JP5139380B2 - Game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine that controls lighting of a lamp that is provided on a game board surface and performs an effect or the like.

  Conventionally, when a game ball launched into the game area of the game board enters a specific start winning opening, three rows of symbols (for example, symbols of numbers 1 to 12) displayed on the display unit move from top to bottom. A game machine is widely used in which, when the same or related symbols are arranged on a certain line (effective line), the game becomes a big win, the big winning opening is opened, and the big win game can be played.

  In such a gaming machine, not only the effect by the display unit, but also the fun of the game is improved by lighting the lamps composed of LEDs etc. provided on the game board around the display unit. ing. The lamp control is configured to be executed by a lamp control unit that is different from the main control unit that performs control related to the jackpot (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

  In gaming machines and the like, the brightness (gradation control) is changed by changing the luminance for each lamp for the effect. In this gradation control, the CPU constituting the lamp control means reads the lamp table and the scan data that change in time series in combination. Thereby, the lighting color of the lamp group and the luminance at the time of lighting can be changed with time. For example, it is possible to perform control to gradually increase or decrease the luminance at the time of lighting while lighting (ON) the lamp in a certain color.

  8 and 9 shown below are data referred to by the CPU when the full color LED is turned on in white and gradation control is performed. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventional lamp table (LMP_data). At the time of reading out the lamp table 10, for a certain lamp group (LED1 to LED3), the time interval and the lighting information for each lamp (LED1 to LED3) by RGB (“1” ON / “0” OFF) and A gradation table to be referred to is set. During the time t1, since all the RGB values of the LED1 to LED3 are “1”, they are lit in white. In addition, during the time t1, it is indicated that scan data (scan_feed) described below is referred to.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of scan data (scan_feed) used for gradation control. The gradation control using the scan data 20 uses PWM control, and uses 10 gradations with 9 being the highest luminance and 0 being extinguished. The example shown in FIG. 9 is an example in which the brightness is gradually lowered (fade out) as 9 → 8 → 7 →... (Omitted)... Note that when the time data is 0, the specification returns to the head of the table, and in the example of FIG. FIG. 9 is an example of gradation control for gradually decreasing the luminance, but there is also gradation control for gradually increasing the luminance.

  If such lamp control is applied to a gaming machine, for example, the effect at the time of reaching can be enhanced. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is applied to a general lighting device, for example, a stage lighting device, to provide a stage effect. It can also be used for enhancing purposes.

JP 2001-62116 A

  In the above example, 10 gradations are controlled. However, if you want to increase the number of gradations and change the gradation smoothly, simply setting the number of gradations to increase the amount of data in the lamp table. It took a lot of work to set up.

  Here, if the number of gradations is simply increased, a new problem also arises. It seems that the brightness can be changed smoothly by increasing the number of gradations. However, if the brightness value is set evenly by assigning the brightness values for each of the multiple levels uniformly, In some cases, the smoothness of the gradation (how the brightness changes) when viewed on the screen may be uncomfortable. This is called lightness. When control is performed to change the brightness over a certain period of time without taking this lightness into account, the rate of change in brightness during a certain stage (at a certain time) is between other stages. It may be different from the rate of change in brightness at other times. Thus, smooth gradation control cannot be performed simply by increasing the number of steps.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine that can smoothly change the gradation of a lamp in multiple stages with a simple process in order to eliminate the above-described problems caused by the prior art.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a gaming machine according to the present invention is a gaming machine including a lamp control unit that controls lighting of a lamp disposed on a board surface of the gaming machine, wherein the lamp control unit includes: A lamp in which one characteristic data common to the three primary colors R, G, and B of light is set by associating the brightness at the time of lighting control of the lamp with the lightness indicating the actual brightness corresponding to the brightness Data storage means for storing the table, and control for changing and controlling the brightness so that the brightness changes by a certain amount using the lamp table by an input for changing the brightness of the lamp over a predetermined change time. And the lamp table is configured such that a relationship between brightness at the time of lighting control of the lamp and a brightness corresponding to the brightness is set for each of a plurality of brightness levels, Is based on the input of the change time for changing the brightness of the lamp, the sensitivity before and after the change of the change time, and the update time information that is a unit time for changing the brightness. Obtaining the amount of change in lightness, selecting the brightness corresponding to the lightness after change with reference to the lamp table at each update time, and outputting the brightness as data for gradation control for the lamp A means for temporarily storing and holding the amount of change in the sensitivity per update time and the value of the sensitivity at the time of the previous update, and a change in the sensitivity from the value of the sensitivity for each update time. Sensitivity calculation means for subtracting the amount to obtain a sensitivity for each update time, an output means for referring to the lamp table and outputting a luminance value corresponding to the sensitivity for each update time, and the predetermined change time Between A brightness value at which the lightness level changes constantly over the predetermined change time is provided by providing a lightness level calculation by the lightness level calculation unit and a determination unit that repeatedly outputs the luminance level by the output unit. It is characterized by outputting.

