JP4670417B2 - Game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine.

  One type of gaming machine is a pachinko machine. In the pachinko machine, for example, various winning holes are provided in the game area, and the winning balls (game balls) are paid out based on the game balls entering the winning holes.

  As is well known, a ball payout mechanism such as a pachinko machine is configured to sequentially guide game balls from a storage tank provided on the back side of the pachinko machine to a payout device via guide means such as a tank rail and a case rail. ing. Here, the payout device stops or pays out the game ball by controlling an electric drive means such as a payout motor. Then, the game balls paid out from the payout device are led out to a ball receiving tray through a predetermined ball path for prize balls.

  In general, in a pachinko machine or the like, for example, after completion of an inspection at the time of shipment from a manufacturer or when a model is changed in a game hall, the game ball remaining in the ball payout mechanism is discharged, so-called ball removal.

  This ball removal operation is performed by, for example, switching the ball passage by operating a ball removal button on a case rail or the like connected to the upstream side of the payout device, and from the payout device via a ball removal passage dedicated for ball removal. The game ball that was stopped upstream is discharged to the island side.

Next, the game balls remaining on the downstream side, that is, a part of the case rail and the payout device from the switching position of the ball path are separately driven by electrically driving a payout motor. For example, by operating a ball removal switch provided on the payout control board, the payout motor is rotationally driven during the operation period, and the game ball is paid out to the ball receiving tray via the ball path for the winning ball (for example, , See Patent Document 1).
JP 2001-252439 A

  However, in the above-described prior art, for example, there is a possibility that an illegal act of paying out the game ball to the ball receiving tray side may be performed by operating the ball removal switch of the payout control board with a wire or the like.

  As a countermeasure against this, for example, when a ball detection switch on the upstream side (for example, in the case rail) of the ball passage switching position detects a game ball, the operation is performed even if the ball removal switch is operated. It can be considered invalid. In other words, once the upstream ball is removed from the switching position of the ball passage, if the mechanism is such that the downstream ball cannot be removed from the switching position, the cheating can be suppressed. Can do.

  However, even with the above countermeasures, for example, the ball detection switch on the case rail is operated with a wire or the like, and the ball removal switch on the payout control board is operated, whereby an illegal act of paying out the game ball to the ball receiving tray may be performed. There is.

  On the other hand, in the payout device, a mechanism similar to the ball removal mechanism of the case rail is provided immediately above the payout motor or the payout motor so that the game ball does not remain upstream from the payout motor etc. of the payout device. It is extremely difficult to provide a new ball removal path dedicated to removing the ball by rotating it in reverse, etc., due to the installation space on the back of the gaming machine, and the number of parts and the number of assembly steps There is a concern about the increase.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a gaming machine that suppresses illegal payout of game balls.

  In the following, each means suitable for solving the above-mentioned purpose will be described in terms of items. In addition, the effect etc. peculiar to the means to respond | correspond as needed are added.

Means 1. A game area where the launched game ball is guided,
A ball entry means provided in the game area and capable of entering a game ball;
Entry detection means for detecting entry of a game sphere into the entry means;
Payout means capable of paying out a predetermined number of game balls as prize balls based on at least a game ball entering the ball entry means;
A payout control means for driving and controlling the payout means;
Guidance means for guiding the game ball to the payout means;
In a gaming machine comprising a ball storage means from which a game ball paid out by the payout means is derived,
Sphere presence / absence detecting means capable of detecting the presence / absence of a game ball at a predetermined portion of the guide means;
Specific operating means provided so that it can be manually operated on the back side of the gaming machine,
The payout control means includes
At least in a state where a game ball is not detected by the ball presence / absence detecting means, the driving of the payout means is prohibited, and
Ball removal processing for driving the payout means and paying out the game balls from the payout means when the game ball enters the ball entry means and the specific operation means is operated in the out-of-ball state A gaming machine that is configured to be capable of executing.

  According to the above means 1, it is not possible to pay out (ball removal) regardless of whether or not there is a game ball to be paid out (prize ball or rental ball), but only when there is a game ball to be paid out. Become. Therefore, when an attempt is made to perform an illegal act such as causing a game ball to be paid out to the ball storage means (ball tray) on the front side of the gaming machine by operating the ball presence / absence detection means or the specific operation means on the back side of the gaming machine with a wire or the like In the same way as a regular game, it is necessary to enter the game ball into the ball entry means, and there is no merit of performing the illegal act. As a result, the cheating can be suppressed.

  Further, in order to prevent a game ball from remaining on the upstream side of the drive means (payout motor or the like) of the payout means, a ball removal mechanism is provided in the payout means immediately above the drive means, or a ball removal passage dedicated for ball removal is provided. It is extremely difficult to do so due to the installation space on the back of the gaming machine, and there are concerns about an increase in the number of parts and the number of man-hours for assembly work. be able to.

Mean 2. A game area where the launched game ball is guided,
A ball entry means provided in the game area and capable of entering a game ball;
Entry detection means for detecting entry of a game sphere into the entry means;
Payout means capable of paying out a predetermined number of game balls as prize balls based on at least a game ball entering the ball entry means;
A payout control means for driving and controlling the payout means;
Guidance means for guiding the game ball to the payout means;
In a gaming machine comprising a ball storage means from which a game ball paid out by the payout means is derived,
Sphere presence / absence detecting means capable of detecting the presence / absence of a game ball at a predetermined portion of the guide means;
Specific operating means provided so that it can be manually operated on the back side of the gaming machine,
The payout control means includes
Payout setting means for performing payout setting for paying out a predetermined number of game balls based on at least a game ball entering the ball entry means;
A payout prohibiting means for prohibiting the driving of the payout means at least in a state where a game ball is not detected by the ball presence detecting means;
A prohibition invalidating means for invalidating prohibition of driving of the payout means on the condition that the payout setting is made and the specific operation means is operated in the ball-out state,
A gaming machine configured to execute a ball removing process of driving the payout means based on the payout setting and paying out a game ball from the payout means in the ball-out state.

  According to the means 2, the same effects as the means 1 can be obtained. Further, by providing the payout setting means, for example, it is possible to sequentially add and set the total number of payout balls based on the game balls entered into a plurality of ball entering means. Also, the payout process can be performed smoothly, and the control can be simplified. Further, by providing the payout prohibiting means, it is possible to prevent a problem such that the game ball is paid out only when the game ball enters the ball entering means, for example, in the out-of-ball state. The same applies to the following means, but the number of game balls (prize balls) to be paid out based on the entry of the game balls into the predetermined entry means is determined in advance corresponding to the entry means. In the case of the configuration stored in the storage means, the payout setting means, when a game ball enters a predetermined entrance means, pays the number stored in the storage means corresponding to the entrance means. Set as the number of game balls to be issued. That is, this setting process corresponds to the above-described payout setting. Based on this setting, the payout control means drives the payout means and pays out the game ball from the payout means. Of course, when the number of rented balls is stored in a predetermined rented unit (for example, 25), the stored number is similarly set as the number of rented balls to be paid out.

Means 3. A game area where the launched game ball is guided,
A ball entry means provided in the game area and capable of entering a game ball;
Entry detection means for detecting entry of a game sphere into the entry means;
Payout means capable of paying out a predetermined number of game balls as prize balls based on at least a game ball entering the ball entry means;
A payout control means for driving and controlling the payout means;
Guidance means for guiding the game ball to the payout means;
In a gaming machine comprising a ball storage means from which a game ball paid out by the payout means is derived,
Sphere presence / absence detecting means capable of detecting the presence / absence of a game ball at a predetermined portion of the guide means;
Specific operating means provided so that it can be manually operated on the back side of the gaming machine,
The payout control means includes
Payout setting means for performing payout setting for paying out a predetermined number of game balls based on at least a game ball entering the ball entry means;
A payout prohibiting means for prohibiting the driving of the payout means at least in a state where a game ball is not detected by the ball presence detecting means;
A discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the ball can be removed, which is a state where the ball is out and the payout setting is made;
A prohibition invalidating means for invalidating the prohibition of driving of the payout means by the payout prohibiting means on the condition that the specific operation means is operated in the ball removal enabled state,
A gaming machine configured to execute a ball removing process of driving the payout means based on the payout setting and paying out a game ball from the payout means in the ball-out state.

  According to the means 3, the same effects as the means 1 can be obtained. Furthermore, in this means, the operation of the specific operation means is effective only after the payout setting such as the game ball is made to enter the ball entry means first, so that the operational effects of the above means are more reliably achieved. The Rukoto.

  Means 4. The gaming machine according to claim 3, further comprising operation invalidation means for invalidating the operation of the specific operation means when the payout setting is not made at least in the ball-out state.

  According to the means 4, the operational effects described in the means 3 can be more reliably achieved.

Means 5. A game area where the launched game ball is guided,
A ball entry means provided in the game area and capable of entering a game ball;
Entry detection means for detecting entry of a game sphere into the entry means;
Payout means capable of paying out a predetermined number of game balls as prize balls based on at least a game ball entering the ball entry means;
A payout control means for driving and controlling the payout means;
Guidance means for guiding the game ball to the payout means;
In a gaming machine comprising a ball storage means from which a game ball paid out by the payout means is derived,
Sphere presence / absence detecting means capable of detecting the presence / absence of a game ball at a predetermined portion of the guide means;
Specific operating means provided so that it can be manually operated on the back side of the gaming machine,
The payout control means includes
Payout setting means for performing payout setting for paying out a predetermined number of game balls based on at least a game ball entering the ball entry means;
A payout prohibiting means for prohibiting the driving of the payout means at the time of occurrence of an error state including a state where a game ball is not detected by at least the ball presence detecting means;
A discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the ball can be removed, which is a state where the ball is out and the payout setting is made;
Prohibition invalidating means for invalidating prohibition of driving of the payout means by the payout prohibiting means on condition that the error state is recovered or the specific operation means is operated in the ball removal enabled state; Prepared,
A gaming machine configured to execute a ball removing process of driving the payout means based on the payout setting and paying out a game ball from the payout means in the ball-out state.

  According to the means 5, the same effect as the means 1 can be obtained. Furthermore, with this means, it is possible to prohibit the payout of game balls when various error states including a ball-out state occur, and it is possible to prevent problems such as game balls being paid out when an error occurs. As an example of the error state, an error state in which the ball storage unit is full or an error state in which the payout unit has failed can be cited. In addition to “recovering from the error state”, “error state recovery” means that, for example, the error display is invalidated by operating the specific operation means after returning from the error state. This includes the case where the error state is actually recovered at the time.

  Means 6. 6. The gaming machine according to claim 5, further comprising operation invalidating means for invalidating the operation of the specific operation means when the payout setting is not made at least in the ball-out state.

  According to the means 6, the same effects as the means 4 can be obtained.

  Mean 7 The payout setting means is configured to make a payout setting for paying out a predetermined number of game balls as a loan based on an input of a loan signal output from a predetermined loan signal output means. A gaming machine according to any one of claims 2 to 6.

  According to the means 7, not only the payout setting for paying out a game ball (prize ball) based on the entry of the game ball into the ball entering means, but also based on the payout setting for paying out a rental ball. Ball removal from the dispensing means can be performed. For example, if the ball lending operation unit is operated with a bill or card inserted into a ball lending unit arranged on the side of the gaming machine, a ball lending signal is output in accordance with the operation, and gaming balls are lent Done. Further, for example, in a gaming machine provided with a glass door (front frame) that closes the game area, the glass door must be purposely opened to enter the game ball into the ball entry means. On the other hand, according to this means, for example, it is possible to remove the ball simply by operating the lending operation unit and the specific operation means, and the diving operation can be diversified and simplified.

Means 8. The guiding means includes
A storage tank that can store game balls;
A guide rail portion that flows down while aligning game balls derived from the storage tank portion, and
It is composed of a guide portion that connects the guide rail portion and the payout means,
The gaming machine according to any one of means 1 to 6, wherein the ball presence / absence detecting means is provided in the guiding portion.

  Means 9. The gaming machine according to any one of means 1 to 8, characterized in that the guide means includes a ball removal mechanism that can lead out a game ball to the outside of the game machine downstream of the ball presence / absence detection means.

  According to the means 9, a large number of game balls can be directly discharged to a discharge part outside the gaming machine different from the ball storage means in the previous stage of the ball removal operation performed through the payout means and the ball storage means. As a result, the work efficiency of the entire ball removal work can be increased. Furthermore, if the ball removal mechanism is provided in the guide portion located immediately upstream of the payout means, more game balls can be discharged directly to the discharge portion, which further increases work efficiency. it can. Further, if the ball removal mechanism is configured to be manually operable, wasteful power consumption can be suppressed.

  Means 10. The gaming machine according to any one of means 1 to 9, wherein the payout means comprises a predetermined rotating member (sprocket) and a driving means (payout motor) for driving the rotating member.

Means 11. A plurality of entrance means and entrance detection means,
Any of the means 1 to 10, wherein the payout control means is configured to perform the ball removal process when a game ball enters a specific entry means among the plurality of entry means. The gaming machine described in Crab.

  According to the above-mentioned means 11, even if an attempt is made to craft the entry means in order to perform the above-mentioned fraudulent act, the fraudulent person does not know which entry means corresponds to the ball removal process. It is possible to reliably suppress the above fraud.

  Means 12. 12. The gaming machine according to claim 11, wherein the specific entry means is variable entry means that changes from a closed state to an open state based on establishment of a predetermined condition.

  According to the means 12, since the variable pitching means is normally closed, the illegal act can be more reliably suppressed.

  Means 13. The gaming machine according to any one of means 1 to 12, wherein the ball presence / absence detecting means is provided inside the guiding means.

  According to the means 13, the sphere presence / absence detecting means is provided inside the guiding means, for example, on the side wall of the spherical passage in the guiding portion.

  Conventionally, a variable member such as a lever that is rotationally displaced by contact of a game ball at a predetermined portion of the guide means is provided, and the presence or absence of the game ball is detected by detecting the displacement of the variable member by a predetermined detection means. There were also configured gaming machines. Since the variable member is generally constructed so that it can be displaced from the outside of the guide means, in this type of gaming machine, when the ball is out of operation, the variable member is manipulated to make a ball-like state and enter the ball. It can also be set as the structure which removes a ball | bowl by putting a game ball in a means. Therefore, although it is conceivable to omit the specific operation means of the above means, when the variable member as described above is provided, there is a possibility of causing problems such as a complicated structure, an increase in manufacturing cost, and an increase in installation space. On the other hand, such a problem can be reduced in the configuration of the present means in which the ball presence / absence detecting means is provided inside the guiding means. As a result, the structure can be simplified, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the space can be saved as compared with the configuration including the variable member such as the lever that is rotationally displaced. The “ball presence / absence detection means provided inside the guide means” means “a ball presence / absence detection means that cannot be manually operated from the outside of the guide means (not made on the premise of operation)”. In such a case, it is difficult for a worker who removes the ball to artificially enter a ball-existing state unless an instrument is inserted into the ball passage of the guide means. . Therefore, in the configuration of the present means in which the ball presence / absence detecting means is provided inside the guiding means, each of the above means has a particular effect. Examples of the ball presence / absence detecting means include those that can be detected without contacting with a game ball, such as a ball-passing proximity sensor, or a predetermined detection unit that is in contact with the game ball (pressed by the game ball). ) In which the game ball can be detected, and the detection unit is not exposed to the outside of the guide means.

  The basic configuration of various gaming machines to which the above means are applied is shown below.

  A. The gaming machine in each of the above means is a ball game machine. As more detailed mode examples, “an operation means (game ball launching handle) operated by a player, a ball launching means (such as a launch motor) for playing a game ball based on the operation of the operation means, and the launch A ball path (ball guide path of the rail unit) that guides the played game balls to a predetermined game area, and each game component (general winning port, variable winning device, operating port, variable display unit, etc.) arranged in the gaming area ).

  B. The gaming machine in each of the above means is a bullet ball gaming machine having a gaming area extending in a substantially vertical direction. As more detailed mode examples, “an operation means (game ball launching handle) operated by a player, a ball launching means (such as a launch motor) for playing a game ball based on the operation of the operation means, and the launch A ball path (rail guide path of the rail unit) for guiding the played game ball to a predetermined game area extending in a substantially vertical direction (for example, the game area is constituted by a game board surface, etc.), and each of the game areas arranged in the game area A ball ball game machine comprising game parts (general winning opening, variable winning device, operation opening, variable display unit, etc.) and configured so that the behavior of a gaming ball flowing down the gaming area can be visually recognized. .

  C. The gaming machine in each of the above means or each of the above ball game machines is a pachinko machine or a gaming machine equivalent to a pachinko machine.

  D. The gaming machine in each of the above means is a gaming machine of a type in which a slot machine and a pachinko machine are fused (especially a gaming machine of a slot machine specification that uses a gaming ball as a gaming medium). As a more detailed mode example, “a discriminating information string (a symbol string; specifically a rotating body such as a reel or a belt with a symbol) made up of a plurality of identification information (symbols) is variably displayed (specifically, Variable display means (specifically, a rotating body unit such as a reel unit) that displays the identification information string after the rotation is performed, and is caused by the operation of the starting operation means (specifically, the start lever). The variation of the identification information (symbol) is started, and the variation of the identification information (symbol) is stopped due to the operation of the operation means for stopping (specifically, the stop button) or after a predetermined time has passed. It is configured so that game value is given on condition that the identification information aligned on the effective line is specific identification information, and a ball tray (top plate etc.) is provided and game balls are taken in from the ball tray Input to process A gaming machine comprising a stage and a payout means for paying out the game ball to the ball receiving tray, and the operation of the starting operation means is made effective when the game ball is thrown by the throwing means '' Can be mentioned.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a pachinko gaming machine (hereinafter simply referred to as “pachinko machine”) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a pachinko machine 10, and FIG. 2 shows a lower plate unit in which a front frame set 14 serving as a front door is opened with respect to an outer frame 11 described later and an inner frame 12 serving as a support frame. It is a perspective view showing the state where 13 was removed. However, in FIG. 2, for the sake of convenience, a configuration in a game area on the surface of the game board 30 to be described later is shown in blank.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the pachinko machine 10 includes an outer frame 11 that forms an outer shell of the pachinko machine 10, and an inner frame 12 is supported at one side of the outer frame 11 so as to be openable and closable. . The outer frame 11 is formed in a rectangular shape as a whole by a wooden plate material, and each plate material is assembled by a detachable fastener such as a small screw. Therefore, the structure can be easily reused as compared with the conventional structure in which the plate members are assembled using nails and rivets. In the present embodiment, the outer dimension of the outer frame 11 is 809 mm (inner dimension 771 mm), and the outer dimension in the left and right direction is 518 mm (inner dimension 480 mm).

  The inner frame 12 and the front frame set 14 are made of a synthetic resin, specifically, ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) resin. By using a synthetic resin for molding both, it is possible to cope with a more complicated shape as compared with the case of using a metal material, and it is also possible to suppress an increase in production cost. Advantages of using ABS include a low production cost, strong viscosity, and high impact resistance compared to resin materials such as polycarbonate. In addition, for example, when a coating process such as plating is performed on a design surface such as the front side of the front frame set 14, the process is relatively easy to perform, and there is an advantage that a product with higher appearance quality can be manufactured.

  The opening / closing axis of the inner frame 12 is set so as to extend vertically to the left side (opposite to the installation position of the handle 18 described later) when viewed from the front of the pachinko machine 10, and the inner frame is centered on the opening / closing axis. 12 can be opened to the front side. The outer frame 11 may be made of a light metal such as resin or aluminum.

  A lower tray unit 13 is attached to the inner frame 12 at the lowermost portion, and a front frame set 14 is attached to correspond to a range excluding the lower tray unit 13. The lower plate unit 13 is fixed to the inner frame 12 with a fastener such as a screw. The front frame set 14 is attached to the inner frame 12 so as to be openable and closable. Like the inner frame 12, the front frame set 14 is located on the front side with an open / close axis extending vertically to the left when viewed from the front of the pachinko machine 10. It can be opened. FIG. 3 is a front view showing a state in which the front frame set 14 is removed from the pachinko machine 10 (however, in FIG. 3, the structure in the game area on the game board 30 is shown as blank for convenience). Note that a rib R1 projects from the front side of the inner frame 12 at a periphery thereof (a portion corresponding to the front frame set 14). When the front frame set 14 is closed, the front frame set 14 is fitted into the rib R1. With this configuration, it becomes difficult to allow a wire or the like to enter from the gap between the front frame set 14 and the inner frame 12 and plays a role in preventing fraud.

  The lower tray unit 13 is provided with a lower tray 15 as a ball receiving tray at a substantially central portion, so that game balls discharged from the outlet 16 can be stored in the lower tray 15. Most of the lower dish unit 13 is formed of ABS resin like the inner frame 12, but the surface layer forming the lower dish 15 and the front panel 23 at the back of the lower dish are particularly flame retardant. Molded with ABS resin. For this reason, this part is difficult to burn. Reference numeral 25 denotes a ball release lever for discharging the game ball from the lower plate 15 downward.

  A game ball launching handle (hereinafter simply referred to as “handle”) 18 is disposed on the right side of the lower plate 15 so as to protrude to the front side. That is, the handle 18 is positioned on the right side when viewed from the front of the pachinko machine 10 on the side opposite to the opening / closing axis of the inner frame 12, and a predetermined opening amount when the inner frame 12 is opened regardless of the protrusion of the handle 18. It can be secured. An ashtray 26 is provided on the left side of the lower plate 15. The ashtray 26 has a so-called cantilever structure that is rotatably supported by a shaft rod (not shown) protruding leftward from the left side portion of the lower tray 15.

  On the other hand, an upper plate 19 serving as a ball receiving plate is provided above the lower plate 15. Here, the upper tray 19 is a ball receiving tray that temporarily stores the game balls and guides them to a game ball launching device as launching means while aligning them in a line. The upper plate 19 is integrally formed with the glass frame portion that supports the glass in the front frame set 14. In the conventional pachinko machine, a front decorative frame that can be opened and closed with respect to the inner frame below the glass frame is provided, and an upper plate is provided on the front decorative frame. On the other hand, since the upper plate 19 is provided directly and integrally, even if the width of the frame portion of the front frame set 14 is relatively narrow as compared with the prior art, as will be described later, the front frame set 14 (glass frame Part) can be ensured. Similar to the lower plate 15, the upper plate 19 has a structure in which the surface layer is formed of flame-retardant ABS resin. The lower plate 15 and the upper plate 19 constitute a ball storage means in the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 3, the inner frame 12 is mainly composed of a resin base 20 having a rectangular outer shape, and a substantially circular window hole 21 is formed at the center of the resin base 20. A game board 30 is detachably mounted on the rear side of the resin base 20. The game board 30 is made of a rectangular plywood, and is attached in a state in which the peripheral edge thereof is in contact with the back side of the resin base 20 (inner frame 12). Accordingly, a substantially central portion of the front surface portion of the game board 30 is exposed to the front surface side of the inner frame 12 through the window hole 21 of the resin base 20. The vertical length of the game board 30 is 476 mm, and the horizontal length is 452 mm (same size as before). The resin base 20 is provided with an opening detection sensor 22 that detects opening of the front frame set 14. Although not shown, an open detection switch for detecting the opening of the inner frame 12 is also provided.

