JP6240380B2 - Game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine capable of playing a game by using a game medium as a game value.

  Conventionally, in this type of gaming machine, there is one that can play a game using a gaming medium (medal or gaming ball) inserted from an insertion port provided in the gaming machine main body. The player can play a game as a result of being taken into the player so as not to be returned.

  Also, in this type of gaming machine, it is possible to detect the passing speed and passing direction of the taken game media by monitoring the passing of the taken game media using a plurality of sensors, and only the number of passed game media. In addition, there has been proposed one that can detect the passage of an illegal game medium moving in the opposite direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-336416 A

  In the gaming machine described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to detect the passage of an illegal game medium moving in the opposite direction, but it is possible to simulate the passage of the game medium by blinking an LED or the like in the passage through which the game medium passes. When a fraudulent instrument or the like that reproduces itself is used, its use cannot be detected, and there is a problem that it is not possible to prevent the use of such a fraudulent instrument.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a gaming machine capable of preventing the use of unauthorized equipment.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a gaming machine according to claim 1 of the present invention provides:
A gaming machine (slot machine 1) capable of playing a game using a gaming value (medal),
A flow-down passage (medal flow-down passage 133) through which a game medium (medal) as the gaming value inserted from the insertion portion (medal insertion portion 4) provided in the gaming machine flows down is provided. A game medium discriminating device (insertion medal selector 131) for discriminating the authenticity of the game media (medals) flowing down the downflow passage 133);
A storage unit for storing the game medium;
A guiding path for guiding the game medium that has been determined to be true by the game medium determination device and has flowed out of the game medium determination device to the storage unit;
A blocking state (closed state) for preventing entry of the game medium (medal) and an allowable state for allowing the game medium (medal) to enter upstream of the position for determining the authenticity of the game medium (medal) in the flow-down path (medal flow-down path 133). An entry blocking member (shielding member 180) movable in an open state;
Position detecting means (shielding sensor 183) for detecting the position of the entry preventing member (shielding member 180);
An insertion detection means (an insertion port sensor 170) for detecting the insertion of the game medium (medal) upstream of the entry blocking member (shielding member 180) in the flow-down passage (medal flow-down passage 133);
Passage detection means for detecting passage of the game medium flowing down the guide passage;
Counting means for counting the number of game media whose insertion has been detected by the insertion detection means;
Initialization means for returning the number of game media counted by the counting means to an initial value by detecting the passage of the game media by the passage detection means;
The number of game media counted by the counting means can be spread between the position where the insertion detecting means detects the insertion in the flow-down passage and the position where the passage detection means detects the passage in the guide passage. An anomaly detection means for detecting an anomaly based on reaching a specified number equal to or greater than the number of game media;
Drive means (shielding solenoid 138) for driving the entry preventing member (shielding member 180) to one of the blocking state (closed state) or the allowable state (open state);
Operation control means (main control unit 41) for controlling the entry preventing member (shielding member 180) by driving the drive means (shielding solenoid 138);
With
The operation control means includes
In a state where the game medium can be inserted (during BET processing), when the insertion detection means (insert port sensor 170) detects the insertion of the game medium (medal), the entry blocking member (shielding member 180) is An operation at the time of detection of detection is performed to operate from the blocking state (closed state) to the allowable state (open state) and then return to the blocking state (closed state) again.
After the operation for detecting the closing, when the position detecting means (shielding sensor 183) does not detect that the entry blocking member (shielding member 180) is in the blocking state (closed state), the entry blocking member is allowed to be allowed. A reciprocating operation for operating the entry blocking member (shielding member 180) to the blocked state (closed state) after being moved to a state;
Even if the reciprocating operation is performed a predetermined number of times, control is performed to operate the entry blocking member in the blocking state when the position detecting means does not detect that the blocking member is in the blocking state. .
According to this feature, even when the game medium can be inserted, the entry blocking member is positioned in the blocked state when the insertion of the game medium is not detected on the upstream side. When the insertion is detected, the entry blocking member is moved from the blocked state to the permitted state by driving the driving means and then returned to the blocked state, and the entry detection operation is executed again so that the entry blocking is performed only when the game medium is loaded. Position detecting means for detecting the position of the entry blocking member after the operation when the insertion is detected, since the member is allowed to pass the game medium and the entry blocking member is again blocked after the game medium passes. Thus, it is possible to detect that the game medium is clogged by detecting that the entry blocking member is in the blocked state, or that foreign matter is inserted into the flow-down passage.
Then, after the operation at the time of detecting the closing operation, a reciprocating operation for operating the entry blocking member in the blocked state is executed when the position detecting means for detecting the position of the entry blocking member does not detect that the blocked entry member is in the blocked state. Thus, when the game medium is clogged, the clogging is cleared and the entry blocking member returns to the blocking state.On the other hand, when a foreign object is inserted, the entry blocking member is blocked even if the reciprocating operation is executed. Since the position detection means does not detect that the entry blocking member is in the blocked state even after the reciprocating operation, it is possible to detect that a foreign object has been inserted. It is possible to prevent the use of unauthorized equipment that needs to be always inserted into the downflow passage in order to reproduce.

A gaming machine according to means 1 of the present invention is the gaming machine according to claim 1,
The operation control means (main control unit 41) is characterized by executing an operation of reciprocating the blocking state (closed state) and the allowable state (open state) a plurality of times as the return operation.
According to this feature, when the game medium is clogged in the downflow passage and the position detection means does not detect that the entry blocking member is in the blocked state, the clogging of the game medium can be surely eliminated.

The gaming machine according to means 2 of the present invention is the gaming machine according to claim 1 or means 1, wherein
The position detecting means (shielding sensor 183) does not detect that the entry preventing member (shielding member 180) is in the blocking state (closed state), and the returning operation is executed for a predetermined period (two returning operations). In addition, when the position detection means (shielding sensor 183) does not detect that the entry preventing member (shielding member 180) is in the blocked state (closed state), a clogging abnormality detecting means for detecting a clogging abnormality (loading error 5). When,
Disabling state control means for controlling to a disabling state (error state) that disables the progress of the game when the clogging abnormality (insertion error 5) is detected;
In the state where the clogging abnormality (loading error 5) is detected and controlled to the disabled state (error state), the entry preventing member (shielding member 180) is prohibited from moving to the allowable state (open state). Allowed state prohibition means,
It is characterized by having.
According to this feature, it is difficult to remove the illegal device by inserting the illegal device into the permissible state when the entry preventing member is prohibited when it becomes in a clogged state. Can leave a trace of the used.

The gaming machine according to means 3 of the present invention is the gaming machine according to means 2,
The abnormality detection means can detect an abnormality (full tank error, etc.) other than the clogging abnormality (insertion error 5) in a state where the game medium can be inserted (during BET processing).
The disabling state control means also enters the disabling state (error state) when an abnormality (full tank error, etc.) other than the clogging abnormality is detected in a state where the gaming medium can be inserted (during BET processing). Control
The permissible state prohibiting unit is configured to perform the permissible state of the entry preventing member (shielding member 180) even in a state where an abnormality other than the clogging abnormality (a full tank error or the like) is detected and controlled to the disabled state (error state). It is characterized by prohibiting operation to the state (open state).
According to this feature, in the disabled state, the operation of the entry blocking member in the disabled state is prohibited in the disabled state due to the detection of an abnormality other than the clogging abnormality in the state where the game medium can be inserted. Foreign matter can be prevented from entering the flow passage.

The gaming machine according to means 4 of the present invention is the gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 1, wherein
The entry blocking member (shielding member 180) is located on the blocking state (closed state) side in a state where power supply to the gaming machine is stopped.
According to this feature, since the entry blocking member is located on the blocking state side when the power supply to the gaming machine is stopped, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the flow-down passage during a power failure.

A gaming machine according to means 5 of the present invention is the gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 and 4, wherein
Delay control means for performing delay control (control of freeze state) for delaying the progress of the game;
An allowable state prohibition means during delay control for prohibiting operation of the entry preventing member (shielding member 180) to the allowable state (open state) in a state where the delay control is being performed (freeze state);
It is characterized by having.
According to this feature, when the delay control is being performed, the entry preventing member is prohibited from moving to an allowable state, so that foreign matter can enter the flow-down passage when the delay control is being performed. Can be prevented.

A gaming machine according to means 6 of the present invention is the gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 and 1 to 5,
A storage unit (hopper tank 134a) for storing the game medium (medal);
A guide passage (medal shoot 160) for guiding the game medium (medal) determined to be true by the game medium determining device (inserted medal selector 131) and flowing out from the game medium determining device to the storage unit (hopper tank 134a); ,
First detection means (input port sensor 170) for detecting passage of a game medium (medal) flowing down the flow-down passage (medal flow-down passage 133);
Second detection means (shoot sensor 166) for detecting the passage of the game medium flowing down the guide passage (medal shoot 160);
Counting means (insert port passage counter) for counting the number of game media (the number of medals) detected to be passed by the first detection unit (insert port sensor 170);
The number of game media counted by the counting means (input port passage counter) is calculated from the position where the first detection means (input port sensor 170) detects passage in the flow-down passage (medal flow-down passage 133). In the medal shoot 160), the second detection means (shoot sensor 166) reaches a specified number (7) that is equal to or greater than the number of game media that can be laid until the position where the second detection means (shoot sensor 166) detects passage, 2 Abnormality detection means (main control unit) for detecting an abnormality (a charging error) when the detection means (shoot sensor 166) does not normally detect the passage of the game medium (when the change of off → on of the chute sensor 166 is not detected) 41),
It is characterized by having.
According to this feature, the first exceeds the number of game media that can be spread between the position where the first detection means detects passage in the flow-down passage and the position where the second detection means detects passage in the guide passage. If the detection means detects the passage of the game medium and the second detection means does not normally detect the passage of the game medium, the game medium discrimination device has discriminated the true game medium. Therefore, there is a possibility that the game medium determined to be true does not flow down toward the storage unit, and in such a case, abnormality is determined. At this time, the number of game media that can be spread between the position where the first detecting means detects passage in the flow-down passage and the position where the second detecting means detects passage in the guide passage, that is, a criterion for judging abnormality The number of game media is almost unchanged due to the installation situation of the downflow passage, the deterioration of the downflow passage, the individual difference of the game media, etc. like the downflow time, and the true game medium is discriminated by the game media discrimination device. Despite this, the possibility that the game medium determined to be true does not flow down toward the storage part, that is, the possibility that the game medium is discriminated without storing the game medium is accurately determined. Can be detected.
The first detection means may be used as the detection means used to determine the authenticity of the game medium in the downflow passage, or may be a separate detection means.
Further, the first detection means may be the same position as the position where the game medium is determined to be true in the downflow passage, or may be provided upstream from the position where the game medium is determined to be true. It may be provided downstream of the position where the medium is determined to be true.
Further, the position where the abnormality detection means detects the passage of the number of game media counted by the counting means from the position where the first detection means detects passage in the flow-down passage from the position where the second detection means detects passage. The counting means means that the abnormality is detected when the second detection state does not normally detect the passage of the game medium in spite of the fact that the prescribed number equal to or greater than the number of game media that can be laid down is reached. The second detection state is not limited to the configuration in which the abnormality is detected when the second detection state does not detect the passage of the game medium, although the number of game media counted by the above reaches the specified number. This includes a configuration for detecting an abnormality even when the passage of the medium is continuously detected.

It is a front view of the slot machine of the Example to which this invention was applied. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a slot machine. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a main control part. It is a perspective view which shows the state which open | released the front door. It is a side view which shows the state by which the insertion medal selector was attached to the back surface of the front door. It is a perspective view which shows an insertion medal selector. It is a front view which shows an insertion medal selector and a medal chute. (A) is sectional drawing of an insertion medal selector, (b) is AA sectional drawing of (a). (A) is sectional drawing of an insertion medal selector, (b) is AA sectional drawing of (a). (A)-(d) is sectional drawing of an insertion medal selector. (A)-(c) is sectional drawing of a medal | shoot. It is a flowchart which shows the control content of the shielding control process which the main control part 41 performs. It is a flowchart which shows the control content of the insertion error detection process which the main control part 41 performs. It is a timing chart which shows the detection condition of a slot sensor, the drive condition of a shielding solenoid, and the detection condition of a shielding sensor. It is a timing chart which shows the detection condition of a slot sensor, the drive condition of a shielding solenoid, and the detection condition of a shielding sensor. It is a timing chart which shows the detection condition of a slot sensor, the drive condition of a shielding solenoid, and the detection condition of a shielding sensor. (A)-(f) is a figure which shows the flow situation of the medal in a medal selector. It is a timing chart which shows the transition of a normal detection state at the time of an insertion medal sensor detecting a medal. It is a figure which shows the state which spread the medal in the medal flow path. It is a timing chart which shows the detection condition of an insertion port sensor and a chute sensor, and the update condition of an insertion port passage counter. It is a timing chart which shows the detection condition of an insertion port sensor and a chute sensor, and the update condition of an insertion port passage counter. It is a timing chart which shows the detection condition of an insertion port sensor and a chute sensor, and the update condition of an insertion port passage counter.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below.

