JP4922726B2 - Control device and game machine equipped with the control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a circuit structure of a control device for controlling a predetermined device, and a gaming machine equipped with the control device.

  The operation of a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine or a spinning machine is controlled by distributed processing of a plurality of control boards such as a main control board, a sub control board, and a display control board (see Patent Document 1). In order to prevent the player from getting bored with the existing gaming machines, it is desired that the gaming machines are developed one after another in a relatively short period of time. In view of the characteristics of such a gaming machine, it is desirable to share as many components as possible in the gaming machine in order to reduce development costs and manufacturing costs. The above-described control board is one of them.

JP 2006-75457 A

  Since gaming machines are mainly controlled by software, the hardware configuration can be made relatively easy. However, parts such as display panels where the personality of the gaming machine appears can not be sufficiently shared between models. As a result, the control board that directly controls the display panel and the like cannot be sufficiently shared among the models. This problem can be avoided by configuring a circuit that can be shared and a circuit that is difficult to share as separate substrates.

  However, if the control board is subdivided into a portion that can be shared and a portion that is not, the following new problem arises. The first problem is the power source used in each control board. The power supply voltage required for each control board differs depending on the type of elements constituting the control board. In addition, since gaming machines are generally used in a noisy environment such as electromagnetic waves and static electricity, a voltage for electronic equipment such as 18V is placed on a relatively high voltage waveform to exchange signals between control boards. It is less susceptible to noise. In each control board, this voltage is converted into a voltage required by a drive device controlled by the control circuit or a voltage required by the control circuit itself by a power supply circuit. As described above, when the control board is subdivided, the number of power supply circuits increases, which may increase the manufacturing cost.

  Secondly, connection between control boards becomes a problem. When a control board is subdivided and used in common, each control board is required to be flexibly connectable to a wide variety of boards. In order to store a wide variety of boards in a narrow space in the gaming machine, for example, the board and the board are compactly connected with a connector (hereinafter, such connection is referred to as “board-board connection”), or the board and the harness. Are connected with a connector so that flexible arrangement is possible (hereinafter, such connection is referred to as “board-harness connection”). Connectors are usually designed for either board-to-board connection or board-to-harness connection, so that they can be freely connected while securely holding electrical connections to both. A technology that can be selected is required.

  These problems are not specific to the control board of the gaming machine, and are common problems when trying to share between apparatuses or models on a control board that controls some apparatus. An object of the present invention is to solve at least a part of the first and second problems described above and to enable further common use of control boards.

  The present invention can be configured as a connector capable of freely selecting a board-board connection and a board-harness connection. This connector consists of a receptacle and a plug. First, the plug is provided with a plug terminal portion that is electrically connected to the receptacle. A side wall is formed on both sides of the plug terminal portion by providing a predetermined gap. This side wall serves to support the receptacle. A protrusion is formed on the outside of the side wall. The protrusion is for locking a lock claw provided on the harness receptacle when connecting the plug and a predetermined harness connection receptacle (hereinafter referred to as “harness receptacle”). By providing the protruding portion, it is possible to connect the harness receptacle to the plug so as not to be easily detached.

  On the other hand, the receptacle is provided with a receptacle terminal portion that is electrically connected to the plug terminal portion. Then, a predetermined gap is provided on both sides of the receptacle terminal portion to form side walls. The side wall is formed at a position to support the protrusion of the plug from the outside when connected to the plug. That is, at the time of connection, both sides of the receptacle terminal portion are supported by the side wall of the plug, and further, the protrusion provided on the side wall of the plug is supported by the side wall of the receptacle from both sides. By providing the plug and receptacle side walls in such a positional relationship and shape, it is possible to connect the plugs and the receptacles so that they are not easily detached.

  The side wall of the receptacle may further have a cross-sectional shape that can support at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the protrusion. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the inclination of the plug in the direction along the side wall (referred to as “vertical direction” for convenience of explanation) at the time of connection, and to make the connection between the plug and the receptacle more reliable. it can.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the plug terminal portion and the protruding portion are arranged substantially in a straight line. By doing so, when connecting to the harness receptacle, the support force by the locking claw engagement acts on the connecting portion of the plug terminal portion and the receptacle terminal portion without waste, and the connection between the two can be ensured. Furthermore, it is preferable that the side wall of the receptacle has a U-shaped cross section that can support both the upper and lower surfaces of the protrusion. By doing so, the vertical inclination of the plug can be suppressed, and the connection reliability can be further improved.

  You may provide the two support walls formed in parallel with the back surface of the protrusion part in the side wall of a plug. The support wall serves to support the top end of the lock claw from above and below on the back surface of the protrusion when connected to the harness receptacle, and the reliability of connection to the harness receptacle can be improved. For example, the support wall may be provided so as to be connected to the back surface, and may be provided so that a U-shaped depression is formed between the back surface and the inner surface of the support wall at a portion where the lock claw is engaged. When providing a gap between the back surface and the support wall, it is preferable to make the gap small enough to support the movement of the lock claw sufficiently.

  The gaming machine is provided with a sub control board that outputs a command for controlling the effect display on the display panel, and a display control board that receives the command from the sub control board and displays the effect on the display panel. When the connector of the present invention is applied to a sub control board and a display control board provided in a gaming machine, the plug and the receptacle can be attached to either board, but the plug is attached to the sub control board corresponding to the upper control board. It is more preferable to attach. The connector of the present invention enables the plug to be freely connected to the harness receptacle and the receptacle, and the plug is shared by these receptacles and the like. In general, the upper control board can realize various functions with the same hardware configuration by exchanging software, etc., whereas the lower control board, like the display control board, is a part representing the individuality of a gaming machine such as a display panel. It is difficult to make common because it is closely related to Considering such a design situation, it is easy to achieve commonality of the upper control board by attaching a plug common to various receptacles among the component parts of the connector to the upper control board side.

