JP5188036B2 - Control board for gaming machines - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine control board with noise countermeasures taken.

  Conventionally, a ball tank for receiving and storing a game ball supplied from a pachinko island facility is provided above the back of a pachinko machine as a game machine. Below the ball tank, a tank rail is provided in an inclined state so that the game ball rolls from the ball tank toward the payout device. The payout device pays out game balls to an upper plate or a lower plate provided on the front surface of the pachinko machine. Since a game board is mounted in the center of the pachinko machine, the ball tank, the tank rail and the payout device are arranged around the back of the pachinko machine so as not to interfere with the game board.

  The game balls that are driven into the game area defined on the game board are entered into various winning ports such as a normal winning port, a starting winning port, and a big winning port, or collected at the out port. The game balls that have entered the various winning awards and the game balls collected at the out outlets return to the pachinko island facility through various passages, and are stored again in the ball tank and circulate. The game balls are rubbed against each other, such as during circulation, and are charged. When the charged game ball is electrostatically discharged in the pachinko machine, noise may be generated and various control boards of the pachinko machine may output abnormal data.

There has been proposed a pachinko gaming machine in which a reset signal is directly connected to a reset terminal of a CPU, and connected to the reset signal of an output port via a delay circuit (for example, Patent Document 1). In this pachinko gaming machine, abnormal data is not output from the output port by a delay circuit that delays the operation start time of the output port until the CPU can operate.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-47408 (FIG. 5)

  However, when noise enters between the connection between the output terminal of the delay circuit and the reset terminal of the output port, this noise is input as a reset signal to the reset terminal of the output port and the output port is reset. Then, for example, after power is turned on, if noise enters between the connection between the output terminal of the delay circuit and the reset terminal of the output port and the output port is reset, the CPU cannot grasp that the output port has been reset. For this reason, the CPU continues to output data to the output port.

  For example, if the player is in a big hit state (during big hit game), the CPU continues to output data to the output port so as to pay out the game ball to the player, but when the output port is reset, the game ball cannot be paid out. . For this reason, the number of game balls paid out to the player is less than the number of game balls paid out by the CPU, which is disadvantageous to the player.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a control board for a gaming machine that can prevent a disadvantage to a player due to the influence of noise. is there.

  Effective solutions for achieving the above-described object will be described below. In addition, the effect | action etc. are demonstrated as needed. In addition, for easy understanding, the corresponding configuration in the embodiment of the invention is also shown as appropriate, but is not limited at all.

(Solution 1)
A CPU for performing various arithmetic processes, an I / O in which input / output control of signals from / to the outside is performed by the CPU, a common power-on reset circuit for outputting a reset signal common to the CPU and the I / O, A control board for gaming machines comprising a common oscillation circuit for outputting a system clock signal common to the CPU and the I / O, and the CPU including the common board Based on the reset signal and the common system clock signal , the CPU side that activates the CPU when the common system clock signal is continuously input for the predetermined number of N clocks or more. comprising a starting circuit, the N number of clocks the predetermined, and the external terminals for alternatively set either predetermined plurality of number of clocks, wherein the I The O, and based on said common reset signal and the common system clock signal, when in succession the common system clock signal has a predetermined M or higher number of clocks the common reset signal is input, the A gaming machine control board comprising an I / O side activation circuit for activating I / O, wherein the predetermined number of M clocks is greater than the predetermined number of N clocks.

  This gaming machine control board includes a CPU, an I / O, and a common power-on reset circuit. The CPU performs various arithmetic processes, and the I / O inputs and outputs signals from the outside through input / output control by the CPU. The common power-on reset circuit outputs a reset signal common to the CPU and I / O.

The control board for gaming machines is provided with a common oscillation circuit, and this common oscillation circuit outputs a common system clock signal to the CPU and I / O. The CPU is provided with a CPU-side activation circuit. The CPU-side activation circuit is configured so that, based on a common reset signal and a common system clock signal , the common system clock signal continuously exceeds a predetermined number of N clocks. When a common reset signal is input, the CPU is activated. That is, the CPU is reset and activated. The I / O includes an I / O side activation circuit. The I / O side activation circuit has a common system clock signal N which is determined in advance based on a common reset signal and a common system clock signal. When the common reset signal is continuously input for a predetermined number of M clocks that is greater than the number of clocks, the I / O is activated. That is, the I / O is reset and activated.

  As described above, when noise enters the control board for gaming machines, the CPU is reset faster than I / O when the noise is applied to, for example, a common reset signal line. That is, when the I / O is reset, the CPU has already been reset. As a result, when the I / O is reset, the CPU is always reset, and the IC between the CPU and the I / O does not become inconsistent (the CPU is faster than the I / O). By resetting and starting faster than I / O, for example, a signal not commanded by the CPU is not output from the I / O).

If the register is initialized when the power is turned on (at power-on reset), there is a risk that it will not be possible to play the game, but as described above, the CPU is always better than I / O. Since the reset takes place quickly, the CPU can be initialized again by executing the initialization program. As a result, even if the CPU and I / O are reset due to the influence of noise, the CPU and I / O are activated so that the IC between the CPU and the I / O is always in a consistent state. The disadvantage to the player due to the influence of noise can be prevented.
In addition, the CPU includes an external terminal that alternatively sets one of a predetermined number of clocks and a predetermined number of clocks. For example, in a CPU of a type in which a dedicated register for selectively setting the N clock number is provided and the N clock number is changed by a program, the value of the dedicated register changes suddenly when affected by noise. In a CPU of the type in which an external terminal is electrically connected to the ground by a short pin or the like, it is strong in the influence of noise, and the number of N clocks can be set alternatively without worrying about the influence of the noise.

In the present embodiment, the main CPU 200 and the payout CPU 700 in FIG. 6 correspond to the CPU, the serial para IF chip 215 and the serial para IF chip 720 in FIG. 6 correspond to the I / O, the power on reset circuit 294 in FIG. The reset circuit 794 corresponds to a common power-on reset circuit, the main control board 20 and the payout control board 70 in FIG. 6 correspond to a gaming machine control board, and the oscillator 292 and the oscillator 792 in FIG. 6 correspond to a common oscillation circuit. The predetermined number of N clocks corresponds to 3 clocks, the noise removal unit 290 and the noise removal unit 712 in FIG. 6 correspond to the CPU side activation circuit, a plurality of external terminals (not shown) of the main CPU 200, and the payout CPU 700 (not shown). a plurality of external terminals correspond to the external terminals, M number of clocks corresponds to 10 clocks a predetermined, in FIG. 6 Is removing section 298 and the noise removing unit 790 corresponds to the I / O side starting circuit.

In claim 1 of the present invention, it is possible to prevent a disadvantage to the player due to the influence of noise. In the first aspect of the present invention, strongly influence of noise, can be alternatively set the N number of clocks without worrying about the influence of the noise.

  In order to further clarify the configuration and operation of the present invention described above, a gaming machine to which the present invention is applied will be described below. In the present specification, a signal name prefixed with “#” means negative logic. “High level” means the “1” level of the two levels of the binary signal, and “Low level” means the “0” level.

A. Configuration of the pachinko machine 10:
A configuration of the pachinko machine 10 that is one of the embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the overall configuration of the pachinko machine 10, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the back configuration of the pachinko machine 10, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing various guide paths for guiding the game balls into the pachinko machine 10. FIG. 4 is a view showing various discharge passages for discharging the game ball out of the pachinko machine 10. First, the front configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described, and then the back configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pachinko machine 10 has an outer frame 11 fixed to a so-called island of a pachinko store, an inner frame 12 fitted into the outer frame 11, an upper center of the inner frame 12, and a game by a game ball is played. A game board 13 to be performed, a glass frame 14 having a glass plate disposed at the front of the game board 13, a handle 15 for receiving an operation by a player for launching a game ball to the game board 13, and the back of the pachinko machine 10 , A ball tank 17 for storing game balls for payout supplied from a pachinko island facility (not shown), an upper plate 16 and a lower plate 19 for storing game balls paid out to the player, a prepaid card A card unit 90 that accepts rental of game balls by the player.

  In the central part of the game board 13, there is provided a center accessory device 34 having a liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as LCD) 35, and a game ball winning is received below the center accessory device 34. A start winning opening 61 is provided. The start winning opening 61 includes a game ball sensor 65 that detects a winning game ball, and a game board driving unit 66 that expands and contracts the introduction path of the game ball in a predetermined case. A regular winning port 63 is disposed on the left and right sides of the starting winning port 61, and a large winning port 64 is disposed below.

