JP5481761B2 - Game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine such as a slot machine.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a gaming machine (a spinning machine, slot machine) having a plurality of spinning cylinders having symbols arranged on an outer peripheral surface is known. This type of gaming machine gives a certain game value to a game medium (medal) and performs a game for acquiring such a game medium. In addition, this type of gaming machine has an internal lottery triggered by the player's rotation start operation and starts rotation of a plurality of spinning cylinders, and a mode according to the result of the internal lottery as a player's stop operation trigger. In order to stop multiple cylinders. The game result is determined by the symbol combination displayed on the winning determination line in a state where the plurality of spinning cylinders are stopped, and medals are paid out according to the game result.

The gaming machine executes a control related to the game including the internal lottery process and generates and transmits a predetermined command, a sub board that receives the command and executes a predetermined process based on the command, And rendering means such as a liquid crystal display device controlled by the sub-board. The main board 10 transmits commands to the sub board 20 when various game operations such as insertion of medals, bet button operations, start lever operations, stop button operations, etc. are performed, and the results of the internal lottery are notified. A command is also transmitted when performing an effect.
Hereinafter, these operations will be described, but refer to FIG. 3 and the description thereof. The reference numerals shown below are the same as those shown in FIG.

  The sub board 20 is for receiving a command signal from the main board 10 and notifying the result of the internal lottery and performing various effects. As one of the effects, there is an image effect by the display screen of the liquid crystal display device LCD. The CPU of the sub-board 20 controls the liquid crystal display device LCD directly or via a controller (GDC) (not shown) to display a predetermined screen there. The sub-board 20 determines what screen is displayed on the liquid crystal display device LCD based on a command signal from the main board 10. The outline is that a command for causing the main board 10 to execute a specific effect or a command indicating that a specific gaming state (for example, jackpot) is entered is transmitted to the sub-board 20, and the sub-board 20 interprets the command. , Do the necessary processing. For example, when the command indicates a jackpot, the LED board 202 blinks in a predetermined pattern, and a predetermined sound effect is played from the speaker board 201. Then, an animation corresponding to the jackpot is displayed on the liquid crystal display device LCD.

  The sub-board 20 transmits the generated command when the command can be transmitted to the liquid crystal display device LCD, and temporarily stores (stacks) the generated command when the command cannot be transmitted. This process is repeated until transmission is possible. By stacking commands, generated commands are not lost.

  When the sub board 20 can transmit the command, the sub board 20 sequentially reads and transmits the stacked commands. This process is repeated until there are no stacked commands. Thereafter, the normal process of generating and transmitting a command for the liquid crystal display device LCD every time a command is received from the main board 10 is repeated.

  As can be understood from the above description, a plurality of commands stacked at the time when a command can be transmitted are transmitted all at once. If multiple commands are stacked, they are sent continuously in a very short time interval.

JP 2000-125087 A JP 2002-344678 A

  As described above, the main board 10 notifies the sub-board 20 when various game operations such as insertion of medals, bet button operations, start lever operations, stop button operations, etc. are performed, or results of internal lottery are reported. A command is transmitted when performing an effect. Generally, the end of the initial setting of the main board 10 is earlier than the end of the initial setting of the liquid crystal display device LCD. In addition, since only one-way command transmission from the main board 10 to the sub board 20 is permitted, the main board 10 knows whether or not the initialization of the liquid crystal display device LCD connected to the sub board 20 has been completed. I don't get it. From these, generally, when the initial setting of the main board 10 is completed, operations such as insertion of medals and rotation / stop of reels controlled by the main board 10 can be performed. That is, when the initial setting of the main board is completed, various game operations such as insertion of medals, bet button operations, start lever operations, stop button operations, and the like are possible.

  By the way, since the liquid crystal control board of the liquid crystal display device LCD needs to load a certain image inside at the time of initial startup such as return from power interruption, it takes a longer time for initial setting than the main board 10 and the sub board 20. . In general, it takes several seconds to several tens of seconds until a command can be received (animation controllable state). Only one command flows from the main board 10 to the sub board 20, and conversely, no command is issued from the sub board 20 to the main board 10. For this reason, the main board 10 cannot know the state of the sub board 20, and even if the sub board 20 has some trouble on its own and the reception of the command becomes impossible, the main board 10 indicates the state. 10 cannot be notified. For example, it is not possible to request retransmission of a lost command or to wait for command transmission temporarily.

  As described above, the gaming machine can be played immediately after the main board 10 is activated and the initial setting is completed. There is no waiting for the completion of the initial setting of the liquid crystal control board of the liquid crystal display device LCD. For this reason, the commands that were scheduled to be transmitted to the liquid crystal control board of the liquid crystal display device LCD from the time when the game becomes possible until the completion of the initial setting of the liquid crystal control board of the liquid crystal display device LCD, as described above. It will be accumulated. The stored command is transmitted at once as soon as the liquid crystal display LCD is ready to receive the command.

  Since the liquid crystal control board of the liquid crystal display device LCD analyzes and displays each received command in order, the screen will be updated one after another when the commands are received one after another, making it look very dirty turn into. When a large number of commands are received sequentially in a short time, the image generation process is repeated in a short time and the screen changes rapidly.

