JP4809284B2 - Mobile control device and slot machine using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention drives a movable body provided on a base body to be movable by a stepping motor and stops the operation of the stepping motor to stop the movable body that has reached a predetermined position at a predetermined position. The present invention relates to a moving body control device to be operated and a slot machine using the moving body control device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a moving body driving mechanism that drives a moving body that is provided so as to be movable between two positions set on a base with a motor has been used.
In order to automatically control the operation of such a moving body drive mechanism, in general, a proximity sensor such as a photo interrupter that is disposed at each of the two positions described above and detects the proximity of the moving body, and A control device configured to control the movement of the moving body and include a microcomputer is provided.
Among these, the control device starts the movement of the moving body from one of the two positions to the other, triggered by a predetermined event, and thereafter, based on the signal from the proximity sensor, When it is determined that the moving body has arrived at the other position, control is performed to stop the moving body.

Here, in order to synchronize processing between the circuits provided inside, the control device periodically generates a clock signal in an oscillator called a clock generator, and each clock signal is used as a reference. The process is to be executed.
For example, in performing the above-described control for stopping the moving body, the generation timing of the clock signal is used as the sampling timing for sampling the output signal of the proximity sensor. In other words, the control device samples the signal from the proximity sensor at a timing based on the clock signal generated by the clock generator, and determines that the moving body has arrived at the other of the two positions based on this signal. Then, the moving body is stopped.

On the other hand, the proximity sensor has a detection unit that detects the proximity of the detection unit provided on the moving body, and when the detection unit is close to the detection unit, for example, the output signal shifts from a low level to a high level. It is supposed to be. Further, the proximity sensor may cause chattering in which the output signal instantaneously shifts to a high level due to mechanical vibration, ambient electromagnetic noise, or the like even though the moving body has not yet reached the predetermined position. For this reason, the control device described above that receives a signal from the proximity sensor removes chattering as follows.
That is, the control device including the microcomputer operates on the basis of the clock signal described above, and samples the output signal of the proximity sensor at the timing based on the clock signal as described above. , Getting sample data.

The sampled sample data is stored in chronological order, and it is determined whether or not a predetermined number of sample data is continuously at a high level.
Here, if the predetermined number of sample data is not continuously at the high level, it can be considered that the output signal has instantaneously shifted to the high level due to chattering, so the transition of the output signal to the high level is invalidated. It is determined that the moving body is not in proximity.
On the other hand, when the predetermined number of sample data is continuously at the high level, it can be considered that the output signal of the proximity sensor has appropriately shifted to the high level, and therefore it is determined that the moving body has approached.

In this way, since chattering can be removed from the output signal of the proximity sensor, the control device can correctly determine that the moving body has reached one of the two positions based on the output signal of the proximity sensor. Thus, the operation of the moving body can be appropriately controlled (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
By the way, a slot machine that provides entertainment to people by playing games with rotating reels is widely used. In such a slot machine, a retractable lighting device is provided on the front face of the front door, and when the player wins a win, the retractable lighting device appears and is lit to improve the production effect. It is done.

Here, when the retractable illumination device is provided in the slot machine, it is necessary to provide the slot machine with a shutter that opens and closes an opening through which the retractable illumination device enters and exits and a control device that controls the shutter as a moving body.
JP 2000-270575 (page 9, column 16, column 10)

However, in the control device as described above, the generation period of the clock signal generated inside the microcomputer is much shorter than the transmission interval of the drive signal that becomes the drive timing of the stepping motor. However, it does not necessarily correspond to the operation status of the stepping motor, and if sampling is performed with the timing based on the clock signal, the number of data obtained per unit time becomes excessive to control the operation of the stepping motor. A lot of unnecessary data will be included in the sampled data.
When sample data containing a lot of such unnecessary data is handled, the load on the microcomputer increases more than necessary, and there is a problem that an unnecessary load is applied to the microcomputer.

In addition, if sampling is performed at a timing based on the clock signal, sampling is performed in a short time, so the chattering that occurs instantaneously when the output signal rises is picked up, and the influence of chattering cannot be ignored. Processing to remove chattering is performed based on the sampled data, but processing to remove chattering is also performed for unnecessary data included in the sample data, and from this point also unnecessary load on the microcomputer is applied. The problem occurs.
In addition, it is conceivable to improve the effect by providing a retractable lighting device in the slot machine. When the operation control of the moving body is performed, an unnecessary load is applied to the control device including the microcomputer. For this reason, there is a demand for preventing unnecessary load from being applied to the control device even if the control device provided for controlling the game operation is controlled by the moving body.

  Accordingly, each invention described in each claim has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and the object is to add an unnecessary load in the operation control of the moving body. To provide a slot machine that prevents a useless load from being applied to the control device even when the control device that controls the mobile operation is controlled by the control device that controls the game operation. .

Each invention described in each claim is made to achieve the above-mentioned object. The features of each invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings.
In addition, a code | symbol shows the code | symbol used in embodiment of this invention, and does not limit the technical scope of this invention.
(Claim 1)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 1 is characterized by the following points.
That is, when the moving body (54) provided to be movable between two predetermined positions set on the base body (30) is driven by the stepping motor (58), the invention described in claim 1 sends out a drive signal to the stepping motor, a predetermined when the moving body to one of the two-position (54) reaches, the mobile control device to stop the operation of the stepping motor (58), necessary for control A signal input unit (71) for inputting various signals, a control signal output unit (72) for outputting a control signal for controlling the operation of the stepping motor (58), and the signal input unit (71 ) Based on the signal input to the control signal output unit (72) to generate a control signal to be processed, a control unit for performing the control of the mobile unit (54), a mobile unit control unit The moving body control means includes: Motor drive control unit for sending a drive signal to the stepping motor (58) based on the decree signal (81), when the moving body (54) is adjacent to one of said predetermined two positions, to be output When the state of the detection result signal shifts from the non-detection level to the detection level and, conversely, when the moving body (54) moves away from one of the two predetermined positions, the state of the detection result signal changes from the detection level to the non-detection level. a moving body detection unit that transition (63, 64), before SL based on the transmission time interval of the drive signal sent to the stepping motor (58), and at intervals of more than the transmission time interval, the moving body detection unit (63 , 64) , and a means for outputting a storage trigger signal for controlling the timing of storing the detection result signal output from the storage device, and when the means for outputting the storage trigger signal outputs the storage trigger signal, Said moving body detecting means Detection result storage means (83, 84, 93, 94) for storing the detection result signals output by (63, 64) in chronological order, and this detection result storage means (83, 84, 93, 94) Is acquired, and when the detection result signal is continuously at a detection level for a predetermined number of times or more, the moving body (54) is in one of the two positions. Reaching determination means (85, 97) for determining that the vehicle has arrived, and stepping motor (58) if the arrival determination means (85, 97) determines that the mobile body (54) has reached one of the two positions. characterized in that it further comprises motor stop control unit for outputting a stop signal (86), against.

Here, “the moving body (54) is close to one of the two predetermined positions” means that the moving body (54) has approached one of the detectable ranges of the moving body detection means (63, 64). That means.
(Claim 2)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 2 is the invention described in claim 1 described above, and has the following features.
That is, according to the second aspect of the invention, the means for outputting the memory trigger signal acquires the drive signal sent to the stepping motor (58), counts the number of acquired drive signals, and acquires the drive signal. number you wherein counting means der Rukoto for outputting the stored trigger signal reaches a predetermined number.
(Claim 3)
(Feature point)
According to a third aspect of the invention of claim 1 Symbol placement described above, in which has the following characteristic points.

That is, the invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the means for outputting the memory trigger signal is a sending trigger for controlling the timing at which the motor drive control section (81) sends the drive signal to the stepping motor (58). A timing control unit (100) for generating a signal and the storage trigger signal, and the timing control unit (100) is configured to divide the same clock signal by a predetermined frequency division ratio, respectively, thereby sending a transmission trigger signal and transmission interval of the storage trigger signal by setting a transmission interval of the storage trigger signal is set to the interval of more than the transmission interval of the transmission trigger signal, characterized in Rukoto.
(Claim 4)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 4 is the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3 described above, and has the following characteristic points.

