output shafts 181b and 221b. Become.

  Further, a sub control board 132 is connected to the output side of the main board 131. The light emitters 8 and 9, the lamp display units 10, 12 and 13, and the speaker 11 are connected to the output side of the sub control board 132. From the main board 131, game information at that time is transmitted as a signal to the sub-control board 132. The sub-control board 132 to which signals relating to each game information are input executes various effects based on various control signals based on its own control program. In the present embodiment, the sub-control board 132 constitutes “light emitter control means”, “front light control means”, “backlight control means”, “sound control means”, and the like. Incidentally, the light emitter control refers to control in which the light emitters 8 and 9 in the annular portions 6 and 7 are circulated in one direction or both directions, and the light emitters 8 and 9 are turned on all at once. The backlight control refers to control for turning on or blinking the backlight according to the game situation. Voice control refers to control for causing the speaker 11 to generate a predetermined voice.

  Next, means for realizing a normal game in the gaming machine 1 will be described. In this description, the description will be given as an aggregate of function realizing means provided in the main board 131 and the like. That is, the various functions described below are functions realized under the control of the CPU of the main board 131, and the control program is based on the stored contents of the ROM (or RAM in some cases). The necessary data is temporarily stored in the RAM. However, those requirements on the program can be achieved by those skilled in the art by adopting an appropriate table configuration. I do not explain. However, a specific description will be given as appropriate in cases where it is necessary to grasp the game content of the present embodiment.

  The main board 131 includes “small role lottery means”. The small role lottery means draws whether or not the small role payout condition is satisfied by the timing at which the detection signal from the start detection sensor 101a is input, and thereby determines whether or not the small role flag is satisfied. The lottery of the small role is configured to change according to the number of game balls received (the number of bets) together with other lotteries. Generally, the larger the number of received balls, the more advantageous the lottery result can be obtained for the player. It has become.

  The main board 131 includes “small role control means”. When the small combination flag is established during the normal game, the small combination control means performs a constant pull-in stop control (slave) while referring to the contents of the small combination establishment table described later when each of the rotating bodies 71 to 73 is stopped. This is also called control, and semi-forcibly stops the small role symbol on the active line.

  The main board 131 includes “replay game lottery means”. The replay game lottery means draws whether or not the replay game transition condition is satisfied at the timing when the detection signal from the start detection sensor 101a is input, and thereby determines whether or not the replay flag is satisfied.

  The main board 131 includes “replay game control means”. When the replay flag is established during the normal game, the replay game control means applies a certain pull-in stop control while referring to the contents of the replay establishment table described later when the reels 71 to 73 are stopped. The replay symbol is stopped on the active line. Then, on the condition that the replay symbol stops on the active line, the next game can be performed free of charge. Of course, various lotteries are also executed when this replay game is performed.

  The main board 131 includes “big bonus lottery means”. The big bonus lottery means performs a lottery to determine whether or not the big bonus transition condition is established at the timing when the detection signal from the start detection sensor 101a is input, and thereby determines the presence or absence of the big bonus establishment flag.

  The main board 131 includes “big bonus control means”. When the big bonus flag is established during the normal game, the big bonus control means adds a certain pull-in stop control while referring to the contents of a big bonus establishment table to be described later when each reel 71 to 73 is stopped. Force big bonus symbols to stop on the active line. Then, on the condition that the big bonus symbol stops on the active line, the big bonus game which is changed from the normal game which is the current game state to the special game state, with a predetermined number of games (here, 30 times) as an upper limit. After that, in principle, the original normal gaming state is restored.

  The main board 131 includes “big bonus medium lottery means”. The lottery means during the big bonus is activated only during the big bonus game, and the lottery symbol lottery and the jack-in lottery are performed at the timing when the detection signal from the start detection sensor 101a is input, and the small bonus flag and the jack Whether or not the in flag is established is determined. Then, the big bonus control means halves each of the reels 71 to 73 while referring to the small role formation table so that a predetermined small role symbol (for example, “watermelon” symbol) is aligned on the effective line when the small role flag is established. Force pull-in stop control.

  Further, the big bonus control means semi-forcibly pulls in and stops the reels 71 to 73 while referring to the contents of the replay establishment table in order to jack in when the jack-in flag is established. The jack-in is a state in which a predetermined bonus game is executed during the big bonus game, and specifically occurs when “replay” symbols are arranged. Therefore, for the jack-in execution, the big bonus control means controls the reels 71 to 73 to semi-forcibly pull in and stop so that the jack-in symbols (replay symbols) are aligned on the effective line. When it is jacked in, a jack-in game is executed.

  Here, the jack-in game will be described. When the jack-in symbol stops at the active line, the game proceeds to the jack-in game, which is a special game in the big bonus game that is currently in a gaming state, with a predetermined number of games (here 12 times) as an upper limit. Then return to the original big bonus game. During the jack-in game, the effective line is only one line (center line). During the jack-in game, a predetermined symbol (in this case, a replay symbol) is drawn by the timing at which the detection signal from the start detection sensor 101a is input. Unlike the normal lottery, the symbol lottery is set so that a predetermined number (for example, 75) of game balls are paid out when the replay symbols are aligned with the active line (only the center line). With the symbol as a game ball payout symbol, a lottery is performed to determine whether or not a condition for matching the game ball payout symbols is met. As a result of the lottery, when the replay flag (here, the replay flag is newly set for the jack-in game is different from the normal game), the game ball payout is established. The reels 71 to 73 are controlled so that symbols other than symbols are not aligned on the effective line, and when the game ball payout symbols are aligned a predetermined number of times (for example, 8 times), the predetermined number of games (12 The predetermined bonus game ends even if the number of times has not been reached.