  Next, the configuration of the game board 30 will be described with reference to FIG. In the game board 30, a general winning port 31, a variable winning device 32, a first opportunity corresponding port (starting port) 33, a second opportunity corresponding port (through gate) 34, a variable display unit 35 and the like are formed by router processing. The game board 30 is attached from the front side with a wood screw or the like. As is well known, a game ball enters the general winning opening 31, the variable winning apparatus 32, and the first opportunity corresponding opening 33, and a predetermined number of prizes are given to the upper plate 19 (or the lower plate 15) by the output of a detection switch described later. The ball is paid out. In addition, the game board 30 is provided with an out port 36, and game balls that have not entered the various winning units (winning device, winning port, first opportunity corresponding port 33, etc.) pass through the out port 36. Then, it is guided toward a ball discharge path (not shown). A number of nails are planted on the game board 30 in order to appropriately disperse and adjust the falling direction of the game balls, and various members (functions) such as the windmill 27 are arranged. The general winning port 31, the variable winning device 32, and the first opportunity corresponding port 33 constitute a ball entering means in the present embodiment. In this embodiment, the number of winning balls for entering the general winning opening 31 is 10, the number of winning balls for entering the variable winning device 32 is 15, and the number of winning balls for entering the first opportunity corresponding port 33 is The number of prize balls is determined to be four.

  In the variable display device unit 35, the normal symbol display device 41 that displays the normal symbol variably with the passage of the second trigger corresponding port 34 as a trigger and the color change display of the LED with the winning at the first trigger corresponding port 33 as a trigger ( A special display device 43 that performs variable display) and a decorative symbol display device 42 that displays the decorative symbols in a variable manner in accordance with the variable display by the special display device 43 are provided.

  The normal symbol display device 41 is configured so that “O” or “X” can be lit and displayed as a normal symbol, and each time the game ball passes through the second opportunity corresponding port 34, for example, the normal symbol is changed from “O” to “ When “×” → “○” →... Is displayed at a high speed (variation display), and the variation display stops for a few seconds with the “○” symbol, the first opportunity corresponding port 33 is in an operating state for a predetermined time. It is configured to be (opened). The display contents of the normal symbol display device 41 are directly controlled by a main control device 261 described later. If a new game ball passes through the second opportunity corresponding port 34 while the normal symbol display device 41 is displaying the fluctuation of the normal symbol, the fluctuation display of the normal symbol corresponding to that change is performed at that time. The configuration is performed after the display is completed. That is, the variable display is on standby (held). The maximum number of the variable display to be held is determined for each model of the pachinko machine, but in this embodiment, it is held up to 4 times, and the hold number is lit and displayed by the hold lamp 44. ing. However, the maximum number of holding times is not limited to this. For example, the maximum number of holdings may be set to 8 in order to wait for the normal symbol variation display for 8 times.

  Note that the normal symbol may be configured to be variably displayed on a part of the decorative symbol display device 42 (liquid crystal display device) in addition to the configuration to be variably displayed by switching the lighting of a plurality of lamps. Similarly, the hold lamp 44 may be configured to be displayed on a part of the decorative symbol display device 42. When the decorative symbol display device 42 is configured to display the normal symbol variation display and the variation hold display in this manner, the main control device 261 transmits a command related to the normal symbol to the display control device 45, and the display control device 45. However, the decorative symbol display device 42 is controlled. However, even in this case, an LED or the like that is directly controlled by the main control device 261 is provided, and a lottery result indicating whether or not the first opportunity corresponding port 33 is opened is displayed by this LED, and the decorative design is displayed. It is desirable to make the display of the normal symbol on the display device 42 auxiliary. The reason is that the main controller 261 is stored inside the sealed board box 263 as will be described later. That is, in view of the fact that an illegal act on the display control device 45 is easier than an illegal act on the main control device 261, the decorative symbol display device by the display control device 45 mainly uses the display using the LED or the like by the main control device 261. By making the normal symbol display using 42 auxiliary, it is possible to easily find an illegal act on the display control device 45 by the display using the LED or the like by the main control device 261.

  The special display device 43 is provided on the right side of the normal symbol of the normal symbol display device 41 controlled by the main controller 261, and is composed of three-color light emitting diodes (three-color LEDs) having red, green, and blue emission colors. Has been. The display content of the special display device 43 is controlled by a main control device 261 described later. In the present embodiment, whether or not a big hit is made is displayed deterministically by the special display device 43, and the decorative symbol display device 42 shown below is a result displayed on the special display device 43. The display control device 45 performs auxiliary display based on a command from the main control device 261 so as to correspond to the above.

  The decorative symbol display device 42 is configured as a liquid crystal display device, and the display content is controlled by a display control device 45 described later. The decorative symbol display device 42 displays, for example, three symbol rows of left, middle and right. Each symbol row is composed of a plurality of symbols, and these symbols are variably displayed on the decorative symbol display device 42 so as to be scrolled for each symbol row. In the present embodiment, the decorative symbol display device 42 (liquid crystal display device) includes a large liquid crystal display having an 8-inch size. The variable display device unit 35 is provided with a center frame 47 so as to surround the decorative symbol display device 42.

  The variable winning device 32 is normally in a closed state in which a game ball cannot be won or difficult to win, and is in an open state in which a game ball is likely to win in a big hit (occurrence of a special game state) and a normal closed state. It is designed to be operated repeatedly. More specifically, when a game ball wins the first opportunity corresponding port 33, the special display device 43 displays the three-color LED at a high speed, such as red → green → blue → red →. When a predetermined time elapses, it is determined and displayed in one of the colors. High-speed color change display means, for example, that red, green, and blue are displayed in order every 4 msec. At this time, a special gaming state occurs when the decision display is made in red or green (for example, when it is stopped for a few seconds), that is, when a big win lottery is won. Here, red or green is a display showing a big hit. For this reason, when the special display device 43 determines and displays the three-color LEDs in red or green, a specific symbol combination is supplementarily displayed on the decorative symbol display device 42. The large winning opening of the variable winning device 32 is in a predetermined open state, and the game ball is configured to be in a state where it is easy to win a prize (a big hit state). Specifically, the passage of a predetermined time or a predetermined number of winnings is defined as one round, and the big winning opening of the variable winning device 32 is repeatedly opened a predetermined number of times. When a game ball is newly won in the first opportunity corresponding port 33 during the variable display of the special display device 43, the corresponding variable display is performed after the end of the variable display at that time. It has become. That is, the variable display is waited (held, stored). The maximum number of the variable display to be held is determined for each model of the pachinko machine, but in this embodiment, it is held up to 4 times, and the hold number is lit and displayed by the hold lamp 46. ing. However, the maximum number of holding times is not limited to this. For example, the maximum number of suspensions may be set to 8 in order to wait for 8 fluctuation displays. The hold lamp 46 may be configured to be displayed on a part of the decorative symbol display device 42.

  Further, the game board 30 is provided with a rail unit 50 as a rail member for guiding the game ball launched from the game ball launching device to the upper part of the game board 30, and the game board 30 was fired as the handle 18 was rotated. The game balls are guided to a predetermined game area through the rail unit 50. The rail unit 50 is formed of a ring-shaped resin molded product, and includes an inner rail constituent part (inner rail part) 51 and an outer rail constituent part (outer rail mounting part) 52 that are integrally formed in an inner and outer double. Have. The inner rail constituting portion 51 is formed in a substantially annular shape except for about 1/4 of the upper portion. Further, the outer rail constituting portion 52 is formed so that a part (mainly the left side portion) faces the inner rail constituting portion 51. In such a case, the inner rail constituting portion 51 and the outer rail constituting portion 52 mainly constitute a guide rail, and each of the rail constituting portions 51, 52 is guided by a ball (a left portion toward the left side) in parallel with a predetermined interval. A passage is formed. The ball guide passage is formed in a groove shape having a contact surface with the game board 30, that is, a groove shape in which the front side is opened.

  A return ball preventing member 53 is attached to the tip portion of the inner rail constituting portion 51 (the upper left portion in FIG. 4). This prevents a situation in which the game ball once guided from the ball guide passage between the inner rail constituting portion 51 and the outer rail constituting portion 52 to the upper portion of the game board 30 returns to the ball guide passage again. It is like that. Further, a return rubber 54 is attached to the outer rail constituting portion 52 at a position corresponding to the maximum flight portion of the game ball (upper right portion in FIG. 4: a portion corresponding to the tip portion of the outer rail constituting portion 52). . Therefore, the game ball launched at a predetermined momentum or more hits the return rubber 54 and is returned to, for example, the substantially central portion side of the game board 30. A sliding plate 55 is attached to the inner side surface of the outer rail constituting portion 52 as a long metal strip made of stainless steel so that the game ball can fly more smoothly. In the present embodiment, the outer rail constituting portion 52 and the sliding plate 55 constitute a so-called conventional outer rail. Then, by making the inner and outer rail components 51 and 52 and the sliding plate 55 into a unit as the rail unit 50, the mounting operation becomes easier and the workability is improved as compared with the conventional configuration in which the inner and outer rails are separately provided.

  An arc-shaped flange 56 projecting outward is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the rail unit 50. The flange 56 constitutes a mounting surface for the game board 30. When the rail unit 50 is attached to the game board 30, the flange 56 is brought into contact with the game board 30. In this state, fixing means such as screws NJ are inserted into the plurality of through holes formed in the flange 56. Thus, the rail unit 50 is fastened to the game board 30. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the top, bottom, left, and right ends of the rail unit 50 are formed substantially linearly (flatly) as viewed from the front. That is, the flange 56 is cut off at each of the upper, lower, left and right ends of the rail unit 50, and the rail diameter can be expanded in a limited area in the pachinko machine 10, that is, the game area on the game board 30 can be expanded. ing. The lower left flange 56 uses more fixing means than the other parts (upper left, upper right and lower right flanges 56). This is for fixing the positions of the guide rail and the ball guide passage to more appropriate positions, whereby the game ball launched from the game ball launching device is more stably guided to the upper part of the game board 30. In addition, the rail unit 50 can be more firmly fixed by increasing the number of fixing means, and even if distortion occurs when the rail unit 50 is molded, there is an effect of absorbing the distortion.

  A convex portion 57 is formed at the entrance of the spherical guide passage between the inner rail constituting portion 51 and the outer rail constituting portion 52 so as to close a part of the spherical guide passage. The convex portion 57 is provided in a substantially vertical direction from the inner rail constituting portion 51 to the lower end portion of the rail unit 50, and the foul ball that does not reach the game area and flows backward in the ball guide passage serves as a foul ball passage 63 (see FIG. 3). ). Note that the lower right corner and the lower left corner of the game board 30 are spaces for attaching seals and plates (S1, S2 in the figure) such as certificate stamps, and in order to secure this attachment space, the flange 56 is secured. Notches 58 and 59 are formed in the upper and lower portions.

  Next, the game area will be described. The game area is partitioned and formed in a substantially circular shape by the inner peripheral part (inner and outer rail constituent parts 51 and 52) of the rail unit 50. In particular, in this embodiment, the game area is partitioned on the board surface of the game board 30. Is much larger than before. In the present embodiment, the distance from the uppermost point of the outer rail component 52 to the lower part of the game board 30 is 445 mm (58 mm longer than the conventional product), and the inner rail component 51 from the extreme left position of the outer rail component 52. The distance to the extreme right position is 435 mm (50 mm longer than the conventional product). The distance from the extreme left position of the inner rail component 51 to the extreme right position of the inner rail component 51 is 418 mm.

  In the present embodiment, when the game area is viewed from the front of the pachinko machine 10, guidance that is a parallel part of the inner and outer rail constituting parts 51 and 52 among the area surrounded by the inner rail constituting part 51 and the outer rail constituting part 52. The area excluding the rail area. Therefore, since the game area does not include the guide rail portion, the left limit position toward the game area is specified not by the outer rail component 52 but by the inner rail component 51. Similarly, the right limit position toward the game area is specified by the inner rail constituting unit 51. The lower limit position of the game area is specified by the lower end position of the game board 30. Further, the upper limit position of the game area is specified by the outer rail component 52.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the width of the game area (maximum width in the left-right direction) is 418 mm, and the height of the game area (maximum width in the vertical direction) is 445 mm.

  Here, the width of the gaming area is preferably at least 380 mm. More preferably, it is 390 mm or more, 400 mm or more, 410 mm or more, 420 mm or more, 430 mm or more, 440 mm or more, 450 mm or more, and further 460 mm or more. Of course, it may be 470 mm or more. That is, the width of the game area is preferably as large as possible from the viewpoint of expanding the game area. The height of the game area is preferably at least 400 mm. More preferably, it is 410 mm or more, 420 mm or more, 430 mm or more, 440 mm or more, 450 mm or more, and more preferably 460 mm or more. Of course, it is good also as 470 mm or more, 480 mm or more, and 490 mm or more. That is, the width of the game area is preferably as large as possible from the viewpoint of expanding the game area. In addition, about the combination of the said width | variety and height, it is good also as what combined the said numerical value arbitrarily.

  In the present embodiment, the ratio of the area of the game area to the surface of the game board 30 is about 70%, which is much larger than the conventional area ratio. Note that the area ratio of the game area to the surface of the game board 30 has been only about 50% in the past, so it can be said that the game area is considerably expanded on the premise that the game board 30 is shared. It should be noted that the external shape of the pachinko machine 10 is almost uniform among manufacturers for the convenience of installation in the game hall, and in the situation where the size of the game board 30 must be the same, the surface of the game board 30 as described above. Increasing the ratio of the area of the gaming area to about 20% is very significant from the viewpoint of expanding the gaming area. Here, the ratio is preferably at least 60% or more. More preferably, it is 65% or more, More preferably, it is 70% or more. Further, if it is 75% or more exceeding the case of this embodiment, it is more desirable. Furthermore, it may be 80% or more.

  Further, the ratio of the area of the game area to the area of the front side of the entire pachinko machine 10 is about 40%, which is a much larger area ratio than before. The area ratio of the game area to the area of the front side of the entire pachinko machine 10 is desirably 35% or more. Of course, it may be 40% or more, 45% or more, or 50% or more.

  In addition, the 2nd opportunity corresponding | compatible opening 34 located in the both sides of the variable display apparatus unit 35 has a guide mechanism in which the game ball which passed this 2nd opportunity corresponding | compatible opening 34 is approached toward the center. Thereby, even when the game area is expanded in the left-right direction, the game ball can be guided toward the central first opportunity corresponding port 33 and the variable prize-winning device 32. By extending, the disadvantage to the player that the game ball is difficult to win is suppressed. Furthermore, by extending the game area in the left-right direction, the second opportunity corresponding port 34, the windmill 27, a plurality of nails (guide nails for guiding the game ball to the center), and other accessories are arranged. Thus, the behavior of the game ball in the game areas on the left and right sides of the variable display device unit 35 can be made more interesting. In addition, since the gaming area is also expanded in the vertical direction, the second opportunity corresponding port 34, the windmill 27, a plurality of nails, and other accessories can be arranged in various ways. The behavior of the game ball can be made even more interesting.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 3, in the resin base 20, below the window hole 21 (game board 30), a launch rail 61 for guiding the game ball immediately after being launched from the game ball launcher is attached. The firing rail 61 is fixedly attached to the resin base 20 integrally with the metal plate 62 behind the firing rail 61, and is configured to extend linearly at a predetermined firing angle (launch angle). Accordingly, the game ball that is launched in accordance with the turning operation of the handle 18 is first launched obliquely upward along the launch rail 61 and then guided to a predetermined game area through the ball guide passage of the rail unit 50 as described above. It is like that.

  In the case of this pachinko machine 10, it has already been described that the game area is greatly expanded as compared with the prior art, but under such a configuration, the curvature of the guide rail must be reduced, so that the launch ball is stabilized. It needs some ingenuity. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the launch position of the game ball is lowered, and the inclination angle (launch angle) of the launch rail 61 is made somewhat larger than the existing one (that is, the launch rail 61 is raised) to further launch. The length of the rail 61 is made longer than that of the existing one so as to ensure a sufficiently long ball guiding distance. Thereby, the game ball launched from the game ball launching device can be guided to the guide rail in a more stable state. In this case, in particular, the launch rail 61 is formed so as to extend from the launch position of the game ball launcher to a position beyond the center position (out port 36) in the left-right direction of the game area. In addition, since the launch rail 61 has the above-described configuration, in the present embodiment, the metal plate 62 is also relatively larger than the conventional one, and the number of fixing means for fixing the metal plate 62 is larger than the conventional one.

  Further, there is a gap of a predetermined interval between the firing rail 61 and the rail unit 50 (guidance rail), and a foul ball passage 63 is formed below the gap. Therefore, if the game ball fired from the game ball launching device does not reach the return ball prevention member 53 and returns to the inside of the guide rail as a foul ball, the foul ball passes through the foul ball passage 63 to the lower plate 15. To be discharged. Incidentally, in the case of the present embodiment, the length of the firing rail 61 is about 240 mm, and the length of the gap at the tip of the firing rail (the length on the extension line of the firing rail 61) is about 40 mm.

  When the foul sphere flows backward in the guide rail, most of the foul sphere flows along the outer rail constituting portion 52 and drops downward when reaching the lower end portion of the outer rail constituting portion 52. May be ramped in the guide rail and jump to the inner rail component 51 side. At this time, the splashed foul ball hits the convex portion 57 at the entrance of the ball guide passage and is guided to the foul ball passage 63. Thereby, all of the foul balls are surely guided to the foul ball passage 63. This suppresses interference between the foul ball and the next game ball to be launched.

  Although detailed disclosure of the drawings is omitted, one game ball is supplied to the game ball launching device one by one from the ball outlet on the front frame set 14 side (ball outlet leading from the most downstream portion of the upper plate 19). At this time, since the launch position of the game ball is lowered in the present embodiment, the drop from the exit of the ball on the front frame set 14 side to the launch position becomes large. Guide members 65 and 66 are installed on the front side. Thereby, the game ball supplied from the ball exit on the front frame set 14 side is always set at a predetermined launch position, and a stable launch operation can be realized. Further, the game ball launching device is provided with a hitting ball, and the game ball is shot with the rotation of the hitting ball around the shaft portion. However, the weight reduction of the hitting ball is desired. Therefore, while aiming to reduce the weight of the hitting ball by changing the material to light metal such as aluminum and reducing the size of the shaft, the head of the hitting ball (on the opposite side of the shaft) is secured to ensure sufficient firing force. A weight is provided at the end. Thereby, sufficient and stable launch of the game ball can be realized. By providing the weight portion of the hitting ball projecting upward, it is possible to easily pick or hit the hitting ball, and it is easy to adjust the hitting strength of the hitting tip.

  In addition, the code | symbol 67 in FIG. 3 is the discharge port connected to the upper plate 19, and a game ball is discharged to the upper plate 19 through this discharge port 67. FIG. An open / close shutter 68 is attached to the discharge port 67. Although detailed disclosure of the drawings is omitted, the shutter 68 is rotatable about the shaft portion provided along the lower side portion thereof, and is in a state where the front frame set 14 is opened (state of FIG. 3). The shutter 68 substantially closes the discharge port 67 by a biasing force such as a spring. When the front frame set 14 is closed, the shutter 68 is pushed open by a ball passage rod 69 (see FIG. 2) provided on the back surface of the front frame set 14. Note that the game ball is discharged to the lower plate 15 in the opened state of the front frame set 14. Therefore, as described above, in the pachinko machine 10 configured such that the upper plate 19 is directly provided with respect to the front frame set 14, the game balls in the payout passage and the like are spilled off when the front frame set 14 is opened. Can be prevented.

  In order to detect that the lower plate 15 is filled with a ball in the middle of a ball passage connecting the discharge port 16 opened in the lower plate 15 and an opening 245b of a game ball distributing unit 245 described later. A lower plate full tank switch 15a (see FIG. 22) is provided so as to form a part of the bottom surface of the passage. When the balls are dispensed in a large amount in a short period of time, the balls start to accumulate on the lower plate 15 after the upper plate 19 is full. Thereafter, even if the balls continue to be paid out, if the balls in the lower plate 15 are not pulled out, the balls start to collect in the middle of the ball passage, but when the balls are collected up to the installation position of the lower plate full tank switch 15a, It is stopped by a payout control device 311 described later.

  The resin base 20 is provided with a substantially rectangular small window 71 at the lower right portion of the window hole 21. Accordingly, a seal or the like (S1 in FIG. 4) stretched at the lower right corner of the game board 30 can be viewed through the small window 71. It is also possible to affix the above-mentioned sticker or the like from this small window 71.

  Further, the resin base 20 is provided with a substantially rectangular small window 72 at the upper left of the window hole 21, and a substantially rectangular hole 73 (see FIG. 4) corresponding to the small window 72 is also formed in the upper left part of the game board 30. Reference) is provided. Various electrical wirings (not shown) connected to the electric decorations 102 and 103 of the front frame set 14 to be described later are led from the back side of the pachinko machine 10 through the small window 72 and the hole 73.

  Further, support metal fittings 81 and 82 are attached to the left end portion of the inner frame 12 in FIG. 3 as a support mechanism for the front frame set 14. The upper support fitting 81 is provided with a support hole 83 having a notch on the front side of the figure, and the lower support fitting 82 is provided with a protruding shaft 84 protruding in the vertical direction.

  The inner frame 12 is provided with grounding metal fittings E1 and E2 (see FIG. 3). The grounding metal parts E1 and E2 are connected to predetermined metal parts on the back side of the inner frame 12. In the state where the front frame set 14 is closed, the grounding metal fittings E1 and E2 are short-circuited by coming into contact with reinforcing plates 131 and 132 described later.

  Next, the front frame set 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the front frame set 14. The front frame set 14 is formed with a substantially elliptical window 101 so that most of the game area can be visually recognized from the outside. Specifically, the window portion 101 has a shape in which a substantially central portion on the left and right sides is curved relatively gently as compared with the upper and lower sides. The substantially central portion may be linear. In the present embodiment, the distance between the upper end of the window portion 101 (the uppermost portion of the outer rail constituting portion 52 and the upper end of the game area) and the upper end of the front frame set 14 (the so-called upper and lower width of the upper frame portion) is 61 mm. It is significantly shorter than the prior art with an upper frame width of about 85 mm to 95 mm. As a result, the upper area of the game area can be easily secured, and the large variable display device unit 35 can also be arranged relatively upward. The distance between the upper end of the front frame set 14 is desirably 80 mm or less, more desirably 70 mm or less, and further desirably 60 mm or less. Of course, as long as a predetermined strength can be ensured, it may be 50 mm or less.