  First, a slot machine as an embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a slot machine of an embodiment to which the present invention is applied. The slot machine 1 according to this embodiment includes a housing 1a (see FIG. 4) whose front surface is open, and a front door 1b (see FIG. 4) pivotally supported on a side end of the housing 1a. Has been.

  Inside the case 1a of the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, reels 2L, 2C, 2R (hereinafter also referred to as a left reel, a middle reel, and a right reel) in which a plurality of types of symbols are arranged on the outer periphery are arranged in the horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 1, three consecutive symbols out of symbols arranged on the reels 2L, 2C, and 2R are arranged so that they can be seen from the see-through window 3 provided on the front door 1b. .

  Although not shown in particular on the outer peripheries of the reels 2L, 2C, 2R, “red 7 (black 7 in the figure)”, “white 7”, “BAR”, “replay”, “watermelon”, “cherry”, respectively. , “Bell”, and 21 types of mutually distinguishable symbols are drawn in a predetermined order. The symbols drawn on the outer peripheries of the reels 2L, 2C, and 2R are displayed in the upper, middle, and lower three stages in the see-through window 3, respectively.

  The reels 2L, 2C, and 2R are provided in correspondence with each other and rotated by reel motors 32L, 32C, and 32R (see FIG. 4), so that the symbols of the reels 2L, 2C, and 2R are continuously formed in the see-through window 3. In addition to being displayed while changing, by stopping the rotation of each reel 2L, 2C, 2R, three consecutive symbols are derived and displayed on the fluoroscopic window 3 as display results.

  Inside the reels 2L, 2C, and 2R, reel sensors 33L, 33C, and 33R (see FIG. 2) for detecting a reference position for each of the reels 2L, 2C, and 2R, and the reels 2L, 2C, and 2R from the back A reel LED 55 (see FIG. 2) for irradiation is provided. The reel LED 55 includes 12 LEDs corresponding to three consecutive symbols of the reels 2L, 2C, and 2R, and can irradiate each symbol independently.

  At the position corresponding to each of the reels 2L, 2C, and 2R on the front door 1b, a horizontally-long rectangular see-through window 3 that allows the reels 2L, 2C, and 2R to be seen through from the front side is provided. The reels 2L, 2C, and 2R can be visually recognized from the player side.

  The front door 1b uses a medal insertion unit 4 into which medals can be inserted, a medal payout exit 9 from which medals are paid out, and credits (the number of medals stored as a player's own game value). The MAXBET switch 6 that is operated when setting the maximum number of bets out of a specified number of bets determined according to the gaming state, the medal stored as credits, and the medals used for setting the bet number are settled. The settlement switch 10 that is operated when the credits and the amount of medals used for setting the bet are returned, the start switch 7 that is operated when the game is started, and the rotation of the reels 2L, 2C, and 2R are stopped. Stop switches 8L, 8C, and 8R that are operated when playing, and a production switch 56 for use in production are provided so as to be operable by the player.

  The front door 1b also displays a credit indicator 11 that displays the number of medals stored as credits, the number of medals paid out due to the occurrence of a prize, an error code indicating the contents when an error occurs, and the like. Game assist indicator 12, 1BETLED14 that notifies that the bet number is set by 1 by lighting, 2BETLED15 that notifies that the bet number is set by 2 and 2 that the bet number is set by 3 3BET LED 16 to notify, insertion request LED 17 to notify that a medal can be inserted by lighting, start effective LED 18 to notify that the game start operation by the operation of the start switch 7 is effective, wait (the previous game start) Waiting for the start of reel rotation because a certain period has not elapsed since Weight in LED19 for notifying by lighting a a is that during the game display section 13 in the replay LED20 is provided for informing is provided by lighting the effect that during replay game, which will be described later.

  Further, on the front door 1b, a 1BETLED 14 that notifies that the bet number is set to 1 by lighting, a 2BETLED 15 that notifies that the bet number is set to 2, and 3 bets are set. 3BET LED 16 to notify when lit, insertion request LED 17 to notify that a medal can be inserted is lit, start valid LED 18 to notify that the game start operation by the operation of the start switch 7 is effective, wait (previous Waiting state LED 19 for informing that it is in the state of waiting for the start of reel rotation since a certain period of time has not elapsed since the start of the game, during replay informing that it is in the replay game described later An LED 20 is provided.

  Inside the MAXBET switch 6, there is provided a BET switch valid LED 21 (see FIG. 2) for notifying that the betting number setting operation by the operation of the MAXBET switch 6 is valid, and stop switches 8L, 8C, The left, middle and right stop valid LEDs 22L, 22C and 22R (see FIG. 2) are provided inside the 8R to notify that the reel stop operation by the corresponding stop switches 8L, 8C and 8R is valid by lighting. It has been.

  On the back side of the front door 1b, as shown in FIG. 4, a reset switch for detecting a reset operation for releasing an error state excluding a RAM abnormality error and an abnormal winning error and a stop state described later by a predetermined key operation 23, a setting value display 24 (see FIG. 2) that displays a setting value at that time during a setting value change or confirmation of the setting value, which will be described later, and a flow path of medals inserted from the medal insertion unit 4 A flow path switching solenoid 30 (see FIG. 2) for selectively switching to either the hopper tank 134a side or the medal payout exit 9 side of a medal hopper 134, which will be described later, provided in the housing 1a, and a shielding member, which will be described later A shield solenoid 138 (see FIG. 2) for selectively switching to either the open state or the closed state of 180 is inserted from the medal insertion unit 4, and the hopper tab Inserted medal selector 131 having inserted medal sensor 31A～c (see FIG. 7) for detecting a medal flowing down the click 134a side.

  The inserted medal selector 131 discriminates the authenticity (shape, size, thickness, etc.) of the inserted medal, and the passage of the genuine medal is detected by the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c. Thereafter, the medal selector 131 flows out from an outlet 142 (see FIG. 7) formed on the side of the main body of the inserted medal selector 131 and the inserted medal selector before the passing medal is detected by the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c. A return portion 137 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) formed at the lower portion of the main body 131 flows out downward. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the medals flowing out from the outlet 142 of the inserted medal selector 131 are guided to the hopper tank 134 a by the medal chute 160 provided on the side of the inserted medal selector 131 and flowed out from the return unit 137. The medals are returned to the lower plate from the medal payout opening 9 via the medal return passage 132 provided below the inserted medal selector 131.

  The insertion medal selector 131 is provided with an insertion port sensor 170 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, and a shielding sensor 183 (see FIG. 2). The medal chute 160 has a chute sensor 166 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later. ) Is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a reel sensor 33L that can detect the reel reference positions of the reels 2L, 2C, and 2R, the reel motors 32L, 32C, and 32R, and the reels 2L, 2C, and 2R, as shown in FIG. , 33C, 33R, a hopper tank 134a for storing medals inserted from the medal insertion unit 4, and a hopper motor 34 (for discharging the medals stored in the hopper tank 134a from the medal payout opening 9). 2) and a medal hopper 134 having a payout sensor 35 (see FIG. 2) for detecting medals paid out by driving the hopper motor 34, an overflow tank 135 in which medals overflowed from the hopper tank 134a are stored, and a power supply box 136 is provided.

  On the front surface of the power supply box 136, a stop for selecting whether to enable / disable the stop function that controls the stop state (a state in which the progress of the game is restricted until a reset operation is performed) when the stop condition is satisfied. A switch 36, a setting key switch 37 for switching to a setting change mode at the time of startup, an automatic settlement switch 29 for selecting validity / invalidity of an automatic settlement function for performing credit settlement when an automatic settlement condition is satisfied, and a RAM in normal operation It functions as a reset switch for canceling error status and stoppage status excluding abnormal errors and abnormal winning errors. In the setting change mode, it is used to change the setting value of the internal lottery winning probability (play rate) described later. A reset / setting switch 38 functioning as a setting switch and a power switch 39 operated when turning on / off the power are provided. To have.

  When a game is played in the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment, first, medals are inserted from the medal insertion unit 4 or a bet number is set using credits. To use the credit, the MAXBET switch 6 may be operated. When a predetermined number of bets determined according to the gaming state are set, the pay lines L1 to L5 (see FIG. 1) become effective, and the operation of the start switch 7 is effective, that is, the game can be started. It becomes a state. In addition, when a medal is inserted exceeding the maximum number out of the prescribed number corresponding to the gaming state, the amount is added to the credit.

  When the start switch 7 is operated in a state where the game can be started, the reels 2L, 2C, and 2R rotate, and the symbols of the reels 2L, 2C, and 2R continuously vary. When any one of the stop switches 8L, 8C, 8R is operated in this state, the rotation of the corresponding reels 2L, 2C, 2R is stopped, and the display result is derived and displayed on the fluoroscopic window 3.

  Then, when all the reels 2L, 2C, 2R are stopped, one game is completed, and a predetermined symbol combination (hereinafter also referred to as a combination) is placed on any of the activated pay lines L1 to L5. When the reels 2L, 2C, and 2R are stopped as a display result, a winning occurs, and a predetermined number of medals are given to the player and added to the credit. Further, when the credit reaches the upper limit number (50 in this embodiment), medals are paid out directly from the medal payout opening 9 (see FIG. 1). In addition, when a combination of symbols accompanying the transition of the gaming state is stopped as a display result of each reel 2L, 2C, 2R on any of the activated pay lines L1 to L5, a game corresponding to the combination of symbols Transition to the state.

  In the present embodiment, a configuration using three reels is illustrated, but a configuration using only one reel, a configuration using two reels, a configuration using four or more reels may be used. In a configuration using two or more reels, a winning determination may be made based on a combination of display results derived for all two or more reels.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the slot machine 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the slot machine 1 is provided with a game control board 40, an effect control board 90, and a power supply board 101. The game state is controlled by the game control board 40, and the game state is controlled by the effect control board 90. The production according to the control is controlled, and the power supply board 101 generates the drive power for the electrical components constituting the slot machine 1 and supplies them to each part.

  The power supply board 101 is supplied with AC100V power from the outside, and from this AC100V power supply, a DC voltage necessary for driving electrical components constituting the slot machine 1 is generated, and the game control board 40 and the game control board 40 are generated. It is supplied to the production control board 90 connected through the. In addition, a command transmission line from the main control unit 41 to the sub control unit 91, which will be described later, and a power supply line for supplying power from the game control board 40 to the effect control board 90 are connected via a single cable and connector. Are connected to each other, and all the connectors that connect these cables and the respective boards are connected to each other so that the respective parts on the side of the effect control board 90 can operate and receive commands from the main control part 41. Become. For this reason, unless the command transmission line for transmitting a command from the main control unit 41 is connected to the effect control board 90, power is not supplied to the effect control board 90, and only the effect control board 90 side operates. There is no end to it.

  The power board 101 is connected to the hopper motor 34, the payout sensor 35, the stop switch 36, the setting key switch 37, the automatic settlement switch 29, the reset / setting switch 38, and the power switch 39.

  On the game control board 40, the above-described MAXBET switch 6, start switch 7, stop switches 8L, 8C, 8R, settlement switch 10, reset switch 23, insertion medal sensors 31a to 31c, insertion port sensor 170, shielding sensor 183, chute A sensor 166, reel sensors 33L, 33C, and 33R are connected, and the above-described payout sensor 35, stop switch 36, setting key switch 37, automatic settlement switch 29, and reset / setting switch 38 are connected via the power supply board 101. The detection signals of these connected switches are input.

  Further, the game control board 40 includes the credit indicator 11, the game auxiliary indicator 12, 1-3 BET LEDs 14-16, the insertion request LED 17, the start valid LED 18, the waiting LED 19, the replaying LED 20, the BET switch valid LED 21, the left , Middle and right stop valid LEDs 22L, 22C, 22R, set value display 24, flow path switching solenoid 30, shielding solenoid 138, reel motors 32L, 32C, 32R are connected and described above via the power supply board 101. A hopper motor 34 is connected, and these electrical components are driven based on the control of a main control unit 41 (described later) mounted on the game control board 40.

  The game control board 40 includes a main control unit 41, a control clock generation circuit 42, a random number clock generation circuit 43, a switch detection circuit 44, a motor drive circuit 45, a solenoid drive circuit 46, an LED drive circuit 47, and a power interruption detection circuit. 48 and a reset circuit 49 are mounted.

  The main control unit 41 is configured by a one-chip microcomputer, executes a control program stored in a ROM 506, which will be described later, and performs processing related to the progress of the game, and also includes a control circuit mounted on the game control board 40. Control each part directly or indirectly.