  Here, the big bonus game can be jacked in up to a predetermined number of times (for example, 3 times) within the predetermined number of games (30 times), and the number of games during the jack-in during the big bonus game is It is not added to 30 times. Then, the big bonus control means is configured to end the predetermined bonus game by the third jack-in when the predetermined bonus game is completed the predetermined number of times (three times) even within the predetermined number of games (30 times). Forcibly end the big bonus game.

  The main board 131 includes “reel control means” and “storage means”. The reel control means controls the reels 71 to 73 in accordance with the storage contents of the storage means, and in particular controls the stop positions of the reels 71 to 73 in accordance with the storage contents of various tables stored in the storage means. To do.

  The various tables stored in the storage means (here, ROM but may be RAM) are individually set according to various established flags.

  Specifically, for example, when no flag is established, a “out-of-table” that prevents any symbol from being aligned on the active line, a predetermined small role symbol corresponding to the small role flag is valid “Small part formation table” for aligning on the line, “Replay establishment table” for aligning the replay symbol on the active line corresponding to the replay flag, “7” symbol or “BAR” corresponding to the big bonus flag In addition to a “big formation table” for aligning symbols on the effective line, a “line table” for determining on which effective line the above-described symbols are aligned.

  Next, the operation of the gaming machine 1 having the above configuration will be described based on the gaming method.

  At the start of the game, on the condition that there are enough game balls on the upper plate 18, the player presses the max bet switch 109 to accept the actual game balls. In other words, when the maximum bet switch 109 can be effectively operated (specifically, when the light emitter provided on the max bet switch 109 is turned on), when the switch 109 is pressed, Detected by the sensor 109a, the detection signal is input to the main board 131. When the main board 131 effectively receives the detection signal of the max bet detection sensor 109a, the main board 131 outputs a command to that effect to the input / output control board 136, and the input / output control board 136 takes in The devices 35 to 37 are instructed to accept game balls corresponding to the number of bets at that time. As a result, the take-in devices 35 to 37 are driven and the game balls are received from the upper plate 18. For example, when the max bet switch 109 is pressed when 15 or more game balls are on the upper plate 18, 15 game balls on the upper plate 18 are taken in by the take-in devices 35 to 37. Then, by pressing the max bet switch 109, five lines including the upper and lower lines, the center line, and the left and right diagonal lines are validated. However, in the jack-in game at the time of the big bonus, even if the max bet switch 109 is pressed, only five game balls are taken in by the take-in devices 35 to 37, and only one central line is activated. The

  When the game ball is taken in as described above and the player operates the start lever 101 at the time when the five lines are activated, the operation is detected by the start detection sensor 101a, and the detection signal is the main board 131. Is input. At this time, if the start lever 101 can be effectively operated, the main board 131 effectively receives the detection signal of the start detection sensor 101a and determines that the start lever 101 has been operated. At the same time, information to that effect is transmitted to the sub-board 132. Then, the main board 131 drives and controls the stepping motors 74 to 76 so as to rotate all the reels 71 to 73 all at once (may be simultaneous or provided with a predetermined time difference). As a result, each of the reels 71 to 73 rotates in one direction at a speed that makes it difficult for the player to visually recognize the symbols on the surface, and the symbols are moved from top to bottom via the transparent panel 65. It is projected as if it is variably displayed.

  Further, at the timing when the detection signal based on the operation of the start lever 101 is inputted to the main board 131, each lottery is performed by the small role lottery means, the replay game lottery means, and the big bonus lottery means during the normal game.

  When the lottery result by the small role lottery means that the small role flag is established, the right to stop an appropriate small role symbol on the active line is given only in the game. Further, when the lottery result by the replay game lottery means that the replay flag is established, the right to shift to the replay game is given only in that game. That is, the small role flag and the replay flag are not carried over after the next game. If the lottery result by the big bonus lottery means that the big bonus flag is established, the right to shift to the big bonus game is given, and the flag is held until the shift to the big bonus game. Furthermore, when the lottery result of each lottery means does not mean that any condition is satisfied, no flag is set.

  When the player operates the stop buttons 102 to 104 in an arbitrary order after the lottery by each of the above lottery means is completed, the operation is individually detected by the stop detection sensors 102a to 104a, and each detection signal is received. The main board 131 determines that each of the stop buttons 102 to 104 has been operated. Then, the main board 131 controls each stepping motor 74 to 76 to stop the reels 71 to 73 corresponding to the operated stop buttons 102 to 104 individually.

  The stop positions of the reels 71 to 73 are determined with reference to the tables stored in the storage means of the main board 131 based on the establishment flags that are the lottery results of the lottery means. At this time, if there is a symbol corresponding to the establishment flag from the effective line to the four symbols before the reel rotation direction, in principle, control is performed so that the symbol is actively drawn on the effective line. If the reel stop timing is an error up to 4 symbols, the error can be absorbed (retraction stop control). As a result, even if the player is not skilled, the main board 131 can stop the symbol corresponding to the establishment flag on the effective line as much as possible.

  At a predetermined timing (for example, the timing when the first stop button 102, 103 or 104 is pressed), the sub-board 132 includes the light emitters 8, 9, the lamp display units 10, 12, 13, the speaker 11, etc. It is used to perform various auxiliary displays, and reach effect displays and the like are executed.

  When the reels 71 to 73 are stopped, when the combination of stop symbols on the active line is a predetermined combination of symbols, that is, a combination of a small role symbol and a combination of big bonus symbols, The board 131 causes the acquired number display unit 122 to display the number of game balls to be paid out in accordance with the combination of each stop symbol.

