JP4805889B2 - Game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine having a computer circuit, and more particularly to a gaming machine that can be set to an optimum volume and sound quality by a simple operation.

  A ball and ball game machine such as a pachinko machine has a symbol start port provided on the game board, a symbol display unit for displaying a series of symbol variation modes such as stopping a plurality of display symbols after varying a predetermined time, and an opening / closing plate It is configured with a grand prize opening that opens and closes. When the detection switch provided at the symbol start port detects the passing of the game ball, the game ball is in a winning state and the symbol display unit changes the display symbol for a predetermined time. After that, when the symbol stops in a predetermined manner such as 7-7-7, a big hit state is established, and the big winning opening is repeatedly opened to generate a profit state advantageous to the player.

  The symbol display unit is usually composed of a liquid crystal display, and executes various symbol effect operations including a reach effect, a notice effect, and a jackpot effect. Reach production is a design production that continues to be a big hit state in one step and excites the player, and the notice production is a sudden appearance of some character in the middle of the movement of the design, It is a design effect that warns of a big hit. The jackpot effect is an effect executed in a big hit state, and a more flashy symbol effect is executed in response to the joy of the player.

When such a symbol effect is executed, a sound effect synchronized with this is executed, and a relatively loud music is played flashy during a reach effect or a big hit effect. In addition, an appropriate sound effect is generated in response to the notice operation. Also, a game machine that can deal with the sales concept of the game hall and customer sources that differ for each game hall by configuring the volume at the time of voice production to be arbitrarily set is also known (Patent Document 1, Patent Document) 2).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-031055 JP 2005-237647 A

  In the gaming machine described in Patent Document 1, the output volume of the speaker can be adjusted in three stages by switching a plurality of attenuation resistors connected in series to the speaker with a slide switch (see FIG. 9). However, in order to realize a powerful sound production, it is necessary to have a circuit configuration capable of outputting a large amount of power to the speaker. Therefore, in the circuit configuration of Patent Document 1, the power consumption at the attenuation resistor when the volume is suppressed. Will increase. Therefore, there is a waste that a large damping resistor for high power must be used only for volume adjustment. Moreover, in the circuit configuration described in Patent Document 1, if the volume is set in multiple stages, the occupied area increases as the large damping resistance increases, and the arrangement space for other members is consumed. Occurs.

  On the other hand, in the gaming machine described in Patent Document 2, waste in terms of circuit configuration is eliminated by using the RAM clear switch also as the volume setting switch. However, in this gaming machine, the volume is adjusted based on the switch ON operation time, so the operation for adjusting the volume is extremely complicated. For example, as described in Patent Document 2, when 5 seconds is consumed for the volume setting of one gaming machine, volume adjustment cannot be completed for many gaming machines by the start of business.

  By the way, as in the above-described inventions, if not only the sound volume can be set in multiple stages but also the sound quality can be set with a simple operation, it is possible to appropriately respond to various requests of the game hall, which is extremely suitable. For example, a ball game machine (service stand) that has a lot of award balls and has a nail adjustment that can be inferred by the player by changing the sound quality of the sound production from a normal game machine. You can also give powerful hints. Further, in a gaming machine such as a slot machine in which the jackpot probability can be arbitrarily set, if a sound production having a sound quality corresponding to the set value is executed, it is a very effective hint for the player.

  And if such a gaming machine can be realized, it is possible to decide whether or not to continue the game with the gaming machine simply by paying attention to the sound quality of the sound production, so a new way of enjoying a gaming machine that requires a certain level of reasoning skill Can also be provided.

  The present invention has been made on the basis of the above-described idea, and an object thereof is to provide a gaming machine capable of adjusting the volume and sound quality in multiple stages with a simple operation. It is another object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine in which sound volume and sound quality can be set appropriately without causing wasteful power consumption and waste of arrangement space.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a gaming machine that generates a gaming state advantageous to a player based on a winning lottery resulting from the occurrence of a predetermined winning state related to the operation of the player. A main control unit that comprehensively controls game operations including the winning / failing lottery, an effect control unit that controls audio effects based on control commands from the main control unit , and a gaming state that is advantageous to the player A switch position is set by an attendant in response to the possibility of occurrence, and the switch member is configured so that the switch position can be grasped by the effect control unit, and an audio signal to which a predetermined equalizer characteristic is given is sent to the effect control unit. Out of a plurality of operation parameters stored in the storage unit, a sound output unit that outputs based on the control, a storage unit that stores a plurality of operation parameters that specify a plurality of equalizer characteristics, A first means for specifying a set operating parameters corresponding to the switch position of the switch member, the applied audio signal of the equalizer characteristic by a set of operating parameters is first means specified, when the sound effect based on the control command The sound output unit is configured to have a second means for executing a sound effect while suggesting to the player that a gaming state advantageous to the player may occur .

In the present invention, even if the resolution of the switch member is increased, the power consumption at the damping resistor does not increase. In the present invention, since the sound quality is determined based on the switch position, various sound qualities can be appropriately set. For example, 16-step sound quality can be set by using 4-bit position data. Moreover, no matter how much the bit length of the position data is increased, useless power consumption by the resistance element does not occur.