  The control clock generation circuit 42 generates a control clock CCLK serving as an oscillation signal having a predetermined frequency outside the main control unit 41. The control clock CCLK generated by the control clock generation circuit 42 is supplied to the clock circuit 502 via the control external clock terminal EXC of the main control unit 41 as shown in FIG. 3, for example. The random number clock generation circuit 43 generates a random number clock RCLK that is an oscillation signal having a predetermined frequency different from the oscillation frequency of the control clock CCLK, outside the main control unit 41. The random number clock RCLK generated by the random number clock generation circuit 43 is supplied to the random number circuit 509 via the random number external clock terminal ERC of the main control unit 41 as shown in FIG. 3, for example. As an example, the oscillation frequency of the random number clock RCLK generated by the random number clock generation circuit 43 may be set to be equal to or lower than the oscillation frequency of the control clock CCLK generated by the control clock generation circuit 42.

  The switch detection circuit 44 takes in detection signals input from switches connected directly to the game control board 40 or via the power supply board 101 and transmits them to the main control unit 41. The motor drive circuit 45 transmits the motor drive signal output from the main control unit 41 to the reel motors 32L, 32C, and 32R. The solenoid drive circuit 46 transmits the solenoid drive signal output from the main control unit 41 to the flow path switching solenoid 30 and the shielding solenoid 138. The LED drive circuit transmits the LED drive signal output from the main control unit 41 to various displays and LEDs connected to the game control board 40. The power interruption detection circuit 48 monitors the power supply voltage supplied to the slot machine 1 and outputs a voltage drop signal indicating that to the main control unit 41 when a voltage drop is detected. The reset circuit 49 provides a system reset signal to the main control unit 41 in a state where the power is unstable, such as when the power is turned on or when the power is turned off. The reset circuit 49 includes a watchdog timer, and provides a user reset signal to the main control unit 41 when the watchdog timer expires, that is, when the operation of the CPU 505 of the main control unit 41 stops for a certain period of time.

  FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the main control unit 41 mounted on the game control board 40. 3 is a one-chip microcomputer, and includes an external bus interface 501, a clock circuit 502, a specific information storage circuit 503, a reset / interrupt controller 504, a CPU 505, a ROM 506, and a RAM 507. A CTC (counter / timer circuit) 508, a random number circuit 509, a PIP (parallel input port) 510, a serial communication circuit 511, and an address decoding circuit 512.

  The external bus interface 501 provided in the main control unit 41 shown in FIG. 3 is an interface function between the external bus and the internal bus of the chip constituting the main control unit 41, a direction control function of the address bus, the data bus, and each control signal, etc. Is a bus interface. For example, the external bus interface 501 is connected to an external memory or an external input / output device externally attached to the main control unit 41, and transmits / receives address signals, data signals, various control signals, and the like to / from these external devices. Anything to do. In this embodiment, the external bus interface 501 includes an internal resource access control circuit 501A.

  The internal resource access control circuit 501A controls access to internal data of the main control unit 41 from an external device via the external bus interface 501, and stores internal data such as a game control program and fixed data stored in the ROM 506, for example. This is a circuit for limiting inappropriate external reading. Here, a circuit analysis device such as an in-circuit emulator (ICE) may be connected to the external bus interface 501 as an external device.

  The clock circuit 502 provided in the main control unit 41 is a circuit that generates the internal system clock SCLK by, for example, dividing the oscillation signal input to the control external clock terminal EXC by two. In this embodiment, the control clock CCLK generated by the control clock generation circuit 42 is input to the control external clock terminal EXC. The internal system clock SCLK generated by the clock circuit 502 is supplied to various circuits such as the CPU 505 that control the progress of the game in the main control unit 41. The internal system clock SCLK is also supplied to the random number circuit 509 and used to monitor the frequency of the random number clock RCLK supplied from the random number clock generation circuit 43. Further, the internal system clock SCLK may be output from the system clock output terminal CLKO connected to the clock circuit 502 to the outside of the main control unit 41.

  The unique information storage circuit 503 included in the main control unit 41 is a circuit that stores a plurality of types of unique information serving as internal information of the main control unit 41, for example. As an example, the unique information storage circuit 503 stores three types of unique information such as a ROM code, a chip individual number, and an ID number.

  The reset / interrupt controller 504 provided in the main control unit 41 is for controlling various resets and interrupt requests generated inside or outside the main control unit 41. The reset controlled by the reset / interrupt controller 504 includes a system reset and a user reset. The system reset is a reset that occurs when a low level signal (system reset signal) is input to the external system reset terminal XSRST for a certain period. The user reset is performed when a low level signal (user reset signal) is input to the external user reset terminal XURST for a certain period of time, or when a time-out signal of the built-in watchdog timer (WDT) is generated, or when running outside the specified area. This reset is caused by a predetermined factor such as the occurrence of prohibition (IAT). In this embodiment, as described above, since the watchdog timer (WDT) mounted on the reset circuit 49 is used without using the built-in watchdog timer, a user reset signal is input to the external user reset terminal XURST. Alternatively, a user reset occurs when the out-of-designated area travel prohibition (IAT) occurs.

  Interrupts controlled by the reset / interrupt controller 504 include a non-maskable interrupt NMI and a maskable interrupt INT. The non-maskable interrupt NMI is an interrupt that is unconditionally accepted even when the CPU 505 is in an interrupt-disabled state. When a low level signal is input to the external non-maskable interrupt terminal XNMI (also used as the input port P4) for a certain period of time. An interrupt that occurs. The maskable interrupt INT is an interrupt that can permit / prohibit acceptance of an interrupt request by a setting instruction of the CPU 505, and multiple interrupts can be executed by setting priority. The maskable interrupt INT is caused by the fact that a low level signal is input to the external maskable interrupt terminal XINT (also used as the input port P3) for a certain period of time, a time-out occurs in the timer circuit included in the CTC 508, Multiple types of interrupt factors are determined in advance, such as the occurrence of an interrupt factor due to data transmission in the serial communication circuit 511 and the occurrence of an interrupt factor due to the acquisition of numerical data as a random value in the random number circuit 509. It should be.

  The CPU 505 provided in the main control unit 41 executes processing for controlling the progress of the game in the slot machine 1 by executing the program read from the ROM 506. At this time, the CPU 505 reads out fixed data from the ROM 506, the CPU 505 writes various data to the RAM 507 and temporarily stores the data, and the CPU 505 stores various data temporarily stored in the RAM 507. The CPU 505 receives the input of various signals from the outside of the main control unit 41 via the external bus interface 501 or the PIP 510, and the CPU 505 receives the input of various signals via the external bus interface 501 or the serial communication circuit 511. A transmission operation for outputting various signals to the outside of the main control unit 41 is also performed.

  As described above, in the main control unit 41, the CPU 505 executes control according to the program stored in the ROM 506. Therefore, the main control unit 41 (or CPU 505) executes (or performs processing) below. Specifically, the CPU 505 executes control according to a program. The same applies to microcomputers mounted on boards other than the game control board 40.

  A ROM 506 provided in the main control unit 41 stores a user program for game control, fixed data, and the like. The ROM 506 stores a security check program 506A. The CPU 505 reads the security check program 506A stored in the ROM 506 when the main control unit 41 shifts to the security mode in response to the power-on of the slot machine 1 or the occurrence of a system reset, and whether the storage content of the ROM 506 has been changed. Execute security check processing to check whether or not. The security check program 506A may be stored in a built-in memory different from the ROM 506. Further, the security check program 506A may correspond to a security check process for inspecting the storage content of the external memory externally attached to the main control unit 41 via the external bus interface 501, for example.

  A RAM 507 provided in the main control unit 41 provides a work area for game control. Here, at least a part of the RAM 507 may be a backup RAM backed up by a backup power source. That is, even if the power supply to the slot machine is stopped, at least part of the contents of the RAM 507 is stored for a predetermined period. In this embodiment, all areas of the RAM 507 are backup RAMs, and all contents of the RAM 507 are saved for a predetermined period even when power supply to the slot machine is stopped.

  The CTC 508 provided in the main control unit 41 includes, for example, an 8-bit programmable timer built in 3 channels (PTC0 to PTC2), and includes a timer circuit capable of generating a real-time interrupt and measuring time. Each programmable timer PTC0-PTC2 has a timer value that is updated in response to a change in the count clock signal generated based on the internal system clock SCLK (for example, a falling timing that changes from a high level to a low level). If it is good. In addition, the CTC 508 may incorporate, for example, an 8-bit programmable counter with 4 channels (PCC0 to PCC3). Each of the programmable counters PCC0 to PCC3 is only required to have its count value updated in response to a signal change of the internal system clock SCLK or occurrence of a timeout in any of the programmable counters PCC0 to PCC3. The CTC 508 resets the start time of the random number generated by the free run counter used for randomly determining the extension time (variable setting time) for extending the security time for each system reset or the random number circuit 509. A free-run counter or the like that is used to randomly determine each time may be included. Alternatively, these free-run counters may be included in an internal circuit of the main control unit 41 different from the CTC 508 such as a backup area of the RAM 507, for example.

  A random number circuit 509 included in the main control unit 41 is a circuit that generates numerical data that is a random value having a predetermined update range, such as a 16-bit random number. In the present embodiment, on the game control board 40 side, numerical data indicating a random value for internal lottery to be described later is controlled to be countable. In addition, in order to improve a game effect, random numbers other than these may be used. The CPU 505 uses a random counter different from the random number circuit 509 based on the numerical data extracted from the random number circuit 509 to process or update various numerical data by software, thereby indicating numerical data indicating a random value for internal lottery. May be counted. In the following, it is assumed that numerical data indicating random numbers for internal lottery is not processed by software from numerical data extracted by the CPU 505 from the random number circuit 509 serving as hardware. The random number circuit 509 may be incorporated in the main control unit 41 or may be externally attached to the main control unit 41 as a random number circuit chip different from the main control unit 41. .

  The random number for internal lottery is a value used to determine whether or not to allow a plurality of types of winnings, and takes a value in the range of “0” to “65535” in this embodiment.

  The PIP 510 included in the main control unit 41 is, for example, a 6-bit input dedicated port, and includes an input port P0 to an input port P2 serving as a dedicated terminal and an input port P3 serving as a function shared terminal and an input port P5. . The input port P3 is also used as an external maskable interrupt terminal XINT connected to the CPU 505 or the like. The input port P4 is also used as an external non-maskable interrupt terminal XNMI connected to the CPU 505 or the like. The input port P5 is also used as the first channel reception terminal RXA used by the serial communication circuit 511. The use setting of the input port P3 to the input port P5 is instructed by the function setting KFCS stored in the program management area.

  The address decoding circuit 512 provided in the main control unit 41 shown in FIG. 3 is a circuit for decoding each functional block in the main control unit 41 and decoding a chip select signal that is a decode signal for an external device. . By the chip select signal, an internal circuit of the main control unit 41 or an external device as a peripheral device is selectively operated effectively and can be accessed from the CPU 505.

  The ROM 506 provided in the main control unit 41 stores various selection data and table data used for controlling the progress of the game, in addition to the game control user program and the security check program 506A. For example, the ROM 506 stores data constituting a plurality of determination tables, determination tables, setting tables, and the like prepared for the CPU 505 to perform various determinations, determinations, and settings. The ROM 506 stores table data constituting a plurality of command tables used for the CPU 505 to transmit control signals serving as various control commands from the game control board 40.

  The RAM 507 provided in the main control unit 41 is provided with a game control data holding area 590 as an area for holding various data used for controlling the progress of the game in the slot machine 1. For example, a DRAM is used as the RAM 507, and a refresh operation is required to maintain the stored data contents. The CPU 505 has a built-in refresh register for performing this refresh operation. For example, the refresh register consists of 8 bits, and the lower 7 bits are automatically incremented each time the CPU 505 fetches an instruction from the ROM 506. Accordingly, the stored value in the refresh register is updated every execution time of one instruction in the CPU 505.

  The main control unit 41 transmits various commands to the sub control unit 91 via the serial communication circuit 511. A command transmitted from the main control unit 41 to the sub control unit 91 is sent in only one direction, and no command is sent from the sub control unit 91 toward the main control unit 41.

  The main control unit 41 receives the detection state of various switches connected to the game control board 40 from the input port. Then, the main control unit 41 executes basic processing that shifts in stages according to the detection states of various switches input from these input ports.

  Further, the main control unit 41 can execute an interrupt process by interrupting the basic process when an interrupt occurs. In the present embodiment, a timer interrupt process (main), which will be described later, is executed at a certain time interval (about 0.56 ms in the present embodiment) when a timeout occurs in the timer circuit included in the CTC 508.

  The main control unit 41 is set to prohibit other interrupts during the execution of the interrupt process, and when a plurality of interrupts occur at the same time, the main control unit 41 prioritizes according to a predetermined order. An interrupt to be executed is set. If another interrupt factor occurs during the execution of the interrupt process and the interrupt factor continues even after the interrupt process is completed, a new interrupt will occur at that point. It will be.