  Further, the shortest distance between the left end of the window portion 101 and the left end of the front frame set 14 when viewed from the front of the pachinko machine 10 (so-called left and right width of the frame portion: shown on the right side in FIG. 5), The frame width on the opening / closing axis side is set to be relatively large in order to increase the strength and support strength of the front frame set 14 itself. In this case, as apparent from comparison between FIGS. 1 and 3, in the state where the front frame set 14 is closed, not only the left end portion of the outer rail constituting portion 52 but also the left end portion of the inner rail constituting portion 51 is Covered by the left frame. That is, at least a part of the guide rail overlaps and is covered with the left frame portion of the front frame set 14 when viewed from the front of the pachinko machine 10. Even if it becomes difficult to visually recognize the game ball in this way, it is only a passing point where the game ball is guided to the game area, and it is difficult to see the game ball in the game area where the player mainly enjoys the game. It doesn't mean. Therefore, there is no trouble in actual game. Moreover, while such a trouble does not arise, sufficient intensity | strength and support strength of the front frame set 14 are securable. Incidentally, the distance in the left-right direction between the left end position of the outer rail component 52 and the left end position of the outer frame 11 when viewed from the front of the pachinko machine 10 is 21 mm, and the right end position of the game area (the right end position of the inner rail component 51). The distance in the left-right direction from the right end position of the outer frame 11 is 44 mm.

  In addition, the front frame set 14 is provided with light emitting means such as various lamps in the periphery (for example, corner portion). These light emitting means play a role of enhancing the effect of the game during the game by changing and controlling the light emission mode such as lighting and blinking according to the change of the game state at the time of big hit or predetermined reach. For example, at the periphery of the window portion 101, an annular illumination portion 102 containing a light emitting means such as an LED is provided symmetrically, and at the center of the annular illumination portion 102 and at the top of the pachinko machine 10, Similarly, a central illumination unit 103 having a built-in light emitting means such as an LED is provided. In the pachinko machine 10, the central illumination unit 103 functions as a jackpot lamp, and lights and blinks when the jackpot is informed that the jackpot is being hit. Further, the upper plate 19 is also provided around the upper plate 19 with an upper plate illumination unit 104 having a built-in light emitting means such as an LED. In addition, on the left and right sides of the central illumination unit 103, there are provided a prize ball lamp 105 that is lit during the payout of a prize ball and an error display lamp 106 that is lit when a predetermined error occurs. Further, a small window 107 to which a transparent resin is attached is provided so as to be able to visually recognize a part of the inner frame 12 surface, the game board 30 surface, and the like so as to be adjacent to the lower end portion of the annular illumination portion 102.

  In addition, a ball rental operation unit 120 as a ball rental signal output unit is disposed below the window unit 101. The ball rental operation unit 120 includes a ball rental button 121, a return button 122, and a frequency display unit 123. And are provided. When the ball lending operation unit 120 is operated with a bill or a card inserted into a card unit (ball lending unit) arranged on the side of the pachinko machine 10, a game ball is lent according to the operation. . The ball lending button 121 is operated to obtain a lending ball based on information recorded on a card or the like (recording medium), and the lending ball is supplied to the upper plate 19 as long as there is a remaining amount on the card or the like. Is done. The return button 122 is operated when requesting the return of a card or the like inserted into the card unit. The frequency display unit 123 displays remaining amount information such as a card. It should be noted that the ball rental operation unit 120 is not necessary for a pachinko machine in which game balls are lent directly to the upper plate from a ball lending device or the like without using a card unit, that is, a so-called cash machine. Therefore, a decorative seal or the like is attached to the installation portion of the ball rental operation unit 120. Thereby, the common use of the lending operation unit of the pachinko machine using the card unit and the cash machine is achieved.

  Various reinforcing members made of metal are provided on the back side of the front frame set 14 so as to surround the window portion 101. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, reinforcing plates 131, 132, 133, and 134 are respectively attached to the back side of the front frame set 14 and on the top, bottom, left, and right sides of the window portion 101. These reinforcing plates 131 to 134 are connected in contact with each other, but resin parts 135 that avoid direct contact are interposed at the connecting portions of the left and upper reinforcing plates 132 and 133 in the drawing. That is, in the reinforcing plates 131 to 134, electricity is prevented from passing in an annular shape due to the insulating effect of the resin part 135. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the magnetic field by the loop of a noise in the reinforcement boards 131-134 and cyclic | annular electricity supply can be suppressed.

  The right reinforcing plate 131 in FIG. 5 is provided with an engaging claw 131a having a hook shape at an intermediate position thereof. The engaging claw 131a is a hole portion of the inner frame 12 with the front frame set 14 closed. 12a (refer FIG. 3 etc.) is comprised. With this configuration, the front frame set 14 is configured to include the upper plate 19, and even if the upper and lower pivot support positions are extended, the front frame set 14 can be prevented from being lifted at the intermediate position. Therefore, an illegal act or the like floating the front frame set 14 is suppressed.

  The lower reinforcing plate 134 is provided with a resin rail side wall member 136 at a position facing the firing rail 61 (see FIG. 3). The rail side wall member 136 becomes the side wall of the firing rail 61 when the front frame set 14 is closed. Therefore, the game ball is prevented from spilling from the launch rail 61.

  The reinforcing plates 131 to 134 described above also have a function as a metal frame for supporting the glass, and a part of the reinforcing plates 131 to 134 is folded back to form a glass holding groove. The glass holding grooves are formed in two rows on the front and rear sides, and a pair of front and rear glasses 137 having a rectangular shape are held in each glass holding groove. Thereby, the two glass 137 is attached to the front and back at a predetermined interval.

  As described above, in the pachinko machine 10 according to the present embodiment, the game area is expanded. Therefore, when the front frame set 14 is closed, the guide rail formed by the inner and outer rail components 51 and 52 is used. Is partially covered by the front frame set 14. Therefore, in the guide rail, a portion where the front open portion cannot be covered with the glass 137 is formed. In such a case, for example, when the game ball launched from the game ball launching device returns without reaching the return ball prevention member 53, the game ball spills out (jumps out) from the guide rail, and the outer rail component 52 There is a risk of being caught between the glass 137 and the like. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the rail cover 140 that covers the front side open portion of the guide rail is attached to the front frame set 14.

  The rail cover 140 is a substantially flat plate having a substantially arc shape, and is formed of a transparent resin. The rail cover 140 has an arc shape corresponding to the shape of the guide rail, and covers the section from the base end portion of the guide rail to the vicinity of the tip end portion along the peripheral edge of the window portion 101. It is attached to the back side of the set 14. In particular, the dimensions and shape of the rail cover 140 on the inner diameter side substantially match those of the inner rail constituting portion 51. When the rail cover 140 is attached, the surface side of the rail cover 140 is in contact with the glass 137. In a state where the front frame set 14 is closed, the back surface of the rail cover 140 covers almost the entire area of the guide rail. Thereby, the collision of the game ball with the glass 137 can be prevented in most sections of the guide rail. Therefore, adverse effects such as breakage due to contact with the glass 137 can be suppressed.

  Further, a portion where the guide rail protrudes from the side edge portion of the glass 137 is provided at the right end portion of the rail cover 140 (that is, the portion which becomes the right end in the state of FIG. 5 where the rail cover 140 is attached to the front frame set 14). A covering part 141 for covering is provided. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems such that the game ball spills out of the guide rail (jumps out) or gets caught between the outer rail component 52 and the glass 137.

  Further, on the back side of the rail cover 140, a ridge 142 is formed that extends in an arc shape along the inner edge of the rail cover 140 and protrudes toward the front side of FIG. The ridge 142 is configured to substantially overlap the inner rail constituting portion 51 in a state of entering the guide rail in a state where the front frame set 14 is closed. Therefore, for example, even if a wire or the like is intruded through a gap between the front frame set 14 and the inner frame 12 to perform an illegal act, it is very difficult to infiltrate the wire or the like into the game area inside the guide rail. Become. As a result, fraudulent acts performed using a wire or the like can be prevented. In addition, it is good also as a structure which forms the protrusion 142 in a wider range, for example along the whole region of the inner edge of the rail cover 140. According to this structure, it becomes difficult to infiltrate a wire etc. in a wider range, a wire etc. It is possible to more reliably prevent fraudulent acts that are performed using.

  Further, support metal fittings 151 and 152 are attached to the right end portion of the front frame set 14 in FIG. 5 (left end portion when viewed from the front of the pachinko machine 10) as a support mechanism for the inner frame 12. Therefore, the front frame set 14 can be opened and closed with respect to the inner frame 12 by assembling the support brackets 151 and 152 on the front frame set 14 side to the support brackets 81 and 82 (see FIG. 3) on the inner frame 12 side. It comes to be installed. Here, the support mechanism will be described in more detail based on the relationship between the support fittings 81 and 82 and the support fittings 151 and 152. The support fitting 151 has a substantially rod shape, and the upper diameter is larger than the lower diameter. The width of the cutout of the support hole 83 is narrower than the thickness of the upper portion of the support fitting 151 and wider than the thickness of the lower portion. As a mounting procedure for the front frame set 14, first, the lower portion of the support fitting 151 is inserted into the support hole 83 through the notch, and then the support fitting 152 is inserted into the protruding shaft 84 of the support fitting 82. Then, by positioning the upper portion of the support fitting 151 corresponding to the notch position, the support fitting 151 is not detached from the support hole 83, and the mounting of the front frame set 14 is completed.

  The locking mechanism of the front frame set 14 is integrated with the locking mechanism of the inner frame 12, and the main body of the integrated locking mechanism G1 (see FIG. 6) is provided on the back side of the inner frame 12. It has been. Therefore, in FIG. 3, only the locking claws T1 and T2 protruding from the locking mechanism G1 to the front side of the inner frame 12 are shown. Then, the locking claws T1 and T2 are locked to the back side of the front frame set 14, whereby the front frame set 14 is locked.

  Next, the configuration of the back surface of the pachinko machine 10 will be described in detail. FIG. 6 is a rear view of the pachinko machine 10.

  First, an overall outline of the rear configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described. In the pachinko machine 10, various control boards are arranged on the back side (actually the back side of the inner frame 12 and the game board 30) so as to be arranged vertically or horizontally, or to be stacked in front and back, A game ball supply device (payout mechanism) for supplying game balls, a protective cover made of resin, and the like are attached. In this embodiment, various control boards are divided into two mounting bases to form two control board units, and these control board units are individually attached to the inner frame 12 or the back of the game board 30. ing. In this case, the main board and the sound lamp control board are mounted on one mounting base to form a unit, and the dispensing control board, launch control board, and power supply board are mounted on the other mounting base to form a unit. Here, for convenience, the former unit is referred to as “first control board unit 201”, and the latter unit is referred to as “second control board unit 202”.

  In addition, since the dispensing mechanism and the protective cover are integrated as one unit, and the resin portion is generally referred to as a back pack, the unit is referred to as a “back pack unit 203”. The detailed configuration of each unit 201 to 203 will be described later.

  The first control board unit 201, the second control board unit 202, and the back pack unit 203 are configured so that they can be attached and detached without using any tools or the like in units of units. It is provided and can be opened and closed with respect to the inner frame 12 or the back surface of the game board 30. This is also a device that makes it possible to easily check a hidden configuration or the like even if the units 201 to 203 and other configurations are arranged one behind the other.

  Actually, the units 201 to 203 are arranged and attached as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. In FIG. 7, the first control board unit 201 having a substantially L-shape is arranged at substantially the center of the pachinko machine 10, and the second control board unit 202 is arranged therebelow. Further, the back pack unit 203 is arranged in a region partially overlapping the first control board unit 201.

  Specifically, the first control board unit 201 is provided with a support shaft part M1 at the left end portion when viewed from the back of the pachinko machine 10, and the first control board unit 201 is centered on the axis A by the support shaft part M1. It can be opened and closed. Further, the first control board unit 201 is provided with a fastening portion M2 made of a ny latch or the like at the right end portion thereof (that is, the side opposite to the support shaft portion, more specifically, the open end side), and the locking claw portion M3 at the upper end portion. The first control board unit 201 is fixedly held to the main body of the pachinko machine by the fastening part M2 and the locking claw part M3.

  Further, the second control board unit 202 is provided with a support shaft part M4 at the right end when viewed from the back of the pachinko machine 10, and the second control board unit 202 opens and closes around the axis B by the support shaft part M4. It is possible. Further, the second control board unit 202 is provided with a fastening portion M5 made of a ny latch or the like at the left end portion thereof (that is, the side opposite to the support shaft portion, more specifically, the open end side). 2 The control board unit 202 is fixedly held with respect to the main body of the pachinko machine.

  Further, the back pack unit 203 is provided with a support shaft portion M6 at the right end when viewed from the back of the pachinko machine 10, and the back pack unit 203 can be opened and closed around an axis C by the support shaft portion M6. Yes. Further, the back pack unit 203 is provided with a fastening portion M7 made of a ny latch or the like at the left end portion thereof (that is, the side opposite to the support shaft portion, more specifically, the open end side), and the upper end portion and the lower end portion are respectively rotatable. , And the back pack unit 203 is fixedly held to the main body of the pachinko machine by the fastening part M7 and the locking parts M8, M9.

  In this case, the development directions of the units 201 to 203 are not the same, and the first control board unit 201 opens to the left when viewed from the back of the pachinko machine 10, whereas the second control board unit 202 and the back pack unit. 203 is configured to open to the right.

  On the other hand, FIG. 8 is a rear view showing the configuration of the game board 30 assembled to the inner frame 12. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the inner frame 12 as viewed from the rear. Here, the backside structure of the inner frame 12 and the game board 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

  The game board 30 is installed in a square frame-shaped installation area surrounded by the resin base 20 and does not fall off by a plurality of (four in this embodiment) locking fixtures 211 and 212 provided on the inner frame 12. So that it is fixed. The locking fixtures 211 and 212 can be manually rotated and can be switched between a fixed position (lock position) and a fixed release position (unlock position). FIG. 8 shows a locked state. The locking fixtures 211 at the three left and right sides of the game board 30 are L-shaped metal fittings formed by bending metal pieces, and are configured not to protrude outwardly from the inner frame 12 when the game board 30 is fixed. Note that the locking fixture 212 at one lower portion of the game board 30 is an I-shaped fastener made of resin.

  A variable display device unit 35 is disposed in the center of the game board 30. In the variable display device unit 35, a frame cover 213 made of resin (for example, made of ABS) that covers the center frame 47 (see FIG. 3) from behind is provided to protrude rearward, and at the rear end of the frame cover 213, A decorative symbol display device 42 and a display control device 45, which are liquid crystal display devices, are detachably attached in a state where they are overlapped in the front-rear direction. In the frame cover 213, an LED control board for driving LEDs and the like built in the center frame 47 are disposed.

  A back frame set 215 is attached to the back surface of the game board 30 so as to surround the variable display device unit 35. The back frame set 215 is a thin resin-molded product (for example, made of ABS) provided so as to stick to the back surface of the game board 30 and is formed with a game ball collecting mechanism that collects game balls won in various winning openings. Has been. Specifically, below the back frame set 215, corresponding to the game board opening of the above-described general winning opening 31, variable winning apparatus 32, first opportunity corresponding opening 33 (see FIG. 3 respectively) and 1 on the downstream side. A collection passage 216 that collects at a place is formed. In addition, a discharge passage board 217 made of resin (for example, made of polycarbonate resin) is also attached to the inner frame 12 below the game board 30, and discharge balls are sent to the outside of the pachinko machine 10 in the discharge passage board 217. A guide discharge passage 218 is formed. Therefore, as illustrated in phantom lines in FIG. 8, all the game balls won in the general winning opening 31 etc. gather through the collection passage 216 of the back frame set 215, and further the discharge passage 218 of the discharge passage board 217. Through the pachinko machine 10. In addition, the out port 36 (see FIG. 3) similarly communicates with the discharge passage 218, and the game balls that have not won any prize opening are discharged to the outside of the pachinko machine 10 through the discharge passage 218.

  In the above configuration, with the lower end surface of the game board 30 as a boundary, a back frame set 215 (collection passage 216) is provided on the upper side, and a discharge passage board 217 (discharge passage 218) is provided on the lower side. The game board 30 is provided without overlapping (overlapping) in the front-rear direction. Therefore, when the game board 30 is removed from the inner frame 12, there is no inconvenience that the discharge passage board 17 prevents the game board from being removed.

  The discharge passage board 217 is provided just behind the upper plate 19 on the front surface of the pachinko machine, and a wire or the like is inserted from a ball discharge port (ball passage rod 69 in FIG. 2) leading to the upper plate 19. An illegal act of causing a wire or the like to enter the game area side through a gap between the inner frame 12 and the discharge passage board 217 can be considered. Accordingly, in the pachinko machine 10, a plate 219 extending in front of the pachinko machine so as to overlap the inner frame 12 almost integrally is provided just behind the upper plate 19 of the discharge passage board 217. Therefore, even if a wire or the like tries to enter from the gap between the inner frame 12 and the discharge passage board 217, the wire or the like is obstructed by the plate 219, and it is very difficult to make the wire or the like enter the game area. As a result, it is possible to prevent an illegal act such as forcibly opening the variable winning device 32 (large winning opening) using a wire or the like.

  Also, on the back surface of the game board 30, a winning detection mechanism (entrance detecting means) for detecting the passage of gaming balls such as various winning holes is provided. Specifically, a prize opening switch 221 is provided at a position corresponding to the general prize opening 31 on the front side of the game board 30, and a specific area switch 222 and a count switch 223 are provided in the variable prize winning device 32. The specific area switch 222 is a switch for determining that a game ball won in the variable winning device 32 in the big hit state has entered a specific area (an area for determining whether to continue the big hit state), and the count switch 223 counts the winning balls. Switch. Further, a first opportunity corresponding port (starting port) switch 224 is provided at a position corresponding to the first opportunity corresponding port 33, and a second opportunity corresponding port (gate) switch is provided at a position corresponding to the second opportunity corresponding port 34. 225 is provided.

  The prize opening switch 221 and the second opportunity corresponding gate (gate) switch 225 are connected to the board relay board 226 through electric wiring (not shown), and this board relay board 226 is further connected to a main board (main controller 261) described later. ing. Further, the specific area switch 222 and the count switch 223 are connected to the special winning opening relay board 227, and the special winning opening relay board 227 is also connected to the main board. On the other hand, the first opportunity corresponding port (starting port) switch 224 is directly connected to the main board without going through the relay board.

  Although not shown in the drawings, the variable prize winning device 32 is provided with a big prize opening solenoid that opens the big prize opening and a winning ball distribution plate solenoid that guides the winning ball to a specific area. Is provided with a first opportunity corresponding opening (starting opening) solenoid for opening the electric accessory. In FIGS. 8 and 9, reference numeral 228 denotes a set handle including a hitting ball and the like, and reference numeral 229 denotes a firing motor.

  The detection results detected by the winning detection mechanism are taken into a main board, which will be described later, and a payout command (the number of game balls to be paid out) corresponding to the winning situation is transmitted from the main board to the payout control board. The Then, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out by the output of the payout control board. In such a case, a conventional method (so-called evidence ball method) in which game balls won in various winning openings are once collected in a winning ball processing device and paid out after the winning ball processing device confirms the presence of winning balls one by one in order. Unlike the above, in the pachinko machine 10 according to the present embodiment, the winning of a game ball is electrically detected for each winning opening and the payout is immediately made (that is, the winning ball processing apparatus is abolished in the pachinko machine 10). is doing). Therefore, even if there are a lot of game balls to be paid out, the payout can be carried out quickly.

  The back frame set 215 is provided with an attachment mechanism for attaching the first control board unit 201. Specifically, as this mounting mechanism, a support bracket 231 extending in the vertical direction is provided at the lower left corner when viewed from the back of the game board 30, and the support bracket 231 has a pair of upper and lower support holes on the same axis. Is formed. In addition, in the lower right part of the game board 30, reference numeral 232 is a pair of upper and lower fastening holes (nylatches), and in the upper left part, reference numeral 233 is a locking claw piece.

  An attachment mechanism for attaching the second control board unit 202 and the back pack unit 203 is provided on the back surface of the inner frame 12. Specifically, a long support fitting 235 is attached to the inner frame 12 at its right end, and its configuration is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the support metal fitting 235 has a long plate-like metal fitting body 236, and the support hole portions 237 for the second control board unit are formed at two lower positions so as to stand up from the metal fitting body 236. At the same time, support hole portions 238 for the back pack unit are formed at two upper positions. Coaxial support holes are formed in the support hole portions 237 and 238, respectively. In addition, as an attachment mechanism for the second control board unit, the inner frame 12 is provided with a pair of upper and lower fastening holes (ny latch holes) 239 at the left end below the game board installation area. As a mounting mechanism for the back pack unit, the inner frame 12 is provided with a pair of upper and lower fastening holes (nylatching holes) 240 at the left end of the game board installation area. However, the support bracket for the second control board unit and the support bracket for the back pack unit can be provided as separate members. Reference numerals 241, 242, and 243 denote rotating fixtures that support the backpack unit 203 with the game board 30 interposed therebetween.

  In addition, in the rear configuration of the inner frame 12, at the lower right portion of the game board 30, a game ball distributing unit that distributes game balls paid out from a payout mechanism, which will be described later, to either the upper plate 19, the lower plate 15, or the discharge passage 218. 245 is provided. That is, the opening 245a of the game ball distribution unit 245 communicates with the upper plate 19, the opening 245b communicates with the lower plate 15, and the opening 245c communicates with the discharge passage 218 (see FIG. 9). Conventionally, since a portion corresponding to the game ball distribution unit 245 is provided on the back pack unit 203 side, the back pack unit 203 is pushed through the ball discharge port (ball passage wall 69 in FIG. 2) reaching the upper plate 19. As a result, a gap is formed between the inner frame 12 and the portion corresponding to the game ball distributing unit 245, and an illegal act of inserting a wire or the like through the gap and operating the internal device has been considered. Therefore, in the pachinko machine 10, such illegal acts are prevented by being provided on the inner frame 12 side as the game ball distributing unit 245 and being fixed by a fixing means. Further, the upper end surface of the game ball distribution unit 245 is formed in accordance with the height position where the lower end surface of the game board 30 is installed, and is devised so as not to prevent the removal of the game board 30.

  A resin speaker box 246 surrounding the back of the speaker 249 installed toward the lower plate 15 is attached to the lower end portion of the inner frame 12. It is illustrated.

  Next, the first control board unit 201 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 is a front view of the first control board unit 201, FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the unit 201, FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the unit 201, and FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the unit 201 viewed from the back. .