In the routine process of the present invention, preferably, during normal not been notified of the abnormality from the main control unit, Ru is output volume of the audio signal specified by the switch position. According to this embodiment, since the sound volume in the sound effect can be set by the switch position, no great setting time is required for the multi-stage sound volume setting.

In the steady process according to the present invention, preferably, at the time of an abnormality notified from the main control unit, an audio signal having a maximum volume is output regardless of the switch position . According to such an embodiment, no adverse effect occurs even if the sound volume is switched in multiple stages.

  According to the present invention described above, it is possible to realize a gaming machine capable of adjusting the volume and sound quality in multiple steps with a simple operation without causing wasteful power consumption and waste of arrangement space.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pachinko machine GM of the present embodiment. This pachinko machine GM includes a rectangular frame-shaped wooden outer frame 1 that is detachably mounted on an island structure, and a front frame 3 that is pivotably mounted via a hinge 2 fixed to the outer frame 1. It is configured. A game board 5 is detachably attached to the front frame 3 from the front side, not from the back side, and a glass door 6 and a front plate 7 are pivotally attached to the front side so as to be openable and closable. The portion excluding the game board 5 corresponds to the main body frame of the present invention.

  On the outer periphery of the glass door 6, an electric lamp such as an LED lamp is arranged in a substantially C shape. An upper plate 8 for storing game balls for launch is mounted on the front plate 7, and a lower plate 9 for storing game balls overflowing from or extracted from the upper plate 8 and a launch handle 10 are mounted at the bottom of the front frame 3. And are provided. The launch handle 10 is interlocked with the launch motor, and a game ball is launched by a striking rod that operates according to the rotation angle of the launch handle 10.

  A chance button 11 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper plate 8. The chance button 11 is provided at a position where it can be operated with the left hand of the player, and the player can operate the chance button 11 without releasing the right hand from the firing handle 10. The chance button 11 does not function normally, but when the game state becomes the button chance state, the built-in lamp is turned on and can be operated. The button chance state is a game state provided as necessary.

  On the right side of the upper plate 8, an operation panel 12 for ball lending operation with respect to the card-type ball lending machine is provided, a frequency display unit for displaying the remaining amount of the card with a three-digit number, and a ball of game balls for a predetermined amount A ball lending switch for instructing lending and a return switch for instructing to return the card at the end of the game are provided.

  Also, there is a low tone at a position below the glass door and close to a part of the player's body, for example, the abdomen (for example, the lower part of the lower plate 9, the inside of the plate, a predetermined position of the front frame 3) Only one large speaker SPd (not shown) is provided. In this embodiment, only one bass speaker SPd is arranged, so that the installation space for other members is not consumed. On the other hand, the small speakers SPu and SPu (not shown) for high sounds are arranged at the left and right positions above the glass door 6. Since the loudspeakers SPu and SPu are small in size, the installation space for other members is not consumed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the game board 5 is provided with a guide rail 13 formed of a metal outer rail and an inner rail in an annular shape, and a liquid crystal color display DISP is provided at the approximate center of the game area 5a inside. Has been placed. In addition, at a suitable place in the game area 5a, a symbol starting port 15, a big winning port 16, a plurality of normal winning ports 17 (four on the right and left sides of the big winning port 16), and a gate 18 serving as two passing ports are arranged. Has been. Each of these winning openings 15 to 18 has a detection switch inside, and can detect the passage of a game ball.

  The liquid crystal display DISP is a device that variably displays a specific symbol related to a big hit state and displays a background image and various characters in an animated manner. This liquid crystal display DISP has special symbol display portions Da to Dc in the center portion and a normal symbol display portion 19 in the upper right portion. And, in the special symbol display parts Da to Dc, a reach effect is executed that expects a big hit state to be invited, or in the special symbol display parts Da to Dc and the surroundings, a notice effect that informs the result of the success / failure is executed. Is done.

  The normal symbol display unit 19 displays a normal symbol. When a game ball that has passed through the gate 18 is detected, the normal symbol fluctuates for a predetermined time, and the lottery extracted at the time when the game ball passes through the gate 18 is extracted. The stop symbol determined by the random number for use is displayed and stopped.

  For example, the symbol start opening 15 is configured to be opened and closed by an electric tulip having a pair of left and right opening and closing claws 15a. 15a is opened for a predetermined time or until a predetermined number of game balls are detected.

  When a game ball wins the symbol start port 15, the display symbols of the special symbol display portions Da to Dc change for a predetermined time and are determined based on the lottery result corresponding to the winning timing of the game ball to the symbol start port 15. Stop at the stop symbol. In addition, in special symbol display parts Da-Dc and its circumference, a notice effect may be performed between a series of symbol effects.