  The pachinko machine 10 includes electrical decorations 55, 56, 57, 58, and 59 having light emitting diodes (LEDs). The electrical decorations 55 and 56 are provided on the left and right ends of the game board 13, the electrical decoration 57 is provided on the upper part of the LCD 35, and the electrical decorations 58 and 59 are provided on the left and right of the upper part of the glass frame 14, respectively. In addition, on the left of the upper part of the glass frame 14, a state display unit 72 for displaying a state relating to payout of the game ball is provided. A speaker 45 for outputting sound is built in the front center of the inner frame 12.

  Next, the back configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described. On the back of the pachinko machine 10, as shown in FIG. 2, a ball tank 17 is mounted on the upper side, and a dispensing device 76 is mounted on the right side thereof. Below the ball tank 17, a tank rail 18 is provided in a state where the game ball is inclined so as to roll from the ball tank 17 toward the payout device 76 (in a state of having a downward slope in FIG. 2). Yes. The ball tank 17 receives a game ball supplied from a pachinko island facility (not shown), and the game ball rolls on the tank rail 18 and is taken in by the payout device 76.

  A game board 13 shown in FIG. 1 is arranged below the tank rail 18. A center accessory device 34 shown in FIG. 1 is arranged near the center of the rear surface of the game board 13, and an LCD 35 is attached to the rear portion of the center accessory device 34. The LCD 35 is modularized with a symbol control board 30 that performs display control of the LCD 35, and is accommodated in a symbol control board box 31.

  A box mounting base 39 is disposed below the back side of the game board 13. The box mounting base 39 is mounted with a sub control board box 41 in which the sub control board 40 is housed and a main control board box 21 in which the main control board 20 is housed. Specifically, the main control board box 21 is mounted in a state of being superimposed on the sub control board box 41. The box mounting base 39 is arranged so that the sub control board box 41 and the main control board box 21 do not protrude outside the outline of the game board 13 even when the sub control board box 41 and the main control board box 21 are mounted. ing.

  Thus, the symbol control board box 31 and the main control board box 21 project below the tank rail 18. For this reason, the rear cover 42 is provided so that damage or an electrical short circuit due to the game ball falling from the ball tank 17 does not occur. The rear cover 42 is formed in a rectangular shape so as to cover the symbol control board box 31 and the upper side of the main control board box 21, and is attached so as to be openable and detachable by a cover hinge mechanism (not shown). Yes. The rear cover 42 is formed of a semi-transparent synthetic resin material so that, for example, an operator can visually check the symbol control board box 31 and the like even when the rear cover 42 is closed.

  Only the upper side of the main control board box 21 is covered with the rear cover 42, and the other than the upper side is exposed. The main control board 20 includes an inspection connector 22 and a RAM clear switch 23 on the lower side, and the inspection connector 22 and the RAM clear switch 23 are exposed from the main control board box 21. For this reason, even if the rear cover 42 is in the closed state, a connector of a board inspection apparatus (not shown) can be inserted into the inspection connector 22, and the main control board 20 can be inspected. Further, the RAM clear switch 23 can be operated to erase (clear) various information related to the game from the main control board 20.

  A launching device 43 is attached to the left side of the lower back area of the pachinko machine 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as “lower area”). The firing device 43 includes a firing motor 44 and a firing hammer 46. The firing motor 44 activates the firing hammer 46 to fire (shoot) a game ball toward a game area defined on the game board 13. In the center of the lower region, a payout control board box 71 in which the payout control board 70 is accommodated is mounted. The payout control board 70 performs payout control by performing drive control of a payout drive unit 75 (in this embodiment, a stepping motor) that is a drive source of the payout device 76. An interface board box 48 in which the interface board 47 is accommodated is mounted on the right side of the lower region. The interface board 47 electrically connects the card unit 90 and the payout control board 70 shown in FIG. 1 installed adjacent to the pachinko machine 10, and transmits and receives signals related to ball rental.

  Next, circulation of the game balls of the pachinko machine 10 and the pachinko island facility will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the game balls stored in the ball tank 17 roll on the tank rail 18 and are taken in by the payout device 76. The taken game ball is cut out to either the upper dish guide passage 16a or the ball discharge / discharge passage 16b by a ball cutout member 77 that rotates integrally with the output shaft of the payout drive unit 75.

  The game ball cut out to the upper plate guide passage 16 a is guided to the upper plate ball storage unit 16 c communicating with the upper plate 16 and falls. When the upper plate 16 and the upper plate ball storage unit 16c are full and the game ball further falls, the game ball overflowing from the upper plate ball storage unit 16c passes over the partition wall 16d and is guided to the lower plate. It is guided to the lower dish ball storage part 19b that communicates with the lower dish 19 through 19a and falls.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the game ball cut out to the ball discharge passage 16b is guided to the pachinko island facility through the ball discharge passage 16e as a ball. Note that the game balls that have entered the start winning opening 61, the big winning opening 62, and the normal winning opening 63 shown in FIG. 1 are guided to the pachinko island facility through the safe ball discharge passage 16f as safe balls. Further, the game balls collected at the out port 64 shown in FIG. 1 are guided to the pachinko island facility through the out ball discharge passage 16g as the out ball. The punched ball, safe ball, and out ball guided to the pachinko island facility are supplied again to the ball tank 17 shown in FIG. 3, and the game ball is circulated in the pachinko machine 10 and the pachinko island facility. . The circulating game balls rub against each other and become charged, and electrostatic discharge generates noise.

  The extraction ball discharge passage 16e, the safe ball discharge passage 16f, and the out ball discharge passage 16g are arranged so as not to communicate with the upper plate guide passage 16a and the lower plate guide passage 19a. Thus, on the back surface of the payout control board box 71 shown in FIG. 2, there are a ball discharge passage 16e, a safe ball discharge passage 16f, an out ball discharge passage 16g, an upper plate guide passage 16a and a lower plate guide passage 19a. And the payout control board 70 accommodated in the payout control board box 71 is in an environment that is extremely susceptible to noise.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10. The pachinko machine 10 includes a main control board 20 that controls the progress of the game, a payout control board 70 that controls the payout of the game ball based on a command from the main control board 20, an LCD 35, a speaker 45, A sub-control board 40 that controls effects using the electric decorations 55 to 59 and a symbol control board 30 that controls the display of moving images (performs display control) on the LCD 35 are provided. The payout control board 70 is connected to a payout drive unit 75 that executes payout of game balls, and a state display unit 72 that displays a state relating to the payout described above.

  Each of the main control board 20, the payout control board 70, the sub-control board 40, and the symbol control board 30 has a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, hereinafter referred to as a CPU) that performs various arithmetic processes, and a CPU. Read-only memory (hereinafter referred to as ROM) that pre-stores a program that prescribes the arithmetic processing, random access memory (hereinafter referred to as RAM) that temporarily stores data handled by the CPU, etc. A circuit board on which electronic components corresponding to each board are mounted.

  Various commands are transmitted serially between the main control board 20 and the payout control board 70. Commands between the main control board 20 and the payout control board 70 are configured in units of 2 bytes, and are transmitted serially after being divided into units of 1 byte. The board that has received the command normally transmits an ACK (Acknowledge) signal that is a confirmation signal indicating that the command has been received normally to the board that has transmitted the command. Details of command transmission / reception between the main control board 20 and the payout control board 70 will be described later.

  Various commands are transmitted in parallel from the main control board 20 to the sub control board 40 and from the sub control board 40 to the symbol control board 30, respectively. As main commands from the main control board 20 to the sub-control board 40, there are commands for instructing basic effects relating to games such as so-called “big hit” and “out of game”. A main command from the sub control board 40 to the symbol control board 30 is a command for instructing a display mode of a moving image on the LCD 35 based on a command from the main control board 20.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing details of the electrical configuration of the main control board 20 and the payout control board 70. The main control board 20 includes a main CPU 200 that performs various arithmetic processes in the main control board 20, a serial para IF chip 215 in which a circuit that performs serial communication and parallel communication with the outside is formed, and the main CPU 200 and the serial para IF chip 215. An oscillator 292 that outputs a clock signal CLKa as a common clock signal and a power-on reset circuit 294 that outputs a reset signal RSTa as a common reset signal to the main CPU 200 and the serial para IF chip 215 are provided. In the present embodiment, the clock signal CLKa is an external clock signal of the main CPU 200. Therefore, the clock signal CLKa becomes the system clock signal φa of the main CPU 200. 8 MHz is set as the clock signal CLKa (φa). The power-on reset circuit 294 outputs a reset signal RSTa to the main CPU 200 so as to forcibly stop the operation of the main CPU 200 until the power supply voltage reaches a stable specified voltage when the power is turned on. The reset signal RSTa is also output.