  The lamp control unit is input with lightness values for the three primary colors R, G, and B of light, and the control means performs gradation control for each of R, G, and B. To do.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to easily perform gradation control of the lamp in multiple stages, the sensitivity changes constantly over the entire period of changing the gradation, and the actual change in luminance becomes smooth. You will be able to control. In addition, smooth gradation control can be performed with simple control for the lamps arranged on the game board, and an effect using the lamp can be effectively performed.

  According to the present invention, even if the gradation control of the lamp has multiple stages, it can be executed with simple processing, and the actual change in luminance can be controlled to be smooth over the entire period of changing the gradation. By applying this lamp control device to a gaming machine, it is possible to control the gradation of the lamp on the game board in various ways, and to produce an effect using the lamp effectively.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the lamp | ramp control apparatus of this invention. It is a figure explaining the relationship between a brightness | luminance and a lightness degree. It is a figure which shows an example of a lamp table. It is a flowchart which shows the processing content of the lamp control which a lamp control apparatus performs. It is a graph which shows an example of the relationship between the brightness for every update time, and the actual brightness | luminance to output. It is a front view which shows an example of the game machine of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the control part of a game machine. It is a figure which shows an example of the conventional lamp table. It is a figure which shows an example of the scan data used for gradation control.

(Embodiment)
Exemplary embodiments of a gaming machine according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a lamp control device of the present invention. The lamp control device 100 includes an input unit 101, a control unit 102, a timer 103, a data storage unit 104, and an output unit 105. Data for requesting lamp lighting control is input to the input unit 101 as a command or the like, and this command is output to the control unit 102. The control unit 102 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, analyzes the requested command, and outputs lamp control data corresponding to the command to the lamp 108 via the output unit 105.

  The control unit 102 refers to the timing information of the timer 103 and the lamp table 111 stored in the data storage unit 104 during the command analysis, generates lamp control data corresponding to the command, and outputs it to the output unit 105. To do. The control unit 102 is provided with a lightness control unit 102a, and the lightness control unit 102a generates lamp control data in which the actual brightness (lightness) changes constantly during control to change the luminance. . The lamp 108 is made of a full color LED, and can emit light with an arbitrary emission color.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between luminance and lightness. As shown in the figure, the characteristic line indicating the relationship between actual brightness and lightness is not a straight line but a predetermined curve. For example, the luminance located in 50 steps out of 256 steps is 0.1961, and the lightness is 0.581 (58.1%). The luminance at the 69th stage is 0.2706, and the lightness is 0.647 (64.7%). Sensitivity and actual brightness have a relationship proportional to the third power.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a lamp table. The lamp table 111 is a data table showing the relationship between brightness and brightness shown in FIG. In this lamp table 111, when the sensitivity is set to a value of 0 to 100%, based on the characteristics shown in FIG. It is set at the corresponding stage. The higher the sensitivity, the brighter and brighter. In the example of FIG. 3, the luminance has 100 levels.

  When the lighting control of the lamp group (LED1 to LED3) is controlled, the control unit 102 reads the lamp table 111 and controls the lightness of each lamp. At this time, the relationship between the brightness (actual brightness) set in the lamp table 111 and the lightness is read, so that the lightness increases constantly (in the case of fade-in) or decreases (in the case of fade-out). The luminance to be output to is calculated.

(About constant sensitivity control)
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing details of lamp control processing executed by the lamp control device. The following processing is mainly described for luminance output processing in which the lightness changes constantly. This is done by executing a predetermined lightness control program stored in a ROM or the like by the lightness control unit 102a of the control unit 102 shown in FIG.