  The big winning opening 16 is controlled to open and close by, for example, an opening / closing plate 16a that can be opened forward, but when the stop symbol after the symbol change of the special symbol display portions Da to Dc is a big hit symbol such as “777”, the “big hit game” Is started, and the opening / closing plate 16a is opened.

  After the opening / closing plate 16a of the big prize opening 16 is opened, the opening / closing plate 16a is closed when a predetermined time elapses or when a predetermined number (for example, 10) of game balls wins. In such an operation, the special game is continued up to 15 times, for example, and is controlled in a state advantageous to the player. In addition, when the stop symbol after the change of the special symbol display parts Da to Dc is a specific symbol of the special symbols, a privilege that the game after the end of the special game is in a high probability state is given.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an overall circuit configuration of the pachinko machine GM of the present embodiment. A one-dot broken line arrow in the figure mainly indicates a DC voltage line.

  As shown in the figure, this pachinko machine GM includes a power supply board 20 that receives AC 24V and outputs various DC voltages, a system reset signal SYS, etc., a main control board 21 that plays a central role in game control operations, and a main control board. An effect control board 22 that executes a lamp effect and a sound effect based on the control command CMD received from the control board 21; a liquid crystal control board 23 that drives the liquid crystal display DISP based on the control command CMD ′ received from the effect control board 22; Based on a control command CMD "received from the main control board 21, a payout control board 24 for controlling the payout motor M to pay out the game ball, and a launch control board 25 for firing the game ball in response to the player's operation, , It is structured around.

  However, in this embodiment, the control command CMD output from the main control board 21 is transmitted to the effect control board 22 via the command relay board 26 and the effect interface board 27. Further, the control command CMD ′ output from the effect control board 22 is transmitted to the liquid crystal control board 23 via the effect interface board 27, and the control command CMD ″ output from the main control board 21 is set to the main board relay board 28. Is transmitted to the payout control board 24. The effect interface board 27 and the effect control board 22 are directly connected by a connector without using a cable.

  The main control board 21, the effect control board 22, the liquid crystal control board 23, and the payout control board 24 are each equipped with a computer circuit including a one-chip microcomputer. Accordingly, the circuits mounted on the control boards 21 to 24 and the operations realized by the circuits are collectively referred to as a function. In this specification, the main control unit 21, the effect control unit 22, and the liquid crystal control unit 23 are used. , And the payout control unit 24. All or part of the effect control unit 22, the liquid crystal control unit 23, and the payout control unit 24 is a sub-control unit.

  By the way, the pachinko machine GM is roughly divided into a frame side member GM1 surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 3 and a board side member GM2 fixed to the back of the game board 5. The frame side member GM1 includes a front frame 3 on which a glass door 6 and a front plate 7 are pivotally attached, and a wooden outer frame 1 on the outside thereof. Is fixedly installed. On the other hand, the board side member GM2 is replaced in response to the model change, and a new board side member GM2 is attached to the frame side member GM1 instead of the original board side member. All except the frame side member GM1 is the panel side member GM2.

  3, the frame side member GM1 includes a power supply board 20, a payout control board 24, a launch control board 25, a frame relay board 32, an external terminal board OT, and a ball lending machine UT. Interface board IF, and these circuit boards are respectively fixed at appropriate positions of the front frame 3. On the other hand, on the back of the game board 5, a main control board 21, an effect control board 22, and a liquid crystal control board 23 are fixed together with a liquid crystal display DISP and other circuit boards. And the frame side member GM1 and the board | substrate side member GM2 are electrically connected by the connection connectors CN1-CN4 concentratedly arranged in one place.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the power supply board 20 is connected to the main board relay board 28 through the connection connector CN2, and is connected to the power supply relay board 30 through the connection connector CN3. The main board relay board 28 outputs the system reset signal SYS, the RAM clear signal, the voltage drop signal, the backup power supply, DC12V, and DC32V received from the power board 20 to the main controller 21 as they are. Similarly, the power supply relay board 30 also outputs the system reset signal SYS received from the power supply board 20 and the AC and DC power supply voltages to the effect interface board 27 as they are. The production interface board 27 outputs the received system reset signal SYS to the production control unit 22 and the liquid crystal control unit 23 as they are.

  On the other hand, the payout control board 24 is directly connected to the power supply board 20 without going through the relay board, and receives the same system reset signal SYS, RAM clear signal, voltage drop signal, backup power supply as the main control unit 21 receives. Directly with other power supply voltages.

  Here, the system reset signal SYS output from the power supply board 20 is a signal indicating that the AC power supply 24V is supplied to the power supply board 20, and the one-chip microcomputer or other IC element of each of the control units 21 to 24 by this signal. The power is reset. The RAM clear signal received from the power supply board 20 by the main control unit 21 and the payout control unit 24 is a signal that determines whether or not to initialize all areas of the built-in RAM of the one-chip microcomputer of each control unit 21 and 24. Thus, it has a value corresponding to the ON / OFF state of the initialization switch operated by the staff.