  The clock signal includes a frequency component (high frequency) that is an integral multiple of its own frequency. For example, when the clock signal CLKa of the oscillator 292 is 8 MHz, it includes high frequency components such as 16 MHz, 32 MHz,. Thus, in a digital circuit, the clock signal has the highest frequency and is likely to be a noise source. Therefore, in this embodiment, by outputting the clock signal CLKa (φa) from the oscillator 292 to the main CPU 200 and the serial para IF chip 215 respectively, that is, by making the clock signal CLKa (φa) from the oscillator 292 common, Noise generated by the signal is reduced.

  The main CPU 200 has a circuit configuration of an arithmetic processing unit 210 that performs arithmetic processing and a noise removal unit 290 that removes a predetermined band frequency component. The noise removal unit 290 receives the clock signal CLKa (φa) from the oscillator 292 and the reset signal RSTa from the power-on reset circuit 294, respectively. The noise removing unit 290 performs a filtering process for removing a predetermined band frequency component from the reset signal RSTa based on the clock signal CLKa (φa) (the noise removing unit 290 is a so-called digital noise removing circuit). The filtered reset signal RSTa ′ is input to the arithmetic processing unit 210. As described above, the impulse-like reset signal RSTa due to the influence of noise is not directly input to the arithmetic processing unit 210, and the reset due to the influence of noise does not work.

  The serial interface IF chip 215 includes a serial IF unit 220 that performs serial communication with the outside, a parallel IF unit 230 that performs parallel communication with the outside, and a noise removal unit 298 that removes a predetermined band frequency component. The constituent circuits of the serial IF chip 215 are integrated on one chip.

  As will be described in detail later, the noise removal unit 298 is supplied with the clock signal CLKa (φa) from the oscillator 292 and the reset signal RSTa from the power-on reset circuit 294. The noise removing unit 298 performs a filtering process for removing a predetermined band frequency component from the reset signal RSTa based on the clock signal CLKa (φa) (the noise removing unit 298 is a so-called digital noise removing circuit). The filtered reset signal RSTa ′ is input to the serial IF unit 720 and the parallel unit 230. As described above, the impulse-like reset signal RSTa due to the influence of noise is not input to the serial IF section 220 and the parallel IF section 230, and the reset due to the influence of noise acts on the serial IF section 220 and the parallel IF section 230. There is no such thing.

  The serial IF unit 220 receives and stores the parallel data TDa from the arithmetic processing unit 210, receives the data stored in the transmission buffer register 240, converts it into serial data Dab, and transmits it serially to the payout control board 70. The transmission shift register 250, the reception shift register 260 that receives and stores the serial data Dba from the payout control board 70, and the data that is stored in the reception shift register 260 is received and stored as parallel data RDa by the arithmetic processing unit 210. A reception buffer register 270 and a serial management unit 280 that manages the operation state of each unit in the serial IF unit 220 are provided. The transmission buffer register 240, the transmission shift register 250, the reception shift register 260, and the reception buffer register 270 are registers each having a storage capacity of 1 byte.

  The serial management unit 280 allows the transmission shift register 250 and the transmission buffer register 240 to transfer data from the transmission buffer register 240 to the transmission shift register 250 when the transmission shift register 250 is not performing serial transmission. After being passed, the circuit is configured to erase data from the transmission buffer register 240.

  The serial management unit 280 permits the data transfer from the reception shift register 260 to the reception buffer register 270 when the data is not stored in the reception buffer register 270 with respect to the reception shift register 260 and the reception buffer register 270. The processing unit 210 is configured to erase data from the reception buffer register 270 after reading the parallel data RDa from the reception buffer register 270.

  The serial para IF chip 215 includes a frequency divider 296. The frequency divider 296 supplies the reference clock signal SCLKa generated by dividing the clock signal CLKa (φa) output from the oscillator 292 to the serial IF unit 220. The serial IF unit 220 serially receives a transmission rate for serially transmitting a payout command to be described later to the payout control board 70 based on the supplied reference clock signal SCLKa and an operation state command to be described later from the payout control board 70. Set the reception timing clock.

  The main CPU 200 (arithmetic processing unit 210) writes the parallel data TDa to the transmission buffer register 240 by lowering the write signal #WRa to the transmission buffer register 240, and reads the read signal to the reception buffer register 270. The parallel data RDa is read from the reception buffer register 270 by causing #REa to fall.

  The arithmetic processing unit 210 receives signals indicating various states in the serial IF unit 220 from the serial management unit 280. Signals that the arithmetic processing unit 210 receives from the serial management unit 280 include a transmission buffer empty signal TEa that is set to a high level when the transmission buffer register 240 is cleared, and a transmission shift register 250 that is transmitting serially. There is a serial transmission signal TCa that is set to a high level, and a reception data presence signal DFa that is set to a high level when data is stored in the reception buffer register 270.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the payout control board 70 includes a payout CPU 700 for performing various arithmetic processes in the payout control board 70, a serial para IF chip 720 in which a circuit for performing serial communication and parallel communication with the outside is formed, and a payout An oscillator 792 that outputs a clock signal CLKb as a common clock signal to the CPU 700 and the serial para IF chip 720, and a power-on reset circuit 794 that outputs a reset signal RSTb as a common reset signal to the payout CPU 700 and the serial para IF chip 720 are provided. In this embodiment, the clock signal CLKb is an external clock signal of the payout CPU 700. Therefore, the clock signal CLKb becomes the system clock signal φb of the payout CPU 700. 8 MHz is set as the clock signal CLKb (φb). The power-on reset circuit 794 outputs a reset signal RSTb to the payout CPU 700 to forcibly stop the operation of the payout CPU 700 until the power supply voltage reaches a stable specified voltage when the power is turned on, and the serial para IF chip 720. Also, the reset signal RSTb is output.

  As described above, the clock signal includes a frequency component (high frequency) that is an integral multiple of its own frequency. For example, when the clock signal CLKb of the oscillator 792 is 8 MHz, it includes high frequency components such as 16 MHz, 24 MHz,. Thus, in a digital circuit, the clock signal has the highest frequency and is likely to be a noise source. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the clock signal CLKb (φb) is output from the oscillator 792 to the payout CPU 700 and the serial para IF chip 720, that is, the clock signal CLKb (φb) from the oscillator 792 is shared, thereby generating the clock. Noise generated by the signal is reduced.

  The payout CPU 700 has a circuit configuration of an arithmetic processing unit 710 that performs arithmetic processing and a noise removing unit 712 that removes a predetermined band frequency component. The noise removing unit 712 receives the clock signal CLKb (φb) from the oscillator 792 and the reset signal RSTb from the power-on reset circuit 794, respectively. The noise removing unit 712 performs a filtering process for removing a predetermined band frequency component from the reset signal RSTb based on the clock signal CLKb (φb) (the noise removing unit 712 is a so-called digital noise removing circuit). The filtered reset signal RSTb ′ is input to the arithmetic processing unit 710. As described above, the impulse-like reset signal RSTb due to the influence of noise is not directly input to the arithmetic processing unit 710, and the reset due to the influence of noise does not work.

  The serial interface IF chip 720 includes a serial IF unit 722 that performs serial communication with the outside, a parallel IF unit 730 that performs parallel communication with the outside, and a noise removal unit 790 that removes a predetermined band frequency component. The constituent circuits of the serial IF chip 720 are integrated on one chip.

  As will be described in detail later, the noise removal unit 790 receives the clock signal CLKb (φb) from the oscillator 792 and the reset signal RSTb from the power-on reset circuit 794. The noise removing unit 790 performs a filtering process for removing a predetermined band frequency component from the reset signal RSTb based on the clock signal CLKb (φb) (the noise removing unit 790 is a so-called digital noise removing circuit). The filtered reset signal RSTb ′ is input to the serial IF unit 722 and the parallel unit 750. As described above, the impulse-like reset signal RSTb caused by the noise is not input to the serial IF unit 722 and the parallel IF unit 730, and the reset caused by the noise affects the serial IF unit 722 and the parallel IF unit 730. There is no such thing.

  The serial IF unit 722 receives and stores the parallel data TDb from the arithmetic processing unit 710, receives the data stored in the transmission buffer register 740, converts it into serial data Dba, and transmits it to the main control board 20 in serial. The transmission shift register 750, the reception shift register 760 that receives and stores the serial data Dab from the main control board 20, and the data that is stored in the reception shift register 760 is received and stored as parallel data RDb by the arithmetic processing unit 710. A reception buffer register 770 and a serial management unit 780 for managing the operation state of each unit in the serial para IF chip 720 are provided. The transmission buffer register 740, the transmission shift register 750, the reception shift register 760, and the reception buffer register 770 are registers each having a storage capacity of 1 byte.