  First, the sensitivity change data included in the input command is extracted (step S401). The data of the lightness change includes information of the lightness change time T and the direction of the lightness change (a fade-in that gradually increases the lightness or a fade-out that gradually decreases the lightness). The lightness change update time t may be included in the lightness change data, or may be set in advance in the lightness control unit 102a.

  Then, the sensitivity A at the start of the change, the sensitivity B at the end of the change, the overall change time T, and the update time t when changing the sensitivity are set (step S402). Then, the amount of change in brightness per update time is calculated (step S403).

The calculation formula is
Sensitivity change amount Δa = (A−B) / (T / t) (1)
It is. Since the lightness change amount Δa is referred to at every update time t, the value is temporarily stored and held in the RAM or the like of the lightness control unit 102a until the corresponding lamp control is terminated by the current command input. Keep it.

  Thereafter, the lamp brightness control is actually executed by the following processing. At this time, it is performed while acquiring the time information of the timer 103. Then, it is determined whether the update time t has been reached (step S404). In step S404, the process waits until the update time t is reached (step S404: No loop). When the update time t is reached (step S404: Yes), the degree of sensitivity at the time of update is selected (step S405).

The calculation formula is
Sensitivity a at the time of new update = sensation a before update (during the previous update) a−Δa (2)
It is. The minus (−) is a fade-out time, and a positive (+) at the fade-in time. The sensitivity a at the time of the new update is temporarily stored in the RAM or the like of the sensitivity control unit 102a until the next update, and is referred to at the next update.

  Then, with reference to the lamp table 111, the luminance corresponding to the brightness at the time of update is output from the output unit 105 to the lamp 108 (step S406). Thereafter, until the change time T is reached (step S407: No loop), the process returns to step S404 and the subsequent processing is continued. When the change time T is reached (step S407: Yes), the process is terminated.

  The above process will be described using specific numerical values. For example, it is assumed that the entire change time T included in the command is 3 seconds, fade-out, sensitivity A at the start of change is 100, sensitivity B at the end of change is 50, and update time t is 20 msec. In this case, the amount of change in lightness in one update from the above equation (1) is Δa = (100−50) / (3000/20) = 0.333%.

  Thereafter, every time the update time t is reached, the brightness corresponding to the new lightness is selected from the lamp table 111. FIG. 5 is a chart showing an example of the relationship between the lightness at each update time and the actual luminance to be output. Values for each update time of 20 msec based on the above calculation formula are described. As shown in the figure, at the time of fading out, it is only necessary to obtain the sensitivity obtained by subtracting the change amount Δa of the sensitivity for each update, and output the luminance corresponding to the sensitivity.

  For example, the luminance after 20 msec from the start of the fade is the lightness at the start-the change amount Δa of the lightness, so (100−0.333) = 99.66. Then, 99.66% of the sensitivity is rounded down to 99%, and the closest brightness 244 is obtained with reference to the lamp table 111 of FIG. 3 and output. For the luminance after 100 msec from the start of fading, the sensitivity 98.66 at the last update (80 msec) is used, and (98.66−0.333) = 98.32. Then, the sensitivity of 98.32% is rounded down to 98%, the closest brightness 240 is obtained with reference to the lamp table 111 of FIG. In the above configuration, the decimal point is rounded down. However, rounding up or rounding may be performed.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to change the luminance so that the brightness changes by a fixed amount in units of update time between arbitrary change times for which the gradation is to be changed. As a result, even if the number of gradations of luminance change is increased, the calculation processing load does not increase, and the gradation (brightness change method) that is actually seen over the change time is smoothed with simple processing. Can be changed.

  In particular, the above formulas (1) and (2) are simple calculation processes so that the CPU of the lightness control unit 102a is not burdened with processing, and gradation control in which the lightness changes constantly can be performed. Become. Further, in the above configuration example, it is possible to directly input a range of values before and after the change (at the start and at the end) in 1% increments of the sensitivity, and intuitively perform the gradation change setting operation itself. And easy to do.