That is, the invention according to claim 4 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the stepping motor (58) when either the detection level or the non-detection level continues as the detection result signal continuously for a predetermined number of times or more. An error determination means (99) is provided.
(Claim 5)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 5 is the invention described in claim 4 described above, and has the following characteristic points.
That is, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the arrival determination means (85, 97) determines that the error determination means (99) determines that an abnormality has occurred in the stepping motor (58). 54) exceeds the predetermined number of times for determining that one of the two positions has been reached.
(Claim 6)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 6 is the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3 described above, and has the following characteristic points.
That is, according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in order to separate the moving body (54) that has been stopped at one of the two positions from the position, transmission of a drive signal to the stepping motor (58) is started. The detection result signal stored in the detection result storage means (83, 84, 93, 94) is acquired, and the detection result signal is continuously detected for a predetermined number of times. In this case, an error determining means (99) for determining that an abnormality has occurred in the stepping motor (58) is provided.
(Claim 7)
(Feature point)
The invention described in claim 7 is the invention described in any one of claims 4 to 6 described above, and has the following characteristic points.
That is, in the invention according to claim 7, the moving body control unit is configured to generate a predetermined number of bits of the stored data of the detection result storage unit (83, 84, 93, 94) based on an initial command signal from the control unit. The initial value is updated each time a detection result signal is acquired, and the stored data stored in the detection result storage means (83, 84, 93, 94) and the same number as the stored data A time-series data logical product operation unit (95) that calculates a logical product by multiplying the bits corresponding to each other with an adjustment multiplier value for removing the influence of noise due to chattering A reference value comprising the same number of bits as the stored data, which is referred to when determining that the mobile body (54) has reached one of the two positions, and which serves as a reference value for the determination, and A reference value holding unit (96) for storing, A time-series data logical product comparison unit (97) that determines whether the mobile object (54) arrives based on whether the logical product and the reference value match, further comprising: .
(Claim 8 )
(Feature point)
The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , which has the following characteristic points.

That is, the invention according to claim 8 is the first moving body detecting means (63, 64) for detecting that the moving body (54) has reached one of the two positions as the moving body detecting means. ) And second movement detecting means (64, 63) for detecting that the moving body has reached the other of the two positions, the moving body control device (43) Obtain both the detection result signal of the first moving body detection means (63, 64) and the detection result signal of the second moving body detection means (64, 63), calculate the logical sum, and calculate the result. Ru der which is characterized in that the logical sum operation means (92) is provided for transmitting a logical OR value to the detection result storage means is.

(Effects of claims 1 , 2 and 3 )
The present invention configured as described above has the following effects.
That is, according to the first , second, and third aspects of the invention, the detection result storage means stores the detection result signal from the moving body detection means at intervals equal to or longer than the drive signal transmission time interval that is the driving timing of the stepping motor. Therefore, the number of data per unit time stored in the detection result storage means is not too much to control the operation of the stepping motor, and a lot of unnecessary data is included in the obtained sample data There is nothing.
Since the stop of the operation of the stepping motor is controlled based on the data stored in the detection result storage means, the microcomputer of the moving body control device can be configured even if the moving body control device includes a microcomputer. Therefore, it is possible to avoid applying unnecessary load to the mobile body control device.

In addition, since the interval at which the detection result storage means stores the detection result signal from the moving body detection means becomes longer, it is less susceptible to chattering in which the signal instantaneously shifts to a high level. Since data unnecessary for control is not stored, even if processing for removing chattering is performed, processing for a lot of useless data is not performed. From this point as well, the load on the microcomputer of the mobile control device is reduced. without more than necessary, Ru can be avoided that the load of useless is applied to the mobile station controller.

In addition , since the interval in which the detection result storage means stores the detection result signal from the moving body detection means in chronological order is set based on the transmission time interval of the drive signal sent to the stepping motor, the moving body detection means The timing of storing the detection result signal from the control unit corresponds to the operation status of the stepping motor, and the detection result storage means stores a quantity of data suitable for controlling the operation of the stepping motor per unit time. , obtained sample data can be suppressed with unwanted data, therefore, Ru can be reliably prevented that the load of useless is applied to the mobile station controller.

Further , when the drive signal acquisition number reaches a predetermined number, a storage trigger signal is output from the counting means, and the detection result storage means stores the detection result signal from the moving body detection means at the timing when the storage trigger signal is output. Therefore, the timing at which data is stored in the detection result storage means corresponds to the operation status of the stepping motor, and time series data is formed by a plurality of data stored in time series in the detection result storage means. However, unnecessary data is not included in the time series data, the time series data is prevented from becoming unnecessarily large, and the handling of the time series data inside a computer or the like is facilitated. Further, when controlling the operation of the moving body based on the time series data, the reference time series data stored in advance is compared with the time series data stored in the detection result storage means, and the result is used. Thus, even if it is determined whether or not the moving body should be stopped, both the time-series data and the reference time-series data are not excessively large. The load on the computer does not increase more than necessary, and it is possible to avoid applying unnecessary load on the mobile control device.

(Effects of claims 4 , 5, 6 and 7 )
According to invention of Claim 4 , 5, 6 and 7 , in addition to the effect of the invention in any one of Claim 1 to Claim 3, there exists the following effect.
That is, according to the inventions according to claims 4 , 5, 6 and 7 , it is determined whether or not there is an abnormality in the stepping motor based on the time-series data of the detection result signal stored in the detection result storage means. Since the error determination means is provided, when an abnormality occurs in the stepping motor and the moving body does not start moving even though the power supply to the stepping motor is started when the moving body starts moving, Since the detection result signal included in the time-series data continuously reaches the detection level for a predetermined number of times, the error determination means can reliably detect the abnormality of the stepping motor. As a result, the abnormality of the stepping motor can be surely notified to the administrator, and as a result, the time from the occurrence of the abnormality to the completion of the repair can be shortened.

(Effect of Claim 8 )
According to the invention described in claim 8 , in addition to the effect of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 7 , the following effect can be obtained.
That is, according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, as long as no trouble such as a failure occurs, both the first moving body detecting means and the second moving body detecting means can simultaneously detect one of the detection level and the non-detection level. Therefore, referring to the moving direction indicated by the driving command for driving the stepping motor, in other words, to which of the two positions the moving body should be reached, the OR operation means By monitoring only the output signal, it can be determined that the moving body has reached one of the two positions. At this time, the process of selecting one of the first moving body detecting means and the second moving body detecting means according to the situation becomes unnecessary.

Accordingly, the load on the mobile body control device that controls the movement of the mobile body is reduced as compared with the case where the two detection result signals from the first mobile body detection means and the second mobile body detection means are separately and simultaneously monitored. When the body control device controls the operation of the moving body and simultaneously controls another control object, the process of controlling the other control object can be facilitated.
Also, due to the occurrence of a malfunction such as a failure, both the first moving body detecting means and the second moving body detecting means, or one of the detection result signals is stuck to one of the detection level and the non-detection level. In this case, since the output signal from the OR operation means also becomes stuck to one of the detection level and the non-detection level from a certain point in time, the output signal of the OR operation means has stopped changing. If a detecting means for detecting is provided, an abnormality in the first moving body detecting means and the second moving body detecting means can be detected.

Hereinafter, an embodiment which is the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
The drawings from FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 show a first embodiment according to the present invention. 1 is a front view showing a slot machine according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a game control device according to the present embodiment, FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a shutter control unit according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a timing control unit according to the present embodiment.
[Overview of slot machine 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the slot machine 10 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 20 formed in a substantially hexahedral box shape.

The housing 20 is formed in a box shape having an open front surface for housing gaming devices and devices. A gaming device such as a reel unit 40 having three rotating reels 41 arranged side by side is housed inside the housing 20.
The opening on the front surface of the housing 20 is closed by a front door 30 having a shape corresponding to the opening. The front door 30 is rotatably attached to the housing 20, whereby the entire front opening of the housing 20 can be opened. A front door 30 having a reel window 42 is provided at substantially the center of the front door 30 so as to cover the front opening.
The reel window 42 provided in the front door 30 is a window for exposing the symbols written on the three rotary reels 41 to the outside. When the rotation of all the three rotary reels 41 stops, A total of nine symbols arranged in groups of three are displayed.

In the vicinity of the lower part of the reel window 42, from the left side, a bet switch 33 for inserting stored medals one by one, a start lever 35 for starting rotation of the rotating reel 41, and three stored medals are inserted. There are provided a max bet switch 34, three stop buttons 36 for stopping the rotation of the three rotary reels 41, and a medal insertion slot 31 into which a medal is inserted.
Also, a payout port 32 for paying out medals at the time of winning a prize is provided at the lower part of the front door 30. A tray 39 is provided below the payout port 32, and a speaker 38 that emits an effect sound or the like is provided to the right of the payout port 32 in the drawing. On the other hand, on the upper part of the front door 30, an effect lamp 37 and the like blinking at the time of winning or the like are provided.

In addition to the reel unit 40 described above, a game control device 43 that controls the operation of the slot machine 10 in the game is housed inside the housing 20.
The game control device 43 includes a main board (not shown) on which an electronic circuit for controlling the gaming operation itself of the slot machine 10 is formed, and a sub (not shown) on which an electronic circuit for controlling the presentation operation of the slot machine 10 is formed. It is divided into a substrate.
Among these, the main board is housed in the board case 44 attached to the inner surface of the side wall disposed on the back surface of the housing 20. The substrate case 44 is formed by molding a transparent synthetic resin into a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape.

On the other hand, the sub-board is housed in a board case 45 attached to the inner surface of the side wall arranged on the left side in FIG. Similar to the substrate case 44, the substrate case 45 is formed by molding a transparent synthetic resin into a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape.
[Retractable lighting device 50]
Here, a retractable illumination device 50 that is turned on for the effect when the player wins the jackpot is provided above the reel window 42 in FIG.
The retractable lighting device 50 is in a state of being retracted and stored inside the front door 30 until the player wins the jackpot, and when the player wins the jackpot, the retractable lighting device 50 comes out of the front door 30. It has become a thing.