  The connection method between the sub-control board and the display control board corresponding to the lower-level control board should be either the board-board connection or the board-harness connection, which is appropriate for each model in consideration of the placement method of each board. Just choose. If the display control board is specific to the model, a plug or receptacle suitable for the selected connection may be attached. When the display control board is shared by a plurality of models, a receptacle for enabling board-to-board connection is attached to the display control board. Since the harness receptacles are usually provided at both ends of the harness, when the substrate-harness connection is performed on the display control board, a converter is connected to the receptacle and connected to the harness. This converter includes a first conversion plug that can be connected to a receptacle at one end, and a second conversion plug that can be connected to a harness receptacle at the other end. Both the first and second conversion plugs may use the plug of the present invention. By using such a converter, various connections can be realized while sharing the sub-control board and the display control board.

  Such a configuration in which a plurality of control boards are connected by connectors is applicable not only to gaming machines but also to control devices that control predetermined devices. This control device has a higher control board that outputs a control command to another control board, and a lower control board that operates in accordance with the control command. More control boards may be provided. The upper control board and the lower control board are electrically connected by a connector. The lower control board is provided with a power supply circuit that generates a power supply voltage for driving the upper control board and the lower control board by changing the voltage of the external power supply. The upper control board operates by receiving the power supply voltage generated by the power supply circuit provided on the lower control board via the connector.

  In this way, the power supply voltage for the upper control board is also generated by the lower control board, so that the power supply circuit on the upper control board can be omitted. The significance of the lower control board is as follows. In general, when a control device is composed of a higher-level control board and a lower-level control board, the lower-level control board tends to perform operation control closely related to the device to be controlled, and it is difficult to achieve commonality between different devices. There is a tendency. Accordingly, the circuit configuration of the lower control board is often different between devices, and the power supply voltage used by the lower control board is inevitably different. On the other hand, the hardware configuration of the host control board often does not depend on the device to be controlled, and thus it is easy to make the circuit configuration common between the devices. Under such design circumstances, when power is supplied from the upper control board to the lower control board, it is necessary to change the power circuit according to the lower control board. As a result, either the upper control board or the lower control board is required. However, it is difficult to make common. On the other hand, when power is supplied from the lower control board to the upper control board, such an adverse effect can be avoided, and at least the upper control board can be shared while omitting the power supply circuit.

  The external power supply to the lower control board can be supplied through various routes, but as an example, it may be supplied from the upper control board to the lower control board via a connector. By doing so, a control command can be transmitted from the upper control board to the lower control board using the voltage level of the external power supply. If the voltage level of the external power supply is set sufficiently high, it is possible to obtain an effect of suppressing the influence of noise when transmitting the control command.

  In many cases, gaming machines are further provided with a power supply board that generates a DC power supply of a predetermined voltage from an external AC power supply, and a main control board that performs overall control. In gaming machines equipped with these boards, it is preferable to supply external power to the display control board corresponding to the lower control board via the power board, the main control board, and the sub-control board. That is, the external power is supplied along the command flow of the main control board, the sub control board, and the display control board. By doing so, the command can be transmitted using the voltage level of the external power supply. By setting the voltage level sufficiently high, it is possible to obtain an effect of suppressing the influence of noise.

  The various features of the present invention described above are not necessarily all provided, and some of the features may be omitted or combined as appropriate. The present invention can be realized in various modes. For example, you may comprise as invention of the connector simple substance mentioned above. You may comprise as a control apparatus using such a connector. You may comprise as a control apparatus which has the some control board which aimed at sharing, omitting a power supply circuit. You may apply the connector mentioned above for the connection between these control boards. Moreover, it can also comprise as a gaming machine provided with the control board connected with the above-mentioned connector, or a gaming machine carrying these control apparatuses.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order. In the present embodiment, a configuration example as a pachinko machine is shown, but the gaming machine may be a spinning-type gaming machine.
A. Game machine configuration:
B. Control hardware configuration:
C. Display control board:
D. Mounting structure of the power supply module 300:
E. Circuit board manufacturing method:
F. Sub-control board structure:
G. Connector structure:

  In the following, for convenience of explanation, “substrate” is used as a term meaning a plate material formed of a resin such as glass epoxy for mounting an electronic component. A circuit pattern formed with copper is referred to as a “printed board”, and a circuit board on which electronic components are mounted is referred to as a “circuit board”. For the “circuit board”, a name corresponding to the application such as a main control board or a sub control board may be used.

A. Game machine configuration:
FIG. 1 is a front view of a pachinko machine 1 as an embodiment. The pachinko machine 1 has a game board 4 provided with a game area 6 in the center. The player can play a game by operating the handle 8 and driving a game ball into the game area 6 to win a winning opening. When a game ball wins a start winning opening 9 which is one of the winning openings, the pachinko machine 1 performs a lottery, and it is determined whether or not it is a “hit” according to the result. When a big hit occurs, a big hit game such as opening the big prize opening 10 for a predetermined period is performed.