  In addition, the main board 131 performs payout control for paying out the number of game balls according to the combination of each stop symbol as the game value in parallel with the display on the acquired number display unit 122. In this case, as a general rule, the main board 131 transmits a command to the input / output control board 136, and the input / output control board 136 drives and controls the payout device 28 based on the command, so that the actual result directly to the upper plate 18 or the like. As a game ball, a game ball is paid out.

  When the symbols arranged on the active line are a combination of small symbols or symbols that are not paid out, the normal game is continued. On the other hand, when the combination of symbols arranged on the active line is a combination of replay symbols, a replay game that allows the next game to be performed free of charge is executed by the replay game control means. Further, when the combination of symbols arranged on the active line is a combination of big bonus symbols, the big bonus game is executed by the big bonus control means. Here, in the gaming machine 1 according to the present embodiment, as an end condition of the big bonus game, in addition to a predetermined number of games (30 games end or 3 jack-in games end), the number of payout game balls is an upper limit value. A condition of whether or not (specifically, 2250) has been reached is also included. Therefore, when the number of payout game balls reaches the upper limit of 2250 without waiting for the end of 30 games or 3 jack-in games, the big bonus game is ended there, and the gambling performance is more than necessary. I ’m not going to scramble.

  When the small role symbol, the replay symbol, the big bonus symbol, etc. are aligned on the effective line, the sub board 132 controls the display of the light emitters 8, 9, the lamp display units 10, 12, 13, etc. The winning combination, the transition to the replay game, and the establishment of the bonus game are displayed and notified, and the speaker 11 is appropriately driven and notified by voice. In addition, it is preferable that the sound notification by the speaker 11 is made larger (the volume is increased, the tone is increased, the rhythm is changed, etc.) as the profit by returning the game value to the player is larger. . The same applies to the display mode of each notification unit. For example, by changing the display mode such as blinking rapidly in a big bonus game, it is possible to make the player estimate the amount of profit to be obtained.

  Next, each control process executed by the CPU in the main board 131 will be described. The main board 131 is roughly divided into a main process that is activated when the power is turned on, a timer interrupt process that is periodically activated (in a cycle of 1.49 msec in the present embodiment), and an NMI terminal (non-maskable terminal). ) And NMI interrupt processing that is activated by the input of a power failure signal. Here, first, the NMI interrupt process and the timer interrupt process will be briefly described, and then the main process will be described in detail.

  When the power is shut off due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like, a power failure signal is output from the power supply device 133 to the NMI terminal (non-maskable interrupt terminal) provided in the CPU of the main board 131. Accordingly, the main board 131 starts NMI interrupt processing. In the NMI interrupt process, the main board 131 executes a save process for saving the data in the used register in the RAM backup area, a flag set process for setting the power failure flag in the power failure flag storage area of the RAM, and the like.

  For example, a timer interrupt occurs every 1.49 msec. In this timer interruption, the main board 131 first determines whether or not a power failure flag is set, and if it is set, executes a power failure process. As the power failure process, the main board 131 stores the CPU stack pointer value and RAM determination value in the RAM backup area. The RAM determination value is specifically a two's complement of the checksum value at the RAM work area address. By storing the RAM determination value in the backup area, the checksum of the RAM becomes zero. By setting the RAM checksum to 0, subsequent RAM access is prohibited.

  Similarly, in the timer interrupt process, the main board 131 sequentially executes the following processes. That is, the watchdog timer clearing process for initializing the value of the watchdog timer for monitoring the occurrence of malfunction, the motor control process for rotating the reels 71 to 73, and the states of various sensors (see FIG. 26). Sensor monitoring processing to be monitored, timer calculation processing for subtracting the values of various counters and timers, counter processing for counting the number of bets and payouts, command output processing for sending commands to the sub-board 132, acquisition number display section 122 and information Segment data setting process for setting the segment data displayed on the display unit 123, segment data display process for supplying the segment data set in the segment data setting process to each display unit and displaying the corresponding numbers, symbols, etc. Etc. are executed sequentially.

  Next, the main process performed on the main board 131 after the power is turned on will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The main processing is executed when power is turned on by recovery from a power failure or by turning on a power switch.

  First, in step S101, as initialization processing, the value of the stack pointer is set in the CPU, and an interrupt mode that permits interrupt processing is set. Thereafter, various settings for register groups, I / O devices, etc. in the CPU are set. And so on.

  When these initialization processes are completed, it is next determined in step S102 whether or not the reset switch 138 is turned on. If the reset switch 138 is turned on, the process proceeds to step S103, and all data stored in the RAM is cleared as a RAM clear process.

  Thereafter, in step S104, it is determined whether or not the setting key is inserted into the setting key insertion hole. If the setting key has been inserted, the process advances to step S105 to perform setting change processing. As the setting change process, first, all data stored in the RAM is cleared. Then, after determining which setting state is selected from a plurality of preset setting states (for example, “setting 1” to “setting 6”), internal processing corresponding to the selected setting state is executed. To do.

  In step S106, it is confirmed whether or not a power failure flag is set. When the power failure flag is not set, that is, when the data in the RAM is cleared in the previous step S103 or step S105, the process proceeds to a normal process to be described later, and this process ends.

  When the power failure flag is set in step S106, the process proceeds to power recovery processing shown in step S108 and subsequent steps. The fact that the power failure flag is set means that subroutine processing such as RAM clear processing in step S103 and setting change processing in step S105 is not executed at all. Therefore, the data in the RAM is not rewritten at all, and the power recovery process requires confirmation processing such as whether or not the data in the RAM is normal. For this purpose, first, in step S108, it is confirmed whether or not the RAM determination value is normal. Specifically, the checksum value of the RAM is checked to check whether the value is normal, that is, whether the checksum value including the RAM determination value is 0 or not. If the checksum value including the RAM determination value is 0, it is determined that the data in the RAM is normal.