  The main control unit 41 repeatedly loops the process according to the control state until the detection state of the various switches connected to the game control board 40 changes as a basic process, and changes the detection state of the various switches. Execute the process to move in stages Further, the main control unit 41 executes a timer interrupt process (main) at regular time intervals (about 0.56 ms in this embodiment). In addition, the execution interval of the timer interrupt process (main) is set to a time longer than the sum of the time required to complete the repeated process according to the control state in the basic process and the execution time of the timer interrupt process (main) Therefore, the process that is repeated according to the control state between the current and next timer interrupt processes (main) is completed at least once.

  An effect switch 56 is connected to the effect control board 90, and a detection signal of the effect switch 56 is input.

  The effect control board 90 is connected to effect devices such as a liquid crystal display 51 (see FIG. 1), an effect LED 52, speakers 53 and 54, and the reel LED 55 described above, which are arranged on the front door 1b of the slot machine 1. These effect devices are driven based on control by a later-described sub-control unit 91 mounted on the effect control board 90.

  In this embodiment, the sub-control unit 91 mounted on the effect control board 90 controls the output of the effect devices such as the liquid crystal display 51, effect effect LED 52, speakers 53 and 54, and reel LED 55. However, in addition to the sub-control unit 91, an output control unit that directly controls the output of the effect device is mounted on the effect control board 90 or another board, and the sub-control unit 91 is based on a command from the main control unit 41. The output control unit may determine the output pattern of the effect device, and the output control unit may control the output of the effect device based on the output pattern determined by the sub control unit 91. In such a configuration, the sub control unit 91 and the output control may be performed. The output control of the rendering device is performed by both of the units.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the liquid crystal display 51, the effect effect LED 52, the speakers 53 and 54, and the reel LED 55 are exemplified as the effect device, but the effect device is not limited to these, for example, a mechanically driven display. A device or a mechanically driven item may be applied as the effect device.

  Similar to the main control unit 41, the effect control board 90 includes a sub CPU 91a, ROM 91b, RAM 91c, and a microcomputer provided with an I / O port 91d. The sub control unit 91 controls the effect, and the effect control board 90. A display control circuit 92 that performs display control of the liquid crystal display 51 connected to the LED, an LED driving circuit 93 that performs drive control of the effect LED 52 and the reel LED 55, an audio output circuit 94 that controls audio output from the speakers 53 and 54, When the power is turned on or when an initialization command from the sub CPU 91a is not input for a certain period of time, a reset circuit 95 that gives a reset signal to the sub CPU 91a, and a detection signal input from the effect switch 56 connected to the effect control board 90 The switch detection circuit 96 outputs time information including date information and time information. The power supply voltage supplied to the timepiece device 97 and the slot machine 1 is monitored, and when a voltage drop is detected, a power drop detection circuit 98 that outputs a voltage drop signal to that effect to the sub CPU 91a, other circuits, etc. , And the sub CPU 91a receives various commands transmitted from the game control board 40 and performs various controls for performing effects, and directly controls each part of the control circuit mounted on the effect control board 90. To control automatically or indirectly.

  The reset circuit 95 has a lower voltage for releasing the reset signal than the reset circuit 49 that gives the system reset signal to the main control unit 41 in the game control board 40. When the power is turned on, the sub control unit 91 It starts at an earlier stage than the unit 41. On the other hand, the power interruption detection circuit 98 has a voltage that outputs a voltage drop signal lower than the power interruption detection circuit 48 that outputs a voltage drop signal to the main control unit 41 in the game control board 40. The sub control unit 91 detects a power failure at a later stage than the main control unit 41, and performs a power interruption process (sub) described later.

  Similar to the main control unit 41, the sub control unit 91 has an interrupt function, generates an interrupt when receiving a command from the main control unit 41, and acquires a command transmitted from the main control unit 41. Execute command reception interrupt processing to be stored in the buffer. Further, the sub control unit 91 executes an interrupt process (sub), which will be described later, by generating an interrupt every time the number of input system clocks reaches a certain number, that is, every certain interval.

  Also, unlike the main control unit 41, the sub control unit 91 interrupts the process even when the timer interrupt process (sub) is being executed when an interrupt is generated based on the reception of the command. The command reception interrupt process is executed at the same time, and the command reception interrupt process is executed with the highest priority even if interrupts that trigger the timer interrupt process (sub) occur at the same time.

  The sub-control unit 91 is also supplied with backup power at the time of a power failure, and the data stored in the RAM 91c is held while the backup power is supplied.

  In the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment, the medal payout rate changes according to the set value. Specifically, the medal payout rate is changed by using a winning probability corresponding to a set value in an internal lottery described later. The set value is composed of 6 levels of 1 to 6, with 6 being the highest payout rate and the payout rate being lower as the value is decreased in the order of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. That is, when 6 is set as the set value, the advantage is highest for the player, and as the value decreases in order of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, the advantage decreases stepwise.

  In order to change the setting value, it is necessary to turn on the power of the slot machine 1 after the setting key switch 37 is turned on. When the setting key switch 37 is turned on and the power is turned on, the memory area of the RAM 507 that is initialized when the setting is changed is cleared, and the setting value read by the setting value display 24 is displayed as a display value. Then, a transition is made to a setting change state in which the setting value can be changed by operating the reset / setting switch 38. When the reset / setting switch 38 is operated in the setting change state, the display value displayed on the setting value display 24 is updated one by one (when further operation is performed from the setting 6, the display returns to the setting 1). . When the start switch 7 is operated, the display value is determined as the set value. Then, when the setting key switch 37 is turned off, the determined display value (setting value) is stored in the RAM 507 of the main control unit 41, and the state shifts to a state in which the game can proceed.

  In order to check the set value, after the game is over, the setting key switch 37 may be turned on in a state where the bet amount is not set. When the setting key switch 37 is turned on in such a situation, the setting value read out from the RAM 507 is displayed on the setting value display 24, thereby shifting to a setting confirmation state in which the setting value can be confirmed. In the setting confirmation state, the game cannot be progressed, and by setting the setting key switch 37 to the off state, the setting confirmation state is ended and the state in which the game can proceed is returned.

  In the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment, the main control unit 41 determines whether or not the voltage drop signal from the power interruption detection circuit 48 is detected every time the timer interruption process (main) is executed. If the determination process is performed and it is determined that the voltage drop signal is detected in the power failure determination process, the power interruption process (main) is executed. In the power interruption process (main), the register is saved in a stack of a RAM 507, which will be described later. In addition to the storage, the RAM parity adjustment data is calculated so that the RAM parity based on the data stored in all areas of the RAM 507 becomes 0 and stored in the RAM 507. The RAM parity is a value calculated as an exclusive OR of the values stored in each bit of the corresponding area (all areas in this embodiment) of the RAM 507. For this reason, if the RAM parity based on the data stored in all areas of the RAM 507 is 0, the RAM parity adjustment data is 0, and the RAM parity based on the data stored in all areas of the RAM 507 is 1. In this case, the RAM parity adjustment data is 1.

  The main control unit 41 calculates the RAM parity based on the data stored in all areas of the RAM 507 at the time of activation, regardless of whether the system reset or the user reset, and the value of the data for destructive diagnosis And the processing state of the main control unit 41 is restored to the state before the power interruption based on the data stored in the RAM 507 on the condition that the RAM parity is 0 and the value of the data for destruction diagnosis is also correct. However, if the RAM parity is not 0 (in the case of 1) or the value of the destruction diagnosis data is not correct, it is determined that the RAM is abnormal, and the RAM abnormal error code is set in the register to control the RAM abnormal error state. However, the progress of the game is disabled. Unlike the normal error state, the RAM abnormal error state is not canceled even if the reset switch 23 or the reset / setting switch 38 is operated, and a new set value is set in the above-described setting change state. It will not be released until

  In this embodiment, all data stored in the RAM 507 is held by the backup power source even in the event of a power failure, and the main control unit 41 determines that the data in the RAM 507 is normal when the power is turned on. In addition, the configuration is such that the control state before power interruption is restored based on the data stored in the RAM 507. However, only the data stored in the RAM 507 that is necessary for returning to the control state in the event of a power failure is backed up and turned on. It may be configured to return to the control state before power interruption based on the data backed up at the time.

  In addition, when returning to the control state before the power interruption when the power is turned on, it is not necessary to return all the control states to the control state before the power interruption, and the minimum control state that does not disadvantage the player For example, it is not necessary to restore the state of all input ports to the state before power interruption.

  Next, the structure of the inserted medal selector 131 will be described mainly based on FIGS. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where the front door 1b is opened, FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state where the insertion medal selector 131 is attached to the back surface of the front door 1b, and FIG. 6 is a insertion medal selector. FIG. 7 is a front view showing the insertion medal selector 131 and the medal chute 160. FIG. In the following description, the state where the inserted medal selector 131 is viewed from the back side of the front door 1b will be described as the front side of the inserted medal selector 131. That is, the front side of FIG. 7 will be described as the front side of the insertion medal selector 131.

  The inserted medal selector 131 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and a medal flow path 133 having a substantially L-shape in front view is formed in the main body (the hatched line in FIG. 7). region). On the upper surface of the main body portion, a medal dropped from an insertion port 140a (see an enlarged view in FIG. 5) communicating with the upstream side of the medal flow path 133 and formed in the insertion medal guide member 140 disposed above. An inflow port 141 is formed, and an outflow port 142 is formed on the side surface of the main body portion so as to communicate with the downstream side of the medal flow down passage 133 and allow the medal to flow out.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the medal flow path 133 has a groove (not shown) recessed in a substantially L shape inside the main body, and a shaft member 143 at the front side of the main body portion. The swing plate 145 is provided between the swing plate 145 and the swing plate 145 urged toward the main body by the spring 144. The swing plate 145 is a medal clogging release button 146 (on the front door 1b). The medal flow path 133 is opened by being pressed by FIG. 1), so that the medals jammed in the medal flow path 133 can be discharged to the lower part of the main body. That is, a flow-down side wall that forms a side surface of the medal flow-down passage 133 is formed by the swing plate 145 and the main body portion in which the concave groove is formed.

  In addition, the inflow port 141 has a horizontally long rectangular shape and is formed on the top surface of the main body in the left-right direction (see FIG. 6), and the outflow port 142 has a vertically long rectangular shape and has a side surface of the main body in the vertical direction. It is formed (not shown). That is, the downstream walls before and after the medal flow passage 133 are vertically oriented from the inlet 141 to the outlet 142, and as shown in FIG. 7, the inlet of the insertion medal guide member 140 constituting the medal insertion portion 4 is provided. The medal that is inserted from the 140a in a standing posture and flows in from the inflow port 141 flows down in the passage while maintaining the standing posture, and flows out to the right side from the outflow port 142.

  Below the medal flow path 133, a medal that flows down the medal flow path 133 is linked to the downstream side of the medal flow path 133 in conjunction with excitation of a flow path switching solenoid 30 (see FIG. 2) provided on the front side of the main body. A flow path switching plate 147 that is forcibly dropped downward from the medal flow down passage 133 immediately before being detected by the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c (see FIG. 7) is provided swingably. Further, the swinging plate 145 is rotatable in a state in which a backflow preventing member 148 for preventing the backflow of the medal flowing down in the medal flow down passage 133 is biased toward the medal flow down passage 133 via a spring. Is provided. By providing the backflow prevention member 148, it is possible to prevent an illegal act such as detecting a medal by causing a medal to flow backward in the vicinity of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c in the medal flow down passage 133.

  As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the flow path switching plate 147 has a medal selector with its upper end surface in a state where the flow path switching solenoid 30 is not excited, that is, in a state where acceptance of medals is not permitted. Since it is in a state of being accommodated in a recess provided in the main body and the lower side of the medal flow path 133 is open, a medal that flows from the inlet 141 and flows down the medal flow path 133 is input from the return unit 137. It falls below the medal selector 131 and is discharged from the medal payout opening 9. In addition, the flow path switching plate 147 is in the state where the flow path switching solenoid 30 is energized, that is, in the state where the medal acceptance is permitted, as shown in FIGS. Since the upper part swings in the left direction (arrow direction) in the figure, the upper end surface of the flow path switching plate 147 protrudes to form the bottom surface of the medal flow-down passage 133. The medal flowing down the downflow passage 133 flows down along the upper end surface of the flow path switching plate 147 and flows out from the outflow port 142.

  In the vicinity of the inlet 141 of the medal flow passage 133, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, a slot sensor 170 that detects a medal that flows into the medal flow passage 133 from the inlet 141 is provided. As the insertion port sensor 170, a photo sensor is used in which a medal passes between the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit, and the light receiving unit detects passage of the medal by detecting light blocking from the light projecting unit. .