  The result of the above lottery is displayed on a special symbol display device 41 composed of four lamps. In the center of the game area 6, an LCD 16 is provided, and various effect screens (sometimes referred to as decorative symbols) are displayed during the game. An effect screen corresponding to the state of the game is also displayed when winning at the start winning opening 9 or when a big hit occurs. Decorative symbols vary depending on the game situation. In the process of displaying the lottery results, when reaching a reach state where the possibility of a big hit is high, a screen full of speed is displayed, and the player is thrilled and excited.

B. Control hardware configuration:
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control hardware configuration of the pachinko machine 1. The pachinko machine 1 is controlled by distributed processing of control boards such as the main control board 3, the payout control board 25, the sub control board 35, and the display control board 30. The main control board 3, the payout control board 25, and the sub control board 35 are each configured as a microcomputer having a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like, and realize various control processes according to programs recorded in the ROM.

  In the pachinko machine 1 according to the embodiment, input from the outside to the main control board 3 is restricted in order to prevent various frauds. The main control board 3 and the sub control board 35 are connected by a unidirectional parallel electric signal, and the main control board 3 and the payout control board 25 are connected by a bi-directional serial electric signal for the necessity of control processing. Yes. The payout control board 25 and the sub control board 35 operate in response to commands from the main control board 3, respectively. The display control board 30 operates in response to a command from the sub control board 35. The pachinko machine 1 also has a mechanism that is directly controlled by the main control board 3. In the figure, as an example of a device controlled by the main control board 3, a special winning opening solenoid 18 for driving the special winning opening 10 and a special symbol display device 41 are illustrated. In addition to this, the main control board 3 can control displays such as a normal symbol display device, a special symbol hold lamp, a normal symbol hold lamp, a big hit type display lamp, and a status display lamp. Further, detection signals from various sensors are input to the main control board 3 in order to control the operation during the game. In the figure, the input from the winning detector 15a is illustrated as an example. The winning detector 15 a is a sensor for detecting a winning at the start winning opening 9. The main control board 3 can execute the jackpot game by performing the lottery described above according to the signal from the winning detector 15a. Various other inputs are made on the main control board 3, but the description thereof is omitted here.

  Other controls during the game are performed via the payout control board 25 and the sub-control board 35. The payout control board 25 controls the launch and payout of the game ball being played in the following procedure. The launch of the game ball is directly controlled by the launch control board 47. That is, when the player operates the launch handle 8, the launch control board 47 controls the launch motor 49 according to the operation to launch a game ball. The game ball is fired only under a situation where the touch detector 48 detects that the player is touching the firing handle 8. The payout control board 25 indirectly controls the launch of the sphere by sending a launch control signal to the launch control board 47.

  When a command indicating that a prize has been won during the game is received from the main control board 3, the payout control board 25 controls the payout motor 20 in the prize ball payout device 21 and regulates the number of balls by the payout ball detector 22. Pay out a number of balls. The operation of the payout motor 20 is monitored by a motor drive sensor 24, and when an abnormality such as a ball bit or a ball break is detected, the payout control board 25 displays an error code on the display unit 4a. When an error is displayed, it can be recovered by operating the operation switch 4b after the attendant has removed the abnormality.

  The sub-control board 35 controls effects such as voice, display, and lamp lighting during the game. These effects vary according to the status during the game, such as a normal time, a prize, a big win, an error, an alarm when an illegal act or other abnormality occurs. When an effect command corresponding to each status is transmitted from the main control board 3, the sub control board 35 activates a program corresponding to each command to realize the effect instructed from the main control board 3. .

  In the present embodiment, the sub-control board 35 directly controls the speaker 29 as shown in the figure. The LCD 16 is controlled via the display control board 30. The circuit configuration of the display control board 30 will be described later. The lamps to be controlled by the sub-control board 35 include the panel decoration lamp 12 provided on the game board surface and the frame decoration lamp 31 provided on the frame. The sub control board 35 is connected to the panel decoration lamp 12 and the frame decoration lamp 31 via the lamp relay boards 32 and 34, and can blink each lamp individually.

C. Display control board:
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a printed circuit board constituting the display control board 30. The printed board is provided on a single board having, for example, six wiring layers. The display control board 30 is mounted with a CPU 312, a control ROM 325, VDP 330 A, 330 B, a buffer 397, and the like at the positions shown in the figure, and is a circuit constituted by these. Control the display. The display control board 30 is electrically connected to the plug of the sub-control board 35 by the receptacle 340, and the display command can be received via the receptacle 340. Power to the display control board 30 is also supplied via the receptacle 340.

  The CPU 312 controls the display on the display device 16 based on the display command from the sub-control board 35 according to the control program and data recorded in the control ROM 325. The VDPs 330A and 330B generate display data to be displayed on the display device 16 based on instructions from the CPU 312. Display data generated by the VDPs 330A and 330B is accumulated in the buffer 397 and then output to the LCD 16 at a predetermined timing.

  The power supply module 300 is attached to the display control board 30 at the position shown at the lower left in the drawing. The power supply module 300 is a DC / DC conversion circuit that converts an input voltage into a voltage suitable for each electronic component on the display control board 30. In this embodiment, a voltage of 18V is input from the input 301, and three kinds of voltages including 3.3V are generated. By using a relatively high voltage of 18 V as the input voltage, there is an advantage that the influence of noise on the electric signal input from the sub control board 35 to the display control board 30 can be suppressed. Since pachinko machines are generally used in a noisy environment such as static electricity or electromagnetic waves, this noise countermeasure is useful. Although not shown, in order to enable signal exchange at such a high voltage, the display control board 30 has a signal level of an electric signal between a low level for the inside of the board and a high level for transmission and reception. A level converter is provided for conversion at

  A heat radiating plate 302 is formed on the mounting portion of the power supply module 300 so as to be connected to the input 301. Further, another heat radiating plate 303 is formed so as to be connected to the ground. The structure of these heat sinks 302 and 303 will be described later.