  The serial management unit 780 is configured to permit data transfer from the reception shift register 760 to the reception buffer register 770 when no data is stored in the reception buffer register 770. Also, the serial management unit 780 allows the transmission shift register 750 and the transmission buffer register 740 to pass data from the transmission buffer register 740 to the transmission shift register 750 when the transmission shift register 750 is not transmitting serially. Is also configured to erase data from the transmission buffer register 740 after the data is transferred.

  Note that the serializer IF chip 720 includes a frequency divider 796. The frequency divider 796 supplies the serial IF unit 722 with a reference clock signal SCLKb generated by dividing the clock signal CLKb (φb) output from the oscillator 792. The serial IF unit 722 receives a transmission rate for serially transmitting an operation state command to be described later to the main control board 20 based on the supplied reference clock signal SCLKb and a payout command to be described later from the main control board 20 in serial. Set the reception timing clock.

  The payout CPU 700 (arithmetic processing unit 710) writes the parallel data TDb to the transmission buffer register 740 by lowering the write signal #WRb to the transmission buffer register 740, and reads the read signal to the reception buffer register 770. The parallel data RDb is read from the reception buffer register 770 by causing #REb to fall.

  The arithmetic processing unit 710 receives signals indicating various states in the serial para IF chip 720 from the serial management unit 780. Signals that the arithmetic processing unit 710 receives from the serial management unit 780 include a transmission buffer empty signal TEb that is set to a high level when the transmission buffer register 740 is cleared, and a transmission shift register 750 that is transmitting serially. There are a serial transmission signal TCb that is at a high level and a reception data presence signal DFb that is at a high level when data is stored in the reception buffer register 770.

  The command transmitted from the main control board 20 to the payout control board 70 is a payout command relating to payout of game balls. The payout command is, for example, a command for designating the number of game balls to be paid out, and is a multi-bit command. The payout command is serially transmitted from the transmission shift register 250 to the reception shift register 760. When the payout CPU 700 determines that the payout command has been normally received, the payout CPU 700 transmits an ACK signal to the main control board 20. The ACK signal is transmitted from the parallel IF unit 730 to the parallel IF unit 230 in parallel. Although not shown, the parallel IF unit 730 and the parallel IF unit 230 are provided with a plurality of parallel ports. The ACK signal is a 1-bit signal, and is transmitted and received between the parallel IF unit 730 and the parallel IF unit 230 using a 1-bit port among a plurality of parallel ports.

  The command that the payout control board 70 transmits to the main control board 20 is an operation state command for notifying the main control board 20 of the operation state of the pachinko machine 10 detected by the payout CPU 700. The payout command is a multi-bit command, and the operation state command includes, for example, ball break information indicating that there are not enough game balls in the prize ball unit, and that the card unit 90 is not connected to the pachinko machine 10. And information indicating that the command cannot be normally transmitted and received between the main control board 20 and the payout control board 70. The operation state command is serially transmitted from the transmission shift register 750 to the reception shift register 260. When the main CPU 200 determines that the operation state command has been normally received, the main CPU 200 transmits an ACK signal to the payout control board 70. The ACK signal is a 1-bit signal, and is transmitted / received between the parallel IF unit 230 and the parallel IF unit 730 using a 1-bit port among a plurality of parallel ports.

  Next, the noise removal unit 290 built in the main CPU 200, the noise removal unit 298 built in the serial para IF chip 215, the noise removal unit 712 built in the payout CPU 700, and the serial para IF chip 720 are integrated (built in). The noise removing unit 790 is described. The noise removal units 290, 298, 712, and 790 are configured with a shift register group as a center. This shift register group is configured by connecting flip-flop circuits in multiple stages. The noise removing units 290 and 712 are configured by a three-stage flip-flop circuit, and the noise removing units 298 and 712 are configured by 10 stages. The lip flop circuit constitutes a shift register group.

  The noise removal unit 290 includes a shift register group composed of three stages of flip-flop circuits. This is because a predetermined external terminal of a plurality of external terminals (not shown) of the main CPU 200 is a short pin (“jumper pin”). It is also set by electrically connecting to the ground. For example, when a shift register group is constituted by a five-stage flip-flop circuit, the shift register group can be set by electrically connecting a predetermined external terminal to the ground by a short pin. When configuring, it can be set by electrically connecting a predetermined external terminal to the ground by a short pin. The noise removal unit 712 also includes a shift register group including three stages of flip-flop circuits. Like the noise removal unit 290, a predetermined external terminal of a plurality of external terminals (not shown) of the payout CPU 700 is a short pin. It is set by electrically connecting to the ground. For example, when a shift register group is constituted by a five-stage flip-flop circuit, the shift register group can be set by electrically connecting a predetermined external terminal to the ground by a short pin. When configuring, it can be set by electrically connecting a predetermined external terminal to the ground by a short pin.

  As described above, the main CPU 200 and the payout CPU 700 can alternatively set the number of stages of the flip-flop circuit by electrically connecting a predetermined external terminal to the ground by the short pin. Thereby, for example, in a CPU of a type in which the main CPU 200 and the payout CPU 700 are provided with a dedicated register for selectively setting the number of stages of the flip-flop circuit and the number of stages is changed by a program, when the CPU is affected by noise, Although the value changes suddenly, as in this embodiment, a CPU (main CPU 200 and payout CPU 700) of a type in which a predetermined external terminal is electrically connected to the ground by a short pin is highly susceptible to noise. The number of flip-flop circuits can be set alternatively without worrying about the influence of noise.

  Unlike the main CPU 200 and the payout CPU 700, the serial IF chips 215 and 720 do not have external terminals that can set the number of flip-flop circuits, and in this embodiment, the number of flip-flop circuits in the shift register group is fixed to ten. ing.

  The noise removal units 210, 298, 712, and 790 are configured by the same flip-flop circuit, and their operations are also the same. Here, as an example of the configuration and operation, a noise removing unit 790 built in the serial para IF chip 720 will be described. FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the circuit configuration of the noise removing unit 290 on the main CPU 200 side and the noise removing unit 790 on the payout CPU 700 side, and FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing the operation of the noise removing unit 790.

The clock signal CLKb from the oscillator 792 shown in FIG. 6 is inputted to the CK terminal of the shift register group 790a, and the reset signal RSTb from the power-on reset circuit 794 shown in FIG. 6 is inputted to the A terminal of the shift register group 790a. The logic is inverted through the inverter 790b, and the inverted reset signal RSTb is input. The shift register group 790a takes in the inverted reset signal RSTb input to the A terminal as data every time the clock signal CLKb is input. Then, each time the clock signal CLKb is inputted, the fetched data is moved one by one to the adjacent flip-flop circuit and a signal is output from the output terminal. As a result, signals are sequentially output from the Q ₀ terminal, Q ₁ terminal,..., And Q ₉ which are output terminals of the flip-flop circuit based on the moved data. Specifically, the Q ₁ terminal is output with a delay of one clock of the inverted reset signal RSTb from the Q ₀ terminal, the Q ₂ terminal is output with a delay of one clock of the inverted reset signal RSTb from the Q ₁ terminal, and so on. , Q ₉ terminal is output with a delay of one clock of the inverted reset signal RSTb from the Q ₈ terminal. Thus, the Q ₉ terminal outputs a signal delayed from the Q ₀ terminal by 10 clocks of the inverted reset signal RSTb.

The signals output from the Q ₀ terminal to Q ₉ terminal are input to the AND circuit 790c, and the AND circuit 790c takes a logical product from these signals. The result of the operation is inverted in logic via the inverter 790d (point X in the figure) and output to the serial IF unit 722 and the parallel IF unit 730 as the reset signal RSTb ′. Note that the logic of the inverter 790d is inverted to return to the logic of the reset signal RSTb input to the noise removing unit 790.

Next, the operation of the noise removal unit 790 in a state where the reset signal RSTb is input will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, when the clock signal CLKb is input to the CK terminal, the shift register group 790a starts to fetch the inverted reset signal RSTb input to the A terminal as data (timing t0). A signal is output from the Q ₀ terminal to the AND circuit 790c based on the data captured at the next rising edge (referred to as “up edge”) of the clock signal CLKb (timing t1). Subsequently, data is moved from the flip-flop circuit having the Q ₀ terminal to the flip-flop circuit having the Q ₁ terminal at the next up edge, and a signal is output from the Q ₁ terminal to the AND circuit 790c based on the moved data ( Timing t2). Also at the timing t2, the flip-flop circuit having the Q ₀ terminal captures the inverted reset signal RSTb input to the A terminal as data, and outputs a signal from the Q ₀ terminal to the AND circuit 790c based on the captured data.