That is, an opening 51 formed according to the retractable illumination device 50 is provided on the front surface of the front door 30 as shown in FIG.
On the other hand, the retractable illumination device 50 includes a light source holder 53 that holds a powerful light source 52 such as a xenon lamp, and a shutter 54 that has the light source holder 53 fixed to the back surface.
Among these, the shutter 54 has a rear surface of the front door 30 through the hinge portion 55 provided at the upper portion in FIG. 2 of the opening 51 in the rear surface of the front door 30 at the upper edge portion in FIG. Is attached. Thereby, the light source holding part 53 can be immersed in the back side of the front door 30 through the opening 51 and can protrude to the front side of the front door 30.

At this time, the light source holding part 53 includes a reflecting plate 56 formed in a concave shape, the light source 52 described above is arranged inside the reflecting plate 56, and the light source holding part 53 is located on the front side of the front door 30 through the opening 51. When protruding, the light emitted from the light source 52 is emitted toward the head position of the player.
On the other hand, the shutter 54 is formed in a size that can close the opening 51 provided on the front surface of the front door 30, and when the light source holding part 53 is immersed in the back side of the front door 30 through the opening 51, the shutter 54 closes the opening 51. It has become. Since such a shutter 54 is attached to the back surface of the front door 30 by a hinge portion 55, it can be rotated between two positions, a closed position for closing the opening 51 and an open position for opening the opening 51. Yes.

The hinge portion 55 that allows the shutter 54 to turn is provided with a fan-shaped rack 57 that is arranged coaxially with the turning shaft 55A and has a large number of gear teeth on the outer periphery thereof. It has been.
Further, a stepping motor 58 for opening and closing the shutter 54 is provided in the vicinity of the rotation shaft 55A of the hinge portion 55.
The rotational driving force of the stepping motor 58 is decelerated and transmitted to the rack 57 by a gear 59B provided between the pinion 59A fixed to the output shaft 58A of the stepping motor 58 and the rack 57. The shutter 54 is opened and closed by the rotational driving force of the stepping motor 58.

Here, the front door 30 is a base on which a shutter 54 as a moving body is provided so as to be movable between two predetermined positions.
In this way, on the side of the shutter 54 that can be rotated between the closed position and the open position, a tab 61 as a detected part is provided in order to detect the position of the shutter 54.
More specifically, the light source holding portion 53 fixed to the back surface of the shutter 54 is concealed so as to remain immersed in the back side of the front door 30 even when moved to a position protruding to the front side of the front door 30. A part 62 is provided. The concealed portion 62 is provided with a rectangular protrusion extending radially outward from a rotating end edge opposite to the hinge portion 55, and the protrusion serves as the tab 61 described above.

On the other hand, on the back side of the front door 30, two photointerrupters 63 and 64 for detecting the proximity of the tab 61, which is a detected portion provided on the shutter 54 side, are provided.
The photo interrupter 63 is a shutter opening detection means for detecting that the shutter 54 has reached the open position. The installation position of the photo interrupter 63 is a detection position set on the front door 30 side, and corresponds to the position where the tab 61 is arranged when the shutter 54 reaches the open position, in other words, the front door. The position is close to 30 surfaces.
The photo interrupter 64 is shutter closing detection means for detecting that the shutter 54 has reached the closed position. The installation position of the photo interrupter 64 is a detection position set on the front door 30 side, and corresponds to a position where the tab 61 is arranged when the shutter 54 reaches the closed position, in other words, the front door. It is located away from 30 surfaces.

These photo interrupters 63 and 64 are sensors for controlling the opening / closing operation of the shutter 54 provided in the retractable illumination device 50, and are part of the constituent elements of the shutter control means 80 described later. Each of the photo interrupters 63 and 64 includes a detection unit 65 that detects that the tab 61 on the shutter 54 side is close. Each detector 65 is provided with a light projecting element and a light receiving element (not shown).
Then, when the tab 61 on the shutter 54 side is close to the detection unit 65 and enters between the light projecting element (not shown) and the light receiving element provided in the detection unit 65, the light emitted by the light projecting element (not shown) is blocked. Each of the photo interrupters 63 and 64 is configured such that the state of the detection result signal, which is an output signal to be output, shifts from the non-detection level to the detection level.

On the contrary, the tab 61 moves away from the detection unit 65, deviates from between the light projecting element (not shown) and the light receiving element provided in the detection unit 65, and when the light receiving element receives light emitted by the light projecting element (not shown), Each of the photo interrupters 63 and 64 is configured such that the state of the detection result signal shifts from the detection level to the non-detection level.
In the present embodiment, “1” is used as the detection level and “0” is used as the non-detection level as the level value of the detection result signal.
[Outline of Game Control Device 43]
The operation of the retractable lighting device 50 as described above is controlled by the game control device 43 described above.

In other words, the game control device 43 is obtained by installing software for performing presentation operation control and game operation control on hardware configured to include a CPU using a microcomputer and storage means such as ROM and RAM. is there.
In addition, the game control device 43 receives signals from the start lever 35 and the stop button 36 operated by the player, and based on these signals, operates the devices such as the retractable lighting device 50 and the reel unit 40. It comes to control.
By this game control device 43, the stepping motor 58 of the retractable lighting device 50, the light source 52 of the retractable lighting device 50, the sound source device 22A for outputting the sound for production, and paying out medals to the player at the time of winning a prize The operation of the hopper unit 21 and the like is controlled.

In such a game control device 43, as shown in FIG. 3, a signal input unit 71 for inputting various signals necessary for control, and a control signal for controlling the operation of the hopper unit 21, the reel unit 40, etc. Of the control signal output unit 72 that outputs the signal, the game control means 73 that performs the process of generating the control signal output from the control signal output unit 72 based on the signal input to the signal input unit 71, and the retractable lighting device 50 Shutter control means 80 for performing operation control is provided.
Here, the signal input unit 71 is electrically connected to the start lever 35, the stop button 36, the photo interrupters 63 and 64, and the like.
On the other hand, the control signal output unit 72 includes a reel driving device 40A for driving the rotating reel 41 of the reel unit 40, a hopper driving device 21A for driving the hopper unit 21, a sound source device 22A for production, and a light source 52. An illumination driving device 23 for lighting, a stepping motor 58 for driving the shutter 54, and the like are electrically connected.

Note that an amplifier 22B that amplifies the audio signal generated by the sound source device 22A is connected to the sound source device 22A. The production sound generated by the sound source device 22A is output from the speaker unit 22C connected to the amplifier 22B.
[Shutter control means 80]
Here, the shutter control means 80 mainly controls the opening / closing operation of the shutter 54 provided in the retractable illumination device 50, and the configuration relating to the operation control of the shutter 54 will be described in detail below. Incidentally, the shutter control means 80 also sends a lighting command signal or a light-off command signal to the illumination driving device 23 in response to the opening / closing operation of the shutter 54, and thereby has a control function for turning on or off the light source 52. However, the description relating to the control of the light source 52 is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the shutter control means 80 receives (acquires) the open command signal and the close command signal from the game control means 73 alternately. The shutter control means 80 sends a forward rotation drive signal and a reverse rotation drive signal to the stepping motor 58 so as to open and close the shutter 54 in accordance with the received opening command signal and closing command signal.
When these forward rotation drive signals or reverse rotation drive signals are received (acquired) from the shutter control means 80, the stepping motor 58 rotates in a direction corresponding to the received forward rotation drive signal or reverse rotation drive signal. Yes. In the present embodiment, a pulse signal having a period of about 1 msec can be adopted as a drive signal for forming a forward rotation drive signal and a reverse rotation drive signal.

Further, the shutter control means 80 receives the detection result signal from the open position, that is, the detection result signal from the photo interrupter 63, and the detection result signal from the closed position, that is, the detection result signal from the photo interrupter 64 ( Acquisition). The shutter control means 80 then sends a stop signal to the stepping motor 58 to stop the shutter 54 that is operating based on the received detection result signal from the open position and the detection result signal from the closed position. Is to be sent out.
Such a shutter control means 80 includes an electric motor drive control unit 81 for sending a drive signal for the stepping motor 58 based on a command signal from the game control means 73, and a photo interrupter 63 according to the drive direction of the stepping motor 58. Detection result signal selection unit 82 for selecting one of the detection result signal and the detection result signal from the photo interrupter 64, and the detection result signal selected by the detection result signal selection unit 82 is read at a predetermined timing and held in a buffer The detection result signal holding unit 83, the time series data holding unit 84 that holds the detection result signal sent from the photo interrupters 63 and 64 as time series data, and the time series data holding unit 84 A time-series data determination unit 85 that determines whether or not the series data matches a predetermined pattern, and a scan result according to the determination result of the time-series data determination unit 85. An electric motor stop control unit 86 for transmitting a stop signal for the tapping motor 58, and a timing control unit 100 for transmitting a drive signal for controlling the transmission timing of the drive signal transmitted by the electric motor drive control unit 81 are provided. .