D. Mounting structure of the power supply module 300:
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion where the power supply module 300 is mounted. As shown in FIG. 4A, a heat sink 302 is formed so as to be connected to the input 301, and a heat sink 303 is formed so as to be connected to the ground. The surfaces of the input 301 and the heat sinks 302 and 302 are covered with a resist, but the copper foil exposed portions 304 are formed in a matrix form by removing the resist in a net shape on the surfaces of the heat sinks 302 and 303. . As will be described later, the copper foil exposed portion 304 is provided with heat dissipating solder prior to mounting of the electronic components.

  FIG. 4B shows the dimensions of the copper foil exposed portion 304. In the present embodiment, the copper foil exposed portion 304 has a rectangular shape in which the direction along the terminal arrangement of the power supply module 300 is long. The dimension L of the side in the longitudinal direction is 2 mm, and the dimension W of the short side is 1 mm. The distance D between the copper foil exposed portions 304 is 0.4 mm. The shape and interval of the copper foil exposed portion 304 can be arbitrarily set. However, if the dimensions L and W are large, the heat dissipating solder cannot be properly arranged in a mountain shape. On the other hand, when these dimensions are reduced, it is not possible to secure a sufficient height of the heat dissipating solder and to ensure a sufficient surface area that contributes to heat dissipation. A shape that fits in a circumscribed circle with a diameter of about 3 mm can satisfy both requirements appropriately. In this embodiment, the shape of the above-described exposed copper foil 304 is used as such a shape.

  In addition, the shape of the copper foil exposed portion 304 of the present embodiment is the direction along the terminal arrangement of the power supply module 300 as the longitudinal direction. In an electronic component in which terminals are arranged at both ends as in the power supply module 300 of the embodiment, air easily flows in the arrangement direction of the terminals between the electronic component and the substrate. Therefore, by exposing the copper foil exposed portion 304 to a rectangular shape in which the terminal arrangement direction is the longitudinal direction, even when the heat dissipating solder is provided, it is possible to suppress the air flow from being hindered, thereby reducing the heat dissipation. Can be suppressed.

  FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the back surface of the portion where the power supply module 300 is mounted. Similarly to the front surface, heat sinks 305 to 307 are provided on the back surface. However, on the back surface, the heat sinks 305 to 307 are divided into three types according to the output voltage. Like the surface, the heatsinks 305 to 307 are covered with a resist, and a part of the heatsinks 305 to 307 is formed in a net shape to form a matrix-like copper foil exposed portion 304. In the present embodiment, the shape and interval of the copper foil exposed portion 304 are the same as the surface, but may be different shapes and dimensions.

  On the back surface, the copper foil exposed portion 304 is formed with a distance D1, D2 from the through hole 308 to which the terminals at both ends are attached. In this embodiment, the power supply module 300 is inserted and mounted. That is, a terminal is inserted into the through hole 308 and soldered on the back surface. The distances D1 and D2 are provided in order to avoid a short circuit between the solder of the through hole 308 and the heat dissipating solder placed on the copper foil exposed portion 304 when soldering. In this embodiment, the distances D1 and D2 are each 3 mm, but this distance can be arbitrarily set within a range in which a short circuit can be avoided according to the soldering method.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a mounting state of the power supply module 300. FIG. 6A shows a plan view. As shown in FIG. 6A, in this embodiment, the power supply module 300 is mounted by inserting terminals 311 provided at both ends of the main body 310 into the through holes 308 and soldering on the back surface. After mounting, the exposed copper foil 304 is hidden behind the power supply module 300. By adopting such a structure, there is an advantage that the heat dissipation solder can be prevented from coming into contact with other electronic components and wiring.

  FIG. 6B shows a cross-sectional view along AA. In the mounting portion of the power supply module 300, the heat sinks 302 and 303 are formed on the surface of the substrate 30B, and the heat sinks 305 to 307 are formed on the back surface. These heat radiation plates 302, 303, and 305 to 307 are covered with net-like resists 302R and 305R. The portions where the resists 302R and 305R are missing become the copper foil exposed portions 304. The copper foil exposed portion 304 is provided with heat dissipating solders 304H and 305H, respectively.

  The terminals 311 at both ends of the power module 330 main body 310 are soldered to the pads of the through holes 308. The lower surface of the main body 310 and the heat dissipating solder 304H are not in contact with each other. The distance H between the two is determined in accordance with the solder mounting height and the length of the terminal 11. If there is no electrical problem, both may be brought into contact. In the case of contact, there is an advantage that the heat from the power supply module 300 can be efficiently released to the substrate 30 via the heat dissipation solder. However, in the case of the present embodiment, since the amount of heat generated at the input 301 (see FIG. 4) is larger than the amount of heat generated by the power supply module 300, this heat is prevented from being transmitted to the power supply module 300. From the viewpoint, the power supply module 300 and the heat dissipating solder 304H are not in contact with each other.

  In the present embodiment, the copper foil exposed portion 304 and the heat radiation solders 304H and 305H are provided on both the front and back surfaces, but the structure may be provided on only one of the surfaces. Naturally, the heat radiation performance is improved by providing both sides.

  In this embodiment, since the copper foil exposed portion 304 is a part of the heat sink 302 and the like, each copper foil exposed portion 304 is substantially connected. The copper foil exposed portion 304 is not limited to this structure, and an independent copper foil exposed portion 304 may be formed in the step of forming a circuit pattern.