  By the way, the lamp table shown in FIG. 3 is an example in which the lightness is set in 100 steps. However, if the setting is made to increase the number of lightness steps, the luminance can be changed more smoothly. However, if the setting is made to reduce the number of stages of sensitivity, the processing load of the calculation can be reduced although it becomes rough, and the number of stages according to the required number of gradations and the calculation processing performance of the CPU can be set. It only has to be selected.

(Applying lightness to changing the gradation of multicolor light emission)
As described above, the lightness control unit 102a can change the luminance so that the lightness changes by a certain amount, and thus can be applied to multi-color light emission using each color of R, G, and B. Here, since the relationship (characteristic line) between the lightness and the luminance shown in FIG. 2 described above can be applied to any emission color regardless of the emission color, only one lamp table 111 in FIG. 3 is set. This single lamp table 111 can be applied in common to the control of constant lightness of each color (color-separated R, G, B in the above example) at the time of multicolor light emission. Even at times, the table capacity does not increase.

  At this time, if the sensitivity values for each of R, G, and B are changed by the same value from the start time to the end time, when the fade-in or fade-out is performed with a predetermined color, R, G, Luminance can be changed while maintaining the respective shades of B, and gradation control with a constant lightness can be performed with a predetermined color. Also, if the sensitivity values between R, G, and B are different between the start time and the end time, the rate of change is different between R, G, and B, and the emission color is simultaneously changed when the gradation is changed. be able to.

(Basic configuration of gaming machine)
The lamp control device of the present invention can be applied to various devices, but can be applied to a gaming machine described below. FIG. 6 is a front view showing an example of the gaming machine of the present invention. This gaming machine includes a game board 601. At the lower position of the game board 601, an operation handle 613 that is a part of the launching unit is disposed. The game ball launched by driving the launching unit rises between the rails 602a and 602b and reaches the upper position of the game board 601, and then falls within the game area 603. A plurality of nails (not shown) are provided in the game area 603, and a game ball is dropped in various directions, and a windmill or a prize opening that changes the fall direction of the game ball at a position in the middle of the fall. Is arranged.

  An image display unit 604 is disposed at the center of the game area 603 of the game board 601. As the image display unit 604, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) is used. Below the image display unit 604, a start winning opening 605a for starting winning is arranged. In addition, an electric tulip (electric chew) 605b is disposed below the start winning opening 605a. A winning gate 606 is disposed below the image display unit 604. Both the start winning opening 605a and the electric chew 605b can be changed in design by winning.

  The winning gate 606 is provided to detect the passing of the game ball and perform a lottery to open the electric chew 605b for a predetermined time. A normal winning opening 607 is disposed on the side of the image display unit 604, below, or the like. When a game ball wins the normal winning opening 607, the number of winning balls (for example, 10) at the time of the normal winning is paid out. At the bottom of the game area 603, a collection port 608 is provided for collecting game balls that have not won any winning ports. In addition, although not shown, the game area 603 may be provided with an accessory or a movable movable accessory.

  The above-described image display unit 604 starts a change in the display of a plurality of symbols when a game ball wins the start winning opening 605a and the electric chew 605b, and the symbols stop after a predetermined time. When specific symbols (for example, “777”) are prepared at the time of the stop, a big hit state is obtained. In the big hit state, the predetermined winning opening 609 located below is repeatedly opened for a predetermined period (for example, 15 rounds), and the number of winning balls corresponding to the winning game balls is paid out. On the upper part of the image display unit 604, a reserved ball display unit 620 (620a to 620d) is provided.

  A frame member 610 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the game area 603 of the game board 601. The frame member 610 has a shape that surrounds the periphery of the game area 603 on four sides of the game board 601. In the frame member 610, effect light portions (frame lamps) 611 are provided on the two sides on the upper side and the lower side of the game area 603. Each effect light unit 611 includes a plurality of lights 612.

  An operation handle 613 is disposed at a lower position of the frame member 610. The operation handle 613 is operated by the player when the game ball is fired by driving the launching unit. Similar to the frame member 610 described above, the operation handle 613 has a shape that protrudes from the surface of the game board 601 toward the player. The frame member 610 incorporates a speaker that outputs sound.

  In the frame member 610, an effect button (chance button) 617 that receives an operation by the player is provided on the lower side of the game area 603. The operation of the effect button 617 is effective, for example, while a guidance that prompts the user to operate the effect button 617 is displayed during a specific reach effect during the game.