  FIG. 9 is a timing chart of a conventional gaming machine for explaining the above problem. FIG. 9 corresponds to FIG. 5 which is a timing chart according to the embodiment of the present invention, and the description thereof should also be referred to. The reference numerals shown below are the same as those shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 9, the command can be transmitted to the liquid crystal control board of the liquid crystal display device LCD at time t3, but three commands A to C have been generated and stacked so far. After time t3, three commands A to C are transmitted in order, which is a one-way operation from the sub-board 20 to the liquid crystal control board of the liquid crystal display device LCD. This is not to confirm that the processing of the received command has been completed and to send it. Further, the time for which the image generated by the command is continuously displayed is until the image is overwritten / changed by the next command. Therefore, if the command reception interval is short, the screen changes frequently. In FIG. 9, since commands are received one after another, the screen based on command A is displayed at times ta to tb, the screen based on command B is displayed at times tb to tc, and the screen based on command C is displayed at time tc. The display time of the screen by the command B and the screen by the command B is significantly shorter than the display time by the command C. As described above, the image generation process is repeated in a short time and the screen changes rapidly, resulting in a very dirty appearance, which means a phenomenon from time ta to tc in FIG.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a gaming machine in which the screen of the liquid crystal display device does not change rapidly at the initial start-up of the gaming machine and does not make the player feel uncomfortable. The purpose is to provide.

The present invention executes a control related to a game including an internal lottery process and generates and transmits a predetermined command, a sub board that receives the command and executes a process related to an effect based on the command, In a gaming machine comprising an image display device that receives a command from the sub-board and displays a screen related to the effect,
The sub-board is
In accordance with the command from the main board, a command generation unit that generates an image display device command for displaying a predetermined screen on the image display device;
A command stack that holds one or a plurality of commands for the image display device and outputs a stack empty signal indicating that when all the held commands are taken out and become empty,
A specific command generation unit that receives the stack empty signal from the command stack and generates a predetermined specific command;
A command transmission unit that transmits the image display device command generated by the command generation unit and the specific command generated by the specific command generation unit to the image display device;
The command generation unit sends the generated image display device command to the command stack when the image display device command cannot be transmitted to the image display device, and sends the image display device command to the image display device. When transmission is possible, the image display device command is taken out from the command stack and sent to the command transmission unit, and the generated image display device command is sent to the command transmission unit,
Before the image display device receives the specific command, the image display device performs a blanking process for making the image generated based on the image display device command invisible to the player, and after receiving the specific command, The execution of the blank process is stopped.

The blank process is, for example, at least one of the following (a) to (d).
(A) Processing to fill all areas of the screen visible to the player with predetermined image data (a) Processing to superimpose a prepared screen on the screen visible to the player (c) Back provided in the image display device Processing to turn off the light (d) Processing to clear or invalidate the image data of the image display device

Whether or not the image display device command can be transmitted to the image display device is determined by, for example, one of the following processes (a) to (c).
(A) Processing for determining whether or not a response indicating that reception is possible is returned to the image display device (b) Processing for determining that transmission is possible if a signal indicating reception is possible from the image display device ( c) When the time until the command can be received after the image display device is activated is measured in advance, a waiting time is determined based on the measured time, and the waiting time has elapsed since the activation Processing to determine that transmission is possible

  According to the present invention, blank processing is performed by the image display device at the initial startup of the gaming machine, and when all the stacked commands are transmitted, a predetermined command is sent to the image display device to stop the blank processing. Therefore, the screen of the image display device does not change rapidly when the gaming machine is initially activated, and the player is not made uncomfortable.

It is a front view of the slot machine which shows the state which closed the front door. It is a front view of the slot machine which shows the state which opened the front door 180 degree | times. It is a block diagram of a slot machine. 1 is a signal system diagram (showing a flow of commands for image generation) of a main board, a sub board, and a liquid crystal display device of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the invention; 3 is a process flowchart of a main board, a sub board, and a liquid crystal display device of the gaming machine according to the embodiment of the invention (showing a command flow for image generation). It is a process flowchart (related to the transmission of the command for image generation) of the sub board | substrate of the game machine which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a process flowchart of the liquid crystal display device of the game machine which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a processing flowchart (related to operation mode switching processing) of the liquid crystal display device of the gaming machine according to the embodiment of the invention. It is a process flowchart of the main board | substrate of a conventional game machine, a sub board | substrate, and a liquid crystal display device (The flow of the command for image generation is shown).

FIG. 1 is a front view of the slot machine with the front door closed, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the slot machine with the front door opened 180 degrees.
1 and 2, reference numeral 100 denotes a slot machine. As shown in FIG. 1, the slot machine 100 can be opened and closed by a hinge or the like on the slot machine main body 120 and one side of the front surface of the slot machine main body 120. And a front door 130 attached thereto. As shown in FIG. 1, a game display unit 131 is provided substantially in the center on the front surface of the front door 130. Provided below the medal insertion slot 132 is a reject button 133 for forcibly discharging a clogged medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 132 to the outside of the slot machine 100.