  The voltage drop signal received from the power supply board 20 by the main control unit 21 and the payout control unit 24 is a signal indicating that the AC power supply 24V has started to drop. By receiving this voltage drop signal, each control unit 21, In 24, a necessary termination process is started prior to a power failure or business termination. The backup power source is a DC 5V DC power source that retains data in the built-in RAM of the one-chip microcomputer of the main control unit 21 and the payout control unit 24 even after the AC power source 24V is shut off due to business termination or power failure. Therefore, the main control unit 21 and the payout control unit 24 can resume the game operation before power-off after power-on (power backup function). This pachinko machine is designed to retain the stored contents of the RAM of each one-chip microcomputer for at least several days.

  On the other hand, the effect control unit 22 and the liquid crystal control unit 23 are not provided with the power supply backup function described above. However, the system reset signal SYS is commonly supplied to the effect control unit 22 and the liquid crystal control unit 23, and the power reset operation is realized at a timing substantially synchronized with the other control units 21 and 24.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the effect interface board 27 includes a command relay board 26, a power supply relay board 30, a frame relay board 31, an effect control board 22, a lamp connection board 34, and a liquid crystal control board 23. Are connected to the inverter board 33. In addition, a rotary code switch 35 is connected to the effect interface board 27. The rotary code switch 35 is a switch that outputs a digital signal corresponding to the stop position of the rotation operation. Here, the rotary code switch 35 is configured to output a 4-bit command signal (binary number 0000B to 1111B).

  In this embodiment, the rotary code switch 35 is disposed inside the gaming machine, and is used for the purpose of instructing the sound quality and volume in the sound production by the operation by the staff. That is, in this pachinko machine GM, it is possible to realize a sound production with different sound quality between the service stand in which the adjustment of the life nail capable of adjusting the approach of the game ball to the symbol start opening 15 and other game machines are possible. ing. Specifically, the switch contact 0 is set to the mute mode, and the five equalizer characteristics PTN1 to PTN5 from the first pattern to the fifth pattern can be selected according to the other 15 switch contacts 1 to F. Yes. It should be noted that an appropriate sound quality and volume can be selected in accordance with a difference in sound production having individuality for each model, a difference in the customer base of the game hall, a difference in the installation environment of the model, and the like.

  When the switch contact 1 to the switch contact 3 are selected, the equalizer characteristic PTN1 is instructed, but small, medium, and large volumes are selected according to the contact positions of 1, 2, and 3. The same applies to the equalizer characteristics PTN2 to PTN5, and small, medium and large volumes are selected according to the difference in the contact position within the same group. The speakers are divided into an upper speaker SPu for high sounds and a lower speaker SPd for low sounds, so that the equalizer characteristics PTN1 to PTN5 of each pattern are HPF (high pass filter) and LPF (low pass filter), respectively. ) Pair of characteristics are prepared.

  FIG. 5 exemplifies a part of the equalizer characteristics. For example, the fifth pattern PTN5 has an HPF characteristic that emphasizes a high frequency with a cutoff frequency around 250 Hz, and a low frequency with a cutoff frequency around 500 Hz. And LPF characteristics to be emphasized. In this embodiment, five types of equalizer characteristics having different steepness of the filter characteristics and the cutoff frequency are prepared. For example, the third pattern PTN3 has an HPF characteristic that emphasizes a high frequency region with a cutoff frequency around 500 Hz. , And an LPF characteristic that emphasizes a low range with a cutoff frequency around 300 Hz. In the third pattern PTN3, the low frequency suppression level in the HPF and the high frequency suppression level in the LPF are suppressed compared to the fifth pattern.

  On the other hand, the first pattern PTN1 includes an HPF characteristic that emphasizes a high frequency with a cutoff frequency around 1000 Hz and an LPF characteristic that emphasizes a low frequency with a cutoff frequency around 200 Hz. In the first pattern PTN1, the low frequency suppression level in the HPF and the high frequency suppression level in the LPF are further suppressed as compared to the third pattern. In this embodiment, the fourth pattern and the second pattern have characteristics intermediate between the fifth pattern and the third pattern, and characteristics intermediate between the third pattern and the first pattern.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the effect control unit 22 includes a one-chip microcomputer 40 that executes processing such as sound effects, lamp effects, and data transfer, an EPROM 41 that stores a control program for the one-chip microcomputer 40, and the one-chip microcomputer. An audio reproduction LSI (YMZ774: Yamaha Corporation) 42 that generates an audio signal based on an instruction from 40, an audio memory (phrase ROM) 43 that stores compressed audio data that is the original data of the generated audio signal, And a watchdog timer WDT.

  A 4-bit command signal from the rotary code switch 35 is input to the input port of the one-chip microcomputer 40 via the effect interface board 27. Note that the watchdog timer WDT is reset by a clear pulse periodically supplied from the one-chip microcomputer 40. When the clear pulse is interrupted due to a program runaway or the like, a reset signal RESET is output. Yes. As a result, the one-chip microcomputer 40 is forcibly reset to the initial state, and the program runaway state is solved.