The electric motor drive control unit 81 alternately receives (acquires) two signals of the opening command signal and the closing command signal from the game control means 73, and in accordance with one of the received opening command signal and closing command signal, the stepping motor One of the forward rotation drive signal and the reverse rotation drive signal is output to 58.
Here, the motor drive control unit 81 is configured to synchronize the transmission timing with the timing control pulse signal transmitted from the timing control unit 100 when transmitting the forward rotation drive signal and the reverse rotation drive signal. Has been. In other words, each time the motor drive control unit 81 receives (acquires) a timing control pulse signal from the timing control unit 100, the motor drive control unit 81 sends one of the forward rotation drive signal and the reverse rotation drive signal. It has become.

For example, when the shutter 54 is configured to open when the stepping motor 58 rotates forward, the motor drive controller 81 receives a pulse signal from the timing controller 100 when receiving (acquiring) an open command signal. Whenever a forward rotation drive signal is output and a close command signal is received (acquired) every time a pulse signal from the timing controller 100 is received, a reverse rotation drive signal can be output.
In addition, when the motor drive control unit 81 receives one of the open command signal and the close command signal from the game control means 73, the motor drive control unit 81 displays the opening direction indicating the rotation direction of the stepping motor 58 according to the received open command signal and the close command signal. One of the direction signal and the closing direction signal is output to the detection result signal selection unit 82.

The detection result signal selection unit 82 selects one of the detection result signal from the photo interrupter 63 and the detection result signal from the photo interrupter 64 according to the signal from the electric motor drive control unit 81 and supplies the detection result signal to the detection result signal holding unit 83. To be sent. Specifically, when the detection result signal selection unit 82 receives (acquires) the opening direction signal from the motor drive control unit 81, the detection result signal selection unit 82 selects the detection result signal from the photo interrupter 63 disposed at the open position, while driving the motor. When the closing direction signal is received from the control unit 81, the detection result signal from the photo interrupter 64 arranged at the closing position is selected.
The detection result signal holding unit 83 reads the detection result signal selected by the detection result signal selection unit 82 every time it receives (acquires) a memory trigger signal that is a pulse signal sent out by the timing control unit 100 and reads the detected detection signal. The level value of the result signal is held until the time-series data holding unit 84 completes the preparation process for data update.

The time series data holding unit 84 is capable of holding data consisting of a predetermined number of bits (for example, 4 bits), and shifts the stored data bit by bit to the upper side to shift the lowest order After the preparation process for emptying the bit, the latest detection result signal held in the detection result signal holding unit 83 is stored in the lowest-order bit that is empty.
Thus, time series data in which the detection result signals of the photo interrupters 63 and 64 are arranged in time series is formed in the time series data holding unit 84, and this time series data is stored. In other words, the time-series data holding unit 84 is a detection result storage unit that stores time-series data.

Thus, the detection result signal holding unit 83 completes the preparation process for shifting the data to the upper side and the new 1-bit data can be held until the detection result signal holding unit 83 detects the detection result signal. Therefore, the time series data of the time series data holding unit 84 can be configured with certainty by the level value of the detection result signal read at a predetermined timing. In other words, by holding the detection result signal in the detection result signal holding unit 83, the reading processing of the detection result signal of the photo interrupters 63 and 64 can be reliably performed at predetermined timings. .
Here, the detection result signal holding unit 83 and the time-series data holding unit 84 are a photointerrupter that is a shutter detection unit at a period equal to or longer than the transmission time interval of the drive signal transmitted to the stepping motor 58 at a predetermined time interval. The detection result storage means for storing the detection result signals output from 63 and 64 in chronological order is configured.

The time-series data determination unit 85 is an arrival determination unit that determines that the shutter 54 has reached either the open position or the closed position.
That is, the time-series data determination unit 85 determines whether or not the time-series data stored in the time-series data holding unit 84 matches a predetermined pattern as a data pattern in which a predetermined number of data of the same level value is arranged. Judgment.
In other words, the time-series data determination unit 85 acquires the detection result signal stored in the time-series data holding unit 84, and whether the detection result signal continuously reaches a detection level for a predetermined number of times. Determine whether or not. Then, when the time-series data matches the predetermined pattern, the time-series data determination unit 85 determines that the shutter 54 has reached either the open position or the closed position, and sends a shutter arrival signal to the motor stop control unit 86. It is supposed to be sent out.

When the motor stop control unit 86 receives (acquires) the shutter arrival signal from the time-series data determination unit 85, the motor stop control unit 86 outputs a stop signal to the stepping motor 58.
The timing control unit 100 divides a clock signal generated by a clock signal generation circuit (not shown) to generate a timing control pulse signal to be sent to the motor drive control unit 81 and the like.
That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the timing control unit 100 includes a drive signal transmission frequency dividing unit 101 that generates a transmission trigger signal that is a pulse signal for controlling the drive signal transmission timing of the electric motor drive control unit 81, and The frequency division ratio (1 / n) setting storage unit 102 for setting and storing the frequency division ratio of the drive signal transmission frequency dividing unit 101 and the timing at which the detection result signal holding unit 83 reads the detection result signal are set. A memory trigger signal generating frequency dividing unit 103 that generates a memory trigger signal for controlling, and a frequency dividing ratio (1 / m for setting and storing the frequency dividing ratio of the memory trigger signal generating frequency dividing unit 103 ) Setting storage unit 104.

The drive signal transmission frequency divider 101 receives (acquires) the frequency division ratio setting value n set and stored in the frequency division ratio (1 / n) setting storage unit 102, and sets the clock signal to 1 / n. Divide frequency. For example, if the set value n is set to 1 × 10 ⁴ with respect to a 10 MHz clock signal, the drive signal sending frequency dividing unit 101 sends a 1 kHz sending trigger signal to the motor drive control unit 81. It is like that.
The memory trigger signal generation frequency dividing unit 103 receives (acquires) the frequency division ratio setting value m set and stored in the frequency division ratio (1 / m) setting storage unit 104, and receives the clock signal as 1 / m. The frequency is divided. For example, if the set value m is set to 1 × 10 ⁵ with respect to the 10 MHz clock signal, the storage trigger signal generation frequency dividing unit 103 sends the 100 Hz storage trigger signal to the detection result signal holding unit 83. It is supposed to be sent out.

Here, the division ratio setting value m set and stored in the division ratio (1 / m) setting storage unit 104 is set and stored in the division ratio (1 / n) setting storage unit 102. The frequency division ratio is set based on the set value n, and specifically m = A × n. A is a positive integer of 1 or more.
The transmission time interval at which the memory trigger signal generating frequency dividing unit 103 sends out the memory trigger signal is a photo result in which the detection result storage unit (the detection result signal holding unit 83 and the time-series data holding unit 84) is the moving body detection unit. This is an interval for storing the detection result signals from the interrupters 63 and 64 in chronological order. The transmission time interval of the storage trigger signal is determined by the division ratio setting value m set and stored in the division ratio (1 / m) setting storage unit 104.

For this reason, the sending time interval of the memory trigger signal is set based on the sending time interval of the drive signal sent to the stepping motor 58, and is longer than the sending time interval of the drive signal to the stepping motor 58. The interval is set.
As described above, the detection result storage means (the detection result signal holding unit 83 and the time-series data holding unit 84) detects from the photo interrupters 63 and 64 at intervals equal to or longer than the transmission time interval of the drive signal sent to the stepping motor 58. Result signals are stored in chronological order.
According to this embodiment as described above, the following effects can be obtained.
That is, the detection result signal holding unit 83 and the time-series data holding unit 84 store the detection result signals from the photo interrupters 63 and 64 at intervals equal to or longer than the transmission time interval of the drive signal that is the drive timing of the stepping motor 58. Therefore, the number of data per unit time stored in the detection result signal holding unit 83 and the time-series data holding unit 84 is not too much to control the operation of the stepping motor 58, and the obtained sample data A large amount of unnecessary data can be prevented from being included.

Since the operation of the stepping motor 58 is controlled based on the data stored in the detection result signal holding unit 83 and the time series data holding unit 84, the game control device 43 including the microcomputer may be configured. Thus, the load of the microcomputer of the game control device 43 does not increase more than necessary, and therefore it is possible to avoid applying unnecessary load to the game control device 43.
In addition, since the detection result signal holding unit 83 and the time-series data holding unit 84 store the detection result signals from the photo interrupters 63 and 64 for a longer time, chattering for instantaneously shifting the signal to a high level is performed. In addition to being less affected, data unnecessary for controlling the shutter 54 is not stored, so even if processing to remove chattering is performed, processing for many unnecessary data will not be performed. The load of the microcomputer of the game control device 43 does not increase more than necessary, and it is possible to avoid applying unnecessary load to the game control device 43.