  The first control board unit 201 has a mounting base 251 having a substantially L shape, and the main control device 261, the initialization device 543, and the audio lamp control device 262 are mounted on the mounting base 251. Here, the main control device 261 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, a port that communicates with various devices, and various lotteries. The main board includes a random number generator used, a clock pulse generation circuit used for time counting and synchronization, and the like. The initialization device 543 is electrically connected to the RAM erase switch 323, detects whether the RAM erase switch 323 has been pressed, and transmits the detection result to the main control device 261. It has.

  The main board and the RAM erase switch circuit 543a are configured to be housed in a board box 263 (encapsulating means) made of a transparent resin material or the like. The substrate box 263 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box base and a box cover that covers the opening of the box base. The box base and the box cover are connected to each other by a sealing unit 264 (sealing means) so that the substrate box 263 is sealed.

  The RAM erase switch 323 that is electrically connected to the initialization device 543 is a switch that is operated when the pachinko machine 10 is returned to the initial state when the power is turned on. This pachinko machine 10 has a backup function, so that even if a power failure occurs, it maintains the state at the time of a power failure, and can be restored to the state at the time of a power failure when returning from a power failure (power recovery) It has become. Therefore, if the power is turned off in the normal procedure (for example, when the hall is closed), the state before the power is turned off is stored. If you want to return to the initial state when the power is turned on, turn on the power while holding down the RAM erase switch 323. We are going to throw it in. By providing the RAM erase switch 323 in the substrate box 263, a signal generating device or the like is attached between the initialization device 543 and the RAM erase switch 323, and the main controller 261 is forced to the initial state. Can be prevented. As will be described later, the jackpot of the pachinko machine 10 is lottery based on the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 stored in the reserved ball storage area in accordance with the winning timing of the ball to the first opportunity corresponding port 33. Therefore, if a signal generating device is attached between the first trigger corresponding port switch 224 that detects the entrance to the first trigger corresponding port 33 and the main control device 261, the jackpot can be illegally generated, but at least Since the main control device 261 can be prevented from being forced to the initial state, it is possible to prevent the jackpot from being illegally generated.

  As the sealing unit 264 as the sealing means, any configuration can be applied as long as the box base and the box cover are connected so as not to be opened. Here, as shown in FIG. 11 and the like, five sealing members are connected. The box base and the box cover are connected so that they cannot be opened by inserting a locking claw into the long hole of the sealing member. The sealing process by the sealing unit 264 prevents unauthorized opening after the sealing, and makes it possible to detect such a situation early and easily even if the unauthorized opening is performed. It is possible to perform the opening / sealing process again even after the operation. That is, the sealing process is performed by inserting the locking claw into the long hole of at least one sealing member among the five sealing members constituting the sealing unit 264. And when opening the board | substrate box 263 by the malfunction of the accommodated main board | substrate etc., the connection of the sealing member in which the latching claw was inserted, and another sealing member is cut | disconnected. Thereafter, when the sealing process is performed again, the locking claws are inserted into the long holes of the other sealing members. If the history of opening the board box 263 is left in the board box 263, it can be easily found that the illegal opening has been performed by looking at the board box 263.

  The voice lamp control device 262 is a voice lamp including a CPU that controls voice and lamp display in accordance with instructions from the main control device 261 (main board) or the display control device 45, and other ROM, RAM, various ports, and the like. The audio lamp control board is housed in a board box 265 made of a transparent resin material or the like. A power relay board 266 is mounted on the sound lamp control device 262, and power supplied from a power board described later is output to the display control device 45 and the sound lamp control device 262 via the power relay board 266. It is like that.

  The mounting base 251 is formed of a colored (for example, green, blue, etc.) resin material (for example, made of polycarbonate resin), and has two substrate mounting surfaces 252 and 253 that are flat on the surface. These substrate mounting surfaces 252 and 253 extend in a direction orthogonal to each other and are formed with a step in the front-rear direction. However, the mounting base 251 may be a colorless transparent or translucent resin molded product.

  A board box 263 in which the main control device 261 (main board) and the initialization device 543 are accommodated on one board mounting surface 252 is disposed in a landscape orientation, and a voice is displayed on the other board mounting surface 253. A board box 265 accommodating the lamp control device 262 (audio lamp control board) is arranged in a vertically long direction. In particular, the main control device 261 (board box 263) is arranged on the near side when viewed from the back of the pachinko machine 10, and the sound lamp control device 262 (board box 265) is arranged on the back side. In this case, since the substrate mounting surfaces 252 and 253 are formed with steps in the front-rear direction, the control devices 261 and 262 are mounted in a state where the main controller 261 and the sound lamp controller 262 are mounted on the substrate mounting surfaces 252 and 253. Are arranged with a part of them stacked one after the other. That is, as can be seen in FIG. 12 and the like, the main controller 261 is arranged in a state where a part thereof (about 1/3 in the present embodiment) is floated. Therefore, the sound lamp control device 262 can be extended to an area overlapping with the main control device 261, and the enlargement of the control board can be coped with favorably. In addition, each control device can be installed efficiently. Further, in a state where the first control board unit 201 is mounted on the game board 30, a space is secured behind the board mounting surface 252, and the variable winning device 32 and its electric wiring can be installed without difficulty.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the board mounting surface 252 for the main board has horizontally elongated through holes 254 at two positions on the left and right. Correspondingly, the substrate box 263 of the main control device 261 is provided with rotating fixtures 267 at two places on the left and right sides of the back surface thereof. When the main controller 261 is mounted on the board mounting surface 252, the fixing tool 267 is passed through the through hole 254 of the board mounting surface 252, and the fixing tool 267 is rotated in this state to lock the main control apparatus 261. The Therefore, even if the main control device 261 is arranged in a state where it floats as described above, inconveniences such as dropping off of the main control device 261 can be avoided. Further, since the main control device 261 cannot be removed unless the fixture 267 is unlocked from the back side of the first control board unit 201 (board mounting surface 252), it is expected to have a deterrent effect against illegal acts such as board removal. it can. A grid-like rib 255 is provided on the back surface of the substrate mounting surface 252 for the main substrate.

  The mounting base 251 is provided with a pair of upper and lower support shafts 256 on the left end surface of FIG. 11 and the like. The game board 30 is supported so that it can be opened and closed. Further, the mounting base 251 is provided with a pair of upper and lower nai latches 257 as fasteners at the right end portion and a long hole 258 at the upper end portion. The first control board unit 201 is fixed to the game board 30 by locking the locking claw pieces 233 shown in FIG. The support fitting 231 and the support shaft 256 are in the support shaft portion M1 of FIG. Each corresponds.

  Next, the second control board unit 202 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 is a front view of the second control board unit 202, FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the unit 202, and FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the unit 202.

  The second control board unit 202 has a horizontally long mounting base 301 on which a payout control device 311, a firing control device 312, a power supply device 313 and a card unit connection board 314 are mounted as payout control means. ing. The payout control device 311, the launch control device 312, and the power supply device 313 are equipped with a control board including a central control CPU, ROM, RAM, various ports and the like as is well known. The payout of prize balls and rental balls is controlled by the substrate. Further, the launch motor 229 is controlled by the launch control board of the launch controller 312 in accordance with the operation of the handle 18 by the player, and a predetermined power supply voltage required by various control devices and the like is generated by the power board of the power supply 313. Is output. The card unit connection board 314 is electrically connected to the ball lending operation unit 120 on the front surface of the pachinko machine and a card unit (not shown). is there. Note that the card unit connection board 314 can be omitted in a cash machine in which game balls are lent directly to the upper plate from a ball lending device or the like without using a card unit.

  The payout control device 311, the firing control device 312, the power supply device 313, and the card unit connection substrate 314 are respectively configured to be accommodated in substrate boxes 315, 316, 317, and 318 made of a transparent resin material or the like. In particular, in the dispensing control device 311, similarly to the main control device 261 described above, the box base and the box cover constituting the substrate box 315 (encapsulating means) are connected by the sealing unit 319 (sealing means) so that they cannot be opened. Thus, the substrate box 315 is sealed.

  The payout control device 311 is provided with a state return switch 321 as specific operation means. For example, when the state return switch 321 is pressed when a payout error occurs, such as a ball jam in the payout motor unit, the payout motor is rotated forward and reverse so that the ball jam is eliminated (return to the normal state). It has become.

  The mounting base 301 is made of, for example, a colorless and transparent resin molded product, and a flat board mounting surface 302 is provided on the surface thereof. In this case, the launch control device 312, the power supply device 313 and the card unit connection board 314 are directly mounted side by side on the board mounting surface 302 of the mounting base 301, and the payout control apparatus 311 is mounted on the board box 317 of the power supply apparatus 313. It is mounted via a table 303.

  Further, the mounting base 301 is provided with a pair of upper and lower support shafts 305 at the right end in FIG. 15 and the like. By inserting these support shafts 305 into the support hole 237 shown in FIG. 2 The control board unit 202 is supported to be openable and closable with respect to the inner frame 12. Further, the mounting base 301 is provided with a pair of upper and lower nai latches 306 as fasteners at the left end portion. By fitting the nai latch 306 into the fastening hole 239 shown in FIG. It is fixed to the frame 12 so that it cannot be opened and closed. The support hole portion 237 and the support shaft 305 correspond to the support shaft portion M4 in FIG. 7, and the fastened hole 239 and the ny latch 306 correspond to the fastening portion M5, respectively.

  Next, the configuration of the back pack unit 203 will be described. The back pack unit 203 is formed by integrating a resin-molded back pack 351 and a game ball payout mechanism portion 352. FIG. 18 is a rear view of the pachinko machine 10 viewed from the back, and FIG. It shows in FIG.

  The back pack 351 is integrally formed of, for example, ABS resin, and includes a substantially flat base portion 353 and a protective cover portion 354 that protrudes rearward from the pachinko machine and has a horizontally long substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The protective cover portion 354 has a shape in which the left and right side surfaces and the upper surface are closed and only the lower surface is opened, and has a size sufficient to surround at least the variable display device unit 35 (however, in the present embodiment, the above-mentioned audio The lamp control device 262 is also enclosed. A large number of ventilation holes 354 a are provided on the back surface of the protective cover portion 354. Each of the air holes 354a has a long hole shape, and the air holes 354a are adjacent to each other at a relatively close position. Therefore, the back surface of the back pack 351 can be easily opened by cutting the resin portion between the adjacent vent holes 354a. That is, a predetermined test or the like can be easily performed by cutting the resin portion between the vent holes 354a to expose the display control device 45 and the like inside.

  In addition, a payout mechanism portion 352 is disposed on the base portion 353 so as to bypass the protective cover portion 354. That is, a tank 355 as a storage tank portion opened upward is provided at the uppermost portion of the back pack 351, and game balls supplied from the island facilities of the game hall are sequentially replenished to the tank 355. Below the tank 355, for example, a tank rail 356 is connected as a guide rail portion that has two rows (two rows) of ball passages in the horizontal direction and gently slopes toward the downstream side. A case rail 357 as a guide portion is connected to the vertical direction. A payout device 358 as a payout means is provided at the most downstream portion of the case rail 357, and a required number of game balls are paid out appropriately according to a predetermined electrical configuration such as a payout motor 358a. The game balls paid out from the payout device 358 are supplied to the upper plate 19 through the payout passage 359 and the like shown in FIG. The tank 355, the tank rail 356, and the case rail 357 constitute guide means in the present embodiment.

  A vibrator 360 that applies vibration to the tank rail 356 is attached to the tank rail 356. Therefore, if a clogged ball occurs near the tank rail 356, the clogged ball is eliminated by driving the vibrator 360. The vibrator 360 is configured as a vibrator unit in which a vibrating body such as a motor is accommodated in a case which is a main body part so that the position change due to a design change of a pachinko machine or replacement at the time of failure is facilitated. The unit is attached to the tank rail 356 so as to be detachable. The vibrator unit is attached to the side surface of the tank rail 356 via a foot portion (vibration transmitter) protruding from the main body portion without the main body portion (case surface) being in close contact with the tank rail 356, The vibration is transmitted to the tank rail 356 more effectively.

  The configuration of the tank rail 356 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 20, the tank rail 356 has a rail body 361 having a long bowl shape opened upward, and a spherical ball is formed at the start end of the rail body 361. A receiving part 362 is provided. By this ball receiving portion 362, the game ball dropped from the tank 355 is smoothly taken into the rail body 361. Further, the rail body 361 is provided with a partition wall 363 extending in the longitudinal direction, and the game balls are divided into two hands by the partition wall 363. The two ball passages partitioned by the partition wall 363 are slightly wider than the diameter of the game ball. One or two ridges 364 are provided on the bottom surface of each spherical passage partitioned by the partition wall 363, and an opening 365 is provided on the side of the ridge 364.

  In addition, a rectifying plate 367 is disposed on the rail body 361 so as to cover the ceiling portion of the downstream half. The rectifying plate 367 has a bowed shape so as to limit the height of the ball passage in the tank rail 356 toward the downstream side, and a convex portion 368 extending in the longitudinal direction is formed on the lower surface thereof. . Thereby, each game ball flowing in the tank rail 356 finally flows out downstream without being stacked up and down. Therefore, even if a large group of game balls flow into the tank rail 356, the game balls are prevented from being bitten and the ball clogging in the tank rail 356 is eliminated. The rail body 361 is formed of black conductive polycarbonate resin, whereas the rectifying plate 367 is formed of transparent polycarbonate resin. The rectifying plate 367 is detachably provided. By removing the rectifying plate 367, maintenance in the tank rail 356 can be easily performed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 21, the spherical passage 401 formed in the case rail 357 is provided with a curved passage portion 401a at an upper portion and a vertical passage portion 401b at a lower portion thereof.

  The outer peripheral surface of the curved passage portion 401a is surrounded by an arc-shaped movable piece 402 for detecting a broken ball. Also, outside the movable piece 402 as a detection unit, a ball breakage detection switch 403 is provided as a ball presence / absence detecting means that is operated by being pressed against the movable piece 402. Thus, when the game balls are parked in the curved passage portion 401a, the movable piece 402 is pressed by the game balls, and the ball break detection switch 403 is turned on. On the other hand, when there is no game ball in the curved passage portion 401a, there is no pressing force on the movable piece 402, and the movable piece 402 protrudes into the curved passage portion 401a by the return force of the ball breakage detection switch 403. As a result, the ball break detection switch 403 is turned off. Accordingly, the presence or absence of a game ball in the curved passage portion 401a can be detected by the ball break detection switch 403.

  Further, a ball outlet 405 is provided on the bottom surface between the lower end of the movable piece 402 and the upper end of one side wall portion of the vertical passage portion 401b. A ball extraction passage 407 is provided below the ball extraction port 405. The downstream side of the ball removal passage 407 communicates with the opening 245c of the game ball distribution portion 245 and thus the discharge passage 218, and the game ball can be discharged to the outside of the pachinko machine 10 through the ball removal passage 407. Yes.

  In addition, a ball removal mechanism 409 is provided at the ball removal port 405. The ball removal mechanism 409 mainly includes a movable bottom plate 410, an engagement lever 411, and an operation button 412 (see FIG. 18).

  The movable bottom plate 410 is formed to be bent in a substantially square shape and is pivotally supported at the mouth edge on the upstream side of the ball outlet 405. Then, the movable bottom plate 410 is rotated downward as shown by a chain line in FIG. 21 by the weight of the ball on the upper surface to open the ball outlet 405, and when the game ball does not get on the upper surface, the weight 410a As shown by the solid line in the figure, the rotating force is returned to the position where the ball outlet 405 is closed (hereinafter referred to as the “closed position”).

  The engaging lever 411 is pivotally supported at one end in the left-right direction so as to be rotatable in the up-down direction. In combination, the movable bottom plate 410 is maintained in the closed position.

  The operation button 412 is pivotally supported so as to be pivotable in the front-rear direction, and a linkage pin 412 a integrated therewith is inserted into the elongated hole 411 b of the engagement lever 411. The operation button 412 is always urged rearward (front side in FIGS. 18 and 21) by an elastic piece (not shown), and the engagement protrusion 411 a of the engagement lever 411 and the engagement piece 410 b of the movable bottom plate 410. The movable bottom plate 410 is maintained in the closed position.

  Then, when removing the balls of the tank 355 and the tank rail 356, first, the operation button 412 is pressed forward (back side in FIGS. 18 and 21). As a result, the operation button 412 is rotated, the engagement lever 411 is moved downward by the linkage pin 412a, and the engagement between the locking projection 411a and the engagement piece 410b is released. As a result, the movable bottom plate 410 is rotatable, and is rotated downward by the weight of the ball on the upper surface to open the ball outlet 405. Then, the game ball is discharged to the outside of the pachinko machine 10 through the ball extraction passage 407.

  In addition, when the ball removal is finished and the pressing of the operation button 412 is stopped, the operation button 412 is returned to the original position by the elastic piece, and the locking projection 411a and the engagement piece 410b are engaged again. The movable bottom plate 410 is maintained in the closed position.

  Next, the payout device 358 will be described with reference to FIG. The payout device 358 includes a payout motor 358a as drive means, a sprocket 358b as a rotating member, and a payout count switch 358c.

  The payout motor 358a is a stepping motor, and is configured to rotate the sprocket 358b once by giving a drive signal of 120 steps (pulses) in this embodiment. That is, the sprocket 358b is rotated by a rotation amount corresponding to the number of drive signals such that the sprocket 358b changes 45 degrees with a drive signal of 30 pulses. Then, the rotation amount of the payout motor 358a is controlled by this drive signal, and the payout number of game balls is controlled.

  In addition, a plurality of convex portions are provided at equal intervals on the peripheral surface of the sprocket 358b, and a ball receiving concave portion into which a game ball enters is provided between the convex portions. And sprocket 358b is arrange | positioned so that a convex part may protrude in the ball path 358d of the payout apparatus 358, and is rotationally driven by the payout motor 358a. Thereby, when the ball payout operation is stopped, the game balls are stopped in the ball passage 358d, and during the ball payout operation, the sprocket 358b is rotated in the clockwise direction (forward direction), and the game balls are discharged one by one. The sprocket 358b has slits formed at predetermined angular intervals (45 degrees in this embodiment, that is, 30 steps), and the position of the slits is detected by a photosensor 358e (see FIG. 22). The rotation amount of 358b can be detected.

  The payout count switch 358c is disposed on the downstream side of the sprocket 358b and detects a game ball paid out by the sprocket 358b. In the present embodiment, as the payout count switch 358c, a passing-type proximity sensor provided with a passing hole through which a game ball can pass is adopted. Of course, a photo sensor or the like may be used. Since the game balls are discharged one by one, the number of balls actually paid out can be grasped by counting the detection signal from the payout count switch 358c.

  Returning to the description of FIGS. 18 and 19, the payout mechanism unit 352 is provided with a payout relay board 381 that relays a payout command signal from the payout control device 311 to the payout device 358, and takes in the main power from the outside. A power switch board 382 is installed. The power switch board 382 is supplied with, for example, AC 24V main power via a voltage converter, and is turned on or off by switching the power switch 382a.

  The discharge mechanism 352 from the tank 355 to the discharge passage 359 is formed of a conductive resin material (for example, conductive polycarbonate resin) and grounded at a part thereof. Thereby, generation of noise due to charging of the game ball is suppressed.

  Further, the back pack 351 is provided with a pair of upper and lower support shafts 385 at the right end in FIG. 18 and the like, and the support shaft 385 is inserted into the support hole 238 shown in FIG. The pack unit 203 is supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the inner frame 12. Further, the back pack 351 is provided with a pair of upper and lower nai latches 386 as fasteners at the left end portion, and is provided with a locking hole 387 at the upper end portion. The nai latch 386 is inserted into the tightened hole 240 shown in FIG. The back pack unit 203 is fixed to the inner frame 12 so that it cannot be opened and closed by engaging the fixing tool 242 shown in FIG. Further, in the present embodiment, a rotating I-type fastener is employed as the locking portion M8 in the vicinity of the tank 355 that stores a lot of game balls and is relatively loaded. For this reason, the back pack unit 203 (tank 355) can be more reliably locked as compared with the case where a fixture such as a ny latch is used. At this time, the back pack unit 203 is also fixed to the inner frame 12 by the fixtures 241 and 243 shown in FIG. The support hole portion 238 and the support shaft 385 are in the support shaft portion M6 of FIG. 7, the fastened hole 240 and the ny latch 386 are in the fastening portion M7, and the fixture 242 and the lock hole 387 are in the lock portion M8, respectively. Equivalent to. Further, the fixture 243 corresponds to the locking portion M9 (see FIG. 7).

  Further, the base 353 of the back pack unit 203 is provided with an opening 391 for the external relay terminal plate 230, so that the external relay terminal plate 230 can be removed and operated even when the back pack unit 203 is fixed. It is possible.

  With the configuration described above, the main controller 261 (substrate box 263) can be removed by first opening (or removing) the back pack unit 203, then opening (or removing) the first control substrate unit 201, and It can finally be performed by including a complicated process of releasing the fixing tool 267. For this reason, a deterrent effect can be expected against fraudulent acts such as removal of the main controller 261 (board box 263).

  The physical structure of the pachinko machine 10 has been described above. Next, the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described.

  FIG. 22 is a block diagram showing the electrical structure of the pachinko machine 10. The main controller 261 (main board) of the pachinko machine 10 is equipped with a CPU 501 as a one-chip microcomputer that is an arithmetic unit. The CPU 501 includes a ROM 502 that stores various control programs executed by the CPU 501 and fixed value data, and a RAM 503 that is a memory that temporarily stores various data when the control program stored in the ROM 502 is executed. Various circuits such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, and a data transmission / reception circuit are incorporated.

  The ROM 502 serving as a storage means stores the number of winning balls (10) for entering the general winning opening 31, the number of winning balls (15) for entering the variable winning device 32, and the first opportunity corresponding port 33. The number of prize balls (4) for entering the ball is stored in advance. When a game ball enters a predetermined winning portion, the main control device 261 transmits a winning ball command to the payout control device 311 to pay out the number of winning balls corresponding to the winning portion.

  The RAM 503 is a stack area that stores the contents of the internal registers of the CPU 501, the return address of a control program executed by the CPU 501, and a work area (work area) that stores various flags, counters, I / O values, and the like. ) And a backup area 503a. The RAM 503 is configured to retain (backup) data by being supplied with a backup voltage from the power supply device 313 even after the power of the pachinko machine 10 is turned off, and all stored in the stack area, work area, and backup area 503a. Data is backed up.

  Note that if data stored in at least the stack area and the backup area 503a is backed up, it is not always necessary to back up data stored in all areas. For example, the data stored in the stack area and the backup area 503a may be backed up, and the data stored in the work area may not be backed up.