  Further, a start switch 134 for starting a game is provided at the lower left of the game display unit 131, and three stop switches 140 are provided corresponding to the three spinning cylinders. A medal payout port 135 is provided at the center of the lower end of the front door. A liquid crystal display device LCD is provided above the game display unit 131.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the slot machine main body 120 is fixed to the inner bottom surface, stores a plurality of medals therein, and stores the stored medals at a payout port 135 provided on the front surface of the front door 130. A hopper device 121 for paying out the sheets one by one is installed. An upper portion of the hopper device 121 is provided with a hopper tank 122 that opens upward and stores a plurality of medals therein. Inside the slot machine main body 120, a reel (rotating cylinder) unit 203 including three rotating cylinders is installed at a position where the game display unit 131 comes when the front door 130 is closed. The reel unit 203 includes three spinning cylinders (first to third drums) in which a plurality of types of symbols are arranged on the outer peripheral surface. The game display unit 131 is provided with an opening through which the player can see the symbols of the rotating drums of the reel unit 203. A power supply unit 205 is provided on the left side of the hopper device 121.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the medal (coin) selector 1 is attached to the back side of the front door 130 on the back side of the medal slot 132 provided on the front surface of the front door 130. This medal selector 1 rolls the medal toward the hopper device 121 while detecting the passage of the medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 132, and has a different diameter medal or iron or iron whose outer diameter is different from the predetermined dimension. This is an apparatus for selecting and removing illegal medals made of an alloy and selecting and eliminating a predetermined number or more of medals that can be inserted per game.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a lead-out path 136 that covers the lower side and communicates with the payout port 135 of the front door 130 is provided below the medal selector 1. The medals distributed by the medal selector 1 are returned to the player from the payout port 135 via the derivation path 136.

FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of the slot machine 100 according to the embodiment of the invention.
In this figure, the display about the power supply system is omitted. Although not shown, the slot machine includes a power supply unit for generating a DC power supply (+5 V or the like) from a commercial power supply (AC 100 V).
The slot machine 100 includes a main substrate (processing unit) 10 and a sub substrate 20 that operates in response to a command from the main substrate (processing unit) 10 as main processing devices. At least the main substrate 10 is accommodated inside the case so that it cannot be contacted from the outside, and is sealed so that traces remain when these substrates are removed.

  The main board 10 is used for performing an internal lottery in response to a player's operation, and for performing processing such as rotation / stop of the spinning cylinder and payout of medals. The main board 10 includes a CPU that performs a control operation according to a preset program, a ROM that is a storage unit that stores the program, and a RAM that temporarily stores processing results and the like.

  The sub board 20 is for receiving a command signal from the main board 10 and notifying the result of the internal lottery and performing various effects. The sub-board 20 includes a CPU that performs a control operation in accordance with a preset program corresponding to the command signal, a ROM that is a storage unit that stores the program, and a RAM that temporarily stores processing results and the like. Only one command flows from the main board 10 to the sub board 20, and conversely, no command is issued from the sub board 20 to the main board 10.

  The main board 10 has a bet switch BET, a start switch 134, a stop button 140, a reel (rotating cylinder) unit 203, a hopper driving unit 80, a hopper 81, and a medal detection for counting the number of medals paid out from the hopper 81. The part 82 (these constitute the hopper device 121 described above) is connected. A peripheral substrate (local substrate) such as a liquid crystal control substrate 200 for controlling the liquid crystal display device, a speaker substrate 201, and an LED substrate 202 is connected to the sub substrate 20.

  A liquid crystal display device LCD shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the liquid crystal control board 200. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the liquid crystal display device LCD refers to both the liquid crystal control substrate 200 and the liquid crystal display device LCD (in other words, the liquid crystal display device LCD is a liquid crystal control substrate). 200. Note that even in this case, the liquid crystal control substrate 200 performs the control process).

  Further, medal sensors S1 and S2 of the medal selector 1 are connected to the main board 10.

  The medal selector 1 is provided with medal sensors S1 and S2 for counting medals. The medal sensors S1 and S2 are provided on the downstream side (near the exit) of a medal passage (not shown) provided in the medal selector 1 (the upstream side of the medal passage communicates with the medal slot 132). The two medal sensors S1 and S2 are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval along the medal traveling direction. The medal sensors S1 and S2 are, for example, photointerrupters that have a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion that face each other, are formed in a U-shaped cross section, and are positioned so that the detection optical axis faces the medal passage from above. . Each photo interrupter detects the passage of a medal sent without being blocked on the way. The reason why two photo interrupters are adjacent is not only to detect the number of medals but also to monitor whether or not the passage of medals is normal. That is, by providing two photo interrupters adjacent to each other, it is possible to detect the passing speed and passing direction of medals, thereby detecting not only the number of medals but also an illegal act moving in the reverse direction.

  The reel unit 203 includes three spinning cylinders 40a to 40c, stepping motors 155a to 155c that respectively rotate these, and spinning cylinder position detectors 159a to 159c that detect their positions, respectively (stepping motor 155a ˜155c may be simply referred to as a motor 155 or a motor).

  The hopper driving unit 80 rotates the hopper 81 and performs an operation of paying out medals of the payout number instructed by the main board 10. The gaming machine includes a medal detection unit 82 that operates every time a medal is paid out, and the main board 10 receives a medal actually paid out from the hopper 81 based on an input signal from the medal detection unit 82. You can manage the number.