  In the audio memory 43 accessed by the audio reproduction LSI 42, a group of operation parameters that define audio effect effects (filter characteristics) are stored in advance, in addition to the compressed audio data (phrase data) for realizing audio production. Such operation parameters can be written from the one-chip microcomputer 40 to the corresponding register of the sound reproduction LSI 42 when necessary, but in this embodiment, a plurality of sets of operation parameters are stored in the sound memory 43 in advance. Yes.

  The group of operation parameters stored in the sound memory 43 is specified by the SAC number. When the one-chip microcomputer 40 designates this SAC number in a dedicated register, the specified group of operation parameters is stored in the sound memory. 43 is read into the corresponding register of the audio reproduction LSI 42 and functions. Note that the group of operation parameters specified by the SAC number are digital filter parameters that realize any of the equalizer characteristics PTN1 to PTN5 illustrated in FIG.

  FIG. 6A is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of YMZ774 (Yamaha Corporation). As shown in the figure, the sound reproduction LSI 42 (YMZ774) receives and stores a sequence command from the one-chip microcomputer 40 serving as a host CPU, or stores various register groups 42a for storing an internal operation state (status) and a sound memory 43. A simple access unit 42b that functions when storing operation parameter groups in advance, a sequencer 42c that controls the audio reproduction operation specified by the sequence command, and an audio reproduction unit 42d that outputs an audio signal under the control of the sequencer 42c. It is configured. As the audio signals, four digital signals and analog signals can be output. In this embodiment, the left and right analog audio signals AOL0 and AOR0 of channel 0 and the left analog audio signal AOL1 of channel 1 are output. I use it.

  The audio reproducing unit 42d includes a decoder unit 50 for a plurality of channels that decompresses the compressed data read from the audio memory 43 as a phrase ROM, a channel volume unit 51 that defines the volume level of audio data of each channel, and a designation A channel mix unit 52 for adding the audio data of the selected channels, a total volume unit 53 for defining the volume level of the audio data after mixing, an effect unit 54 provided in the two channels 0 and 1, and an output interface Part 55.

  Here, the effect unit 54 is a digital filter composed of a primary IIR and a secondary IIR, and based on the operation parameters stored in advance in the audio memory 43, a predetermined audio effect as illustrated in FIG. Add functionality. The digital filter is a filter function that is applied to digital data that has been expanded and mixed by digital signal processing. In this embodiment, the pulse transfer function has an infinite length IIR ( An Infinite Impulse Response) type filter is provided.

  The output interface unit 55 is divided into an analog interface unit 55a and a digital interface unit 55b. Specifically, the analog interface unit 55a includes a DA converter (DAC unit). Since the analog audio signals AOL0 and AOR0 of channel 0 of the DA converter are output from the left and right speakers SPu and SPu arranged at the upper part of the gaming machine, the channel 0 effect section performs high-frequency emphasis filter processing (HPF ) Is given. On the other hand, since the analog audio signal AOL1 of channel 1 is output from a single large-capacity speaker SPd arranged at the lower part of the gaming machine, the effect unit of channel 1 is subjected to low-frequency emphasis filter processing (LPF). The

  Each filter process is a process for realizing any of the equalizer characteristics PTN1 to PTN5, and the processing content is specified by a command signal output from the rotary code switch 35. More specifically, it is determined by a group of operation parameters read from the audio memory 43 based on the SAC number specified by the command signal. As described above, the one-chip microcomputer 40 writes the SAC number specified by the command signal into the corresponding register of the sound reproduction LSI 42.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the control command CMD and the strobe signal (interrupt signal) STB output from the main control board 21 are sent to the one-chip microcomputer 40 of the presentation control board 22 via the buffer 48 of the presentation interface board 27. Have been supplied. Then, the effect control unit 22 acquires the control command CMD by the reception interrupt process activated by the strobe signal STB. In addition to (a) error notification and other notification control commands, the control command CMD acquired by the effect control unit 22 includes (b) control for specifying an outline of various effect operations resulting from winning at the symbol start opening. Commands (variation pattern commands) are included. Here, the outline of the production operation specified by the variation pattern command includes the production total time from the production start to the production end, and the result of winning or failing in the big hit lottery. In addition to these, the change pattern command including the presence or absence of the reach effect or the notice effect may be specified, but even in this case, the specific content of the effect content is not specified.

  Therefore, when the effect control unit 22 acquires the variation pattern command CMD, the effect lottery is subsequently performed, and the effect outline specified by the acquired variation pattern command is further specified. For example, the specific contents of the reach effect and the notice effect are determined. Then, in accordance with the determined specific game content, a lamp effect by blinking the LED group or the like and a sound effect preparation operation by the speaker are performed, and the liquid crystal control unit 23 is synchronized with the effect operation by the lamp or the speaker. The control command CMD ′ related to the rendered symbol effect is output. In this case, the effect control unit 22 outputs a control command CMD ′ to the effect interface board 27 together with the strobe signal (interrupt signal) STB ′ for the liquid crystal control unit 23. In addition, when receiving the notification control command or other control command related to the liquid crystal display, the effect control unit 22 outputs the control command as it is to the effect interface board 27 together with the interrupt signal STB ′.