  The interval at which the detection result signal holding unit 83 and the time series data holding unit 84 store the detection result signals from the photo interrupters 63 and 64 in time series order is the transmission time interval of the drive signal sent to the stepping motor 58. Therefore, the timing for storing the detection result signals from the photo interrupters 63 and 64 corresponds to the operation state of the stepping motor 58, and the detection result signal holding unit 83 and the time series data holding unit 84 The amount of data suitable for controlling the operation of the stepping motor 58 per unit time is stored, and it is possible to suppress unnecessary data from being included in the obtained sample data. It is possible to reliably prevent the load from being applied.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 6 shows shutter control means 80A according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the memory trigger signal formed from the clock signal in the first embodiment is used as the memory trigger signal formed from the drive signal.
That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the shutter control unit 80A omits the timing control unit 100 from the shutter control unit 80 in the first embodiment, and adds a clock frequency dividing unit 105 and a drive signal counting unit 106 instead. Is.
The clock dividing unit 105 includes a drive signal sending frequency dividing unit (not shown) that generates a sending trigger signal that is a pulse signal for controlling the drive signal sending timing of the electric motor drive control unit 81, and the drive signal sending frequency dividing unit. A frequency division ratio (1 / n) setting storage unit (not shown) for setting and storing the frequency division ratio of the unit is provided.

The drive signal transmission frequency dividing unit and the frequency division ratio (1 / n) setting storage unit are the same as the drive signal transmission frequency division unit 101 and the frequency division ratio (1 / n) setting storage unit 102 in the above embodiment. It is.
That is, the drive signal transmission frequency divider receives (acquires) the frequency division ratio setting value n set and stored in the frequency division ratio (1 / n) setting storage unit, and sets the clock signal to 1 / n. Divide frequency.
For example, assuming that the set value n is set to 1 × 10 ⁴ with respect to a 10 MHz clock signal, the drive signal transmission frequency dividing section sends a 1 kHz transmission trigger signal to the motor drive control section 81. It has become.
The electric motor drive control unit 81 is configured to send a forward rotation drive signal or a reverse rotation drive signal to the stepping motor 58 every time the transmission trigger signal is received (acquired).

The drive signal counting unit 106 is a counting unit that receives (acquires) a normal rotation drive signal or a reverse rotation drive signal from the electric motor drive control unit 81 and counts (counts) the number of received drive signals. Then, when the number of counted drive signals reaches a preset setting value A, the drive signal counting unit 106 sends a storage trigger signal to the detection result signal holding unit 83.
For example, when “10” is set as the set value A, the clock frequency dividing unit 105 transmits a 1 kHz transmission trigger signal to the 10 MHz clock signal, and the motor drive control unit 81 responds accordingly. Since the 1 kHz forward rotation drive signal is sent out, the drive signal counting unit 106 sends out a 100 Hz storage trigger signal to the detection result signal holding unit 83.

Thereby, the sending time interval of the memory trigger signal is set based on the sending time interval of the drive signal sent to the stepping motor 58, and is longer than the sending time interval of the drive signal to the stepping motor 58. The interval is set.
As described above, the detection result storage means (the detection result signal holding unit 83 and the time-series data holding unit 84) detects from the photo interrupters 63 and 64 at intervals equal to or longer than the transmission time interval of the drive signal sent to the stepping motor 58. Result signals are stored in chronological order.
[Operation of shutter control means 80A]
Next, the control operation of the shutter control means 80A according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The control processing performed by the shutter control means 80A according to the present embodiment is performed in parallel by time division processing together with other processing performed to control the basic game operation of the slot machine 10. In other words, the control process of the shutter control means 80A is one of a plurality of sub control loops provided in order to form a main control loop that is repeatedly performed during the game of the slot machine 10.
Therefore, the control process of the shutter control means 80A is repeatedly executed at the same cycle as the cycle of outputting the drive signal to the stepping motor 58 during the game of the slot machine 10.

That is, when the control process of the shutter control means 80A is started, as shown in FIG. 7, it is determined in step S1000 whether or not the stepping motor 58 is operating. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the motor drive state flag F indicating the drive state of the stepping motor 58 is satisfied, in other words, whether or not the motor drive state flag F is “1”.
When the jackpot is not allocated, the effect is not performed, the retractable illumination device 50 does not operate, and the stepping motor 58 that drives the shutter 54 does not operate. In this case, the motor drive state flag F is “0”.
On the other hand, when the retractable illuminating device 50 starts to operate in order to win the jackpot, the stepping motor 58 that drives the shutter 54 operates. In such a case, the motor drive state flag F is set to “ 1 ".

If it is determined in step S1000 that the motor drive state flag F is not “1”, the process proceeds to step S2000. If it is determined that the motor drive state flag F is “1”, the process proceeds to step S3000.
In step S2000, it is determined whether an activation command from the game control means 73, that is, one of the open command signal and the close command signal is transmitted. If it is determined in step S2000 that the start command has not been transmitted, the control process of the shutter control means 80A is temporarily terminated, and the process returns to the main control loop. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2000 that an activation command has been transmitted, the process proceeds to the next step S2100.

In step S2100, the time series data D is reset. Specifically, all the bits of the time-series data D stored in the time-series data holding unit 84, for example, all four bits are set to “0”. When this reset process is completed, the process proceeds to the next step S2200.
In step S2200, the detection result signal holding unit 83 sets an initial value of the timer variable T that indirectly determines the timing for reading the detection result signal from the photo interrupters 63 and 64. An initial value setting process for setting the value to “9” is performed. Note that, as the initial value set here, the set value A set in advance in the drive signal counter 106 is adopted.

Here, the timing at which the detection result signal holding unit 83 reads the detection result signal from the photointerrupters 63 and 64 is set at a cycle equal to or longer than the transmission time interval at which the drive signal is sent to the stepping motor 58. More specifically, every time the number of times that the drive signal is sent to the stepping motor 58 exceeds the value of the timer variable T, for example, “10”, the detection result signal holding unit 83 detects the detection result signal from the photo interrupters 63 and 64. Is supposed to read.
When the initial value setting process of the timer variable T in step S2200 is completed, the process proceeds to next step S2300.
In step S2300, processing for sending a drive signal (pulse signal) to the stepping motor 58 is performed.

For example, when opening the shutter 54, in step S2300, a process of sending a forward rotation drive signal from the motor drive control unit 81 to the stepping motor 58, that is, a drive signal for driving the stepping motor 58 to rotate forward is performed.
On the other hand, when closing the shutter 54, in step S2300, a process of sending a reverse rotation drive signal from the motor drive control unit 81 to the stepping motor 58, that is, a drive signal for driving the stepping motor 58 to rotate backward is performed. .
When the process of sending such a drive signal is completed, the process proceeds to the next step S2400.
In step S2400, a process of establishing a motor drive state flag F indicating the drive state of the stepping motor 58, in other words, a process of setting the value of the motor drive state flag F to “1” is performed. When the process for establishing the motor drive state flag F is completed, the control process of the shutter control means 80 is temporarily terminated, and the process returns to the main control loop.

By the way, when it is determined in step S1000 that the motor drive state flag F is “1” and the process proceeds to step S3000, in step S3000, the drive for driving the stepping motor 58 is performed as in step S2300. Processing for sending a signal (pulse signal) is performed. Then, when the process of sending out the drive signal is completed, the process proceeds to the next step S3100.
In step S3100, it is determined whether or not the value of timer variable T is greater than “0”. If it is determined in step S3100 that the value of the timer variable T is larger than “0”, the process proceeds to step S3200, and a process of subtracting 1 from the value of the timer variable T is performed in step S3200. When the subtraction process in step S3200 is completed, the control process of the shutter control means 80A is temporarily terminated, and the process returns to the main control loop.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S3100 that the value of the timer variable T is not greater than “0”, the process proceeds to step S3300.
In step S3300, it is determined whether or not stepping motor 58 is driven in the opening direction. If it is determined in step S3300 that the stepping motor 58 is driven in the opening direction, the process proceeds to step S3410. A holding process is performed in which the value of the detection result signal is read and held in the detection result signal holding unit 83 as the holding value S. When this holding process is completed, the process proceeds to step S3500.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S3300 that the stepping motor 58 is driven in the closing direction, the process proceeds to step S3420, and in step S3420, the detection result signal of the photo interrupter 64, which is a sensor arranged at the closed position. And a holding process is performed in which the value of the detection result signal is held in the detection result signal holding unit 83 as the holding value S. When this holding process is completed, the process proceeds to step S3500.
Here, in the holding processing for reading the detection result signal from the photo interrupters 63 and 64, the initial value is set in step S2200, and the value of the timer variable T obtained by subtracting 1 in step S3200 is “0”. Only when it gets smaller. For example, when the initial value of the timer variable T is set to “10”, the detection result signal is read by 1 every time the supply of the drive pulse to the stepping motor 58 performed in step S2300 or step S3000 is completed 11 times. Only once. As a result, the detection result signals output from the photo interrupters 63 and 64 are time-sequentially with a period longer than the transmission time interval of the drive signal (pulse signal) transmitted to the stepping motor 58 at a predetermined time interval. In order, the result is stored (held) in the detection result signal holding unit 83 which is a part of the detection result storage means.