  The insertion accepting unit 1050 receives the outputs of the medal sensors S1 and S2 of the medal selector 1, accepts the insertion of medals for each game, and determines that the medal corresponding to the specified number of insertions has been inserted. A process of permitting the rotation start operation of the first cylinder to the third cylinder is performed. Note that the pressing operation of the start switch 134 is an opportunity to start the rotation of the first cylinder to the third cylinder, and is an opportunity to execute the internal lottery. Also, a prescribed number of throws is set according to the gaming state, the prescribed number of throws is set to 3 in the normal state and the bonus establishment state, and the prescribed throw number is set to 1 in the bonus state.

  When medals are inserted, the inserted medals are set to the inserted state up to a specified number of insertions according to the gaming state. Alternatively, when the bet switch BET is pressed in a state where medals have been credited to the gaming machine, the credited medals are set to the inserted state by limiting the prescribed number of insertions according to the gaming state. The main board 10 controls whether or not to accept a medal. From the point when the start switch 134 is pressed and the rotation of each cylinder starts (game start time), when the three stop switches 140 are pressed and the rotation of each cylinder stops (when the medal payout is completed when winning) (game) When the medal is not accepted (when it is not permitted), the medal sensor S1, S2 does not count the medal and is returned as it is. . Similarly, the main board 10 controls the validity / invalidity of the bet switch BET according to whether or not the medal insertion is accepted. In addition, the bet switch BET is valid from the end of the game to the start of the game, but during other periods (when pressing of the BET switch is not permitted), the bet switch BET is pressed. Even it is ignored.

  The main board 10 incorporates random number generating means 1100. The random number generation means 1100 is a means for generating a random number for lottery. The random value can be generated based on, for example, a count value of an increment counter (a counter that counts numerical values so as to circulate a predetermined count range). In this embodiment, the “random number value” is not only a value that is randomly generated in a mathematical sense, but even if the generation itself is regular, the acquisition timing and the like are irregular. Includes a value that can function as a random number.

  The internal lottery means 1200 performs an internal lottery in which the player determines whether or not the winning combination is based on a start signal from the start switch 134. That is, a lottery table selection process for selecting a lottery table (not shown) stored in a memory (not shown) of the main board 10, a random number determination process for determining the winning of a random number obtained from the random number generating means 1100, The lottery flag setting process for setting a flag to that effect when a big win or the like is won by the determination result is performed.

  In the lottery table selection process, a lottery table (not shown) stored in a storage unit (ROM) (not shown) is used to determine which lottery table is used for internal lottery. In the lottery table, for each of a plurality of random values (for example, 65536 random values from 0 to 65535), replay, small role (bell, cherry), regular bonus (RB: bonus), and big bonus (BB :), etc., are associated with each other. In addition, a normal state, a bonus establishment state, and a bonus state can be set as the gaming state, and a replay lottery state, a replay low probability state, and a replay high probability state can be set as replay lottery states.

  In the random number determination process, a random value (lottery random number) is acquired from the random number generation means (not shown) for each game based on a start signal from the start switch 134, and the lottery table is referred to for the acquired random value. Then, it is determined whether or not the winning combination is won.

  In the lottery flag setting process, the lottery flag of the winning combination determined to be won based on the result of the random number determination process is changed from the non-winning state (first flag state, off state) to the winning state (second flag state, on Status). When two or more types of winning combinations are won, a lottery flag corresponding to each of the two or more types of winning winning combinations is set to the winning state. The lottery flag setting information is stored in storage means (RAM).

A lottery flag (possible carryover flag) that can carry over the winning state for the next game until winning, and a lottery flag that is reset to the non-winning state without bringing the winning state to the next game regardless of winning Carry-over impossible flag) may be provided. In this case, there are a regular bonus (RB) and a big bonus (BB) as a combination to which the former carry-over possible flag is associated, and other combinations (for example, small role, replay) correspond to the latter carry-over impossible flag. It is attached.
In other words, in the lottery flag setting process, when a regular bonus is won by internal lottery, the winning state of the regular bonus lottery flag is carried over until the regular bonus is won, and when the big bonus is won by internal lottery, the big bonus lottery A process of carrying over the winning state of the flag until the big bonus is won is performed. At this time, the main board 10 determines whether or not a role other than the regular bonus and the big bonus (small role and replay) is used even in a game in which the winning state of the regular bonus or big bonus lottery flag is carried over by the internal lottery function. An internal lottery is performed. In other words, in the lottery flag setting process, in a game in which the winning state of the regular bonus lottery flag is carried over, if a small role or replay is won in the internal lottery, the regular bonus lottery flag and the internal lottery already won In a game in which the lottery flags corresponding to two or more types of winning combinations or replay lottery flags won in the win state are set to the winning state and the winning state of the big bonus lottery flag is carried over, it is small in the internal lottery When a winning combination or replay is won, a lottery flag corresponding to two or more kinds of winning combinations including a big bonus lottery flag that has already been won and a small bonus or replay lottery flag that has been won in an internal lottery is set to a winning state. Set.

  The spinning cylinder control means 1300 rotates the first to third cylinders with a stepping motor based on a start signal generated by a player pressing the start switch 134 (rotation start operation), and the first to Press operation (stop operation) of the three stop buttons 140 respectively corresponding to the rotating cylinder in a state where the rotation speed of the third cylinder reaches a predetermined speed (about 80 rpm: a rotation speed of about 80 rotations per minute) ) And control to stop the first to third cylinders driven to rotate by the stepping motor according to the lottery flag setting state (internal lottery result).