  If the RAM determination value is abnormal in step S108, that is, if the checksum value is not zero, there is a high possibility that the data in the RAM has been destroyed. Therefore, in such a case, error display processing is performed in step S109. As error display processing, interrupt processing is first prohibited, and all output ports in the input / output port are cleared, thereby controlling all actuators connected to the input / output port to an off state. Thereafter, an error display for notifying the occurrence of an error to the hall manager or the like is performed, and this state is maintained until the reset switch is turned on.

  If it is determined in step S108 that the RAM determination value is normal, the process proceeds to step S110, the stack pointer value stored in the backup area is written to the CPU stack pointer, and the stack state before the power is shut off is written. Return to the state. Next, in step S <b> 111, a power recovery command used during power recovery processing is transmitted to the sub-board 132. Thereafter, in step S112, the game state is stopped and automatic settlement setting storage processing is performed, and in step S113, various sensors such as the start detection sensor 101a are initialized. After the above processing is completed, the power failure flag is reset in step S114, and the processing returns to the address before turning off the power. Specifically, the process returns to the timer interrupt process described above, and the watch interrupt timer clear process for the timer interrupt is executed.

  Next, normal processing for performing main control relating to the game will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step S201, it is determined whether or not the max bet switch 109 has been operated. When the max bet switch 109 is operated, it is subsequently determined in step S202 whether or not the start lever 101 has been operated. If both S201 and S202 are YES, the lottery process in step S203, the reel control process in step S204, and the special game state process in step S205 are executed in order, and the process returns to step S201. On the other hand, if the max bet switch 109 is not operated in step S201, or if the start lever 101 is not operated in step S202, the process returns to step S201.

  Hereinafter, the lottery process in step S203 and the reel control process in step S204 will be described with reference to the flowcharts in FIGS. In the special game state process of step S206, a big bonus game is executed with the establishment of the big bonus flag. Since the game content is almost as described above, the description is omitted here.

  First, the lottery process in step S203 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S301, a random number table for determination of success / failure is selected based on the current setting state of the gaming machine 1, the level of the small role probability, and the like. Here, the setting state of the gaming machine 1 is any one of “setting 1” to “setting 6”. When “setting 1”, the random number table having the lowest winning probability of the combination is selected, and “setting 6” is selected. Sometimes the random number table with the highest winning probability is selected. In addition, there are two types of small role probabilities: a random number table with a high small role winning probability is selected when the current payout rate is below a predetermined expected value, and small when it exceeds a predetermined expected value. A random number table with a low winning probability is selected. Note that the random number table for determination of success / failure may have a configuration in which something other than those described above is set, or may have a configuration in which only a table based on the setting state is set.

  In step S302, the lottery of the winning combination is performed by comparing the random number table selected in this way with the random number latched by the random number counter when the start lever 101 is operated. In step S303, it is determined whether or not any of the winning combinations has been won. If any of the winning combinations has not been won, the process is terminated. If any of the winning combinations is won, the process proceeds to step S304, where a winning flag corresponding to the winning combination is set and an effective line to be aligned is determined. Subsequently, in step S305, a slip table for reel stop control is determined and stored in the slip table storage area of the RAM. Here, when the symbols on the predetermined effective line at the timing when the stop buttons 102 to 104 are pressed are different from the symbols to be stopped on the effective line, the slip table is a predetermined symbol to be stopped. This is a table that defines how much the reels 71 to 73 are slid so as to stop on the effective line.

  Next, the reel control process of step S204 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  In the reel control process, first, a wait process is performed in step S401. This wait process is a process of waiting without starting the reel rotation in the current game until a predetermined time (for example, 4.1 seconds) elapses from the time when the reel rotation is started in the previous game. For this reason, even if the start lever 101 is operated after the maximum bet switch 109 is operated, the reels 71 to 73 may not immediately rotate.

  Following the wait process, the reel start process in step S402 is performed to rotate the reels 71 to 73. Thereafter, in step S403, it is determined whether or not any of the stop buttons 102 to 104 is pressed to generate a reel stop command. If no stop command has been issued, the process proceeds to step S404, and it is determined whether or not a predetermined maximum rotation time (for example, 40 seconds) of each reel 71 to 73 has elapsed. If the maximum rotation time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S403. If the maximum rotation time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S405 to perform a forced stop process for forcibly stopping all the rotating reels.

  On the other hand, if any stop button 102 to 104 is pressed and a stop command is generated in step S403, the process proceeds to step S406 to perform a reel stop process. In this reel stop process, the reel corresponding to the pressed stop button is stopped. If a winning combination is won in the winning lottery and the winning flag is set, the reel is stored in the sliding table storage area of the RAM. With reference to the sliding table, control is performed so that the winning combinations are arranged on a predetermined effective line as much as possible. For example, if the “watermelon” symbol is lined up on the lower line and the stop button is pressed at the timing when the “watermelon” symbol stops on the upper line, the symbol 2 will stop on the lower line. Slide the reel as much as you can. However, since the range that can be slid is predetermined (for example, up to four symbols), the “watermelon” symbol may not stop on the lower line depending on the timing of pressing the stop button. Even in the forced stop processing in step S405, if the winning flag is set, the same processing is performed.