E. Circuit board manufacturing method:
FIG. 7 is a process diagram showing a method of manufacturing a circuit board. First, a substrate is prepared, and a circuit pattern of a printed circuit board is formed thereon (step S10). Since the method of forming the circuit pattern is well known, detailed description thereof is omitted. In the drawing, a circuit pattern in the vicinity of the mounting portion (see FIG. 4) of the power supply module 300 is schematically shown. In this step, the heat sink 302 is formed in a form connected to the input 301, and the heat sink 303 is formed in a form connected to the ground.

  Next, a resist is formed on the surface of the circuit pattern (step S12). In this step, the surfaces of the input 301 and the heat sinks 302 and 303 are covered with a resist. Moreover, the copper foil exposure part 304 is formed by removing the resist on the surface of the heat sinks 302 and 303 in a net shape. Thus, a printed circuit board for mounting electronic components is formed.

  FIG. 8 is a process diagram showing the mounting of the electronic component. First, electronic components are surface-mounted on the front and back surfaces of the printed circuit board of FIG. 7 (step S14). After applying solder paste on both sides, a method can be adopted in which components are mounted and heated to reflow. Since the surface mounting method is well known, further detailed description is omitted. In this step, the heat radiation solders 304H and 305H can be provided by applying the solder paste to the copper foil exposed portions 304 on the front and back surfaces. The heat dissipating solders 304H and 305H are arranged prior to mounting the power supply module.

  Next, the power supply module 300 is inserted and mounted and spot soldered (step S16). That is, as shown in FIG. 6B, the terminals 311 of the power supply module 300 are soldered to the pads of the through holes 308. Here, the mounting of the power supply module 300 is illustrated, but if there are other electronic components to be inserted and mounted, they are mounted in the same manner.

  According to the circuit board of the present embodiment, since the surface area contributing to heat dissipation can be increased by the heat dissipation solder, the heat dissipation can be improved. In this embodiment, since the copper foil exposed portion 304 is substantially connected by a heat radiating plate, the heat conduction between the heat radiating solders can be improved, and the heat dissipation can be further improved. is there.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing experimental data on heat dissipation. In both FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B, a test substrate on which the power supply module was mounted was placed in a constant temperature layer, and the temperature of the power supply module was measured. The ambient temperature Ta represents the temperature of the constant temperature layer. An 18V input voltage is applied to the test substrate, and 1.5V / 2.3A, 2.5V / 0.3A, 3.3V / 2.8A, and 1.8V / 2.0A currents are output. It was. Since the power supply module used in the test was covered with a metal case, the case surface temperature T0 was measured as a representative temperature of the power supply module. It has been separately confirmed that the case surface temperature T0 and the temperature of each element in the power supply module are in a relationship in which a substantially constant temperature difference is maintained.

  The broken line L2 in FIG. 9A is a result for a substrate (115 mm × 160 mm) on which the heat radiating plate 302 and the heat radiating solder 304H described in the embodiment and the like (hereinafter referred to as “heat radiating mechanism”) are not provided. It is. The polygonal line L1 is the result for the substrate (130 mm × 185 mm) provided with the heat dissipation mechanism described in the example. As shown in the drawing, the temperature difference DT1 between them is about 4.5 ° C. over the entire range of the ambient temperature Ta within the measurement range. However, since the influence by the difference in the dimensions of both substrates is also included, the heat dissipation effect by the heat dissipation mechanism is considered to be slightly inferior to this.

  A broken line L4 in FIG. 9B is a result for a substrate (referred to as a “solder-free substrate”) in which only the heat dissipation plate 302 described in the embodiment is provided and the heat dissipation solder 304H is not provided. . The broken line L3 is a result for the substrate with the heat dissipation mechanism. The substrate dimensions are the same. The reason why the results of the broken line L3 and the broken line L1 in FIG. 9A do not match is due to individual differences in the test control boards.

  As shown in FIG. 9B, the temperature difference DT2 between the solderless substrate and the substrate with the heat dissipation mechanism is about 3 to 3.5 ° C. over the entire range of the ambient temperature Ta within the measurement range. From the experimental data shown above, heat dissipation by the heat dissipation mechanism of this example was confirmed.

F. Sub-control board structure:
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a circuit structure of the sub-control board 35. As described with reference to FIG. 2, the sub-control board 35 is configured as a microcomputer. In the figure, a CPU 351 and ROMs 352a and 352b are shown. ROMs 352a and 352b show only sockets. The sound source IC 353 is an element for controlling the speaker 29 (see FIG. 3) and outputting a production sound. Control functions to be realized by the sub-control board 35 are realized by software. Therefore, although the control function differs depending on the model, each function can be realized with the same hardware configuration by replacing the ROMs 352a and 352b.

  The sub control board 35 is provided with a plug 370 for connecting to the display control board 30. The plug 370 can be connected to the receptacle 340 (see FIG. 3) of the display control substrate 30 in a substrate-substrate connection. The plug 370 has a shape that can be connected to a harness. The shape that enables the board-to-board connection and the board-to-harness connection as described above will be described later.