  In addition, when the player presses the three stop buttons 140 in a state where the pressing operation (stop operation) with respect to the three stop buttons 140 is permitted (validated), Based on the signal, the supply of the drive pulse (motor drive signal) to the stepping motor of the reel unit 203 is stopped, thereby controlling each of the first to third drums.

  That is, each time the three stop buttons 140 are pressed, the spinning cylinder control means 1300 determines the stopping position of the spinning cylinder corresponding to the pressed button among the first to third cylinders. Thus, control is performed to stop the spinning cylinder at the determined stop position. Specifically, referring to a stop control table (not shown) stored in the storage means (ROM), the first time corresponding to the pressing timing, pressing order, etc. of the three stop buttons (mode of stop operation) A stop position of the cylinder to the third cylinder is determined, and control is performed to stop the first cylinder to the third cylinder at the determined stop position.

  Here, in the stop control table, the positions of the first cylinder to the third cylinder (pressing detection position) at the time when the stop button 140 is operated, and the actual stop positions (or pressing detection of the first cylinder to the third cylinder). Correspondence with the number of sliding frames from the position) is set. Depending on the setting state of the lottery flag, a stop control table for determining the stop positions of the first cylinder to the third cylinder may be prepared.

  In the gaming machine, the reel unit 203 includes an index sensor composed of a photosensor, and the spinning cylinder control means 1300 is based on a reference position signal detected by the index sensor every time the spinning cylinder rotates once. By obtaining the rotation angle (the number of rotation steps of the rotation shaft of the step motor) from the reference position (the frame detected by the index sensor), the current rotation state of the drum can be monitored. That is, the main board 10 can obtain the position of the rotating cylinder when the stop switch 140 is operated by obtaining the rotation angle from the reference position of the rotating cylinder.

  The spinning cylinder control unit 1300 performs so-called pull-in processing and kicking processing as control for stopping the spinning cylinder. The pull-in process is a control for stopping the spinning cylinder so that the symbol corresponding to the combination whose lottery flag is set to the winning state is stopped on a valid winning determination line (so that the winning combination can be won). It is processing. On the other hand, the kicking process means that the symbol corresponding to the combination for which the lottery flag is set to the non-winning state does not stop on a valid winning determination line (so that a non-winning combination cannot be won) Is a control process for stopping the process. That is, in the gaming machine of the present embodiment, the lottery flag setting state, the stop button 140 pressing timing, the pressing order, and the stop position of the spinning cylinder that has already stopped (in the display pattern) in order to realize the pull-in processing and kicking processing. The stop control table is set so that the stop position of each cylinder changes according to the type). In this way, the main board 10 can stop the symbol of the combination for which the lottery flag is set to the winning state in a winning form, while the symbol of the combination for which the lottery flag is set to the non-winning state is in the winning form. Control is performed to stop the first to third cylinders so as not to stop.

  In the gaming machine, the first to third cylinders are set to a control state in which the rotating cylinder corresponding to the pressed stop button is stopped within 190 ms from when the stop button 140 is pressed. Yes. That is, in the stop control table for determining the stop position of each rotating cylinder, the number of frames required from when the stop button 140 is pressed until each cylinder stops is in the range of 0 to 4 frames (predetermined pull-in range). Is set in

  The winning determination means 1400 performs a process of determining whether or not a winning combination has been won based on the stopping modes of the first to third cylinders. Specifically, referring to the winning determination table stored in the storage means (ROM), the symbol combination displayed on the winning determination line when all of the first to third cylinders are stopped. It is determined whether or not this is a predetermined winning combination form.

  The winning determination means 1400 executes a winning process based on the determination result. As a process at the time of winning a prize, for example, when a small role wins, the hopper 81 is driven to perform a medal payout control process, or a credit is increased (a predetermined maximum number is increased to 50, for example, When the replay is won, a replay process is performed. When a big bonus or a regular bonus is won, a game state transition control process for shifting the game state is performed.

  The payout control means 1500 performs payout control processing relating to the payout of medals according to the game result. Specifically, when a small combination wins, the number of medals to be paid out in the game is determined based on a payout predetermined for each combination, and the medals corresponding to the determined number of payouts are determined by the hopper driving unit 80. Then, the hopper 81 is driven to pay out. At this time, a current flows through a motor (not shown) built in the hopper 81.

  When medal credits (internal storage) are permitted, instead of actually paying out medals by the hopper 81, the number of credits stored in a credit storage area (not shown) of the storage means (RAM) (not shown) A credit addition process for adding the number of payouts to the number of credited medals is performed to virtually pay out medals.

  When the replay is won, the replay processing means 1600 performs a replay process (regame process) for setting the same preparation state as the previous game without requiring insertion of medals owned by the player for the next game. When a replay wins, an automatic insertion process is performed in which the same number of medals as the previous game is automatically set to the insertion state without using the player's own medals (including credit medals). The game machine is set in a state of waiting for a rotation start operation (pressing operation of the start switch 134 by the player) in the next game in a state where the same winning determination line as the previous game is validated. The replay lottery states include a replay no lottery state in which replay is excluded from the internal lottery, a replay low probability state in which the replay winning probability is set to about 1 / 7.3, and a replay winning probability of about 1 / A plurality of lottery states such as a high replay probability state set to 6 can be set. By changing the replay lottery state, the winning probability of the replay in the internal lottery is changed.