  Corresponding to the configuration of the effect control board 22, the effect interface board 27 is configured to receive an 8-bit control command CMD ′ and a 1-bit interrupt signal STB ′. These data CMD ′ and STB ′ are output to the liquid crystal control board 23 as they are via the buffer circuit 45. The effect interface board 27 receives the lamp driving control signal output from the effect control unit 22 and outputs it via the buffer circuit 46. The lamp drive control signal output from the effect interface board 27 is supplied to the LED lamp group via the lamp connection board 34. As a result, a lamp effect corresponding to the control command CMD output from the main control unit 21 is realized. The

  On the other hand, audio signals AOL0, AOR0, and AOL1 output from the audio reproduction LSI 42 of the effect control board 22 are amplified by the two digital amplifiers 44u and 44d mounted on the effect interface board 27 and output. As described above, the audio signals AOL0 and AOR0 are appropriately high-frequency emphasized and supplied to the speakers SPu and SPu at the upper part of the gaming machine. On the other hand, the audio signal AOL1 is appropriately low-frequency emphasized and supplied to the large-capacity speaker SPd below the gaming machine. As a result, an audio effect corresponding to the control command CMD output from the main control unit 21 is realized.

  Thus, in this embodiment, since the audio signal after being amplified by the digital amplifiers 44u and 44d is routed to the positions of the speakers SPu and SPu, the digital amplifiers 44u and 44d are provided close to the speaker positions. The S / N ratio is greatly improved. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the digital amplifiers 44u and 44d are supplied from a dedicated stabilized power circuit PW as a power supply voltage (DC15V) dedicated to the digital amplifier.

  Therefore, high frequency noise of other control boards is not superimposed on the DC15V power line, and in this sense, high-quality sound production is possible. The configuration of this embodiment is extremely effective for a player who grasps the difference in sound quality and tries to estimate the expected payout value scheduled for the gaming machine because noise superimposition is extremely unpleasant. .

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), the digital amplifier 44d that generates the audio signal to be supplied to the low-volume loudspeaker SPd separately receives the audio signal AOL1 received at the two input terminals IN1 and IN2 in class D. After amplification, the power amplifier IC is configured to output to a pair of output terminals OUT1P, OUT1N / OUT2P, and OUT2N. Although not shown, the (single) digital amplifier 44u that generates an audio signal to be supplied to the two loudspeakers SPu and SPu is also the same power amplifier IC as the digital amplifier 44d. Except for receiving the two-channel audio signals AOL0 and AOR0 at the corresponding input terminals IN1 and IN2, they have the same circuit configuration as FIG.

  In this embodiment, the same audio signal AOL1 is supplied to the two input terminals IN1 and IN2 of the digital amplifier 44d via the coupling capacitor C0 and the input resistor R1. The audio signal AOL1 is appropriately low-frequency emphasized in the effect unit 54 of the audio reproduction LSI. The input audio signal AOL1 is amplified in power by the same amplification factor by a two-channel class D amplifier (built-in amplifier) provided in the IC and output to a pair of output terminals. The pair of output terminals OUT1P, OUT1N / OUT2P, and OUT2N are provided with two low-pass filter circuits FT each composed of a pair of coils L1 and L1 and a pair of capacitors C1 and C1. The outputs of the filter circuits FT and FT are both supplied to a single speaker SPd. The Zener diode ZD is a protection element for absorbing overvoltage.

  Since this power amplifier IC is wired in a characteristic circuit configuration in which two built-in amplifiers are connected in parallel to a single speaker SPd, power consumption can be suppressed and high output can be obtained. FIGS. 7B and 7C are principle diagrams for explaining this relationship. In the equivalent circuit of FIG. 7B, all the high-frequency pulse components deleted by the filter circuit FT including the coil L1 and the capacitor C1 are ignored, and the audio signal E having the same level is output from the built-in amplifier. Yes. In power amplifier ICs, the built-in two-channel class D amplifiers are set to the same amplification factor, and are set to obtain the same phase amplification output. ing. In FIG. 7B, the resistor r is the output impedance of the power amplifier IC, and the resistor R is the equivalent resistance of the speaker. The resistor R is either 4Ω, 8Ω, or 16Ω, and is usually 8Ω.

As is apparent from the equivalent circuit of FIG. 7B, in the case of this embodiment, since the two amplifier circuits are connected in parallel to the single speaker SPd, the output impedance r becomes ½, and the speaker The audio current flowing through SPd is E / (R + r / 2). Therefore, the output power at the speaker SPd is R × {E / (R + r / 2)} ² (Equation 1).