  The sub control board 35 is not provided with a power supply module. In this embodiment, the power generated by the display control board 30 is received via the plug 370 to operate. The CPU 351, ROMs 352a, 352b, etc. on the sub-control board 35 operate at 3.3V. The sound source IC 353 operates at 1.5V. These two types of power supply voltages are generated by the power supply module 300 of the display control board 30 and supplied to the sub control board 35.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a power supply system. The gaming machine according to the present embodiment is supplied with 24V AC power from the outside and generates 18V DC by the AC / DC converter 2A provided on the power supply board 2. The 18V direct current is sequentially supplied to the payout control board 25, the main control board 3, the sub control board 35, and the display control board 30. Although not shown, the payout control board 25 and the main control board 3 are each provided with a DC / DC converter and operate by generating a DC voltage necessary for each board. The display control board 30 includes a DC / DC converter as the power supply module 300, and generates direct current of 3.3V, 1.5V, 1.8V, and 2.5V. The direct current of 2.5 V is used for functions unique to the display control board 30 such as driving of the LCD. A direct current of 3.3 V and 1.5 V is used for operation of each element on the display control board 30. Currents of 3.3 V and 1.8 V are used to operate each element on the sub-control board 35 through connection of the receptacle 340 and the plug 370.

  By supplying 18V DC to each control board as described above, a command between the control boards can be transmitted at this voltage level, and the influence of noise can be suppressed. Supplying 18V direct current from the power supply board 2 in a daisy chain without branching on the way, such as the payout control board 25, the main control board 3, the sub control board 35, and the display control board 30, simplifies wiring. This is also preferable in terms of achieving the above. In addition, it has been experimentally confirmed that this enables the ground lines to be connected in a daisy chain, and the effect of reducing the influence of noise is obtained. In the present embodiment, the current is supplied from the power supply board 2 to the main control board 3 through the payout control board 25, whereas this is because the main control board 3 is provided in the game board. This is because the payout control board 25 is designed to simplify the wiring in consideration of the fact that it is provided on the frame side to which the game board is attached.

  Power for the sub control board 35 is supplied from the display control board 30. The sub-control board 35 can realize functions corresponding to each model with the same hardware configuration by replacing the ROM as described above, whereas the display control board 30 uses a specific board depending on the model. In some cases, the power supply voltage required for the display control board 30 also varies between models. If the power supply module 300 is provided on the display control board 30 and is supplied to the sub control board 35, the power supply circuit of the sub control board 35 can be omitted and the diversity of the display control board 30 can be dealt with without waste. There are advantages that are possible.

  The power supply system shown in FIG. 11 is merely an example and is not essential. For example, a power supply circuit may be individually mounted on the sub control board 35. Further, a power supply circuit that generates a voltage that covers the power supply voltage required for various display control boards 30 is mounted on the sub control board 35, and power is supplied from the sub control board 35 to the display control board 30. May be.

G. Connector structure:
FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the substrate-substrate connection. The receptacle 340 attached to the display control board 30 is shown on the left side, and the plug 370 attached to the sub-control board 35 is shown on the right side. By fitting the receptacle 340 and the plug 370 as indicated by solid arrows in the figure, the display control board 30 and the sub control board 35 can be connected to each other in a state where they are juxtaposed at a minute interval. The plug 370 is provided with a protrusion 373 on the side wall portion as shown in the figure. On the other hand, the receptacle 340 is provided with a hole 345 in the side wall portion. At the time of connection, as shown by a broken line, the projection 373 is inserted into the hole 345 and plays a role of holding the display control board 30 and the sub control board 35 so as to be securely connected.

  FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the board-harness connection. The harness receptacle 410 is shown on the left side. A part of the harness receptacle 410 is a crimp terminal, and the electric wire 402 is connected thereto. A plug 370 attached to the sub-control board 350 is shown on the right side. Lock mechanisms 415 are provided on both sides of the harness receptacle 410 to prevent the harness receptacle 410 from coming off easily when connected to the plug 370. The lock mechanism 415 locks the protrusion 373 of the plug 370 at the time of connection as shown by a broken line, and holds the connection state between the harness receptacle 410 and the plug 370.

  As described above, the plug 370 of the present embodiment can be connected to the receptacle 340 for realizing the board-board connection, or can be connected to the harness receptacle 410 for board-harness connection. Hereinafter, the structure will be described in the order of the harness receptacle 410, the plug 370, and the receptacle 340.

G1. The structure of the harness receptacle 410:
FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing the structure of the harness receptacle 410. For the convenience of illustration and explanation, the drawings are arranged with the harness receptacle 410 standing with the terminal portion facing downward. 14A is a front view, FIG. 14B is a left side view, FIG. 14C is a right side view, FIG. 14D is a top view, and FIG. A bottom view is shown. FIG. 14F is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX ′ (see FIG. 14A).

  As shown in the bottom view (FIG. 14E), the harness receptacle 410 is provided with a receptacle terminal 412 for electrically connecting to the plug 370 at one end of a main body 411 having a rectangular cross section. In this embodiment, an example in which a large number of terminals are arranged in a straight line is shown, but the number of terminals may be further reduced. As shown in the front view (FIG. 14A), a crimping mechanism 413 for connecting a harness is provided on the surface facing the receptacle terminal 412. As shown in FIG. 14 (f), the electric wire 402 is electrically connected to the receptacle terminal 412 by the crimping mechanism 413.

  Lock mechanisms 415 are provided at both ends of the main body 411. The lock mechanism 415 is pivotally supported by the main body 411 and can rotate about the vertical direction on the paper surface in the drawing. When the lock claw 415N at the tip of the lock mechanism 415 is engaged with the plug, the connection portion is held so as not to be easily detached. As the harness receptacle 410 having such a shape and the lock mechanism 415, for example, 8925E (trademark) manufactured by KEL Corporation can be used.

