JP4324603B2 - game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game machine that allows a winning portion provided in a play field to win a game medium.

  Conventionally, there has been a medal game machine that performs a lottery process when a medal inserted into a play field by a player wins a checker and releases a large amount of medals to the play field when winning (for example, Patent Literature 1).

However, in the conventional medal game machine, the medals won in the checker are housed in the game machine, so if they are not selected, the medals are collected by the game machine, There was a problem that motivation may decline.
Further, the conventional medal game machine has a problem that the player does not do anything while he / she wins the lottery and the medal is released to the play field, and may have time to spare.
Furthermore, the conventional medal game machine has a problem that the method of releasing medals to the play field is simple and lacks interest.
JP 2002-253842 A

  It is an object of the present invention to improve the player's willingness to play the game even if the game medium enters the winning portion, and to produce an interesting action of releasing the game medium to the play field. It is an object of the present invention to provide a game machine that can continue a game without having time even when winning.

The present invention solves the above problems by the following means. In addition, in order to make an understanding easy, although the code | symbol corresponding to the Example of this invention is attached | subjected and demonstrated, it is not limited to this.
The invention of claim 1 is provided in the play field (2), and is provided with a winning part (15) for winning the game medium (3) inserted into the play field (2), and the winning part. The game medium (3) won in the winning section (15) is stored, the game medium storing section (16) that can be released, and the game medium storing section (16) are moved up and down, A game machine comprising game medium discharge means (20) for discharging the stored game medium (3) into the play field (2).

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the game machine according to the first aspect, the game medium storage section (16) is provided with a hole (16b) for discharging the stored game medium (3 ) at the bottom. This is a game machine characterized by that.
The invention according to claim 3, in the game machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the game medium discharge means (20) for the said game medium reservoir (16), corresponding to the operation of the player swinging It is a game machine characterized by including the operation part (9) to perform dynamic motion.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the game machine according to any one of the first to third aspects, the detection unit is provided in the winning unit (15) and detects a winning of the game medium (3). (30) and a lottery process for determining whether or not to win according to the output of the detection unit (30), and in the case of winning, control for causing the game medium storage unit (16) to perform the ascending and swinging operations. It is a game machine characterized by providing a part (40, 41-43).
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the game machine according to the third aspect, a detection unit (30) provided in the winning unit (15) for detecting a winning of the game medium (3), and the detection unit (30 ), A lottery process for determining whether or not to win, and a control unit (40, 41 to 43) that enables the operation unit (9) to be operated in the case of winning. It is a game machine.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In the present invention, a winning game medium is released to the play field by causing the game medium storage unit to perform a predetermined operation, so that even if the game medium enters the winning part, An opportunity to regain can be given to the player, and the game motivation of the player can be improved.

(2) Since this invention raises / lowers the game-medium storage part and discharge | releases a game medium, the operation | movement which discharge | releases a game medium to a play field can be produced interestingly.

(3) Since the present invention causes the game medium storage unit to perform a predetermined operation in response to the operation of the operation unit by the player, a new reflex-type game element that releases the game medium by the player's own operation is incorporated. A type of game can be provided.

(4) The present invention performs a lottery process for determining whether or not to win according to the winning of the game media, and in the case of winning, causes the game media storage unit to perform a predetermined operation. Can be released.

(5) Since the present invention enables operation of the operation unit in the case of winning as a result of the lottery process, the player can continue the game without having time to spare even when winning the lottery. it can.

  The present invention can improve the player's willingness to play the game even if the game medium enters the winning portion, can produce an interesting action of releasing the game medium to the play field, and wins the lottery. In the event that a game machine can continue without having time, a checker and a medal discharge hole will be provided in the medal storage part, and the medal will win the checker, resulting in a big win When the medals are stored, the medal storage unit is moved upward, and further, by swinging the medals so as to tilt left and right according to the operation of the lever, the stored medals are again discharged from the medal discharge hole to the play field. Realized by that.