  In this embodiment, the insertion port sensor 170 detects the passage of the medal when the light receiving unit detects the blocking of the light from the light projecting unit when the medal passes between the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit. Although a photo sensor is used, a reflective sensor that detects the passage of a medal by arranging the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit on one end side of the passage and detecting the light of the light projecting unit reflected by the light receiving unit on the medal It may be used. A physical sensor that detects the passage of a medal by detecting the movement of a movable piece that operates in conjunction with the passage of the medal, such as a chute sensor 166 described later, may be used.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, a shielding member 180 that closes the medal flow path 133 is provided on the downstream side of the inlet sensor 170 in the vicinity of the inlet 141 of the medal flow path 133. When the shielding solenoid 138 is not excited, the shielding member 180 protrudes into the medal flow path 133 (closed state) as shown in FIG. 10A, and movement in the retreat direction is also restricted. Therefore, the medal flowing from the inlet 141 is prevented from flowing down.

  Since the shielding member 180 projects into the medal flow path 133 when the shielding solenoid 138 is not excited (closed state), the shielding member 180 is shielded when power is not supplied to the slot machine 1. The member 180 protrudes into the medal flow path 133 (closed state).

  On the other hand, in a state where the shielding solenoid 138 is excited, as shown in FIG. 10B, the shaft member 182 of the shielding solenoid 138 moves to the shielding member 180 side. It swings around 181 and retreats from the medal flow-down passage 133 (open state), and the flow of medals flowing from the inflow port 141 is allowed.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the shielding solenoid 138 is excited and the shielding member 180 is retracted from the medal flow path 133 (in an open state), a part of the shielding member 180 is a shielding sensor. The shielding member 180 is positioned between the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit 183. Depending on whether the light receiving unit of the shielding sensor 183 detects blocking of the light from the light projecting unit, the shielding member 180 is connected to the medal flow path 133. It is possible to detect whether it is in a state of being retracted (opened state) or in a state of protruding into the medal flow down passage 133 (closed state).

  On the downstream side of the flow path switching plate 147 of the medal flow path 133, inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c (hereinafter referred to as the inserted medal sensor 31a and the inserted medal sensor 31b) that detect passage of medals flowing down the medal flow path 133. Sensor 2 and the inserted medal sensor 31 c are also referred to as sensor 3). Of these, the sensor 1 and sensor 3 are located along the top of the medal flow path 133, that is, a disk that flows down the medal flow path 133. The sensor 2 is arranged at a position where the passage of the upper end of the medal can be detected on the upstream side and the downstream side, respectively, and the sensor 2 is a disk-shaped medal that flows down the medal flow path 133, that is, the medal flow path 133. It is arrange | positioned in the position which can detect passage of the lower end part. Further, the sensor 2 is disposed between the sensor 1 and the sensor 3, that is, at a position where a medal that normally flows down the medal flow path 133 is detected in the order of the sensor 1, the sensor 2, and the sensor 3. As sensors 1 to 3, a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit are provided, and the light receiving unit detects the blocking of light from the light projecting unit when the medal passes between the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit. A photosensor for detection is used.

  In the present embodiment, as the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c, when the medal passes between the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit, the light receiving unit detects the blocking of the light from the light projecting unit, thereby passing the medal. Reflective type that uses a photo sensor to detect, but arranges the light projecting part and the light receiving part on one end side of the passage, and detects the passage of the medal by detecting the light of the light projecting part reflected by the light receiving part on the medal A sensor may be used. A physical sensor that detects the passage of a medal by detecting the movement of a movable piece that operates in conjunction with the passage of the medal, such as a chute sensor 166 described later, may be used. Furthermore, an optical sensor may be used for some of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c, and a physical sensor may be used for the rest.

  When both the optical sensor and the physical sensor are used for the three inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c as in the present embodiment, the most upstream inserted medal sensor 31a and the most downstream inserted medal sensor 31c are used. On the other hand, it is preferable that an optical sensor is applied and a physical sensor is applied to the inserted medal sensor 31b positioned between them. In such a configuration, when it is determined that a normal medal has passed, the upstream side Since it is necessary to simultaneously detect the optical sensor and the physical sensor, and the downstream optical sensor and the physical sensor, it is difficult to reproduce with an unauthorized instrument, and such an unauthorized operation can be effectively prevented.

  The main control unit 41 determines the insertion of medals into the slot machine when the inserted medals sensors 31a to 31c normally pass, and performs the setting of the bet number or the addition to the credit. In other words, these inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c are sensors that detect the passage of medals for which the bet amount setting or credit addition processing is performed.

  A medal chute 160 is fixed to the outer surface of the right side plate of the medal selector mounting member 150 to which the inserted medal selector 131 is mounted on the front door 1b. The medal chute 160 is formed by bending a metal plate, and guides a medal that has flowed out from the outflow port 142 into a hopper tank 134a disposed in the housing 1a.

  As shown in FIG. 7, on the medal chute 160, the medal that flows out from the outflow port 142 rolls on the bottom plate 161, and gradually from the outflow port 142 toward the medal guiding direction, that is, toward the hopper tank 134a. A rolling road surface 161a that is inclined downward is formed, and a movable piece 163 that can be moved upward and downward from the rolling road surface 161a is provided on the rolling road surface 161a. As shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C, the movable piece 163 can be moved in and out of the rolling road surface 161 a by swinging the shaft portion 164 about the axis, and can be rolled by the biasing member 165. It is urged so as to protrude to the moving path surface 161a. Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, when the medal flows down the rolling road surface 161a, the movable piece 163 is pressed against the urging force of the urging member 165 and retracted, and the medal passes. Then, as shown in FIG. 11C again, it returns to the protruding state. Further, as shown in FIG. 11B, when the movable piece 163 is pressed by the passage of the medal, a part of the movable piece 163 is positioned between the light projecting portion and the light receiving portion of the chute sensor 166. Thus, when the light receiving unit of the chute sensor 166 detects blocking of light from the light projecting unit, it can be detected that the medal that has flowed out from the outlet 142 has passed the medal chute 160.

  In this embodiment, as the shoot sensor 166, a physical sensor that detects the passage of the medal by detecting the movement of the movable piece 163 that operates in conjunction with the passage of the medal is used. An optical sensor such as a sensor may be used.

  Next, the control content of the shielding control process for the main control part 41 to operate the shielding member 180 will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. The shielding control process is a process that is executed once every time the timer interrupt process (main) is executed four times in the timer interrupt process (main) that the main control unit 41 executes about every 0.56 ms. 2. Processing executed every 24 ms.

  In the shielding control process, first, it is determined whether or not a later-described shielding member 180 is being returned (S101). Whether or not the return operation is being performed is determined based on whether or not a later-described return operation number assigned to the RAM 507 is set. If one or more return operation times are set, it is determined that the return operation is being performed. If 0, it is determined that the return operation is not in progress.

  If it is determined in step S101 that the shielding member 180 is not being returned, it is determined whether or not the BET process is being performed (S102). The BET process is a process for preparing for the start of the next game by setting the number of bets to be used for the next game by detecting the insertion of medals after the game is finished, and after the game is finished, until the next game is started. This process is executed during the period. In addition, the insertion of medals is not permitted during a period other than during the BET processing, that is, after the game is started until the game is finished.

  If it is determined in step S102 that the BET process is not in progress, the process proceeds to step S120, the output port of the shielding solenoid 138 is set to off, and the shielding control process ends.

  If it is determined in step S102 that the BET process is in progress, it is determined whether or not the game is a replay game, that is, whether or not medals are prohibited from being inserted by automatic BET (S103). If it is determined that there is, the process proceeds to step S120, the output port of the shielding solenoid 138 is set to off, and the shielding control process is terminated.

  If it is determined in step S103 that the game is not a replay game, it is determined whether or not the set bet number is an upper limit number that can be set in the game (S104), and the bet number set in step S104 is determined. If it is determined that the number is the upper limit number, it is determined whether or not the credit is the upper limit number (S105). If it is determined in step S105 that the credit is the upper limit number, that is, the upper limit number of both bets and credits. If it is determined that the insertion of medals is prohibited, the process proceeds to step S120, the output port of the shielding solenoid 138 is set to off, and the shielding control process ends.

  If the bet number set in step S104 is not the upper limit number, or if the credit is not the upper limit number in step S105, the game progress control is delayed in order to perform a freeze state, that is, an effect or the like. It is determined whether or not it is in a state (here, a state in which a transition from a state where setting of the bet number is impossible to a state where it is possible is delayed) (S106). The output port of the shielding solenoid 138 is set to off, and the shielding control process ends.

  If it is determined in step S106 that the game is not in a frozen state, it is determined whether or not an error state, that is, a state in which an abnormality has been detected and the progress of the game has been disabled (S107). In addition to errors associated with determination of throwing errors 1 to 5 described below, errors that occur in the system include a full tank error associated with detection of a full tank state of the hopper tank 134a. If it is determined that the game is executed immediately after the game is finished, and the game is executed when the insertion of a medal is detected for the first time after the game is finished), the process proceeds to step S120, and the output port of the shielding solenoid 138 Is set to off, and the shielding control process is terminated.

  If it is determined in step S107 that the state is not an error state, it is determined whether or not the shielding solenoid 138 is on (S108). If the shielding solenoid 138 is determined to be on, the shielding member is determined. In order to count the time for controlling 180 to the open state continuously, 1 is subtracted from the value of the open counter assigned to the RAM 507 (S109), whether the value of the open counter is 0, that is, the shielding member 180 After entering the open state, it is determined whether or not the time corresponding to the initial value set in the open counter has elapsed (S110). If it is determined that the open counter value is not 0, the process proceeds to S114. Proceeding to the step, the output port of the shielding solenoid 138 is set to on, and the shielding control process is terminated.

  If it is determined in step S110 that the open counter value is 0, an initial value (the shielding member 180 is changed from the open state to the closed state) in the detection waiting counter assigned to the RAM 507 for counting the detection waiting time. Returning, a value corresponding to a detection waiting time sufficient to detect the closed state of the shielding member 180 by the shielding sensor 183 is set (S111), and the process proceeds to step S112.

  In step S112, it is determined whether or not the insertion port sensor 170 has changed from off to on, that is, whether or not a medal has been detected.

  If it is determined in step S112 that the insertion port sensor 170 has not changed from off to on, the process proceeds to step S120, the output port of the shielding solenoid 138 is set to off, and the shielding control process ends.

  If it is determined in step S112 that the insertion slot sensor 170 has changed from off to on, the initial value (the medal whose insertion has been detected by the insertion slot sensor 170 passes through the shielding member 180) in the open counter. (A value corresponding to a sufficient input waiting time) is set (S113), the process proceeds to step S114, the output port of the shielding solenoid 138 is set to on, and the shielding control process is terminated.

  If it is determined in step S108 that the shielding solenoid 138 is not on, that is, if the shielding solenoid 138 is off, whether or not the value of the detection waiting counter exceeds 0, that is, the shielding solenoid 138 is After switching from on to off, it is determined whether or not the detection waiting time is sufficient to detect the closed state of the shielding member 180 by the shielding sensor 183 (S115), and the value of the detection waiting counter exceeds 0 If it is determined that there is not, that is, if the value of the detection waiting counter is 0, the process proceeds to step S112.

  If the detection waiting counter value exceeds 0 in step S115, the detection waiting counter value is decremented by 1, and whether or not the detection waiting counter value becomes 0, that is, the shielding solenoid 138 is turned off from on. It is determined whether or not a detection waiting time sufficient for the closed state of the shielding member 180 to be detected by the shielding sensor 183 has elapsed (S117), and the value of the detection waiting counter is determined not to be 0. If so, the process proceeds to step S112.

  If it is determined in step S117 that the value of the detection waiting counter is 0, it is determined whether or not the shielding sensor 183 is on, that is, whether or not the open state of the shielding member 180 is detected (S118). If it is determined that the shielding sensor 183 is not on, the process proceeds to step S112.

  If it is determined in step S118 that the shielding sensor 183 is on, the shielding member 180 is not switched to the closed state even though the shielding solenoid 138 is switched off. A prescribed number (2 in this embodiment) is set in the RAM 507 as the number of times of performing the return operation to return to (S119), and the process proceeds to step S112.

  If it is determined in step S101 that the returning operation is being performed, it is determined whether or not the shielding solenoid 138 is in an off state (S121). If the shielding solenoid 138 is in an off state, the shielding operation is performed in the returning operation. It is determined whether or not the value of the closing counter assigned to the RAM 507 exceeds 0 in order to count the closing time for continuously controlling the member 180 to the closed state, that is, whether or not the closing time is being counted in the return operation. If it is determined that the value of the closing counter does not exceed 0 (S122), the process proceeds to step S127.

  If it is determined in step S122 that the value of the closing counter exceeds 0, the value of the closing counter is decremented by 1 (S123). Accordingly, it is determined whether or not the closing time has elapsed since switching to the closed state (S124). If it is determined that the value of the closing counter is not 0, the process proceeds to step S120, and the output port of the shielding solenoid 138 is set. Set to off, and the shielding control process is terminated.

  If it is determined in step S124 that the value of the closing counter is 0, the number of return operations set in the RAM 507 is decremented by 1 (S125), and whether the number of return operations is 0, that is, the return operation. (S126) If the number of return operations is 0, the process proceeds to step S120, the output port of the shielding solenoid 138 is set to off, and the shielding control process is terminated.