  A plurality of lamps are provided in the game area 603 and the frame member 610 of the game board 601. As the lamp, for example, a full-color LED capable of emitting multicolor light is used. The lamp is divided into a plurality of areas as shown in the figure, and a lamp 108 having a plurality of LEDs for each area is configured. The plurality of LEDs provided in the lamp 108 are controlled to turn on the lighting color by the above-described lamp control, and the brightness is controlled to be constant when turned on by the brightness control. For example, at the time of reach, a lighting control for repeatedly turning on / off a certain lamp 108 is performed, and the brightness is changed so that the lightness level is constant, so that the effect at the time of reach can be enhanced. .

(Internal configuration of control unit)
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the control unit of the gaming machine. The control unit 700 includes a plurality of control units. In the illustrated example, a main control unit 701, an effect control unit 702, a prize ball control unit 703, and a lamp control unit 751 are provided. The main control unit 701 controls basic operations relating to gaming of the gaming machine. The effect control unit 702 controls the effect operation during the game. The prize ball control unit 703 controls the number of prize balls to be paid out. The lamp control unit 751 performs lamp control on the lamp 108 described above.

  The control unit 102 illustrated in FIG. 1 is executed by a CPU (not illustrated) inside the lamp control unit 751 or a CPU 741 provided in the effect control unit 702. The data storage unit 104 illustrated in FIG. 1 can be configured by a ROM (not shown) inside the lamp control unit 751 or a ROM 742 provided in the effect control unit 702. 1 is constituted by a CPU (for example, a CPU of a lamp control unit) provided in the control unit 700, a CPU 741 of an effect control unit 702, and a timer (not shown) connected to the CPU 711 of the main control unit 701. it can.

  The main control unit 701 includes a CPU 711 that executes basic processing as the game content progresses, a RAM 713 that functions as a data work area during arithmetic processing by the CPU 711, and the like based on a program stored in the ROM 712. . The main control unit 701 realizes its function by, for example, a main control board. Various commands set in the RAM 713 are sent to the effect control unit 702 and the prize ball control unit 703 at a predetermined timing.

  The main control unit 701 includes a start winning port detecting unit (starting port SW) 721a for detecting a winning ball won in the starting winning port 605a, and an electric chew winning port detecting unit for detecting a winning ball won in the electric chew 605b. (Electric Chu SW) 721b, a gate detection unit (gate SW) 722 that detects a game ball that has passed through the winning gate 606, and a normal winning port detection unit that detects a gaming ball that has won the normal winning port 607 (normal winning port) SW) 723 and a big prize opening detection unit (large prize opening SW) 724 that detects a winning ball won in the big prize opening 609 are connected. A plurality of the regular winning openings SW723 may be provided, such as SW1 and SW2 for each arrangement position of the normal winning openings 607. These detection units can be configured using proximity switches or the like.

  Detection results by the start winning port detecting unit 721a, the electric chew winning port detecting unit 721b, the gate detecting unit 722, the normal winning port detecting unit 723, and the big winning port detecting unit 724 are input to the main control unit 701.

  In addition, the main control unit 701 controls the driving of the electric chew solenoid 725 that opens the electric chew 605b for a certain period of time and the big prize opening solenoid 731 that opens and closes the big prize opening 609. The big prize opening solenoid 731 performs an operation of opening the big prize opening 609 for a certain period in a big hit. This jackpot is programmed in advance to occur with a predetermined probability based on the generated random number.

  The main control unit 701 is connected to a reserved ball display unit 620. A game ball is detected by the start winning port detecting unit (starting port SW) 721a or the electric chew winning port detecting unit (electric chew SW) 721b, and display data of the number of reserved symbols for the next and subsequent symbol changes is displayed as the reserved ball display unit 620. Output to.

  Next, the effect control unit 702 controls the contents of the effect during the game. The effect control unit 702 controls an image and sound related to the effect based on a command sent from the main control unit 701. Therefore, the CPU 741 that executes the rendering process, the ROM 742 that stores the rendering program, various image data such as background images, design images, and character images and various sounds, and the data work area when the CPU 741 performs arithmetic processing functions. A RAM 743 and a VRAM 744 that stores image data to be displayed on the image display unit 604 are provided. The effect button 617 is connected to the effect control unit 702, and the operation of the effect button 617 is input to the effect control unit 702.