Hereinafter, a game machine to which the present invention is applied will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an entire game machine 1 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the game machine 1 is a large device having an outer diameter of about 2 m, and is installed in a game center, for example. The game machine 1 has, for example, a hexagonal shape in plan, and includes a plurality of stations where a plurality of players can independently play a game. Hereinafter, the station ST1 will be described, but the other stations have the same structure. In the figure, the station ST1 will be described below with the left-right direction as an arrow X direction, the radial direction as an arrow Y direction, and the vertical direction as an arrow Z direction.

  The game machine 1 conveys the medal 3 (game medium) arranged in the play field 2 to the medal acquisition hole 13 (described later) using the pusher base 12 (game medium conveying means), and the medal payout port 10. It is a pusher game machine that pays out. Further, in the game machine 1, when the medal 3 wins the checker 15 (winning part) and a big hit occurs, several hundred medals are received from the mouth 5a of the model 5 imitating the tyrannosaurus arranged in the center of the play field 2. 3 is discharged into the play field 2 for several minutes (for example, about 5 minutes), and a large amount is paid out.

The game machine 1 includes a play field 2, a case 6, a window 7, an operation panel 8, a lever 9 (operation unit), and a medal payout port 10.
The play field 2 is an area where the player inserts the medal 3 and the game is actually played, and is provided with a pusher table 12 on which the medal 3 is placed.
Case 6 is a housing of game machine 1.
The window 7 is a member for partitioning the outside of the game machine 1 from the play field 2, and is formed of, for example, transparent acrylic or glass so that the play field 2 can be visually recognized from the outside.

The operation panel 8 is a panel for arranging a medal insertion device 11 (described later), a lever 9 and the like, and is provided in front of the case 6 so that the player can easily operate.
The lever 9 is a member for operating the medal storage unit 16 (described later), and is provided to stand upright on the operation panel 8.
The medal payout port 10 is a payout port for paying out the medal 3 acquired by the player, and is provided in front of the case 6 so that the player can easily take out the medal 3.

Next, the configuration of the station ST1 of the game machine 1 will be described in detail.
2 is a perspective view of the station ST1 portion of the game machine 1 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the medal storage portion 16. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the station ST1 includes a medal insertion device 11, a pusher base 12, a medal acquisition hole 13, a frame 14, a checker 15, a medal storage unit 16 (game content storage unit), and a medal. A supply hole 17 and a slot portion 18 are provided.
The medal insertion device 11 is a device for inserting the medal 3 inserted by the player into the play field 2, and is provided on the operation panel 8 (see FIG. 1). The medal insertion device 11 inserts the medal 3 inserted from the medal insertion port 11a in the direction (arrow A direction) in which the tip end portion 11c faces through the tube portion 11b. At this time, the player determines the insertion direction of the medal 3 by adjusting the direction (direction of the arrow θ1) of the tip portion 11c, confirms the state of the pusher base 12, and inserts the medal 3 while timing.

The pusher base 12 is a device for conveying the medal 3 inserted from the medal insertion device 11 to the medal acquisition hole 13. The pusher base 12 includes a moving table 12A provided so that the table surface faces upward so that the medal 3 can be placed, and a fixed table 12B.
The moving table 12A is a moving table disposed on the upper side of the fixed table 12B. The moving table 12A is reciprocated in the radial direction (arrow Y direction) by a drive mechanism (not shown) and placed on the moving table 12A itself and the fixed table 12B. The selected medal 3 is pushed out radially outward (arrow Y1 direction).
The fixed table 12 </ b> B is a table that is fixed in the play field 2 and constitutes the lower part of the pusher base 12.