Subsequently, the data is moved from the flip-flop circuit having the Q ₁ terminal to the flip-flop circuit having the Q ₂ terminal at the next up edge, and a signal is output from the Q ₂ terminal to the AND circuit 790c based on the moved data ( Timing t3). The move data to the flip-flop circuit having a Q ₁ terminal from the flip-flop circuit having a Q ₀ pin even this timing t3, the output signal from the Q ₁ terminal on the basis of the movement data to the AND circuit 790c. The flip-flop circuit having the Q ₀ terminal captures the inverted reset signal RSTb input to the A terminal as data, and outputs a signal from the Q ₀ terminal to the AND circuit 790c based on the captured data.

After that, the up edge by the clock signal CLKb continues, and data is output from the flip-flop circuit having the Q ₈ terminal to the flip-flop circuit having the Q ₉ terminal at the tenth up edge after the signal is output from the Q ₀ terminal at the timing t1. And a signal is output from the Q ₉ terminal to the AND circuit 790c based on the moved data. Inverted reset signal RSTb from the timing t0 is output to the inverter 790c becomes true operation result for the first time by a signal output from the Q ₀ pin to Q ₉ terminal for a state which is input to the A terminal. The inverter 790c inverts the logic of the input signal and outputs the signal to the serial IF unit 722 and the parallel IF unit 730 shown in FIG. 6 as the reset signal RSTb ′ at the point X (timing t4).

Thus, the period from the timing t1~ timing t4 is reached 10 clocks of the inverted clock signal CLKb, Q ₉ terminal outputs 10 clocks delayed signal of the inverted reset signal RSTb from Q ₀ pin. When the clock signal CLKb is 8 MHz, one clock is 0.125 microseconds (μs), so 10 clocks is 1.25 μs. That is, unless a signal for at least 10 clocks is input to the A terminal, the reset signal RSTb ′ is not output to the serial IF unit 722 and the parallel IF unit 730 at the point X. Therefore, noise up to 1 μs width can be removed by the noise removing unit 790. Since the noise removing unit 298 built in the serial IF chip 215 has the same configuration as the above-described noise removing unit 790 and the operation thereof is the same, noise up to 1 μs width is removed by the noise removing unit 298. Can do.

The operation of the noise removing unit 712 built in the payout CPU700 a period from the timing t1~t3 has become a three clocks of the inverted clock signal CLKb, Q ₂ terminal Q ₀ inversion from the terminal reset signal RSTa A signal is output with a delay of three clocks. When the clock signal CLKb is 8 MHz, one clock is 0.125 μs, so three clocks are 0.375 μs. That is, unless a signal for at least three clocks is input to the A terminal, the reset signal RSTb ′ is not output to the arithmetic processing unit 710 at the point X. Therefore, noise up to 0.375 μs width can be removed by the noise removing unit 712.

  As described above, when noise enters the payout control board 70, the payout CPU 700 is reset faster than the serial para IF chip 720 when the noise is applied to the line of the reset signal RSTb, for example. That is, when the serial IF chip 720 is reset, the payout CPU 700 is already reset. When the serial IF chip 720 is reset, the payout CPU 700 is always reset, so that the IC between the payout CPU 700 and the serial para IF chip 720 does not become inconsistent (the payout CPU 700 has the serial key IF chip 720). By resetting faster than 720 and starting faster than the serial IF chip 720, for example, a signal not issued by the payout CPU 700 is not output from the serial IF chip 720).

  In particular, if the register is initially set when the power is turned on (at power-on reset), there is a risk that it will not be possible to play the game. Since the reset is performed faster than the chip 720, the payout CPU 700 can be initialized again by executing the initial setting program. As a result, even if the payout CPU 700 and the serial para IF chip 720 are reset due to the influence of noise, the payout CPU 700 and the serial para IF are always in a consistent state between the ICs of the payout CPU 700 and the serial para IF chip 720. Since the chip 720 is activated, a disadvantage to the player due to the influence of noise can be prevented.

  As described above, the noise removal unit 290 built in the main CPU 200 has the same configuration as that of the noise removal unit 712, and the operation thereof is also the same. Therefore, noise up to a width of 0.375 μs is reduced by the noise removal unit 290. Can be removed. Further, when noise enters the main control board 20, the main CPU 200 is reset faster than the serial para IF chip 215, for example, when noise enters the line of the reset signal RSTa under the influence of the noise. That is, when the serial interface IF chip 215 is reset, the main CPU 200 has already been reset. When the serial para IF chip 215 is reset, the main CPU 200 is always reset, and the IC between the main CPU 200 and the serial para IF chip 215 does not become inconsistent. As a result, even if the main CPU 200 and the serial para IF chip 215 are reset due to the influence of noise, the main CPU 200 and the serial para IF so that the IC between the main CPU 200 and the serial para IF chip 215 is always in a consistent state. Since the chip 215 is activated, a disadvantage to the player due to the influence of noise can be prevented.

B. Operation of the pachinko machine 10:
B-1. Dispensing scheduled interruption processing by the dispensing control board 70:
As one of the operations of the pachinko machine 10, the payout interruption process in the payout control board 70 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a payout interruption process by the payout control board 70. The payout scheduled interrupt process is repeatedly executed by the payout CPU 700 of the payout control board 70 at a predetermined interval (in this embodiment, 1 millisecond (hereinafter referred to as ms)).

  The payout CPU 700 (arithmetic processing unit 710) of the payout control board 70 executes various processes in the payout scheduled interrupt process. In the present embodiment, the payout CPU 700 performs an ack output process (step S10), a CR communication process (step S20), a full / ball check process (step S30), a command reception process (step S40), and a command analysis process (step S50), a payout process (step S60), a status display process (step S70), and a command transmission process (step S80) are executed in this order. Each process (steps S10 to S80) in the payout scheduled interrupt process varies depending on the progress of the game, so the time required for completion varies depending on the progress of the game. The process of the ACK output process (step S10) in the payout scheduled interrupt process has priority over the processes of the other processes (steps S20 to S80). In this embodiment, the process of the ACK output process (step S10) is a payout scheduled interrupt. It is executed at the beginning of the process.

  The ACK output process (step S10) is a process for outputting an ACK signal to the main control board 20 when a command is normally received from the main control board 20. Details of the ACK output process (step S10) will be described later.

  The CR communication process (step S20) is a process for exchanging data related to the rental of game balls with the card unit 90. In the full tank / out of ball check process (step S30), it is confirmed whether the game balls stored in the lower plate 19 are full or the game balls stored in the ball tank 17 are not empty. By doing so, it is a process for detecting a physical state which becomes an obstacle to payout of the game ball.

  The command reception process (step S40) is a process for receiving a payout command transmitted serially from the main control board 20 in units of 1 byte. Details of the command reception process (step S40) will be described later. The command analysis process (step S50) is a process for analyzing the contents of the payout command received in the command reception process (step S40). Specifically, in the command analysis process (step S50), it is determined whether or not the number of payouts indicated by the payout command is within a normal value range (for example, 1 to 15). Assuming that game balls are not paid out, the payout command is ignored. If the payout number is within the normal value range, the payout number indicated by the payout command is added to the total payout number stored in the payout number buffer. The payout number buffer is a buffer for storing the total number of game balls to be paid out by the pachinko machine 10.

  The payout process (step S60) is a process for executing payout of game balls. In the payout process (step S60), the payout CPU 700 performs the payout drive unit of the payout device 76 shown in FIG. 2 according to the lending instruction obtained in the CR communication process (step S20) and the contents of the payout number buffer. A payout signal for instructing the operation to 75 is output via the serial para IF chip 720 shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, when there is an abnormal change in the number of game balls requested to be paid out from the card unit 90 or the main control board 20, there is a physical failure in the full tank / out of ball check process (step S30). Is confirmed, the payout CPU 700 temporarily stops paying out the game balls.

  The state display process (step S70) is a process for causing the state display unit 72 to display the operation state of the pachinko machine 10 detected by the payout CPU 700. In the present embodiment, the display of the operation state in the state display unit 72 is performed by displaying a number corresponding to each state. For example, an abnormality occurs in transmission / reception of commands between the main control board 20 and the payout control board 70. In this case, “0” is displayed on the state display unit 72, and “1” is displayed on the state display unit 72 when a ball break occurs in the ball tank 17, and the card unit 90 is connected to the payout control board 70. If not, “7” is displayed in the status display section 72.