  If the number of return operations is not 0 in step S126, the process proceeds to step S127.

  In step S127, an initial value corresponding to the opening time associated with the return operation is set in the opening counter, and the process proceeds to step S114, where the output port of the shielding solenoid 138 is set to on, and the shielding control process is terminated.

  If it is determined in step S121 that the shielding solenoid 138 is not off, that is, if the shielding solenoid 138 is determined to be on, the value of the open counter is decremented by 1 (S128), and the value of the open counter is It is determined whether or not the opening time associated with the returning operation has elapsed (S129). If it is determined that the value of the opening counter is not 0, the process proceeds to step S114, and the shielding solenoid 138 is reached. Is set to on, and the shielding control process is terminated.

  If it is determined in step S129 that the value of the opening counter is 0, the closing time associated with the returning operation to the closing counter (in this embodiment, the clogged medals are dropped when the medals are clogged). The initial value corresponding to the opening time associated with the return operation is set to be easy to perform), the process proceeds to step S120, the output port of the shielding solenoid 138 is set to off, and the shielding control process ends. To do.

  When the output port of the shielding solenoid is set to on in step S114, on is maintained if the shielding solenoid is on, and it is turned on if it is off.

  If the output port of the shielding solenoid is set to off in the step of S120, it is kept off if the shielding solenoid is in the off state, and is switched off if it is in the on state.

  As described above, in this embodiment, even during the BET process in which the betting number can be set by inserting medals, the shielding member 180 is controlled to be closed, and as shown in FIG. By detecting the insertion of a medal, the shielding solenoid 138 is turned on and the shielding member 180 is opened with a slight delay, and the shielding sensor 183 detects the opened state of the shielding member 180. Thereafter, after an elapse time sufficient for the medal detected to be inserted by the insertion port sensor 170 to pass through the shielding member 180, the shielding solenoid 138 is turned off and the shielding member 180 is closed a little later and the shielding sensor 183 is turned on. Thus, the closed state of the shielding member 180 is detected.

  FIG. 15 shows the case where the slot sensor 170 detects the insertion of the medal before the opening time elapses after the slot sensor 170 detects the insertion of the medal and the shield solenoid 138 is turned on. As described above, after the opening time has elapsed since the slot sensor 170 finally detected the insertion of a medal, the shielding solenoid 138 is turned off, and the shielding member 180 is closed.

  Further, when the shielding sensor 183 does not detect the closed state of the shielding member 180 even after the detection waiting time until the shielding solenoid 138 switches from on to off and the shielding member 180 returns from the open state to the closed state, There is a possibility that a medal is sandwiched between the shielding member 180 and the medal flow path, or a foreign object such as an illegal instrument is inserted. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 16, the shielding solenoid 138 is alternately turned on. By performing the off control, the shielding member 180 is repeatedly operated in the open state and the closed state, whereby a medal or the like sandwiched between the shielding members 180 is dropped and the returning operation for returning the shielding member 180 to the closed state is performed. If the closed state of the shielding member 180 is not detected by the shielding sensor 183 even after the return operation is performed, a foreign object is inserted. Determining a closing error 5, which will be described later, as is likely to be, so as to control the error condition. At this time, the shielding solenoid 138 is controlled to be in the off state, and the shielding member 180 is closed.

Further, it is prohibited to control the shielding member 180 to the open state except during the BET process in which the betting number can be set by inserting medals, and in this state, the insertion slot sensor 170 inserts medals. Even when the shielding member 138 is detected, the shielding solenoid 138 is not switched from off to on, and the closed state of the shielding member 180 is maintained.
In addition, even during BET processing that allows setting of the number of bets by inserting medals, in the case of a replay game, the upper limit number of bets is set and the credit has reached the upper limit number. In this case, in a state where the insertion of medals is prohibited, such as when it is controlled to a frozen state or an error state, it is also prohibited to control the shielding member 180 to an open state. Even when the insertion port sensor 170 detects the insertion of a medal in such a state, the shielding solenoid 138 is not switched from off to on, and the closed state of the shielding member 180 is maintained.

  A slot machine that uses a game medium such as a medal as in the present embodiment is provided with a medal selector that determines whether a medal inserted from the outside is true or false. This type of medal selector has a medal flow passage through which medals inserted from the outside flow down, the authenticity of the medal is determined in this flow path, and an appropriate medal is a hopper tank provided in the main body. The medals are stored by being guided to the player, and inappropriate medals are returned to the player.

  Also, in this type of slot machine, it is possible to detect the passage speed and direction of medals by monitoring the passage of medals using a plurality of sensors (inserted medal sensors), and not only the number of medals that have passed, Proposals have also been made to detect the passage of illegal medals moving in the direction, but illegal instruments that simulate the passage of medals by flashing LEDs etc. are used in the passage through which medals pass. In such a case, there is a problem that the use cannot be detected and the use of such an unauthorized device cannot be prevented.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the shield solenoid 138 can switch between a closed state in which the medal flow path 133 is closed to prevent the medal from entering and an open state in which the medal flow path 133 is retracted and allowed to enter the medal. The shield member 180 is provided, and the shield member 180 is closed when the insertion sensor 170 on the upstream side of the shield member 180 does not detect the insertion of the medal even during the BET processing, and the upstream input When the mouth sensor 170 detects the insertion of a medal, the shield solenoid 138 is turned on to operate the shield member 180 from the blocked state to the open state, and then an opening time sufficient to pass through the shield member 180 has elapsed. After that, by returning the shielding solenoid 138 to off again, the operation of returning the shielding member 180 to the closed state is executed, so that the medal is inserted. Only when the shielding member 180 is in the open state, the medal can pass, and after the medal has passed, the shielding member 180 is closed again, so that the insertion of the medal is detected and the shielding member 180 is operated to the open state again. After being operated in the closed state, the closed state of the shielding member 180 is not detected by the shielding sensor 183, so that a medal is clogged in the medal flow path by the shielding member 180 or a foreign object is inserted in the medal flow path 133. Can be detected.
Then, after the insertion of a medal is detected and the shielding member 180 is moved to the open state and is again moved to the closed state, the shielding member 180 is returned to the closed state when the closing state of the shielding member 180 is not detected by the shielding sensor 183. Therefore, when the returning operation for temporarily opening the shielding member 180 is executed, when the token is jammed, the clogging is eliminated and the shielding member 180 returns to the closed state, while foreign matter is inserted. When the return operation is performed, the shielding member 180 does not return to the closed state. After the return operation, the shielding sensor 183 does not detect that the shielding member 180 is in the closed state. Therefore, in order to reproduce the passage of the medal, it is necessary to always insert it into the medal flow path 133. It is possible to prevent the use of illegal equipment.

  Further, in this embodiment, the operation of reciprocating the shielding member 180 back and forth between the open state and the closed state is performed a plurality of times (in this embodiment, twice) as the return operation, so that the medal flows into the medal flow path 133 by the shielding member 180. When the return operation is executed due to clogging, the clogging of medals can be surely resolved.

  Further, in the returning operation, by setting the time for controlling the shielding member 180 to be closed longer than the time for controlling the shielding member 180 to the open state, the medals clogged in the medal flow path 133 by the shielding member 180 are likely to fall. It has become.

  Further, in this embodiment, after the insertion of the medal is detected and the shielding member 180 is moved to the open state and is again moved to the closed state, the returning operation is performed when the closed state of the shielding member 180 is not detected by the shielding sensor 183. If the closed state of the shielding member 180 is not detected by the shielding sensor 183 even if it is executed, an error state that disables the progress of the game is controlled, and the operation of opening the shielding member 180 is prohibited. The operation of opening the shielding member 180 when the unauthorized device is inserted and the shielding member 180 enters an error state without being closed is difficult to remove the unauthorized device. As a result, it is possible to leave a trace of unauthorized use.

  Further, in this embodiment, it is prohibited to control the shielding member 180 to the open state except during the BET process in which the betting number can be set by inserting medals. Even when 170 detects the insertion of a medal, the shielding solenoid 138 is not switched from off to on, and the closed state of the shielding member 180 is maintained. That is, in the state where the insertion of medals is prohibited, it is prohibited to control the shielding member 180 to the open state, and even when the insertion port sensor 170 detects the insertion of medals in such a state, Since the shielding solenoid 138 is not switched from off to on and the closed state of the shielding member 180 is maintained, other than during the BET process, Possible to prevent foreign matter from entering into the dull rundown path 133.

  In addition, even during BET processing that allows setting of the number of bets by inserting medals, in the case of a replay game, the upper limit number of bets is set and the credit has reached the upper limit number. In the case of being controlled to be in a frozen state, not only an error state (an error associated with an abnormality where the shielding member 180 is not closed but also an error associated with the hopper tank 134a being full, the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c). In the state where the insertion of the medal is prohibited, the shielding member 180 is prohibited from being controlled to the open state. Even when the slot sensor 170 detects the insertion of a medal in such a state, the shielding solenoid 138 is not switched from off to on. Since the closed state of the material 180 is maintained, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the medal flow path 133 when the medal insertion is prohibited even during the BET process. .

  Further, in this embodiment, the shielding member 180 protrudes into the medal flow path 133 in a state where the shielding solenoid 138 is not excited (closed state), and no power is supplied to the slot machine 1. Then, since the shielding member 180 protrudes into the medal flow path 133 (closed state), it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the medal flow path 133 when the game is not executed during a power failure.

  In this embodiment, the shielding member 180 is driven by a solenoid. However, any configuration can be used as long as the shielding member 180 can be driven to be switched between a closed state and an open state. A configuration using a motor may be used.

  Further, in this embodiment, the operation of reciprocating the shielding member 180 between the open state and the closed state as the return operation is performed a plurality of times (in this embodiment, twice), but at least the shielding member 180 is opened once. Any configuration may be employed as long as the operation for closing the state is executed.

  In the returning operation, the time for controlling the shielding member 180 to the closed state is set longer than the time for controlling the shielding member 180 to the open state, but the time for controlling the open state and the time for controlling the closed state are set to the same time. The time for controlling to the open state may be set longer than the time for controlling to the closed state.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration is such that it is prohibited to control the shielding member 180 to the open state except during the BET process. However, even when the BET process is not being performed, the shielding member 180 is detected by detecting the insertion of a medal. It is good also as a structure controlled by an open state.

  Similarly, when the insertion of medals is prohibited during the BET process, it is prohibited to control the shielding member 180 to the open state, but the insertion of medals is prohibited during the BET process. Even in the state, the shielding member 180 may be controlled to be in an open state by detecting insertion of a medal.

  Next, the control content of the insertion error detection process for the main control unit 41 to detect an abnormality related to the insertion of medals will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. The insertion error detection process is a process that is executed once every time the timer interrupt process (main) is executed four times in the timer interrupt process (main) executed by the main control unit 41 approximately every 0.56 ms. This process is executed about every 2.24 ms.

  In the insertion error detection process, first, it is determined whether or not any of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c is turned off from the off state (S201), and all of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c are off. If it is not determined that any of the above has changed to on, the process proceeds to step S205.

  If it is determined in step S201 that all of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c are turned off from the off state, the time for which the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c are continuously detected is counted. Then, the value of the insertion detection time counter assigned to the RAM 507 is updated to 0 (S202), and it is determined whether or not the medal has passed the shielding member 180 (S203). Whether or not a medal has passed through the shielding member 180 is determined by whether or not a shielding member passage flag indicating that the medal has passed through the shielding member 180 is set in the RAM 507.

  If it is determined in step S203 that the medal has passed through the shielding member 180, the process proceeds to step S205. If it is determined that the medal has not passed through the shielding member 180, the medal is related to the passage of the shielding member 180. Input error 5 indicating an error is set in the RAM 507 (S204), and the process proceeds to step S205.

  In step S205, it is determined whether any of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c is on. If none of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c are on, the process proceeds to step S213, and the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c. If it is determined that any of c is on, the value of the insertion detection time counter is incremented by 1 (S206).

  Then, it is determined whether or not the value of the insertion detection time counter is the first specified value for determining the clogging of medals near the insertion medal sensors 31a to 31c (S207). In this embodiment, 45 is set as the first specified value, and it is determined whether or not the continuous detection time of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c is about 100 ms (45 × 2.24 ms) or more.

  If the value of the insertion detection time counter is less than the first specified value at which the clogged medal sensors 31a to 31c are determined in step S207, the process proceeds to step S209, and the value of the insertion detection time counter is set to the insertion medal sensor 31a. If the medal clogging near ~ c is the first predetermined value to be determined, the insertion error 1 indicating the medal clogging error near the insertion medal sensors 31a-c is set in the RAM 507 (S208), and the process proceeds to step S209. .

  In step S209, it is determined whether or not the transition of the detection state of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c is normal.