  The operation of the pusher table 12 will be described. When the medal 3 inserted in the play field 2 is placed on the moving table 12A, the moving table 12A moves inward in the radial direction (arrow Y2 direction). Sometimes, it collides with the frame 14 and the front surface 16a of the medal storage section 16, and the movement inward in the radial direction is hindered, so that the movement table 12A moves outward in the radial direction. In response to this, the other medals 3 on the moving table 12A are gradually pushed outward in the radial direction with respect to the moving table 12A, and eventually fall from the moving table 12A onto the fixed table 12B (see arrow B). ). Similarly, the medal 3 dropped on the fixed table 12B is moved radially outward by the moving table 12A, and the other medals 3 on the fixed table 12B are pushed out and fall into the medal acquisition hole 13 (arrow C). reference).

The medal acquisition hole 13 is an opening hole provided radially outward from the pusher base 12, and the medal payout port 10 (see FIG. 1) so that the medal 3 pushed out by the pusher base 12 is paid out to the outside. Communicating with
The frame 14 is a frame body whose radial direction is opened in order to accommodate the medal storage unit 16 movably. The frame 14 is provided with a storage unit drive unit 20 (described later) that moves the medal storage unit 16.
The checker 15 is an opening hole that is inserted into the play field 2 and is awarded when the medal 3 passes, and is provided at three locations in front of the medal storage unit 16. The checker 15 has a slit shape that is long in the vertical direction so that the medal 3 rolling in the play field 2 can pass through.

The medal storage unit 16 stores the medals 3 won in the checker 15 and, as will be described later, a box for releasing the stored medals 3 to the play field 2 again by moving up and down and swinging. Is the body. The medal storage unit 16 is open at the top so that the stored medal 3 can be viewed from the outside of the game machine 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the medal storage part 16 has two cam followers 16a and two medal discharge holes 16b.
The cam follower 16a is provided so as to protrude from the left and right side surfaces of the medal storage section 16, and is inserted into the cam hole 21 and connected to the belts 22L and 22R, as will be described later.
The medal release hole 16b is a through hole provided in the bottom surface of the medal storage unit 16 in order to release the medal 3 in a bonus game (described later). The medal discharge hole 16b is provided in a slit shape that is long in the radial direction, and the width thereof is such that the medal 3 is difficult to pass when the medal storage unit 16 is at the reference position P0 (the position shown in FIG. 2). Smaller than the diameter. The medal discharge hole 16b is arranged so that the position in the left-right direction is shifted from the checker 15 so that the medal 3 won in the checker 15 does not come out immediately.

As shown in FIG. 2, the medal supply hole 17 is an opening hole for supplying the medal 3 to the medal storage unit 16, and is provided on the inner surface of the frame 14. The medal supply hole 17 supplies the medal 3 to the medal storage unit 16 from the upper opening of the medal storage unit 16 when the medal 3 wins the checker 15 and a small hit occurs.
The slot unit 18 is a display device for displaying a reel image, and is, for example, an LCD (liquid crystal display device). The slot portion 18 includes three display portions 18a to 18c arranged side by side on the upper surface of the frame 14 in the left-right direction (arrow X direction), and depending on the winning of the medal 3 to the checker 15, Display the video corresponding to the loss.

Next, the storage part drive part 20 (game content discharge | release means) which operates the medal storage part 16 is demonstrated.
4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating the storage unit drive unit 20 according to the present embodiment, in which FIG. 4A is a front view of the storage unit drive unit 20, and FIG. 4B is B in FIG. 4A. It is -B section arrow sectional drawing (right view). FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a series of movements of the medal storage unit 16.
As shown in FIG. 4, the reservoir drive unit 20 includes a cam hole 21, belts 22L and 22R, pulleys 23A to 23D, motors 24L and 24R, the above-described cam follower 16a, and the like.
The cam hole 21 is a guide hole provided for guiding the cam follower 16a of the medal storage unit 16 and guiding the medal storage unit 16, and is formed on the left and right side walls of the frame 14 as shown in FIG. It is provided so as to circulate in a rectangular shape.