  The command transmission process (step S80) is a process for transmitting an operation state command in units of 2 bytes from the payout control board 70 to the main control board 20 in units of 1 byte. Details of the command transmission process will be described later.

B-2. Command reception processing in the payout scheduled interrupt processing:
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing details of the command reception process (step S40) executed in the payout scheduled interrupt process. As described above, the command reception process (step S40) is one of various processes in the payout scheduled interrupt process shown in FIG. 9, and is executed by the payout CPU 700 (calculation processing unit 710) of the payout control board 70. The The command reception process is a process for receiving a payout command transmitted serially from the main control board 20.

  When the payout CPU 700 starts the command receiving process shown in FIG. 10, it is “whether the received data present signal DFb is at a high level”, that is, “when data is stored in the receiving buffer register 770”. Whether or not (step S410). Here, when it is determined in the command reception process that “the received data present signal DFb is at the high level” (step S410), the 2-byte payout transmitted from the main control board 20 to the payout control board 70. In the command, the first byte is stored in the reception buffer register 770.

  When “the received data present signal DFb is at the high level” (step S410), the payout CPU 700 reads the first byte of the payout command stored in the reception buffer register 770 (step S412). When the first byte of the payout command is read, the serial management unit 780 of the serial para IF chip 720 clears the first byte of the payout command stored in the reception buffer register 770, and the payout command stored in the reception shift register 760. Are transferred to the reception buffer register 770.

  Subsequent to step S412, the payout CPU 700 reads the second byte of the payout command stored in the reception buffer register 770 (step S422). When the second byte of the payout command is read, the serial management unit 780 of the serial para IF chip 720 clears the second byte of the payout command stored in the reception buffer register 770.

  Subsequent to step S422, the payout CPU 700 collates the first byte of the payout command read in step S412 with the second byte of the command read in step S422 (step S440), and determines whether or not they match. Judgment is made (step S445). In the present embodiment, the second byte of the payout command is data generated by inverting each bit of the first byte of the payout command on the main control board 20. If the first byte and the second byte of the read out payout command match (step S445), the payout CPU 700 sets an ACK flag Fa for transmitting an ACK signal to the main control board 20 (step S450). ), The command transmission process is terminated. The ACK flag Fa is data used in the ACK output process (step S10) described above and stored in a register or RAM (not shown) built in the payout CPU 700. The ack flag Fa is set to “0” when the payout CPU 700 is activated.

  On the other hand, if the first byte and the second byte of the read command do not match (step S445), the payout CPU 700 ends the command reception process without setting the ack flag Fa. As a result, when the payout command is not normal, the ACK signal is not output to the main control board 20, and the main control board 20 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the transmission of the payout command because the ACK signal is not returned. Can do.

  FIG. 11 is a time chart showing the state of each signal on the payout control board 70 when the command receiving process (step S40) is executed. For convenience of explanation, in FIG. 11, the scale of the serial transmission time of the first byte and the second byte of the payout command is reduced compared to the scale of the arithmetic processing time of the payout CPU 700 (arithmetic processing unit 710). .

  In the command reception process shown in FIG. 10, when it is determined that “the reception data present signal DFb is at the high level” by the fall of the read signal #REb (step S410 in FIG. 10), the reception buffer register 770. The first byte of the payout command is output to the parallel data RDb, and the first byte of the payout command is read from the reception buffer register 770 by the payout CPU 700. When the first byte of the payout command is read, the reception buffer register 770 is cleared, and the reception data presence signal DFb becomes low level (timing tb11 to tb12, step S412 in FIG. 10). When the second byte of the payout command is transferred from the reception shift register 760 to the reception buffer register 770, the reception data presence signal DFb becomes high level (timing tb13).

  Thereafter, the second byte of the payout command is read from the reception buffer register 770 in the same manner as the first byte of the command. When the second byte of the payout command is read, the reception buffer register 770 is cleared, and the reception data presence signal DFb becomes low level (timing tb21 to tb22, step S422 in FIG. 10).

  In the present embodiment, the reception timing clock of the serial para IF chip 720 is set to 19.2 kHz, which is 16 times the transmission rate (1200 bps), as described above. The serial IF chip 720 samples three times for each of the start bit ST, the data bits D0 to D7 of the payout command, and the stop bit SP, and determines the majority of the values detected by the three times of sampling. To do. As a result, the reliability of the payout command reception is improved.

B-3. ACK output processing in the payout scheduled interrupt processing:
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing details of the ACK output process (step S10) executed in the payout scheduled interrupt process. As described above, the ACK output process (step S10) is one of various processes in the payout scheduled interrupt process shown in FIG. 9, and is executed by the payout CPU 700 (calculation processing unit 710) of the payout control board 70. The

  When the payout CPU 700 starts the ACK output process (step S10) shown in FIG. 12, if the ACK flag Fa is set (step S110), the payout signal is sent via the parallel IF unit 730 of the serial IF chip 720. Output to the main control board 20 (step S120). Thereafter, the payout CPU 700 resets the ACK flag Fa (step S130), and then ends the ACK output process. If the ack flag Fa is not set (step S110), the payout CPU 700 ends the ack output process without outputting an ack signal.

  The case where the ACK flag Fa is set means that the ACK flag Fa is set when the payout command is normally received in the command receiving process (step S40) shown in FIG. 10 (step S450 in FIG. 10). It is. As shown in FIG. 9, in the scheduled interrupt process, the ACK output process (step S10) is executed first in preference to the command reception process (step S40), so the ACK flag Fa is set. In this case, an ACK signal is output in the ACK output process (step S10) in the next scheduled interrupt process.

B-4. Command transmission processing in the payout scheduled interrupt processing:
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing details of the command transmission process (step S80) executed in the payout scheduled interrupt process. As described above, the command transmission process (step S80) is one of various processes in the payout scheduled interrupt process shown in FIG. 9, and is executed by the payout CPU 700 (calculation processing unit 710) of the payout control board 70. The The command transmission process is a process for serially transmitting an operation state command to the main control board 20.

  The payout CPU 700, when starting the command transmission process shown in FIG. 13, determines the value of the transmission job flag Fj (step S810). The transmission job flag Fj is a flag indicating a state in the command transmission process, and is set to “0” when the payout CPU 700 is activated, and is data stored in a register or RAM (not shown) built in the payout CPU 700. .

  In the case of “transmission job flag Fj = 0”, the payout CPU 700 executes command preparation processing (step S815) for preparing an operation state command to be transmitted to the main control board 20. In the command preparation process, when the payout CPU 700 determines that it is necessary to transmit an operation state command based on signals from the sensors input to the plurality of ports of the serial para IF chip 720, the payout CPU 700 is based on the signals from the sensors. To generate the first byte of the operation state command. Then, after setting the transmission job flag Fj to “1”, the command preparation process (step S815) is terminated.

  In the case of “transmission job flag Fj = 1”, the payout CPU 700 executes command output processing for outputting an operation state command in units of 2 bytes to the main control board 20 (step S820). When the flag Fj = 2 ”, an ACK waiting process for confirming an ACK signal from the main control board 20 is executed (step S860). The payout CPU 700 ends the command preparation process (step S815), the command output process (step S820), and the ACK waiting process (step S860), and then ends the command transmission process (step S80). Details of the command output process (step S820) and the ACK waiting process (step S860) will be described later.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing details of command output processing (step S820) in command transmission processing (step S80). When the payout CPU 700 (arithmetic processing unit 710) starts the command output process (step S820) shown in FIG. 14, it is determined whether “the transmission buffer empty signal TEb is at the high level” and “the serial transmission signal TCb is at the low level”. That is, it is determined whether or not “when no data is stored in the transmission buffer register 740” and “when the transmission shift register 750 is not performing serial transmission” (step S822). When “Transmission buffer empty signal TEb is high level” and “Serial transmission signal TCb is low level” (step S822), payout CPU 700 inverts each bit of the first byte of the operation state command, That is, among the bits of the first byte, the bit that is “0” is set to “1”, the bit that is “1” is set to “0”, and the second byte that is the remaining lower 1 byte of the operation state command is generated. (Step S834). In the present embodiment, the first byte of the operation state command is data having a substantial meaning as the operation state command, and the second byte of the operation state command is the correctness of the operation state command on the main control board 20 side. This is data for judgment.