  The backup area 503a stores values such as a stack pointer, each register, and I / O when the power is shut down (including when a power failure occurs, the same applies hereinafter) when the power is shut down due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like. At the time of power-on (including power-on due to power failure cancellation, the same applies hereinafter), the state of the pachinko machine 10 is restored to the state before power-off based on the information in the backup area 503a. Writing to the backup area 503a is executed when the power is shut off by normal processing (see FIG. 25), and conversely, returning of each value written to the backup area 503a includes power-on (including power-on due to power failure cancellation). The same is executed in the main process (see FIG. 24). The N501 terminal (non-maskable interrupt terminal) of the CPU 501 is configured to receive a power failure signal SK1 output from a power failure monitoring circuit 542 described later when the power is cut off due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like. When the signal SK1 is input to the CPU 501, the NMI interruption process as the process at the time of power failure is immediately executed.

  An input / output port 505 is connected to the CPU 501 incorporating the ROM 502 and RAM 503 via a bus line 504 including an address bus and a data bus. The input / output port 505 includes an initialization device 543, a payout control device 311, a display control device 45, a special display device 43, a normal symbol display device 41, a winning opening switch 221, a specific area switch 222, a count switch 223, and a first opportunity. A corresponding port switch 224, a second opportunity corresponding port (gate) switch 225, and other switches (not shown) are connected. With this configuration, the special display device 43 and the normal symbol display device 41 described above are directly controlled by the main control device 261. On the other hand, the decorative symbol display device 42 is controlled via the display control device 45.

  The initialization device 543 is provided with a RAM erase switch circuit 543a, and a RAM erase switch 323 is electrically connected to the RAM erase switch circuit 543a. The RAM erase switch circuit 543a is a circuit that outputs a RAM erase signal SK2 for clearing backup data to the main controller 261 when the RAM erase switch 323 is pressed. When the RAM erase switch 323 is pressed when the pachinko machine 10 is turned on, the data in the RAMs 503 and 513 (backup areas 503a and 513a) of the main controller 261 and the payout controller 311 are cleared. As described above, the initialization device 543 and the main control device 261 are housed in the board box 263.

  The payout control device 311 controls payout of prize balls and rental balls by a payout motor 358a. The CPU 511 that is an arithmetic unit includes a ROM 512 that stores a control program executed by the CPU 511, fixed value data, and the like, and a RAM 513 that is used as a work memory or the like.

  The RAM 513 of the payout control device 311, like the RAM 503 of the main control device 261, has a stack area for storing the contents of the internal registers of the CPU 511 and the return address of the control program executed by the CPU 511, various flags and counters, A work area (work area) in which values such as I / O are stored, and a backup area 513a are provided. In the work area, a payout permission flag 513b in which the payout control device 311 is allowed to pay out a prize ball, a command reception flag 513c set when a command transmitted from the main control device 261 is received, and main control A command buffer 513d for storing a command transmitted from the device 261 is provided. The RAM 513 is configured to hold (backup) data by being supplied with a backup voltage from the power supply device 313 even after the power of the pachinko machine 10 is turned off, and all stored in the stack area, work area, and backup area 513a. Data is backed up.

  Note that if data stored in at least the stack area and the backup area 513a is backed up, it is not always necessary to back up data stored in all areas. For example, the data stored in the stack area and the backup area 513a may be backed up, and the data stored in the work area may not be backed up.

  The backup area 513a stores a stack pointer at the time of power interruption, a value of each register, I / O, a storage pointer and a read pointer in the command buffer 513d, etc. when the power is cut off due to a power failure or the like. When the power is turned on, the state of the pachinko machine 10 is restored to the state before the power is shut off based on the information in the backup area 513a. Writing to the backup area 513a is executed when the power is shut off by the main process (see FIG. 34), and restoration of each value written to the backup area 513a is executed in the main process when the power is turned on. As with the CPU 501 of the main controller 261, the power failure signal SK1 is input to the NMI terminal of the CPU 511 from the power failure monitoring circuit 542 when the power is interrupted due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like. When input to the CPU 511, NMI interrupt processing as power failure processing is immediately executed.

  The payout permission flag 513b is a flag for setting a prize ball payout permission, and is turned on when a specific command for permitting the payout of the prize ball is transmitted from the main control device 261, and is received when the specific command is received. It is turned off when returning to the setting process or before power-off. In the present embodiment, the specific commands are a payout initialization command for instructing the initial processing of the RAM 513 of the payout control device 311, a prize ball command for instructing payout of a prize ball, and the main controller 261 having been restored to power. There are three payout return commands to be transmitted in this case.

  The command reception flag 513c is a flag for confirming whether or not the payout control device 311 has received a command. The command reception flag 513c is turned on when any command is received, and, similarly to the payout permission flag 513b, It is turned off when the power is restored before the power is shut off, and is turned off when the received command is determined by a command determination process (see FIG. 37) described later.

  The command buffer 513d is configured by a ring buffer that temporarily stores commands transmitted from the main control device 261. The ring buffer has a predetermined storage area, and commands are stored with regularity from the beginning to the end of the storage area. When commands are stored in all the storage areas, the ring buffer The return command is configured to be updated. Therefore, when the command is stored and when the command is read, the storage pointer and the read pointer in the command buffer 513d are updated, and the command is stored and read based on each pointer.

  An input / output port 515 is connected to the CPU 511 of the payout control device 311 via a bus line 514 including an address bus and a data bus. The input / output port 515 includes a main control device 261, a firing control device 312, a payout motor 358a, a lower pan full switch 15a, a ball breakage detection switch 403, a state return switch 321, a payout count switch 358c, a photo sensor 358e, and the like. It is connected.

  The launch control device 312 permits or prohibits the launch of the gaming machine by the launch motor 229, and the launch motor 229 is permitted to drive when a predetermined condition is met. Specifically, a firing permission signal is output from the payout control device 311, a sensor signal is detected that the player is touching the handle 18, and a firing stop switch that stops firing is operated. On the condition that it is not done, the launch motor 229 is driven, and a game ball is launched at an intensity corresponding to the operation amount of the handle 18 (see FIG. 9).

  The display control device 45 controls the variation display of the decorative symbols on the decorative symbol display device 42. The display control device 45 includes a CPU 521, a ROM (program ROM) 522, a work RAM 523, a video RAM 524, a character ROM 525, an image controller 526, an input port 527, two output ports 528 and 529, and a bus. Lines 530 and 531 are provided. The output of the main controller 261 is connected to the input of the input port 527, and the CPU 521, ROM 522, work RAM 523, and image controller 526 are connected to the output of the input port 527 and one output port is connected via the bus line 530. 528 is connected. An audio lamp control device 262 is connected to the output of the output port 528. Further, an output port 529 is connected to the image controller 526 via a bus line 531, and a decorative symbol display device 42 which is a liquid crystal display device is connected to an output of the output port 529.

  The CPU 521 of the display control device 45 controls the display of the decorative symbol display device 42 based on the display command transmitted from the main control device 261. The main control device 261 displays whether or not the special display device 43 is a decisive big hit, so that the display command is sent for auxiliary display on the decorative symbol display device 42. The ROM 522 is a memory that stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the CPU 521, and the work RAM 523 is a memory that temporarily stores work data and flags used when the CPU 521 executes various programs. is there. This is provided with a counter buffer for storing various counter values to be described later.

  The video RAM 524 is a memory for storing display data to be displayed on the decorative symbol display device 42, and the display content of the decorative symbol display device 42 is changed by rewriting the contents of the video RAM 524. The character ROM 525 is a memory that stores character data such as symbols displayed on the decorative symbol display device 42. The image controller 526 adjusts the timings of the CPU 521, the video RAM 524, and the output port 529 to intervene in reading and writing data, and also reads display data stored in the video RAM 524 from the character ROM 525 at a predetermined timing. It is displayed on the display device 42.

  The power supply device 313 includes a power supply unit 541 that supplies power to each unit of the pachinko machine 10 and a power failure monitoring circuit 542 that monitors power supply interruption due to a power failure or the like. The power supply unit 541 supplies necessary operation power to the main control device 261, the payout control device 311 and the like through a power supply path (not shown). As its outline, the power supply unit 541 takes in AC 24 volt power supplied from the outside, generates + 12V power for driving various switches and motors, + 5V power for logic, backup power for RAM backup, etc. These + 12V power supply, + 5V power supply and backup power supply are supplied to the main control device 261, the payout control device 311 and the like. Note that operation power (+12 V power, +5 V power, etc.) is supplied to the launch control device 312 via the payout control device 311.

  The power failure monitoring circuit 542 is a circuit that outputs a power failure signal SK1 to each NMI terminal of the CPU 501 of the main control device 261 and the CPU 511 of the payout control device 311 when the power is cut off due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like. The power failure monitoring circuit 542 monitors a DC stable voltage of 24 volts, which is the maximum voltage output from the power supply unit 541, and determines that a power failure (power failure) has occurred when this voltage is less than 22 volts. The power failure signal SK1 is output to the main controller 261 and the payout controller 311. Based on the output of the power failure signal SK1, the main control device 261 and the payout control device 311 recognize the occurrence of a power failure and execute a power failure process (NMI interrupt processing). It should be noted that the power supply unit 541 is the drive voltage of the control system for a time sufficient to execute the power failure process (NMI interrupt process) even after the DC stable voltage of 24 volts becomes less than 22 volts. It is comprised so that the output of a volt | bolt may be maintained at a normal value. Therefore, the main controller 261 and the payout controller 311 can normally execute and complete the power failure process (NMI interrupt process).

  By the way, the decorative symbol display device (liquid crystal display device) 42 is set with three symbol rows, not shown, left, middle, and right, and the symbols (decorative symbols) are variably displayed for each symbol row. In the present embodiment, the decorative symbols are configured so as to be given numbers “0” to “9”, respectively, and the decorative symbols are displayed in ascending or descending order of the numbers to constitute a series of symbol strings. The decorative symbols are displayed in a variable manner from top to bottom with periodicity.

  In such a case, in the left symbol row, the decorative symbols are displayed in descending order (in the order in which the appended numbers decrease), and in the middle symbol column and the right symbol column, the decorative symbols are also in ascending order (in the order in which the appended numbers increase). Is displayed. Then, the variable display stops in the order of left symbol sequence → right symbol sequence → middle symbol sequence. When the jackpot is confirmed by the main control device 261, the fact is displayed on the special display device 43, and the decorative symbol is a combination of the jackpot symbols on the decorative symbol display device 42 (in the present embodiment, the same A special game animation is displayed as a jackpot (a jackpot state is started).

  Next, the operation of the pachinko machine 10 configured as described above will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the CPU 501 in the main controller 261 performs lottery (big hit lottery) using various counter information in the game. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 23, the jackpot random number counter C1 used for the jackpot lottery, the mode determination counter C2 used for determining the shift to the high probability mode or the low probability mode for the jackpot, and the decorative symbol display device 42, a reach random number counter C3 used for reach lottery when changing out of 42, a random number initial value counter CINI used for setting an initial value of the jackpot random number counter C1, and a variation type used for selecting a variation pattern of the decorative symbol display device 42 Counters CS1 and CS2 are used. Although the variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are used for variation pattern selection, in detail, the effect and variation time in the decorative symbol display device 42 are determined by the determined variation pattern, and the special display device 43. The variation time is determined.

  Each of the counters C1, C2, C3, CINI, CS1, and CS2 is a loop counter that adds 1 to the previous value every time it is updated and returns to 0 after reaching the maximum value. Each counter is periodically updated, and the updated value is appropriately stored in a counter buffer set in a predetermined area of the RAM 503 (except for the random number initial value counter CINI). In addition, the RAM 503 is provided with a holding ball storage area as a storage area composed of one execution area and four holding areas (holding first to fourth holding areas). The values of the jackpot random number counter C1, the mode determination counter C2, and the reach random number counter C3 are stored in time series in accordance with the winning history of the game balls to the 1-chance corresponding port 33.

  In detail, each of the counters is configured such that the jackpot random number counter C1 is incremented one by one within a range of, for example, 0 to 676, and returns to 0 after reaching the maximum value (that is, 676). In particular, when the jackpot random number counter C1 makes one round, the value of the random number initial value counter CINI at that time is read as the initial value of the jackpot random number counter C1. Note that the random number initial value counter CINI is a loop counter similar to the big hit random number counter C1 (value = 0 to 676), and is updated once for each timer interruption and is repeatedly updated within the remaining time of normal processing. The jackpot random number counter C1 is updated periodically (once every timer interruption in this embodiment), and stored in the reserved ball storage area of the RAM 503 at the timing when the game ball wins the first opportunity corresponding port 33. The number of random number values that are jackpots is set in the low probability mode and the high probability mode, and in this embodiment, the number of random number values that are jackpots in the low probability mode is 2, The value is “337, 673”. In the high probability mode, the number of random numbers that are jackpots is 10, and the value is “67, 131, 199, 269, 337, 401, 463, 523, 601. , 661 ”. The high probability mode is a state where the jackpot is increased by a predetermined probability fluctuation pattern and the subsequent jackpot probability is increased as added value, that is, the time of so-called probability change, and the low probability mode (normal time) is such It is said that it is not in a probable state. In the following description, a case where a jackpot is made by a probability variation symbol is referred to as “probability variation jackpot”, and a case where a jackpot is made by a portion other than the probability variation symbol is referred to as “normal jackpot”. In the high probability mode, the jackpot probability is increased, but the fluctuation display time of “○” → “×” → “○” →. When the symbol stops, the time for the first opportunity corresponding port 33 to be in an operating state (opened) becomes longer. As a result, the first opportunity corresponding port 33 is opened frequently, and the big hit lottery is continuously made, and the ball is well held. Thus, in this embodiment, in the high probability mode, the time during which the first opportunity corresponding port 33 is in the operating state is lengthened. In addition to or in place of this, it is also possible to increase the stop probability of the “◯” symbol in which the first opportunity corresponding port 33 is activated.

  For example, the mode determination counter C2 is incremented one by one within a range of 0 to 9, for example, and reaches a maximum value (that is, 9) and then returns to 0. In the present embodiment, the mode determination counter C2 determines whether or not to shift to the high probability mode. Specifically, if the counter value is an odd number “1, 3, 5, 7, 9”, the transition to the high probability mode is determined, and if the counter value is an even number “0, 2, 4, 6, 8”. Determine the transition to low probability mode. Although the term “transition” is used here, the high probability mode is continued if the counter value is odd when originally in the high probability mode, and the counter value is even when originally in the low probability mode. If so, the low probability mode is continued. The mode determination counter C2 is updated periodically (once every timer interruption in this embodiment), and stored in the reserved ball storage area of the RAM 503 at the timing when the game ball wins the first opportunity corresponding port 33.

  In addition, the reach random number counter C3 is configured to increment one by one within a range of, for example, 0 to 238 and return to 0 after reaching the maximum value (that is, 238). In the present embodiment, the reach random number counter C3 causes the last stop symbol to stop after the reach has occurred by shifting the last stop symbol by one before and after the reach symbol, and the last stop symbol after the reach has also occurred. “Reach other than front / rear out” and stop “completely out” where no reach occurs, for example, C3 = 0, 1 corresponds to front / rear reach, and C3 = 2-21 It corresponds to the reach other than the front and rear deviation, and C3 = 22 to 238 corresponds to the complete deviation. The reach lottery may be individually set according to the state of the lottery probability, the number of starting reserved balls at the start of change, and the like. The reach random number counter C3 is updated periodically (once every timer interruption in the present embodiment) and stored in the reserved ball storage area of the RAM 503 at the timing when the game ball wins the first opportunity corresponding port 33.

  Further, one of the two variation type counters CS1 and CS2 is incremented by one within a range of 0 to 198, for example, and reaches a maximum value (that is, 198) and then returns to 0. For example, the other variation type counter CS2 is incremented one by one within a range of 0 to 240, for example, and reaches the maximum value (that is, 240) and then returns to 0. In the following description, CS1 is also referred to as “first variation type counter”, and CS2 is also referred to as “second variation type counter”. This is also shown in FIG. The first variation type counter CS1 determines the reach types of decorative symbols such as so-called normal reach, super reach, premium reach, and other rough symbol variations, and the second variation type counter CS2 determines the final stop symbol (book) In the embodiment, a more detailed symbol variation mode such as an elapsed time (in other words, the number of variation symbols) until the middle symbol) stops is determined. Therefore, a variety of variation patterns can be easily realized by combining these variation type counters CS1 and CS2. It is also possible to determine the symbol variation mode only by the first variation type counter CS1, or to determine the symbol variation mode similarly by combining the first variation type counter CS1 and the stop symbol.

  The variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are updated once every time a normal process to be described later is executed once, and are repeatedly updated even within the remaining time in the normal process. Then, the buffer values of CS1 and CS2 are acquired when determining the variation pattern at the start of variation of the decorative symbol by the decorative symbol display device 42.

  In addition, the magnitude | size and range of each counter are only examples, and can be changed arbitrarily. However, the jackpot random number counter C1, the reach random number counter C3, and the variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are all different prime numbers, and it is desirable that they are values that are not synchronized in any case.

  Although not shown, the normal symbol random number counter C4 is used for the lottery of the normal symbol display device 41. The normal symbol random number counter C4 is configured as a loop counter that is incremented one by one within a range of 0 to 250, for example, and returns to 0 after reaching the maximum value (that is, 250). The normal symbol random number counter C4 is updated periodically (once every timer interruption in the present embodiment), and is acquired when the game ball passes through the left or right second opportunity corresponding port 34. The number of random number values to be won is 149, and the range is “5 to 153”.

  Next, each control process executed by the CPU 501 in the main controller 261 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. The processing of the CPU 501 is roughly divided into a main processing that is started when the power is turned on, a timer interrupt processing that is started periodically (in this embodiment, at a cycle of 2 msec), and a stop to the NMI terminal (non-maskable terminal). There is NMI interrupt processing activated by signal input. For convenience of explanation, first, timer interrupt processing and NMI interrupt processing will be described, and then main processing will be described.

  FIG. 31 is a flowchart showing the timer interrupt process. This process is executed by the CPU 501 of the main controller 261 every 2 msec, for example.

  In FIG. 31, first, in step S601, reading processing of various winning switches is executed. That is, the state of various switches (except for the RAM erase switch 323) connected to the main controller 261 is read, and the state of the switch is determined and the detection information (winning detection information) is stored.

  Thereafter, in step S602, the random number initial value counter CINI is updated. Specifically, the random number initial value counter CINI is incremented by 1 and cleared to 0 when the counter value reaches the maximum value (676 in the present embodiment). Then, the update value of the random number initial value counter CINI is stored in the corresponding buffer area of the RAM 503. In subsequent step S603, the big hit random number counter C1, the mode determination counter C2, and the reach random number counter C3 are updated. Specifically, the jackpot random number counter C1, the mode determination counter C2 and the reach random number counter C3 are each incremented by 1, and their counter values reach the maximum values (in the present embodiment, 676, 9, and 238, respectively). Each time it is cleared to 0. Then, the updated values of the counters C1, C2, and C3 are stored in the corresponding buffer area of the RAM 503.

  Thereafter, in step S604, a start winning process associated with winning in the first opportunity corresponding port 33 is executed. This starting winning process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 32. In step S701, whether or not the game ball has won the first opportunity corresponding port 33 is determined based on the detection information of the first opportunity corresponding port (starting port) switch 224. . When it is determined that the game ball has won the first opportunity corresponding port 33, in the subsequent step S702, it is determined whether or not the number N of starting reserved balls is less than the upper limit value (4 in the present embodiment). The process proceeds to step S703 on the condition that there is a winning at the first opportunity corresponding port 33 and the number N of starting reserved balls is smaller than 4, and the number N of starting reserved balls is incremented.

  In subsequent step S704, a random number related to the winning is acquired. Specifically, the values of the jackpot random number counter C1, the mode determination counter C2 and the reach random number counter C3 updated in step S603 are stored in the first area of the free storage area of the reserved ball storage area of the RAM 503. Then, after the start winning process, the CPU 501 once ends the timer interruption process.

  FIG. 33 is a flowchart showing the NMI interrupt processing. This processing is executed by the CPU 501 of the main control device 261 when the power of the pachinko machine 10 is cut off due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like. By this NMI interruption, the state of the main controller 261 at the time of power-off is stored in the backup area 503a of the RAM 503. That is, when the power of the pachinko machine 10 is cut off due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like, the power failure signal SK1 is output from the power failure monitoring circuit 542 to the NMI terminal of the CPU 501 in the main controller 261. Then, the CPU 501 interrupts the control being executed and starts the NMI interrupt process. In step S801, the CPU 501 stores the power interruption occurrence information in the backup area 503a of the RAM 503 as the setting of the power interruption occurrence information, and performs the NMI interruption process. finish.

  The above NMI interrupt processing is executed in the same manner in the payout control device 311, and information on occurrence of power interruption is stored in the backup area 513 a of the RAM 513 by the NMI interrupt. That is, when the power of the pachinko machine 10 is cut off due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like, the power failure signal SK1 is output from the power failure monitoring circuit 542 to the NMI terminal of the CPU 511 in the payout controller 311 and the CPU 511 interrupts the control being executed. The NMI interrupt process of FIG. 33 is started. The contents are as described above.

  FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing an example of a main process executed by the CPU 501 in the main control device 261. This main process is started upon reset when the power is turned on.

  First, in step S101, an initial setting process associated with power-on is executed. Specifically, in order to set a predetermined value in the stack pointer and wait for the sub-side control device (sound lamp control device 262, payout control device 311 etc.) to become operable, for example, Wait processing is performed for about 1 second. In the subsequent step S103, RAM access is permitted.

  Thereafter, data backup processing is executed for the RAM 503 in the CPU 501. That is, in step S104, it is determined whether or not the RAM erase switch 323 is pressed (ON). If it is pressed, the process proceeds to step S113 to clear (erase) the backup data. On the other hand, if the RAM erase switch 323 has not been pressed, it is determined in the subsequent step S105 whether power-off occurrence information is set in the backup area 503a of the RAM 503. Here, if it is not set, no backup data is stored. In this case as well, the process proceeds to step S113. If power failure occurrence information is set in the backup area 503a, a RAM determination value is calculated in step S106, and in the subsequent step S107, whether or not the RAM determination value matches the RAM determination value stored when the power is turned off. That is, the effectiveness of the backup is determined. If the RAM determination value calculated here does not match the RAM determination value stored when the power is turned off, the backed up data is destroyed, and the process also proceeds to step S113 in this case.

  In the process of step S113, a payout initialization command (and a voice initialization command, etc.) is transmitted in order to initialize the payout control device 311 (and the sound lamp control device 262 and the like) which is a sub-side control device. Thereafter, the process proceeds to a RAM initialization process (step S114, etc.). Note that the RAM determination value is, for example, a checksum value at the work area address of the RAM 503. Instead of the RAM determination value, it is possible to determine the effectiveness of backup based on whether or not the keyword written in a predetermined area of the RAM 503 is correctly stored.