The belts 22 </ b> L and 22 </ b> R are driving force transmission units for transmitting the driving force of the motors 24 </ b> L and 24 </ b> R to the medal storage unit 16, and are connected to the cam follower 16 a of the medal storage unit 16. As shown in FIG. 4B, the belts 22 </ b> L and 22 </ b> R are wound around pulleys 23 </ b> A to 23 </ b> D and circulate along the center of the cam hole 21 in the side view.
The pulleys 23 </ b> A to 23 </ b> D are members around which the belts 22 </ b> L and 22 </ b> R are wound around the belts 22 </ b> L and 22 </ b> R, and are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the frame 14. The pulleys 23 </ b> A to 23 </ b> D are arranged near the apexes of the cam holes 21 and are rotatably supported by bearings or the like.
The motors 24L and 24R are members for generating a driving force for operating the medal storage unit 16, and are, for example, DC motors. The motors 24L and 24R have pulleys 23A attached to the tips of their rotating shafts, and rotate them (see the direction of the arrow θ3) to transmit driving force to the belts 22L and 22R.

Next, operation | movement of the storage part drive part 20 is demonstrated.
When the medal 3 wins the checker 15 and the jackpot is generated, the motors 24L and 24R are driven in synchronism, and the medal storage unit 16 rises in a state of keeping the level, and the reference position P0 and the movement position P1 (FIG. 5 ( Stop in the middle of a). Thereafter, the motors 24L and 24R are independently driven in accordance with the operation of the lever 9, and as a result, as shown in FIG. The medal 3 stored inside is discharged again to the play field 2 from the medal discharge hole 16b (see FIG. 3). The medal storage unit 16 includes a rotation prevention mechanism (not shown) that prevents rotation (in the direction of the arrow θ2) around the cam follower 16a, and does not rotate around the cam follower 16a.
As described above, the storage unit drive unit 20 releases the medal 3 stored in the medal storage unit 16 to the play field 2 again by causing the medal storage unit 16 to move up and down and swing (predetermined operation). To do.

  When the big hit is completed, the motors 24L and 24R are again driven in synchronization, and the medal storage unit 16 moves along the cam hole 21, passes through the movement positions P1 and P2, and is more radial than the reference position. It moves to the inner movement position P3 (see FIG. 5B). Thereafter, the medal storage unit 16 slides on the moving table 12A and moves from the moving position P1 to the reference position P0, and the medal 3 released from the medal discharging hole 16b and placed on the moving table 12A is moved to the front side in the radial direction. (See FIG. 5C).

Next, a block diagram of the game machine 1 will be described.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the game machine 1 of the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 6, the game machine 1 includes a checker detection unit 30, a control unit 40, the lever 9, the slot unit 18, the storage unit drive unit 20, and the like described above.
The checker detection unit 30 is a detection unit that is provided inside the chucker 16 and detects a winning of the medal 3 and outputs a signal to the control unit 40. The checker detection unit 30 is, for example, an optical sensor in which a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit are arranged to face each other, and detects a winning of the medal 3 by blocking light to the light receiving unit.

  The control unit 40 is a control unit for comprehensively controlling the game machine 1 and includes, for example, a CPU (central processing unit). The control unit 40 includes a lottery control unit 41, a lever control unit 42, a storage unit control unit 43, and a bus line 44 for transmitting information between these control units as necessary.

The lottery control unit 41 is a control unit for performing a lottery process for determining whether or not to win according to the output of the checker detection unit 30. The lottery control unit 41 generates a random number for lottery, determines a small hit, a big hit, and a loss, and displays these lottery results in the slot unit 18. In the present embodiment, the lottery control unit 41 displays a uniform number, for example, “222” or the like in the case of a small win, displays “777” in the case of a big win, Display numbers other than these.
The storage unit control unit 43 is a control unit for driving the storage unit drive unit 20 to cause the medal storage unit 16 to move up and down when the lottery result by the lottery control unit 41 is a big hit.
The lever control unit 42 is a control unit for accepting an input from the lever 9 during the bonus game at the time of the big hit and enabling the operation of the medal storage unit 16 by operating the lever 9. The lever control unit 42 does not accept an input from the lever 9 except during the bonus game.