On the other hand, in the normal connection state shown in FIG. 7C, the current flowing through each speaker is E / (R + r), so the total output power of the two speakers is 2 × R × {E / (R + r)} ² (Formula 2). When (Equation 1) is subtracted from (Equation 2) to obtain the difference between the two output powers, (Equation 3) shown in FIG. 7 is obtained, and the output impedance r of the power amplifier IC is larger than SQR (2) × R. In this case, it is confirmed that the circuit configuration of this embodiment has higher output power than the normal circuit configuration. For example, when the resistance R of the speaker is 8Ω, SQR (2) × R = 11.3Ω, and the output impedance r of a normal power amplifier IC exceeds 11.3Ω. A large output can be obtained from a normal circuit configuration.

  In addition, the output current of the power amplifier is E / (r + 2 × R) in this embodiment, which is significantly lower than the output current E / (r + R) in the case of normal connection. Heat generation can also be suppressed. In a gaming machine that wants to supply large output power to a large-capacity speaker, the effect of suppressing wasteful power consumption is extremely large. Moreover, in this embodiment, since the speaker is single, the occupied space is narrow and it is very suitable also in the meaning which increases a freedom degree to an arrangement position.

  Regardless of the value of the output impedance r, according to the configuration of FIG. 7A, a larger output can be obtained at the speaker SPd than when the single speaker SPd is driven by a single amplifier circuit, and the built-in amplifier Needless to say, the internal loss of the company decreases.

  Subsequently, the operation content of the one-chip microcomputer 40 of the effect control board 22 will be described. The operation of the effect control unit 22 includes a main process (FIG. 8A) that is started when the CPU is reset, and a reception interrupt process that is started when the control command CMD is received from the main control unit 21 (FIG. 6). (B)).

  As shown in FIG. 8A, when the CPU is reset, after the one-chip microcomputer 40 is initialized (ST1), the suitability of the check data (management data) is checked (ST2). Here, the check data is a checksum value that is an operation result of addition operation for a predetermined area of the RAM area in step ST11. For example, when the power of the CPU is reset, the check data naturally does not match, so the entire area of the RAM is cleared (ST4). On the other hand, in the case of CPU reset by the watchdog timer, the check data may match. This is a case where the program is in a runaway state, but no unreasonable data is written in the work area of the RAM. Therefore, in such a case, backup restoration processing is executed so that the interrupted control operation can be resumed without any problem (ST3). In the backup restoration process, for example, the presently performed effect operation (audio effect or lamp effect) and other control operations are initialized so that they can be restarted from an appropriate separation position.

  Thereafter, initialization processing is executed for the audio reproduction LSI 42 (ST5). In this initialization process, a 4-bit length command signal is received from the rotary code switch 35, and the SAC number is written in the corresponding register of the audio reproduction LSI for the sound quality (equalizer characteristic) specified by the command. Further, a command is sent to the audio reproduction LSI 42, and a group of operation parameters corresponding to the SAC number is read from the audio memory 43 and controlled to be set in the effect section.

  Therefore, as a result of this initialization process, the gaming machine executes the sound quality with the sound quality designated by the staff using the rotary code switch 35. Note that the sound production volume (small / medium / large) is instructed later to the sound reproduction LSI 42 (ST41), so the 4-bit command signal acquired in the step ST5 is stored in the work area. .

  When the above initial processing is completed, the processing of steps ST6 to ST11 is repeated in an infinite loop. First, after setting the CPU to an interrupt enabled state (ST6), an interrupt waiting process is executed (ST6). The interrupt waiting process is a process for confirming completion of a timer interrupt process (not shown) started every 4 ms. In this interrupt waiting process, as shown in FIG. 8C, first, a clear pulse is transmitted to the watchdog timer WDT to avoid a forced reset of the CPU (ST31). Next, while updating the random number used in the effect lottery or the like (ST32), it waits for the completion of the timer interrupt process (ST33). In the timer interrupt process (not shown), the confirmation flag FLG is set when a timer interrupt is received. Therefore, in step ST33, the confirmation flag FLG is repeatedly checked. When the set state of the confirmation flag FLG is confirmed, the confirmation flag FLG is reset and the subroutine processing is terminated (ST34).

  When the interrupt waiting process (ST7) is completed in this way, the control command CMD acquired in the reception interrupt process (FIG. 8A) is analyzed, and an initial process for subsequent processes is executed (ST8). . This control command analysis process (ST8) includes an effect lottery process based on the control command CMD and a transmission process of the control command CMD 'to the liquid crystal control unit. As shown in FIG. 8B, in the reception interrupt process, the received control command is stored in the command storage area (ST20 to ST21).

  When the control command analysis process (ST8) is completed, the scenario is advanced for the sound effect and the lamp effect started by the control command (ST9), and the sound data output process corresponding to the advanced scenario is executed (ST10).

  As shown in FIG. 8D, in the sound data output process, it is first determined whether or not there is an error state (ST40). Here, in the error state, an illegal winning error indicating that a winning signal has been obtained from a closed winning opening, a door opening error indicating that the glass door 6 has been opened during the gaming operation, or during the gaming operation. And a RAM clear error indicating that the CPU of the main control unit 21 has been reset. These are all errors including the possibility of fraudulent games, and are each grasped by the control command CMD transmitted from the main control unit 21.