  As described above, the pachinko machine 10 is turned on while pressing the RAM erase switch 323 when it is desired to return to the initial state when the power is turned on. Therefore, if the RAM erase switch 323 is ON, the process proceeds to a RAM initialization process (step S114, etc.). Similarly, when the information on occurrence of power interruption is not set, or when a backup abnormality is confirmed by a RAM determination value (checksum value or the like), the process proceeds to initialization processing of the RAM 503 (step S114 or the like). That is, in step S114, the used area of the RAM 503 is cleared to 0, and in the subsequent step S115, the initial value of the RAM 503 is set. Thereafter, interrupt permission is set in step S112, and the routine proceeds to normal processing described later.

  On the other hand, if the RAM erase switch 323 has not been pressed, the power-off occurrence information is set, and the RAM judgment value (checksum value, etc.) is normal. Execute the process (process when power is restored). That is, in step S108, the stack pointer before the power interruption is restored, and in step S109, the information on the occurrence of the power interruption is cleared. In step S110, a command for returning the control device on the sub side to the gaming state at the time of power-off is transmitted, and in step S111, the used register is returned from the backup area 503a of the RAM 503. Thereafter, interrupt permission is set in step S112, and the routine proceeds to normal processing described later.

  Next, the flow of normal processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this normal process, the main process of the game is executed. As an outline, the processing of steps S201 to S207 is executed as a periodic processing with a period of 4 msec, and the counter update processing of steps S209 and S210 is executed with the remaining time.

  In FIG. 25, first, in step S201, output data such as a command updated in the previous process is transmitted to each control device on the sub side. For example, a variation pattern command, a symbol command, a determination command, and the like are transmitted to the display control device 45 when the decoration symbol display device 42 displays the variation of the decoration symbol. Here, the external output processing will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step S2001, it is determined whether or not the variation start process shown in FIG. 28 has been executed immediately before. Specifically, as will be described later, a flag indicating the start of variation display is set in the variation start process. Here, it is determined whether or not this flag is set. This flag is reset in this process (step S2001). In the variation start process, a variation pattern and a symbol command including variation time information are respectively determined. If it is determined that it is immediately after the start of fluctuation (step S2001: YES), a fluctuation pattern command is transmitted in step S2002, a flag indicating transmission of the fluctuation pattern command is set, and the process proceeds to step S2005. On the other hand, when it is determined that it is not immediately after the start of fluctuation (step S2001: NO), the process proceeds to step S2003.

  In step S2003, it is determined whether or not a variation pattern command has been transmitted in the previous process. This determination is made based on whether or not a flag indicating transmission of the variation pattern command is set. If it is determined that the variation pattern command has been transmitted (step S2003: YES), the symbol command is transmitted in step S2004, the flag indicating the transmission of the variation pattern command is reset, and the process proceeds to step S2005. . On the other hand, when it is determined that the variation pattern command is not transmitted (step S2003: NO), the process proceeds to step S2005 as it is.

  In step S2005, if various commands for the payout control device 311 are set, the command is transmitted. For example, the presence / absence of winning detection information is determined, and if there is winning detection information, a winning ball command corresponding to the number of acquired game balls is transmitted to the payout control device 311.

  In subsequent step S2006, other processing is performed. For example, when a determination command is set, the determination command is transmitted.

  According to the external output process described above, when the decoration symbol changes, a command is sent one by one for each normal process (ie, every 4 msec) in the order of the fluctuation pattern command → the symbol command. A decision command is sent at the timing.

  Further, the display control device 45 that has input the variation pattern command, the symbol command, the determination command, etc. determines the display mode of the decorative symbol display device 42 based on the various commands, and the display mode is displayed on the decorative symbol display device 42. It is supposed to be displayed. More specifically, the decorative symbols are displayed for a predetermined time based on the variation pattern command. In the present embodiment, the second variation type counter CS2 determines the elapsed time until the middle symbol that is the final stop symbol stops after the occurrence of reach, and the display control device as a variation pattern command based on the variation type counters CS1 and CS2. 45. In a normal state, the left symbol is stopped and displayed 3 seconds after the start of fluctuation, and the right symbol is stopped and displayed 4 seconds after the start of fluctuation. Therefore, the display control device 45 can grasp the variation time from the variation start to the final stop display based on the variation pattern command. Note that the variation pattern command may be configured to directly indicate the variation time from the variation start to the final stop display.

  Further, the display control device 45 determines a stop symbol based on the symbol command and displays it after the lapse of the variation time. The symbol command is a command for causing the display control device 45 to determine a stop symbol, and designates five categories: a probability variation symbol, a normal symbol, a front / rear off symbol, a symbol other than front / rear off symbol, and a completely off symbol. These divisions are indicated by numerical values “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”, “5”, and any of these numerical values is set as a symbol command. Hereinafter, the description is continued on the assumption that any one of “1” to “5” is set in the symbol command. The probability variation symbol is a symbol to which numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 are added, and when “1” indicating the probability variation symbol is set in the symbol command, the display control device 45 includes the symbol. Is determined as a stop symbol. The normal symbol is a symbol to which the numbers 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 are added. When “2” indicating the normal symbol is set in the symbol command, the display control device 45 causes the symbol to be displayed. Is determined as a stop symbol. The back-and-forth back-and-forth symbol corresponds to “front-back off-reach” in which the final stop symbol stops by one shift before and after the reach symbol after a reach occurs. When it is, the display control device 45 determines a symbol stored in a back-and-forth out-reach symbol buffer, which will be described later, as a stop symbol. Symbols other than front / rear off correspond to “reach other than front / rear off” where the final stop symbol stops other than before or after the reach occurrence, and “4” is set in the symbol command. In this case, the display control device 45 determines the symbol stored in the reach symbol buffer other than the back-and-forth deviation described later as the stop symbol. The completely missed symbol corresponds to “completely missed” in which no reach occurs, and when “5” indicating the completely missed symbol is set in the symbol command, the display control device 45 stores it in the completely missed symbol buffer described later. The displayed symbol is determined as a stop symbol.

  Next, in step S202 in FIG. 25, update of the variation type counters CS1 and CS2 is executed. Specifically, the variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are incremented by 1, and are cleared to 0 when the counter values reach the maximum values (198 and 240 in this embodiment). Then, the update values of the variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are stored in the corresponding buffer area of the RAM 503.

  In the subsequent step S203, the prize ball counting signal received from the payout control device 311 is read. Next, in step S204, the payout abnormality signal received from the payout control device 311 is read. Thereafter, in step S205, variation processing is executed. By this variation processing, the special display device 43 is controlled, and jackpot determination and setting of a variation pattern of the decorative symbol in the decorative symbol display device 42 are performed. However, details of the variation process will be described later.

  Thereafter, in step S206, a big prize opening / closing process for opening or closing the big prize opening of the variable prize winning device 32 in the case of the big win state is executed. That is, it is determined whether the big winning opening is opened for each round of the big hit state, and whether the maximum opening time of the big winning opening has passed or whether a predetermined number of game balls have been won in the big winning opening. When either of these conditions is satisfied, the special winning opening is closed. At this time, the continuous winning opening is allowed on condition that the game ball has passed the specific area, and this is repeatedly executed for a predetermined number of rounds.

  In step S207, normal symbol display control by the normal symbol display device 41 is executed. Briefly, on the condition that the game ball has passed through the second opportunity corresponding port 34, the normal symbol random number counter C4 is acquired and the normal symbol display device 41 draws the normal symbol each time, When the normal symbol hit state is reached, the first opportunity corresponding port 33 is opened for a predetermined time. Although explanation is omitted, the normal symbol random number counter C4 is also updated by the timer interruption process shown in FIG. 31, like the big hit random number counter C1, the mode determination counter C2, and the reach random number counter C3. .

  Here, since the execution time of each process of steps S201 to S207 changes according to the state of the game, the remaining time until the next normal process execution timing is not constant but varies. Therefore, it is possible to update the random number initial value counter CINI (that is, the initial value of the big hit random number counter C1) at random by repeatedly executing the update of the random number initial value counter CINI using the remaining time, and similarly change The type counters CS1 and CS2 can also be updated at random.

  After that, in step S211, it is determined whether or not occurrence information of power interruption is set in the backup area 503a of the RAM 503. If the occurrence information of the power interruption is not set in the backup area 503a, it is determined in step S208 whether or not the next normal process execution timing has been reached, that is, a predetermined time from the start of the previous normal process (4 msec in the present embodiment). ) Or not. And if predetermined time has already passed, it will transfer to Step S201 and will repeat the processing after the above-mentioned Step S201.

  On the other hand, if the predetermined time has not yet elapsed from the start of the previous normal process, the random number initial value counter CINI and the variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are updated within the remaining time until the execution timing of the next normal process. Repeatedly execute (step S209, step S210). That is, in step S209, the random number initial value counter CINI is updated. Specifically, the random number initial value counter CINI is incremented by 1 and cleared to 0 when the counter value reaches the maximum value (676 in this embodiment).

  In step S210, update of the variation type counters CS1 and CS2 is executed (same as step S202). Specifically, the variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are incremented by 1, and are cleared to 0 when the counter values reach the maximum values (198 and 240 in this embodiment). Then, the change values of the variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are stored in the corresponding buffer area of the RAM 503.

  Also, in the process of step S211, it is determined whether or not the information on occurrence of power interruption is set in the backup area 503a. Here, if the information on occurrence of power supply interruption is set, the power supply is cut off, and therefore, the process after step S212 is performed as a power failure process at the time of power supply interruption. In the power failure process, first, the generation of each interrupt process is prohibited in step S212. In step S213, the contents of each register used by the CPU 501 are saved in the stack area. In step S214, the value of the stack pointer is stored in the backup area 503a. To remember. Thereafter, in step S215, a power-off notification command indicating that the power has been cut off is transmitted to another control device (such as the payout control device 311). In step S216, a RAM determination value is calculated and stored in the backup area 503a. The RAM determination value is, for example, a checksum value at the work area address of the RAM 503. Thereafter, RAM access is prohibited in step S217, and the infinite loop is continued until the power supply is completely shut down and processing cannot be executed.

  The process of step S211 is performed at the end of a series of processes corresponding to the game state change performed at steps S201 to S207, or at the end of one cycle of the processes of steps S209 and S210 performed within the remaining time. It is executed at the timing. Therefore, in the normal process of the main controller 261, the occurrence information of the power interruption is confirmed at the end of each process, so that the amount of data stored in the backup area 503a of the RAM 503 is less than that in the middle of each process. And can be easily memorized. Further, when returning to the state before power-off, since the amount of data stored in the backup area 503a is small, it can be easily restored and the processing load of the main control device 261 can be reduced. . Further, since the interruption process is prohibited before the data is stored (step S212), it is possible to prevent the data from being changed when the power is shut off, and to reliably store the state before the power is shut off. .

  Next, the fluctuation process in step S205 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In FIG. 27, in step S301, it is determined whether or not a big hit is currently being made. The jackpot includes a special game and a predetermined time after the special game. In a succeeding step S302, it is determined whether or not the special display device 43 is performing color change display (variable display). If it is not being a big hit and not being changed, the process proceeds to step S303, and it is determined whether or not the number N of starting reserved balls is greater than zero. At this time, if it is a big hit or if the number N of starting reserved balls is 0, this processing is terminated as it is.

  If neither the big hit or the variable display is being displayed and if the number of starting reserved balls N> 0, the process proceeds to step S304. In step S304, 1 is subtracted from the number N of starting reserved balls. In step S305, a process for shifting the data stored in the reserved ball storage area is executed. This data shift process is a process of sequentially shifting the data stored in the reserved first to fourth areas of the reserved ball storage area to the execution area side, and the reserved first area → execution area, reserved second area → The data in each area is shifted such as the first hold area, the third hold area → the second hold area, the fourth hold area → the third hold area.

  Thereafter, in step S306, a change start process is executed. Here, details of the variation start process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in the first step S400, color change display (variation display) on the special display device 43 is started. Here, a flag indicating the start of variable display is set (see step S2001). The special display device 43 is a three-color LED as described above, and changes color to green if the lit color is red, blue if it is green, and red if it is blue.

  In a succeeding step S401, it is determined whether or not the jackpot is based on the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 stored in the execution area of the reserved ball storage area. Specifically, whether or not the jackpot is determined is determined based on the relationship between the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 and the mode at that time. , 673 ”is the winning value, and in the high probability mode,“ 67, 131, 199, 269, 337, 401, 463, 523, 601, 661 ”is the winning value. If it is determined that the game is a big hit (step S401: YES), the process proceeds to step S402. On the other hand, when it is determined that it is not a big hit (step S401: NO), that is, when it is out of place, the process proceeds to step S407.

  In step S402, it is determined whether or not the probability variation big hit. In this embodiment, when it becomes a big hit, it is comprised so that it may transfer to high probability mode or low probability mode with a probability of 1/2, respectively. Specifically, whether or not to shift to the high probability mode is determined based on the value of the mode determination counter C2 stored in the execution area of the reserved ball storage area. If the odd number is “1, 3, 5, 7, 9” among the values 0 to 9 of the mode decision counter C2, the transition to the high probability mode is determined (probable big hit), and the even number “0, 2, 4, 6, 8”. ", The transition to the low probability mode is determined (usually jackpot). When it is determined that the probability variation jackpot (step S402: YES), the jackpot variation pattern is determined in step S403, and the probability variation symbol ("1" in the present embodiment) is set in the symbol command in step S404. Then, this variation start process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not a probable big hit (step S402: NO), that is, if it is a normal big hit, a big hit variation pattern is determined in step S405, and a normal symbol (in this embodiment, “2”). ”) Is set in the symbol command, and the variation start process is terminated.

  In step S403 and step S405, the variation pattern at the time of the big hit is determined, and the variation pattern is set in the variation pattern command. At this time, the values of the variation type counters CS1 and CS2 stored in the counter buffer of the RAM 503 are confirmed, and the reach type of the decorative symbol such as normal reach, super reach, premium reach, etc. based on the value of the first variation type counter CS1. And other rough symbol variation modes, and the elapsed time until the final stop symbol (in this embodiment, the middle symbol) stops after occurrence of reach based on the value of the second variation type counter CS2 (in other words, variation More detailed symbol variation mode is determined. The relationship between the numerical value of the first variation type counter CS1 and the reach pattern and the relationship between the numerical value of the second variation type counter CS2 and the stop symbol time are respectively defined in advance by a table or the like. The symbol commands in step S404 and step S406 indicate the jackpot symbol in a predetermined category, and the display controller 45 determines the stop symbol as will be described later. Specifically, when “1” indicating the probability variation symbol is set in the symbol command (step S404), the symbol to which any of 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 is attached is displayed on the display control device. 45 is determined as a stop symbol. On the other hand, when “2” indicating the normal symbol is set as the symbol command (step S406), the display control device 45 stops the symbol to which any of 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 is attached. Determine as a symbol.

  In step S407, which is shifted when a negative determination is made in step S401, it is determined whether or not a reach is reached. This determination is made based on the value of the reach random number counter C3 stored in the execution area of the reserved ball storage area. As described above, in the present embodiment, the reach random number counter C3 causes the final stop symbol after the occurrence of the reach to stop by shifting by one by one before and after the reach symbol, and the final stop after the occurrence of reach. “Reach other than front / rear detachment” where the symbol stops other than before and after the reach symbol and “completely disengagement” where reach does not occur are selected by lottery. For example, C3 = 0, 1 corresponds to front / rear outreach and C3 = 2 to 21 correspond to reach other than front / rear disengagement, and C3 = 22 to 238 corresponds to complete disengagement. If it is determined that it is reach (step S407: YES), the process proceeds to step S408. On the other hand, when it is determined that it is not reach (step S407: NO), that is, when it is “completely out”, a dislocation variation pattern is determined in step S413, and in FIG. “5”) is set in the symbol command, and this variation start process is terminated.

  In step S408, it is determined whether or not the front / rear reach is reached. If it is determined that the front / rear reach is lost (step S408: YES), a deviation variation pattern is determined in step S409, and the front / rear pattern ("3" in this embodiment) is used as a symbol command in step S410. After setting, this variation start process ends. On the other hand, when it is determined that it is not the front / rear detachment (step S408: NO), that is, when the reach is other than the front / rear detachment, a detachment variation pattern is determined in step S411, and the symbols other than front / rear detachment (this book) are determined in step S412. In the embodiment, “4”) is set as the symbol command, and this variation start process is terminated.

  When the outlier variation pattern is determined in steps S409, S411, and S413, the variation pattern is determined based on the values of the variation type counters CS1 and CS2 stored in the counter buffer of the RAM 503. And so on. Also, the symbol command in step S410, step S412, and step S414 indicates a predetermined segment of the symbol that is not in the same manner as in step S404 and the like. Specifically, when “3” indicating the front / rear off symbol is set in the symbol command (step S410), the display control device 45 that has received the symbol command is stored in the front / rear outreach symbol buffer of the work RAM 523. The symbol corresponding to the front / rear detachment reach is determined as the stop symbol. When “4” indicating a symbol other than front / rear detachment is set in the symbol command (step S412), a symbol corresponding to reach other than front / rear detachment stored in the reach symbol buffer stored in the work RAM 523 is displayed on the display control device 45. Is determined as a stop symbol. When “5” indicating the completely out symbol is set in the symbol command (step S414), the display control device 45 determines the symbol corresponding to the complete dislocation stored in the completely out symbol buffer of the work RAM 523 as the stop symbol. To do.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 27, if step S302 is YES, that is, if the fluctuation display is being performed, the process proceeds to step S307, where it is determined whether or not the fluctuation time has elapsed. In step S308, which is shifted when an affirmative determination is made in step S307, determination display by the special display device 43 is performed. In other words, when it is a probable big hit with a transition to the high probability mode, red is determined and displayed (for example, it is lit only for a few seconds), and when it is a normal jackpot with a transition to the low probability mode, a green is determined and displayed ( For example, it is lit only for a few seconds), and when it is off, blue is determined and displayed (lights only for a few seconds). Again, such a determination display by the special display device 43 is the main display, and the display of the decorative symbols by the decorative symbol display device 42 is auxiliary. In the next step S309, a determination command for completely synchronizing the decorative pattern variation stop with the LED variation stop in the special display device 43 is set, and then this processing is terminated. On the other hand, in step S310, which is shifted when a negative determination is made in step S307, color change display (variation display) of the LED of the special display device 43 is performed. Specifically, if the current lighting color is red, the color is changed to green, blue if it is green, and red if it is blue. Thereby, the color change display (variation display) of the LED of the special display device 43 is realized at the timing of the variation processing, that is, every 4 ms.

  Next, processing of the display control device 45 will be described. The display control device 45 that has input the variation pattern command, the symbol command, the determination command, etc. determines the display mode of the decorative symbol display device 42 based on the various commands, and displays the display mode on the decorative symbol display device 42. It is like that. More specifically, the decorative symbols are displayed for a predetermined time based on the variation pattern command. Then, a stop symbol is determined based on the symbol command and displayed. In addition, after the determination display of the special display device 43, the determination command is transmitted to the display control device 45 as described above. This determination command is transmitted between the main special display device 43 and the auxiliary decorative symbol display device 42. It is intended for complete synchronization. That is, in order to achieve complete synchronization, it is desirable to transmit the determination command as described above. However, if the configuration is such that both the main control device 261 and the display control device 45 can grasp the variation time, the determination command is transmitted. It is good also as a structure which does not transmit.

  In the present embodiment, the CPU 521 in the display control device 45 uses various counter information when displaying decorative symbols. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 29, the jackpot decorative symbol counter C5 and the left, middle and right off symbol counters CL and CM used for setting the off symbol of the left column, the middle column and the right column, respectively. , CR. The off symbol counters CL, CM, CR are configured such that register values are added using an R register (refresh register) in the CPU 521, and as a result, the numerical values change randomly.

  The jackpot decorative symbol counter C5 determines a symbol when the variation of the decorative symbol display device 42 is stopped (a jackpot symbol) in the case of a jackpot. In the present embodiment, the decorative symbol display device 42 There are five patterns of probability variation (probability variation symbols) and five normal symbols (designs other than probability variation symbols). Therefore, five (0 to 4) counter values are prepared as the jackpot decorative symbol counter C5. That is, the jackpot decoration symbol counter C5 is incremented by 1 in order within a range of 0 to 4, and returns to 0 after reaching the maximum value (that is, 4). When the symbol command transmitted from the main control device 261 is “1” indicating a probability variation symbol, for example, if the counter value is zero based on a table (not shown) (a table that associates a counter value with a decorative symbol). For example, 1, 1 is 3, 3 is 2, 5 is 3, 7 is 4, and 9 is determined. Further, when the symbol command is “2” indicating the normal symbol, for example, if the counter value is 0, it may be 0 or 1 based on another table (a table for associating the counter value and the decorative symbol). For example, 2 is 2, 4 is 3, 6 is 4, 4 is 8 and so on. The jackpot decorative symbol counter C5 is periodically updated, and is read from the counter buffer at the timing when the display control device 45 receives the symbol command. In the present embodiment, the jackpot decoration symbol counter C5 is stored in the jackpot decoration symbol counter buffer of the work RAM 523. However, it is not stored in the buffer, but the counter value is referred to when the symbol command is received. You may make it do.

  The left, middle and right off symbol counters CL, CM, CR determine the stop symbol (out symbol) of the left row ornament symbol, middle row ornament symbol, right column ornament symbol when the big hit lottery is missed. Since each of the ten decorative symbols is displayed in each column, ten (0 to 9) counter values are prepared for each column. The stop symbol of the left symbol row is determined by the off symbol counter CL, the stop symbol of the middle symbol row is determined by the off symbol counter CM, and the stop symbol of the right symbol row is determined by the off symbol counter CR.

  In the present embodiment, the value of each counter CL, CM, CR is updated at random by using the value of the R register built in the CPU 521. That is, when each outlier symbol counter CL, CM, CR is updated, the lower 3 bits of the R register are added to the previous value, and when the addition result exceeds the maximum value, 10 is subtracted to determine the current value. The Each outlier symbol counter CL, CM, CR is updated so that the update times do not overlap, and the combination of these outlier symbol counters CL, CM, CR is a front / rear outreach symbol buffer of the work RAM 523, a reach symbol buffer other than front / rear out, and It is stored in one of the completely off symbol buffers.

  Here, the update process of each off symbol counter CL, CM, CR will be described in detail. This processing is executed by the display control device 45 every predetermined time such as 4 msec.