Next, the operation of the game machine 1 will be described.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the game machine 1 of this embodiment.
First, in step S1, when the power switch (not shown) of the game machine 1 is turned on, the control unit 40 starts a series of processes.
In step S <b> 2, the medal 3 inserted into the medal insertion device 11 by the player and inserted into the play field 2 is stored in the medal storage unit 16 when winning the checker 15. The checker detection unit 30 outputs a signal to the control unit 40 when detecting the winning of the medal 3.

  In step S <b> 3, the lottery control unit 41 generates a random number for lottery according to the output of the checker detection unit 30. When the lottery result is not a big hit, that is, when it is a loss or a small win (step S3: NO), the control unit 40 returns to step S2 and waits for the output of the checker detection unit 30 again. When the lottery result is a small hit, the lottery control unit 41 displays the same even number on the slot unit 18, and the control unit 40 drives a medal supply device (not shown) to provide the medal supply hole 17. A plurality of (for example, about 10) medals 3 are supplied to the medal storage unit 16. Thereby, the player can release more medals 3 to the play field 2 during the bonus game.

  On the other hand, if the lottery result is a big hit in step S3 (step S3: YES), the lottery control unit 41 displays “777” in the slot portion 18 to inform the player that a big win has occurred, and the control unit 40 Pays out a large amount of medals 3 for several minutes. That is, the control unit 40 releases a large amount (for example, several hundreds) of medals 3 from the mouth 5a of the model 5 to the play field 2, and the medals 3 that have fallen into the medal acquisition hole 13 are To be paid out. This large amount payout is continuously performed until the process of step S6 described later is completed.

In step S4, the storage unit control unit 43 drives the motors 24L and 24R synchronously to raise the medal storage unit 16 while maintaining the level, and stops in the middle between the reference position P0 and the movement position P1. Let
In step S5, the control unit 40 performs a bonus game process. The lever control unit 42 starts accepting the output from the lever 9, and the signal from the lever 9 is transmitted to the storage unit control unit 43 through the lever control unit 42, and the motors 24L and 24R are driven independently. The Accordingly, when the player tilts the lever 9 left and right, the medal storage unit 16 swings so as to tilt left and right, and the medal 3 stored in the medal storage unit 16 is released from the medal discharge hole 16b (see FIG. 3). Again, it is released into the play field 2.

  Thus, since the game machine 1 enables the operation of the lever 9 during the bonus game after the big hit, the player can continue the game without having time. In addition, since the game machine 1 causes the medal storage unit 16 to swing in response to the output of the lever 9 and releases the medal 3, the player can acquire the medal 3 by his / her own operation. A new type of pusher game incorporating elements can be provided.

In step S6, when the mass payout of medals 3 is completed, the control unit 40 ends the bonus game. The lever control unit 42 stops receiving the output from the lever 9. As a result, the signal from the lever 9 is not transmitted to the storage unit drive unit 20, and the swinging operation of the medal storage unit 16 by the operation of the lever 9 is stopped.
In step S7, the storage unit control unit 43 drives the motors 24L and 24R again in synchronization, and moves the medal storage unit 16 to the reference position P0 through the operation positions P1 to P3 along the cam hole 21. Move (see FIG. 5). In the process of moving from the movement position P3 to the reference position P0, the medal storage unit 16 pushes out the medal 3 released on the moving table 12A to the front side in the radial direction. Thus, a part of the pushed medal 3 is dropped on the fixed table 12B by the reciprocating movement of the moving table 12A, and a part of the medal 3 on the fixed table 12B is dropped on the medal acquisition hole 13, It is paid out to the medal payout slot 10.
When the storage control unit 43 moves to the reference position P0, the control unit 40 proceeds to step S8 and ends a series of processes.