  Then, after generating the second byte of the operation state command (step S834), the first byte of the operation state command is written into the transmission buffer register 740 (step S842). Thereafter, after waiting for a preset write standby period Lwa (step S844), the second byte of the generated operation state command is written to the transmission buffer register 740 (step S846). The payout CPU 700 outputs the operation state command (step S846), sets the transmission job flag Fj to “2” (step 850), and ends the command output processing.

  Here, the write standby period Lwa is a transmission register delivery period that is a period from the writing of the first byte of the operation state command to the transmission buffer register 740 to the delivery of the first byte to the transmission shift register 750. This is a period longer than Lbs, and is a period in which sufficient time is allowed to execute the second byte write process (step S846 in FIG. 14) until the end of the scheduled interrupt process, and until the start of the next scheduled interrupt process. It is not a long period. The write standby period Lwa is shorter than the serial transmission period Lsc that is a period until the serial transmission of the first byte of the operation state command is completed, and is shorter than 1 ms that is the interval of the scheduled interrupt processing. It is a short period. In the present embodiment, the write standby period Lwa is set to 2.5 microseconds. Note that the transmission register delivery period Lbs according to the hardware specifications of the serial para IF chip 720 of this embodiment is about 1.25 microseconds. If the calculation processing time of the payout CPU 700 required for the second byte writing process (step S846 in FIG. 14) is equal to or longer than the transmission register delivery period Lbs of the serial para IF chip 720, the command waiting process shown in FIG. The standby process (step S844) by the software is unnecessary.

  FIG. 15 is a time chart showing the state of each signal on the payout control board 70 when the command output process (step S820) is executed. In the command output process shown in FIG. 14, it is determined that “the transmission buffer empty signal TEb is at the high level” and “the serial transmission signal TCb is at the low level” (step S822 in FIG. 14). When writing is performed (step S842 in FIG. 14), output of the first byte of the operation state command is started to the parallel data TDb (timing ta1), and then transmitted by the falling edge of the write signal #WRb. The first byte of the operation state command is written to the buffer register 740 (timing ta2).

  The transmission buffer register 740 delivers the first byte of the written operation state command to the transmission shift register 750, and is cleared by the serial management unit 780 when the delivery is completed. The transmission shift register 750 outputs the first byte of the operation state command received from the transmission buffer register 740 to the serial data Dba. In the serial data Dba during serial transmission, each bit from the first bit D0 to the eighth bit D7 of the command follows the start bit ST, and finally the stop bit SP is output. In this way, when serial transmission of the first byte of the operation state command is started, the serial transmission in-progress signal TCb becomes high level (timing ta3).

  After writing the first byte of the operation state command (timing ta2, step S842 in FIG. 14) and after waiting for the write standby period Lwa (step S844 in FIG. 14), the same as the first byte of the operation state command The second byte of the operation state command is written into the transmission buffer register 740 (timing ta4, step S846 in FIG. 14). At this time, the transmission shift register 750 is serially transmitting the first byte of the operation state command and cannot receive the second byte of the operation state command from the transmission buffer register 740. The second byte of the received operation state command is stored and held, and the transmission buffer empty signal TEb becomes low level (timing ta4).

  Thereafter, when the transmission of the first byte of the operation state command by the transmission shift register 750 is completed, the transmission buffer register 740 transfers the second byte of the operation state command to be stored to the transmission shift register 750, and this transfer is completed. Then, it is cleared by the serial manager 780, and the transmission buffer empty signal TEb becomes high level (timing ta5). Thereafter, the transmission shift register 750 outputs the second byte of the operation state command received from the transmission buffer register 740 to the serial data Dba in the same manner as the first byte of the operation state command (timing ta6 to ta7).

  In this embodiment, the payout CPU 700 repeatedly executes the scheduled interrupt process at an interval of 1 ms, while the serializer IF chip 720 executes serial transmission at a transmission rate of 1200 bps (Bit Per Second). 1200 bps is a low-speed communication speed that can use a transmission / reception element with a low response speed, such as a relatively inexpensive photocoupler, and is not affected by electrical noise. If the transmission rate in serial transmission is 1200 bps, the reliability of command transmission against electrical noise can be ensured. Since the transmission rate is 1200 bps, in this embodiment, the time required for the serial para IF chip 720 to serially transmit the 2-byte operation state command is about 16.7 ms, and the payout CPU 700 repeatedly executes the scheduled interrupt processing about 16 times during that time. Will be. In this way, the payout CPU 700 can leave the serial transmission of the operation state command to the main control board 20 to the serial para IF chip 720 if the command is written in the transmission buffer register 740. That is, the payout CPU 700 can execute the control process without interruption even during serial transmission (a state in which the transmission buffer register 740 has an operation state command).

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing details of the ACK waiting process (step S860) in the command transmission process (step S80). When the payout CPU 700 (calculation processing unit 710) starts the ACK waiting process shown in FIG. 16, it determines whether or not the parallel IF unit 730 has detected an ACK signal from the main control board 20 (step S862). If an ACK signal is detected (step S862), the payout CPU 700 determines that the command has been normally transmitted to the main control board 20 (step S870), and sets the transmission job flag Fj to “0” (step S870). S880), the ACK waiting process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when the ACK signal is not detected (step S862), the payout CPU 700 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the completion of the command writing (step S846 in FIG. 14) (step S864). . This predetermined time is a time for waiting for a response of the ACK signal from the main control board 20, and is set to 100 ms in this embodiment. When the predetermined time has not elapsed (step S864), the payout CPU 700 ends the ACK waiting process as it is, and when the predetermined time has elapsed (step S864), the payout CPU 700 supplies the main control board 20. It is determined that the command transmission is an error (step S875), the transmission job flag Fj is set to “0” (step S880), and the ACK waiting process is terminated. In the present embodiment, when the payout CPU 700 determines that the transmission of the operation state command to the main control board 20 is an error (step S875), the payout CPU 700 retransmits the operation state command that caused the transmission error.

  Incidentally, even when the main CPU 200 transmits a payout command to the payout control board 70, an ACK waiting process is executed in the same manner as described above. The main CPU 200 needs to generate a payout command when a game ball wins the winning slot 61 during the ACK waiting process. If the main CPU 200 does not receive an ACK signal for a predetermined time or more in the ACK waiting process and determines that the transmission of the payout command to the payout control board 70 is an error, the main CPU 200 replaces the payout command by resending. A confirmation command for confirming again whether or not an ACK signal is returned from the control board 70 is transmitted. This is because if the payout command is retransmitted, the payout control board 70 may pay out the prize balls for two payout commands based on the payout command transmitted twice in total. The payout control board 70 transmits an acknowledgment signal to the main control board 20 when the confirmation command is received. The payout control board 70 may transmit an operation state command when the confirmation command is received. When receiving the ACK signal, the main CPU 200 transmits the next payout command to the payout control board 70.

  Although the scheduled interrupt process in the payout CPU 700 has been described above, the scheduled interrupt process is also executed in the main CPU 200 in the same manner. In the scheduled interrupt process, an operation state command reception process and an ACK signal are transmitted. Processing, sending out a payout command, and waiting for ack.

  The operation in which the main control board 20 transmits a payout command and an ACK signal to the payout control board 70 is replaced with the arithmetic processing unit 210 instead of the payout CPU 700, the transmission buffer register 240 instead of the transmission buffer register 740, and the transmission shift. The transmission shift register 250 instead of the register 750 and the parallel IF unit 230 instead of the parallel IF unit 730 operate in the same manner as the ACK output process (step S10) and command transmission process (step S80) of the payout control board 70 described above, respectively. It is realized by doing.

  Further, the operation in which the main control board 20 receives the operation state command and the ACK signal from the payout control board 70 is replaced with the arithmetic processing unit 210 instead of the payout CPU 700, the reception shift register 260 instead of the reception shift register 760, and the reception buffer register. The reception buffer register 270 instead of 770 and the parallel IF unit 230 instead of the parallel IF unit 730 perform the same operations as the command reception process (step S40) and the ACK waiting process (step S860) of the payout control board 70 described above, respectively. Realized by doing.

  According to the pachinko machine 10 of the present embodiment described above, the main control board 20 includes the main CPU 200, the serial para IF chip 215, and the power-on reset circuit 294. The main CPU 200 performs various arithmetic processes, and the serial para IF The chip 215 performs serial communication and parallel communication with the outside, and the power-on reset circuit 294 outputs a reset signal RSTa as a common reset signal to the main CPU 200 and the serial para IF chip 215. On the other hand, the payout control board 70 includes a payout CPU 700, a serial IF chip 720, and a power-on reset circuit 794. The payout CPU 700 performs various arithmetic processes, and the serial para IF chip 720 performs serial communication and parallel communication with the outside. The power-on reset circuit 794 outputs a reset signal RSTb as a common reset signal to the payout CPU 700 and the serial para IF chip 720.