  As shown in FIGS. 17A to 17F, the medals that normally flow down the medal flow path 133 flow down toward the right side in the figure, so that the medals flow in the order of sensor 1, sensor 2, and sensor 3. Detected. Specifically, first, the upper end of the medal is detected by the sensor 1 at the upper end on the upstream side of the medal flow path 133, then the lower end of the medal is detected by the sensor 2 at the lower end of the medal flow path 133, and then the medal flow path 133 The upper end of the medal is detected by the sensor 3 at the upper end on the downstream side.

  For this reason, the transition of the detection state by the sensors 1 to 3 of the medals that normally flow down the medal flow path 133, that is, the history of the change of the detection state by the sensors 1 to 3 is always as shown in the timing chart of FIG.

  Specifically, states ab (sensor 1: on, sensor 2: off, sensor 3: off) where only sensor 1 is detected, states bc (sensor 1) where both sensor 1 and sensor 2 are detected : On, sensor 2: on, sensor 3: off), state cd (sensor 1: on, sensor 2: on, sensor 3: on), sensor 2, sensor 3 Are detected (de: sensor 1: off, sensor 2: on, sensor 3: on), and only the sensor 3 is detected (e: sensor 1: off, sensor 2: off, sensor 3). : On), the detection state of the sensors 1 to 3 changes.

  Thus, since the transition of the detection state by the sensors 1 to 3 of the medals that normally flow down the medal flow path 133 is always the same pattern state transition, the transition of the detection state by the sensors 1 to 3 is a different state transition. There is a possibility of fraud related to the insertion of medals.

  When it is determined in step S209 that the detection state transition of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c is normal, the process proceeds to step S211 and when it is determined that the detection state transition of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c is not normal. Sets the insertion error 2 indicating a detection error by the insertion medal sensors 31a to 31c in the RAM 507 (S10), and proceeds to step S211.

  In step S211, it is determined whether or not the medal acceptance is permitted (the BET process is being performed and the medal insertion is not prohibited), and the medal acceptance is permitted. For example, the process proceeds to step S213, and if the medal acceptance is not permitted, the insertion error 3 indicating that the medal insertion is detected in a state where the medal acceptance is not permitted is set (S212). Proceed to step.

  In step S213, it is determined whether or not the chute sensor 166 has changed from off to on. If the chute sensor 166 has not changed from off to on, the process proceeds to step S215, and the chute sensor 166 changes from off to on. When the medal passes through the medal chute 160, the chute sensor 166 is assigned to the RAM 507 to count the number of medals detected by the insertion port sensor 170 without changing from off to on. The value of the insertion port passage counter is updated to 0 (S214), and the process proceeds to step S215.

  In step S215, it is determined whether or not the input port sensor 170 has changed from off to on. If the input port sensor 170 has not changed from off to on, the process proceeds to step S219, where the input port sensor 170 is turned on. If it is determined that the value has changed from off to on, the value of the insertion port passage counter is incremented by 1 (S216), and it is determined whether or not the value of the insertion port passage counter is the second specified value (S217). In this embodiment, 7 is set as the second specified value. As shown in FIG. 19, when a medal is spread from the medal flow path 133 to the medal chute 160, the medal passage is always detected by either the insertion port sensor 170 or the movable piece 163 (chute sensor 166). When the number of medals to be 7 is 7 and 7 is applied as the second specified value, the chute sensor 166 detects that the passage of seven medals has been detected by the slot sensor 170. When the passage of the medal is not detected, it is possible to detect that the medal detected by the insertion slot sensor 170 does not flow out to the medal chute 160.

  If the value of the insertion port passage counter is not the second specified value in step S217, the process proceeds to step S219, and if the value of the insertion port passage counter is the second specified value, that is, in the insertion port sensor 170. If the detected medal does not flow out to the medal chute 160, the insertion error 4 indicating that the inserted medal is not stored is set in the RAM 507 (S218), and the process proceeds to step S219.

  In step S219, it is determined whether or not the shielding sensor 183 has changed from off to on. If the shielding sensor 183 has not changed from off to on, the process proceeds to step S221, where the shielding sensor 183 changes from off to on. If it is determined that the medal has been changed, a shielding member passage flag indicating that the medal has already passed through the shielding member 180 is set in the RAM 507 (S220), and the process proceeds to step S221.

  In step S221, it is determined whether or not the shielding solenoid 138 is on. If it is determined that the shielding solenoid is on, the process proceeds to step S226.

  If it is determined in step S221 that the shielding solenoid 138 is in the off state, it is determined whether or not the shielding sensor 183 is on, that is, whether or not the open state of the shielding member 180 is detected (S222). If the shielding sensor 183 is not on, that is, if the shielding sensor 183 is off, the process proceeds to step S226.

  If it is determined in step S222 that the shielding sensor 183 is in the on state, it is determined based on the value of the detection waiting counter whether or not the detection waiting time in the closed state is awaiting progress (S223). If it is determined that the closed detection waiting time elapses, the process proceeds to step S226.

  If it is determined in step S223 that the closed state detection waiting time has not elapsed, that is, after the shielding solenoid 138 is switched off, the closed state of the shielding member 180 is not detected even though the detection waiting time has elapsed. If it is not detected, it is determined whether or not the return operation is being performed based on the value of the return count (S224). If it is determined that the return operation is being performed, the process proceeds to step S226.

  If it is determined in step S224 that the return operation is not in progress, the insertion error 5 indicating an error related to the passage of the shielding member 180 is set in the RAM 507 (S225), and the process proceeds to step S226.

  In step S226, it is determined whether or not the shielding sensor 183 has changed from on to off. If the shielding sensor 183 has not changed from on to off, the process proceeds to step S228, and the shielding sensor 183 has been changed from on to off. If it is determined that the value has changed, the value of the input detection waiting counter assigned to the RAM 507 for counting the time until the shielding member passage flag is cleared after the shielding sensor 183 changes from on to off is set to 0. (S227), and the process proceeds to step S228.

  In step S228, it is determined whether or not the shielding sensor 183 is off. If it is determined that the shielding sensor 183 is off, it is further determined whether or not the shielding member passage flag is set (S229). ).

  If the shielding sensor 183 is on in step S228, or if the shielding member passage flag is not set in step S229, the making error detection process is terminated.

  If it is determined in step S229 that the shielding member passage flag is set, the value of the insertion detection waiting counter is incremented by 1 (S230), and whether or not the value of the insertion detection waiting counter is the fourth specified value. Is determined (S231). In this embodiment, 447 is set as the third specified value, and it is determined whether or not a time of about 1001 ms (447 × 2.24 ms) has elapsed after the shielding sensor 183 has changed from on to off. . This time is sufficient for the medal to pass the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c after passing through the shielding member 180.

  If it is determined in step S231 that the value of the insertion detection waiting counter is not the third specified value, the closing error detection process is terminated, and if it is determined that the value of the insertion detection waiting counter is the third specified value, the shielding member passage flag is set. It is cleared (S232), and the input error detection process is terminated.

  As described above, in the insertion error detection process, an abnormality related to the insertion of a medal is detected. When an abnormality related to the insertion of a medal is detected, an insertion error 1 corresponding to the type of the detected abnormality is detected. Any one of ˜5 is set in the RAM 507. When throwing errors 1 to 5 are set in the RAM 507 in the throwing error detection process, the reset operation is performed when returning to the basic process after completion of the timer interrupt process (main) that executed the throwing error detection process. It is controlled to an error state in which the progress of the game is disabled until it is detected. At this time, error codes corresponding to throwing errors 1 to 5 are respectively displayed on the game auxiliary display 12 so that the cause of the throwing error can be identified before the error state is canceled.

  In addition, when switching from the state where the medal acceptance is not permitted to the state where the medal acceptance is permitted, the error state is controlled by setting the insertion errors 1 to 5, and the error state is released. In this case, in the RAM 507, the value of the opening counter, the value of the detection waiting counter, the value of the closing counter, the number of return operations, the value of the closing detection time counter, the value of the closing port passing counter, the value of the shielding detection time counter, All the values of the insertion detection waiting counter are updated to 0, and the shielding member passage flag is cleared.

  As described above, in the slot machine of the present embodiment, the insertion of medals used for setting the bet number and credit addition processing is determined by detecting the passage of medals normally by the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c. It has become.

  In addition, after any one of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c is turned off, any one of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c is kept on, that is, the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c. Has reached the determination time (about 100 ms in this embodiment) set longer than the time required for the medal to pass through the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c. In this case, there is a possibility that medals are clogged in the vicinity of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c of the medal flow down passage 133. In such a case, the insertion error 1 is set and the error state is controlled. ing.

  In addition, when a normal medal is inserted, the transition of the detection state by the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c is always the same pattern, but when the detection state by the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c is different from the normal pattern, There is a possibility that the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c are improperly detected by the medal or the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c are pulled back, and in such a case, the insertion error 2 Is set to control the error state.

  Also, only when the medal acceptance is permitted, the flow path switching solenoid 30 is turned on, and the medal passes through the position where the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c are arranged in the medal flow down passage 133. If the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c detect the passage of medals in a state where they are not permitted, there is a problem in the switching of the flow path, or there is an illegal act of pulling back the medals detected by the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c. In such a case, the input error 3 is set and is controlled to an error state.

  In addition, an inlet sensor 170 that detects the passage of a medal that flows into the medal flow passage from the inflow port 141 is provided near the inlet 141 of the medal flow passage 133 and flows out from the outlet 142 of the medal flow passage 133. The medal chute 160 for guiding the medal to the hopper tank 134a is provided with a chute sensor 166 for detecting the passage of the medal in the medal chute 160. As shown in FIG. The number of times the passage is detected is on the flow path from the position of the insertion port sensor 170 to the movable piece 163 that detects passage of the medal by the chute sensor 166 without the passage of the medal detected by the chute sensor 166. When medals are laid out, the number of medals equal to or greater than the number of medals laid out in the meantime In this embodiment, it is 7), that is, the passage of medals is detected on the downstream side of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c even though the passage of medals is detected on the upstream side of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c. If not, there is a possibility that the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c are illegally detected with medals or that the inserted medals sensors 31a to 31c pull back the medals detected. In this case, the input error 4 is set and the error state is controlled.

  The chute sensor 166 detects the passage of the medal by detecting the state in which the movable piece 163 is retracted, but the movable piece 163 does not return from the retracted state even after the medal has passed, and the chute sensor 166 The state where the passage of the medal is detected may continue, and in such a case, it is impossible to detect whether or not the medal has passed the medal chute 160 thereafter. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 21, the number of times that a medal is inserted and the passage is detected by the insertion port sensor 170 does not change while the chute sensor 166 remains on. When medals are laid down on the flow path up to the movable piece 163 that detects the passage of medals at 166, the number of medals exceeds the number of medals laid out in the meantime (7 in this embodiment). Error 4 is set and is controlled to an error state.

  Moreover, although the passage of medals is detected by the insertion port sensor 170, the possibility that the passage of medals is not detected by the chute sensor 166 may be clogged in the middle. In the situation, when the insertion error 1 indicating a clogged medal is determined and the error state is canceled by removing the medal, the medal is removed, so that the passage of the medal is not detected by the chute sensor 166, but thereafter The count is performed each time the medal passage is detected by the slot sensor 170, and when the count value reaches seven, the medal chute 160 actually does not pass seven medals. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22, the input error is canceled when the input error is canceled. The counter value, that is, the number of times that the medal passage is detected by the insertion port sensor 170 is cleared, and after the error is released, it is counted again. Thus, it is possible to prevent the insertion error from being erroneously determined when the clogging of medals is resolved.

  Further, a shielding member 180 for closing the medal flow passage 133 is provided in the vicinity of the inlet 141 of the medal flow passage 133. The medal inserted from the medal insertion portion 4 pushes the shield member 180 open to flow down the medal. It flows down the passage 133. Further, the shielding sensor 183 detects that the shielding member 180 is in an open state. Then, after the shielding sensor 183 detects the open state of the shielding member 180, it is set longer than the time required for the shielding sensor 183 to pass the inserted medal sensors 31 a to 31 c after detecting the closed state of the shielding member 180. When the passage of medals is detected by any of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c other than the period until the detection waiting time elapses, that is, the inserted medal sensor 31a although the medal has not passed the shielding member 180. When-me detects the passage of medals, there is a possibility that the inserted medal sensors 31a-c are improperly detected by medal, or that the medal detected by the inserted medal sensors 31a-c is withdrawn. In such a case, the input error 5 is set and controlled to an error state.

  Further, except when the insertion port sensor 170 detects the insertion of a medal in a state where insertion of medals is permitted, the shielding member 180 is controlled to be in a closed state by the shielding solenoid 138. During the on period, after the shielding solenoid 138 changes from on to off, the period until the detection waiting time elapses, and during the return operation period after the detection waiting time elapses, the shielding sensor 183 changes the open state of the shielding member 180. If it is detected, there is a possibility that the medal flow path 133 is clogged or a foreign object other than a medal such as an illegal instrument is inserted. In such a case, the insertion error 5 is set. The error status is controlled.