  Further, the main board 10 may perform control to shift the gaming state between the normal state, the bonus establishment state, and the bonus state (gaming state transition control function). As the game condition transition condition, one condition may be defined, or a plurality of conditions may be defined. When a plurality of conditions are established, transitioning the gaming state to another gaming state based on the fact that one of the plurality of conditions is satisfied or all of the plurality of conditions are satisfied Can do.

  The normal state is a game state corresponding to the initial state among a plurality of types of game states, and a transition from the normal state to the bonus establishment state is possible. The bonus establishment state is a gaming state that shifts when a big bonus or a regular bonus is won in the internal lottery. In the bonus establishment state, when the big bonus is won in the internal lottery in the normal state, the lottery flag corresponding to the big bonus is maintained in the winning state until the big bonus is won, and the regular bonus is won in the internal lottery in the normal state Until the regular bonus is won, the lottery flag corresponding to the regular bonus is maintained in the winning state. In the bonus state, it is determined whether or not the end condition is satisfied based on the total number of medals paid out by the bonus game, and medals exceeding a predetermined payout limit number are paid out according to the type of bonus won. The bonus state is terminated and the gaming state is returned to the normal state.

  FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of the gaming machine according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing only parts necessary for explanation of the gaming machine according to the embodiment of the invention. On the other hand, FIG. 3 is a system diagram of signals of the entire gaming machine.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the sub-board 20 includes a command generation unit 20a to a command transmission unit 20d.

  A command generation unit 20a generates a command (liquid crystal display device command) for displaying a predetermined screen on the liquid crystal display device LCD in accordance with a command from the main substrate 10.

  Reference numeral 20b denotes a command stack for temporarily holding the command generated by the command generation unit 20a when the command cannot be transmitted. The stack is a temporary storage device, and includes a last-in first-out stack (Last In First Out: LIFO) and a first-in first-out stack (First in First OUT: FIFO). When all the held commands are taken out and become empty (empty), the command stack 20b outputs a stack empty signal indicating that fact.

  Reference numeral 20c denotes a specific command generator that receives a stack empty signal from the command stack 20b and generates a predetermined specific command. The specific command indicates that all commands held in the command stack 20b are taken out and become empty. The specific command may be any command as long as it can convey the above meaning in distinction from other commands.

Reference numeral 20d denotes a command transmission unit that receives a command for the liquid crystal display device generated by the sub-substrate 20, that is, a command from the command generation unit 20a and a specific command from the specific command generation unit 20c, and transmits the command to the liquid crystal display device LCD. . The command transmission unit 20d informs the command generation unit 20a whether the command can be transmitted. Whether command transmission is possible is determined, for example, as follows.
The command generation unit 20a inquires about the state of the liquid crystal display device LCD, and determines that command transmission is possible when a response indicating that reception is possible is returned.
If the liquid crystal display device LCD can receive a command, it notifies the command generation unit 20a to that effect.
-Since the time until the liquid crystal display device LCD is activated and the command can be received is almost constant, the waiting time obtained by adding an appropriate margin to the maximum value is measured. It is determined that transmission is possible.

  The command generation unit 20a sends the generated command to the command transmission unit 20d when the command transmission unit 20d can transmit, and pushes (stores) the generated command to the command stack 20b when transmission is not possible. This process is repeated until transmission is possible.

  The command generator 20a sequentially reads commands from the command stack 20b and sends them to the command transmitter 20d when the command transmitter 20d becomes capable of transmission because it cannot be transmitted. This process is repeated until the command stack 20b becomes empty. After emptying, a normal process of generating and transmitting a command for the liquid crystal display device LCD every time a command is received from the main board 10 is repeated.

  As can be understood from the above description, the command held in the command stack 20b is transmitted all at once when the command transmitting unit 20d becomes able to transmit since it cannot transmit. If multiple commands are stacked, they are sent continuously in a very short time interval. When the command stack 20b becomes empty, a specific command indicating that fact is transmitted to the liquid crystal display device LCD through the command transmission unit 20d.

  FIG. 5 shows a processing flow in the gaming machine according to the embodiment of the invention. The figure shows the processing in each of the main substrate 10, the sub substrate 20, and the liquid crystal display device LCD and the flow of commands between them. The thin line indicates the processing, and the thick line indicates the state of the nearest unit (any one of the main substrate 10, the sub substrate 20, and the liquid crystal display device LCD). In the figure, the process proceeds from top to bottom (time elapses). That is, when a certain process is executed, the process below is continuously executed.

  As described above, the sub-board 20 is for receiving a command signal from the main board 10 and notifying the result of the internal lottery and performing various effects. As one of the effects, there is an image effect by the display screen of the liquid crystal display device LCD. The CPU of the sub-board 20 controls the liquid crystal display device LCD directly or via a controller (GDC) (not shown) to display a predetermined screen there. The sub-board 20 determines what screen is displayed on the liquid crystal display device LCD based on a command signal from the main board 10. The outline is that a command for causing the main board 10 to execute a specific effect or a command indicating that a specific gaming state (for example, jackpot) is entered is transmitted to the sub-board 20, and the sub-board 20 interprets the command. , Do the necessary processing. For example, when the command indicates a jackpot, the LED board 202 blinks in a predetermined pattern, and a predetermined sound effect is played from the speaker board 201. Then, an animation corresponding to the jackpot is displayed on the liquid crystal display device LCD. The main board 10 also transmits commands to the sub board 20 when various game operations such as insertion of medals, bet button operations, start lever operations, stop button operations, and the like are performed.