G2. Plug 370 structure:
FIG. 15 is an explanatory view showing the structure of the plug 370. For convenience of illustration and description, each drawing is shown with the plug 370 standing with the terminal portion facing downward. 15A is a front view, FIG. 15B is a left side view, FIG. 15C is a top view, FIG. 15D is a bottom view, and FIG. The figure is shown. FIG. 15F is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX ′ (see FIG. 15D). As shown in FIG. 10, when attached to the substrate, FIG. 15A corresponds to the state seen from above.

  As shown in FIG. 15 (d), the plug 370 is provided with a plug terminal 372 for electrically connecting to the receptacle 340 and the harness receptacle 410 at one end of the main body 371. In this embodiment, an example in which a large number of terminals are arranged in a straight line is shown, but the number of terminals may be further reduced. As shown in FIG. 15F, the plug terminal 372 is connected to a pin for insertion into the substrate.

  In the state shown in FIG. 15 (d), the main body 371 is opened in a square cross section so as to cover the periphery of the plug terminal 372, and therefore a part of the main body 371 is provided on both sides of the plug terminal 372 with a gap. Side wall 377 is formed. The receptacle terminal 412 of the harness receptacle 410 is held by the side wall 377 so as not to be displaced in the left-right direction in the drawing when connected. The same applies to the receptacle 410 described later.

  Projections 373 are formed on the left and right sides of the side wall 377. As shown in FIG. 15D, the protrusions 373 and the plug terminals 372 on both sides are arranged substantially in a straight line. Although the thickness t11 of the protrusion 373 is about 1/3 of the thickness t12 of the main body 371, the thickness is such that the lock claw 415N of the harness receptacle 410 can be sufficiently locked. Side walls do not exist above and below the protrusion 373, but parallel support walls 375 and 376 are formed on the back surface of the protrusion 373. The support walls 375 and 376 are positioned above and below the protrusions 373 in FIG. 15D, and as shown in FIG. 15B, holes 374 are formed between the back surface of the protrusions 373 and the inner surfaces of the support walls 375 and 376. Is forming. As indicated by the auxiliary line L, the end surfaces of the support walls 375 and 376 and the back surface of the protrusion 373 coincide. By adopting such a shape, when the plug 370 and the harness receptacle 410 are connected, the lock claw 415N fits into the hole 374 and engages with the protrusion 373, and the support walls 375 and 376 cause the vertical direction of FIG. Therefore, the reliability of the connection between the two can be improved. However, the support walls 375 and 376 are not indispensable members and can be formed by omitting them.

G3. Receptacle 340 structure:
FIG. 16 is an explanatory view showing the structure of the receptacle 340. For convenience of illustration and explanation, each drawing is shown with the receptacle 340 standing with the terminal portion facing downward. 16A is a front view, FIG. 16B is a left side view, FIG. 16C is a top view, FIG. 16D is a bottom view, and FIG. The figure is shown. FIG. 16F is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX ′ (see FIG. 16D). As shown in FIG. 3, when attached to the substrate, FIG. 16A corresponds to the state seen from above.

  As shown in FIG. 16D, the receptacle 340 is provided with a receptacle terminal 342 for electrically connecting to the plug 370 at one end of the main body 341. In this embodiment, an example in which a large number of terminals are arranged in a straight line is shown, but the number of terminals may be further reduced. As shown in FIG. 16F, the receptacle terminal 342 is connected to a pin for insertion into the substrate.

  In the state shown in FIG. 16D, a part of the main body 341 is a side wall 343 provided on both sides of the receptacle terminal 342 with a space therebetween. A hole 345 is formed in a part of the side wall. The thickness t21 of the hole 345 is about 1/3 of the thickness t22 of the main body 341, and is equal to or slightly larger than the thickness t11 of the protrusion 373 of the plug 370. The hole 345 is formed at the position of the protrusion 373 of the plug 370 at the time of connection. With this shape, when connecting to the plug 370, the protrusion 373 of the plug 370 is inserted into the hole 345 and supported by the side wall 343, so that the reliability of the connection between them can be improved. However, although the hole 345 of the side wall 343 has a U-shaped cross section in the state of FIG. 16D, a shape different from this can be adopted. For example, in FIG. 16D, the upper surface portion or the lower surface portion of the hole 345 may be deleted, and the side wall 343 may be L-shaped or inverted L-shaped, or the upper and lower portions may be deleted to have an I-shaped cross section. . Also in these, it is possible to hold the protrusion 373 depending on the shape.

  As described above, in the connector described in the embodiment, since the plug 370 is provided with the projection 373 for locking the lock mechanism 415 of the harness receptacle 410, it is possible to connect both of them without being easily removed. . In addition, since the projection 373 can be inserted into the hole 345 of the receptacle 340 when connecting to the receptacle 340, the plug 370 and the receptacle 340 can be connected without being easily detached. .

  FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the diversity of connector connections. On the left side of the figure, a plug 370 attached to the sub-control board 35 is shown. On the right side, various receptacles that can be connected to the plug 370 and their connection modes are shown. First, as shown in the upper right, the plug 370 can be connected to the receptacle 340 attached to the display control substrate 30 with the substrate-substrate. Further, as shown in the middle right, it is possible to connect to the display control board 30 via the harness 400. The harness receptacle 410 and the plug 370 can be connected as they are, but the harness receptacle 410 and the receptacle 340 of the display control board 30 cannot be connected. Therefore, in this case, a converter 450 having plugs 370 at both ends is used. Since the harness receptacle 410 can be connected to the plug 370 of the converter 450 and the receptacle 340 of the display control board 30 can also be connected to the plug 370 of the converter 450, the entire connection can be achieved by using the converter 450. Is possible. Instead of the plug 370 of the present embodiment, a plug dedicated to the harness receptacle 410 and a plug dedicated to the receptacle 410 may be attached to both ends of the converter 450.