In step S3500, the time series data D is updated. Specifically, in step S3500, the time-series data D stored in the time-series data holding unit 84 is shifted one bit at a time to make the least significant bit empty, and then the most empty data becomes empty. By storing the holding value S, which is the value of the latest detection result signal held in the detection result signal holding unit 83, in the lower bits, update processing for updating the contents of the time-series data D is performed. When such an update process is completed, the process proceeds to the next step S3600.
In step S3600, it is determined whether or not all bits of time-series data D are “1”. If it is determined in step S3600 that all the bits of the time-series data D are not “1”, it can be determined that the shutter 54 has not yet reached the open position or the closed position. Step S3800 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S3900.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S3600 that all the bits of the time-series data D are “1”, it can be determined that the shutter 54 has reached the open position or the closed position, and the process proceeds to the next step S3700. In step S3700, stop processing for stopping the stepping motor 58 is performed. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S3800. In step S3800, a reset process for resetting the motor drive state flag F indicating the drive state of the stepping motor 58, specifically, the value of the motor drive state flag F is set to “0”. A reset process is performed, and when such a reset process is completed, the process proceeds to the next step S3900.
In step S3900, initialization processing for returning the timer variable T to the initial value, for example, initialization processing for setting the value of the timer variable T to “10”, which is the initial value, is performed. When the initialization process in step S3900 is completed, the control process of the shutter control means 80A is completed, and the process returns to the main control loop.

According to the present embodiment as described above, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects of the first embodiment.
That is, when the number of drive signal acquisitions reaches a predetermined number, a drive signal is output from the drive signal counting unit 106, and the detection result signal holding unit 83 and the time-series data holding unit 84 perform Since the detection result signals from the interrupters 63 and 64 are stored, the timing at which the data is stored in the detection result signal holding unit 83 and the time series data holding unit 84 corresponds to the operation state of the stepping motor. Even if the time series data is formed by a plurality of data stored in the time series data holding unit 84 in the time series order, unnecessary data is not included in the time series data, and the time series data becomes unnecessarily large. This makes it easy to handle time-series data inside a computer or the like. From this point of view, the microcomputer of the game control device 43 is negatively affected. The load does not increase more than necessary, and it is possible to avoid applying unnecessary load to the game control device 43.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 8 shows shutter control means 90 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment, one of the photointerrupters 63 and 64 in the second embodiment is selected, and a signal selection type shutter control means 80A for performing subsequent processing based on the selected one detection result signal, This is a logical OR operation type shutter control means 90 that calculates a logical sum of two detection result signals output from the photo interrupters 63 and 64 and performs the subsequent processing based on the calculated logical sum.
[Shutter control means 90]
That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the shutter control means 90 includes a clock frequency divider 105 and a drive signal counter 106 as in the second embodiment.

The clock divider 105 generates a transmission trigger signal by dividing the clock signal, and the drive signal counter 106 counts (counts) the number of acquired drive signals, thereby storing the trigger. A signal is transmitted.
In addition to the clock frequency dividing unit 105 and the drive signal counting unit 106, the shutter control unit 90 includes an electric motor drive control unit 91 that sends a start command signal for the stepping motor 58 based on a command signal from the game control unit 73. A logical sum operation unit 92 that calculates the logical sum of the two detection result signals output from the photointerrupters 63 and 64, and reads the logical sum calculated by the logical sum operation unit 92 at a predetermined timing. The detection result signal holding unit 93 to hold, the time series data holding unit 94 to hold the logical sum value held by the detection result signal holding unit 93 as time series data, and the time series data holding unit 94 Time series data AND operation unit 95 for performing a logical operation for obtaining a logical product of time series data and a multiplier value for adjustment, and a predetermined reference value to be compared with the logical product calculated by the time series data logical product operation unit 95 Keep The reference value holding unit 96, the time series data logical product operation unit 95 and the time series data logical product comparison unit 97 for comparing the logical value of the reference value holding unit 96 and the reference value of the reference value holding unit 96 with each other. The motor stop control unit 98 that sends a stop signal of the stepping motor 58 according to the comparison result of the product comparison unit 97, and the operation error of the stepping motor 58 based on the time series data held by the time series data holding unit 94 And an error detection unit 99 for detecting.

The electric motor drive control unit 91 alternately receives (acquires) two signals of the open command signal and the close command signal from the game control means 73, and in accordance with one of the received open command signal and close command signal, the stepping motor One of the forward rotation drive signal and the reverse rotation drive signal is sent to 58.
The OR operation unit 92 sends out a logical sum signal having the signal value as the logical sum of the value of the detection result signal of the photo interrupter 63 and the value of the detection result signal of the photo interrupter 64. More specifically, the logical sum operation unit 92, when at least one of the detection result signal value of the photo interrupter 63 and the detection result signal value of the photo interrupter 64 is “1”, the value is “ Only when both the detection result signal value of the photointerrupter 63 and the detection result signal value of the photointerrupter 64 are “0”, the value is “0”. It is configured to send out the detection result signal.

The detection result signal holding unit 93 reads the logical sum signal sent from the logical sum operation unit 92 at a cycle longer than the supply time interval of the drive signal supplied to the stepping motor 58, and the level value of the read logical sum signal Until the time series data holding unit 94 completes the preparation process for data update.
The time-series data holding unit 94 is capable of holding data consisting of a predetermined number of bits (for example, 16 bits), and shifts the stored data bit by bit to the upper side so that the lowest order is obtained. After the preparation process for emptying the bit, the latest detection result signal held in the detection result signal holding unit 93 is stored in the lowest-order bit that is empty.

As a result, the logical sum of the detection result signals of the photointerrupters 63 and 64 is arranged in time series in the time series data holding unit 94, and the time series data in which the lower bits become the new detection result signal value. And the time-series data is stored. In other words, the time-series data holding unit 94 is a detection result storage unit that stores time-series data composed of the logical sum of the detection result signals of the photo interrupters 63 and 64.
The time-series data AND operation unit 95 removes the influence of chattering from the time-series data held by the time-series data holding unit 94, and sets the corresponding bits of the time-series data and the multiplier value for adjustment to each other. Multiplication is performed to calculate a logical product.

Here, the multiplier value for adjustment has the same bit length as the time series data, and when determining that the shutter 54 has reached either the open position or the closed position, the time series data to be inspected This is a numeric string of patterns in which the bits corresponding to the middle part arranged immediately before the lower part are set to “0” and all the remaining bits are set to “1”.
For example, when the time-series data forms a 16-bit numeric string and the last 6 digits of the time-series data are the inspection target at the time of arrival determination of the shutter 54, the multiplier value for adjustment is “1111-1100− "0011-1111" can be adopted.
The time-series data logical product operation unit 95 adopting such a multiplier value for adjustment becomes an inspection target of the time-series data by multiplying the corresponding multiplier values of the adjustment and the bits of the time-series data. While maintaining the numerical values from the first digit to the lower six digits, all the numerical values from the lower seventh digit to the lower tenth digit placed at the position immediately before that are set to “0”, thereby chattering immediately before the inspection. Even if noise is generated due to the noise, the influence of the noise can be removed.

The reference value holding unit 96 is referred to when determining that the shutter 54 has reached either the open position or the closed position, and holds and stores a reference value serving as a reference value for the determination. . Here, the reference value is a numerical string having the same bit length as that of the time series data and having the same pattern as that of the time series data when the shutter 54 reaches either the open position or the closed position. Specifically, the reference value is a numerical string having a pattern in which the bits corresponding to the lower part of the time-series data to be inspected are set to “1” and all the remaining bits are set to “0”. is there.
For example, when the time series data forms a 16-bit numeric string and the last 6 digits of the time series data are to be inspected when the shutter 54 arrives, the reference value is “0000-0000-0011-1111”. Can be adopted.

The time-series data logical product comparison unit 97 is an arrival determination unit that determines that the shutter 54 has reached either the open position or the closed position.
That is, the time-series data logical product comparison unit 97 compares the logical product of the time-series data logical product operation unit 95 and the reference value of the reference value holding unit 96, and determines whether the logical product and the reference value match. Based on the above, the arrival of the shutter 54 is determined. Then, when the logical product and the reference value match, the time-series data logical product comparison unit 97 determines that the shutter 54 has reached either the open position or the closed position, and reaches the motor stop control unit 98. A signal is sent out.

When the motor stop control unit 98 receives (acquires) the shutter arrival signal from the time-series data logical product comparison unit 97, the motor stop control unit 98 sends a stop signal to the stepping motor 58.
The error detection unit 99 detects that an operation error has occurred in the operation of the stepping motor 58 based on whether or not all bits of the time series data held by the time series data holding unit 94 have the same value. And error determination means for performing determination.
In other words, the error detection unit 99 generates an operation error in the operation of the stepping motor 58 when the bit values of the time-series data in the time-series data holding unit 94 are all “0” and “1”. It is determined that it was done. When the error detection unit 99 detects the occurrence of an operation error of the stepping motor 58, the error detection unit 99 sends an error occurrence signal to an error occurrence alarm device or the like (not shown) to notify the fact.
[Operation of shutter control means 90]
Next, the control operation of the shutter control unit 90 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The control process performed by the shutter control means 90 according to the present embodiment is performed in parallel with the basic game operation control process of the slot machine 10, as with the shutter control means 80A according to the second embodiment. Specifically, during the game of the slot machine 10, it is repeatedly executed at the same cycle as the cycle of sending the drive signal to the stepping motor 58.
That is, when the control process of the shutter control means 90 is started, as shown in FIG. 9, it is determined in step S5000 whether or not the motor drive state flag F indicating the drive state of the stepping motor 58 is “1”. Is done. If it is determined in step S1000 that the motor drive state flag F is not "1", the process proceeds to step S6000. If it is determined that the motor drive state flag F is "1", the process proceeds to step S7000.