  The main control board 20 includes an oscillator 292 that outputs a clock signal CLKa (φa) as a common clock signal to the main CPU 200 and the serial para IF chip 215. The main CPU 200 is provided with a noise removing unit 290. The noise removing unit 290 is based on the reset signal RSTa and the clock signal CLKa (φa), and the clock signal CLKa (φa) is continuously reset for three clocks or more. When RSTa is input, the main CPU 200 is activated. That is, the main CPU 200 is reset and activated. The serial interface IF chip 215 includes a noise removing unit 298. The noise removing unit 298 has a clock signal CLKa (φa) of 10 clocks or more continuously based on the reset signal RSTa and the clock signal CLKa (φa). When the reset signal RSTa is inputted, the serial para IF chip 215 is activated. That is, the serial para IF chip 215 is reset and activated.

  On the other hand, the payout control board 70 includes an oscillator 792 that outputs a clock signal CLKb (φb) as a common clock signal to the payout CPU 700 and the serial para IF chip 720. The payout CPU 700 is provided with a noise removing unit 712. The noise removing unit 712 has a clock signal CLKb (φb) of three or more clocks continuously based on the reset signal RSTb and the clock signal CLKb (φb). When the RSTb is input, the payout CPU 700 is activated. That is, the payout CPU 700 is reset and activated. The serial IF chip 720 is provided with a noise removing unit 790. The noise removing unit 790 is based on the reset signal RSTb and the clock signal CLKb (φb), and the clock signal CLKb (φb) is continuously generated for 10 clocks or more. When the reset signal RSTb is input, the serial para IF chip 720 is activated. That is, the serial para IF chip 720 is reset and activated.

  As described above, when noise enters the main control board 20 or the payout control board 70, the main CPU 200 causes the serial CPU IF chip to be affected by the noise, for example, when noise enters the line of the reset signal RSTa of the main control board 20. Reset will be performed faster than 215. That is, when the serial interface IF chip 215 is reset, the main CPU 200 has already been reset. As a result, when the serial interface IF chip 215 is reset, the main CPU 200 is always reset, and it is possible to prevent the main CPU 200 and the serial interface IF chip 215 from becoming inconsistent (the main CPU 200 has By resetting faster than the serial para IF chip 215 and starting faster than the serial para IF chip 215, for example, a signal not commanded by the main CPU 200 is not output from the serial para IF chip 215).

  If the register is initially set when the power is turned on (at power-on reset), there is a risk that the game will not be possible, but it is impossible to play the game. Since the reset is performed faster than the main CPU 200, the main CPU 200 can execute the initial setting again by executing the initial setting program. Thereby, even if the main CPU 200 and the serial para IF chip 215 are reset due to the influence of noise, the main CPU 200 and the serial para IF are always in a consistent state between the ICs of the main CPU 200 and the serial para IF chip 215. Since the chip 215 is activated, a disadvantage to the player due to the influence of noise can be prevented.

  In addition, the main CPU 200 and the payout CPU 700 can set the number of stages of the flip-flop circuit alternatively by electrically connecting a predetermined external terminal to the ground by a short pin, and therefore, the main CPU 200 and the payout CPU 700 are highly resistant to noise. The number of stages of the flip-flop circuit can be set alternatively without worrying about the influence of. For example, in a CPU of a type in which the main CPU 200 and the payout CPU 700 are provided with a dedicated register for selectively setting the number of stages of the flip-flop circuit and the number of stages is changed by a program, the value of the dedicated register is affected by noise. Suddenly change.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modes as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the embodiment described above, the pachinko machine 10 has been described as an example, but the gaming machine to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the pachinko machine, and a gaming machine other than the pachinko machine, for example, a slot machine or a pachinko machine The present invention can also be applied to a fusion game machine (which performs a slot game using a game ball) in which a slot machine is fused.

1 is a front view showing an overall configuration of a pachinko machine 10. FIG. It is a figure which shows the back surface structure of the pachinko machine. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing various guide paths for guiding game balls into the pachinko machine 10. It is a figure which shows the various discharge passages which discharge a game ball out of the pachinko machine. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical schematic configuration of a pachinko machine 10. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing details of an electrical configuration of a main control board 20 and a payout control board 70. FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of the circuit structure of the noise removal part 290 by the side of main CPU200, and the noise removal part 790 by the side of payout CPU700. 6 is a timing chart showing the operation of a noise removing unit 790. 7 is a flowchart showing a payout fixed time interruption process by the payout control board 70; It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the command reception process (step S40) performed in the payment fixed time interruption process. It is a time chart which shows the mode of each signal in the payout control board 70 at the time of command reception processing (step S40) being performed. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the ack output process (step S10) performed in the payment fixed time interruption process. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the command transmission process (step S80) performed in a payment fixed time interruption process. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the command output process (step S820) in a command transmission process (step S80). It is a time chart which shows the mode of each signal in the payout control board 70 at the time of command output processing (step S820) being performed. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the ACK waiting process (step S860) in a command transmission process (step S80).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Pachinko machine, 11 ... Outer frame, 12 ... Inner frame, 13 ... Game board, 14 ... Glass frame, 15 ... Handle, 16 ... Upper plate, 16a ... Guidance passage for upper plate, 16b ... Ball extraction discharge passage, 16e ... ball discharge passage, 16f ... safe ball discharge passage, 16g ... out ball discharge passage, 17 ... ball tank, 18 ... tank rail, 19 ... lower plate, 19a ... lower plate guide passage, 20 ... main control board (game) Machine control board), 30 ... symbol control board, 35 ... LCD, 40 ... sub-control board, 45 ... speaker, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59 ... electrical decoration, 61 ... winning prize, 65 ... game ball sensor, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 66 ... Game board drive part, 70 ... Discharge control board (control board for game machines), 72 ... Status display part, 75 ... Discharge drive part, 76 ... Dispensing apparatus, 90 ... Card unit, 200 ... Main CPU (CPU), 215 ... Siripara IF chip (I O), 210 ... arithmetic processing unit, 220 ... serial IF unit, 230 ... parallel IF unit, 240 ... transmission buffer register, 250 ... transmission shift register, 260 ... reception shift register, 270 ... reception buffer register, 280 ... serial management unit 290: Noise removing unit (CPU side start circuit), 292 ... Oscillator (common oscillation circuit), 294 ... Power on reset circuit (common power on reset circuit), 296 ... Frequency divider, 297 ... Frequency divider, 298 ... Noise removal unit (I / O side activation circuit), 700 ... payout CPU (CPU), 710 ... arithmetic processing unit, 712 ... noise removal unit (CPU side activation circuit), 720 ... serial serial IF chip (I / O), 722 ... Serial IF section, 730 ... Parallel IF section, 740 ... Transmission buffer register, 750 ... Transmission shift register, 76 ... Receive shift register, 770 ... Receive buffer register, 780 ... Serial manager, 790 ... Noise remover (I / O side starter circuit), 792 ... Oscillator (common oscillator circuit), 794 ... Power-on reset circuit (common power-on) Reset circuit), 796 ... frequency divider, CBb ... set signal, CLKa ... clock signal, CLKb ... clock signal, RSTa ... reset signal, RSTb ... reset signal, Fa ... ack flag, Fj ... job flag, Dab ... serial data, Dba ... serial data, Lbs ... transmission register delivery period, Lsc ... serial transmission period, Lwa ... write standby period.

Claims (1)

A CPU for performing various arithmetic processes;
I / O in which input / output control of signals with the outside is performed by the CPU;
A common power-on reset circuit that outputs a reset signal common to the CPU and the I / O;
A gaming machine control board comprising:
The control board for gaming machine includes
A common oscillation circuit that outputs a system clock signal common to the CPU and the I / O;
In the CPU,
Based on the common reset signal and the common system clock signal , the CPU is activated when the common system clock signal is continuously input for a predetermined N number of clocks or more. A CPU side activation circuit to be applied;
An external terminal that alternatively sets any one of a plurality of predetermined clock numbers to the predetermined N clock number;
With
The I / O includes
Based on the common reset signal and the common system clock signal , the common system clock signal is input to the I / O when the common reset signal is continuously input for a predetermined number of M clocks or more. I / O side activation circuit to activate,
The gaming machine control board, wherein the predetermined number of M clocks is greater than the predetermined number of N clocks.

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