  Therefore, if it is in an error state, the sound reproduction LSI 42 is set to output the sound with the maximum sound volume regardless of the sound volume specified by the rotary code switch 35 (ST42). In the error state, voice notification corresponding to the error content is started (ST44 to ST45), but even if the sound volume is set to the mute level by the rotary code switch 35 by the process of step ST42, the sound with the maximum sound volume is set. Notification is effectively started.

  On the other hand, if not in an error state, the sound reproduction LSI 42 is set to output the volume specified by the rotary code switch 35 (ST41). Specifically, an operation parameter of the total volume unit 53 is instructed. Since the command signal (4-bit signal) of the rotary code switch 35 is acquired and stored at the timing of step ST5, this stored value is utilized. However, the command signal may be reacquired every time the process of step ST41, and by adopting such an embodiment, the voice and sound quality can be changed even during the game operation. For example, if the rotary code switch 35 is arranged at a position that can be operated by the player, the sound quality (equalizer characteristic) and volume can be adjusted according to the player's preference.

  When the volume setting is completed as described above, it is determined whether or not this timing is the start timing of a group of voice phrases (ST43). If it is the reproduction start timing, a parameter for specifying the next audio effect to be executed is set in the register 42a of the audio reproduction LSI (ST44), and the reproduction operation is started (ST45).

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described concretely, the concrete description content does not specifically limit this invention. In particular, the configuration and operation of the audio reproduction LSI and digital amplifier are merely examples, and various changes are allowed.

  Further, instead of the configuration of the embodiment, the equalizer characteristics may be changed depending on the number of times of change (number of times of change of change, number of times of change of reach, etc.), game time, game time zone and the like. Specifically, the equalizer characteristics are changed by redesignation of the SAC number.

  It is preferable to return the changed equalizer characteristics to the initial state at an appropriate timing.However, as conditions for returning to the initial values, when the player does not detect a gaming operation, or when a predetermined time has elapsed since the equalizer characteristics change, Alternatively, it may be returned to the initial setting value when a profit state occurs. According to this structure, a player's irritation feeling can be eased and the effect of attracting customers can be enhanced.

It is a perspective view of the pachinko machine shown in an embodiment. It is the front view which illustrated in detail the game board of the pachinko machine of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the pachinko machine of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of an effect control part, an effect interface part, and a liquid-crystal control part. The equalizer characteristic of the audio | voice production implement | achieved with this pachinko machine is illustrated. 2 illustrates an internal configuration of a sound reproduction LSI. It is a circuit diagram which shows a digital amplifier and its output part. It is a flowchart explaining the operation | movement content of an effect control part. It is a circuit diagram explaining a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

21 Main control unit 22 Production control unit)
42 voice output unit 35 switch member 43 voice memory CMD control command ST5 initial process ST10 steady process

Claims (9)

A gaming machine that generates a gaming state advantageous to the player based on a winning lottery resulting from the occurrence of a predetermined winning state related to the operation of the player,
A main control unit that comprehensively controls gaming operations including the winning / losing lottery,
An effect control unit that controls an audio effect based on a control command from the main control unit;
In response to the possibility of occurrence of a gaming state advantageous to the player, a switch position is set by an attendant, and the switch member is configured so that the switch position can be grasped by the effect control unit,
An audio output unit that outputs an audio signal having a predetermined equalizer characteristic based on the control of the effect control unit;
A storage unit that stores a plurality of sets of operation parameters that specify a plurality of equalizer characteristics;
A first means for specifying a set of operation parameters corresponding to a switch position of a switch member among the plurality of sets of operation parameters stored in the storage unit;
It is possible to generate a gaming state advantageous to the player by outputting from the voice output unit an audio signal to which an equalizer characteristic is added based on a set of operation parameters specified by the first means at the time of voice production based on a control command. A second means for performing audio production while suggesting the sex to the player ;
A gaming machine characterized by having a structure. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the first means is configured to function during an initialization process of the audio output unit that is executed after the CPU of the production control unit is reset . The operation of the effect control unit is divided into an initial process that is executed in response to the CPU being reset and a steady process that is repeatedly executed every predetermined time after the initial process.
The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the first means is configured to function when the steady process is executed. The switch member is configured to specify the volume according to the switch position;
The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an audio signal having a volume specified by the switch position is output at a normal time when no abnormality is notified from the main control unit. The switch member is configured to specify the volume according to the switch position;
The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an audio signal having a maximum volume is output regardless of the switch position when an abnormality is notified of occurrence of an abnormality from the main control unit.   The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the set of operation parameters defines an LPF characteristic that emphasizes a low frequency and an HPF characteristic that emphasizes a high frequency.   The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the switch member is configured to be capable of rotating, and is configured to output position data indicating the switch position. The gaming machine according to claim 3 , wherein the steady process further includes a process of storing management data calculated from a work area of a CPU of the effect control unit.   The gaming machine according to claim 8, wherein the initial process further includes a process of checking the validity of the management data and initializing the work area only when the validity is denied. .