In step S6000, it is determined whether or not an activation command from the game control means 73, that is, either an open command signal or a close command signal has been sent. If it is determined in step S6000 that the start command has not been sent, the control process of the shutter control means 90 is temporarily terminated, and the process returns to the main control loop. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S6000 that an activation command has been sent, the process proceeds to the next step S6100.
In step S6100, the initial value of the time series data D is held in the time series data holding unit 94. Here, as an initial value of the time-series data D, a numerical string set in an appropriate pattern can be adopted as long as the error detection unit 99 does not regard the occurrence of an error as an example. When forming a 16-bit numeric string, “1111-1111-1111-1110” can be adopted. When the initial value holding process of the time series data D is completed in step S6100, the process proceeds to next step S6110.

In step S6110, the time series data logical product operation unit 95 holds the multiplier value C for adjustment, and the time series data logical product comparison unit 97 holds the reference value G used for comparison and reference in the reference value holding unit 96. . When the holding processing of the multiplier value C and the reference value G is completed in step S6110, the process proceeds to the next step S6200.
In step S6200, the detection result signal holding unit 93 sets an initial value of the timer variable T for indirectly determining the timing for reading the detection result signal from the photo interrupters 63 and 64, for example, the timer variable T An initial value setting process for setting the value to “9” is performed. When the initial value setting process for the timer variable T is completed, the process proceeds to the next step S6300.

In step S6300, a process for sending a drive signal (pulse signal) for driving the stepping motor 58, for example, a process for sending a drive signal for driving the stepping motor 58 to rotate forward or reversely is performed. When the process of sending such a drive signal is completed, the process proceeds to the next step S6400.
In step S6400, a process of establishing a motor drive state flag F indicating the drive state of the stepping motor 58, in other words, a process of setting the value of the motor drive state flag F to “1” is performed. When the process for establishing the motor drive state flag F is completed, the control process of the shutter control means 90 is temporarily terminated, and the process returns to the main control loop.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S5000 that the motor drive state flag F is “1” and the process proceeds to step S7000, the drive for driving the stepping motor 58 is performed in step S7000, as in step S6300. Processing for sending a signal (pulse signal) is performed. Then, when the process of sending out the drive signal is completed, the process proceeds to the next step S7100.
In step S7100, it is determined whether or not the value of timer variable T is greater than “0”.
If it is determined in step S7100 that the value of the timer variable T is greater than “0”, the process proceeds to step S7200, and a process of subtracting 1 from the value of the timer variable T is performed in step S7200. When the subtraction process in step S7200 is completed, the control process of the shutter control means 90 is temporarily ended, and the process returns to the main control loop.

Conversely, if it is determined in step S7100 that the value of the timer variable T is not greater than “0”, the process proceeds to step S7300.
In step S7300, the logical sum B is calculated by calculating the logical sum B of the value of the detection result signal S1 of the photo interrupter 63 and the value of the detection result signal S2 of the photo interrupter 64, and the calculated value of the logical sum B is calculated. A logical sum operation process to be held in the held detection result signal holding unit 93 is performed, and when this logical sum operation process is completed, the process proceeds to the next step S7310.
In step S7310, time series data D is updated. Specifically, in step S7310, the time series data D stored in the time series data holding unit 94 is shifted one bit at a time to make the least significant bit empty, and then the most empty data becomes empty. An update process for updating the contents of the time-series data D is performed by storing the latest logical sum B held in the detection result signal holding unit 93 in the lower bits. When such update processing is completed, the process proceeds to next Step S7320.

In step S7320, it is determined whether or not the values of the bits constituting the time series data D stored in the time series data holding unit 94 are all “0” and “1”.
If it is determined in step S7320 that all the bits of the time-series data D are the same, that is, one of “0” and “1”, the process proceeds to step S7500.
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S7320 that the bits of the time series data D are not all the same, in other words, the time series data D includes both “0” and “1”, step S7400 Proceed to
In step S7400, the time series data logical product operation unit 95 is caused to perform a logical operation of multiplying mutually corresponding bits of the multiplier value C for adjustment and the time series data D, so that the logical product E as the operation result is obtained. The calculated logical product operation process is performed, and when this logical product operation process is completed, the process advances to step S7410.

In step S7410, a comparison process is performed in which the logical product E calculated in step S7400 and the reference value G held by the reference value holding unit 96 are compared with each other. When this comparison process is completed, the process proceeds to next Step S7420.
In step S7420, it is determined whether or not the logical product E and the reference value G match based on the comparison result in step S7410.
If it is determined in step S7420 that the logical product E and the reference value G do not coincide with each other, the next step S7430 and step S7440 are skipped, and the process proceeds to step S7450.
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S7420 that the logical product E and the reference value G match, the process proceeds to the next step S7430.

In step S7430, a stop process for stopping the stepping motor 58 is performed. When this stop process is completed, the process proceeds to step S7440. In step S7440, the reset process for resetting the motor drive state flag F indicating the drive state of the stepping motor 58, specifically, the value of the motor drive state flag F is set to “ The reset process is set to “0”, and when such a reset process is completed, the process proceeds to the next step S7450.
In step S7450, initialization processing for returning the timer variable T to the initial value, for example, initialization processing for setting the value of the timer variable T to “10”, which is the initial value, is performed. When the initialization process in step S7450 is completed, the control process of the shutter control means 90 ends, and the process returns to the main control loop.

By the way, since it is determined in step S7320 described above that the values of the bits constituting the time series data D stored in the time series data holding unit 94 are all “0” and “1”, If the process proceeds to S7500, it is determined that an error has occurred in the stepping motor 58 or the like. Therefore, in step S7500, in order to deal with the occurrence of the error, processing at the time of occurrence of the error is executed. When completed, the process proceeds to next Step S7510.
In step S7510, stop processing for stopping the stepping motor 58 is performed. When this stop processing is completed, the process proceeds to step S7520. In step S7520, reset processing for resetting the motor drive state flag F indicating the drive state of the stepping motor 58, specifically, the value of the motor drive state flag F is set to “ A reset process set to “0” is performed, and when such a reset process is completed, the control process of the shutter control means 90 ends in error. Then, when the control process of the shutter control unit 90 ends in error, the process returns to the main control loop, and the process corresponding to the error such as interruption of the game of the slot machine 10 is performed in the main control loop. It has become.

According to the third embodiment as described above, the same effects as the second embodiment can be achieved, and the following effects can be added.
That is, since the error detection unit 99 is provided as error determination means for determining whether there is an abnormality in the stepping motor 58 based on the time series data of the detection result signal stored in the time series data holding unit 94, If an error occurs in the stepping motor 58 and the shutter 54 does not start moving when the shutter 54 starts to move but the shutter 54 does not start moving, the time series data is displayed. Since the included detection result signal continues at a predetermined level or more to reach the detection level, the error detection unit 99 can reliably detect an abnormality in the stepping motor 58. As a result, an abnormality of the stepping motor 58 can be surely notified to the administrator, and as a result, the time from the occurrence of the abnormality to the completion of the repair can be shortened.

In addition, both the photo interrupter 63 and the photo interrupter 64 do not shift from one of the detection level and the non-detection level to the other at the same time as long as no trouble such as a failure occurs, so that the stepping motor 58 is driven. By referring only to the movement direction indicated by the drive command for the movement, in other words, to which of the two positions the shutter 54 should be reached, by monitoring only the output signal of the logical sum operation unit 92, either of the two positions is monitored. It can be determined that the shutter 54 has reached. At this time, the process of selecting one of the photo interrupter 63 and the photo interrupter 64 according to the situation becomes unnecessary.
Therefore, since the load of the game control device 43 for controlling the movement of the shutter 54 is reduced as compared with the case where the two detection result signals from the photo interrupter 63 and the photo interrupter 64 are separately and simultaneously monitored, The process of controlling the operation of the shutter 54 can be facilitated while controlling the operation.

Furthermore, due to the occurrence of a malfunction such as a failure, both the photo interrupter 63 and the photo interrupter 64, or when one of the detection result signals is stuck to one of the detection level and the non-detection level, The output signal from the OR operation unit 92 is also stuck to one of the detection level and the non-detection level from a certain point in time. Here, since the error detection unit 99 detects that the output signal of the logical sum operation unit 92 is not changed, the error detection unit 99 detects an abnormality in the photo interrupter 63 and the photo interrupter 64. You can also.
In addition, as the error detection unit 99 that detects the occurrence of an operation error of the stepping motor 58, when the bit values of the time series data in the time series data holding unit 94 are all “0” and “1”, the stepping is performed. Since it is determined that an operation error has occurred in the motor 58, it is only necessary to detect that all bit values are the same when examining time-series data. Part 99 can be formed.