  Subsequently, in step S407, it is determined whether or not the current stop command is the first stop command, that is, whether or not the stop button has been pressed when all three reels are rotating. In the case of the first stop command, the process proceeds to step S408, and the slip table changing process is performed. In this slide table changing process, for example, it is determined whether or not a combination of combinations occurs when trying to align a combination on the selected active line, and if a combination of combinations does not occur, the process proceeds to the next step. When a combination of combinations occurs, the selected effective line is changed to another effective line, and after changing to a sliding table suitable for the changed effective line, the process proceeds to the next step. Here, “combination of combinations” means that, for example, when a “bell” symbol is arranged on the upper line, a “cherry” symbol appears on the middle line in the left reel 71, and multiple combinations occur simultaneously. If you do. The slip table changing process may be performed other than when avoiding the combination of the combinations.

  On the other hand, when the current stop command is not the first stop command in step S407, the process proceeds to step S409, whether or not the second stop command is received, that is, one of the three reels is stopped and the two reels are rotating. It is sometimes determined whether or not the stop button has been pressed. If it is the second stop command, the process proceeds to step S410 and a stop eye determination process is performed. In this stop eye determination process, when two reels are stopped, it is determined whether or not the two are aligned with a bonus symbol such as “7” symbol. If they are not aligned, the process proceeds to the next step as it is. When sound effects are generated from the speaker 11, the process proceeds to the next step.

  Then, after the forced stop process in step S405, after the slip table change process in step S408, when the current stop command is not the second stop command in step S409, or the stop eye determination process in step S410 is performed. After that, it is determined in step S411 whether or not the rotation of all the reels 71 to 73 has been stopped. If NO in step S411, the process returns to step S403. If YES, the payout determination process is performed in subsequent step S412. In the payout determination process, it is determined whether or not the winning combination is arranged on the effective line. When the winning combination is not aligned on the effective line, a command indicating that the expected payout number is 0 is output to the input / output control board 136. When the winning combination is on the active line, it is determined whether or not the winning combination matches the winning winning combination. When the winning combination does not match, an error is displayed on the lamp display unit 10 and the number of payouts is zero. Is output to the input / output control board 136. If they match, a command containing information on the expected payout number (maximum 75 in this embodiment) corresponding to the winning combination is output to the input / output control board 136. When the input / output control board 136 receives the command from the main board 131, the input / output control board 136 stores the command in the RAM. With this command, the input / output control board 136 determines the planned number of payouts.

  Next, a game ball throwing process executed by the CPU of the throwing / dispensing control board 136 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  In the game ball insertion process, first, in step S501, it is determined whether or not a command indicating that the max bet switch 109 has been pressed is input from the main board 131. As a result, if the command has not been input, the process is terminated as it is. On the other hand, if the above command has been input, the process proceeds to step S502, and a signal is output to the solenoid 221 that drives and controls the link mechanism 215 of the discharge gate member 190. Thereby, the solenoid 221 is energized and the transmission of the operation to the discharge gate member 190 when the operation member 211 is operated is prevented. Thereafter, in step S503, a signal is output to the solenoid 181 which is a drive source of the take-in gate member 175. As a result, the take-in gate member 175 is driven and the take-in of the game ball is permitted.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S504, and it is determined whether or not the number of acquisitions counted by the acquisition counter matches the planned number of acquisitions determined from the command stored in the RAM. If the number of captures does not match the planned capture number, it is determined in step S505 whether a command indicating that the sensor unit 200 has detected a game ball has been input from the main board 131. As a result, if the command has not been input, the process waits until the command is input. On the other hand, if the command has been input, the process proceeds to step S506, and the number of captures is incremented by one. Thereafter, the process returns to step S504. If the number of captures and the planned number of captures match in step S504, output of the signal to the solenoid 181 is stopped in step S507. This prevents the game ball from being taken in. Thereafter, in step S508, the output of the signal to the solenoid 221 is stopped. Thereby, the transmission of the operation to the discharge gate member 190 is allowed. Thereafter, this process is terminated.

  In addition, in the input / output control board 136, the game ball payout process is executed in parallel with the game ball input process. Accordingly, the game ball payout process will be described below with reference to FIG.

  In the game ball payout process, it is first determined whether or not the payout number counted by the payout number counter in step S601 matches the planned payout number determined from the command stored in the RAM. If the number of payouts does not match the planned payout number, the payout device 28 is driven in step S602 to pay out the game balls to the upper plate 18. At this time, in step S602, the number of payouts is incremented by 1 in accordance with the detection signal of the payout detection sensor provided in the payout device 28. At this time, a command indicating that the number of payouts is incremented by 1 is output to the main board 131, and the main board 131 increments the display number of the acquisition number display unit 122 by one. Then, the process returns to step S601. When the number of payouts and the planned number of payouts match in step S601, the payout device 28 is stopped in step S604, and this process ends. The number of payouts is reset when the number of game balls to be paid out is paid out. At this time, a command indicating that the number of payouts has been reset is output to the main board 131, and the main board 131 resets the display of the acquired number display unit 122.

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

  The discharge gate member 190 that prevents or allows the game ball to pass through the discharge passage 169 in the take-in devices 35 to 37 can be manually operated from the outside of the gaming machine 1 by the operation member 211 and the link mechanism 215. Thus, the game ball can be suitably discharged through the discharge passage 169. That is, in the configuration in which the drive mechanism of the discharge gate member 190 is electrically provided, for example, when a failure or the like occurs in the drive mechanism, the game ball cannot be discharged. In addition, when the gaming machine 1 is powered off, the electric drive mechanism cannot be driven. Therefore, even if a gaming ball remains in the take-in devices 35 to 37, the gaming ball can be simply removed. It cannot be taken out.