  Based on the command sent from the main control unit 701, the effect control unit 702 reads the program stored in the ROM 742, determines the effect contents, background image display processing, symbol image display / variation processing, character image Various image processing such as display processing and sound processing are executed. At this time, necessary image data and audio data are read from the ROM 742 and written into the VRAM 744. The background image, the design image, and the character image written in the VRAM 744 are superimposed and displayed on the image display unit 604 on the display screen. That is, the design image and the character image are displayed so as to be seen in front of the background image.

  In this case, when the background image and the design image overlap at the same position, the design image is preferentially stored in the RAM 743 by referring to the Z value of the Z buffer of each image data by a known hidden surface removal method such as the Z buffer method. . The effect control unit 702 described above realizes its function by, for example, an effect control board.

  For the image display unit 604, the effect control unit 702 displays the contents of the effect during the game, for example, movement display of symbols, reach (a state in which two of the three symbols are aligned), and various display information at the time of jackpot Is generated and output. When the game is interrupted for a certain time, a screen waiting for the customer is displayed and output. In addition, the effect control unit 702 outputs data for outputting sound from the speaker 777. In addition, although not shown, when a movable accessory is provided on the game board 601, control is performed to move the movable accessory as part of the effect.

  The lamp control unit 751 corresponds to the lamp control device 100 shown in FIG. 1, and has the functional units shown in FIG. The lamp control unit 751 executes processing for lighting the lamp and outputs data for controlling lighting of the lamp 108 and the effect light unit 611 provided on the game board 601, the frame member 610, and the like.

  Next, the prize ball control unit 703 performs prize ball control based on a program stored in the ROM 782. The prize ball control unit 703 includes a CPU 781 that executes prize ball control processing, and a RAM 783 that functions as a data work area when the CPU 781 performs arithmetic processing. The prize ball control unit 703 realizes its function by a prize ball board, for example.

  The prize ball control unit 703 performs control for paying out the number of prize balls at the time of winning a prize to a payout unit (payout drive motor) 791. The payout unit 791 includes a motor for paying out a predetermined number from the game ball storage unit. Further, an operation for launching a game ball with respect to the launch unit 792 is detected, and the launch of the game ball is controlled.

  The prize ball control unit 703 gives the number of prize balls corresponding to the game balls won to each payout slot (starting prize slot 605a, electric chew 605b, normal prize slot 607, and big prize slot 609) to the payout unit 791. Control to pay out. The launch unit 792 launches a game ball for gaming, and includes a sensor that detects a game operation by the player, a solenoid that launches the game ball, and the like. When the prize ball control unit 703 detects a game operation by the sensor of the launch unit 792, the game ball 601 is intermittently fired by driving a solenoid or the like in response to the detected game operation, and the game area 603 of the game board 601 A game ball is sent out.

  The prize ball control unit 703 is connected to a detection unit (not shown) that detects the state of the game ball to be paid out, and detects the payout state for the prize ball. These detection units include a payout ball detection SW, a ball presence detection SW, a full tank detection SW, and the like.

  The main control unit 701, the effect control unit 702, the prize ball control unit 703, and the lamp control unit 751 configured as described above are provided on different printed circuit boards (main control board, effect control board, prize ball board, and lamp board). It is done. For example, the prize ball control unit 703 can be provided on the same printed circuit board as the main control unit 701.

(Basic operation of gaming machines)
An example of the basic operation of the gaming machine having the above configuration will be described. Control during the game is performed by the CPU 711 of the main control unit 701, and the winning status of the game balls for each winning opening is output to the winning ball control unit 703. The winning ball control unit 703 has the number of winning balls corresponding to the winning status. Make a withdrawal.

  Further, every time a game ball wins at the start winning opening 605a or the electric chew 605b, a corresponding control signal is output to the effect control unit 702, and the effect control unit 702 displays the design of the image display unit 604 in a variable manner. Repeat to stop. When the big hit occurrence has been determined, a corresponding control signal is output to the effect control unit 702, and the effect control unit 702 stops with a predetermined design. At the same time, control for opening the special winning opening 609 is performed. In addition, the display data of the number of symbols on hold for the symbol variation is output to the hold ball display unit 620.