As described above, the game machine 1 according to the present embodiment releases the medal 3 (game medium) from the medal storage unit 16 (game medium storage unit) in response to the operation of the lever 9 in the case of a big hit. The player can continue the game without spending time, and can provide a new type of pusher game that incorporates elements of a reflex nerve type game.
Furthermore, since the game machine 1 raises and lowers the medal storage unit 16 to release the medal 3, the operation of releasing the medal 3 to the play field 2 can be interestingly produced.

  Furthermore, the game machine 1 stores the winning medals 3 so that the player can visually recognize the medals, and in the case of a big win, the medal storing unit 16 moves up and down and swings (predetermined operation) to store the medals. The medal 3 stored in the part 16 is discharged again to the play field 2. Thereby, even if the medal 3 enters the winning portion, the player can be given an opportunity to retrieve the medal 3, and the player's motivation for the game can be improved.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible, and these are also within the equivalent scope of the present invention.
(1) In this embodiment, the medal storage unit has a slit-shaped medal discharge hole and swings so as to be tilted to the left and right to release the medal. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is only necessary to be able to release the medals. For example, the medal storage unit may be turned upside down to release the medal from the upper opening, or may be swung back and forth around the cam follower to release the medal.

(2) In the present embodiment, the game machine shows an example in which the medal storage unit is electrically driven by a motor, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the game machine may mechanically drive the medal storage unit by a link, a cam mechanism, or the like. In this case, the game machine can simplify the processing of the control unit.

(3) In the present embodiment, an example in which the game medium is a medal is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the game medium may be a sphere or a cylinder, and in this case, it is difficult to predict the movement on the play field, so that the fun of the game can be improved.

It is a front view of the present Example of the game machine to which this invention is applied. It is a perspective view of the station part of the game machine of a present Example. It is a top view of the medal storage part of a present Example. It is the front view and sectional drawing of the storage part drive part of a present Example. It is sectional drawing which shows a series of movements of the medal storage part of a present Example. It is a block diagram of the game machine of a present Example. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the game machine of a present Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Game machine 2 Play field 3 Medal 9 Lever 11 Medal insertion device 12 Pusher stand 12A Movement table 12B Fixed table 13 Medal acquisition hole 15 Checker 16 Medal storage part 16a Cam follower 16b Medal discharge hole 18 Slot part 20 Storage part drive part 21 Cam hole 22L, 22R belt 23A-23D pulley 24L, 24R motor 30 checker detection unit 40 control unit 41 lottery control unit 42 lever control unit 43 storage unit control unit

Claims (5)

A winning section that is provided in the play field and in which a game medium inserted in the play field wins;
A game medium storage section provided with the winning section, capable of storing and releasing the game medium that has won the winning section;
Wherein by the lifting and swinging movement of the game medium reservoir, said game medium distillate savings, and a game medium discharge means to discharge into said play field,
A game machine equipped with. The game machine according to claim 1,
The game media storage unit has a hole at the bottom thereof for discharging the stored game media;
A game machine characterized by In the game machine according to claim 1 or 2,
It said game medium discharge means, wherein for the game medium reservoir, to an operation unit for a swinging motion corresponding to the operation of the player,
A game machine characterized by In the game machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A detection unit provided in the winning unit for detecting a winning of the game content;
A lottery process for determining whether or not to win according to the output of the detection unit, and in the case of winning , a control unit for causing the game medium storage unit to perform the ascending and swinging operations ;
A game machine characterized by The game machine according to claim 3,
A detection unit provided in the winning unit for detecting a winning of the game content;
A lottery process for determining whether or not to win according to the output of the detection unit, and in the case of winning, a control unit that enables operation of the operation unit;
A game machine characterized by

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