  Note that, by providing the operation member 211 and the link mechanism 215 as operation means for manually operating the discharge gate member 190, the degree of freedom of the configuration such as the design and arrangement position of the operation means can be increased. In addition, since the link mechanism 215 slides in the front-rear direction while the operation member 211 is operated in the left-right direction, the distance by which the link mechanism 215 slides relative to the distance by which the operation member 211 is manually operated. Can be suitably set.

  In the above-described configuration, the solenoid 221 for driving and controlling the link mechanism 215 is provided. When the game ball is allowed to pass through the intake passage 168, the solenoid 221 is driven to operate the operation member 211. It is configured not to be transmitted to the discharge gate member 190. This prevents the passage of game balls in the discharge passage 169 when the passage of game balls in the intake passage 168 is permitted. Therefore, in the configuration in which the discharge gate member 190 can be manually operated, the game ball can be taken in suitably. For example, if the passage of the game ball in the intake passage 168 is permitted, and the passage of the game ball in the discharge passage 169 is permitted, the game ball is operated even though the max bet switch 109 is operated by the player. Inconveniences such as not being taken in can occur. In the present embodiment, when the game ball flows toward the intake passage 168, the passage shielding portion 191a constitutes a part of the passage wall. In this configuration, if the game ball is allowed to be taken in through the discharge passage 169 when the game ball is allowed to be taken in, the flow of the game ball becomes unstable and the game ball passes through the take-in passage 168. Cannot be accurately detected.

  Further, the solenoid 221 drives the link mechanism 215 to prevent transmission of the operation of the operation member 211, so that the operation member 211 can be placed in the operation position even in a situation where game balls are allowed to be taken in. It can be moved. Thereby, it is possible to suppress an extreme load from being applied to the operation member 211. That is, in the configuration in which the operation member 211 cannot be moved to the operation position when the game ball is allowed to be taken in, an extreme load may be applied to somehow operate the operation member 211. If an extreme load is applied to the operation member 211, the operation member 211 may be damaged.

  The link mechanism 215 includes a first link member 216 and a second link member 217 as main components, and when the game ball is allowed to be taken in, the solenoid 221 moves the second link member 217 upward. And the transmission of the operation of the operation member 211 is prevented. Thereby, the weight load concerning the solenoid 221 can be reduced.

  Further, when the max bet switch 109 is operated by a player or the like while the game ball is allowed to pass through the discharge passage 169, the discharge passage is prevented by preventing the operation member 211 from transmitting the operation. By adopting a configuration that prevents the passage of game balls of 169, it is possible to preferentially take in game balls.

  In addition, by providing a plurality of take-in devices 35 to 37 (game ball passages 165), it is possible to shorten the time required to take in game balls for each game time. In the gaming machine 1, the reels 71 to 73 are allowed to rotate on the condition that a predetermined number (for example, 15) of game balls have been taken in. It will be a typical interruption time. And if the forced interruption time of this game becomes long, it may become a factor that gives the player a feeling of boredom. There is a risk that. On the other hand, with this configuration, this forced interruption time can be shortened.

  Further, in a configuration in which a plurality of capture devices 35 to 37 are provided, the discharge gate member 190 collectively blocks or allows the discharge of game balls via the discharge passages 169 of the capture devices 35 to 37, and By doing, the number of members arrange | positioned in each taking-in apparatus 35-37 can be reduced. This is because there is no need to separately provide a member for preventing or allowing the game ball from being discharged through the discharge passage 169 for each of the take-in devices 35 to 37. Thereby, since each capture device 35-37 is reduced in size, in the structure which provides the several capture device 35-37, reduction of the space for arrange | positioning the capture device 35-37 in the gaming machine 1 is reduced. Can be realized. Further, the configuration can be simplified, and further, as the number of members decreases, it becomes preferable from the viewpoint of member management and manufacturing cost.

  In addition to the embodiment described above, for example, the following may be implemented.

  (1) The configuration of the drive mechanism of the discharge gate member 190 may be changed. Here, only differences from the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 33, 34, and 35. FIG. 33 is an explanatory view of another configuration of the drive mechanism for the discharge gate member 190 as viewed from the side, and FIGS. 34 and 35 illustrate another configuration of the drive mechanism for the discharge gate member 190. It is explanatory drawing at the time of seeing from.

  In the above embodiment, the operation member 211 is operated by lifting the link member on the discharge gate member 190 side out of the first and second link members 216 and 217 as transmission members by the electric actuator (solenoid 221). In the configuration shown in FIGS. 33 (a) and 33 (b), the operation member 211 is operated by lifting the link member on the operation member 211 side upward by the electric actuator. The transmission is prevented. That is, the solenoid 233 is provided above the first link member 231 located on the operation member 211 side among the first link member 231 and the second link member 232 as transmission members. Further, a guide 234 having a substantially U-shaped cross section is provided at the tip of the output shaft 233b of the solenoid 233 as in the above embodiment. The first link member 231 is held by the guide 234. In this case, if the passage of the game ball in the intake passage 168 is permitted in the state shown in FIG. 33A, the main body 233a of the solenoid 233 is energized, and as shown in FIG. 233b moves upward. Accordingly, the first link member 231 moves upward. Therefore, even if the operation member 211 is operated, the operation is not transmitted to the discharge gate member 190 and the discharge of the game ball through the discharge passage 169 is kept in a blocked state.