  As shown in FIG. 30, in step S501, it is determined whether it is time to update the left symbol row out symbol counter CL, and in step S502, it is determined whether it is time to update the out symbol counter CM in the middle symbol row. . In addition, each off symbol counter CL, CM, CR of the left symbol row, the middle symbol row, and the right symbol row is configured to be sequentially updated one by one in one update process. Therefore, if the out-of-right symbol counter CR in the right symbol sequence has been updated in the previous update process, an affirmative determination is made in step S501. In addition, when the out symbol counter CL in the left symbol row has been updated in the previous update process, an affirmative determination is made in step S502. If it is time to update the left symbol sequence (YES in step S501), the process advances to step S503 to update the left symbol sequence outlier symbol counter CL. Further, if the update timing of the middle symbol sequence (YES in step S502), the process proceeds to step S504, where the middle symbol sequence outlier symbol counter CM is updated. Further, if the update timing of the right symbol sequence (both NO in steps S501 and S502), the process proceeds to step S505, and the outlier symbol counter CR of the right symbol sequence is updated. In the update of the symbol counters CL, CM, CR out of steps S503 to S505, the lower 3 bits of the R register are added to the previous counter value, and 10 is subtracted when the addition result exceeds the maximum value. The calculation result is set as the current value of the off symbol counters CL, CM, CR.

  According to the above-described CL, CM, and CR update processing, the left symbol row, middle symbol row, and right symbol row outlier symbol counters CL, CM, and CR are updated one by one in a single update process. The update times of the values do not overlap. As a result, every time the update process is executed three times, the set symbol counters CL, CM, and CR are updated for one set.

  After that, in step S506, it is determined whether or not the combination of the updated out symbol counters CL, CM, and CR is a reach symbol combination. It is determined whether or not it is a missed reach. If the off symbol counters CL, CM, and CR are combinations of front and rear outreach, the process proceeds to step S508, and the combination of out symbol symbols CL, CM, and CR at that time is stored in the front and rear outreach symbol buffer of the work RAM 523. If the out symbol counters CL, CM, CR are a combination of reach other than front / back off, the process proceeds to step S509, and the combination of the out symbol counters CL, CM, CR at that time is stored in the reach symbol buffer other than front / back out of the work RAM 523. Store.

  In the case of a combination other than the reach symbol, in step S510, it is determined whether or not the combination of the symbol symbols CL, CM, CR is a symbol combination, and if it is a symbol combination, Proceeding to step S511, the combination of the off symbol counters CL, CM, and CR at that time is stored in the off symbol buffer of the work RAM 523. If NO in both steps S506 and S510, the symbols are aligned on the left, middle, and right, that is, it corresponds to a jackpot state. In such a case, the off symbol counters CL, CM, and CR are stored in the buffer. The process is terminated without any processing.

  As described above, the display control device 45 determines a stop symbol to be displayed on the decorative symbol display device 42 based on the symbol command transmitted from the main control device 261.

  Specifically, when the symbol command transmitted from the main control device 261 is “1” indicating the probability variation symbol, for example, the big hit decoration is based on a table (not shown) (a table that associates the counter value with the ornament symbol). If the value stored in the symbol counter buffer is 0, the probability variation symbol is determined to be 1, 1 if 3, 2 if 5, 3 if 7, 4 if 9, and so on. Further, when the symbol command is “2” indicating a normal symbol, for example, the value stored in the jackpot decorative symbol counter buffer is based on another table (a table for associating the counter value and the decorative symbol). The normal symbol is determined such that 0 is 0, 0 is 1, 2 is 4, 4 is 3, 6 is 4, 4 is 8. Furthermore, when the symbol command transmitted from the main control device 261 is “3” indicating a back-and-forth out-of-front symbol, the symbol corresponding to the back-and-forth out-of-front reach stored in the work RAM 523 is used as a stop symbol. decide. When the symbol command is “4” indicating a symbol other than front / rear detachment, the symbol corresponding to the reach other than front / rear detachment stored in the reach symbol buffer stored in the work RAM 523 is determined as a stop symbol. Furthermore, when the symbol command is “5” indicating a completely unsymbolized symbol, the symbol corresponding to the completely unsymbol stored in the completely unsymbolized symbol buffer of the work RAM 523 is determined as a stop symbol.

  The display control device 45 is configured to stop the symbol change mode such as the reach type of the decorative symbols such as normal reach, super reach, and premium reach, and the final stop symbol (the middle symbol in this embodiment) based on the change pattern command. The elapsed time is determined and the decorative symbols are displayed in a variable manner. Then, the stop symbol is determined based on the symbol command, the passage of time is judged, and the stop symbol is displayed. When displaying the stop symbol, the main controller 261 sends a determination command in order to completely synchronize the change stop of the special display device 43 and the stop change of the decorative symbol display device 42. It should be noted that the determination command from main controller 261 is not necessarily required, and can be implemented with a configuration in which the determination command is not transmitted. This is because the main control device 261 and the display control device 45 can grasp the variation time, and usually complete synchronization is realized without using the determination command.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the special display device 43 directly controlled by the main control device 261 mainly performs determination display such as jackpots, and the decorative symbol display device 42 controlled by the display control device 45. Is intended to provide an auxiliary display.

  Conventionally, there has been known a fraudulent act of forcibly opening a special winning opening using a cell or the like and acquiring a ball even though it is not a big hit. In that case, it is conceivable that some signal is sent to the display control device 45 so as to make it appear as if it is a big hit even though it is not a big hit.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the main control device 261 is stored in the board box 263 that is strictly sealed, and therefore, different from the display control device 45, an illegal act such as sending some illegal signal. It is difficult to illuminate the LED of the special display device 43 illegally in a jackpot of “red” or “green”. Therefore, even if the decorative symbol display device 42 can display as if it was a big hit, such an illegal act can be easily found by the lighting mode of the special display device 43.

  Next, payout control executed by the CPU 511 in the payout control device 311 will be described. For convenience of explanation, the reception interrupt process will be described first with reference to FIG. 35, and then the main process will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 35 is a flowchart showing a reception interrupt process executed by the payout control apparatus 311. The reception interrupt process is a process executed by interruption when the payout control device 311 receives a command transmitted from the main control device 261. When the payout control device 311 confirms that the command transmitted from the main control device 261 has been received, the other processing executed by the CPU 511 in the payout control device 311 is temporarily waited, and the reception interrupt process is executed. When the reception interrupt process is executed, the command transmitted from the main controller 261 in step S3001 is first stored in the command buffer 513d of the RAM 513, and the command transmitted from the main controller 261 is stored in step S3002. At this time, the command reception flag 513c is turned on, and this reception interrupt process is terminated. As described above, when a command is stored in the command buffer 513d, the storage pointer is referred to and stored in a predetermined storage area, and the next received command is stored to be stored in the next storage area. The pointer is updated.

  In the present embodiment, the reception process of the command transmitted from the main control device 261 is performed by the interrupt process executed when the command is received. For example, as illustrated in FIG. In the timer interrupt process, before the command determination process (step S1001) is performed, it is confirmed whether or not a command has been received. If a command has been received, the command is stored in the command buffer 513d of the RAM 513. The command reception flag 513c may be turned on, and if a command has not been received, the process may proceed to command determination processing. In such a case, it is confirmed whether or not a command has been received by checking a port corresponding to a command input of the input / output port 515 at predetermined intervals.

  Next, main processing of the payout control device 311 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing a main process of the payout control apparatus 311. This main process is started upon reset at power-on.

  First, in step S901, an initial setting process associated with power-on is executed. Specifically, a predetermined value set in advance is set in the stack pointer, and an interrupt mode is set. In step S903, RAM access is permitted, and in step S904, an external interrupt vector is set.

  After that, in step S906, it is determined whether or not occurrence information of power interruption is set in the backup area 513a of the RAM 513. If the occurrence information of power interruption is set in the backup area 513a, the RAM determination value is calculated in step S907, and in step S908, whether the RAM determination value matches the RAM determination value stored when the power is turned off. No, that is, the validity of the backup is determined. The RAM determination value is, for example, a checksum value at a work area address in the RAM 513. It should be noted that it is possible to determine the effectiveness of backup based on whether or not the keywords written in a predetermined area of the RAM 513 are correctly stored.

  If power failure occurrence information is not set in step S906, or if a backup abnormality is confirmed by a RAM determination value (checksum value, etc.) in step S908, the process proceeds to initialization processing of the RAM 513 after step S915. Transition.

  In step S915, the entire area of the RAM 513 is cleared to 0, and in step S916, the initial value of the RAM 513 is set. Thereafter, in step S917, the CPU peripheral device is initialized, and the process proceeds to step S914 to permit interruption.

  On the other hand, on the condition that the information on occurrence of power interruption is set in step S906 and the RAM judgment value (checksum value etc.) is normal in step S908, the process at the time of power recovery (when the power interruption is restored). Process). That is, in step S909, the stack pointer before power-off is restored, information on occurrence of power-off is cleared in step S910, and a payout permission flag 513b that permits payout of prize balls is cleared in step S911. In step S912, the CPU peripheral device is initialized, and in step S913, the used register is restored from the backup area 513a of the RAM 513. In step S914, an interrupt is permitted.

  After the interruption is permitted in step S914, it is determined in the process of step S922 whether power-off occurrence information is set in the backup area 513a. Here, if the information on occurrence of power supply interruption is set, the power supply is cut off, and therefore, the process after step S923 is performed as a power failure process at the time of power supply interruption. In the power failure process, first, the generation of each interrupt process is prohibited in step S923, and a command determination process described later is executed in the next step S924. Thereafter, the contents of each register used by the CPU 511 are saved in the stack area in step S925, the stack pointer value is stored in the backup area 513a in step S926, the RAM determination value is calculated in step S927, and the backup area 513a is stored. In step S928, RAM access is prohibited, and the infinite loop is continued until the power supply is completely shut down and processing cannot be executed. Here, the RAM determination value is, for example, a checksum value in the stack area and work area to be backed up in the RAM 513.

  In the process of step S922, the occurrence information of the power interruption is confirmed after the process performed when the power is turned on. Therefore, the amount of data stored in the backup area 513a of the RAM 513 is smaller than that in the middle of each process. Less and can be easily memorized. Further, when returning to the state before power-off, since the amount of data stored in the backup area 513a is small, it can be easily restored and the processing load of the payout control device 311 can be reduced. .

  Next, timer interrupt processing of the payout control device 311 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This timer interrupt process is started periodically (in this embodiment, at a cycle of 2 msec). The function of the timer interrupt process (following various steps) corresponds to the payout setting means, the payout prohibiting means, the prohibition invalidating means, the determining means, and the operation invalidating means in this embodiment.

  In the timer interrupt process, first, a command from the main control device 261 is acquired, and a determination process for the command is performed (step S1001). This command determination process will be described below with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 37 is a flowchart showing command determination processing performed by the payout control device 311. In the command determination process (steps S924 and S1001), first, it is determined whether or not the command reception flag 513c is turned on in step S1301. The command reception flag 513c is turned on when a command transmitted from the main controller 261 is received in the above-described reception interrupt process (see FIG. 35).

  If it is determined in step S1301 that the command reception flag 513c is off, a new command has not been received from the main controller 261, and thus this process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1301 that the command reception flag 513c is on, the received command is read from the RAM 513 in step S1302, and the command reception flag 513c is turned off in step S1303. By turning off the command reception flag 513c in step S1303, the processing in steps S1302 to S1311 can be skipped until a new command is received, so that the control of the payout control device 311 can be reduced.

  The type of command read from the RAM 513 is determined in the processing of steps S1304 to S1306. In step S1304, it is determined whether or not the command transmitted from the main control device 261 is a payout initialization command. In step S1305, it is determined whether or not it is a payout return command. In step S1306, it is determined whether the command is a prize ball command. It is determined whether or not.

  If the command transmitted from the main controller 261 is a payout initialization command, it is determined in step S1307 whether or not the payout permission flag 513b has already been turned on. If the payout permission flag 513b has been turned off, the power is turned on. Since the initialization of the RAM 513 is sometimes instructed by the main controller 261, the work area (area) other than the stack area of the RAM 513 is cleared to 0 in step S1308, and the initial value of the RAM 513 is set in step S1309. To do. Thereafter, in step S1311, the payout permission flag 513b is turned on, and the payout permission for the prize ball is set.

  As described above, the main controller 261 performs initialization processing of the RAM 503 after transmitting the payout initialization command, and the payout control device 311 initializes processing of the RAM 513 after receiving the payout initialization command. Therefore, the timing at which the RAM 503 is initialized and the timing at which the RAM 513 is initialized are substantially at the same time. Therefore, even if the payout control device 311 receives a command transmitted from the main control device 261 due to a shift in the initialization timing, the RAM 513 is initialized, and control corresponding to the received command cannot be performed. The occurrence of adverse effects can be prevented. In addition, since the payout permission flag 513b is turned on after the RAM 513 is initialized, it is possible to reliably set the payout allowance for prize balls.

  On the other hand, if the payout permission flag 513b has already been turned on in step S1307, the command determination process is terminated without clearing the work area of the RAM 513 and the initialization process of the RAM 513. That is, the process in step S1307 prohibits the RAM 513 from being initialized while the payout permission flag 513b is set. The payout initialization command is transmitted only when the RAM erase switch 323 is turned on when the power is turned on. Therefore, the payout initialization command is not received when the payout permission flag 513b is turned on. It is conceivable that the payout control device 311 has recognized the payout initialization command due to the influence of noise or the like. Therefore, if the work area of the RAM 513 is cleared (step S1308) and the initial value setting of the RAM 513 (step S1309) is executed in a state where the payout permission flag 513b is turned on, the payout is not made when a prize ball remains. However, the RAM 513 is prevented from being initialized while the payout permission flag 513b is turned on, so that the player is prevented from being lost. it can.

  Further, if the command transmitted from the main control device 261 is a payout return command (step S1304: NO, step S1305: YES), the main control device 261 and the payout control device 311 return to the state before the power shut-off. In order to permit the payout of the prize ball, the payout permission flag 513b is turned on in step S1311. That is, when there is information on occurrence of power interruption and the main control device 261 and the payout control device 311 return to the state before the power interruption, the payout of the prize ball is permitted. When the payout permission flag 513b is turned on in the process of step S1311, the process based on the command stored in the predetermined storage area of the command buffer 513d is completed, so that the read pointer corresponds to the next storage area. Updated to pointer.

  Further, if the command transmitted from main controller 261 is a prize ball command (step S1305: NO, step S1306: YES), the received prize ball number is added to the total prize ball number and stored in step S1310. In order to permit the payout of the prize ball, the payout permission flag 513b is turned on in step S1311. At this time, the payout control device 311 sequentially reads out the prize ball commands stored in the command buffer 513d (ring buffer), and sets the number of prize balls corresponding to the command to the total number of prize balls stored in a predetermined buffer area. Add and store. Since a prize ball corresponding to the number of prize balls is paid out based on the prize ball command transmitted from the main controller 261, the prize ball command is a payout instruction command for instructing the prize ball to be paid out. . In addition, when a winning ball command is received, the payout permission is immediately set, so that the winning ball can be paid out early for winning. When the payout permission flag 513b is turned on in the process of step S1311, the process based on the command stored in the predetermined storage area of the command buffer 513d is completed, so that the read pointer corresponds to the next storage area. Updated to pointer.

  The command transmitted from the main controller 261 is not a payout initialization command (step S1304: NO), is not a payout return command (step S1305: NO), and is not a prize ball command (step S1306: NO), The command determination process is terminated without turning on the payout permission flag 513b.

  Returning to the flowchart of FIG. When the command determination process ends, it is determined in step S1002 whether or not the payout permission flag 513b is turned on in the command determination process. Here, if the payout permission flag 513b is not turned on, this processing is ended as it is. That is, it is possible to prevent award balls from being paid out before a command is transmitted from the main controller 261.

  On the other hand, if an affirmative determination is made in step S1002, the launch permission setting is set for the launch control device 312 in step S1003, the state return switch 321 is checked in step S1004, and the state return operation is determined to be started. Perform a return operation. With this process, when the state return switch 321 is pressed when a payout error occurs, for example, when the payout motor is clogged, the payout motor is rotated forward and reverse to eliminate the ball clogging (return to the normal state). .

  Thereafter, in step S1005, setting of the lower pan full state or the lower pan full tank release state is executed in accordance with the change in the state of the lower pan 15. In other words, the full state of the lower plate 15 is determined based on the detection signal of the lower plate full switch 15a, and when the lower plate is full, the lower plate full state is set, and the lower plate is not full. Execute the setting of the lower pan full tank release state. In step S1006, the setting of the tank ball absence state (out of ball state) or the tank ball absence release state (ball state) is executed according to the change in the state of the tank ball. That is, it is determined whether or not there is no tank ball state based on the detection signal of the ball break detection switch 403, and if there is no tank ball state, the tank ball no error state is set. Execute the cancel setting for the tank ball no error state. It should be noted that the state where there is no tank ball means that, as described above, there is no game ball in the curved passage portion 401a due to the occurrence of ball clogging or ball removal processing in the tank 355 and the tank rail 356, and the ball break detection switch 403 is turned off. This is the state. In other words, although there is no tank ball state, ball clogging actually occurs in the tank 355, and even when there is a game ball in the tank 355, it is included in this state when there is no game ball in the curved passage portion 401a. . More specifically, after the ball break detection switch 403 is turned off, a tank ball absence error state is set after a lapse of a predetermined time or after execution of a predetermined return operation (for example, driving of the vibrator 360).

  Thereafter, in step S1007, the presence / absence of a state to be notified is determined. If there is a state to be notified, a state display unit (7 segment LED) (not shown) provided in the payout control device 311 is notified. For example, “1” is displayed when there is no tank ball error state based on the detection signal of the ball break detection switch 403, and when the lower plate full tank error state is based on the detection signal of the lower plate full tank switch 15a. Is displayed as “2”, “3” is displayed in the error state where the game ball is not paid out even though the payout motor 358a is driven, and the game ball is counted even though the payout motor 358a is driven. “4” is displayed in the case of an error state.

  Next, a payout number setting process is performed in step S1008, a motor control state acquisition process is performed in step S1009, a motor drive process is performed in step S1010, and a ball removal control setting process is performed in step S1011. Details of the payout number setting process, the motor control state acquisition process, the motor drive process, and the ball removal control setting process will be described later.

  In step S1012, the control of the vibrator 360 (vibrating motor control) is executed on the condition that the ball is clogged, and then the process returns to the head of the timer interrupt process.

  Here, the payout number setting process will be described with reference to FIGS. The function of the payout number setting process particularly constitutes the payout setting means in the present embodiment. First, in step S4001, it is determined whether an error other than a tank ball no error is in progress. If an affirmative determination is made here, the present process ends. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made, it is determined in step S4002 whether or not the value of the payout motor monitoring counter is zero. If an affirmative determination is made here, the number of payouts is cleared in step S4003, and this process ends. The payout motor monitoring counter is a counter that is set to a predetermined value every time each slit of the sprocket 358b is detected, and is subtracted for each step of driving the payout motor. In the case of this embodiment (one step of the sprocket 358b, 120 steps, slit interval of 45 degrees), 30 steps are required until a next slit is detected after a predetermined slit is detected. However, the slit may not be detected even if there is some abnormality and the sprocket 358b does not rotate and 30 steps have passed. That is, when the value of the payout motor monitoring counter initially set to “30” becomes 0, it is considered that some abnormality has occurred. Accordingly, in step S4002, it is determined whether or not such a problem has occurred. In this embodiment, the payout motor monitoring counter is set to “45” in consideration of errors and the like, and is reset every time a new slit is detected.

  On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S4002, it is determined in step S4004 whether or not the value of the payout count switch non-operation timer is zero. If an affirmative determination is made here, the present process ends. The payout count switch non-operation timer is a timer that is set at a predetermined value every time each slit of the sprocket 358b is detected and is subtracted every processing cycle. Normally, when a game ball falls from the sprocket 358b at a timing when a predetermined slit is detected, it should be detected by the payout count switch 358c after a predetermined time elapses (after about 200 msec in this embodiment). However, the game ball may not be paid out due to some abnormality, and the game ball may not be detected by the payout count switch 358c even after a predetermined time has elapsed. That is, when the value of the payout count switch inactive timer set to “200 msec” becomes 0, it is considered that there is some abnormality. Accordingly, in step S4003, it is determined whether or not such a problem has occurred. In this embodiment, the payout count switch non-operation timer is set to “300 msec” in consideration of an error, etc., is subtracted by 2 msec every processing cycle, and is reset every time a new slit is detected. .

  On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S4004, it is determined in step S4005 whether or not “1” is set in a ball removal flag, which will be described later, that is, whether or not ball removal is started or ball removal is in progress. To do. If a negative determination is made here, the process proceeds to step S4006. If an affirmative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S4007. Actually, the value set as the ball removal flag is 8 bits (for example, 0101), but here, for convenience of explanation, it is expressed by numerical values such as “1”, “0”, and “2” ( The same applies below).

  In step S4006, it is determined whether or not there is a tank ball no error. If the error is in the process, the process is terminated. If the error is not in the process, the process proceeds to step S4007.

  In step S4007, it is determined whether or not the ball rental control is being performed. In the present embodiment, the ball rental control is prioritized over the prize ball control, and if the number of balls is set, the ball rental control is prioritized. That is, in step S4007, it is determined whether or not the lending control is in progress by determining whether or not the lending signal is received from the lending operation unit 120 or whether or not the lending number is 0. Yes. If a negative determination is made here, the process proceeds to a winning ball control process after step S4008, and if an affirmative determination is made, the process proceeds to a lending control process after step S4017.

  In step S4008, it is determined whether or not “1” is set in the retry 1 occurrence flag. If a negative determination is made here, the process proceeds to step S4009. If an affirmative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S4012. To do. The retry 1 occurrence flag is a flag for determining whether or not the retry 1 operation described later is in operation. When “1” is set, it means that the retry 1 operation is in operation. If “0” is set, it means that retry 1 is not in operation.

  In step S4009, is the value obtained by subtracting the stored total prize ball number already stored in the predetermined prize ball number storage area from the total prize ball number obtained based on the prize ball command received from the main controller 261 being 0? Determine whether or not. That is, it is determined here whether or not there is a new number of prize balls to be added. If a negative determination is made here, the process proceeds to step S4010. If an affirmative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S4012.

  In step S4010, the number of payouts (that is, the total number of winning balls + the total number of winning balls + the total number of winning balls) is added to the value obtained by subtracting the stored total number of winning balls (that is, the number of newly added prize balls). A value obtained by adding (the number of rented balls) is set as a new payout number. In step S4011, a new total number of winning balls is set in the winning ball number storage area, and this process is terminated.

  In step S4012, it is determined whether or not the number of payouts is 0. If a negative determination is made here, the process is terminated as it is, and if an affirmative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S4013.

  In step S4013, it is determined whether or not the payout count switch passage waiting timer is 0. If a negative determination is made here, the present process is terminated, and if an affirmative determination is made, retry 1 occurs in step S4014. The flag is set to “0”, and the process proceeds to step S4015. The payout count switch passage waiting timer is the same as the payout count switch non-operation timer.

  In step S4015, it is determined whether or not the total number of winning balls is 0. If an affirmative determination is made, the processing is terminated as it is. If a negative determination is made, the total winning ball number is determined in step S4016. The new total number of winning balls is set in the number-of-balls storage area, and is set as a new number of payouts, and the process is terminated.