  The effect control unit 702 displays various effects in addition to the symbol variation display on the image display unit 604 during the reach of the jackpot occurrence period and during the reach until the jackpot occurrence, or at the time of reach notice. . In addition, a specific drive is performed on the movable accessory, and effects such as changing the lighting state of the lamp 108 are performed on the lamp control unit 751. At this time, when performing the gradation control of the lamp, the effect control unit 702 includes, as described above, the command output to the lamp control unit 751 in the change time of the lamp lighting control, the sensitivity before and after the change, and the sensitivity. The information of the update time which is a unit time for changing is included. Based on the input command, the lamp control unit 751 controls the gradation of the lamp 108 so that the lightness changes constantly during the change time.

  When a big hit occurs, the big prize opening 609 is opened a plurality of times. For example, 15 rounds are repeatedly executed with one release as one round. The period of one round is set, for example, when 10 game balls are won or for a predetermined period (for example, 30 seconds). At this time, the prize ball control unit 703 pays out with 15 prize balls per prize for each game ball to the big prize opening 609. After the jackpot is over, the jackpot state is canceled and the normal gaming state is restored.

  In the above embodiment, the lamp control for performing the effect using the lamp provided in the gaming machine has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other lamps may be used as long as the luminance is changed with a certain lighting pattern. It can also be applied to control. For example, it can be applied to various attraction and lighting control devices for stage lighting, and similarly, it is possible to produce a luminance change effect in which the lightness level changes constantly during the change time.

  According to the embodiment described above, since the relationship between brightness and lightness is set in the lamp table, the lightness can be changed by a certain amount when the brightness is changed. This makes it possible to smoothly change the gradation (how the brightness changes) when the brightness of the lamp is actually viewed over the change time.

  Note that the lamp control method described in this embodiment can be realized by executing a program prepared in advance by a computer provided in the gaming machine. This program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD, and is executed by being read from the recording medium by the computer. The program may be a transmission medium that can be distributed via a network such as the Internet.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Lamp control apparatus 101 Input part 102 Control part (control means)
102a Lightness control unit 103 Timer 104 Data storage unit (data storage means)
105 Output Unit 108 Lamp 111 Lamp Table 601 Game Board 604 Image Display Unit 701 Main Control Unit (Main Control Board)
702 Production control unit 703 Prize ball control unit

Claims (2)

In a gaming machine equipped with a lamp control unit that controls lighting of a lamp arranged on the board surface of the gaming machine,
The lamp control unit
A lamp in which one characteristic data common to the three primary colors R, G, and B of light is set by associating the brightness at the time of lighting control of the lamp with the lightness indicating the actual brightness corresponding to the brightness Data storage means for storing the table;
Control means for changing and controlling the brightness so that the brightness changes by a certain amount using the lamp table by an input for changing the brightness of the lamp over a predetermined change time;
In the lamp table, the relationship between the brightness when controlling the lighting of the lamp and the brightness corresponding to the brightness is set for each of a plurality of brightness levels ,
The control means includes
Based on the input of the change time for changing the brightness of the lamp, the sensitivity before and after the change of the change time, and the information of the update time that is a unit time for changing the brightness, the sensitivity per update time The brightness corresponding to the sensitivity after the change is selected with reference to the lamp table at each update time, and the brightness is output as data for gradation control for the lamp. ,
Holding means for temporarily storing and holding the amount of change in the lightness per update time and the value of the lightness at the time of the previous update;
Sensitivity calculation means for subtracting the amount of change in the sensitivity from the value of the sensitivity for each update time to obtain a sensitivity for each update time;
An output means for referring to the lamp table and outputting a luminance value corresponding to the lightness for each update time;
The lightness is calculated over the predetermined change time by providing the lightness calculation by the lightness calculation means over the predetermined change time and the determination means for repeatedly outputting the luminance by the output means. A gaming machine characterized by outputting a luminance value that constantly changes.   The lightness value for each of the three primary colors R, G, and B is input to the lamp control unit, and the control means performs gradation control for each of R, G, and B. Item 1. A gaming machine according to Item 1.

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