  34 (a) and 34 (b), the first and second link members 216 and 217 as transmission members are connected by the support pin 219 instead of the first and second links. The link members 236 and 237 are not connected. And the solenoid 238 is arrange | positioned beside the 2nd link member 237 so that the output shaft 238b may be expanded-contracted in the left-right direction of a figure. A guide 239 is provided at the tip of the solenoid 238, and the second link member 237 is held by the guide 239. In this case, in the state shown in FIG. 34 (a), when the passage of the game ball in the intake passage 168 is allowed, the main body 238a of the solenoid 238 is energized, and as shown in FIG. 34 (b), As the output shaft 238b moves to the right in the drawing, the second link member 237 also moves to the right. Therefore, even if the operation member 211 is operated, the operation is not transmitted to the discharge gate member 190 and the discharge of the game ball through the discharge passage 169 is kept in a blocked state. With this configuration, since the output shaft 238b of the solenoid 238 is configured to move in the left-right direction, the driving load of the solenoid 238 can be reduced as compared with the above embodiment.

  Further, in the configuration shown in FIG. 35, the operation member 211 is provided in an extrusion type instead of the configuration provided in a slide type. That is, an operation member 241 provided so as to protrude to the outside of the gaming machine from the front door 4, and an operation of the operation member 241 provided to be rotatable with respect to the operation member 241. The discharge operation means is constituted by the transmission member 242 that transmits to the head. The game ball is discharged through the discharge passage 169 by pressing the operation member 241 toward the back of the gaming machine. In addition, a solenoid 221 is provided above the transmission member 242, and the transmission member 242 is held by a guide provided at the tip of the solenoid 221. When the game ball is allowed to pass through the take-in passage 168, the solenoid 221 is driven to move the transmission member 242 upward. Therefore, even if the operation member 241 is operated, the operation is not transmitted to the discharge gate member 190 and the discharge of the game ball through the discharge passage 169 is kept in a blocked state. If it is this structure, the structure of the operation means of the gate member 190 for discharge can be simplified rather than the said embodiment.

  (2) The first link member 216 and the second link member 217 may be provided as an integral link member. In this case, the solenoid 221 lifts the link member to prevent transmission of the operation of the operation member 211.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the configuration is such that the operation of the operation member 211 can be switched from the state where the operation of the operation member 211 can be transmitted by changing the position of the second link member 217, but this is changed. May be. For example, the second link member is configured to be rotatable on the mounting portion 214 with the vertical direction as the axis, and a recess is formed in the second link member. In the transmittable state, when the operation member 211 is operated, the first link member comes into contact with a portion other than the concave portion of the second link member, and the operation of the operation member 211 is transmitted to the discharge gate member 190. . On the other hand, in the non-transmittable state, the second link member rotates so that the recess faces the first link member, and when the operation member 211 is operated, the first link member enters the recess and the operation of the operation member 211 is discharged. The gate member 190 is not transmitted.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the means for rotating the second link member 217 is the solenoid 221. However, other driving means such as a stepping motor can also be used.

  (5) In the said embodiment, although it was the structure by which the taking-in apparatuses 35-37 were continuously arranged, the structure by which only one taking-in apparatus is provided may be sufficient. Even in this case, by allowing the discharge gate member to be manually operated via the operating means as in the above embodiment, the game ball is preferably discharged through the discharge passage. Further, when the number of take-in devices is reduced, the time required for taking in a predetermined number of game balls becomes longer than in the above embodiment. And if the said time becomes long, possibility that an operation means will be operated in the condition where taking in of a game ball is performed becomes high. In this case, the operation blocking means is provided, so that the game ball can be taken in without any trouble.

  Moreover, the structure provided with two, four, or five or more capture devices may be sufficient. Even in this case, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained by providing the operation means and the operation prevention means.

  (6) If the passing of the game ball in the take-in passage 168 is allowed, the flow of the game ball insertion process shown in FIG. It may be different. For example, a sensor device that detects that the operation member 211 has been operated is provided. Further, in the game ball insertion process, it is determined whether or not the sensor device detects that the operation member 211 has been operated after step S501. Then, if it has been detected, the processing from step 502 is performed, and if it has not been detected, the game ball insertion processing is ended as it is. With this configuration, it is not necessary to drive the solenoid 221 each time the max bet switch 109 is operated by a player or the like, so that the driving frequency of the solenoid 221 is reduced. Therefore, the occurrence of a failure of the solenoid 221 can be suppressed.

  (7) In the above embodiment, the take-in devices 35 to 37 are controlled by the input / output control board 136, but may be controlled by the main board 131.

  (8) The gaming machine 1 of the above embodiment has a configuration in which only the max bet switch 109 is provided as a bet operation means, but a configuration in which a 1 bet switch or a 2 bet switch is also provided. May be. In other words, in a normal game, a 1-bet game or a 2-bet game can be performed.

  (9) The gaming machine 1 of the above embodiment is configured not to have a credit function (virtual game medium storage function), but may be configured to have this credit function.

  (10) Information providing means for assisting effects may be installed in the gaming machine 1. For example, the information providing means is installed integrally with the reel unit 70 on the front side of the reel unit 70, installed near the transparent panel 65 (one of the left, right, top, and bottom) in the case body 60, What is necessary is just to install in the upper part rather than the body 60, or install in the top part 6a among the annular parts 6. As the information providing means, a liquid crystal display device, which is a kind of electrical display device, can be used, and other electrical display devices such as CRT, dot matrix, LED, electroluminescence (EL), fluorescent display tube. Etc. may be used. In addition to the electrical display device, a sound generating device such as a speaker may be used, thereby enabling dynamic sound effects for the player. Furthermore, you may comprise an information provision means as a combination of the speaker 11 which is an audio | voice generator, and a display apparatus.