  The liquid crystal display device LCD faithfully executes the commands received from the sub board 20 in the order received.

  Referring to FIG. 5, the gaming machine is activated at time t1. The startup process is started by power-on or reset operation. The initial setting SM1 is performed on the main board 10, the initial setting SS1 is performed on the sub board 20, and the initial setting / initial screen display SL1 is performed on the liquid crystal display device LCD. The time required for the initial setting varies from unit to unit, and the main substrate 10 and the sub substrate 20 are completed in a relatively short time. On the other hand, the initial setting of the liquid crystal display device LCD is several seconds to prepare a huge amount of image data. It takes a long time such as several tens of seconds. Meanwhile, an initial screen display such as “Please wait for a while” is performed.

  At time t2, the initial setting / initial screen display of the liquid crystal display device LCD ends, but the liquid crystal display device LCD performs blank screen display. Until a specific command is received from the sub-board 20 at time t4, the liquid crystal display device LCD continues to display a blank screen. After time t4, the blank screen display is stopped and a normal screen (game effect screen) is displayed.

  Time t3 indicates a timing at which a command can be transmitted from the sub-board 20 to the liquid crystal display device LCD (a command can be received when viewed from the liquid crystal display device LCD). From time t1 to time t3, commands cannot be transmitted from the sub-board 20 to the liquid crystal display device LCD, but can be transmitted at arbitrary timings after time t3.

  FIG. 5 shows a case where the sub-board 20 transmits four commands A to C and E to the liquid crystal display device LCD. Needless to say, this is an example for convenience of description, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Further, the actual processing of the gaming machine is not limited to that shown in FIG.

  The command A is for causing the sub-board 20 to display the first screen of the effect (different from the initial screen of the symbol SL1) on the liquid crystal display device LCD, and is generated without receiving a command from the main board 10 ( Symbol SS2). The commands B and C are generated based on the command (reference symbol SM2) received from the main substrate 10 by the sub-substrate 20 (reference symbols SS4 and SS6). The commands A to C are generated before the time t3 and cannot be sent to the liquid crystal display device LCD, so the commands A to C are stacked (reference numerals SS3, SS5, SS7).

  When the command can be transmitted at time t3, the commands A to C stacked by the sub-board 20 are sequentially transmitted. The figure shows an example of a first-in first-out stack (FIFO), which is transmitted in the stored order (reference numerals SS8 to SS10). In response to the commands A to C, the liquid crystal display device LCD performs command display and screen display / image drawing based on the analysis results (reference numerals SL2, SL4, and SL6). Since a specific command has not been received at this point, blank processing is performed (reference symbols SL3, SL5, and SL7). The blank process will be further described later.

  When the last command C is transmitted, the stack becomes empty (reference SS11), so that a specific command is generated by the sub-board 20 (reference SS12) and transmitted (reference SS13).

  After the time t4 when the specific command is received, the liquid crystal display device LCD stops the blanking process (reference numeral SL8).

  When a command is received from the main board 10 after time t4 (reference numeral SM3), the sub-board 20 generates and transmits commands E and F (reference signs SS14 to SS17). Since the liquid crystal display device LCD has stopped the blanking process, the commands E and F are analyzed and executed by the liquid crystal display device LCD (reference numerals SL9 and SL10), and the resulting screen is displayed as it is.

  FIG. 6 shows a process flowchart of the sub-board 20 according to the embodiment of the invention.

S1: Perform initial setting. Since this process is publicly known, detailed description thereof is omitted.

S2: Generate a command for the liquid crystal display device LCD.
Typically, a command for the liquid crystal display device is generated in response to a command from the main substrate 10.

S3: It is determined whether or not the liquid crystal display device LCD can receive the command.

S4: When reception is not possible (NO in S3), the generated command is stacked.

S5: When reception is possible (YES in S3), the generated commands are stacked (S4b), and the stacked commands are transmitted. If the FIFO method is used, the command generated this time is added to the end of the stack and transmitted last, and if it is the LIFO method, the command generated this time is added to the top (top) of the stack and transmitted first. (If the LIFO method is used, the procedure of storing in the stack may be skipped and sent immediately. Specifically, instead of S4b, the process of S4b ': send the generated command immediately is executed. To do). If the stack is empty and there are no stacked commands, the command generated this time will be transmitted by either method.

S6: Determine whether the stack is empty. If the stack is not empty (NO), the process of S5 is repeated.

S7: If the stack is empty (YES in S6), a predetermined specific command is generated and transmitted.
In both the FIFO method and the LIFO method, a specific command is generated and transmitted when the stack becomes empty.
In the case of the FIFO method, the process of S4b can be omitted. That is, a stacked command may be transmitted, a specific command may be generated and transmitted when the stack is empty (S5 to S7), and then the command generated this time may be transmitted (the command generated this time is As long as it is temporarily held). If the stack is empty and the command cannot be transmitted in S5, the process of S7 is executed as in the case of YES in S6.