In addition, when the shutter 54 is stuck in either the open position or the closed position, the values included in the time series data in the time series data holding unit 94 are all “1”, and the shutter 54 is in the open position. Since the values included in the time-series data in the time-series data holding unit 94 are all “0” in the middle of the position between the closed position and the closed position, an operation error of the stepping motor 58 In detecting occurrence, it is only necessary to detect that the bit values of the time-series data are all the same value, so even the error detection unit 99 with a simple configuration must reliably detect the operation error of the stepping motor 58. Can do.
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, The deformation | transformation in the range which can achieve the objective of this invention, improvement, etc. are included.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the detection unit that is the main body of the photo interrupter is provided on the front door side that is the base body, and the tab that is detected by the photo interrupter is provided on the shutter side that is the moving body. On the contrary, the detection part which is detected by the photo interrupter may be provided on the front door side which is the base, and the detection part which is the main body of the photo interrupter may be provided on the shutter side which is the moving body. The installation position can be appropriately set for implementation.
Further, the moving body detection means (shutter detection means) is not limited to a photo interrupter, and may use other detection methods such as a magnetic proximity sensor and a capacitance proximity sensor.

Further, in the first embodiment, the timing control unit 100 in which the frequency division ratio is set separately for the drive signal transmission frequency division unit 101 and the storage trigger signal generation frequency division unit 103 is adopted. However, the timing control unit is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 10, when the frequency division ratio is set for the drive signal transmission frequency dividing unit 101, the storage trigger signal is linked to this. The generation frequency dividing unit 103 may also employ a timing control unit 100A that automatically sets the frequency division ratio.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, in the timing control unit 100A, the division ratio (1 / m) setting storage unit 104 is removed from the timing control unit 100, and instead, the division ratio multiplication (1 / A) is performed. A setting unit 105 and a constant (A) setting unit 106 are provided.

The frequency division ratio multiplication (1 / A) setting unit 105 receives (acquires) the frequency division ratio (1 / n) from the frequency division ratio (1 / n) setting storage unit 102, and receives the frequency division ratio (1 / n). n) is multiplied by the reciprocal (1 / A) of the constant (A) to calculate the frequency division ratio (1 / m), and the calculated frequency division ratio (1 / m) is stored in the memory trigger signal generation frequency divider 103. To send to. The memory trigger signal generating frequency dividing unit 103 divides the clock signal by the frequency dividing ratio received (acquired) from the frequency dividing ratio multiplying (1 / A) setting unit 105.
The constant (A) setting unit 106 sets a constant (A) to be set in the frequency division ratio multiplication (1 / A) setting unit 105. The division ratio multiplication (1 / A) setting unit 105 receives (acquires) the constant (A) from the constant (A) setting unit 106, and performs multiplication with the constant (A).

As described above, when the frequency division ratio (1 / n) is set for the drive signal transmission frequency dividing section 101 by the frequency division ratio (1 / n) setting storage section 102, the frequency division ratio (1 / n) setting memory is stored. The frequency division ratio (1 / n) is also sent from the section 102 to the frequency division ratio multiplication (1 / A) setting section 105, and the frequency division ratio multiplication (1 / A) setting section 105 uses the frequency division for memory trigger signal generation. The frequency division ratio (1 / m) is automatically set for the unit 103 as well.
In the embodiment, the present invention is applied to the rotation control of the shutter of the slot machine. However, in the case of a ball game machine such as a pachinko machine, when controlling the operation of the electric accessory driven by the stepping motor, or A home appliance having a part that can be automatically moved between two predetermined positions, for example, in a CD player device, when a disc tray provided in a slidable manner is driven by a stepping motor, its operation is controlled. The present invention can be applied to a case, and in short, the present invention can be applied to all devices that drive a movable body provided between two predetermined positions by a stepping motor.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the slot machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the game control apparatus which concerns on the said 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the shutter control means which concerns on the said 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the timing control part which concerns on the said 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the shutter control means which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the said 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the shutter control means which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the said 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure equivalent to FIG. 5 which shows the modification of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 slot machine
20 enclosure
30 Front door as base
43 Game control device as a mobile control device (shutter control device)
51 opening
54 Shutter as a moving object
58 Stepping motor
63, 64 Photo interrupter as moving body detection means (shutter detection means)
83, 93 Detection result signal holding unit constituting detection result storage means
84, 94 Time-series data holding unit constituting detection result storage means
85 Time-series data judgment unit as arrival judgment means
92 OR operation part as OR operation means
97 Time Series Data Logical Product Comparison Unit as Arrival Judgment Means
99 Error detection unit as error judgment means

Claims (8)

When driving a movable body provided between two predetermined positions set on the base body by a stepping motor, a driving signal is sent to the stepping motor and the movable body is moved to one of the two predetermined positions. Is reached, the moving body control device that stops the operation of the stepping motor,
A signal input unit for inputting various signals necessary for control;
A control signal output unit for outputting a control signal for controlling the operation of the stepping motor;
Control means for performing a process of generating a control signal output from the control signal output unit based on a signal input to the signal input unit;
Moving body control means for controlling the moving body,
The moving body control means includes
An electric motor drive control unit for sending a drive signal to the stepping motor based on a command signal from the control means;
When the moving body approaches one of the two predetermined positions, the state of the detection result signal to be output shifts from the non-detection level to the detection level, and conversely, the moving body moves from one of the two predetermined positions. Moving object detection means that the state of the detection result signal shifts from the detection level to the non-detection level when leaving,
Based on the transmission time interval of the drive signal sent to the pre-Symbol stepping motor, and at intervals over the transmission time interval, memory for controlling the timing for storing the detection result signal, wherein the moving body detecting means is outputting Means for outputting an opportunity signal,
When the means for outputting the storage trigger signal outputs the storage trigger signal, the detection result storage means for storing the detection result signals output by the moving body detection means in chronological order;
When the detection result signal stored in the detection result storage means is acquired, and the detection result signal is continuously at a detection level for a predetermined number of times or more, the moving body is in any of the two positions. Arrival determination means for determining that the crab has been reached ;
Mobile, characterized in that the arrival determination means further comprises a, a motor stop control unit for outputting a stop signal to the stepping motor and determines that the moving body reaches one of the two positions Control device. The means for outputting the memory trigger signal acquires a drive signal sent to the stepping motor, counts the number of acquired drive signals, and outputs a memory trigger signal when the acquired number reaches a predetermined number mobile control device according to claim 1, wherein the means der Rukoto. The means for outputting the memory trigger signal includes a timing controller for generating a transmission trigger signal for controlling the timing at which the electric motor drive controller transmits a drive signal to the stepping motor and the memory trigger signal, and
The timing control unit sets the transmission interval of the transmission trigger signal and the storage trigger signal by dividing the same clock signal by a predetermined division ratio, respectively, thereby setting the transmission interval of the storage trigger signal as the transmission trigger. signal the mobile control apparatus according to claim 1 Symbol placement is assigned to a distance of more than the transmission interval and said Rukoto of. And characterized in that either the detection level or non-detection level as before dangerous intellectual result signal when had continued more than a predetermined number of consecutive, and includes an error determining means for determining an abnormality in the stepper motor is generated The mobile body control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Wherein the predetermined number of times to determine that said error determining means is abnormal occurs in the stepping motor, Rukoto exceeded the predetermined number of times is determined that the arrival determination means the moving body reaches one of the two positions mobile control device 請 Motomeko 4 SL placing you characterized.   A detection result stored in the detection result storage means when sending of the drive signal to the stepping motor is started in order to separate the moving body that has stopped at one of the two positions from the position. It is provided with an error determination means for acquiring a result signal and determining that an abnormality has occurred in the stepping motor when the detection result signal is continuously at a detection level for a predetermined number of times or more. The moving body control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein   The moving body control means sets an initial value consisting of a predetermined number of bits of data stored in the detection result storage means based on an initial command signal from the control means,
  The initial value is updated each time a detection result signal is acquired, and consists of storage data stored in the detection result storage means and the same number of bits as the storage data, and is used for adjustment to remove the influence of noise due to chattering. A time series data AND operation unit that calculates a logical product by multiplying bits corresponding to each other between multiplier values,
  A reference for holding and storing a reference value consisting of the same number of bits as the stored data, which is referred to when determining that the mobile body has reached one of the two positions, and which serves as a reference value for the determination A value holding unit;
  The time series data logical product comparison part which determines the arrival of the said mobile body based on whether the said logical product and the said reference value correspond is further provided. The moving body control device according to any one of 6 to 6.   As the moving body detecting means, a first moving body detecting means for detecting that the moving body has reached one of the two positions, and the moving body has reached the other position of the two positions. A second movement detecting means for detecting
  The mobile body control device acquires both the detection result signal of the first mobile body detection means and the detection result signal of the second mobile body detection means, calculates the logical sum thereof, 8. The mobile control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a logical sum operation means for sending a logical sum value to the detection result storage means.

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