  (11) In the above embodiment, the reels 71 to 73 are cylindrical skeleton members that form a cylindrical cage, and a belt-like belt (not shown) is wound around the outer peripheral surface thereof. The belt and the belt may be integrally formed, and the design may be individually attached to the outer peripheral surface of the belt. In such a case, the integrally formed outer peripheral surface corresponds to an endless belt. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which uses the belt | belt-shaped belt by which the design was attached | subjected to the outer peripheral surface without providing a cylindrical frame member instead of the reels 71-73.

  (12) The number of games balls received per bet (predetermined number), the maximum number of games received, the number of payouts, etc. of the game balls in the above embodiment are merely examples, and are not particularly limited to the above numerical values.

It is a perspective view which shows the game machine in one embodiment. It is a front view of a gaming machine. It is a front view which shows the structure of a front frame. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the AA line vicinity of FIG. It is a rear view of a gaming machine. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of an upper plate formation body. It is a perspective view which shows the whole taking-in unit. It is a figure which shows simply the flow of the game ball from an upper plate to a taking-in unit. It is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of a taking-in apparatus. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows a taking-in apparatus. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows a part of taking-in unit. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a rectification | straightening part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the game ball detection by a count sensor. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating a motion of the gate member for discharge | emission. It is the BB sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a top view which shows the storage state of the game ball by a gate member. It is a top view for demonstrating the drive mechanism of the gate member for discharge. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of CC vicinity in FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the drive aspect of the gate member for discharge | emission. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the drive aspect of the gate member for discharge | emission. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of a taking-in apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a reel unit. It is an assembly perspective view of a left reel. It is explanatory drawing which shows the symbol arrangement | sequence of the belt of each rotary body. It is a figure for demonstrating the arrangement | sequence of an effective line. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the electrical structure of a game machine. It is a flowchart which shows a main process. It is a flowchart which shows a normal process. It is a flowchart which shows a lottery process. It is a flowchart which shows a reel control process. It is a flowchart which shows a game ball throwing-in process. It is a flowchart which shows a game ball payout process. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the drive aspect of another gate member for discharge | emission. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the drive aspect of another gate member for discharge | emission. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the drive aspect of another gate member for discharge | emission.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Game machine, 2 ... Outer frame, 3 ... Front frame, 4 ... Front door, 35-37 ... Take-in device, 28 ... Dispensing device, 70 ... Reel unit, 71-73 ... Reel, 101 ... Start lever, 102 104 ... Stop button, 109 ... Max bed switch, 131 ... Main board, 161, 162 ... Housing member, 167 ... Upstream passage as introduction passage, 168 ... Intake passage, 169 ... Discharge passage, 175 ... For taking in Gate member, 181... Solenoid, 190... Discharge gate member, 195. 216... First link member as a first transmission member, 217... Second link member as a second transmission member, 221. Solenoid, 222 ... guide.

Claims (4)

A take-in passage for taking in a game ball, a discharge passage branched from the take-in passage, a take-in blocking permission member for blocking or allowing the game ball to pass through the take-in passage, and the passage of the game ball through the discharge passage A take-in device having a discharge-permitting permitting member that prevents or allows the game machine is provided behind the gaming machine front side , allowing the start of a game when a predetermined number of game balls are taken in by the take-in device. In the gaming machine to
The discharge blocking permission member is provided so as to be movable in a predetermined direction, and by moving in the predetermined direction, passage of the game ball in the discharge passage is permitted from a blocking position for blocking the passage of the game ball in the discharge passage. It is configured to be switched to an allowable position to be
Further, an operating member provided on the front surface of the gaming machine and moved from a non-operating position to an operating position by being directly manually operated by a player;
Provided between the operation member and the discharge prevention permitting member, and when the operation member moves from the non-operation position to the operation position, the operation member moves from the initial position toward the discharge prevention allowance member. A transmission member that moves the discharge blocking allowance member from the blocking position to the allowable position by being disposed at an operation position for moving the discharge blocking permission member in the predetermined direction;
By displacing at least a part of the transmission member to a position deviating from the passing trajectory when the transmission member moves from the initial position to the operation position, between the non-operation position and the operation position of the operation member. An electric actuator that prevents the transmission member from being disposed at the operation position when the operation member moves to the operation position while allowing the movement of
Drive control for driving and controlling the electric actuator so as to displace at least a part of the transmission member to the disengaged position when passage of the game ball in the take-in passage is allowed by the take-in inhibition member. Means,
A gaming machine characterized by comprising: The take-in device includes an urging unit that urges the discharge blocking permission member to be held at the blocking position.
When the transmission member is driven by the electric actuator in a state where the transmission member is disposed at the operating position, at least a part of the transmission member is displaced to the disengaged position, thereby moving the discharge blocking permission member in the predetermined direction. Provided to release the state,
The discharge blocking permission member returns to the blocking position by the biasing force of the biasing means when at least a part of the transmission member is displaced to the disengaged position in a state where the discharge blocking permission member is disposed at the permission position. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein: Bet operation means operated to start taking-in of game balls by the take-in device, and when the bet operation means is operated, game balls pass through the take-in passage by the take-in blocking permission member. An acceptable configuration,
Bet operation determining means for determining whether or not the bet operating means has been operated;
If the drive control means determines that the bet operation means has been operated by the bet operation determination means, before allowing the game ball to pass through the take-in passage by the take-in blocking permission member, The gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an electric actuator is driven and controlled to displace at least a part of the transmission member to the disengaged position. The transmission member is composed of a plurality of constituent members arranged from the operation member side toward the discharge blocking permission member side,
When the operation member is moved to the operation position, the plurality of constituent members are integrally moved toward the discharge prevention permission member and arranged at the operation position, whereby the discharge permission member Moves from the blocking position to the allowable position,
The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the electric actuator displaces a part of the plurality of constituent members to the disengaged position.