S8: A command for the liquid crystal display device is generated and transmitted according to the command from the main board 10 (S9). Since these processes are well-known, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 7 shows a processing flowchart of the liquid crystal display device LCD according to the embodiment of the invention. This figure shows only the part related to the operation of the embodiment of the invention, and the processing related to image generation and screen display, which are general operations, is omitted.

S10: Make initial settings and display the initial screen. For example, a screen with characters “Please wait for a while” is displayed.

S11: The operation mode is set to a blank screen display mode.
The blank screen display mode is a mode for executing a blank screen display process of S17 described later. During the period from time t2 to t4 in FIG. 5, the liquid crystal display device LCD is in a blank screen display mode, and blank processing SL3, SL5, SL7 is executed.

S12: Perform image data loading processing.
The image data loading process is a process for loading a certain image into the interior at the time of initial startup such as restoration from power interruption. This process is known and will not be described in detail.

S14: When the image data loading process is completed (YES in S13), a command from the sub-board is received. It is assumed that the liquid crystal display device LCD can receive a command at least after time t3 in FIG.

S15: The command is analyzed and an image corresponding to the command is drawn. This process is known and will not be described in detail.

S16: It is determined whether it is a blank screen display stop mode (or a blank screen display mode). If it is a mode for performing blank screen display (NO in S16), the process of S17 is executed.

S17: A blank screen display process is executed.
The blank screen display process (sometimes simply referred to as “blank process”) is to make the generated image invisible to the player. For example, the processing is as follows.
-Delete the generated image. Specifically, the entire area of the screen (image memory) is filled with constant (for example, black level) image data (pixels). If it is filled with black pixels, it becomes the same black screen as when the liquid crystal display device LCD is off, and if it is filled with blue pixels, it becomes a so-called blue screen.
-Overlay the screen (black screen, blue screen, or "Please wait for a while" display screen) prepared in advance on the generated screen. It is assumed that the overlay screen is displayed with priority.
-Turn off the backlight of the liquid crystal display device LCD. Although the generated screen does not disappear, the player can not visually recognize the screen without the backlight, and thus the same effect as described above is obtained.
A buffer (not shown) for sending image data to the liquid crystal panel of the liquid crystal display device LCD is cleared, or the output is invalidated (disabled).

  FIG. 8 shows a mode switching process flowchart of the liquid crystal display device LCD according to the embodiment of the invention.

  7 and 8, the liquid crystal display LCD automatically enters the blank screen display mode when the initial setting is completed, and enters the blank screen display mode stop mode when a specific command is received (YES in S20).

  According to the embodiment of the invention, the liquid crystal display device is in a blank screen display mode after the initial setting is completed, and even if the liquid crystal display device is in a command reception enabled state and receives a command from the sub-board, the player can perform blank processing. The generated image cannot be viewed. This state continues until a specific command is received indicating that the command stack is empty. After receiving the specific command, the blanking process is stopped, so that the player can view the generated image. In this way, the player does not see a screen that receives a plurality of commands continuously after the initial setting and switches frequently, and therefore the player does not feel uncomfortable. The above processing is particularly effective in a gaming machine including a liquid crystal display device that requires a very long time for initial setting.

  In the above description, a liquid crystal display device has been described as an example, but another image display device such as a plasma display or an organic EL display may be used.

  The present invention can be applied not only to a slot machine but also to a pachinko machine including a liquid crystal display device.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Main board | substrate 20 Sub board | substrate 20a Command generation part 20b Command stack 20c Specific command generation part 20d Command transmission part LCD Liquid crystal display device (image processing apparatus)

Claims (3)

From the main board that executes the control related to the game including the internal lottery process and generates and transmits a predetermined command, the sub board that receives the command and executes the process related to the production based on the command, and the sub board In a gaming machine comprising an image display device that receives the command and displays a screen related to the effect,
The sub-board is
In accordance with the command from the main board, a command generation unit that generates an image display device command for displaying a predetermined screen on the image display device;
It holds one or a plurality of the image display device command, a command stack for outputting a stack empty signal indicating when all of the commands that held became been sky taken,
A specific command generation that receives the stack empty signal from the command stack and generates a specific command for stopping execution of a blank process for making a player invisible an image generated based on the image display device command And
A command transmission unit that transmits the image display device command generated by the command generation unit and the specific command generated by the specific command generation unit to the image display device;
The command generation unit sends the generated image display device command to the command stack when the image display device command cannot be transmitted to the image display device, and sends the image display device command to the image display device. When transmission is possible, the image display device command is taken out from the command stack and sent to the command transmission unit, and the generated image display device command is sent to the command transmission unit,
The image display device executes the blank process after completion of a predetermined initial setting at startup , and stops the execution of the blank process after receiving the specific command. Gaming machine. The time required for the initial setting when starting the image display device is longer than both the time required for initial setting when starting the main board and the time required for initial setting when starting the sub-board. The gaming machine according to claim 1. 3. The game according to claim 1, wherein whether or not the image display device command can be transmitted to the image display device is determined by any one of the following processes (a) to (c): Machine.
(A) Processing for determining whether or not a response indicating that reception is possible is returned to the image display device (b) Processing for determining that transmission is possible if a signal indicating reception is possible from the image display device ( c) the image display apparatus has been previously measured time from start until it can receive the command, the waiting time based on the measured time is determined, it said waiting time has elapsed from the start Sometimes it is determined that transmission is possible

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