  In the lower right, an example in which the board and harness are connected without using the converter 450 is shown. In this example, a plug 370 is attached to the display control board 30 </ b> A so that the harness receptacle 410 can be connected without the converter 450. Therefore, the display control board 30A cannot be connected to the sub-control board 35 as it is. If the display control board 30A has a model-specific configuration, it is not necessary to make a board-to-board connection, so a hardware configuration specialized for board-to-harness connection is sufficient. Even in this case, the advantage of sharing the sub-control board 35 with other models is not impaired.

  As described above, according to the connector of this embodiment, it is possible to freely select the board-board connection and the board-harness connection while sharing the sub-control board 35. Accordingly, the arrangement of the sub-control board 35 and the display control boards 30 and 30A can be selected flexibly, so that a common board can be used while avoiding restrictions on the arrangement.

  As mentioned above, although the various Example of this invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to these Examples, and can take a various structure in the range which does not deviate from the meaning. In the above-described embodiment, the configuration as a gaming machine is shown, but the present embodiment can also be applied to a control device incorporated in addition to the gaming machine. Further, the connector of the present embodiment is not limited to the control device, and can be applied between various boards that are required to freely select board-board connection and board-harness connection.

It is a front view of the pachinko machine 1 as an example. 2 is a block diagram showing a control hardware configuration of the pachinko machine 1. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a printed circuit board constituting the display control board 30. FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion where a power supply module 300 is mounted. It is an enlarged view of the back surface of the part which mounts the power supply module. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a mounting state of a power supply module 300. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of a circuit board. It is process drawing which shows mounting of an electronic component. It is explanatory drawing which shows the experimental result of heat dissipation. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a circuit structure of a sub control board 35. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the supply system of a power supply. It is a perspective view which shows board | substrate-board | substrate connection. It is a perspective view which shows a board | substrate-harness connection. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the harness receptacle 410. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a structure of a plug 370. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the receptacle 340. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the diversity of the connection of a connector.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Pachinko machine 2 ... Power supply board 2A ... AC / DC converter 3 ... Main control board 4 ... Game board 4a ... Display part 4b ... Operation switch 6 ... Game area 8 ... Launch handle 8 ... Handle 9 ... Start prize opening 10 ... Large Winning mouth 12 ... Panel decoration lamp 15a ... Winning detector 16 ... Display device (LCD)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 18 ... Grand prize opening solenoid 20 ... Dispensing motor 21 ... Prize ball dispensing device 22 ... Dispensing ball detector 24 ... Motor drive sensor 25 ... Dispensing control board 29 ... Speaker 30 ... Symbol decoration board 31 ... Frame decoration lamp 32, 34 ... Lamp Relay board 35 ... Sub control board 41 ... Special symbol display device 47 ... Launch control board 48 ... Touch detection unit 49 ... Launch motor 300 ... Power supply module 301 ... Input 302, 303, 305-307 ... Radiation plate 302R, 305R ... Resistor 304H 305H: Heat radiation solder 304 ... Copper foil exposed portion 308 ... Through hole 310 ... Main body 311 ... Terminal 312 ... CPU
325 ... Control ROM
330A, 330B ... VDP
397: Buffer 340 ... Receptacle 341 ... Main body 342 ... Receptacle terminal 343 ... Side wall 345 ... Hole 350 ... Sub-control board 351 ... CPU
352a, 352b ... ROM
353 ... Sound source IC
370 ... Plug 371 ... Main body 372 ... Plug terminal 373 ... Projection 374 ... Hole 375,376 ... Support wall 377 ... Side wall 397 ... Buffer 400 ... Harness 410 ... Harness receptacle 411 ... Main body 412 ... Receptacle terminal 413 ... Pressure bonding mechanism 415N ... Lock claw 415 ... Lock claw 415 ... Lock mechanism 450 ... Converter

Claims (3)

A gaming machine,
A display panel for effect display during the game,
A sub-control board for outputting a command for controlling the effect display;
A display control board that is connected to the sub-control board by a connector, receives the command, and displays the effect on the display panel;
The sub control board and the display control board are composed of a receptacle and a plug, and are connected by a connector for electrically connecting the two boards to each other.
The plug is
A plug terminal portion electrically connected to the receptacle;
Side walls formed with predetermined gaps on both sides of the plug terminal portion;
A protrusion formed on the outside of the side wall, and a locking claw provided on a predetermined connector for harness connection,
The receptacle is
A receptacle terminal portion electrically connected to the plug terminal portion;
Side walls formed with predetermined gaps on both sides of the receptacle terminal portion;
The gaming machine, wherein the side wall is formed at a position to support the protrusion of the plug from the outside when connected to the plug. A gaming machine according to claim 1 ,
A gaming machine in which the plug is attached to the sub-control board. A gaming machine according to claim 1 or claim 2 ,
A harness having connectors for harness connection at both ends;
A converter having a first conversion plug connectable to the receptacle at one end, and a second conversion plug connectable to the harness connection connector at the other end;
The plug is attached to one of the sub-control board and the display control board, and the receptacle is attached to the other.
One end of the harness is connected to the receptacle via the converter, and the plug is connected to the other end of the harness, so that the sub control board and the display control board are connected via the harness. An electrically connected gaming machine.