  In this embodiment, the insertion slot sensor 170 for detecting the passage of medals in the medal flow path 133 in the insertion medal selector 131 for determining the authenticity of the medals inserted from the medal insertion unit 4 and the insertion medal selector 131 determine whether the medal is true. A chute sensor 166 is provided for detecting the medal passage of the medal chute 160 that guides the medal that has been judged to flow out to the hopper tank 134a, and the passage of the medal is detected by the insertion port sensor 170 of the medal flow path 133. Nevertheless, when the passage of the medal is not detected by the chute sensor 166 of the medal chute 160, the medal is determined to be true and the medal is set in the hopper tank even though the bet number is set or the credit is added. The possibility of not being stored in 134a, that is, only the insertion of a medal is determined and the medal is returned. Or even if no medal is actually inserted, there is a possibility that an illegal act of determining only the insertion of a medal is made. In such a case, it is determined that an insertion error has occurred and the error state is controlled. It is like that.

  At this time, the insertion error is based on the time required for the medal to flow down from the position where the insertion port sensor 170 of the medal flow path 133 detects the passage of the medal to the position where the chute sensor 166 of the medal chute 160 detects the passage of the medal. If the configuration is such that the chute sensor 166 detects the passage of the medal from the position where the insertion port sensor 170 detects the passage of the medal due to a plurality of factors such as installation conditions of the downflow passage, deterioration of the downflow passage, individual differences of medals, and the like. The medal flow time to the position where the passage of the medal is detected varies, and such a variation in the flow time is taken into consideration until the insertion error is determined after the insertion port sensor 170 detects the medal passage. If the time is set longer than the designed flow-down time, fraudulent activity may be missed. Mouth sensor 170 so that the problem of detecting and a closing error is set to a time close to the flow time of the design time to be determined from the input error passage of medals from being determined frequently occurs.

  For this reason, in this embodiment, the number of times that a medal is inserted and the passage of the medal is detected by the slot sensor 170 is detected by the chute sensor 166 without detecting the passage of the medal. When medals are laid down on the flow path from the position 170 to the movable piece 163 for detecting the passage of medals by the shoot sensor 166 of the medal chute 160, the number of medals equal to or more than the number of medals laid between them (7 in this embodiment). In the case of a sheet), it is determined that a loading error has occurred. That is, when medals are laid down on the flow path from the position of the insertion port sensor 170 to the movable piece 163 for detecting the passage of medals by the chute sensor 166, the number of medals equal to or more than the number of medals laid in the meantime is input to the insertion port sensor 170. If it is detected, the passage must be detected by the shoot sensor 166. Nevertheless, since the shoot sensor 166 has not detected the passage of the medal, the insertion error is determined. Yes.

  At this time, the number of medals spread on the flow path from the position of the insertion port sensor 170 to the movable piece 163 that detects the passage of the medal by the chute sensor 166, that is, the number of medals serving as a reference for determining the insertion error, is the flow time. In this way, there is almost no variation due to the installation situation of the downflow passage, deterioration of the downflow passage, individual differences of medals, etc., even though the medals are judged to be true and the number of bets is set or credits are added The possibility that medals are not stored in the hopper tank 134a can be accurately detected.

  In this embodiment, the insertion port sensor 170, that is, a position where insertion of a medal is determined (position of the insertion medal sensors 31a to 31c in this embodiment) is used as a detecting means for detecting the passage of the medal in the medal flow path 133. Although the detection means arranged upstream is applied, any detection means may be used as long as it detects the passage of medals in the medal flow path of the inserted medal selector 131.

  For example, the number of medals inserted by the inserted medals sensors 31a to 31c (the number of times the transition of the detection state is determined to be normal) is not detected by the shoot sensor 166, and the inserted medals are detected. When medals are laid down on the flow path from the position where the sensors 31a to 31c determine the insertion of medals to the movable piece 163 where the passage of medals is detected by the shoot sensor 166, the number of medals equal to or more than the number of medals laid in the meantime ( In this embodiment, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which it is determined that the insertion error has occurred, and even in such a configuration, even if the medal is determined to be true and the bet number is set or credits are added. Regardless, it is possible to accurately detect the possibility that medals are not stored in the hopper tank 134a. In this case, the configuration may be such that no detection means for detecting passage of medals is provided upstream of the insertion medal sensors 31a to 31c such as the insertion port sensor 170.

  Further, the number of times the medal passage is determined by any one of the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c (for example, the number of times the change of the inserted medal sensor 31a from off to on) is detected is the shoot sensor 166. On the flow path from the position where a particular sensor among the inserted medal sensors 31a to 31c determines the passage of the medal to the movable piece 163 where the passage of the medal is detected by the chute sensor 166 without detecting the passage of the medal at It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which an insertion error is determined when the number of medals exceeds the number of medals laid out in the meantime (7 in this embodiment). The medal is stored in the hopper tank 134a even though it is determined to be true and the bet amount is set or the credit is added. The no possibility can be detected accurately. In this case as well, a configuration may be adopted in which no detection means for detecting passage of medals is provided upstream of the insertion medal sensors 31a to 31c such as the insertion port sensor 170.

  Further, in this embodiment, an example using a disk-shaped medal as a game medium is described. However, the game medium may be configured so as to be able to flow down the flow path, and a game ball such as a pachinko ball may be used as the game medium. Even in this case, the number of times the passing of the game ball is detected by the detection means in the determination device for determining the authenticity of the pachinko ball is transferred from the determination device to a storage unit (such as a tank on the game island). The position where the detecting means in the determination device detects the passage of the game ball from the position where the detecting means in the determination device detects the passage of the game ball without the passage of the game ball being detected by the detecting means of the guiding passage for guiding. If the game ball is spread on the flow path up to the number of game balls spread in the meantime and the number of game balls is more than the number of game balls, the throwing error is determined to be true as described above. Judged and used for games Despite there can game balls to accurately detect the possibility that not stored in the storage unit.

  Further, in this embodiment, when the chute sensor 166 detects the passage of the medal, the number of times that the passage is detected by the insertion port sensor 170 is cleared, and the number of times that the passage is detected by the insertion port sensor 170. If medals are laid out on the flow path from the position of the insertion port sensor 170 to the movable piece 163 that detects passage of medals by the chute sensor 166 without being cleared, the number of medals equal to or more than the number of medals laid out in the meantime In this embodiment, the insertion error is determined when the number is 7). Every time the chute sensor 166 detects the passage of the medal, the number of times the passage of the medal is detected by the insertion port sensor 170 is set to 1. The number of times the medal passage is detected by the slot sensor 170 is subtracted from the position of the slot sensor 170 by the chute sensor 166. In the case where medals are laid down on the flow path up to the movable piece 163 that detects the passage of the medals, the insertion error is determined when the number of medals exceeds the number of medals laid out in the meantime (seven in this embodiment). It is also good.

  Further, in this embodiment, the chute sensor 166 that is a detecting means for detecting the medal passage of the medal chute 160 detects the passage of the medal by detecting the movement of the movable piece 163 that operates in conjunction with the passage of the medal. Since it is difficult to detect the passage of medals in a pseudo manner as compared with the optical sensor, it is possible to detect the downstream chute sensor 166 in a false manner when performing an illegal act. It is possible to prevent the throwing error from being judged.

  In the present embodiment, a shielding member 180 that closes the medal flow passage 133 in the vicinity of the inlet 141 and a shielding sensor 183 that detects the state of the shielding member 180 are provided, and the opened state of the shielding member 180 is the medal. When a determination time set longer than the time required for passing is exceeded, it is determined that the insertion error has occurred and is controlled to be in an error state, and a foreign object such as an illegal instrument is inserted into the medal flow path 133. Even in such a case, the fact is detected, and it is possible to prevent unauthorized use of the device.

  In this embodiment, the shielding sensor 183 for detecting the state of the shielding member 180 is provided separately from the insertion port sensor 170. However, the insertion port sensor 170 is provided, and the shielding member 180 and the shielding sensor 183 are provided. Alternatively, the insertion port sensor 170 may detect that a foreign object has entered the medal flow path 133, or the shielding member 180 and the shielding sensor 183 may be provided without the insertion port sensor 170. It is also possible to adopt a configuration for detecting a medal that passes through the medal flow passage 133 and detecting that a foreign object has entered the medal flow passage 133. With such a configuration, two detection means are provided near the inflow port 141. Detection of medals passing through the medal flow path 133 without mounting, and unauthorized equipment inserted in the medal flow path 133 And detection, it is possible to perform.

  In the present embodiment, the upper portion of the medal chute 160 is open, but the upper portion of the medal chute 160 is covered with a covering member without opening, that is, the medal chute 160 is attached to the hopper tank 134a. A structure other than the discharge port may be covered. With such a structure, it becomes difficult to access the medal chute 160, and the medal that has flowed out from the medal chute selector 131 is taken out from the medal chute 160, and the hopper tank 134a. In addition to preventing the unauthorized return of the medal chute 160 to the outside without covering it, the movable piece that operates when the medal chute 160 detects passage of the medal is covered by covering other than the outlet to the hopper tank 134a. Access to 163 becomes difficult, and the movable piece 163 is moved in a pseudo manner. It becomes difficult to ensure that escape the fraud detection by. That is, the medal chute 160 other than the outlet to the hopper tank 134a is covered, so that the medal that has flowed out from the inserted medal selector 131 is taken out from the medal chute 160 and returned to the outside without being stored in the hopper tank 134a. It is possible to prevent both of the acts of operating the piece 163 in a pseudo manner so as to avoid unauthorized detection.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and changes and additions within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are included in the present invention. Needless to say.

In the above embodiment, although the betting amount with medals and credits the present invention as a valuable gaming has been described with the example of application to a slot machine to be set, sets the bet number with the game ball as the value for a game The present invention may be applied to a slot machine or a fully credit type slot machine that uses only credit as a gaming value to set a bet amount. In the case of using a game ball as a game value, for example, one medal can correspond to five game balls, and when three bets are set in the first embodiment, 15 game balls are used. This is equivalent to setting the number of bets using.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the use of only one of a plurality of types of game values such as medals and game balls, for example, a combination of a plurality of types of game values such as medals and game balls. It may be. That is, it is possible to play a game by setting the number of bets using any of a plurality of types of gaming values such as medals and game balls, and a plurality of types of games such as medals and game balls when a winning occurs. You may apply the slot machine which can pay out all of utility values.

  In the above-described embodiment, the slot machine 1 that plays a game using medals (game media), credits, or the like as a game value is applied as an example of a gaming machine. However, the present invention is not limited to this, The present invention can also be applied to a pachinko gaming machine capable of playing a game by using a game ball as a medium, a sparrow ball gaming machine capable of playing a game by using a medal or a gaming ball as a game medium, and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Slot machine 4 Medal insertion part 31a-c Insertion medal sensor 41 Main control part 131 Insertion medal selector 133 Medal flow-down path 134a Hopper tank 138 Shielding solenoid 160 Medal chute 163 Movable piece 166 Shooting sensor 170 Entry sensor 180 Shielding member 183 Shielding sensor

Claims (1)

A gaming machine capable of playing a game using gaming value,
A game medium discriminating device for determining whether the game medium flowing down the flow path is provided with a flow-down path through which the game medium as the gaming value input from the input unit provided in the gaming machine flows down;
A storage unit for storing the game medium;
A guiding path for guiding the game medium that has been determined to be true by the game medium determination device and has flowed out of the game medium determination device to the storage unit;
An entry blocking member movable in a blocking state for blocking the entry of the game medium and an allowable state for allowing the game medium upstream from a position for determining the authenticity of the game medium in the flow-down passage;
Position detecting means for detecting the position of the entry preventing member;
Input detection means for detecting input of the game medium upstream of the entry blocking member in the flow-down passage;
Passage detection means for detecting passage of the game medium flowing down the guide passage;
Counting means for counting the number of game media whose insertion has been detected by the insertion detection means;
Initialization means for returning the number of game media counted by the counting means to an initial value by detecting the passage of the game media by the passage detection means;
The number of game media counted by the counting means can be spread between the position where the insertion detecting means detects the insertion in the flow-down passage and the position where the passage detection means detects the passage in the guide passage. An anomaly detection means for detecting an anomaly based on reaching a specified number equal to or greater than the number of game media;
Drive means for driving the entry blocking member to one of the blocked state or the allowed state;
Operation control means for controlling the entry preventing member to operate by driving the drive means;
With
The operation control means includes
When the insertion detecting means detects the insertion of the game medium in the state in which the gaming medium can be inserted, and when the insertion detecting unit returns the blocking state to the blocking state after operating the entry blocking member from the blocking state to the permission state. Perform the action,
After the operation at the time of detecting the closing, after the position detecting means does not detect that the entry preventing member is in the blocked state, the entry blocking member is operated to the allowed state and then the entry blocking member is blocked. Perform a reciprocating motion to move to the state,
Even if the reciprocating operation is performed a predetermined number of times, control is performed to operate the entry blocking member in the blocking state when the position detecting means does not detect that the blocking member is in the blocking state. Gaming machine.

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