  If an affirmative determination is made in step S4007, that is, if the lending control is in progress, it is determined in step S4017 whether or not the number of payouts is 0. If a negative determination is made here, the process is continued. If the determination is affirmative and the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S4018.

  In step S4018, it is determined whether or not the payout count switch passage waiting timer is 0. If a negative determination is made here, this processing is terminated as it is, and if an affirmative determination is made, retry 1 occurs in step S4019. The flag is set to “0”, and the process proceeds to step S4020.

  In step S4020, it is determined whether or not the number of lent balls obtained based on the lent signal received from the rented operation unit 120 serving as a lent signal output means is zero. If a negative determination is made here, the number of rented balls is set as the number of payouts in step S4021, and this process is terminated. On the other hand, when an affirmative determination is made, the present process is terminated as it is.

  Next, the motor control state acquisition process in step S1009 will be described with reference to FIG. The function of the motor control state acquisition process particularly constitutes a payout prohibiting unit, a prohibition invalidating unit, and an operation invalidating unit in the present embodiment. First, in step S4101, it is determined whether or not a state return operation is being performed. If an affirmative determination is made here, the present process is terminated as is, and if a negative determination is made, it is determined in step S4102 whether there is a prize ball or a rented number (payout number). If there is a prize ball or the number of rented balls, it is determined in step S4103 whether an error state other than the absence of a tank ball is in progress. If it is determined in step S4102 that there is no prize ball or the number of balls lent, or if it is determined in step S4103 that an error state other than no tank ball is in progress, the control state of the payout motor 358a is stopped in step S4104. To end the process.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S4103 that there is no error state other than no tank ball, the control state of the dispensing motor 358a is set to retry 1 operation in step S4105, and the process proceeds to step S4106. The retry 1 operation is a control for rotating the sprocket 358b by 90 steps (135 degrees) in the order of reverse rotation, forward rotation, and reverse rotation, for example, in an error-undetected state, while the payout motor 358a is being driven. Nevertheless, the control is executed when the slit of the sprocket 358b is not properly detected (when the value of the payout motor monitoring counter is 0).

  In step S4106, it is determined whether or not the value of the payout motor monitoring counter is zero. If an affirmative determination is made here, the present process is terminated as it is. If a negative determination is made, the control state of the payout motor 358a is set to retry 2 operation in step S4107, and the process proceeds to step S4108. The retry 2 operation is a control state similar to the retry 1 operation, and is a control for rotating the sprocket 358b by 60 steps (90 degrees) in the order of reverse rotation, normal rotation, and reverse rotation. This control is executed when the game ball is not properly detected by the payout count switch even when the payout motor 358a is being driven in the detection state (when the value of the payout count switch inoperative timer is 0).

  In step S4108, it is determined whether or not the value of the payout count switch inoperative timer is zero. If an affirmative determination is made here, the present process is terminated as is, and if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S4109.

  In step S4109, it is determined whether or not “1” is set in a ball removal flag, which will be described later, that is, whether or not ball removal is started or ball removal is in progress. If the determination is affirmative, the control state of the payout motor 358a is set to the high speed payout operation in step S4110, and the process proceeds to step S4111. The “high speed” of the high speed payout operation refers to the speed in the normal payout operation.

  On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S4109, it is determined in step S4112 whether or not a tank ball no-error state is in progress. If a negative determination is made here, the process proceeds to step S4110. On the other hand, if an affirmative determination is made, the control state of the payout motor 358a is set to stop in step S4113, and this process ends.

  In step S4111, it is determined whether or not the control state of the payout motor 358a is currently in the low speed payout operation. If a negative determination is made here, it is determined in step S4114 whether or not “1” is set in the ball removal flag. If a negative determination is made here, the control state of the payout motor 358a is set to the low speed payout operation in step S4115, and the process proceeds to step S4116. If an affirmative determination is made in step S4114 or step S4115, the process proceeds to step S4116. Note that the low-speed payout operation means that, when the tank ball no switch is detected and the tank ball no switch is detected before the tank ball no error detection, the payout operation is delayed and the tank ball no ball state is awaited in the meantime. This is the control executed for the purpose.

  In step S4116, it is determined whether or not the number of payouts is zero. If a negative determination is made here, this processing is terminated as it is. On the other hand, if an affirmative determination is made, the control state of the payout motor 358a is set to standby in step S4117, and the process proceeds to step S4118.

  In step S4118, it is determined whether the payout count switch is waiting to pass. If an affirmative determination is made here, the present process is terminated. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made, in step S4119, the control state of the payout motor 358a is set to stop, and this process ends.

  Next, the motor driving process in step S1010 will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step S4201, it is determined whether or not the payout motor 358a is to be started. If a negative determination is made here, this processing is terminated as it is. On the other hand, if an affirmative determination is made, in step S4202, the driving data for the payout motor 358a is set, and the process proceeds to step S4203.

  In step S4203, it is determined whether or not the control state of the payout motor 358a is a high speed payout operation. If a negative determination is made here, it is determined in step S4204 whether or not the control state of the payout motor 358a is in a low speed payout operation. If a negative determination is made here, the number of drive pulses of the payout motor 358a is updated in step S4207, and this process ends.

  On the other hand, if an affirmative determination is made in step S4203 or step S4204, it is determined in step S4205 whether or not the ball removal flag is set to “1”. If an affirmative determination is made here, the number of drive pulses of the payout motor 358a is updated in step S4207, and this process ends.

  If it is determined in step S4205 that the ball removal flag is not set to “1”, the value of the payout motor monitoring counter is decremented by 1 in step S4206, and the number of drive pulses of the payout motor 358a is updated in step S4207. To end this process.

  Next, the ball removal control setting process in step S1011 will be described with reference to FIG. The function of the ball removal control setting process particularly constitutes a determination unit in the present embodiment. First, in step S4301, it is determined whether or not the ball removal flag is set to “1”. The ball removal flag is a flag for determining a state such as ball removal, and when the ball removal flag is set to “1”, the ball removal start or ball removal is in progress. Means.

  If an affirmative determination is made in step S4301 (when the ball removal flag is “1”), it is determined in step S4302 whether or not the control state of the payout motor 358a is stopped. If it is not stopped, this process is terminated as it is. If it is stopped, “2” is set in the ball removal flag in step S4303, and this process is terminated. If the ball removal flag is set to “2”, it means that the state return switch 321 is still pressed after the completion of ball removal.

  If it is determined in step S4301 that the ball removal flag is not set to “1”, it is determined in step S4304 whether the ball removal flag is set to “2”. If an affirmative determination is made here (when the ball removal flag is “2”), it is determined in step S4305 whether or not the state return switch 321 has been pressed. If it is determined that the switch 321 is pressed, the process is terminated. If it is determined that the switch 321 is not pressed, the ball removal flag is set to “0” in step S4306. The process ends. When the ball removal flag is set to “0”, a normal state (non-ball removal state) that is not in a ball removal state or in a state in which the state return switch 321 is not yet pressed after completion of the ball removal. It means that.

  If it is determined in step S4304 that the ball removal flag is not set to “2”, it is determined in step S4307 whether or not there is no tank ball. If the tank ball is not in a state without the tank ball, the present process is terminated. If the tank ball is not in the state, it is determined in step S4308 whether or not the state return switch 321 has been pressed for a predetermined time (in this embodiment, 1 second). If the switch 321 has not been pressed for a predetermined time, the process is terminated. If the switch 321 has been pressed, the ball removal flag is set to “1” in step S4309, and the process is terminated.

  With the above configuration, for example, when a game ball remaining in the payout mechanism portion 352 is removed after the inspection at the time of shipment from the manufacturer or at the time of model exchange in the game hall, the tank is first connected via the ball removal mechanism 409. 355 and the tank rail 356 (including a part of the case rail 357) are removed, and then the dispensing device 358 (including a part of the case rail 357) is removed. This is because when all the game balls remaining in the payout mechanism portion 352 are removed through the payout device 358, the game balls removed are not the discharge portion on the gaming machine installation island side, but the upper plate 19 or the lower plate. This is because it is troublesome to carry out an operation of extracting a lot of game balls from the upper plate 19 or the lower plate 15 after the ball is extracted.

  Next, the procedure of ball removal work will be described in more detail. First, the operation button 412 is pressed as described above. Thereby, the game balls in the tank 355 and the tank rail 356 are discharged to the outside of the pachinko machine 10 through the ball removal mechanism 409 and the ball removal passage 407.

  Then, when there is no game ball in the curved passage portion 401a of the case rail 357, the ball break detection switch 403 is turned off, and the tank ball no error state (ball break state) is entered.

  Next, the game ball is entered into any of the winning means of the general winning opening 31, the variable winning apparatus 32, and the first opportunity corresponding opening 33. Then, as can be seen from the timer interruption process of the payout control device 311, the payout control device 311 sets the number of winning balls (payout setting). However, in this state, the game ball is not paid out because the driving of the payout device 358 is prohibited due to the tank ball no error state.

  When the state return switch 321 is pressed for a predetermined time in this state, the payout control device 311 invalidates the prohibition of driving of the payout device 358, and award balls corresponding to the ball entering the ball entry means (for example, 15 balls per ball) The ball removal process is performed such as paying out the ball.

  In some cases, it is possible to perform the ball removal process by operating the lending operation unit 120 and setting the number of lending balls.

  As described above in detail, on condition that the state return switch 321 is operated in a ball removal enabled state in which there is no tank ball error state (out of ball state) and the payout control device 311 has set payout. A ball removal process is performed. In other words, in this embodiment, it is not possible to remove a ball regardless of whether or not there is a game ball to be paid out (prize ball or rental ball) as in the prior art, but only when there is a game ball to be paid out. It becomes. Accordingly, an illegal act of causing the game ball to be paid out to the upper plate 19 or the lower plate 15 on the front side of the pachinko machine 10 by operating the ball break detection switch 403 or the state return switch 321 on the back side of the pachinko machine 10 with a wire or the like is performed. When trying to do so, it is necessary to bother the game ball to the ball entry means such as the general winning opening 31 like a regular game, and there is no merit of performing the illegal act. As a result, the cheating can be suppressed.

  Further, in order to prevent a game ball from remaining on the upstream side of the payout motor 358a of the payout device 358, the payout device 358 is provided with a ball removal mechanism directly above the payout motor 358a, or a ball removal passage dedicated for ball removal is provided. This is very difficult due to the installation space on the back of the pachinko machine 10, and there are concerns about an increase in the number of parts and the number of man-hours for assembling work. However, according to this embodiment, such a problem is also suppressed. can do.

  Conventionally, a variable member such as a lever that is rotationally displaced by contact with a game ball is provided in the case rail 357, and the presence or absence of the game ball is detected by detecting the displacement of the variable member by a predetermined detection means. There was also a game machine. Since the variable member is generally configured so that it can be displaced from the outside of the case rail 357, in this type of gaming machine, the ball can be operated in a pseudo state by operating the variable member in a ball-out state. It can also be set as the structure which removes a ball | bowl by putting a game ball in a ball | bowl means. Accordingly, it may be possible to omit the ball removal function of the state return switch 321. However, when the variable member as described above is provided, the structure is complicated, the manufacturing cost is increased, and the installation space is increased. May be incurred. In contrast, in this embodiment, the ball break detection switch 403 is provided inside the case rail 357 so that it cannot be manually operated from the outside. Therefore, an operator who removes the ball unless an instrument is inserted into the ball passage. However, it is difficult to make a pseudo-sphere state. That is, in such a gaming machine, it is necessary to provide a state return switch 321 (ball removal function). As a result, the structure can be simplified, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the space can be saved as compared with the configuration including the variable member such as the lever that is rotationally displaced.

  As mentioned above, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment at all, and it cannot be overemphasized that it can implement with a various form, unless it deviates from the meaning of this invention.

  (A) In the above embodiment, the ball break detection switch 403 and the ball removal mechanism 409 are provided on the case rail 357, but the installation position is not limited to this, and the tank 355 or the tank rail 356 may be used, for example. However, it is desirable that these installation positions are closer to the dispensing device 358 as described above.

  (B) In the above embodiment, the ball removal process is performed by operating the state return switch 321 as the specific operation means. However, a switch different from the state return switch 321 is separately provided as the specific operation means. It is good also as a provided structure.

  (C) Instead of the ball break detection switch 403, for example, a passing proximity sensor or a photo sensor provided with a passing hole through which a game ball can pass may be adopted as the ball presence / absence detecting means. Of course, as in the above-described embodiment, the presence / absence of a game ball may be detected by detecting a variable member that is rotationally displaced by contact with the game ball by a ball presence / absence detection unit. Similar to the embodiment, it is preferable that the variable member is configured so as not to be operated from the outside of the case rail 357, and the variable member cannot be operated to make a sphere-like state in a pseudo manner.

  (D) In the above-described embodiment, the ball is removed by letting a game ball enter any one of the winning means of the general winning opening 31, the variable winning device 32, and the first opportunity corresponding opening 33. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which a ball can be removed by allowing a game ball to enter a specific ball entry means (a variable winning device 32 as a variable ball entry means) among a plurality of ball entry means. Good.

  (E) In the above embodiment, the payout device 358 includes the payout motor 358a and the sprocket 358b, thereby stopping the game ball in the ball passage 358d when the ball payout operation is stopped, and rotating the sprocket 358b during the ball payout operation. The game ball is paid out. However, the configuration of the payout device is not limited to this, and for example, a configuration including a regulating member that appears and disappears in the ball passage and a solenoid that drives the regulating member may be adopted.

  (F) You may implement as a different type of pachinko machine etc. from the said embodiment. In addition to pachinko machines, the present invention can also be implemented as various game machines such as an arrangement ball machine and a similar sparrow ball.

  Further, the present invention may be implemented as a gaming machine of a type in which a slot machine and a pachinko machine are fused (particularly, a gaming machine with a slot machine specification using a game ball as a game medium). As a more detailed mode example, “a discriminating information string (a symbol string; specifically a rotating body such as a reel or a belt with a symbol) made up of a plurality of identification information (symbols) is variably displayed (specifically, a reel Variable display means (specifically, a rotating body unit such as a reel unit) that displays the identification information string after the rotation is performed, and is caused by the operation of the starting operation means (specifically, the start lever). The variation of the identification information (symbol) is started, and the variation of the identification information (symbol) is stopped due to the operation of the operation means for stopping (specifically, the stop button) or after a predetermined time has passed. It is configured so that game value is given on condition that the identification information aligned on the effective line is specific identification information, and a ball tray (top plate etc.) is provided and game balls are taken in from the ball tray Input to process A gaming machine comprising a stage and a payout means for paying out the game ball to the ball receiving tray, and the operation of the starting operation means is made effective when the game ball is thrown by the throwing means '' Can be mentioned.

It is a front view which shows the pachinko machine in one embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the pachinko machine of the state which open | released the inner frame and the front frame set. It is a front view which shows the inner frame etc. in the state which open | released the front frame set. It is a front view which shows the structure of a game board. It is a rear view which shows the structure of a front frame set. It is a rear view which shows the structure of a pachinko machine. It is a schematic diagram which shows arrangement | positioning of the 1st control board unit in the back surface of a pachinko machine, a 2nd control board unit, and a back pack unit. It is a rear view which shows the structure of an inner frame and a game board. It is a perspective view which shows the back surface structure of an inner frame. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a support metal fitting. It is a front view which shows the structure of a 1st control board unit. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a 1st control board unit. It is a disassembled perspective view of a 1st control board unit. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the back surface structure of a 1st control board unit. It is a front view which shows the structure of a 2nd control board unit. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a 2nd control board unit. It is a disassembled perspective view of a 2nd control board unit. It is a front view which shows the structure of a back pack unit. It is a disassembled perspective view of a back pack unit. It is a disassembled perspective view of a tank rail. It is a fragmentary sectional view of a case rail. It is a block diagram which shows the main electrical structures of a pachinko machine. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the various counters used for game control. It is a flowchart which shows the main process by the main controller. It is a flowchart which shows a normal process. It is a flowchart which shows an external output process. It is a flowchart which shows a fluctuation process. It is a flowchart which shows a fluctuation | variation start process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the various counters used for the determination of a decoration design. It is a flowchart which shows the update process of an off symbol counter. It is a flowchart which shows a timer interruption process. It is a flowchart which shows a start winning process. It is a flowchart which shows a NMI interruption process. It is a flowchart which shows the main process of the payout control apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows a reception interruption process. It is a flowchart which shows a timer interruption process. It is a flowchart which shows a command determination process. It is a flowchart which shows payout number setting processing. FIG. 39 is a flowchart showing a payout number setting process continued from FIG. 38. It is a flowchart which shows a motor control state acquisition process. It is a flowchart which shows a motor drive process. It is a flowchart which shows a ball removal control setting process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Pachinko machine as a game machine, 15 ... Lower plate as a ball storage means, 19 ... Upper plate as a ball storage means, 31 ... General prize opening as a ball entry means, 32 ... Variable winning apparatus as a ball entry means , 33... First opportunity corresponding port as a pitching means, 120..., A ball rental operation unit as a lent signal output means, 221... A winning hole switch as a ball detection means, 222. Switch, 223 ... Count switch as entrance detection means, 224 ... First trigger corresponding port switch as entrance detection means, 261 ... Main controller as main control means, 311 ... Discharge control means, payout setting means, payout Prohibition means, prohibition invalidation means, determination means, payout control device as operation invalidation means, 321... State return switch as specific operation means, 355... Guide means, storage tank section Click, 356 ... guide means, tank rails as guide rail section, 357 ... guide means, case rails as induction unit, 358 ... dispensing apparatus as dispensing means, 403 ... burn out detection switch as a sphere detecting means.

Claims (7)

A game area where the launched game ball is guided,
A ball entry means provided in the game area and capable of entering a game ball;
Entry detection means for detecting entry of a game sphere into the entry means;
Payout means capable of paying out a predetermined number of game balls as prize balls based on at least a game ball entering the ball entry means;
A payout control means for driving and controlling the payout means;
Guidance means for guiding the game ball to the payout means;
In a gaming machine comprising a ball storage means from which a game ball paid out by the payout means is derived,
Sphere presence / absence detecting means capable of detecting the presence / absence of a game ball at a predetermined portion of the guide means;
Specific operating means provided so that it can be manually operated on the back side of the gaming machine,
The payout control means includes
At least in a state where a game ball is not detected by the ball presence / absence detecting means, the driving of the payout means is prohibited, and
Ball removal processing for driving the payout means and paying out the game balls from the payout means when the game ball enters the ball entry means and the specific operation means is operated in the out-of-ball state A gaming machine that is configured to be capable of executing.   A game area where the launched game ball is guided,
  A ball entry means provided in the game area and capable of entering a game ball;
  Entry detection means for detecting entry of a game sphere into the entry means;
  Payout means capable of paying out a predetermined number of game balls as prize balls based on at least a game ball entering the ball entry means;
  A payout control means for driving and controlling the payout means;
  Guidance means for guiding the game ball to the payout means;
  In a gaming machine comprising a ball storage means from which a game ball paid out by the payout means is derived,
  Sphere presence / absence detecting means capable of detecting the presence / absence of a game ball at a predetermined portion of the guide means;
  Specific operating means provided so that it can be manually operated on the back side of the gaming machine,
  The payout control means includes:
  A payout setting means for performing a payout setting for paying out a predetermined number of game balls based on at least a game ball entering the ball entry means;
  A payout prohibiting means for prohibiting the driving of the payout means at least when the game ball is not detected by the ball presence detecting means;
  A prohibition invalidating means for invalidating prohibition of driving of the payout means on the condition that the payout setting is made and the specific operation means is operated in the ball-out state,
  A gaming machine configured to execute a ball removing process of driving the payout means based on the payout setting and paying out a game ball from the payout means in the out-of-ball state.   A game area where the launched game ball is guided,
  A ball entry means provided in the game area and capable of entering a game ball;
  Entry detection means for detecting entry of a game sphere into the entry means;
  Payout means capable of paying out a predetermined number of game balls as prize balls based on at least a game ball entering the ball entry means;
  A payout control means for driving and controlling the payout means;
  Guidance means for guiding the game ball to the payout means;
  In a gaming machine comprising a ball storage means from which a game ball paid out by the payout means is derived,
  Sphere presence / absence detecting means capable of detecting the presence / absence of a game ball at a predetermined portion of the guide means;
  Specific operating means provided so that manual operation is possible on the back side of the gaming machine,
  The payout control means includes
  Payout setting means for performing payout setting for paying out a predetermined number of game balls based on at least a game ball entering the ball entry means;
  A payout prohibiting means for prohibiting the driving of the payout means at least in a state where a game ball is not detected by the ball presence detecting means;
  A discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the ball can be removed, which is a state where the ball is out and the payout setting is made;
  A prohibition invalidating means for invalidating prohibition of driving of the payout means by the payout prohibiting means on the condition that the specific operation means is operated in the ball removal enabled state,
  A gaming machine configured to execute a ball removing process of driving the payout means based on the payout setting in the ball-out state and paying out a game ball from the payout means.   A game area where the launched game ball is guided,
  A ball entry means provided in the game area and capable of entering a game ball;
  Entry detection means for detecting entry of a game sphere into the entry means;
  Payout means capable of paying out a predetermined number of game balls as prize balls based on at least a game ball entering the ball entry means;
  A payout control means for driving and controlling the payout means;
  Guidance means for guiding the game ball to the payout means;
  In a gaming machine comprising a ball storage means from which a game ball paid out by the payout means is derived,
  Sphere presence / absence detecting means capable of detecting the presence / absence of a game ball at a predetermined portion of the guide means;
  Specific operating means provided so that manual operation is possible on the back side of the gaming machine,
  The payout control means includes
  Payout setting means for performing payout setting for paying out a predetermined number of game balls based on at least a game ball entering the ball entry means;
  A payout prohibiting means for prohibiting the driving of the payout means at the time of occurrence of an error state including at least a state where a game ball is not detected by the ball presence detecting means;
  A discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the ball can be removed, which is a state where the ball is out and the payout setting is made;
  Prohibition invalidating means for invalidating prohibition of driving of the payout means by the payout prohibiting means on condition that the error state is recovered or the specific operation means is operated in the ball removal enabled state; Prepared,
  A gaming machine configured to execute a ball removing process of driving the payout means based on the payout setting in the ball-out state and paying out a game ball from the payout means.   5. The guide unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a ball removing mechanism that can draw a game ball to the outside of the gaming machine downstream of the ball presence / absence detection unit. Gaming machine.   A plurality of entrance means and entrance detection means,
  6. The payout control means is configured to perform the ball removal process when a game ball enters a specific entry means among the plurality of entry means. The gaming machine according to any one of the above.   The gaming machine according to claim 6, wherein the specific ball entry means is a variable ball entry means that changes from a closed state to an open state based on establishment of a predetermined condition.

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